Oct
04
NLDS Game 3: Cubs @ Dodgers
ByTorre’s boys are looking to sweep. Can they pull it off? Rich Harden will try to stop ‘em. Comment away here while we find out. (Lineups)
157 Comments»
RAB Info
The Founders
Mike Axisa, Ben Kabak, Joe Pawlikowski
Editor-In-Chief
Mike Axisa Archives | Email
Managing Editors
Ben Kabak Archives | E-mail
Joe Pawlikowski Archives | E-mail
Contributing Editors
Larry Koestler (Archives)
Moshe Mandel (Archives)
Stephen Rhoads (Archives)
Weekend Writers
Hannah Ehrlich (Archives)
Matthew Warden (Archives)
Special Contributor
J.R. O'Grady (Archives)
Technical Consultant
Jay Gordon
Subscribe to RAB by RSS and Twitter
Follow @RiverAveBlues Search RAB
Banner Design By
The Mason Williams Watch
I am now rooting against Torre just because I cant stomach all his psychophants telling me what an 84 win genius he is.
“sycophants” would be the proper spelling.
I love watching Rich Harden pitch. When he’s on, forget it, you wonder how anyone ever makes contact off him.
Its tough to hit a guy when he’s on the DL.
BTW-I didn’t mean “on the down low”. I have no idea whether he’s bisexual or not.
I’ve hit it. I mean…his pitching that is
Hah, Angel Berroa was fanning Manny off with a towel in the dugout, and Manny just kept walking away like “Dude, go away. Your suckiness might rub off on me via osmosis.”
I’ve got the game on XM Radio. It’s so nice to hear Vin Scully’s voice.
Ooooh that’s a treat. Is he still on top of his game? He’s always been considered one of the best, but I know he’s getting REAL old.
Well, I do a lot of driving so I’ve been listening to a lot of the games on XM in my car. Some of the radio broadcasters are just plain awful. Listening to Scully is like listening to Mozart after hearing Britney Spears.
The Cubs are so pathetic.
Almost as pathetic as the playoff format that allows a near-100 win team to get picked off so easily.
Agreed about the playoff format, I’d much before a 7-game DS. Then again, the Cubs don’t deserve to win based on how they’re playing. Remember how everyone was saying they had the best playoff rotation in baseball? Yeah…
My favorite solution is this-
-Add a Wild card
-Make the two of them play each other in a play-in game on everyone else’s off day
That would be a HUGE disincentive to being a wild card. No manager would ever want their entire season to come down to one game. You’d have to play in 3 cities in 3 days, and probably have to use your ace for the play-in game. So you wont have him for more than one game in the ALDS, if at all. It also adds a game which adds revenues, so Bud Selig and the owners should approve. MLBPA has already agreed to Play-in games, so they’re not an issue.
Basically, you treat the Wild Card like a red headed stepchild. If they can overcome that, they deserve to advance. But the current system places little disincentive on not winning your division.
A 7 gamer should be a no brainer for the DS.
You know how much revenue they blow with these worthless 5 gamers?
Good points, Steve.
The WC team should have some real disadvantages. They should reward the div winners with more than one extra home game.
Thanks.
And as we’ve all seen, if you split the first two at home, there goes the whole point of winning your division. Let the WC lose all the advantage in one game, not the division winner.
Anyone going to watch Kimbo fight tonight?
Shamrock wuss’d out.
i miss larry bowa
You can bash Torre for many things.
But the man knows how to assemble a coaching staff.
The guy has Mariano Duncan at 1b.
Would Duncan put up with Cano? Obv Bowa wouldn’t. But would any Torre coach? Donnie Baseball?
Duncan’s been coaching first for them for a few years, since 2006 I think.
Always liked him. maybe a little extra because of his great ’96 season and his phenomenal mantra “We play today, we win today”
i forgot he hit .340(!) that year
Holy crap so did I. And he slugged .500!
