That's true.
I still think they can be beaten though. The trio of Hudson/Mulder/Zito was supposed to plow through the playoffs and win the World Series back at the beginning of the decade, and I can't remember for sure but I don't think they ever made it past the first round. Maybe once.
One other item of note: Roy Halladay has no playoff experience. None. Obviously that doesn't mean a whole lot, because he's Roy Halladay, but it's something to consider.
I'm thrilled the Reds have made the playoffs and I don't expect them to win any series, regardless of who they play.
Let's be careful not to make too much of the Philly rotation. In the post season the bullpen is every bit as important as the starting rotation, maybe more so. Just look at the last three Reds Championships. On all three teams the bullpen was the strength of the team. In 1990 the Pirates and the A's had superior starting pitchers to the Reds but we blew them away from the 6th, 7th inning on. The key to beating the Phillies is to hang close early and then make hay vs the bullpen
I don't quite get the consternation about Philly. If I remember correctly, the Reds played them tougher during the regular season than San Fran. That's the team whose pitching could be lights out when they're "on" more so than Philly, IMO. Going into a series with Philly as the massive underdog won't necessarily be a bad thing either.
I don't think noting the Phillies are a brutal match-up is confusing. They added Oswalt to Halladay and Hamels. They are healthy now, with Utley back at full go. They've been here before with a recent world title. They are going to be the prohibitive favorites.
That said, I still like the Reds' chances to give them a nasty series. And maybe win.
Padres just lost again to the Cubs. That means the entire NL playoff picture may be finalized tomorrow night.
The Giants magic number to win the west is down to 1.
The Braves magic number to win the wild card is down to 2.
The Reds only hope for a 2nd seed they would have to sweep the Brewers and the Padres would have to sweep the Giants. So there is a very good chance we may know the NL matchups by the end of tomorrow's games.
So it's pretty simple: the Padres have to sweep the Giants to make the playoffs which would also get the Reds the No. 2 spot and host the Braves (most likely).
So GOOOOOO Padres!
"No matter how good you are, you're going to lose one-third of your games. No matter how bad you are you're going to win one-third of your games. It's the other third that makes the difference." ~Tommy Lasorda
Now someone on ESPN radio last night said that if the Yankees and Rays tie at the end of the season, they will have a playoff for the division championship. I think he was mistaken since both teams clinched playoff spots it would go to the team who had the best head to head record against the other.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/ab...ion_ties.shtml
"Reality tells us there are no guarantees. Except that some day Jon Lester will be on that list of 100-game winners." - Peter Gammons
Consider the source.
Not at all. I enjoy that too. The atmosphere is very special. Even the games where your team's out of it are bittersweet.Is it weird that I'm excited for the Padres/Giants matchup this weekend? End-of-season baseball is the awesomest.
I get geeked up for the 1 game playoffs too no matter who is playing.
Looking at the pitching matchups, the Padres have a real shot if they can get by Cain tonight. The biggest question in this series is if anyone will score over the weekend. Regardless, I'm excited to stay up late and watch that one tonight.
Now, if the Braves lose 2 of 3 against a Phillies team that has clinched is another question to create the 3 way tie.
Also, the Reds sweeping after clinching to get to 92 wins will be another stretch.
"Rounding 3rd and heading for home, good night everybody"
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