Tagged: Shane Victorino
Wet and wild
I know we’ve all been saying all along that October never fails to bring things we don’t expect. Well, last night’s Game 5 was a new one for everyone involved.
For the first time in history, a World Series game was suspended, and you have to wonder how the Phillies and Rays feel about it considering where things stand.
Things were looking great for Philly early, with Cole Hamels dealing as usual and Shane Victorino’s first-inning single giving the home team a lead it didn’t look like it would give up:
But the Rays aren’t ready to give up and want to win a game away from home to extend the Series, even if it might take them two days to win that game. They clawed back against Hamels, got a gutsy start from Scott Kazmir, and tied the game up right here:
So now we’ve got at least three more innings of Game 5 at some point, and that’s about all we can figure out at this point.
What time will the game start?
Who’s pitching?
Can the Rays win and take this Fall Classic back to Florida?
The fun part is watching to see what happens.
O.G.
Putting the pressure on
Two games Monday night and two statements made by the visiting teams, who now lead the Championship Series (the Phillies are up 3-1 on the Dodgers and the Rays are up 2-1 on the Red Sox). Here are some thoughts:
PHILLIES 7, DODGERS 5
It amazes me how the Phillies keep getting the job done without Ryan Howard as their main run-producing source throughout the postseason. Last night the pitching was good enough, but the power game made Dodger Stadium look like Citizens Bank Park. That huge eighth-inning rally with the line-drive, game-tying homer by Shane Victorino and that absolute monster of a game-winner by Matt Stairs showed that this team can almost taste the World Series. A different guy gets it done for them every night.
You can’t take anything away from Manny Ramirez, though. What an October he’s having. It leads me to believe that the Dodgers might have a serious interest in re-signing him, and why not? He might not have had a happy ending in Boston, but it seems like he really fits the Dodgers well and his teammates like playing with him.
RAYS 9, RED SOX 1
The Rays continue to impress me and just about everybody else who didn’t think they’d do much of anything in the American League East this year. Not only did they make their first postseason game in Fenway Park a laugher from the start, but good signs continue to pop up for this club, like B.J. Upton hitting everything in sight out of the ballpark and Matt Garza channeling his emotion in a dominant pitching performance that gave his bullpen some much-needed rest.
Everyone knows it would be silly to count out the Red Sox. They came back from a 3-1 deficit against the Cleveland Indians in last year’s AL Championship Series and they’ve got the knuckleballer, Tim Wakefield, going tonight. He’s tortured Tampa Bay throughout his career.
Let’s hear your predictions and thoughts about tonight, the LCS play moving forward, and how the World Series might set up.
O.G.
Dodging a bullet
The Dodgers needed to win Sunday’s game in a huge way in their return to Chavez Ravine, and they showed some serious passion and power to get it done and cut the Phillies’ National League Championship Series lead to 2-1. Here are some random thoughts on Game 3:
DODGERS 7, PHILLIES 2
Blake DeWitt’s been a surprising key for the Dodgers at various times this year, and his first hit of the series was the triple that broke it open right away. He has a big-time future but seems comfortable in the here and now.
Hiroki Kuroda might not speak English very well, but he speaks the language of the unwritten code of baseball just fine, apparently. Just ask Shane Victorino.
The importance of a healthy Rafael Furcal can’t be underestimated for this team. If he can continue what he did Sunday at the top of the Dodgers’ order, the boys in blue could run the table in this series.
Today’s a big day, with Derek Lowe pitching on three days of rest for the Dodgers in Game 4 tonight, and Game 3 of the American League Series in the Fenway Park shadows, with Matt Garza pitching for the Rays against Jon Lester of the Red Sox.
How’s everything going to shake down today?
I want your predictions.
O.G.
L.A. Story
Thursday’s Division Series games once again blew my mind. You want October amazement? You got it yesterday, big-time. Let’s recap the games.
DODGERS 10, CUBS 3
I don’t remember the last time I heard Wrigley Field so quiet, and for long-suffering Cubs fans, this was a tough one to swallow. The Dodgers offense has come to play, and for the second straight night, they got great pitching, too. In Game 2, it was Chad Billingsley dealing. But enough about the Dodgers. What about the Cubbies? The best record in the National League and they lose two in a row at home? Unreal. But remember, folks. Strange things happen in October. The Yankees went down 2-0 at home in 2001 and came back and beat the A’s in their Division Series. It can happen.
PHILLIES 5, BREWERS 2
This one was all about Shane Victorino’s grand slam, and maybe about a team finally finding its postseason groove after getting swept in the first round last year. The Phils left for Milwaukee on a serious high point and can you blame them? They did something that hardly anyone could do down the stretch — beat CC Sabathia — and now have huge numbers in their favor. Teams with a 2-0 lead in NL Division Series have won their last 16.
RAYS 6, WHITE SOX 4
And how about those Rays? Experts claimed they didn’t have enough talent to make it to October, and they shot that down. Critics said they didn’t have the experience to make it all the way through October. Well, maybe they don’t, but they certainly didn’t look intimidated yesterday in improving their league-best home record. And who did a huge portion of the damage? The probable AL Rookie of the Year, Evan Longoria, who looked about as ready for the postseason as anyone ever has in his first crack at it.
It’s starting to get crazy in these series, and I’m watching every inning. Now I want to hear from you. What was your favorite Thursday moment? Did any team make a major statement? Will the Cubs rally? How far can the Rays go?
I’m all ears.
O.G.
October Gonzo 