Editor's Note: Scott Rickenbach continues to post winners in the baseball playoffs. Don't miss out on his World Series picks. Click to win!
World Series 2007
The teams are now set for the Fall Classic and in some ways the Colorado Rockies and the Boston Red Sox would be viewed as two very unlikely participants. The Rockies appearance has everyone talking as they have put together a winning streak that is truly amazing on every level. Baseball is not thought of as a momentum game due to the fact that so many games are played. Simply put, teams can’t get too high or too low if they are going to be successful, but the Rockies have some kind of mojo working and it has gotten them to the World Series in very easy fashion.
The Red Sox appearance seemed unlikely a week ago - not that they don’t have a good team – but that they were down to a very good Indians team three games to one. Boston had to beat Cleveland’s best three pitchers to punch their ticket. As unlikely of a match up that we now have, it is by far a match-up featuring the two teams playing the absolute best baseball right now so let’s take a look at some factors that will determine this year’s champion.
Pitching:
No outcome of a baseball game or series can be determined without looking at the pitching staffs. Today’s game has turned into a battle of bullpens as starters are not asked to do anywhere near what they use to be. Now if they get five innings in they are said to have done their job so let’s look at these two staffs back to front. Both bullpens have been about as good as it gets so far in the post season. The Rockies ERA is in the two’s and if you throw out a couple of seven run innings in the ALCS the Red Sox pen has gotten it done to near perfection as well. We will call this one a draw going in but watch out for the Rockies pen to be tested a little more often as well as earlier. That's because the Red Sox lineup is by far the best group of hitters Colorado has seen this postseason.
The starting staffs are where on paper you see the biggest edge in this series favoring the Red Sox. Colorado’s Francis has been great and Fogg has even chipped in well at times. However, after those two, you are looking at Jimenez and Morales who are rookies and we feel they will be very shaky with this kind of pressure on them. The only upside for the Rockies is that since the series will start in Boston – the young pitchers will likely get their 'World Series feet' wet in Colorado and not at Fenway Park. Beckett has been a postseason monster and has been able to stay on regular rest, Schilling has been up and down but you can’t overlook his experience and Dice-K answered a lot of questions with his ALCS game seven performance. Boston’s starters have earned the edge here and if they are able to go deep in their outings it will be very tough for the young Rockies hitters.
Offense:
We might give the Rockies the slight edge here as their line up has been very balanced top to bottom. The Red Sox on the other hand have holes at the bottom and that could prove very costly in the series if either Ortiz or Ramirez struggle. However, the chances of that are slim as both have been outstanding this postseason but if the Rockies find a way to get around them runs might be hard to come by for Red Sox Nation. If the Rockies pitchers hold their own the National League style of play might be a huge advantage. As good as the Rockies have been getting the runs they need we will call the offensive match up a draw as the World Series is the World Series and the experienced Red Sox hitters understand that and will be patient at the plate.
Wild Card:
Hard to think that we wouldn’t give this category to the Rockies but it really would be too good to be true to think that they can keep up the pace they are on. The underdog role has been good to them and it is true that they might actually benefit from being too young to really know what they have gotten themselves into. However, as we said earlier – the World Series is the World Series and ultimately they will feel the pressure. The Rockies are also facing a Red Sox team that has been the best team in baseball all year. They have the arms and the bats and just got done beating baseball's second and third best teams. I doing so the Red Sox never worried or looked the slightest bit panicked.
Boston manager Terry Francona threw Tim Wakefield in game four of the ALCS knowing a loss could put them a game away from elimination. A loss is what they got but the Sox never flinched and took three in a row and showed a little magic of their own as they brought the World Series back to Boston. They are top to bottom a better team and we see them bringing another banner to Beantown.
