THERE'S ONLY ONE OCTOBER!
Now that we are less than 2 weeks from the close of the MLB regular season and the Yankees yesterday became the first team to clinch a playoff spot, I think it is time we start looking ahead (like past this hideous series with Kansas City) and plan for the playoffs… and prepare ourselves for all of the constant commercials TBS and FOX have prepared for us.
You have to admit, September has been a pretty boring month for baseball fans. There are almost no dramatic moments going on, the playoffs are looking inked up across the board and the only team who has clinched is NY. The only real playoff battle at this time is going on in the AL Central between Detroit and Minnesota (Detroit is up 2.5 games).
Teams that look poised and ready in the AL are the Yankees vs. Detroit / Minnesota and LA Angels vs. the Red Sox. In the NL we are looking at a probable Dodgers vs. Cardinals / Phillies and Cardinals / Phillies vs. Rockies.
Obviously, we care more about the AL playoffs… I hate watching pitchers hit. However, whether it is in the NLDS or NLCS, Dodgers vs. Cardinals should be an amazing series and either one of them will represent the NL well in the World Series (sorry Phillies and Rockies fans).
Going into the playoffs, the Red Sox (at this time – granted they only have a 99.9% chance of making the playoffs according to ESPN.com) are looking to be putting a great push on. The offense has been crunching the ball with the third highest run total in MLB (802 runs) and all three of those top run scoring teams coming from the AL (Yankees – 864, Angels – 826). The pitching seems to be figuring itself out recently too with Josh Beckett not looking great but not looking like Cy Young material. Lester has been the confidence in the rotation from day 1 this year and going into the playoffs, he is hopefully making Tito think long and hard about who would go in Game One.
The single most worrisome issue going into the playoffs this year HAS to be the way this team plays baseball on the road. At home, the Red Sox are a stellar (and MLB best) 52-22 while dabbling under a pathetic .500 at 37-39 on the road. Having a ridiculously horrid record on the road doesn’t bode well for a team who will not see home field advantage until the World Series (fingers crossed).
Even worse than the road rage is the Red Sox record on the West Coast (as reported way back in the day - which was May 16th by the way). Not just this year but since Tito took to the helm of this club, the Red Sox are 39-54 in games played on the West Coast.
Heading into a series against the Los Angeles Angels (for those of you lost without your Garmin – that’s 2,975 miles Southwest from Fenway – and 3 hours time difference), these records on the road and more specifically West Coast do not give me the warm and fuzzys. The Red Sox are also 4-5 against LAA this year with a 2-1 record at home an, you guessed it, a 2-4 record in LA… Anaheim… LA of Ana… Never mind… Southern California.
by Lori Shepler - AP
There are of course the obvious story lines of the Red Sox OWNING (or PWNING if you are a gamer) the Angels in the playoffs over the last 5 years, Beckett “throwing at” Bobby Abreu’s head in April, the Angels winning it all for the young lost life of their pitcher Nick Adenhart, etc, etc.
Either way, assuming that the Sox / Angels are the series for the postseason, I would expect an amazing series none-the-less. This sad, pathetic excuse for a September of baseball across the sport has kind of taken people away from the excitement that should be building up in the playoffs but I think that the teams heading into the playoffs are all very solid teams and will not disappoint (except for those of you in LA (of Anaheim), Detroit, Colorado, and Philly who will probably see your teams take an early exit.
But the good news is that we get to see A LOT more of “My – my – Mike Scoscia face! MY MIKE SCOSCIA FACE!”
One Response to “THERE'S ONLY ONE OCTOBER!”
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Ah..the Red Sox vs the Angels. We have owned them in the playoffs in recent years – and yes, we did mighty fine against them at Fenway recently. Am I worried about facing them in the playoffs in LA? A little bit – they do have a chip on their shoulder and if the calls don’t go their way Scoscia might have a stroke – but I have every confidence that the Red Sox will come away with a series win. There is a reason that it is called Sox-tober!