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09/29/2003 Archived Entry: "MLB News: Playoff Preview"
MLB News by Eric Gartman
As we prepare for the playoffs tommorow, three of the four matchups are not being looked as close. In American League its generally thought that the Twins can't hold their own against the mighty Yankees. I am forced to agree with this assessment. The Twins have rather mediocre starting pitching, other than Johan Santana, with Kenny Rogers, Brad Radke and Kyle Lohse being barely adequate for a playoff team. Meanwhile, the Yanks counter with Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens, all of whom had ERA's lower than the Twins starters other Santana. Furthermore, all three are playoff tested. The Twins had a better bullpen in the regular season, but in the playoffs, the Yanks can move David Wells or Jose Contreras to relief roles, shoring up their biggest weakness. Offensively, the Yanks are much more powerful. The Twins only advantage on the field comes in fielding. The Metrodome and its crowds may help, but it won't be enough to beat the Bombers. In the National League, the Giants are the heavy favorites over the Marlins. The Marlins are the surprise team of the playoffs, and most expect the magic to end quickly. But the Marlins have three solid starters in Josh Beckett, Dontrelle Willis, and Mark Redman. They match up at least equally with Jason Schmidt, Sidney Ponson, and Kirk Rueter. The Giants have a large advantage in relief pitching, however. Offensively, the Giants don't have as much around Barry Bonds as they used to. They still have a little more power than the Marlins, however. This series may be much closer and a lot more interesting than most people think, but I'll still have to pick the Giants. The Cubs are also a heavy underdog to the Atlanta Braves. The Cubs do have great starters in Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, Carlos Zambrano, and if necessary, Matt Clement. They match up well with Greg Maddux, Russ Ortiz, Mike Hampton, and Horacio Ramirez, although not in experience. But the Cubs won't be able to keep up with Braves mighty offense. Top to bottom, the Braves pose a terrific lineup with no weaknesses. Meanwhile, the Cubs have had good years from Sammy Sosa and Moises Alou, but no one else. The Braves should roll through the first round. Finally, there is only one matchup that is being viewed as a tossup: A's-Red Sox. Its a classic case of pitching vs. hitting, as the Red Sox trot out their potent lineup against the best pitching in the AL. Unfortunately for the A's, it was the best pitching before Mark Mulder went down. He is replaced by Ted Lilly, who simply isn't the same pitcher as Mulder. Meanwhile, Pedro Martinez can hang with any Oakland starter. The Red Sox hope to win both games pitched by Pedro while roughing up Lilly. If they do, they will roll through to the ALCS, and the A's will have lost in the first round of the playoffs for the fourth straight year.
