Carpenter shuts out Phillies 1-0 as Cardinals advance to NLCS!

By Kshell

In big playoff games especially elimination games you tend to have great hype heading into the contest. Then once in a while you have a game like this game where the game actually exceeds the hype. In today's game five elimination game which saw the Philadelphia Phillies who are the heavy favorites to win the World Series take on the St.Louis Cardinals who were left for the dead just two weeks ago. You saw two former Cy Young award pitchers in Roy Halladay for the Phillies take on Chris Carpenter of the Cardinals. Both aces and former teammates were terrific as they combined to pitch 17 innings allowing only one run. Carpenter won the matchup with a complete game three-hit shutout to advance the Cardinals. The Cardinals scored early in this contest and that was all the scoring they would need.

The first inning would begin like the last time Roy Halladay took the hill for the Phillies. With the Cardinals scoring right out of the gate then be shutdown for the next seven innings. Halladay gave up a leadoff triple to Rafael Furcal to start the game. Skip Schumaker followed that up with an RBI double scoring Furcal. The Cardinals with the first two batters of the game already had a 1-0 lead on Halladay. Pujols would ground into a fielders choice as the Phillies recorded the out on Schumaker who tried to go to third. Pujols then moved up on a wild pitch into scoring position. After a fielding error by the Phillies Halladay finally put the scoring threat away. He got Matt Holiday to fly out then had a ground out to end the inning. That was a shaky first inning for the Phillies ace who was fortunate to only allow one run.

This game was a great pitching duel between Halladay and Carpenter. Both pitchers would go back and forth throwing up zero's on the scoreboard. In the fourth inning the Philles finally had a rally against Carpenter. The inning began with Utley being hit by a pitch. Hunter Pence grounded into a fielders choice for the first out. Ryan Howard came up only to line out to right centerfield for the second out. Shane Victorino singled advancing Pence to third base. Raul Ibanez came up to plate against Carpenter hoping to at least tie the game up. Carpenter made a mistake pitch to Ibanez as he smashed the ball to deep right field. The ball hung high up in the air only to be caught by Berkman at the wall as the Cardinals continued to lead 1-0 after four innings.

The game continued to go scoreless as both teams aces brought their best stuff. The Phillies were running out of outs as they were trailing 1-0 heading into the top of the seventh inning. The Phillies had one last chance in the bottom of the seventh inning. Leading off the inning was their slugger Howard who Carpenter fell behind 3-0. Charlie Manuel decided to green light his slugger. Carpenter left a ball over the plate as Howard had a good swing on the ball. The ball was a line drive to right field for the first out. Carpenter would retire the next two batters with ease. Carpenter was set to leadoff the eighth inning which left Tony LaRussa with a tough decision to make. With the Cardinals already up 1-0 so technically they don't have to score anymore LaRussa would stick with his ace and let him hit the in the eighth inning.


In the top half of the eighth inning the Cardinals had a chance to put Halladay and the Phillies away. Carpenter facing his old friend Halladay would actually single to lead off the eighth inning. Furcal tried to bunt and was safe on an error by the Phillies catcher. After a bunt and then Halladay intentionally walked Albert Pujols to face Lance Berkman. The Phillies were down just 1-0 but the Cardinals had the bases loaded with one out. Halladay would show why he is one of the games best pitchers. Halladay went after Berkman with cutters and changup's. On a 2-2 count he busted Berkman inside with a 90 mile per hour cutter for a huge second out for the strikeout. Halladay wasn't out of the jam yet as he still had to face Matt Holliday. Halladay would fall behind in the count 2-0 on Holliday but battled back to pound two more strikes. Then Holliday almost quieted the crowd as he belted the ball to deep left field. Holliday hit it at the end of the bat as Ibanez made the catch in left to keep the game at 1-0. For Halladay who was coming up to bat knew his night was over. Halladay who gave up a run in the first two batters settled down to allow no more runs like he did during game one. His fishing partner Carpenter was pitching so well that Halladay was on the hook for the loss 1-0.

