2004 Playoff Coverage

ATLANTA, GA

In the first round of the NL Playoffs the Atlanta Braves (92-70)(Winners of the NL East) face the San Diego Padres (85-77)(Winners of the NL West).

Head to Head Matchup:

CATCHER
Javy Lopez (Atl) Lopez put up similiar numbers from last seasib matching his 27 Homeruns with 75 RBIs. With the number of power hitters in the Braves Lineup; Lopez makes a very strong number eight hitter in the line up. Lopez threw out 38% of attempted base stealers.

Jason Kendall (SD) Kendall saw a 40 point drop in his batting average this season, but is one of the most respected catchers in the game. Known for calling a superior game and for being a team leader. Kendall threw out 28% of attempted base runners.

Advantage: BRAVES

FIRST BASE
Wes Helms (Atl) Helms showed good power but went into a slump toward the end of the season and ended with a batting average just over .250. Helms did hit 26 Homeruns and drive in 90 runs.

Ryan Klesko/Phil Nevin (SD) The platoon situation worked well for the Padres. The two combined for 25 homeruns and 112 RBIs. Both hit in the 250s and give a Padres a solid player off the bench when not playing.

Adavantage: EVEN

SECOND BASE
Marcus Giles (Atl) Giles missed a portion of the season due to injury. Giles hit 278 from the two spot in the order.

Jeff Keppinger (SD) Keppinger was a pleasant surprise for the Padres after dealing Orlando Hudson. Keppinger hit 300 and while only making one error in the field after being called up from Triple A

Advantage: Padres

SHORTSTOP
Rafael Furcal (Atl) The Braves leadoff hitter hit 290 and stole 24 bases this season. Furcal is the table setter for the power bats in the order. Furcal won his first gold glove last season and posted better stats this season with only 14 errors at shortstop.

Jack Wilson (SD) Wilson acquired in a trade from Pittsburgh did not handle the adjustment to West Coast very well. Wilson hit 202, but used his glove to stay in the game. Wilson commmited only 13 errors in 1310 innings.

Advantage: Braves

THIRD BASE
Chipper Jones (Atl) Chipper had another quality year for the Braves. Chipper hit 301 with 32 Homeruns and 103 RBIs. Jones was an All Star this season and is on the MVP list this season

Vinny Castilla (SD) A gamble that payed off huge for the Padres Management. Vinny Cash-steal-ya (as he is known in Tampa Bay) had a monster season leading the Padres with 45 Homeruns and 145 RBIs. Vinny will need a big series as one of the run producers on the team

Advantage: Padres (painfully for me to say) Wink

OUTFIELD
Alfonso Soriano (LF), Andrew Jones (CF), Ken Griffey Jr (RF) Three potentials all stars roam the outfield for the Braves. Jones and Griffey had 30+ and 100+ RBI season while Soriano hit 291 with 8 Home run and 29 RBIs after the late August trade that brought Soriano to Atlanta. The three give the Braves a lot of power at the 4, 5 and 6 spot in the order.

Grady Sizemore (LF), Jason Tyner (CF), Luke Scott (RF) More bold moves by Padres Management. Tyner was a late season trade to add some speed to the order, Luke Scott was this years first round pick and only spent 13 games in AAA before being called up and is in the running for Rookie of the Year after a half a season in the majors. Grady Sizemore is in the running for NL MVP and NL Rookie of the Year. Quite a feat for the young players in San Diego.

Advantage: Braves due to experience in the Playoffs

STARTING PITCHING:
John Smoltz, Greg Maddux, Odalis Perez, Josh Johnson (Atl) The 4 potential starters for the Braves carry an ERA of 4.02 or lower with John Smoltz having a 3.82 to lead the staff. The three veterans will start the first games with the Braves first round draft pick of this season starting game 4. Smoltz and Maddux should be in Hall of Fame one day.

Brian Lawrence, John Smiley, Kevin Tapani, Zach Day (SD) All 4 potential starters for the Padres carry an ERA under 4 while 3 have 14 or more wins. None are household names, but the stats prove they are a starting staff that should be mentioned with the best in the league.

