[08/07/12] SHOELESS JOE WORLD ..... S17 WILL BEGIN SHORTLY .....

Sunday, November 7, 2010

PLAYOFF PREVIEW - LCS ROUND

..............................................................................................................................................................................



REGULAR SEASON SERIES: TIED, 5-5



The #1 seed Salem Lights competed their way through the regular season with a 104-58 record and first round bye in the playoffs. The AL West champs did not have it easy at first, as they had competition from fellow division mates Vancouver VooDoo and Oklahoma City Redhawks. However, Salem was able to pull away in the last quarter of the season and ended up finishing 18 games in front of second place Vancouver. The New York Nippers, on the other hand, did not have it so easy. They were battling it out for nearly the entire season with the Pawtucket Fire Cats. Even the Atlanta convicks decided they wanted a part of the AL East division fight. However in the end, it was New York who squeeked away with the AL East title. Atlanta managed to skid by Pawtucket for 2nd place and the #5 wild card. Pawtucket came away with the #6 seed and the 2nd wild card.

OFFENSE



These two offensive clubs have one big trait in common: they both love to score runs. However, they both do it in different ways. With Salem, it's all about getting on base. Steal bases at any cost, aggressive base running, and reaching home plate on the clutch hit. Denny Gaston is their spark plug. He is the catalyst for their offense, as his blend of power and speed is exactly what their top of the order needs. Other players such as Bill Barkley and Geronimo Elcano contribute with the swing of the bat, as well as their speed on the base paths. Keep an eye on ROY candidate Santo Rijo. He aims to make a big impact on this series.

For New York, it's even simpler: the long ball! New York led the majors with 309 home runs, and they have a ton of guys on the roster who can deliver the big hit. Jake Brantley led the team with 41 HRs, but not by much. Alejandro Rivera, Valerio Owen, Hanley Zambrano, and Michael Roberts all hit 30 HR and over in S9, and they have the abilities to send any pitch out of the ballpark. Keep an eye on Jimmie Moreno. He's been hot so far in the playoffs, and if he continues to hit, the Nippers will be well on their way.


ADVANTAGE:


PITCHING



Look at the team statistics, and again, very similar. Salem is led by a group of young kids. Torey Ontiveros and Gus Keagle are both 23 years old, and won 17 and 16 games, respectively. They'll be leading the Salem rotation for years to come. They sprinkled in a dash of experience with the acquisition of Freddie Foster. Foster went 10-2 with a 2.57 ERA with Salem. Their bullpen is one of the league's best, with the tandem of Jaime Jefferies and George Garcia. And who can forget Teddy Hubbard to close the game out?

New York is led by Rene Howry, who signed a mega deal to come pitch for the Nippers. Up and comer Emilio Mieses had a nice season, and only looks to get better as he gets older. Veteran Olmedo Guerrero has two victories so far in the playoffs, and could be the difference between moving on and exiting the playoffs. Tomas Sanchez and Luis Esposito pitched well in relief for the Nippers, but Lee O'Connor was anything but a shutdown closer. That 4.69 ERA won't get it done against a lineup like Salem's.


ADVANTAGE:


DEFENSE



New York as a team committed 74 errors, while Salem committed 89 errors. A .002 difference in total team defense. In our opinions, way too close to call an advantage there.


ADVANTAGE:


OWNER



Salem's owner is rootgargle, who's been to a slew of World Series with no titles under his belt. New York's owner is austinfan1, who has won the big one. I don't care how many World Series you've been to, you have to give the edge to the one who has.


ADVANTAGE:


SUMMARY



This is going to go the full 7 games, there's no doubt about that. Salem is young and energetic, but New York has experience. In this series, give me the experience.


SJW BLOG PICK: in 7 games







REGULAR SEASON SERIES: SD, 7-3



The #4 seed San Diego Padres had an interesting trip to the NLCS. First they dispatched the #5 seed San Juan Expos in 4 games. Then, they went out and sent the #1 seed Boston Stricken Gods home with a 3-1 series win. Now, I don't know about you, but whenever I see the Rochester Mountain Dwellers in the playoffs, I get scared. Two straight WS titles for this team, and they could very well make it three. They squeeked out the #2 seed and first round bye, then went out and beat the #6 seed Kansas City Pine Tar in three straight.

OFFENSE



Rochester had a .270 team average, led by the usual cast of ball hitting characters. Milt Kipling once again leads the way, followed by Casey Combs and Hector Rodriguez. Alan Hand had a nice series against KC. If they can get more offense from him, they'll be even tougher to beat.

San Diego doesn't specialize in offense, but they have one guy who can provide it. James Katou needs to carry the offense on his back for SD to have a chance. Tony Padilla had a nice season and needs to swing the bat well. Dicky Rhodes is on fire so far in the playoffs, hitting .333 with 3 HR and 6 RBI so far. SD could use a couple more guys hitting like Rhodes to stay afloat.


ADVANTAGE:


PITCHING



The roles are reversed under this category. San Diego had a 3.79 team ERA, which was good enough for 7th in the ML. Their unquestioned ace is Joey Hunter, who went 16-9 with a 3.36 ERA in S9. Accompanying Hunter are a trio of near-.500 pitchers. Curt Weems, Casey Wallace, and Jim Smalley figure to get significant pitching time in this series. Expect Nick Donovan to contribute in long relief, or even as a setup guy. Max McGowan and Joey Giavotella had been sharing closer duties, with the edge given to Giavotella.

Leading the way for Rochester is their near-20M man Ellie Donovan, who they signed as a FA from Syracuse in the offseason. He went 15-7 with a 4.23 ERA, numbers that don't quite justify the contract he got, but there's still plenty of time. Just like San Diego, Rochester has a trio of near-.500 pitchers. Cristobal Oropesa, Julio Gongora, and Brady Darwin should all be considered for starts in this series. Not impressed with their starters, then you have to be with their bullpen. Still considered one of the league's best, with Mac Griffith and Don Morris setting up deadly closer Hick Quinn.


ADVANTAGE:


DEFENSE



With the top two defensive clubs already knocked out of the playoffs (Boston, Austin), this honor now goes to the San Diego squad. Only 69 errors in the regular season, compared to 83 for Rochester.


ADVANTAGE:


OWNER



San Diego owner mumcoach has 4 WS titles. Rochester owner bobkordecki has 3. Together, they have countless division titles and playoff trips. They both can flat out manage.


ADVANTAGE:


SUMMARY



If I had an intangibles section, Rochester would win running away. There's just something about the Mountain Dwellers when they get into the playoffs. For San Diego to stay in it, they need Katou to hit lights out. Joey Hunter needs another SP to contribute as well.


SJW BLOG PICK: in 6 games


No comments:

Post a Comment