After retiring the Phillies in the eighth inning instead of going to his closer the Cardinals turned to Carpenter to finish the Phillies. Carpenter retired Utley to start off the ninth. Then Pence was robbed of a base hit which set it all up for Howard. Carpenter would finish the Phillies season as Howard grounded out to first base. Howard on the play possibly hurt his MCL and will be evaluated later. The mighty Phillies were eliminated in the first round which was a stunning upset. The Phillies losing pitcher was Halladay who went eight innings, allowed six hits, one run and struck out seven. He was outshined by Carpenter who pitched nine innings, gave up just three hits while striking out three in a 1-0 shutout victory. For the Cardinals who were left for the dead  just two weeks ago to eliminate the "Dream Team" that was huge.

In conclusion, the baseball playoffs had our first stunning upset in years. The Phillies who had four aces were eliminated in the first round. Meanwhile the Cardinals will face off against the Brewers in the NLCS in a battle of the NL central. The Cardinanls led by LaRussa are back in the hunt for yet another championship. This was an incredible first round of playoff baseball. Hopefully the league championship series can follow this up. The Cardinals a team nobody was even talking about just two weeks ago are suddenly just four wins away from the World Series.

Game one LDS recap; game two ALDS recap Texas-Tampa Bay

By Kshell

The baseball playoffs on day two saw a rare moment in baseball playoffs. All four home teams won as there was plenty of offense to go around in these games. You saw Texas-Tampa Bay battle to see if this will be a series or if the Rays will control the series. The Yankees-Tigers resumed play after the game was postponed at 1-1 tie in the bottom of the second inning which proved to have a wild inning. In the Phillies-Cardinals game two great franchises saw Roy Halladay get roughed up early on but then return to form. Then the fourth game saw two teams who aren't in the playoffs very much in the Brewers and Diamondbacks. That game was your typical playoff game where there was no big innings but instead death by papercuts. In this following post I'll give a quick recap of each playoff game.


Robinson Cano drives in six runs as Yankees win 9-3 to take 1-0 series lead:

The game resumed at 1-1 in the second inning as both teams lost their ace pitchers. The Yankees went with Ian Nova while the Tigers went with Doug Fister. The game remained 1-1 until the fifth inning when Robinson Cano drove in former Tiger Curtis Granderson with an RBI double to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead.

In the six inning that is when Doug Fister would fall apart. Brett Gardner would have a two-run single driving in Mark Teixeira and Jorge Posada to give the Yankees a 4-1 lead. The Yankees would put the game away when Cano would hit a grand slam off of Al Aburquerque to give the Yankees an 8-1 lead.

The Yankees would win 9-3 as Cano would finish the game three for five with a home run, two doubles and six RBI's. Yankees "reliever" Ian Nova would get the win going 6.1 innings, allowing just two earned runs while striking out five. For the Tigers Doug Fister had a rough outing lasting only 4.2 innings giving up six runs while striking out six. For both teams losing their aces really hurt but the Yankees took advantage to take a 1-0 series lead.

Rangers use five run inning to even series with 8-6 win:

After being embarassed in game one at home the Texas Rangers bounced back in game two. After trailing 3-0 the Rangers exploded in the fourth inning scoring five runs off of James Shields. The Rangers also saw young pitcher Derek Holland step up when his team needed them most.

Leading 1-0, Matt Joyce hit a two-run homerun driving in Casey Kotchman to give the Rays a 3-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning. That is when the Rangers offense finally woke up after being outscored 12-0 through the first 12 and a half innings of play in the playoffs.

With the bases loaded former Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre was hit by a pitch to make the game 3-1. Mike Napoli came up with a big two-run base hit which tied up the game up at 3-3. Then Beltre would score on a wild pitch giving the Rangers a 4-3 lead. Mitch  Moreland would ground out which allowed Napoli to score. When the inning was over the Rangers held a 5-3 lead over the Rays.

In the sixth inning Ian Kinsler would add to the Rangers lead with a two-run double giving the Rangers a 7-3 lead over the Rays. In the top of the seventh the Rays would strike back as Eva Longoria would hit a three-run homerun to cut the lead to 7-6.  Mitch Moreland would homer in the bottom of the eighth to give the Rangers an 8-6 lead. The Rangers would hang on for the 8-6 win which would tie the series up at 1-1.

The Rangers offense exploded today unlike yesterday getting shutout. The Rangers would pound out 10 hits while scoring eight runs. The Rangers were led by several guys including Ian Kinsler who was two for five with two RBI's, Mike Napoli was two for four with two RBI's and two runs, and Mitch Moreland who was one for three with a homerun and two RBI's. Starting pitcher Derek Holland went five innings allowing one earned run with two strikeouts. The Rays didn't receive a good outing from James Shields who lasted five innings allowing seven runs while striking out six.