I have a feeling this game is going to be a snooze. Here’s my 09 Yankees
CC Sabathia (or AJ Burnett as plan B)
Jake Peavey (Trade for Hughes/IPK++)
Wang
Pettitte
Joba
C-Posada
1B- Teixiera
2B-Cano
SS-Jeter
3B-A-Rod
RF-Nady
CF-Gardner
LF-Damon
DH-Matsui
Having Joba as your 5th starter allows you to keep his innings down without doing all the Bullpen stuff.
2008 Payroll 208 mil
-Subtract 89 mil
(Pavano 10 mil-Pettitte 16 mil-Giambi 23 mil-Abreu-16 mil-Moose-12 mil-Pudge-12)
Add-59 mil
(CC-21 Peavey-8 Tex-20 Pettitte-10)
Total payroll 168, plus increases for Wang (+arb), Cano (+3) and Nady (+arb). Figure about +10 total.
There’s your 180-ish payroll that Cashman has been talking about. Plan the parade, if Wall Street still exists by next October.
For some reason Peavy scares me.
Plus I don’t see the Padres not trying to get teams to overpay and that means Hughes.
And if they held onto Hughes for Santana a proven AL pitcher I don’t see Cashman giving up on him after some injuries.
I know what you mean, his delivery always struck me a kinda violent. But guys like Carlos Gomez from THT think his delivery is a model for pitchers, so who the hell knows. In any case, he’s 27 and you would hope he has a few healthy years ahead of him. He’s signed for the next 4 years, 8 next year and averaging 16 for the next 3.
He’s had over 200 IP three times in his 6 year career, and just missed 200 in 2003. So he seems to be pretty durable.
Peavy’s NEVER pitched well in a big game. He’s got like, a 8.00 ERA in the playoffs, plus he gave up 6 runs in 6+ IP in the one-game playoff with Colorado last year.
I’d rather keep Hughes, he could approximate Peavy’s production in 2 years or so at a much cheaper rate.
Holy sample size, what has he pitched, like 2 games?
Hey, small sample sizes are the new thing. People (not necessarily you) have already proclaimed that CC can’t pitch in the playoffs based on 25 innings spread over 7 seasons, and that Hughes & Kennedy are busts after making like, 18 starts combined this year.
You gotta do it in da big spot. Dats how you show what a gritty, gutty gamer youz guys are.
Peavy’s road numbers are nothing special too.
He obv. gets helped out at PETCO.
Big games are a product of your team but it doesn’t help his case that he’s bombed out twice.
I would love him in pinstripes but isn’t Cashmans whole thing protect the inventory and attack the FA’s?
I don’t see him changing course now that’s back.
Check this quote out from MLB.com
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/articl.....8;c_id=mlb
“one offseason after the Yankees turned down a chance to trade for Johan Santana, Cashman hinted the process of developing talent may be more ripe.
“I’m not afraid to pursue big players, I’m not,” Cashman said. “It’s not something I’m against. I’m not trying to change that side of it. There’s a time and place when you push that button.
“This past winter, I didn’t feel the building process was enough completed to start jettisoning off. When you make a big play like that, you’ve got to get where you need to be. That’s like the finishing piece.”
Sounds like he’s ready to deal off some pieces to me.
Is there a worse playoff hitter than Soriano?
I mean I know its the best pitchers and all but he always looks awful. Who does he rake off during the reg season? Mid relief and crap starters?
That trade for A-Rod was a total no brainer (obv). Even with A-Rods playoff struggles.
I remember wanting to smash my television during the 2003 World Series watching him strike out repeatedly on curveballs ten feet outside.
yeah i don’t miss soriano’s playoff performances at all. all i remember is him going 0-5 (?) in that 2003 ALCS game 7.
Don’t forget that he gave the Yanks the lead when he took Schilling deep in the 8th inning of Game 7 of the 2001 WS. That was money right there.
I choose to block that game out of my head.
Watching guys like Soriano and Kendrick and even Hart, and you know what, Cano Plate disipline isn’t that bad.
cano’s gonna come back huge in 09
As a Yankee.
this dude kimbo is gonna fight has pink hair….
holy shit its over
Kimbo is hilarious. Wow. Hes the Soriano of MMA
Let me throw something else out there.
