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| Dustin Pedroia went 0-for-5 on Sunday night and is now, amazingly, 0-for-13 through three games. |
Our View: Pedroia hit the ball hard on this night, but the ball just kept finding Angels gloves. The second leading hitter in the American League during the regular season (.326) will eventually turn this slump around, you can bet on it.
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| Jacoby Ellsbury had a big night at the plate going 2-for-5 with a run scored and three RBI for the Sox. He also had second base stolen before sliding over the bag and being tagged out by Erik Aybar. |
Our View: Ellsbury has looked good at the plate hitting .429, and continues to be a positive influence at the top of the Sox order despite making the occasional mistake (such as sliding past second on that steal attempt).
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| Jered Weaver worked the final two innings in relief on Sunday night to lead the Angels to a 5-4, 12 inning victory over the Red Sox to force a Game 4. |
Our View: Weaver looked strong in the unfamiliar role of working out of the pen, and after a 5:19 minute game, the longest in ALDS history, the two teams will do it all over against less than 20 hours from this posting.
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| Mike Napoli took Josh Beckett deep twice on Sunday night as the big bat in the Angels 5-4, 12 inning victory over the Red Sox. On the night, he went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and three RBI. |
Our View: Napoli blasted both his shots over the Green Monster on this night, and dating back to the start of the 2008 campaign he has 22 home runs in just 236 AB which would equate to a total of 47 in 500 AB. That our friends is some serious slugging.
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| Scot Shields was dominating in 2.1 innings of relief pitching as he held the Red Sox of the scoreboard while striking out three. |
Our View: Shields was particularly nasty on this night as he seemingly turned back the clock a couple of seasons throwing 94 mph darts along with his devastatingly tight curveball.
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| Joe Saunders allowed four runs on five hits and four walks while lasting just 4.2 innings in a no-decision in Game 3 against the Red Sox. |
Our View: While the line looks poor, three runs scored on a catchable ball that dropped between Howie Kendrick and Torii Hunter in an embarrassing display of defense. Saunders deserved better than he got on this night.
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| Josh Beckett needed 106 pitches to make it through five uneven innings against the Angels in Game 3. Beckett ended his night after allowing four runs on nine hits and four walks while striking out six in a no-decision. |
Our View: An old bugaboo came up again tonight as Beckett was taken deep twice by Mike Napoli. Beckett was testy with the umpire and clearly upset with himself as he failed to live up to his huge playoff reputation on this night.
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| Carlos Pena returned to the lineup for Game 3 after missing most of Game 1 and all of Game 2 because of a scratched cornea. Pena hit third and went 2-for-5. |
Our View: Pena is very important to the Rays offense as their biggest power bat other than rookie Evan Longoria, and his return can't do anything but help a club that is on the brink of advancing to the American League Championship series.
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| B.J. Upton hit his first post-season home run, a two run shot, in the Rays Game 3 loss to the White Sox. |
Our View: Upton hit only nine long balls during the course of the season because of his injured shoulder, but on this day he got his pitch and didn't miss it.
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| Dewayne Wise had a hit, scored a run, stole a base and knocked in two batters in the White Sox 5-3 victory in Game 3. |
Our View: Wise has been a key member of what the Sox are trying to do in the absence of slugger Carlos Quentin as he has infused the lineup with some speed, a little bit of defense, and the ability to play "small ball" to help the club score runs.
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| Bobby Jenks picked up his first save of the post-season on Sunday as the White Sox defeated the Rays 5-3. |
Our View: Jenks was throwing hard and meant business from the first pitch despite that terrible looking goatee. Look for him to be in the game late if the score is close as the Sox will need to win the next two games to move on.
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| Matt Garza, pitching on eight days rest, was throwing gas reaching the mid 90's with most his fastballs, but it wasn't enough as he fell to White Sox after permitting seven hits, four walks and five runs in six innings of work. |
Our View: Garza was popping the catchers mitt but his control was just off as he failed to make that one pitch when the situation called for it. The Rays still lead the series two games to one, and will turn to Andy Sonnanstine to clinch the matchup in Game 4.
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| John Danks allowed three runs over 6.2 innings against the Rays to lead the Sox to a 5-3 victory in Game 3. Danks gave up seven hits and three walks in the outing, though he also struck out seven batters. |
Our View: Over his last two must win appearances the young lefty is 2-0 with a 1.84 ERA. Danks may or may not pitch again this post-season, but he has clearly shown that he has the heart of a winner which is something to keep in mind for next season.