Phillies erupt late to win 11-6 behind Howard's key homerun:

The game started off rocky for the Phillies ace Roy Halladay unlike last year. Last year in the NLDS Halladay threw a perfect game against the Reds. This year he began the playoffs by allowing a three-run home run to Lance Berkman in the first inning as the Cardinals took a 3-0 lead.

Trailing 3-1 entering the sixth inning the Phillies erupted off of Kyle Lohse. With two men on Ryan Howard did what he does best which is hit a home run to give the Phillies a 4-3 lead. Then Raul Ibanez followed that up with a two-run blast to give the Phillies a 6-3 lead.

The Phillies would score three more runs in the seventh innings. Howard would have a sacrifice fly to give the Phillies a 7-3 lead. Shane Victorino had a single scoring Chase Utley to give the Phillies a 8-3 lead. Raul Ibanez followed that with an RBI single to give the Phillies a commanding 9-3 lead.

The Phillies would hang on to win 11-6. Roy Halladay would earn the win going eight innings, allowing just three hits, three runs and eight strikeouts. The Phillies were led by their bats which saw Ryan Howard go one for three with a homerun and four RBI's. Raul Ibanez would go two for four with a homerun and three RBI's. For the Cardinals Lohse went 5.1 innings allowing six runs, five earned while striking out five.

Gallardo shuts down big D-Backs bats to lift Brew Crew to a 4-1 victory:

In a game which many expected to feature a ton of scoring instead was the low scoring game of the day. Led by Yovani Gallardo who pitched eight terrific innings for the Brewers. While the offense did just enough for the Brewers to earn the win.

There was no scoring until the fourth inning when Jerry Hariston had a sacrifice fly scoring Ryan Braun. The Brewers would score again in the sixth when Jonathan Lucroy drove in Yuniesky Betancourt to give the Brewers a 2-0 lead.

The game would be put away in the seventh inning when Prince Fielder hit a big two-run homerun off of Ian Kennedy to give the Brew Crew a 4-0 lead. Gallardo would allow a homerun in the eighth inning but that didn't matter as the Brewers won 4-1.

The Brewers were led by Gallardo who pitched eight innings, four hits, one run and struck out nine guys. While the Diamondbacks ace Ian Kennedy went 6.2 innings allowing four runs with three strikeouts. The Brewers were led by their stud hitter Fielder who was 2-4 with a homerun and two RBI's.

In conclusion, this was a good day for baseball as the home teams won so the crowd was exciting. I love this time of the year with the baseball playoffs. Expect to see more pitching as the playoffs go on as high scoring games only happen in the LDS while the playoffs go on pitching becomes more dominant.

Game five NLCS recap

By Kshell

In most sports momentum can start rolling and there is nothing the other can't do. In baseball momentum only goes as far as the next day starting pitcher. As we saw yesterday with the Yankees who were trailing 3-1 but rallied to stay alive with their ace the Phillies were in a similar situation. The Phillies this off season in a controversial move traded for Roy Halladay but then traded Cliff Lee away. The Phillies were hoping Halladay could keep their season alive and bring this series back home to Philadelphia.

The Giants had other plans as they were pitching their ace and two-time Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum. The Giants were hoping to sweep the Phillies in San Francisco and let the party begin in front of the home town fans. Both aces weren't perfect like in the NLDS but in what was to be expected pitched well enough for their teams to win and each only gave up two earned runs. Unfortunately for one ace his defense left him down.

Phillies take advantage of Giants mistakes, sends series back to Philadelphia with 4-2 win

The Phillies found a way to get it done against Giants ace Tim Lincecum who minus one inning was about as good as expected. The Phillies pitched their ace Roy Halladay who didn't have his best stuff managed to get out of jams and show everyone why he is still the ace. The Phillies took advantage of two bad defensive plays the Giants to send the series back to Philadelphia where they must win both games to keep their National League pennant hopes alive.