I don’t think Cano gets traded this off season to some small market team. Here’s why
(From Cots)
Robinson Cano 2b
4 years/$30M (2008-11), plus 2012-13 club options
09:$6M, 10:$9M, 11:$10M, 12:$14M club option ($2M buyout), 13:$15M club option ($2M buyout)
People think he’s cheap and cost controlled over the next few years, but its actually not the case. He has 26 mil guaranteed over the next 3 years, about 9 mil per season. Given how much his fielding AND hitting dropped off this season, he’s simply not that attractive to another team in a trade. Especially a small market team, who are generally the teams that trade off their arbi-eligible guys that we’ll be looking for.
If he was to repeat the lousy 08 season next year, he would barely be worth the 6 mil, much less the 9 and 10 mil (plus 2 mil buyout) for the two years after that. At his production this year and that salary, he’d be a vastly overpaid headache to a team like San Diego or Pittsburgh.
If he goes anywhere, it would have to be a big market team.
I don’t know. I don’t think Cash is desperate. By desperate meaning this team is far away and need a ton of help.
They did win 89 games with nothing in the rotation and 200 less runs from a lineup.
I think he’ll be patient unless he’s blown away for Cano. This team needs to get younger. I don’t see how you do that trading a middle infielder who’s an all star.
I think he’ll spend the dough on FA’s like CC, Lowe, AJ, Tex, etc.
Maybe they’ll be blown away for him. Possible.
I don’t know. I don’t think Cash is desperate.
Going out and spending hundreds of millions on big name free agents = desperate.
Staying the course takes balls and is anything but desperate.
Give Cashman credit, he has stayed the course and taken some shots and has been resistent unlike the other GM in NY.
Cashman wanna build a foundation and if there gonna be growing pains, so be it. Fact is, in the long term is gonna be worth it.
Big game hunting isn’t desperate. That’s good business. Getting in their prime players. Even if you overpay. They can afford to overpay. What rubs me and prob everyone here wrong is spending/wasting $ on average players.
A foundation is great. But they do need to add all stars to it when they can. Especially position players. Which also saves the foundation because you don’t have to trade for them.
Understanable, and I agree but you want to create a core that founded by your organization. Something Cashman wants to do.
Are you insane? Cano isn’t even to be considered in a trade.
The man is solid. What statistics are you looking at that make him appear as a lame-duck?
OBP – Walk rate.
That said I wouldn’t move him. He has shown the ability to shrink the strike zone – after all star 07. He’s just got to have it pounded in his head that being selective is the only way he’s going to be an all star for years to come.
Im surprise that the cubs have struggled against Kuroda as much as they had through out the season and obviously in this playoff game.
Mark DeRosa, first pitch clutch FAIL.
Cheapest mother fucking fight ever. The glove cut his eye and it was all Petrezelli the rest of the way.
Thank God that fight was on free tv.
What happen in the Kimbo Slice fight?
He lasted about 4 seconds. Ref stopped it.
Former Yankee Billy Crystal in the stands.
He’s Yankee hatless???
You’re better than that, Billy.
No one talks about what Casey Blake did for the Dodgers because he hit .251-.313-.460 with his typical stone handed defense after the trade. And to think they gave up Carlos Santana (and a second player!) for him.
I’m thinking Cle did ok from these trades.
Did anyone fall off a cliff quite like Hafner?
What’s wrong with Hafner? It’s not like he hit .197-.305-.323 this year in between injuries and has 4 yrs and $51.75M guaranteed left on his contract.
Oh wait…
That trade is gonna look alot worse as years go by. They gave a potential All-star catcher and a young talented arm in Jon Meloan who has a chance to be a pretty good reliever.
The playoffs are amazing. There is absolutely NO way you can predict who will win a 5-game series. They simply have to make the WC more of a disadvantage. Make these “upsets” more legit.
Side note: You can’t predict anything in the playoffs except another Red Sox WS. They can’t do anything wrong. No Manny? No problem. Step right up Jason Bay. No Beckett? No problem. Step right up Jon Lester.