Advantage: At first look Braves with the household names, but look at the numbers and it’s a very even match up.

BULLPEN

Braves: Braves moves John Rocker out of the closer spot and added youngster Fernando Cabrera to to solidify the back of the bullpen. The rest of the pen is archored by fellow rookies and young arms. Few have any playoff experience.

Padres: Mike Gonzalez had an outstanding year as the Padres close essentially making it 8 innings games. Gonzalez had 41 saves to lead the league, made the All star team, ERA of 1.82 with a WHIP under 1 and only blew 3 saves all season. The Padres fill out the pen with strong young arms with a few years of experience.

Advantage: Padres

Tough call and close series and I am biased..so I say Braves in 6 games

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CHICAGO, IL

Since the existence of baseball, there has always been a heated debate between baseball fans, can good pitching stop good hitting or does good hitting triumph over good pitching? In the upcoming American League Championship Series between the Baltimore Orioles and the Chicago White Sox, the debate will finally be answered. The Orioles and White Sox both hold the two best records in the league for the 2004 season but took different paths getting there.

The Baltimore Orioles have become a major force in the once tough American League East. They have established the best pitching staff in the American League with a solid foundation of good young arms led by Seo, Towers, and potential rookie of the year Noah Lowry. The young trio each posted 15+ wins topped off by Lowry’s amazing rookie season with 18 wins. Add to the fact that he posted an excellent 2.93 ERA and had 203 strike outs, and you easily have one of the best pitching performances by a rookie in recent memory. The Orioles also boast a solid bullpen anchored by a filthy closer in B.J. Ryan and his 41 saves. This incredible pitching staff has caused nightmares for many hitters throughout the league and they will look to shut down the juggernaut offense of the Chicago White Sox in order to reach the World Series.

This past season everything clicked perfect for the White Sox offense, or either their players were just overdosing on HGH before games. Either way, the White Sox offense powered its way into creating history by dethroning the 1997 Seattle Mariners as the single season home run leaders by clubbing an astounding 274 home runs during the 2004 season. Led by the likes of Ordonez, Lee, Matsui, Ramirez, and LaRoche, the White Sox relied on the long ball in order to beat their opponents as they sported one of the worst pitching staffs in the league. The White Sox offense will look to capitalize on any mistakes made by the Baltimore pitching staff but that will be a tall order to accomplish. If the White Sox hitters can’t produce against the Oriole pitching, then it could be a quick exit and an early fishing trip for the Sox.

This match up will finally settle the ancient baseball dispute of which is better, good hitting or good pitching. This ALCS has the makings to become an instant classic. So stay tuned folks because this will be one for the ages.

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ATLANTA, GA

Two NL East teams will face off for the NL Crown. The Atlanta Braves (92-70); winner of the NL East, will face off with the rival Philadelphia Phillies (87-75); Wild Card winner. Both teams swept their oppenent in the Division Series with the Phillies pulling off the upset over the heavily favored Pirates.

Head to Head Matchup:

CATCHER
Javy Lopez (Atl) Lopez put up similiar numbers from last season matching his 27 Homeruns with 75 RBIs. With the number of power hitters in the Braves Lineup; Lopez makes a very strong number eight hitter in the line up. Lopez threw out 38% of attempted base stealers.

Johnny Estrada (Phi) Another catcher hitting in the eighth spot in the order. Estrada had a fine season hitting 289 with 13 homeruns and 68 RBIs. He rarely strikes out and it s solid contact hitter. Estrada threw out 29.2% of attempted base stealers

Advantage: Even Lopez offers more power, but Estrada makes more contact and rarely strikes out.

FIRST BASE
Wes Helms (Atl) Helms showed good power but went into a slump toward the end of the season and ended with a batting average just over .250. Helms did hit 26 Homeruns and drive in 90 runs.

Eric Valent (Phi) The potential Rookie of the Year candidate had a very good season espically for a rookie. Valent hit 289 with 30 homeruns and 109 RBIs. As the stage get bigger how will the rookie handle the pressure?

