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| Manny Ramirez was 1-for-2 and drew two walks as the Dodgers beat the Phillies 7-2 in Game 3 of the NLCS on Sunday. He scored twice and also recorded his fifth RBI of the playoffs. During a benches clearing incident at the end of the third inning, Ramirez came in from left field to bark at the Phillies and had to be restrained by teammates, manager Joe Torre and an umpire, according to the AP. Ramirez, who entered with 18 hits in 53 at-bats, 10 homers and 20 RBIs against Moyer in his career, raised his postseason RBI total to 72 -- eight shy of Bernie Williams' record. |
Our View: There is a lot of bite to Manny's bark as he continues to own all major league pitching during his historic run with the Dodgers. The left fielder certainly has more fireworks left in him for these playoffs, expecially if he gets to battle Boston in the World Series.
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| Rafael Furcal went 2-for-4 with two runs, an RBI, and a home run in Game 3 of the NLCS. He did all of his damage against left-hander Jamie Moyer who took the loss. |
Our View: Furcal managed just 36 games in the regular season before back surgery sidelined him until just before the playoffs. The free-agent-to-be has been a key figure in the Dodgers victories throughout the postseason.
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| Jimmy Rollins was 0-for-4 on Sunday in Game 3 and is now just 1-for-13 in the NLCS. The shortstop struck out twice on the night. |
Our View: Rollins is a good hitter who picked a terrible time to go into a slump. The Phillies need their catalyst in order to win two of the next four games and reach the World Series.
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| Blake DeWitt's lone hit in Sunday's Game 3 against the Phillies was a big one. He recorded a two-out, three-run triple in the first inning off of Phillies' starter Jamie Moyer. |
Our View: He is hitting just .125 in the playoffs but he blew the game open on Sunday. He has been more impressive in the field than at the plate but he was the complete package in Game 3.
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| Hiroki Kuroda did everything the Dodgers asked of him in Game 3. He earned the victory while tossing six innings and allowing two runs. He was involved in a bench-clearing scene after throwing a ball over Shane Victorino's head in a seemingly retalitory act. Warnings were issued but no players were ejected. |
Our View: Kuroda has pitched very well in Los Angeles this season. He is 6-2 at Chavez Ravine and just 3-8 on the road. Prior to Sunday's game, he had a mere 1.39 ERA in 13 innings against the Phillies this year.
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| J.C. Romero appeared to limp off of the mound after striking out the third batter in the bottom of the eighth. |
Our View: Romero was celebrating a strikeout in the 7-2 drubbing when karma got the best of him. No word yet on how serious the injury is.
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| Jamie Moyer lasted just 1.1 innings in Game 3 of the NLCS on Sunday. He gave up six runs on six hits. Rafael Furcal's solo home run chased him from the game. |
Our View: Perhaps the 45-year-old was a bit worn down from the previous 3746.2 regular season innings he had thrown. Whatever the reason, the Philadelphia left-hander did not have his best stuff in Game 3.
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| Nomar Garciaparra will start at first base and hit fifth on Sunday against left-hander Jamie Moyer, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. In Nomar's postseason career he is batting .318 (34 for 107) with a .380 on-base percentage, a .598 slugging percentage, seven HRs and 23 RBI. |
Our View: Garciaparra hit .339 against left-handers this season. He is replacing James Loney in the lineup who has hit .249 against southpaws this season.
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| The Los Angeles Daily News reports that Scott Proctor will have elbow surgery on Wednesday. He will have a partial tear of his flexor tendon repaired and a bone spur shaved of the back of the elbow. He is expected to be ready for spring training. |
Our View: He had a 6.05 ERA in 38 2/3 innings spanning 41 appearances during the regular season.
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| Pitcher Casey Weathers will have his arm examined after leaving Saturday's instructional league with pain in his arm, according to the Rocky Mountain News. |
Our View: Weathers was drafted eighth overall in the 2007 draft and is regarded as one of the best pitchers in the Rockies' organization.
