Archive for the ‘MLB Baseball’ Category

World Series Preview: Philadelphia vs. Tampa Bay

Monday, October 20th, 2008

If there is someone out there that predicted the and the to meet in the they are either lying or were able to look into a crystal ball. futures odds opened with Tampa Bay at 150/1 and Philadelphia at 14/1. The would surely pay out big for anyone who laid some coin down on this young bunch of ball players.

Although the look to be the favorite heading into the Fall Classic and hold home field advantage, is this team too young or inexperienced to win it all or are they peaking at the right time? The have become the feel good story this season after suffering through 10 losing seasons and having the worst record in baseball last year. From worst to first they head into the World Series boasting with confidence after surviving an ALCS meltdown, winning Game 7 and dethroning the .

The Philadelphia are also filled with young talent and timely hitting. From Cole Hamels to former MVP’s Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins to lights out closer Brad Lidge. The surely are the team with the big name players and larger pay roll. The are 79-0 in games which they led entering the 9th inning. Brad Lidge has not blown a save all season and the bridge to Lidge is as stable as they come with Ryan Madson, Chad Durbin and JC Romero. A deep bullpen seems to be a consistent factor with World Series Champions.

Both the and have speed but the edge goes to the . The were 4th this year in stolen bases and the first place team? Yep, the Tampa Bay led by Upton and Carl Crawford. The might have the most solid infield in baseball but the certainly can hold their own with Gold Glove shortstop Jimmy Rollins. We certainly give the bullpen edge to the Phitin’ Phils with closer Brad Lidge and list of possible set up men. The bullpen is not set in stone but David Price has surely stepped up his game against the Red Sox and could come in handy in late innings pitching against Utley and Howard.

We give a slight advantage to the young starting rotations but with the amount of pressure that comes with World Series play will they hold up to their regular season success? We give the power edge to the with Rollins, Utley, Howard and Burrell. Shane Victorino picked up some slack this post season due to streaky hitting from Utley and Howard. What will happen if all hitters are clicking on all cylinders? If this happens there is a pitcher in the league that can shut them down, just ask .

While the have home field advantage, playing in Philadelphia is second to none. The fans are die hard, passionate fans that are in serious need of a championship. The last World Series win was in 1980 when Steve Carlton was the ace. The young players are in for a rude awakening when they step on the field at Citizens Bank Park for Game 3. We looks at the fans as almost adopted fans that didn’t take notice until the made the playoffs. One more game will be played in Tampa then in Philadelphia but the home field advantage in our minds goes to Philly.

This series should be a classic considering the main stream media and most likely would have liked to see Boston playing LA due to the major markets. However, the Documented Handicappers crew is thrilled to see some new flavor this October.

Prediction: win in 7.

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NL Playoff Rundown

Wednesday, September 24th, 2008

The remaining weeks left in the 2008 regular season will be a fight to the finish. The is shaping up to be another battle that will go down to the final days of the regular season. The Chicago secured home field advantage throughout the playoffs with their 9-5 win over the on Monday. The are now 34 games over .500 and will be interested observers in the race. If the are the they will face the . If the are the , the will face the champ, most likely the LA .

: The are in danger of a second straight late-season collapse. While it may be premature to say the have locked up the , the certainly aren’t playing with the intensity needed to win the division crown. The are 10-2 in their last 12 games and have scored 68 runs over that span. The bats are looking alive and their bullpen is one of the tops in the league. The finish off the season with Atlanta and Washington. The have combined to go 23-8 versus these two opponents, with an impressive 14-2 record versus Atlanta alone. The are healthy and motivated; the should win the .

: The LA have been in first place in the for most of September. Arizona is 3 games back of the and if they do not put up a fight for the division they will not have a chance at making the post season since they are out of reach from the . The posted a 10-1 record from September 1st - 13th which helped them stay at the top of the West. Manny Ramirez has surely sparked the team from an offensive perspective. Since acquiring Manny from Boston, LA increased its offensive productivity from batting .250 in July to making contact with the ball for a .280 BA in August. Manny’s playoff experience is a bonus for Joe Torre and the . With Dan Haren (16-8), Brandon Webb (22-7) and Randy Johnson (10-9) taking the mound in the upcoming days for Arizona, the Diamondbacks will need their aces to help keep them in the race. Although Arizona will put the heat on LA, the should secure a playoff position by winning the .

: Many fans would like to see Milwaukee squeeze into the post season. With Ben Sheets out due to an ailing elbow and the firing of Ned Yost, the chances do not look good. The currently sit 1 game up on the and appear to have a better chance of clinching the birth. With the faltering and the collapse, whoever secures the will inevitably lose in the NLDS. We like the to win the but don’t expect them to make magic happen in the playoffs.

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