With the baseball season winding down to a close in just over a week, it is time for me to get myself reacquainted with the game. I’ve been distracted lately by football, UFC and broken feet. I love me some MLB playoffs, and I don’t want to be rendered clueless once the postseason begins.
I took a look ahead at this weekend’s series for the most intriguing matchup. Of course Boston-N.Y. jumps right off the page, but there isn’t a whole lot at stake standings-wise, unless the Red Sox pull off an improbable sweep. Detroit visiting the White Sox also holds some appeal, as the Tigers struggle to hold off the surging Twins. There just isn’t much “umph” to either of these clubs this year. It could be painful to take in this entire series.
The most interesting battle I see is St. Louis visiting Coors Field to take on the Rockies. The Cardinals are 89-64, locked in for the NL Central title once again. They find themselves in a heated contest for the conference’s best record with Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Colorado comes in with a mark of 86-67, and also looking good for a playoff spot. They sit six games back of the Dodgers in the NL West, but hold a 3.5 game lead over Atlanta for the Wild Card spot. This could be a preview of an exciting playoff matchup down the line, and I will be paying close attention.
Todd Helton
Friday 8:10 PM ET
Chris Carpenter (16-4, 2.34 ERA)
Vs.
Aaron Cook (10-6, 4.47 ERA)
The series kicks off with St. Louis as a -147 road favorite. This might be a good time for me to tell you that I will be laying some loot on Colorado for all three games. The most streaky team of them all has lost two straight, but are in a position for another great run as they play their next six at home. With Atlanta and San Francisco breathing down their neck, then need to put something positive together. They will probably be underdogs for the first two games based on pitching matchups, as the Cards throw their two big guns on the mound.
It has been Chris Carpenter’s year. He is second in the league in ERA and is tied for 3rd most wins. I know what he is capable of, and in spite of that, I’m going with Colorado behind Aaron Cook. I’m banking that Cook can show traces of the success that he experienced when he faced St. Louis back in June. In that game he pitched 8 innings, giving up only one run on one hit – a homerun by Rick Ankiel. It’s a tough assignment to have to out-pitch Carpenter, but I think that Cook could be up to the task.
Saturday 8:10 PM ET
Adam Wainwright (18-8, 2.59 ERA)
Vs.
Ubaldo Jimenez (14-11, 3.47 ERA)
You know who has a cool name? Mr. Jimenez does, that’s who. If I had five sons I would name them all Ubaldo. I might even name a daughter Ubaldo for good measure.
Ubaldo Jimenez
Adam Wainwright is the second righty ace that St. Louis boasts. He is tied for the most wins in baseball and ranked in the top five for ERA. In his lone outing against Colorado (6 IP, 2 ER, 8 K) he put together another nice outing. Colorado ended up pulling away for an 11-4 victory. That game, coincidentally, was the first of that 4-game series, which the Rockies ended up sweeping in St. Louis. It was also just the second game that began that crazy 17-1 run that Colorado went on, which essentially turned their season around.
My main man Ubaldo Jimenez also churned out a quality start against the Cards (8 IP, 2 ER, 9 K). I’m not sure how much St. Louis will be favored here, but once again, I’m hoping that Colorado can find some chinks in Wainwright’s armor, and exploit them.
Sunday 3:10 PM ET
Kyle Lohse (6-8, 4.81 ERA)
Vs.
Jorge De La Rosa (15-9, 4.42 ERA)
Colorado should be favored in the finale, and it’s time to talk about some of the guys with the bats.
Colorado presents a balanced attack at the plate. It seems like Todd Helton has been there forever, and always effective. He’s once again leading his team in batting average (.318) and walks (83). Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki has bounced back nicely after a forgettable 2008 season. Leading his squad in homers (30) and RBI (86), Tulowitzki is once again playing like one of the game’s best. When you throw in contributions from players like Brad Hawpe, Dexter Fowler, Clint Barmes, Seth Smith and Ian Stewart, you have yourself a potent lineup.
Then there is big Albert Pujols, the machine. Yet another MVP campaign backed up by some sick offensive numbers. He is baseball’s leader in homeruns (47), runs scored (120) and slugging (.676). Of course that’s not enough. Pujols also ranks near the top in batting average, walks, doubles and walks. He has been as close to unstoppable as one can get.
The Cards picked up Matt Holiday mid-season for a little insurance for Pujols. He’s performed well for his new team, batting .356, 13 HR, 50 RBI in only 55 games. From the clean-up position, he definitely has teams thinking twice before walking Pujols ahead of him.
Other than that, there’s not a whole lot of scary in the Cards batting order. I would be surprised if Colorado doesn’t take at least two at home this weekend. And if they can just maybe go 7-0 against St. Louis on the year, I might even pop a celebratory Coors. OK that’s going too far. Nobody drinks Coors.
You talking about the worm? I miss those days when I use to see God!
