Wednesday, October 13, 2004

LCS Predictions

(ALCS) Boston Red Sox over New York Yankees in 7… I know last night was bad. An injured Curt Schilling didn’t make it past the third inning. The Sox did get some late momentum, coming back from an 8-0 deficit to lose 10-7. This was an indication of the type of offensive arsenal possessed by Boston manager Terry Francona. The big question is whether or not Pedro Martinez can give Boston seven solid innings tonight. Recently, he’s joked about the Yankees being his Daddy. It’s true that the Yankees have had more success with Pedro than most other clubs. I’ll admit that I’m worried after reading about Schilling’s uncertain status for Game 5 in Boston. But I have to stay with the pick I made before the series started last night. Bronson Arroyo and Tim Wakefield will have to pick up a lot of the slack. I give them a chance simply because Jon Lieber, Kevin Brown, and Javier Vazquez haven’t proven to be great pitchers this season. If Boston can claw its way to a victory in Game 2, I see this as a competitive series.

(NLCS) St. Louis Cardinals over Houston Astros in 6… Houston is everyone’s feel good pick of the postseason. They did come from way back to capture the National League Wild Card. I would be more confident had manager Phil Garner done a better job with his pitching rotation. He unwisely pitched both Roger Clemens and Roy Oswalt on three days rest during the Atlanta series. Houston will have to rely on youngster Brandon Backe in Game 1. If they can split one of the first two games, Houston has the two best pitchers in the series. The problem for Houston is that the St. Louis offense is just so strong. The Astros are no slouch, either. My belief is that St. Louis was the best team in the league this season. Usually that gets a team at least to the World Series. One exception was when the Yankees beat Seattle a few years back in the ALCS. This is an evenly matched series that should go six or seven games. Look for St. Louis to be the one celebrating next week.

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