FanNation - The Republic of Sport

awc1230 said 10/09, 10:55 AM
I agree that this will be a great series, but there are a couple of things that bothered me. First off, Borowski continued his mediocure play of baseball, which is unacceptable in the playoffs. Second, and more importantly, the Indians went a trechorous 1-15 or so with RISP in the second game against the Yankees. No doubt the Indians played better than the Yankees, but its going to be hard to play better than the Red Sox. They have a solid lineup, with a solid pitching staff and great bullpen. The Red Sox are also full of postseason experience, whereas the Indians only have Kenny Lofton with a lot of playoff experience. The Indians do have a good 1-2 punch, but I personally dont trust Paul Byrd. The Sox have better pitching, hands down, whereas the lineup is a tossup depending on the night.

awc1230 said 10/09, 01:55 PM
I think your giving a slight edge to CC over Becket because your an Indians fan. Coming from a nuetral fan (Astros), I'll give them a tie. The edge certainly goes to the Sox bullpen, and Borowski did lead the league in saves, but he was also up there with his 5+ ERA. He lead the league in saves not because of talent, but because of opportunities--not to count all the blown save opps he had. Playoff experience does matter, just not when you are an old, staggering team with little pitching (Yankees). The Red Sox are a different breed of experiece. They are just as young as the Indians, yet they have been there before. The Yankees had experience because of age, which means some of their players were out of their prime. But the Red Sox have experienced players while still in their prime, not to mention they have arguably the most clutch hitter in the game in Ortiz (exeption to Jeter over the past decade).

awc1230 said 10/09, 04:07 PM
I have heard of those relievers, however, I would take pitchers like Okajima and Buchholz over them, especially Okajima. Big Papi and Manny especailly have performed amazing in the postseason this year along with their careers, and Manny is tied for the all time leader in post season homeruns. Big Papi happens to be on a tear hitting over .700, and Manny is hitting near .400. I also have not brought up Curt Schillings stellar postseason numbers. The man has an ERA sub 2.85 career in the championship series, as he has handled teams with lineups much more potent than that of this years Indians. The Bo Sox also have home field advantage, and you came only imagine playing in that type of pressure. No matter how you compare it, the intensity between Jacobs field and Fenway park are no way on the same level. The Red Sox have the depth, especially in pitching, to win this series.