I don’t think I can live through another year of “the Naaaaation” on Baseball Tonight. Jim Caple, Bill Simmons, Steve Berthume, Peter Gammons, Gene Woj…. Another year of Dane Cook, Steven King, James Taylor, Conan O’Brian, Pick-an-Afleck, Kenny Chesney (and Renee Zellweger), Curt Schilling’s mouth, Dropkick Murphys (seriously, what the fuck), Jimmy Fallon, Matt Damon, Jake Gylennhall, Pick-a-Wahlburg……pleasegodhelpme.
Calm down, take a chill pill.
Kenny Chesney was name dropped here.
If the Cubs keep this up, Lou’s post game show will be required viewing.
ohh anne hathaway how much i love you
She was supposed to be in Knocked Up, but dropped out because of the birth scene, hence Katherine Heigl.
yea i saw that gotta like a girl with morals
You misspelled it, there’s no “m.” It’s okay, common mistake.
HIYOOOOOOO
Whats not predictable about it?
Red Sox have always dominated the Angels.
Dodgers are a much better team pitching/hitting than the Cubbies.(I have Dodgers in the world series)
Brewers are youthful and inexperienced combined with lack of relief pitching and starting pitching consistency/health.
Rays are a healthy and motivated team riding confidence all the way. Not to mention, the White Sox are missing their best offensive player and their pitching isn’t as good as the previous years. The Sox weren’t even good enough to make the Wild Card.
Pretty much every series this year is a no-brainer. I’d say this is the most predictable divisional series there can possibly be.
Anyone who knows baseball and is a realist….knew the Dodgers were taking this series.
what, your just saying that cuz the Dodgers have been leading all series. Please. The Cubs are a better team period, it’s just that shit happens in october.
Actually, I made up my predictions a while back.
I don’t need to see the Cubs lose to notice that the Dodgers have the #1 pitching staff in the NL, along with one of the best hitters of our era. They are also riding a lot of confidence.
Dempster is not a solid pitcher. Big Z has been HORRID his last 4 starts, plus riding a lot of emotions. Harden and the Cubs batting lineup are the only positives.
But, with that mentioned. I would take Dodgers pitching over Cubs. I would also take the Dodgers batting over Cubs.
Think about it. It’s a no-brainer.
Peter Gammons even stated he believed the Dodgers were the better team all-around. He picked them for his world series team, also.
A Dodger team that baerley won a division that was by far the worst in baseball are better than the Cubs? Please. The Cubs have the better arms, better BP, better offense and etc.
And please don’t take Gammons statements seriously.
IDK. You would expect Lowe to perhaps give you a solid outing. Billingsley is great but an Oct. unknown. Same with Kuroda. The Cubs have a good lineup and should be producing more against the Dodger pitching IMO.
Zambrano is liable to combust at any time. Dempster IS a solid pitcher and had a great season. Harden was almost untouchable as a Cub. Lilly is their Derek Lowe.
I thought they would’ve matched up better than this.
I agree. I thought they would have matched up better.
But, I did think the Dodgers were going to win. Being the best pitching staff in the NL speaks for itself. Plus, a lineup with Manny and veterans/youngsters to compliment him help equal the playing field against the Cubbies strong lineup.
I didn’t however think it would be this dominant.
The surprise isn’t the Cubs being beaten. It’s the fact that the Cubs don’t even look like they are competing.
If you had the Dodgers over the Cubs (the Zambrano, Harden, Dempster, Lilly Cubs) then more power to you.
The Rays are healthy and motivated? It takes more than that. Look up and down their lineup and there’s nothing even close to spectacular. They were terrible with RISP as well which really slaps the Yankees in the face. Starting pitching was very good; bullpen was spectacular. Winning the division was beyond almost everyone’s expectations.
The biggest suprise to me is the Angels. No Beckett for gm 1 with Drew and Lowell hurt. Looked like the Sox would limp into the ALDS ala the Angels last year. The Angels rolled the Sox this season and seemed to have last year out of their heads. Other than that it really doesn’t matter who beat who in 1986 or whatever. Big suprise to me.
The Angels losing to the Red Sox is more of a surprise. I’ll give you that one.
But, the White Sox barely scraped into the post season. The Rays were ready for the post season weeks ago even going through solid winning streaks without Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria.