The Giants were hoping to seek their first National League pennant since 2002 and had a chance to finish off the Phillies at home. The Giants got to Halladay early when Halladay walked Andres Torres then gave up a base hit to Freddy Sanchez giving the Giants a first and third nobody out situation. After Halladay got Aubrey Huff to line out to Ryan Howard the Giants would score a run in a strange way. Halladay would jam Posey who hit the ball weakly to second baseman Chase Utley. The ball was hit so slow Utley charged and over ran the ball but was still able to get the lead runner out. Posey was safe at first and Torres scored the games first run. The team who had scored first in this series was 4-0.

The Giants appeared to be in great shape after just two innings. Lincecum had yet to allow a man to reach base and Halladay's pitch count was over 40 already. Then in the top of the third the Phillies would finally get to Lincecum for the only time all game. It ended up being all that would matter. Raul Ibanez would lead the inning off with a base hit ending the small hope that Lincecum could throw the postseasons second no hitter. Then Lincecum with two strikes on Carlos Ruiz would bing him giving the Phillies first and second with nobody out. What would happened next was a bizarre play that would change the inning and eventually the game.

With Roy Halladay up it was obvious he was going to try and bunt the ball to advance the runners to second and third. Halladay would bunt the ball but the ball never crossed home plate thus making it a foul ball. The problem is the ump called it fair and Posey picked up the ball and fired a strike to Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval to try and get Ibanez out. The problem for the Giants is Sandoval's foot wasn't on third base and by the time he reach back to third Ibanez had then got in there safely. Sandoval then fell down got back up and threw out Halladay at first because Halladay knowing that the ball should have been called foul never ran. The Phillies caught a break there instead of a runner on second base and two outs there was a runner on second and third and just one out.

With runners on second and third and only out with the Giants clinging to a one run lead Lincecum got Shane Victorino to ground out to first only the ball hit off Huff's glove scoring both Ibanez and Ruiz. Had Huff fielded the ball cleanly that would have made it two outs and there is a good chance Ibanez doesn't score. Instead the Phillies took the lead on the two base error by Huff 2-1. The next hitter Placido Polanco got a base hit to left scoring Victorino from second base giving the Phillies a commanding 3-1 lead. With better defense that inning at most Lincecum gives up a run and that is being very generous.

The Giants would answer off Halladay in the fourth with NLCS hero Cody Ross went the other way to right for a double scoring ex-Phillies outfielder Pat Burrell. Halladay would face a couple of more jams but would get out of them. The Giants would waste early opportunities to get to Halladay and let him off the hook. The Giants had first and second and two men out in the sixth when Halladay on a full count strike out Uribe on a pitch in the dirt. That would be Halladay's last pitch as he would only go 6 innings, gave up 6 hits and walked 2 men but he also struck out 5 and most importantly gave up just 2 runs.

The Giants ace and former University of Washington Huskies ace Lincecum cruised the rest of the game until the seventh inning. After Rollins reached base and striking out Ibanez the Phillies began running on the young catcher. Rollins stole second and third off of Lincecum/Posey with just one out. With the Phillies bullpen and the way the Giants weren't hitting it felt like a two run lead would be the equivalent of a five run lead. Lincecum would then walk Ruiz giving the Phillies a first and third one out situation. With Halladay over 100 pitches Manuel pinch hit for Halladay with Ross Gload. Bochy who had a lefty ready in the bullpen decided to stay with his ace. On the first pitch Lincecum threw he got Gload to line out to Huff and get the double play to keep his team in the game. The ex-Husky and current Giants ace ended up going 7 innings, allowing just 4 hits, walked a batter, struck out 7 and allowed 3 runs but only two of those were earned.

In the eighth trailing by a run the Giants sent up Posey, Burrell and Ross the three best hitters you could have asked for. The Phillies setup man Ryan Madson strike all three of them out on just 13 pitches. In the ninth the Phillies would add an insurance run with Jason Werth's home run. That was Werth's 13th career home run which makes him tied for first place in National League history with postseason home runs. Brad Lidge would retire the side in order for his 12th save in 12 chances in the postseason for the Phillies and the two time defending National League Champions are going back home down 3-2.

Both teams are in the position they wanted to be in to start the series. If someone had told the Giants they would go back to Philadelphia up 3-2 needing one win from Jonathan Sanchez or Matt Cain they would have took that scenario. If someone told the Philadelphia Phillies they would be returning home trailing 3-2 but regain homefield advantage and pitching Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels they would have took that scenario. In this series it all comes down to which ace can out pitch the other ace.

