Being a nerd who thinks that a few people actually read this tripe, allow me for a moment to offer up my first of what might become daily 2007 MLB Playoff Daily Prognosis.
Rockies versus Phillies Stupid TBS. Off course, this was the game I was most interested in and it was broadcast while I was at work. Grrrr. Anyway, though I really like the makeup of the Rockies' offense, I thought the Phillies had the advantage and more experience. Thus far, the Rockies are playing like a team possessed. Todd Helton appears to be making the most of this October. I am blown away by the fact that Rollins, Victorino, Utley and Howard whiffed as much as they did. More than that, Chase Utley going down swinging four times on 13 pitches...are you serious? A bit of a surprise, but I am anticipating and much more intense Game 2 later today.
Angels versus Red Sox On paper, this should have been a classic pitching dual. Two of the absolute best in baseball squaring off at Fenway. Instead, John Lackey looked lost from the first pitch while Josh Beckett looked absolutely fearless. Breaking it down more specifically, Lackey seemed to have trouble painting the corners, his off speed stuff was dead flat and he just looked overmatched. Beckett, on the other hand, threw 18 consecutive first-pitch strikes, topped the radar gun at 98 MPH, had pinpoint command, his off speed stuff was ridiculous and he was throwing a cutter with a vengeance. A few times, his cut fastball was biting so hard on the inside to right handed hitters, it was practically crawling underneath their armpits. Just brutal. The Angels scattered 4 hits off of Beckett, each one more meaningless than the one before it. Any team in the NL that advances to the World Series better hope against hope itself that they don't draw against Boston because if Josh Beckett if 1/16 as good as he was last night, I'm picking the Red Sox to win in 4.
Cubs versus Diamondbacks Another hyped pitcher's dual that had all the makings of a classic. Carlos Zambrano had to prove he could pitch on the big stage after a poor 2003 post-season while Brandon Webb was smelling October baseball for the first time ever. At the outset, Brandon Webb looked cool and collected and his sinker was proof that he was going to be tough. Watch his fastball barely reach 90 MPH made me wonder how this kid won a Cy Young Award...until I saw his sinker. That thing is deadly and he made the Cubs' best hitters look silly with it more than a few times. Add in that looping breaking ball and now I see why Webb is amongst the best in the National League. Zambrano started out shaky and looked obviously nervous, sweating profusely and constantly adjusting his pelvic region. However, after a shaky 1st inning or two, he settled in and did his thing. His slider had excellent movement, he moved the ball all over the zone and blew hitters away, one after the other. The Achilles Heal in this game for the Cubs was two-fold. First, the Diamondbacks are so young and such a raw collective talent, they seem to play completely unaware of the magnitude of the situation. They look like they have no idea what they've gotten themselves into. The second and most obvious was yanking Zambrano after the 6th inning. Once he settled in, he was dealing and getting better with each passing inning. Piniella went to the unexperienced guy too song and it bit him hard. Tonight's Game 2 should be interesting.
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