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Friday, April 29, 2005You cannot hurt the Twin-kie!Today's Matchup: Paul Byrd (1-2, 5.61) vs. Carlos Silva (1-0, 1.93)
After a solid series in New York in which their only actual problems were a single pitcher facing a single batter, the Angels move on to another 2004 playoff team. I have considered the Twins and Angels to be essentially in the same boat since the 2002 season when their had been talk of contraction (speciifcally mentioning both teams) and both teams subsequently went to the playoffs despite low payrolls and not adhering to the trendy Moneyball-style system the A's played in. I was very excited in the 2002 ALCS when it was Twins-Angels because it was two teams that played solid, effective baseball...concentrating on the "little things." Both teams were also excellent defensively and one of the games (either 3 or 4) is a game I considered to be one of the finest defensive gems I had ever witnessed before the Angels pulled away in the late innings as they did so often that postseason. Of course, both teams have changed significantly since then, the Angels because of age and ownership philosophy changes, while the Twins have done it because of payroll limitations. The Twins were able to remain a playoff team for 2003 and 2004 and remain the favorite to win the AL Central this year. Meanwhile, the Angels kept the same team, more or less, in 2003 only to collapse under the weight of injuries and reload for 2004 and beyond. As such, this probably feels like the biggest regular season clash between the two teams since that 2002 ALCS, where the expectations for both teams are very strongly to win their respective divisions. Both of these starting pitchers have pitched well against these teams and both have had inconsistent careers, so it is almost a toss up, except that Silva has pitched very well so far this year. RICHARD (6:22 PDT): Have I ever mentioned how glad I am that we didn't waste all that money on Carlos Beltran? JOSH (8:31 CDT): I am ok with early season slumps (you have to be when Salmon is your favorite player), but they really need to move him out of that 5 spot and/or give him a couple days off. The 1-4 guys are 7-11 with an intentional walk (to get to Finley) and Fin is 0-3 and doing terribly. Cabrera and McPherson should be batting 5-6 right now. RICHARD (6:46 PDT): Have I ever mentioned how glad I am that we didn't waste all that money on Matt Clement/Odalis Perez? JOSH (8:54 CDT): If the Angels lose, it is squarely on the backs of Fins and Byrd. JOSH (9:00 CDT): Why the hell is Byrd still in the game?!?!?1 RICHARD (6:58 PDT): I'm not going to criticize Mike's lineup, because frankly, he doesn't have a whole lot of options. This club only has two legitimate middle-of-the-order hitters, so he has no choice but to stretch with guys like Finley, Cabrera and McPherson (who may very well become a third real hitter in time). They are presently better than (most) of the alternatives. I'd say it's time to give Rivera a serious look at DH, if only to add a bit more pop and balance out the lefty/righty matchups. But even that's pretty nit-picky. Just for a lark, here’s what I would run out there: RICHARD (7:30 PDT): Have I ever mentioned how glad I am that we didn't waste all that money on Esteban Ya... oh crap.Figgins 2B Finley CF Guerrero RF Anderson LF Rivera DH McPherson 3B Molinas/Paul C Cabrera SS Erstad 1B |