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| Chase Utley commented on Hiroki Kuroda, tonight's opposing hurler for the Dodgers in Game 3 of the NLCS, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Utley said, "He's fairly similar to Derek Lowe. Good sinker. Good breaking stuff. Keeps the ball down in the zone. We'll try to be patient."
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Our View: Kuroda is 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA in two starts against the Phillies. They have hit just .095, four hits in 13 innings, against him. Utley is hitting 2-for-5 (one homer and two RBI) in the NLCS, with four walks.
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| Shane Victorino stated he will not miss any games following the death of his 82-year-old grandmother Friday, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Victorino wants to attend his grandmother's funeral in Hawaii, but he also said he will not miss any games. He commented, "Family definitely is important in life, but I'm at the point where I'm kind of tired of talking about it. It's time to move on. She's in a better place. I want to turn the page and move forward. But I appreciate everybody's condolences. I got a lot of text messages, a lot of phone calls. I appreciate everybody's love and support. And not just for me, but for Charlie. But like my dad said, my grandmother would want me to be here."
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Our View: Victorino went 2-for-5 with four RBI in Game 2 against Los Angeles, and will be aiming to lead the Phillies to a commanding 3-0 lead in the series tonight at Dodger Stadium.
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| Derek Lowe is on the Yankees' radar, along with CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett, according to the NY Post. |
Our View: It is believed the club will try to sign one, and preferably two of the three mentioned free agent hurlers. If they only sign one, the 35-year-old Lowe would likely come at the lowest price. He held a solid 3.24 ERA and 1.13 WHIP this season, while nailing down 14 wins for the NL West champion Dodgers.
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| Jose Canseco was held for nearly 10 hours by immigration authorities after agents said they stopped him as he attempted to bring a fertility drug from Mexico, according to the Detroit News. Canseco was detained at San Diego's San Ysidro border crossing Thursday after agents searched his vehicle and said they found human chorionic gonadotropin, which is illegal without a prescription. |
Our View: His attorney, Gregory Emerson, declined to say if Canseco, who admitted to using steroids in a 2005 book that also alleged steroid use by other baseball players, had the drug, which is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency for use in males. The drug helps restore production of testosterone lost in steroid users.
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| Brandon Moss should be ready to participate in spring training in February with no limitations from knee surgery, according to Scout.com. Moss did not undergo a microfracture procedure last week in Vail, Colorado. An end-of-the-season MRI had revealed cartilage being separated from the bones in his left knee, and it was determined that microfracture procedure would be the best course of action. Such a procedure typically requires two months of rest, followed by four to six months of rehab. Dr. Richard Steadman in Vail did a diagnostic scope on Moss' knee and reported back to the Pirates that he felt arthroscopy was the best course of action. That is a less invasive form of surgery. The surgery was performed last week and requires a much shorter recovery time.
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Our View: This is good news, as Moss is expected to compete for one of the corner outfield spots in the spring. He was formerly a top prospect in the Red Sox organization.
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| Paul Konerko commented on Chicago's season, which ended in the ALDS against the Rays, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The veteran first baseman said, "All in all, I look at this year as far as the team, and I think we went exactly as far as we were supposed to go with the injuries we had at the end. We got every last gasp out of how it shook out the last month and a half. Guys went down (namely Joe Crede, Carlos Quentin, and Jose Contreras). You don't complain about it. You don't make excuses. But it makes you have to dig deeper earlier. Your playoffs start in September, and it's tough to keep it going. We just ran out of gas."
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Our View: He will turn 33 in March, and will work on his conditioning and improving his health in the off-season after being limited to 122 games due to several injuries.