The Phillies took a giant step in coming back in this series knocking off Giants ace Tim Lincecum but they still have a long ways to go. Beating Lincecum, Sanchez, and Cain would go down as one of the biggest comebacks in baseball postseason history. That is until someone brings up they threw Halladay, Oswalt and Hamels. The Giants are trying to be the first team since the 2005 Astros to clinch the World Series berth on the road after losing a potential clinching game at home.

Both teams are in the postion they wanted to be in. It just comes down to who will out pitch the other team. Look for errors and the running game to continue to be a factor. I personally think the Giants are in trouble and blew their chance at going to the World Series but we'll find out on Saturday.

Game one of NLCS recap, Game two of ALCS recap

By Kshell

Today featured two playoff games for the first time in a while. In one game we had the Texas Rangers looking to even the series at home against the New York Yankees. In the other game was game one of the National League Championship series which featured the two best pitchers in the National League in Tim Lincecum vs Roy Halladay. One game featured a blow out while the other game featured a bit more offense than we had expected.

Cody Ross blasts two home runs in Giants 4-3 win over Phillies

This game featured two pitchers who had pitched pretty well but not as well as they did in the NLDS. Cody Ross made sure of that blasting two home runs off Roy Halladay to lead the Giants to a huge 4-3 win. The Giants stole game one of the NLCS in Philadelphia.

In the top of the third inning Cody Ross hit a home run off of Roy Halladay to give the Giants a 1-0 lead. That would be the first run allowed by Halladay in his postseason career. The Phillies would respond with a home run of their own by their number eight hitter Carlos Ruiz who hit a home run off Tim Lincecum to tie the game at 1-1. Then Lincecum facing a second and third, two out jam and facing former league MVP Ryan Howard struck out Howard to get out of the inning.

In the top off the fifth inning again Cody Ross hit a home run off Roy Halladay. The pitch and the where the ball ended up appeared very similar to his first home run. Ross became the first eighth hitter since Chad Curtis to hit two home runs in a playoff game. The Giants led 2-1 and how Lincecum was pitching it appeared to be enough.

The Giants then broke the game open a bit in the top of the sixth inning. With two outs former Phillies outfielder Pat Burrell doubled to deep left off of Halladay to score Buster Posey. Then Juan Uribe had a single up the middle scoring Nate Schierholtz to give the Giants a commanding 4-1 lead. In the bottom half of the inning the Phillies struck back with a two run home run by Jason Werth off of Lincecum. That would be Werth's 12th career postseason home run.

The Giants who everyone thought would be shut down this series managed to score four runs off of Halladay who didn't pitch bad. Halladay would end up pitching 7 innings, and striking out 7 but allowed two home runs and four runs overall. The Giants ace and former University of Washington Huskies standout Tim Lincecum would go 7 innings, 3 runs and strike out 8 batters. Brian Wilson would wrap up the game with a save striking out four batters in an inning and a third to record the save as the Giants won 4-3.

This was a big game for the Giants who I felt had to win this game. I think the Phillies are the better and deeper team. Although Halladay lost at home the Giants need to win all of Lincecum's starts. Now the Giants who themselves have very good pitching have an unique chance to go up 2-0 with Jonathan Sanchez who was terrific last start. While the Phillies turn the ball to Roy Oswalt who was amazing for them in the regular season. Look for the Phillies to come out with a sense of urgency knowing they can't afford to go down 2-0 heading to San Francisco who in my opinion has the best crowd amongst the remaining playoff teams.

Rangers win first ever home playoff game 7-2, even series 1-1

The Rangers bounced back from a tough game one loss to pound the Yankees 7-2. The Rangers end a 10 game playoff losing streak to the Yankees that dates back to 1996. The Rangers also won their first ever playoff game. The Rangers for the second straight game rocked the Yankees starting pitchers.

The Rangers wasted no time off of Phil Hughes scoring seven runs off of him in just four innings pitched. The Rangers scored in the first off of Hughes when Andrus stole home on a double steal. Then in the second David Murphy homered off of Hughes then Michael Young drove in Mitch Moreland on an RBI double giving the Rangers a 3-0 lead. The Rangers would tack on two more runs giving them a 5-0 lead after the third. The Rangers weren't feeling very well given how they blew a 5-0 lead just the day before.