Adavantage: Phillies Valent beats Helms in every offensive category

SECOND BASE
Marcus Giles (Atl) Giles missed a portion of the season due to injury. Giles hit 278 from the two spot in the order.

Nick Punto (Phi) Punto will not wow anyone with his stats, but as with everyone else in the Phillies line; Punto had double digit home runs and does a solid job moving baserunners along for the big hitters in the line up. Much like Giles

Advantage: Even Giles and Punto are twins, seperated at birth Grin

Jimmy Rollins (Phi) The Phillies leadoff hitter had an outstanding year hitting 292, scoring 124 runs and stealing 76 bases (leading the SBSL). He creates havok on the base paths. Rollins also only had 10 errors at short this season.

Advantage: Phillies Rollins is the one of the best SS in the league

THIRD BASE
Chipper Jones (Atl) Chipper had another quality year for the Braves. Chipper hit 301 with 32 Homeruns and 103 RBIs. Jones was an All Star this season and is on the MVP list this season

Scott Rolen (Phi) Rolen hit 21 homeruns and drove in 86 RBIs, but only hit 232 this season. Rolen has always been a reliable player for the Phillies. Rolen has won the Gold Glove the past two season.

Advantage: Braves Chipper out slugs Rolen in the offensive categories.

Pat Burrell (LF), Rocco Baldelli (CF), Bobby Abreu (RF) Three solid outfielders for the Philles. Each hit double digit homeruns. Abreu hit 22 homeruns and drove in 101 runs and scored 110 runs. Baldelli does a little bit of everything well. He hits for average, shows a little power, runs the bases well and is a very good defensive player. Burrell is a all or nothing hitter. He hit 21 home runs and drove in 93 RBIs and drew 94 walks.

Advantage: Braves The Atlanta outfielders outslug the Phillies outfielders head to head

Randy Wolf, Brandon Duckworth, Brett Myers (Phi) These 3 pitchers started in the Division Series for the Philles. Wolf is the ace of the staff with an ERA under 4 and leading the team with 17 wins. Myers and Duckworth struggled to keep their ERAs down, but pitched well enough to keep their team in the game.

Advantage: Braves Deeper starting staff

BULLPEN

Phillies Jonathan Papelbon is a solid closer for the Phillies. Papelbon had 25 saves, but an ERA over 4. The rest of the staff is young. Wayne Gomes is the surprise player in the bullpen; after spending all season in the minor he was added to the playoff roster and pitched well in situations in the Divisional Series

Advantage: Braves The stats look better for the Braves, but both staffs are young and unknown heading into a playoff atmosphere

It all comes down can the Phillies outslug the Braves hitters. The Braves seem to have the advantage in pitching, but the Phillies won the head to head series this year 10 games to 9

Again being biased Braves in 6

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BALTIMORE, MD

The age-old question of whether good pitching stops good hitting appears to have been settled, at least until tomorrow. The bats, in the person of Aramis Ramirez and the slugging Chicago White Sox, have spoken.

The Sox quashed the debate last night, 12-3, in the deciding seventh game of the American League Championship Series.

For the Orioles, it was a heartbreaking loss after battling back from a 3-games-to-1 deficit to force the seventh game. Starter Pat Hengen was rocked early and did not survive the fourth inning.

In the first game of the hard fought series, it was all pitching, as Sox starter Jeremy Bonderman outdueled rookie of the year candidate Noah Lowry for a 2-1 Chicago victory. Bonderman allowed just one run and five hits over eight innings. Lowry’s sole mistake was surrendering a two-run home run by Sox catcher Javier Valentin in the fifth inning.

Game Two saw the O’s rebound and their bats come alive. The Birds chased Chicago starter Kyle Lohse, pounding out four home runs in the first two innings for five runs, and never looking back enroute to an 8-2 win.

Game Three was anything but a pitchers’ duel. The two teams field a total of 13 pitchers who gave up 31 hits over nine tumultuous innings. Down 9-6 in the bottom of the eighth, with Camden Yards fans screaming themselves hoarse, the Orioles scored two runs to pull within a single run. But the White Sox silenced the crowd in the top of the ninth by scoring twice and reclaiming the three run margin. The Birds showed some resiliency in the bottom of the frame, scoring twice, but unable to tie it, and the 11-10 lost gave the White Sox a 2-1 series lead.