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| Rocco Baldelli is expected to get his first start of the playoffs in Game 3 of the ALCS against Boston, according to the Providence Journal. Manager Joe Maddon said, "This young man, I know you got a chance to see him a couple years ago, but physically gift-wise he's one of the tops in the American League. Getting him to play on a regular basis, again, would be beautiful. Just being able to utilize him as we have as a right fielder- DH, possibly pinch-hitter is all great. But also his influence and his stability within the clubhouse matters. I'm really big into all that stuff. I think it goes well beyond your batting average."
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Our View: He is expected to get the call over Gabe Gross in right field while facing lefty hurler Jon Lester.
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| Hiroki Kuroda will take the hill in tonight's Game 3 of the NLCS, with the Dodgers trying to come back from a 2-0 deficit in the best-of-seven series against the Phillies. |
Our View: Kuroda is a major league rookie, but the Dodgers are in good hands, as he held a 1.22 WHIP during the regular season, and hurled 6.1 scoreless innings in Game 3 of the NLDS against Chicago (Los Angeles won 3-1). He will be opposed by 45-year-old vet Jamie Moyer.
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| Manny Ramirez commented on his inpending free agency by saying, "Maybe I can get a six-year deal," according to the NY Daily News. |
Our View: Dodgers' management agreed to discard his $20 million options for 2009 and 2010 upon his acquisition from Boston. He remains among the best hitters in the majors, but would be 42 at the end of a six-year deal, and could be hard-pressed to find a club willing to fulfill his wishes for a contract that long.
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| Mike Lowell is likely done for the remainder of the postseason due to his ailing hip, according to the Boston Globe. |
Our View: Indications are that off-season surgery should get him back to his normal self in 2009.
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| J.D. Drew was held out of Saturday's Game 2 of the ALCS against the Rays, and manager Terry Francona said the decision was not injury-related, according to the Houston Chronicle. Drew was hit in the right shoulder by a pitch from hard-throwing Tampa Bay reliever Grant Balfour in the eighth inning of Game 1, but Francona said, "He’s not in the lineup, and that’s not because he got hit. We’re putting Coco in center more because of Scott Kazmir. We want Ellsbury to stay in the leadoff spot."
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Our View: Drew hit a game-winning home run off closer Francisco Rodriguez in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Angels, and there is a chance he will make a solid impact at some point during the ALCS.
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| Reliever Dan Wheeler deserves a round of applause for his efforts in the Game 2 ALCS win over the Red Sox. The veteran tossed 3.1 scoreless innings. He allowed one hit, walked one, and struck out four. Unfortunately, his wild pitch in the eighth inning allowed the tying run to score, and Wheeler was credited with a blown save. |
Our View: Wheeler has a very good regular season for the Rays, and he continued that work in Game 2. He did a great job of quieting a Boston lineup that seemed destined for double-digit runs.
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| Outfielder B.J. Upton homered in the Game 2 ALCS win over the Red Sox, but his biggest at-bat was a game-winning sac fly in the bottom of the 11th. |
Our View: Upton came up with the bases loaded and one out, and he quickly got down 0-2. His flyball was shallow, but J.D. Drew's throw was up the line. It wasn't a very good at-bat by Upton, but you can't argue with the result. B.J. has four long balls already this postseason.
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| Outfielder Jason Bay went 3-for-5 with a double, homer, and four RBI in the Game 2 ALCS loss to the Rays. |
Our View: Bay is 11-for-25 with three homers and nine RBI over six games this postseason. Do people honestly think Manny would be doing more?
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| Third baseman Evan Longoria went 3-for-5 with a homer, two doubles, three runs, and three RBI in the Game 2 ALCS win over the Red Sox. |
Our View: The media came into the night mentioning Longoria's quiet four-game stretch. He put his mini-slump to rest in a big way. Longoria continues to shine and add to his very high 2009 fantasy value.
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| Second baseman Dustin Pedroia hit two homers and scored four runs in the Game 2 ALCS loss to the Rays. He went 3-for-5 with a walk and two RBI. |
Our View: Pedroia had his best night of the postseason, but it was all for nothing. It's obviously good for the Red Sox that he is swinging well, though.
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