#6 Philadelphia Stomp (93-69) vs #1 Baltimore Revolution (110-52)
BALTIMORE- The Revolution swept the AL South Champion Jazz to reach their second consecutive ALCS and their third in the last four seasons. The Jazz succeeded in keeping the high powered Baltimore offense in check for games 1 & 2. They only allowed a combined three runs in those games. But their offense was unable to capitalize, only scoring three runs for the entire series. When Game 3 rolled around, the Revolution lineup exploded with a 15 run outburst. The quick series victory allows Baltimore to rest up and get their pitching rotation set for their series with division rival Philly. Its hard to look at player trends this playoffs for the Revolution because they've only played 3 playoff games on their way to the ALCS. By comparison, the Stomp have had to play 10 games to get to this point. Still, only allowing 3 runs in 3 games shows that the pitching is clearly ready to go. In the blowout game three, they had 17 hits and hope to ride that offensive momentum into the ALCS against pitching heavy Philadelphia.
PHILADELPHIA- The ALDS series between the Stomp and the Hitmen was a great series. Three of the games were decided by 1 or 2 runs. Three of the games were decided in the eighth inning or later. And the deciding Game 5 was tied going into the ninth inning. The turning point in the series for the Stomp was their epic Game 3 comeback. They were down 2 games and were losing 3-0 going into the bottom of the fifth. They had been frustrated time and again so far in the game, unable to come up with the big hit and stranding 4 runners in scoring position so far. They would score 5 runs that inning, culminating in a Junior Iwasaki grand slam. The Hitmen would score 2 runs in the 7th inning to tie the game. It went into extras. In the bottom of the 11th inning, veteran 1B Lou Carpenter hit a walk-off home run. The fans went crazy and the Stomp seemed to steal the momentum of the series. They would win Game 4 due to a strong performance from Gary Scott. He would pitch 8 innings, only allowed 1 run and out-dueled Hitmen ace Julian Belliard. The deciding Game 5 at Angel Stadium was exciting too. The game was close throughout, but the Hitmen entered the 9th inning with a 6-5 lead needing to get only 3 outs to eliminate the Stomp. The Stomp would score 6 runs in the 9th to blow the game open and advance to the ALCS. Still, the strength of the Stomp is their rotation, and Randy Meulens and Jared White both struggled in their starts. The bullpen was solid, allowing only 4 runs in 12 innings of work. The defense was also a bit shaky, with 1 error in every game. Offensively, the Stomp only hit .254 as a team in the ALDS. While not terrible, that number will need to improve if they want to win the pennant. RF Ted Saberhagen was 9 for 21 (.428) in the series, including at least one hit in every game. Young powerful C Rick Jamison, while only hitting .238, provided power (2 home runs and a double) and run production, leading the team in RBI with 7.
Projected Pitching Matchups:
Game 1: Camden Yards: PHI: Randy Meulens (15-11) vs. BAL: Damaso Solano (13-4)
Game 2: Camden Yards: PHI: Gary Scott (15-9) vs. BAL: Tony Espinosa (16-5)
Game 3: Citizens Bank Park: BAL: Billy Ray Howington (20-4) vs. Alex DeJesus (6-9)
Editors' Pick
At first glance, Baltimore would seem to be the prohibitive favorite. The team is stacked. But if you dig a bit, you'll see that this series could be a very close one. As division rivals, the teams know each other very well. In fact, the Stomp won the season series 7-3. The veteran laden starting rotation of the Stomp isn't likely to be intimidated by the powerful Baltimore lineup. Still, the Revolution are the top seed in the AL for a reason. Baltimore wins in six.