Pitching is key and the Rays have lots of it.
The Angels losing to the Red Sox is a disappointment. But, I’d say going into the postseason their matchup was even. Boston is experienced with 2 recent titles and being the defending champs. They have other pitching besides Beckett. I don’t think this could have been called an upset, either way.
I didn’t see it the same way with Ellsbury, Lester and to a lesser extent Lowrie taking on big roles. Then subract Manny from the picture.
But Ellsbury came in red hot, Lowrie and the SS position has really been a non-factor in that lineup anyway, and Lester stepped right into Beckett’s shoes and dominated an Angels team that had good numbers against him.
It just seems like whatever they lose, someone can step right in with the same production. Dustin Pedroia the AL MVP?? It’s frustrating.
I can’t handle the fact Pedroia can be the AL MVP.
Anyone else, please?
Just wish Quentin could have stayed healthy to steal it.
Who would you rather have the AL MVP?
KRod or Pedroia
I respect Pedroia, but despise KRod. Not saying Rodriguez is deserving of the MVP, but thats like the only other option some people threw out.
I’ll even be ok with Youkilis getting it if that keeps it away from those two.
Agreed, Youkilis is a good candidate.
Overlooked, haven’t heard that suggestion yet.
Unless the cubs can score, none of these pitching moves are gonna matter.
It’s lovely to see the Dodgers back on top of the world.
I would have loved a Yankee-Dodger world series.
Seeing Manny Ramirez get walked reminds me of how amazing/how much i miss Barry Bonds being in this majors.
Just looking at Bonds’ stats year-to-year is absolutely mind boggling. I hate the Giants, but I am bound to get a Bonds jersey.
Everytime you think Pavano and his contract, just think Chan Ho Park.
Just wait…
Pavano goes to the NL and becomes a 20 game winner. All the while pitching 200+ innings.
Wouldn’t that be a slap in the face.
Darren Dreifort is not happy about that.
Lou Pinella is gonna punch somebody.
Heh, I remember one game when he was managing the D-Rays and they were getting destroyed by the Yanks. He’d gone through like, 3 pitchers already and the guy he just brought in was getting hit around too. They cut to the shot of him in the dugout, and fully audible on the TV broadcast he yells “why don’t you just put it on a fucking tee.”
Torre is a great manager when the SP gives 7 innings and lets up less than 2 runs everytime. He’s having late 90′s flashbacks.
I don’t know about you guys, but i’m rooting for a Dodgers-Red Sox showdown, with Manny Ramirez sticking it to his former team and a teary-eyed Joe Torre openly hugging his friend Tito “newest addition to the Bigelow family” Francona and apologizing to him for beating him in the WS. . .
IDK who hits a GW HR as long as it’s off of Jonathan “My Friends Call Me Paps” Papelbon.
How about Papelbon thinking he’s better than Mo. Ha, that was great.
Seeing KRod blow last nights game was also a great sight. That was like a guarantee in that situation. He can’t handle a tie game.
It wasn’t even what he said as much as the way he said it.
I know he’s a competitor and wants the ball and I understand that, but he was all “I know there is a lot of history at Yankee Stadium with Mariano and blah, blah, blah but I want the ball.”
He literally said “blah, blah, blah” and that made me want to fight him.
What would be better than enjoying Manny rip apart the Red Sox? They’d prolly be wise and walk him.
Its funny how the media is so involved in “what have you done for me lately?”.
All it took was Pedroia batting clean-up for 3 days and he was the best player in baseball that carried the team the whole year.
All you heard was praise and he should be MVP hands-down.
It’s really interesting how the numbers in the AL just collectively all decreased due to injuries and etc. Declaring no true MVP candidate.
Now isn’t the year to trash Pedroia who may walk away with the MVP.
He’s right though, he never got MVP consideration until he was batting clean-up and then ESPN honestly campaigned for him.
I would never trash Pedroia. Just don’t think he should be the MVP.
I highly respect Pedroia and his early career success. He’s doing what I expected Cano to be doing.
Well before this season, Cano #’s were great and was one of the top 2Baseman.
