There is nothing in baseball like the five game playoff format of the division series.

A win in any game and you think you are on your way to the finish line without delay.

A loss in a game and it seems like the world ended and you have no chance to ever get to the next round.

The situation is contrary to everything the fan has endured over the course of the 162 game season, when the mantra is “no problem we’ll get them tomorrow”.

Now, “tomorrow” is the dreaded word for any loser.

In this series, the losses are dissected to the most infinite detail, the wins are glorified beyond the reality of the situation.

There are reasons why a team loses a game, some are more compelling than others, and some will carry over to the next game, if they go to the heart of the team.

Most reasons for a loss do not carry such weight.

You just have to come out and play your game and see what happens.

With that explanation in mind, let’s look at Sunday baseball. [Read more →]

Winning the final game, eliminating your opponent, can be an excruciating experience for any team.

Today, the A’s need to battle through the memory of being 0-4 in games where they had a chance to close out the opposition in a division series.

Last year the Yankees fought off three “I’ll see you later” games, coming back from an 0-2 deficit to beat the A’s in 5.

Game four is the second pivotal game in a five game series (game two was the other).

Either you go home or clinch, those are the options for the two teams, depending on which side you are looking from.

The Angels can clinch, the Yankees are fighting for a game five. The A’s can move on, the Twins want to come to Oakland for game 5.

Arizona fights to keep the series going against St. Louis, while the Cards don’t want to see Randy Johnson or Curt Schilling anymore this year.

Here’s how I see it. [Read more →]

No matter what spin a baseball player puts on seeing his series squared at 1-1, the winner of game two has created momentum for his side as he moves into game three.

The Angels have to feel pretty good about themselves, knowing that two wins at home can avoid the dreaded trip back to NY on Saturday night for game five on Sunday (see Oakland A’s 2001 highlights to refresh your memory).

The Braves showed the Giants that Kevin Millwood is an ace, and now can look to the mystery man, Greg Maddux (blister?) in game three.

The A’s established their pitching dominance in game two behind Mark Mulder, now have their swagger back as Cy Young hopeful Barry Zito carries the mail in game three.

The Cardinals are sitting pretty knowing that only Miguel Batista, Arizona’s game three starter separates them from a trip to the NLCS.

As we are seeing, a teams fortunes in the Division Series can change more quickly than a teen agers romantic feelings.

Just wait until game three is played and watch the spin the winners and losers place on the results.

Here’s what I think about the next game. [Read more →]

Game two was especially sweet to the A’s and Angels.

Anaheim can hit with anyone in the league, we saw that all season long. They made it through their playoff baptism in Yankee Stadium in fine fashion.

Do they have enough pitching to stop the Yanks in the series? Probably not, but they do have enough hitting to upset the defending AL Champs, if they continue to swing the bat like they did the past two nights.

Neither Roger Clemens nor Andy Pettitte distinguished themselves during the first two games. Now the burden falls upon Mike Mussina and David Wells, to try to make sure the series doesn’t come back to NY for a fifth game.

Don’t count on it.

The A’s turned to lefthander Mark Mulder who completely dominated the Twins in game two. It is not only that the Twins have trouble with lefties, but the A’s have two of the best in baseball, in Mulder and Barry Zito.

Zito works game three in Minnesota on Friday against Rick Reed.

The Giants played their opener like they played their last 38 games, with timely hitting from players other than Barry Bonds and with decent pitching for nine innings.

The Braves have their back against the wall in game two Thursday night.

Click below for more. [Read more →]

Every playoff series takes on a life of its own. There is no predicatable pattern to follow. Each game in a five game series is critical, some more so than others.

Games two and four have special significance, especially to the losers of games one and three.

It is one thing to be tied at one and one (if you win game two), everything is even once again, but to go down 2-0 (if you lose game two) in a five game series is a deep hole.

Same logic for game four which is an elimination game, meaning one team has two wins (2-1 series lead), making the fourth game necessary.

So, the A’s and the Angels face the daunting prospect of going down 2-0 today unless they get the job done in game two.

Will they? Let’s see. [Read more →]

The sudden death tournament starts today.

The Angels venture into New York, into the House that Ruth built, the House that has the ghosts of the Babe and the Iron Horse.

