October 2009
2009 Playoffs
As a baseball fan, I have loved the 2009 playoffs. I have been able to watch almost every single game and they haven’t disappointed. Its interesting that on series have gone the distance, but they have all seemed fairly even. Even the series that finished lopsided have had great games. The extra inning games were full of excitement. One thing that has really stuck out is the importance of defense. The team that makes more errors generally loses. Especially when those mistakes come in key situations. This has been a fun postseason to watch, and I expect more of the same from the Fall Classic starting tomorrow.
As a Cleveland fan, this postseason has been brutal. First the Twins win the division in a playoff to reach 87 wins. The lowest total to win a division this year. Then as I’m watching all the games, I see all the former Indians playing the playoffs. Guys like Thome, Ramirez, and Victor. Its no fun to watch those guys in other uniforms. Charlie Manuel couldn’t figure it out in Cleveland, now hes going to 2 straight World Series in Philly. All of this makes the playoffs kind of depressing, but its not even the worst part. Game 1 starters, Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia. OUCH! This one really hurts. Not only did Cleveland trade away back to back CY Young award winners, now they are facing off in the World Series. Both have been dominate this postseason. CC pitched terrible for us in 2007, now for the Yanks he is ALCS MVP. That stings. I’m going to watch the World Series, but Game 1 is definitely going to hurt. The Cleveland Indians have developed into the best farm team in baseball. Once you’re good enough you get the promotion to New York, Boston, Philadelphia, or LA.
Manny Acta
Get well soon
Matt LaPorta underwent two surgeries on Tuesday. One his left hip and the other on his left big toe. The hip had been bothering down the stretch and the toe was hyper-extended during the final game. The real bad news is that, unlike the surgeries with Cabrera and Perez, it appears to be a long recovery time for LaPorta. The time table given is 4-6 months, and he is expected to be behind come spring training. This might also put him behind to start this season.
This has gotta be rough on Matt. He will be going into his first full year and is expected to be an everyday player next season. This is not how you want it to start. Hopefully, Matt can recover a head of schedule and be ready for next season. He is going to be hitting in the heart of the lineup next year, and I believe he will be the starting 1st basemen. I wish Matt the best in his recovery, and I look forward to watching him everyday next season.
Which CC will we see?
To me, that is one of the main questions heading into the ALCS. CC Sabathia will get the ball for the Yankees in Game 1. His assignment: beat John Lackey and the Angels and maintain home field advantage. His only other appearance in the ALCS went terrible, a memory that still haunts me. His playoff numbers have not been great. He looked great against the Twins in the ALDS, but you still have to wonder which CC will show up.
CC’s playoff numbers have down right bad. In the Postseason he is 3-3 with a 6.54 ERA. He has given up 41 hits and 22 walks in just 31.2 innings. Those numbers include his dominate win in against the Twins this year. He was especially bad in the 2007 ALCS. In that series he went 0-2 with a 10.45 ERA. The reason for this could be the number of innings he logged in those years. This year his innings were down a bit and the Yankees hope that this Sabathia does not resurface.
This is the pitcher the Yankees need, and if his first start is any indication this is the pitcher they will get. Over the last three years, Sabathia is 55-25 with a 2.92 ERA. He has racked up 657 strikeouts. He was the American League CY Young winner in 2007 and almost single-handedly took the Brewers to the playoffs in 2008. This is the man that the Yankees shelled out the cash for, and you better believe they expect greatness in all of his starts.
So which CC will we see? Option 1 or Option 2? I’m really excited to watch this series. It hurts to watch Sabathia pitch well for another team. Walks will be the key. If he puts Angels on base, it will come back to hurt him. The Yankees hope that the pressure doesn’t get to him, while the Angels hope that he amps himself up to much. The Sabathia-Lackey matchup is one I don’t want to miss.
Draft History
Its obviously way, way, way too early to be thinking about next years
MLB Draft. Heck, its even be too early to be thinking about Spring
Training. But, I’m bored.
The Indians have the 5th pick in
next year’s draft. So I decided to take a look back at the first round
picks of the Cleveland Indians within the last decade.
| 2009 | Alex White | RHP | 15 | |
| 2008 | Lonnie Chisenhall | 3B | 29 | |
| 2007 |
Beau Mills | 3B | 13 | |
| 2005 | Trevor Crowe | CF | 14 | |
| 2004 | Jeremy Sowers | LHP | 6 | |
| 2003 | Bradley Snyder | OF | 18 | |
| 2003 | Michael Aubrey | 1B | 11 | |
| 2002 | Jeremy Guthrie | RHP | 22 | |
| 2001 | Alan Horne | RHP | 27 | |
| 2001 | Dan Denham | RHP | 17 | |
| 2000 | Corey Smith | SS | 26 |
The last three picks obviously deserve more time. The other 8 picks
are what they are. Snyder, Denham, and Smith have never made the
bigs. Alan Horne did not sign with the Indians. Michael Aubrey and
Jeremy Guthrie were never a factor with Cleveland and are now with
Baltimore. Guthrie has developed into a solid starting pitchers but
nothing spectacular. Aubrey is a decent hitter without a place in
Cleveland.
