Postseason Void: Cubs, Sox Fans Should Be Annoyed

October 4, 2014 @ admin → No Comments

There are way worse ways to spend the day (and evening) than watching baseball. Especially postseason baseball — even if that generally does mean no Chicago Cubs or White Sox.

Kick off Saturday with video below of Irina Voronina.

* If it’s any consolation to Sox fans (and the guess there is a certain degree of that), the Detroit Tigers had another bullpen breakdown Friday in Game 2 of their American League Division Series at Baltimore. The Orioles rallied with four runs in the eighth inning for a 7-6 victory after trailing 6-3. Tigers starter Justin Verlander left with a 5-3 lead after five innings. Anibal Sanchez — normally a starter — followed with two scoreless innings before the regular relievers entered. It was the second game in the series that Detroit’s bullpen faltered. Sox fans may feel free to wonder whether their team or the Tigers have the worse bullpen.

* To be perfectly honest, some of us turned away from the Tigers game after Verlander’s departure. Mainly because his exit meant a likely end to crowd shots featuring his girlfriend, Kate Upton.

* The main problem with Detroit’s bullpen woes is it means the team will be looking to improve that, part of its pitching staff (as well as its starting rotation if Max Scherzer departs). Meaning the Sox and Tigers will likely be competing for many of the same pitchers.

* Speaking of pitching and the postseason, Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw no doubt should be National League Cy Young Award winner. MVP? Well, if it stands for Most Vulnerable in Playoffs. Game 1 of the division series featuring the Dodgers and St. Louis included an incredible Cardinals comeback against Kershaw for a 10-9 victory at Dodger Stadium. If any other games in this series are going to be like Friday’s, your humble correspondent (a St. Louis native and consequently a Cards fan since birth, if not earlier) might want to make sure that the items included for TV viewing include a defibrillator.

* Speaking of baseball’s postseason, posting “POSTSEASON” on uniforms and baseball diamonds is one of the stupidest things Major League Baseball has done under the reign of commissioner Bud Selig. Oh, wait. It doesn’t even make the top 10.

* Was spelling out “ALDS,” NLDS,” “ALCS,” and “NLCS” too challenging? Or is MLB somehow saving on chalk (or whatever they use for on-field graphics) by not changing from series to series? Someone who is paid actually came up with the idea. And someone or someones approved the idea.

* Speaking of Los Angeles (OK, Anaheim, but close enough), the Kansas City Royals defeated the host Angels 4-1 in 11 innings with Eric Hosmer’s two-run home run breaking a 1-1 tie. Meaning Kansas City has a 2-0 series lead. This does not qualify as good news for the Sox — unless making sure Ned Yost remains Royals manager can be viewed as good news.

* Speaking of quality pitching (and even if we weren’t), San Francisco defeated Washington in Game 1 of their NLDS. Former Sox right-hander Jake Peavy was the winner. He threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowed two hits and three walks and threw 104 pitches. Of course, with the Sox bullpen a performance like that does not necessarily translate to a victory.

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