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Rosenthal: Playoff rants and rumbles for Wednesday

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Ken Rosenthal

Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since August 2005. He appears weekly on MLB on FOX. Follow him on Twitter.

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Updated Oct 8, 2009 4:43 PM ET
     
 
Cardinals right-hander Chris Carpenter had not allowed 13 baserunners in a start all season. In Game 1 against the Dodgers, he allowed 13 in five innings, including a season-high four walks Wednesday. Carpenter picked a bad time to have a bad night, but good teams have a way of rallying around struggling teammates. The Cardinals did nothing of the sort. Bases loaded, none out in the first inning, one run. Eleven baserunners in 3 2/3 innings against Dodgers left-hander Randy Wolf, two runs. The Dodgers' offense wasn't much better — the teams combined to set a Division Series record by leaving 30 runners on base — but the winners avoid scrutiny. The losers don't. The Cardinals went 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position, starting with Matt Holliday taking three called strikes with the bases loaded in the first. It gets scarier: Clayton Kershaw, the lefty who will start for the Dodgers in Game 2, is the team's ace in waiting, a far more dominant pitcher than Wolf. Somehow, the Cardinals had the lowest OPS in the National League against lefties in the regular season, even though their 3-4-5 hitters — Albert Pujols, Holliday and Ryan Ludwick — are all right-handed. Good luck correcting that deficiency against Kershaw. The Dodgers did exactly what they wanted in Game 1, taking the lead on Matt Kemp's two-run homer in the first inning and going to their bullpen quickly. Five relievers combined to allow one run in 5 1/3 innings, and the run scored on a misplay in left by Kemp in center. Lefty Hong-Chi Kuo, who threw 25 pitches, might only be available for a hitter or two in Game 2. But everyone else should be in decent shape, including right-handed closer Jonathan Broxton, who threw only 17 pitches in 1 1/3 innings. The reality for the Cardinals is this: Their Game 2 pitcher, right-hander Adam Wainwright, might also deal with little margin for error. The Cardinals' offense cannot be trusted to bail him out.

Money pitcher

In case you were wondering, this is why the Yankees gave CC Sabathia $161 million. Never mind Sabathia's 7.92 ERA in five previous post-season starts. The Yankees wanted an elite pitcher in his prime, a pitcher with good enough stuff to dominate in October. Sabathia, 29, more than qualifies. Give a great player enough chances in the post-season, and he will find a way to succeed. Handle a workhorse with care in September — as the Yankees did with Sabathia — and his chances will only improve. Sabathia got 11 swing-and-misses in the first two innings of Game 1 against the Twins, 22 overall in 6 2/3 innings. He struck out eight, walked none and allowed only one earned run. Denard Span led off the game with a double, but the Twins failed to score. The Twins had four hits in the third inning, but thanks to a neatly turned 5-4-3 double play, managed only two runs. A scout sitting behind home plate noted that Sabathia had terrific command of his fastball and changeup. Ask the Twins' left-handed hitters — Sabathia's slider wasn't bad, either. So, it's official: Sabathia will not be Randy Johnson or Kevin Brown. He's much younger than both those pitchers were when they joined the Yankees, seemingly impervious to the New York crucible. Derek Jeter did his thing in Game 1, hitting a game-tying, two-run homer and reaching base four times. Alex Rodriguez ended an 0-for-29 streak in the post-season with runners on base by producing a pair of two-out RBI singles. Nick Swisher hit a tiebreaking, two-out double, Hideki Matsui a two-run homer. All in all, a typical Yankee bludgeoning. The difference was the guy on the mound. The type of guy the Yankees lacked when they were eliminated in the first round in 2005, '06 and '07. That void is filled now. Say hello to CC Sabathia, postseason ace.

No concerns for Phils in Game 1

My pick of the Rockies stemmed largely from concerns about the Phillies' rotation, bullpen and offense. Two of those concerns disappeared in Game 1, rendering the third meaningless. Left-hander Cliff Lee threw a complete game, and the Phillies' offense pounded right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez for five runs in five innings. Look ma, no save situation! No Brad Lidge. No Ryan Madson. No Joe Blanton or J.A. Happ coming out of the bullpen, keeping the Phillies' rotation intact for at least one more day. I'll say it again — if the Phillies play like they did earlier in the season, they are fully capable of winning their second straight World Series. Lee's performance was a major step forward. If left-hander Cole Hamels follows his inconsistent regular season with a similar breakthrough in Game 2, look out. The Rockies' struggles against left-handers are well-documented. Hamels, when right, is one of the best lefties in the game. But right-hander Aaron Cook, a filthy sinker-baller, gives the Rockies a reasonable chance at a split. One game proves little, but the Phillies could not have asked for much more.
Tagged: Aaron Cook, Rockies, Cliff Lee, Ubaldo Jimenez, J.A. Happ, Joe Blanton, Ryan Madson, Cole Hamels, Phillies, Brad Lidge

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