The Fall Classic is finally here.
Both the Rockies and Red Sox have powerful offenses, sharp pitching staffs and incredible defenses. But which team has the ultimate edge in this best-of-seven series?
The World Series begins Wednesday in Boston’s Fenway Park and MLB analyst Jason Logan has the tale of the tape for one of the most compelling showdowns in years.
Hitting
The Rockies are usually known for smashing the ball but they have mixed up the offense with some good ol’ fashion National League small ball this postseason. Colorado is occasionally playing the hit-and-run and staying aggressive on the base paths while also relying on timely hitting from some surprising outlets.
Catcher Yorvit Torrealba and shortstop Kazuo Matsui are providing life at the top and bottom on the order. The middle of the Rockies lineup is struggling after hitting just .209 in the postseason. However, NLCS MVP Matt Holliday is heating up, knocking four hits in the last two games – two of those for home runs.
Boston was the opposite of Colorado for most of October. The Red Sox rode David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez and Mike Lowell (hitting a combined .371 batting average) and wasn’t getting much from the top and bottom of the order. But after going down 3-1 to Cleveland, the BoSox hit a team .380 and outscored the Tribe 30-5 in the final three games.
Second baseman Dustin Pedroia, first baseman Kevin Youkilis and right fielder J.D. Drew are finally putting in their two cents at the plate. Catcher and team captain Jason Varitek is also find his stroke after struggling most of the playoffs.
Edge: If Boston hits like it did the last three games, Colorado has a tall task ahead to match that firepower – especially if the extended layoff hurts the Rockies’ timing at the plate.
Pitching
Colorado’s pitching continues to go against the grain after an average regular season. The team has an ERA just over 2.00 in the playoffs, getting impressive efforts from Jeff Francis, Josh Fogg and rookies Ubaldo Jimenez and Franklin Morales. Fellow starter Aaron Cook, who hasn’t pitched since mid-August with an oblique strain, may also rejoin the rotation during the series.
The bullpen is the Rockies’ best weapon this postseason. Relievers Brain Fuentes, LaTroy Hawkins, Matt Herges and closer Manny Corpas have kept the bullpen’s collective ERA to 1.50 and recorded six saves and three wins in the playoffs.
The BoSox are almost guaranteed a Game 1 win with Josh Beckett getting the start. The right-hander has allowed just three runs in three postseason starts, striking out 26 batters and walking only one. Veteran Curt Schilling is solid as the No. 2 starter and was effective in his Game 6 start against Cleveland. Outside those two, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Tim Wakefield haven’t pitched exceptionally well.
Boston’s bullpen is deep and boasts star relievers Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon. But aside from Mike Timlin, other BoSox relievers were inconsistent when called upon against the Indians.
Edge: Here comes the barrage of hate mail from Red Sox Nation – Colorado’s pitching is better in the postseason. There I said it, let it rain down. Yes, I know the Rockies faced Arizona, the league’s worst offense. But they did shut down Philadelphia, a team that owned the NL’s best offense. The Rox bullpen has been untouchable October while the Red Sox’s reserve arms have shown flaws and put in more work this postseason.
Defense
The World Series is a defensive battle. Colorado’s .989 fielding percentage this season was a major league record, breaking the previous mark set by last year’s Red Sox team. The Rockies’ men at the corners, first baseman Todd Helton and third baseman Garrett Atkins, bookend second baseman Matsui and rookie shortstop Troy Tulowitzki.
Boston’s fielders have an identical .989 percentage as Colorado this postseason, but committed seven errors compared to the Rockies’ three. However the Red Sox have played 25 more innings of playoff baseball. Third baseman Mike Lowell is the star of the infield along with shortstop Julio Lugo and Pedroia. First baseman Youkilis is accountable for three of those seven bloopers.
Edge: Colorado. The Rockies’ infield is as flawless as Marissa Miller in a bikini. The outfield of Holliday, Willy Taveras and Brad Hawpe keeps the grass on lockdown. They’ll be busy in the World Series facing the team that led the majors in fly balls. Meanwhile Boston’s outfield has some issues. Ramirez was never great in left, J.D. Drew has limited speed in right and Coco Crisp is dinged up after colliding with the wall during the final out of Game 7.
Intangibles
Boston and Colorado are riding two momentum trains on the same track.
If you’ve been living in the rain forest in a cave with a blindfold on and cotton balls in your ears, then you might be wondering how in the world the Colorado Rockies made the World Series. Well, winning 21 of their last 22 games. That’s how.
The Rockies have lost only once since mid-September, a stretch that includes seven straight postseason wins. But their success is also their curse. Colorado hasn’t played since Oct. 15 and will have waited eight days before the start of the World Series. This extended vacation could slow the Rockies down.
Boston is coming off another historic ALCS comeback. If you’ve been in that same cave in the rain forest for more than four years, you also missed the Red Sox’s amazing 2004 turnaround from a 3-0 deficit against the New York Yankees.
This past week’s surge after being down 3-1 to the Indians is scarily reminiscent of the 2004 comeback. Back then, Boston rode their shock ALCS win right into the World Series and mashed the St. Louis Cardinals. Many pieces of that championship team are still in place for the BoSox, who heavily outweigh the Rockies in big game experience.
Baseball fans got a Fall Classic preview back in June when Colorado traveled to Boston during interleague play. The National League champs lost the first of three games 2-1 but then exploded for wins in the next two, outscoring the Red Sox 19-3. The Rockies’ pitchers also did their part, holding Boston’s bats to five runs and posting an ERA under 2.00 with 21 strikeouts during the series.
Edge: You can’t put much weight on what happened back in June. But you can count on the Red Sox staying red hot for at least the first two games in Fenway Park. Boston has been here before and this trip is eerily similar to that.
Pick: Boston wins in five games. I feel bad not giving Colorado its due. But in a way I think I am. The Rockies are a great club and a terrific story. However, not all made-for-Hollywood teams have happy endings. Boston flirted with elimination against the Indians and used the 3-1 deficit as a wake-up call. Since then, the Red Sox are playing with purpose. They should finish off the NL champs in swift fashion.
Raji |