And Then There Were Six

Jason Michael Barker

It's kind of amazing that something that took so long to build can be essentially over so quickly. Pardon the melodrama, but the Rangers and Red Sox each spent 162 games getting to the post-season, and now their participation of the post-season is, for all intents and purposes, over.

The Red Sox fell behind in their series oh-two on Thursday night after an 11-1 drubbing at the hands of the mighty Tribe. You think Jim Thome is trying to make up for an off year this October? To make matters worse, Sox ace Pedro Martinez won't be available to pitch until game five, which unfortunately for Boston fans is a game that's never going to happen.

Next the Rangers, who probably should have been written off even before the series started. It's not that they've got a bad ballclub down in Arlington, just that they simply can't compete with the Yankees, as we've seen each time the Rangers make the post-season.

Even when Texas plays a good game, the Yankees are just that much better. Case in point Thursday's game, in which starter Rick Helling pitched very well -- well enough to win on most nights -- yet was outdueled by the Andy Pettitte we've come to know over the past few years, who is clearly not the same pitcher who struggled through 1999.

The Yankees are already up 2-0 in the series, and now they've got the luxury of pitching Roger Clemens (more on the Rocket later) in game three. Ouch. More thoughts from New York's 3-1 win:

-The turning point (if you're into looking for such things) came in the bottom of the seventh, when the Yankees had runners on first and third with one out. Ricky Ledee hit a flyball to right center field that fell in for a double, and Tino Martinez scored from third. When Ledee hit the ball, I was thinking, "play at the plate." Martinez isn't a fast man by any stretch, and the ball wasn't all that deep. Instead, it fell in between Roberto Kelly and Juan Gonzalez.

Kelly and Gonzalez? Therein lies the problem. Gonzo is a good hitter, but he doesn't exactly cover a ton of ground out in right field. Kelly isn't a pillar of stone on defense, but from watching him briefly when he played in Seattle, I'd say center field is a stretch. Tom Goodwin would have made the play, possibly saving a run. Instead, Goodwin was on the bench. He did enter the game as a defensive replacement in the eighth, but by then it was too late.

I understand the reasoning behind starting Kelly over Goodwin (namely to get a much better hitter, and a right-handed bat at that, in the game). But at some point late in a close game you have to consider defense, particularly in a large park like Yankee Stadium, and for me that point is the seventh inning. You can always pinch-hit for Goodwin if need be, but you can't pinch-field for Kelly.

-Mariano Rivera has taken some heat in the statistical community for his strikeout rate, which has declined each season he's pitched. Generally such a decline is an indication of a pitcher who is losing velocity or movement, or is in someway going downhill, but after watching him pitch the ninth on Thursday, I'd say he's in no danger of losing anything.

The pitches he struck out Rafael Palmeiro and Tom Goodwin on were just plain nasty -- 95 MPH with good movement. Even better than a fastball, the "four-seam cut fastball" (as described on FOX) not only has good velocity, it rides in on lefties before dropping off the table at the last moment. It's no wonder he saved 45 games this season (including 22 straight heading into the playoffs) or that he allowed opposing hitters just a .476 OPS.

By now you're probably saying, "Enough already about the Yankees, there are three other series to talk about!" and you'd be right. For that matter, enough about the American League, where the series look pretty boring at this point anyway.

Heading into the playoffs the two National League series looked to be the best of the bunch, and so far they have yet to disappoint, with each tied at a game apiece heading into Friday's game threes.

It's a shame the Astros and Braves had to meet in the first round, because I think they'd play one helluva seven-game series thanks to all that great starting pitching -- Maddux, Millwood, Smoltz, Reynolds, Hampton and Lima. The two offenses aren’t shabby either. Because I'm not sold yet on the Diamondbacks, I think whichever team wins this series will represent the NL in the World Series.

Meanwhile, the Mets continue to make believers out of people, including me. They finished strong after falling two games back in the wild card with three to play, won the one-game playoff with the Reds, and then beat Randy Johnson to open their divisional series. They have to be happy with a split in Arizona, although after beating Johnson it's probably a tad disappointing not to come away with a 2-0 series lead.

The Mets biggest problem, and the reason I don't think they'll make the World Series, is the lack of a dominating ace. Even if they get past the Diamondbacks (and I think they can), they'll be hard-pressed to match up, pitcher for pitcher, with either Atlanta or Houston in a seven-game series. In a short series you can get by without great starting pitching, but it comes back to haunt you in a longer one, particularly given the possible opponents.

about the author

Don't cry for Jason Michael Barker because he gets to watch all the playoff day games. Cry for him because he's slowly losing his eyesight to the microwaves from the ancient Radiation King TV in his apartment. Send sympathy notes to jmb@strikethree.com.