Game Four was equally heartbreaking as closer B.J. Ryan gave up a solo home run to Sox 2B Ray Durham in the top of the 10th inning. Chicago closer Keith Foulke shut down the Birds in the bottom of the tenth and the White Sox claimed a 3-2 victory and a commanding three-games-to-one series lead.

Facing elimination in Game Five, the Orioles gave fans something to smile about, a 4-3 victory that featured a rematch of Game One starters Bonderman and Lowry. This time Lowry had the edge, yielding 3 runs over 7 innings, while Bonderman was tagged for 4 runs over six-and-two-thirds innings.

Game Six saw unheralded Orioles catcher Geronimo Gil rise to the occasion. Gil, who batted .215 during the regular season, had already been enjoying a great postseason at the bottom of the line-up, batting .321 with 6 RBIs through the first give games. In the sixth game Gil slugged a two-run, two-out double to break the game open in the bottom of the eighth. This locked in a 7-3 Orioles victory and sent the dramatic series to the deciding Game 7.

The seventh game, played out before more than 44,000 fans at Cellular Field, was decided fairly quickly as White Sox bats chased the normally reliable O’s starter Pat Hentgen. Hentgen went to the showers after just three and two-innings after surrendering six runs, including a two-run third inning shot into the upper decks by slugger Aramis Ramirez.

The Sox blew the doors open with four more in the sixth, enroute to a convincing 12-3 victory and the American League pennant. Orioles players and coaches watched from the visitors’ dugout as White Sox players piled onto each at the mound. “I want to remember this,” said young third baseman David Wright, “I want to be out there next season.”

Ramirez was named Most Valuable Player of the series, contributing an astounding 13 RBIs, 5 home runs and a .348 average over the seven games.

In the Orioles locker room, attendants quickly stowed away cases of chilled champagne before the players returned. Hours after the game, a dejected Brian Roberts had few words. “We are proud of what we did this year, but to come so close to the World Series and not get there is tough.” His voice broke. “Its just tough.” Roberts, who prior to the start of the series had signed a six year, $38 million contract extension, would take no further questions and retreated to the trainer’s room.

The only loud talk came from designated hitter Mo “Hit Dog” Vaughn, signed as a free agent in mid-season, credited by many with catapulting the Orioles to the AL East title. “Birds be back!” Vaughn shouted around the locker room to anyone who would listen. “Birds be back in oh-five, baby!”

And somewhere Casey Stengel is smiling. Stengel famously said once, “Good pitching will always stop good hitting. And vice-versa.” This series proved that vice versa true.

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ATLANTA, GA

This season’s match up is the record breaking power homerun power of the Chicago White Sox vs the big name power hitters of the Atlanta Braves. The two teams combined for 491 homeruns. The White Sox were number 1 in the AL while the Braves were number 1 in the NL in home runs. Other comparisons are valid for the teams..their team batting averages was only .002 points apart and both teams had the same record in the regular season.

Questions will surround the DH. The Braves don’t have a strong player to plug into the DH spot while in Chicago; while the White Sox will lose a big bat in the line up when the series moves to Atlanta. Rumor has it the Braves will use a tandem of Reed Johnson and Matt Kata. It is unclear who the White Sox will pull out of their line up when in Atlanta. Do you remove Carlos Lee with 40 homeruns, Matsui with 36 homers or Ordonez with 32???

It could come down to what else???…pitching. The White Sox posted a 4.76 ERA while the Braves was 3.98. The White Sox though have a 20 game winner in Jeremy Bonderman, but three starters posted losing records. Set up man Eric Eckenstahler posted a 7-0 record and closer Keith Folke had 8 wins, 29 saves and a WHIP under 1. The Braves strength is well known to be the starters as the four starters in the World Series have an ERA right around four. The Braves bullpen is young and closer Fernando Cabrera has posted 19 saves, and an ERA 1.56 since being moved into the closers role.

This has the makings of a classic