Baseball’s 19 games(maximum) tournament gets underway today. You have to win eleven over three weeks.
October baseball is something to watch.
I’ll be broadcasting Right Off The Bat from the Warehouse at 8:15 AM today and Wednesday. You can hear the show by clicking the KNTS icon to the left.
Games turn on one play, usually late in the contest.
Pitching and defense are keys. But the big hitters step up and don’t miss their pitch with the game on the line.
Jermaine Dye was a good example of that kind of hitting last October.
Most folks are conceding game one to the Twins today because Johan Santana is pitching.
I’m not.
Click below for more!The A’s get better swings at lefthanded pitchers than they do against righties. Bobby Kielty, Milton Bradley, Frank Thomas, Jay Payton, Jason Kendall, Marco Scutaro, and Mark Ellis all look much better at the plate against southpaws than they do against righties.
The numbers bear that premise out too.
The last team to beat Santana at home was the A’s in August 2005 2-1. I guarantee you he remembers that game.
The key will be Zito. If he can keep the A’s close they will hit at least one home run off this years Cy Young award winner and drive his pitch count up by the 7th inning.
The A’s need to get Santana out before the 9th because Nathan is a problem. Even though they forced Nathan into a meaningless 35 pitch ninth inning the last time they were in Minn, he is one terrific headache for the A’s.
I think they can hit Pat Neshek, Juan Rincon, Jesse (straight as a string) Crain, and Dennys Reyes.
I think the A’s have their hands full with the noise in the Metrodome especially if they go down by a run or two early. It is imperative to get the lead. Meaning Ken Macha should do anything to get that first run on the board early in the game.
Zito has thrown excellent games in Minnesota lately. Prior to that he was mediocre there including walking the park in his last playoff game in Minnesota in 2003.
So the A’s will score off Santana the key will be seven strong innings from Zito, then to Duchscherer and pray that Street has his stuff today and that the lefty swingers don’t get the A’s second year closer.
Yanks should hit Nate Robertson hard.
Peavy and Carpenter good matchup. I’ll take the Pads in this one because they have to show the world they are for real.
And yes they have a far superior bull pen which is the key to every game being played in October.
Marty