National League
#5 Chicago Gray Stockings (91-71) vs. #2 Vancouver Tragedy Twins (106-56)
CHICAGO- For the second straight season the Gray Stockings have eliminated their division rival and top-seeded Pittsburgh Polar Bears. Unlike last season's sweep of Pittsburgh, this season was an epic, entertaining series. Each of the Gray Sox's three wins in the series had a dramatic moment, and a different player play the part of hero. In Game 2, it was veteran 3B Boots Knotts who came up big. His three hits (including a double and a home run) drove in 5 of Chicago's 8 runs and evened the series at one game each. The Sox were down 2 games to 1 going into Game 4. The teams had battled each other to a standstill through seven innings, tied 5-5. Then the Sox exploded for 8 runs in the eighth to force a Game 5. OF David Cedeno had two hits, including a dramatic grand slam in the big eighth inning. In Game 5, there were a couple of heroes for Chicago. All Star CF Butch Ramirez blasted a 2-run home run in the third inning. Veteran Wayne Spence came up with 6 clutch innings as the starting pitcher. He only allowed three base runners, struck out 6, and left the game leading 2-1. The Bears clawed back into the game, with a run in the eight to tie it up. The game went into extra frames and in the tenth inning, reigning NL MVP 1B Russ Charleston came to the plate. He hit a go-ahead 2-run home run that completely silenced PNC Park. Veteran RP Johnny James pitched a perfect bottom of the tenth to close out the game and the Gray Stockings ran on the field in victory, to the stunned silence of the crowd. Despite their success so far this postseason, there are some areas that need to improve. While Wayne Spence has been very good so far (26 IP, 2-1, 3.14 ERA), the rest of the starters have been very shaky. In fact, none of them have an ERA of less the 5.00 this postseason. Its been the bullpen that has been carrying the load. In the NLDS versus the Polar Bears, the bullpen was excellent. They tossed a combined 22.2 innings, with an ERA of 2.02, a WHIP of 1.06 while striking out 16 and only walking 7. 1B Russ Charleston has been great as well. He had at least one hit in every game against Pittsburgh, while hitting .368 with a double and 2 home runs as well as a team-high 8 RBI. While the rest of the lineup has had their moment, the Gray Sox need some more consistency out of the rest of their lineup. The defense, which was a catalyst for this team during the regular season needs to continue to excel. The team committed only 1 error in the NLDS, while making 3 '+' plays with 0 '-' plays.
VANCOUVER- The NL's surprise team continues to have its best season since it moved to British Columbia. The Twins defeated the Titans to advance to the franchise's first trip to the NLCS since Season 5. They advanced in dramatic fashion as well, winning three straight games to overcome a 2-0 series deficit. Game 1 was a heart breaker for Vancouver. They were up 7-5 going into the ninth inning. Then Milwaukee's RF Jose Gonzalez launched a 2-run shot that tied the game. The game was a grueling battle of attrition that lasted 13 long innings. The Titans would use 9 different pitchers in the game, and the Tragedy Twins would use 8. In the end, the Twins had an agonizing defeat while the Titans had a hard fought, come from behind victory and the series lead. The Vancouver squad showed alot of character and moxy though, when they didn't let such a bitter end to Game 1 take their heart out of the series. SP's Howie Mack and Dicky Barkley were huge. In their two starts they combined to throw 14 innings and only allowed 1 run. However, it was the offensive consistency during the final three game of the series that was the difference. The Twins scored 5, 5 and 6 runs. CF RJ Zapata hit .333 with 2 home runs and 9 RBI. 2B Raul Martin and veteran C Juan Posada combined for 17 hits, with a .425 AVG, 3 home runs and 7 RBI. If Mack and Barkley continue to pitch well, and their offense continues too generate 5-6 runs per game, they have a very good shot at advancing to the WS.
Projected Pitching Matchups:
Game 1: Nat Bailey Stadium: CHI: Pedro Franco (12-8) vs. VC: Dickey Barkley (16-7)
Game 2: Nat Bailey Stadium: CHI: Wayne Spence (12-10) vs. VC: Howie Mack (9-9)
Game 3: US Cellular Field: VC: Benny Bonilla (16-9) vs. CHI: Julio Telemaco (11-9)
Editor's Pick:
The proverbial contrast of styles. Vancouver's high scoring squad versus Chicago's mix of solid pitching and excellent defense. It should be a fun series. In the end, I'll give the edge to the team with the savvy veterans who know what it takes to get to the Fall Classic over the team of up-and-coming stars. Chicago wins in six.