Dustin Pedroia (2008): .326-.376-.493, 17, HR, 83 RBI
Robbie Cano (2006): .342-.365-.525, 15 HR, 78 RBI
Is Pedroia’s defense really That great? Because Cano finished only 22nd in the MVP voting in 2006.
Soriano looks lost right now.
How bad would it look to not even score a run in the close out game?
Cubs are just embarrassing themselves.
Good for the Cubs. Let’s make this a series.
Agreed, but something tells me their season will end in heartbreaking fashion.
How could he take out Broxton after that?
Not like Saito is Mo or anything.
I agree with you about Saito, but only because he was hurt this year. Have you seen that man’s numbers since he came to the States?
http://www.baseball-reference......ta01.shtml
Unbefrickinlievable.
No doubt. He’s real good but since the injury?
Ugh.
Broxton must be tired, he’s only throwing 99 with an 89mph slider.
I was offended by Broxton’s fist pump. It was the 8th inning, come talk to me when you close out the 9th.
Broxton is just nasty, 99MPH Heat and to tag along with a high 80′s Slider, Filthy.
Yo that Cory Wade dude looked pretty good. His curveball was nasty.
I can’t wait for Frank TV to start!
Wow, the Cubs are gonna get sweep back to back years by two teams who play in the worst division.
Maybe we need to reconsider that “worst division in baseball” stance.
Nah, the Cubs just suck.
Oh man, Soriano’s due up third, so he’s poised to make the last out of the season for the Cubs.
slider down & away – swinging strike, strike 1
slider down & away – swinging strike, strike 2
slider down & away – swinging strike, strike 3
Easiest call of the yr.
Told ya. As soon as I saw Martin set up outside I knew it was over.
The Mets got to be kicking themselves. They beat the Cubs easy here.
I dunno about you guys, but I’d be willing to trade Melky for Broxton.
Nah, Melky has value. As it pains me to say this, just give them Cody Ransom and be done with it.
only if they throw in kemp
And Kershaw.
LOL @ Soriano. No shock that he struck out on a pitch that hit the dirt.
Now I remember why they trade him not that his replacement does any better in those situations.
LOL
I meant the guy they trade him for not Cano.
Torre remembers how to win a first rd series????
I guess Torre wasn’t the problem after all.
Good job Joe, well done.
Congrads to the Dodgers.
Dude, they flat out pwned the Cubbies.
chicago is gonna be on suicide watch tomorrow with the chisox… wait nobody cares about them
i want a dodgers-rays series!
So do I, so do I.
The best series would be Boston-LA as much as I hate to say it.
I would watch it.
east coast-west coast
Torre-Red Sox
Manny- Red Sox
Two historical teams and lots of story-lines.
i hate to say it but i really like manny i definitely think the boston front office and media stabbed him in the back
Is their a hitter who’s a bigger sucker on the same pitch than Soriano on the down and away slider.
not since kit keller couldnt lay off the high cheese
It’ll be hard to take if donnie wins a ring in dodger blue
Nah, I’ll be happy for him.
I don’t know about hard, but it would sting.
Remember when ya was a kid, and you watch cartoons about baseball, and then their’s that part or scene where the pitcher has a yo-yo baseball and the pitcher keeps throwing like a yo-yo and the moronic hitter keeps swinging at it, Well that sorta like Soriano with the Slider lol.
Good details.
LMAO
thats so cool they’re jumping into the stands
After a yr of Girardi I think how would Donnie do as skip?
unless he could manage a 200 run swing in offense, much of the same
The NY papers are going to have a field day with this and forget about even putting on the FAN.
O yea, they gonna give Torre some of the best head of his life.
Dude, with the way things have gone for Yankees fans this year the Red Sox will come back after going down 0-3 and win The last game on a Jason Bay walk-off HR.
The next day the lead story in the Post would be Yanks could have had Bay for IPK.
LOL
I was never a big fan of people who placed them blame on Torre for not getting his team to succeed. I thought he did an amazing job last year and obviously he hasn’t done too poorly this year either.
When will Cashman ever catch shit for the manager blamers? I wonder?
Soon if they don’t win real soon.