Trevor Crowe and Jeremy Sowers were both apart of the 2009 Cleveland
Indians. Crowe hit .235 in 68. Sowers went 6-11 with a 5.25 ERA. His
career numbers aren’t much better at 18-30 with a 5.18 ERA. Neither player appears to be a core player of the future.
Lets hope that Chisenhall, Mills, or White can develop into everyday guys, and that the 5th pick in next years draft can land Cleveland someone close to their 1st round pick in 1998 (CC Sabathia).
And then there were 4
The LCSs are set, and we have two East Coast-West Coast showdowns. Angels and Yankees. Dodgers and Phillies. This is not how I thought the playoffs would play out, but I’m excited for both match-ups. This is not the year of the Wild Card as both were knocked out in the first round.
The key to both of these series is pitching and more specifically the bullpen. All four teams have the ability to score runs, and lots of them. They also have the ability to score runs late in ball games. In their three games, the Yankees score 8 runs in the 7th inning or later. That included a walk-off home run from Teixeira and an 8th inning rally to win Game 3. The Angles scored 10 runs in the 7th inning or later in their 3 games verses Boston. Including taking the lead in the 7th of Game 2 and beating Papelbon in their last at bat in Game 3. The Phillies totaled just 5 runs late in their games, but they pushed across 3 with 2 outs in the 9th of a stunning Game 4 victory. And finally, the Dodgers scored 3 late inning runs against the Cardinals, but had a walk-off of their own in Game 2. The ability of the bullpens to put zeros on the board will play a major factor in both the National and American League Championship Series.
Feeling Dodger Blue
Sweeps Week
6 games later and the ALCS is determined. That didn’t take very long. The Angles and Yankees both swept their opponents. Hopefully nobody is going back to my playoffs picks.
The Angels were very impressive. Lackey and Weaver gave them great starts and they got to Papelbon and the Red Sox bullpen in game 3. 1-9 that team can hit. They also have great speed. It might be the Angles year. They combination of pitching, speed, hitting and defense destroy one AL East opponent. Now they look to take down the team with the best record in baseball.
I’m looking forward to the ALCS. The showdown between the Angels and Yankees looks like a great one on paper. These two finished the season 1 and 2 in the American League so its only fitting that they might in the championship. I’m ready for this match-up, just wish I didn’t have to wait until Friday.
Speedy Recovery
Yesterday, Chris Perez and Asdrubal Cabrera both underwent surgery. Perez on his left ankle and Cabrera on his right elbow. I know these are “minor” surgeries, but here is hoping that both have quick and full recoveries. 
Chris Perez had a rough debut with the Indians, and not an overly impressive year. I look forward to seeing what he can do in a full season in the bigs as he showed glimpses of his potential. He could be Cleveland’s closer of the future but only time will tell
Best of luck on your recoveries.
2 outs with 1 swing
I love a nice double play. Here are the 2009 stats on DPs.
Top 10 Hitters
1. Miguel Tejada 29
2. Evan Longoria 27
Yadier Molina 27
4. Kevin Kouzmanoff 25
Jose Lopez 25
Hunter Pence 25
7. Mike Lowell 24
8. Adrian Gonzalez 23
Albert Pujols 23
10. Robinson Cano 22
Orlando Cabrera 22
Miguel Cabrera 22
Michael Cuddyer 22
Ryan Zimmerman 22
Top 10 Teams (Hitting)
1. Astros 153
2. Twins 147
3. Mets 144
Yankees 144
5. Braves 142
6. Dodgers 141
7. Indians 140
8. White Sox 139
9. Red Sox 137
10. Royals 135
Top 10 Pitchers
1. Ricky Romero 30
2. Joel Pineiro 29
3. Derek Lowe 28
Jason Marquis 28
Mark Buehrle 28
Paul Maholm 28
John Lannan 28
8. Joe Saunders 27
9. Aaron Laffey 26
10. Jon Garland 25
Top 10 Teams (Fielding)
1. Angels 174
2. Pirates 171
3. Indians 170
4. Rangers 168
Blue Jays 168
6. Cardinals 167
7. Tigers 164
8. Reds 161
Astros 161
10. Royals 159
Braves 159
mlblogsbmiller
Recent Comments