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| CC Sabathia may not be on his way out of Milwaukee as widely assumed, according to Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. "The Brewers will be in, unless the money gets crazy," said an unnamed source. Heyman stated that the Brewers might consider going "into the low nine figures (over $100 million)" to bring CC back. |
Our View: Look, as much as we would love to see the workhorse return to Milwaukee, Sabathia has already stated that he will play anywhere as long as the team has a chance to win. Not that the Brewers don't have that chance, but if the Yankees offer Sabathia $140 million plus there is just no way that the Brewers will be able to match that, which means that CC won't be wearing a Brewers uniform in 2009.
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| Chone Figgins will look to stir things up for the Angels in their attempt to extend their season with a victory against the Red Sox in Game 3 of the ALDS, according to MLB.com. |
Our View: Mark Teixeira, Vladimir Guerrero and Torii Hunter are hitting .609 through two games while the rest of the offense is a sickly 6-for-50 (.120). If Figgins and the others in the lineup don't get going, it will be a long night against Josh Beckett and the Sox.
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| Mike Lowell (hip) will be in the starting lineup for the Red Sox for Game 3 of their ALDS matchup with the Angels, according to the Seattle Post Intelligencer. |
Our View: Lowell has been bothered, especially in the field, by his ailing hip. Reports are that he feels good so he will return to the lineup to see if his body is strong enough to allow him to contribute.
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| J.D. Drew will not play in Game 3 against the Angels on Sunday night because of his sore back, according to the Seattle Post Intelligencer. "J.D. is physically doing pretty well," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "I know normally you get to this time of year and you send eight or nine guys out there and just stay with it. I don't know that, the way we're built right now, that's the best way to do it." |
Our View: Drew hit the big game winning home run off of Francisco Rodriguez in Game 2, but he played in only two of the Red Sox last 38 regular season games because of his ailing back. Hopefully he will be back in the lineup for the Red Sox next playoff game.
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| Ryan Howard went 0-for-3 on Sunday with a walk, a run scored and a strikeout for the Phillies who are moving on to face the Dodgers in the NLCS. |
Our View: In four games in the first round Howard had just one RBI while going 2-for-11 (.182) at the plate. The club will certainly need a better effort from their enormous slugger if they hope to move on to the World Series.
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| Yovani Gallardo threw three scoreless innings out of the bullpen on Sunday as the Brewers were eliminated from the playoffs. |
Our View: Gallardo finishes his first post season with an ERA of 0.00 over seven innings, though he did allow three unearned runs in his Game 1 loss to the Phillies. The future is bright for this star, and he will be drafted early next season based on that potential.
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| Jeff Suppan continued his struggles this season after allowing five runs on six hits to get the loss in Game 4 of the NLDS. |
Our View: Suppan went 0-3 with an 8.44 ERA in September, so this poor start was not shocking. With CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets possibly leaving via free agency, the Brewers need Suppan to step up next season.
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| Prince Fielder got his only hit of the NLDS on Sunday, a home run off of Joe Blanton. |
Our View: He finished the series only 1-for-14.
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| Joe Blanton allowed one run on five hits in six innings to get the win for the Phillies in Game 4 of the NLDS. He didn't allow a walk and struck out seven. |
Our View: Blanton rebounded from a terrible span in June and July to post a 3.73 ERA between August and September. He has gotten hot at the right time.
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| Pat Burrell went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs and four RBI as the Phillies beat Milwaukee on Sunday to advance to the NLCS vs. the Dodgers. |
Our View: Burrell was hitless in the series coming into Sunday's game. The Phillies can only hope that this is a sign of good things to come from the streaky hitter.
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| Tigers team president and GM Dave Dombowski has all but ruled out signing Francisco Rodriguez this off-season, the Detroit News reports. |
Our View: The paper mentioned that the team could go after Brian Fuentes, but K-Rod seems a bit too expensive for Detroit's liking.
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| The Detroit News speculates that the Tigers could go with Ramon Santiago at shortstop next season until prospect Cale Iorg is ready to contribute. |
Our View: It still seems very early to be speculating, but Edgar Renteria has probably played his last game for the team.
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| Ken Griffey Jr. told Chicago writers that he would like to play three more seasons, according to the New York Times. |
Our View: Griffey has 611 career home runs, and with his recent pace, getting to 700 homers seems highly unlikely.
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| Following up on an earlier report, Rickie Weeks is out of the NLDS with a torn meniscus in his left knee that will require surgery following the season, according to the AP. |
Our View: Milwaukee still has not ruled him out for the World Series if they advance.
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| Rickie Weeks has been removed from the Brewers' 25-man NLDS roster with a sprained left knee, the team's official website reports. |
Our View: He has been replaced on the roster by top prospect Alcides Escobar. Ray Durham will start the remainder of the series at second base. Weeks is ineligible to return to the team until the World Series, should the Brewers advance.