In the fifth up 5-1 the Rangers finally chased Hughes scoring two more runs. Hughes would go four innings, giving up 10 hits, walking three guys and allowing seven runs. The Rangers Colby Lewis would go 5.2 innings allowing just two runs and struck out six batters. Then the game was turned over to the Rangers bullpen who blew the game before. That wasn't the case today as the Rangers pen went 3.1 innings giving up just one hit and striking out four batters most importantly they gave up zero runs.

The Rangers will now head to New York with their ace pitching in game three in Cliff Lee against playoff warrior Andy Pettitte of the Yankees. It was important for the Rangers to even the series especially after the way they blew the game yesterday. Had the Rangers won game one the Yankees would be in huge trouble but as is the Yankees still have home field and realistictly hope to take two out of three at home. The Rangers must win game three with Cliff Lee to have any shot at this series and bring Lee back for game six. The Yankees have had some pitching issues with Sabathia allowing nine runs this postseason in 10 innings and now Hughes getting rocked. That doesn't include A.J.Burnett who has been shelled all season long. The Yankees could be in trouble if they can't straighten out their pitching.

Well today saw both aces pitch pretty well but not as insanely great as we thought they could pitch. Lincecum just got one more run of support and Brian Wilson shut the door down on the Phillies. We also saw what we've seen all postseason long that don't count out the Texas Rangers. The Rangers when it appears have had gut wrenching losses respond with a key win. After blowing a 2-0 lead and having to go back to Tampa Bay they respond with a win. After blowing a 5-0 lead to the Yankees they respond by rocking the Yankees. This should be some fun league championship series thats for sure.

Game Four NLDS recap

By Kshell

Today featured just one playoff game as well as tomorrow will feature just one game. Today's game featured the Braves and the Giants in what could have been Bobby Cox last game as a manager if the Braves lose. This game was again a terrific game which was decided by a single run like every other game this series.

Bobby Cox career ends in 3-2 loss to Giants; Giants win advance to NLCS

The Giants rallied for two runs off of Braves ace Derek Lowe in the 7th inning to take the lead 3-2. Lowe who was pitching on three days rest was cruising up until that point. He lost some control of his pitches and with some poor defense by the Braves their season was over.

The Giants starting pitching was stellar like they have been all series long. Bochy electing to go with youngster Madison Bumgarner who was the 10th pick overall in the 2007 draft over high priced playoff veteran Barry Zito. Bumgarner didn't dissapoint Bochy by going 6 innings of two earned runs and striking out five. However Bumgarner found himself trailing 2-1 due to the terrific pitching of playoff warrior Derek Lowe.

Lowe had been cruising through six innings allowing just one hit which was a home run to Cody Ross in the sixth. When Lowe got into trouble with a walk and a hit in the seventh he was facing first and second and just one man out. Future hall of fame manager Bobby Cox came out to pull Lowe but Lowe refused to be taken out and wanted Pat Burrell who was 0 for 2 against him on the day. Cox decided to stick with his ace who was the NL pitcher of the month in September having gone 5-0 with a 1.17 ERA for the month. Lowe with chants of "D-Lowe" in the background eventually walked Burrell to load the bases. There was no debate Cox pulled Lowe who had received a standing ovatation and left the game up 2-1 but had bases loaded with just one man down. Cox then went with Peter Moylan who got Juan Uribe to ground out to short only Gonzalez made a throwing error allowing everyone to be safe and the game was tied at 2-2. Cox then went with left hander Jonny Venters who struck out his first batter. With bases loaded and the game tied at two Cody Ross delivered another clutch hit scoring Buster Posey, Burrell was thrown out at home but the Giants took the lead 3-2 and the Braves were just nine outs away from their season being over.

The Braves had a chance due to an error by Renteria in the bottom of the eighth. With a runner on second base and two hits rookie of the year candidate Jason Heyward struck out against Giants lefty Javier López. Heyward was just 2 for 16 this series. Lopez since he has joined the Giants lefties are now 5 for 46 off of him.

The Giants turned the ball over to all-star closer Brian Wilson who blew the game two save but rebounded in game three for the save. Wilson got in trouble and walked two batters but got out of the jam to close the game. The Giants advanced to their first NLCS since 2002.

