Will Girardi’s pitching gamble come back to haunt the Yankees?

The Yankees would love to have some of the rain from games 1 and 2 come back now as it would give Joe Girardi a reprieve if they can’t take one of the last two games at home to close out the World Series. Joe gambled by attempting to get through with a 3-man rotation and now in games 6 and 7 he’ll need Pettitte and CC to go on only 3 days rest. AP has typically not done well on short rest and 30-something will need to be at his best as Philly is riding the Mo’ after a strong game 5. I tell ya, if the Yanks don’t get it done tonight it’s not such a given with CC in game 7 as Philly will be able to get a couple of, if not a few, relief innings from Lee and Joba “the hut” has not been lights out in his WS appearances and NY may not be able to get to super Mariano. What do you think, can the Phillies sweep a pair from the Yankees and take a title in the process?
____________________________________________________________________________________

Philly left World Series hopes out on the Lidge

Tied at 4 with 2-out, no one on, and an 0-2, the Phillies were one strike away from getting the opportunity to even the series with a run in the ninth. Instead their closer Brad Lidge served up a 3-run two-out rally to all but end Philadelphia’s hopes for a repeat. Prior to that the failings of Lidge during the regular season had all been forgotten as in his previous 4 innings of work he had allowed just 1 hit and no runs. However, these are the Yankees, and with the ‘stick’ the boomers have throughout the lineup you’ve gotta finish strong and once Lidge let Damon off the hook with a 2 strike base knock, the roof just caved in. Was this the Iceman from last year’s playoffs or some a character from the film “surrogates”? Either way, the Phills must now turn the same trick they did on LA, by taking 3 straight. However, unlike their previous series, two of those games will be on the road. So now comes all of the second guessing, should Charlie Manuel have started Lee in game 4 and the answer is no. Joe Blanton did all that he could and left Philly in the as good of a position as you could ask from a starter, aside from having the lead, going against a lineup like he did, down 1 after 7 where a walk, stolen base, and base knock and you’re even, or better yet, a bloop and a blast and you’re tied 2 games each. So he did HIS job, even the relief kept them where they needed to be, had only the titular closer done his they’d be talking about how great of a position the Phillies with Lee on the bump in game 5, and a chance to go back to the Bronx up 3-2 needing only one win to uncork. What should be more widely discussed is how the defensive error that allowed Damon to take third ended up being the most important play of the series thus far. As it took the slider out of the Lidge arsenal and steered him into serving up some cheese to A-Rod which he promptly deposited into the gap for what proved to be the winning run. What was the turning point in game 4? Do you think the Phillies have a chance of coming back and making it a series? Let us know here and in any of the quick links:
World Series Game 4 Box Score
World Series Live Chat - Fans from both teams
World Series Stats and Scoreborad
World Series Betting Lines
World Series Schedule
Tickets with a smacchat.com discount

Yankees get the performance they need from AJ, now must avoid road sweep

AJ Burnett pitched his best game of the post season in game 2 as the Yankees evened the series with the Phillies at a game a piece. Burnet previously had a 4.57 ERA against the Phillies going into game 2 but shaved that significantly, allowing just one run seven innings of work. Now if the Empire can avoid a three-game sweep by Philadelphia at home they’ll get an opportunity to win it at home. One positive is that Philly will have to beat CC again if they hope to make good on Rollin’s prediction and avoid going back to Yankee Stadium, however the key bat in game 2 was Hideki Matsui (DH) who as a DH, will not be in the starting line-up for all three games in Philly, but will be a stick in waiting for DH purposes. Interleague didn’t make much a difference this year to the Yankees so they added strategy of deciding weather to pull a pitcher for an opportunity to score more runs is one they have managed well. How Godzilla will perform sitting on ice for perhaps 7 innings is another question. Everyone knows Philly had the worst home record of any of the playoff teams but is 4-1 in the postseason with the only loss coming at the hands of Rockies in a tough 1-run game. They obviously have proven they can run off consecutive wins as illustrated by a sweep of the Dodgers who had the best record in the NL this season. Of course, repeating the feat against the club with the best record in the AL, is a different task all together. However if they can pull it off there’s rings waiting for them at the other end of it. Can the Phills sweep away the Evil Empire? Let us know here and in any of the quick links.
World Series Scoreboard
Game 2 Box Score
Complete Game 1 Box Score
World Series Live Chat - Fans from both teams
World Series Stats and Scoreborad
World Series Betting Lines
World Series Schedule

Lee pitches a gem as the Phillies take game 1

He had the Yankees shut out for the first time in their history through nine games an only an error on Rollins allowed the Yankees to get an unearned run as Cliff Lee went the distance and gave the Phillies a 1-0 series lead with a 6-1 victory. Now Philadelphia has home field advantage and if they can hold serve at home will make Jimmy Rollins a prophet. Chase Utley provided all of the offense the Phils would need with two solo jacks. Although they were on 6 days rest, the Phillies didn’t lose any of their pop or momentum that disposed of the NL’s best team in 5 games, and they have their sights set on the team with the AL’s best record. The Yankees certainly can turn this around but they’re going to need to get into that Philly bullpen to do so. Round one to the City of Brotherly Love, let’s see how much sleep NY gets now that they’re down 0-1. Do you expect the Yankees to bounce back? Can they take a game in Philadelphia? Let us know here and in any of the quick links, also chime in on the poll question.
______________________________________________________________
Howard and Pedro not pullin' punches, now Phills have to back it up

Rollins called hit shot on the Jay Leno show, saying the Phillies would win the series in 5 games, and Pedro Martinez said he was the most influential player ever to play in the house that Ruth built. Now that they got the Yankees all hot n’ bothered they need to step up and deliver. What they did do was land the first punch in the Heavyweight Brawl as now weather they really are or not, they have the perception that they’re NOT intimidated by the Yankees, and haven’t come to kiss their rings but win one at their expense. Meanwhile if New York needed any motivation other than another World Championship, they now have the bulletin board material needed to jumpstart their effort and make sure they don’t come out flat. Were the comments by Rollins and Martinez equivalent to waking the sleeping giant or did Philly need to send a message that they weren’t intimidated? Let us know here and in any of the quick links:

“Freeway” World Series turns out to be I-95

As the Dodgers and Angels had the best records in their respective divisions for the entire season and best even the Leagues for some, many on the West coast dreamed of an I-5 Series. The second half of that vision was derailed Sunday evening as the Yankees put the finishing touches on a 100 win season with a game 6 victory over the LA Angeles and another trip to the WS. However there will be an interstate series, it will just run north/south on the I-95 between Manhattan and Philadelphia. The Empire has struck back and now are only 4 wins away from returning to glory. Lost in the hype of the Bronx Bombers are the defending World Champions who looked more that poised to repeat the feat as they disposed of the team with the best record in the NL the Dodgers in a quick 5 game series. The Phillies don’t feel respected and perhaps that’s the chip on their shoulder they’ll need to stave off the intimidation factor. There’s no doubt these are the best two teams in baseball with lineups that can do damage top to bottom. The question is can the Philly pitching hold up against a Yankee lineup that 45% of their batting order would be hitting clean up for other teams. It they can get 7 games in between weather delays it could be one for the ages, so buckle up. Who is your pick to win the series and in how many games? Let us know here and in any of the quick links.