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| Jim Edmonds is considering retirement, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. |
Our View: Edmonds dug himself out of a slow start with the Padres by hitting .256-19-49 in 85 games with the Cubs after signing. There will certainly be some teams interested in his services for 2009 if he decides to return.
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| According to the Boston Globe, the Red Sox will try to move Julio Lugo this off-season. |
Our View: This is not surprising considering the emergence of Jed Lowrie. The Red Sox would probably have to pick up some salary to move the high-priced shortstop, but there will probably be several teams interested.
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| The Boston Globe points out that Joey Gathright had only three doubles in 279 at-bats in 2008. |
Our View: Gathright is a slap hitter, but his 2008 season was a bit extreme with a pitiful .272 slugging percentage. Despite his great speed and defense, Gathright could have a tough time sticking around in the majors if he continues to hit so poorly.
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| The Boston Globe speculates that the Red Sox could trade for Jake Peavy this off-season if the Padres make him available. |
Our View: Peavy, Daisuke, Lester and Beckett? The Red Sox would certainly have a dream team in that scenario, though Peavy's keeper owners have to hope against a move out of pitcher-friendly Petco.
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| The Boston Globe reports Tom Glavine got a good report from Dr. James Andrews on his elbow last week. He could sign an incentive-laden deal to return to Atlanta next season. |
Our View: Glavine made only 13 starts this season and posted an ERA above 5.00, so he should be relatively cheap if he decides to return.
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| A decision on whether Randy Johnson will return to the Diamondbacks or baseball at all could come next week, the Boston Globe returns. |
Our View: Johnson had a good year with a 3.91 ERA in 30 starts, and there should be plenty of interest in him if Arizona decides against retaining him.
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| According to the Boston Globe, Milwaukee, Detroit, St. Louis the Mets, Tampa Bay, Arizona and Cleveland could be possible destinations for pending free agent Francisco Rodriguez. The Mets could be concerned with his drop in velocity this season, however. |
Our View: While it is unclear where K-Rod is headed, one thing is for sure: He is in for a huge payday after breaking the saves record.
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| According to the Boston Globe, Howie Kendrick could move to first base next season if Mark Teixeira departs via free agency. |
Our View: Kendrick is an asset offensively as a second baseman, but he would make for a very weak first baseman. It seems unlikely that the big-budget Angels would settle for Kendrick, especially considering their need for more pop.
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| The Boston Globe points to Jose Arredondo as a possible replacement at closer for Francisco Rodriguez, who is a pending free agent. |
Our View: Arredondo was dominant in his rookie season with a 1.62 ERA, but Scot Shields seems like the more likely replacement considering his major league experience in the role.
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| Nyjer Morgan will sit out the Mexican Pacific League this winter due to a strained hamstring that he suffered during the last week of the season, reports the Beaver County Times. |
Our View: Morgan will likely compete for a bench spot in the Pirates outfield in spring training.
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| Current Phillies GM Pat Gillick has no plans to return to his former employer, the Blue Jays, to fill their vacant team president seat when his contract expires at the end of this season, reports the Toronto Sun. |
Our View: The 71-year-old plans to move back to his home on the West Coast after doing a masterful job getting the Phils to the playoffs over the last two seasons.
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| Derrek Lee went 3-for-4 with a run scored in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Dodgers in Game 3 of the NLDS. |
Our View: The Cubs had high hopes this season, but it ended in another heartbreak as they were swept in the series. Lee hit .545 over the three losses.
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| Rich Harden allowed three earned runs on five hits over 4.1 innings in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Dodgers in Game 3 of the NLDS, with three walks and four strikeouts. |
Our View: Harden was strong in the regular season with a 10-2 record and 2.07 ERA and 1.06 WHIP, but could not prevent the Cubs from getting swept by the Dodgers.
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| Hiroki Kuroda hurled 6.1 scoreless innings, with only six hits allowed, in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Cubs in Game 3 of the NLDS at Dodger Stadium, with two walks and four strikeouts. The Dodgers swept the Cubs 3-0. |
Our View: The rookie held a solid 1.22 WHIP over 31 starts in the regular season, and did not crack under the pressure in his first postseason start as he helped the Dodgers advance to the NLCS.
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| James Loney went 1-for-4 with a two-run double in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Cubs in Game 3 of the NLDS at Dodger Stadium. |
Our View: The Dodgers swept the Cubs 3-0 and will await the winner of the other series between Philadelphia and Milwaukee. Loney only hit .214, but collected six RBI over the three wins.
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