This game always means the end of a great managerial career from Bobby Cox who is retiring at the end of this season. The Braves find themselves in a bit of transition with Cox retiring and possibly Chipper Jones retiring as well. This was the first postseason for the Braves without Chipper Jones in a lineup since 1993. Cox only won the one World Series back in 1995 but went to five world series overall and took the Braves who were a pathetic before Cox took over. Cox led the Braves to 14 consecutive division titles from 1991-2005.

The Giants move on now to face the Philadelphia Phillies. By winning the game today the Giants save ace Tim Lincecum for game one of the National League Championship Series. Game one will feature the great pitching matchup between Roy Halladay who is coming off a no-hitter versus Tim Lincecum who is coming off a 14 strikeout 1-0 victory. This game is a game I recommend everyone watching because very rarely in postseason or even in regular season play you get a pitching matchup like this. I can't wait to see Lincecum face off against Roy Halladay.

Game one of MLB playoffs recap

By Kshell

I love the opening the round of the baseball playoffs. I love the fact that it is so hard to make the baseball playoffs only eight teams make the playoffs. I love game one with all the great pitching matchups especially in the American League today. I'm going to recap each game with my personal observations. We all know what happened today.

Roy Halladay no hits Reds 4-0

The Cincinnati Reds making their first playoff appearance since 1995 and their reward was facing the two time defending National League champions. The Reds were also up against Roy Halladay. Halladay is having a Cy Young season again. Halladay was calm and cool all game. Halladay had the most wins amongst active pitchers without making a playoff appearance.

Halladay proves the myth of postseason experience means nothing. I'll take talent over experience any day of the week. Halladay supported by a nice 4-0 lead as the Phillies chased Volquez out of the game in just 1.2 innings. Halladay I couldn't believe what I was watching as the game wore on. Its the playoffs no hitters aren't supposed to happen. I was in Las Vegas earlier this year when Halladay threw a perfect game. Halladay became the first pitcher to throw two no-hitters in a season since Nolan Ryan in 1973 and first pitcher since Don Larson in 1956 to throw one in the playoffs. Halladay only mistake was a walk to Jay Bruce in the 5th. Unlike most no-hitters there wasn't any great defensive plays. Halladay was just dominating and had 8 strikeouts.

This is the reason why Halladay was asked to be traded. Its good to see a great pitcher of his calibar finally get a shot in the postseason. He was basically wasted for a decade in Toronto and this is his chance to shine on the national stage. The Phillies with Halladay going into this playoffs are the favorites to win it all.

The only good news for the Reds is that this game just counts as one game and they won't face Halladay the next two games. Instead they'll get Oswalt and Hamels who would be game one pitchers on most teams. Nice knowing you Cincy.

Cliff Lee dominates the Rays 5-1

Texas making its first postseason appearance since 1999 and currently are the only team in major league baseball without a postseason series victory. That is why Texas gave up top prospect Justin Smoak for a rental in Cliff Lee for games like today.

The Texas offense hit David Price pretty hard early belting two homeruns off Price and scoring 5 runs on Price in 6.2 innings.

Cliff Lee was the story of this game. Cliff Lee went 7 innings of 1 run and had 10 strikeouts. Coming into the game Lee was 0-3 vs the Rays with a 4.56 ERA. Lee last year and today's performance shows he is a playoff gamer. Last year for the Phillies who traded him after acquiring Roy Halladay went 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA and threw 40 and 1/3 innings in 5 starts.

The Rays will have another home game but lost homefield advantage to Texas with this loss. This should be a fun series but Texas has never had an ace like Lee before. If Lee gets hot and with that offense Texas could be a sleeper in this postseason. I still like the Rays but Cliff Lee is the big x factor for the Rangers.

Teixeira hits game winning two run home run to lead Yankees 6-4

This was a great game that featured again two great left handed pitchers. The Yankees have defeated the Twins in the 2003,2004 and last year in 2009 ALDS. This year is different though as the Twins have homefield advantage.

The Twins got to C.C. Sabathia early scoring three quick runs to take a 3-0 lead going into the 6th inning. Francisco Liriano was cruising through the first five innings but hit a wall in the 6th. The big blow was to Curtis Granderson who hit a two run triple with 2 outs off Liriano to give the Yankees a 4-3 lead.