Jarrod Washburn is a very capable pitcher. The best argument made on behalf of the Angels is the loss of Paul O’Neil, Tino Martinez, and Scott Brosius will weaken the Bronx Bombers.

Will the replacements be as clutch as the three departed Yankees? Will Roger Clemens continue his mediocre season?

The Angels need game one to have any chance to beat the Yankees.

I think they can get it tonight despite the ghosts and everything else. They can hit Clemens, their bull pen is rested, and Troy Percival can seal the deal, but mainly I think after seeing Washburn and Mark Mulder hook up in a double shut out, that Washburn is good enough to get the job done in the Stadium.

click below for the other games. [Read more →]

The baseball regular season is a marathon race stretching from spring training in February through the last scheduled game September 29th.

Now, the postseason takes center stage. It begins on Tuesday and the division series is guaranteed to end by next Monday, sending four more teams home to join the 22 that left on Sunday.

Every game now has a special meaning. Every at bat will help define the career of a ball player. Hall of Famers don’t need much help with career definitions, but for the other 98% playing this Fall, what they do in October will be long remembered.

Pitch counts become less relevant. There is no tomorrow as a playoff series unwinds. Little ball becomes important, defensive weaknesses show quickly, and it becomes clear quickly that good pitching still is the best quality a team can have.

With that in my mind let’s look at the matchups. [Read more →]

Is it better to enter the playoffs on a roll or just cruise in playing .500 ball over the last fifteen games or so?

I have felt in the past that it is better to come in winning.

The Cardinals still have a shot at the better record between themselves and the Diamondbacks. St. Louis has closed a lot of ground on Arizona over the last two weeks.

St. Louis is a threat to dethrone the champs.

Arizona saw eighth inning set up man Mike Fetters give up five runs in the eighth yesterday. How good can they feel about Fetters setting up Byung Kim this week?

The Giants have quietly won 28 of 38, holding off LA for the Wild Card, and putting a scare into Arizona.

The Giants play solid baseball and have done it when it counts the most, in September.

Remember, I wrote that if you are just close heading into September, you have a chance to win, the teams that play the best baseball in September usually get in.

The Giants played better than the Dodgers the last month. The A’s and Angels played better than Seattle, knocking the Mariners out. St. Louis ended Houston’s hopes by consistently winning in September, while Houston never got it together.

Let’s look at the last Sunday of the regular season. [Read more →]

With the last weekend of the season here, it is time to give the Daily Dish Blue Plate Special Awards to the best performers in various baseball categories during the 2002 season.

The Deep Dish Pizza Award goes to the Rookies of the Year in the American and National League.

Eric Hinske of Toronto started hitting the first day of the season and hasn’t stopped yet. He endured a managerial change when the forgettable career of Buck Martinez came to an end and he picked up his game under the more organized Carlos Tosca.

Hinske needss work with the glove, but what a hitter he is. The third baseman had 48 multi hit games, 23 homers, 82 RBI, scored 97 runs, and hit 38 doubles, all on a Blue Jays team going no where. He even stole 13 bases.

Hinske will be an all star and will make the Toronto fans forget Billy Koch, who he was traded for, for years to come.

In the National League, I give the nod to Brad Wilkerson in Montreal. Wilkerson played for a manager, Frank Robinson, who buries young players as quickly as he used to cream a Don Drysdale fastball.

Wilkerson scored 90 runs, hit 19 homers, hit 27 doubles, had 8 triples, and played flawlessly in the outfield (13 assists). He showed real plate discipline with an on base percentage of .368 and a good eye with 78 walks.

Click below for other awards.

[Read more →]

A baseball team has one goal when leaving spring training, get to the playoffs, win your division.

The A’s got it done in spectacular fashion winning 100 games for the second year in a row.

The Yankees were rained out yesterday and now may play a game Monday, if the home field is still up in the air. They have the tie breaker over the A’s, so don’t count on NY playing, but that would cause NY to use a starter (like they don’t have enough) before facing Anaheim Tuesday.

The Giants face a real team as the Astros come into Pac Bell. The Dodgers just won’t quit and why should they, the history between the Giants and Dodgers is to always expect the unbelievable.

Somehow, I sense that the A’s and the Giants could be heading towards a rematch of the Bay Bridge World series, this time without the earthquake.

How will it all turn around, I’ll give you my thoughts below. [Read more →]