Division Series Diatribe

Jason Michael Barker

Some final thoughts on each first-round series:

Braves-Astros. I'm sad to see this one come to an end, and a bit disappointed that it turned out the way it did. The Astros have been a very good team over the past few seasons, but they have very little in the way of postseason success to show for it. Hey, that kind of sounds like what the Braves have done this decade in terms of World Series performance.

Despite the three-games-to-one victory for the Braves, which doesn't sound all that close, it really was an entertaining series. The first two games saw a pair of excellent pitching performances, first from Shane Reynolds in Game One (6 IP, 1 ER) and then by Kevin Millwood in Game Two (9 IP, 1 H, 1 ER). Game Three was an extra-inning thriller, finally won 5-3 by Atlanta in the 12th. Game Four saw the Braves jump out to a 7-0 lead, then the Astros answering with a five-run rally but falling short.

Saturday's contest was also the final game in the Astrodome. Even though both the fans and the players are looking forward to a new stadium next season, if the final game in the Kingdome was indication of how these things are, it had to be an emotional scene for everyone involved.

Mets-Diamondbacks. I have to admit I'm a bit surprised at how this one turned out. I don't think it's a surprise that the Mets won the series, but that they did so in convincing fashion and without Mike Piazza for two games is. With Piazza out, the Mets got plenty of offense from John Olerud, Rickey Henderson and Edgardo Alfonzo, not to mention Piazza's replacement Todd Pratt, who won Game Four with a homer.

NLCS Prediction. Braves over the Mets in six. The Mets are playing very good baseball right now, but their starting pitching can't match up with Atlanta's over the course of a long series -- Kevin Millwood, Greg Maddux and John Smoltz are each better than anything New York has to offer. The Mets have enough offense and a good enough bullpen to keep the games (and the series) close, but in the end Atlanta will be too much. That said, I'd love to see the Mets make the World Series just so we'd have a new team to watch for a change.

Yankees-Rangers. After Orlando Hernandez started and won Game One, the Yankees still had playoff veteran Andy Pettitte to pitch game two. As if that weren't enough, Roger Clemens pitched game three, and New York still had David Cone! Maybe next year the Rangers will draw a different team in the first round.

Red Sox/Indians. Perhaps I wrote the Red Sox off a bit early. On Friday I wrote that the Sox might as well pack up and go home, what with an 0-2 deficit in the series and the loss of Pedro Martinez' services until Game Five, "a game that's never going to happen." Boston came back with a big win in Game Three, then proceeded to humiliate Cleveland in Game Four by a 23-7 score. Again, that was the score of the baseball game, not that of the Patriots-Browns NFL contest.

The deciding game will be played Monday in Cleveland. Unfortunately for Red Sox fans, Martinez still isn't available to pitch. Of course he didn't pitch in Game Three or Four either, and that certainly didn't stop the team from winning.

One of the great things about baseball is that on any given day, any team can beat any other team. Even the best teams only win 65 percent of their games (if that), and the very worst teams still win around 40 percent of theirs. Basically what I'm getting at is, once you've got a series that's down to a single game, anything can happen. It sounds cliché and even a bit trite, but it's true.

The team that wins is going to be at a decided disadvantage in the American League Championship Series. The ALCS starts Tuesday, and the Yankees will have had two full days off to prepare. Joe Torre will have his pick of starting pitchers, with the exception of Roger Clemens who pitched on Saturday. Torre could go with veteran David Cone, who didn't pitch at all against the Rangers, or Orlando Hernandez or Andy Pettitte, each of whom pitched well in the first round.

ALCS Prediction. Yankees over Boston/Cleveland in five. It pains me to say this, since I'm sick and tired of the Yankees, but I don't see either the Red Sox or the Indians beating them. New York has all that starting pitching and a pretty good offense to boot. Cleveland has the offense but not really the pitching, while the Red Sox have some pitching (especially if Pedro Martinez is back at even 75%) and some offense, but not enough to hang with the Yankees.

That means a Braves-Yankees World Series? I suppose that would have been a pretty good prediction at the beginning of any season since the strike, but it leaves me yawning.

about the author

Jason Michael Barker would like you Mets fans to consider a new chant or two during the next series. In fact, he has offered to help polish dirty team limericks at jmb@strikethree.com, as long as you promise to pass out lyric sheets at Shea.