The Twins tied it up on Sabathia the following inning on a bases loaded walk. The Twins failed to take the lead stranding the runners. Then Mark Texeira blasted a home run off Jesse Crain to give the Yankees a 6-4 lead.

Mariano Rivera recorded his 40th career save and in typical postseason Rivera fassion made it a 4 out save. The Twins have now lost 10 postseason games in a row. The Yankees are now 10-2 all-time vs the Twins in the playoffs. The Twins have no won a home playoff game since 2002. The game two matchup is the most interesting matchup with Carl Pavano the former Yankee bust takes the hill for the Twins vs the all-time postseason wins leader in Andy Pettitte.

This will be a tough game to overcome for the Twins who are already facing previous years demons against the Yankees. The Yankees showed why they are still the defending World Series champions and won't just give that title away.

That was my day one of the MLB playoffs recap. What we learned today is that two pitchers who were essentially traded because of each other dominated today. Cliff Lee who became expendable with acquisition of Roy Halladay was dominant and of course Halladay was historically dominant. Just imagine if the Phillies had kept both or if the Yankees had gave up more to Seattle to get Lee. Both American League teams lost homefield advantage on the first day. I hope to keep writing on each day's baseball playoffs hope you enjoy guys.

Cliff Lee for Jusin Smoak and other prospects

by Pinnin4gold

In Jack Z we Trust

The Mariners pulled of the heist of the century acquiring Cliff Lee for pennies on the dollar back in December. Jack Z only surrendered Phillipe Aumont , Tyson Gilles and Juan Ramirez to the Phillies. Tyson Gilles was an Outfielder that was blocked in our organization behind Ichiro, Franklin Guiterrez, and the much more highly regarded Michael Saunders. Aumont the former first round pick of the Mariners started the season in Double A for the Phillies and has since slipped back to Single A and is looking more as if he projects as a bullpen arm in the future. Its safe to say the Mariners didn't give much for Cliff Lee, some might suggest that Brandon Marrow to the Blue Jays was an extension of the Cliff Lee trade, but either way Jack Z stole a CY Young winner and anything seemed possible during spring training. However, things didn't work out as planned but the addition of Cliff Lee allowed the Mariners to re-sign Felix to a longterm deal. Felix felt the M's were committed to winning and signed 5 more years with the franchise. If you knew nothing else about Cliff Lee trade besides that it allowed the Mariners to avoid a Roy Halladay situation and re-sign their 24 year old ace Felix to a longterm deal it would have been a wonderful trade. The hope and excitement Cliff Lee brought took talks away from when Felix would eventually be traded and instead gave a new focus to the most dynamic 1-2 punch in baseball since Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. This was a team built to win in the playoffs and designed to win short series but was never given the opportunity.

Fast forward to July 9th and Jack Z is sitting at the poker table playing with house money. Any move Jack made, or didn't make for that matter would have been the right move; there was no losing in this situation. If Cliff Lee walked at the end the year the Mariners would earn two first round picks because he would have been assured Type A status. Looking back to this spring the Mariners would have gladly taken first round picks for Aumont, Gilles and Ramirez. In this case though Jack Z exceeded all expectations. Taking Justin Smoak straight off a division rival was very very impressive. Smoak is under club control for the next five years playing for practically peanuts. Jacky Z finally found the power hitting 1B the Mariners have coveted since he has taken over the GM position. Smoak a lefthanded stick who should be able to find success in Safeco Field were other right handed power bats such as Adrian Beltre or Richie Sexson have struggled. Not to mention he is a pretty decent defensive player and you should be very excited as a Mariners fan right now. The M's were able to get 3 other prospects but they are nothing to write home about. The most notable being pitcher Blake Beavan a former first round pick in 07. Beavan should find success in Safeco as a pitcher who will pound the strikezone similar to a Jason Vargas or Doug Fister this season, but again nothing to get excited about.

The Mariners have some real hope for the future right now, and some exciting young prospects to watch the next two years. Adding Justin Smoak fills just a giant need for the Mariners.

Feb 23rd Baseball America Top 100 Prospects

#11 Dustin Ackley 2b/OF

#13 Justin Smoak 1b

#30 Michael Saunders OF

#83 Adam Moore C

*#11 Michael Pineda, RHP (Mid Season Updated Top 25 Prospects)

the future is looking bright for the M's

Let the Michael Pineda countdown begin!