How could you not be in baseball hog heaven on Tuesday when four playoff games were all played on the same day? It was epic! Of course, the reality of baseball is that if your team lost yesterday, it wasn't so epic. Four fan bases went to sleep happy and four did not. And hopefully, if your team isn't in the playoffs, October baseball is still exciting to you. It is here in this household where each baseball game is a surprise waiting to happen and a three hour drama all its own.
This game picker is having a good playoff run. There have been thirteen playoff games played and this picker has correctly picked ten of them. But there is one thorn permanently in this Fan's side. It's the St. Louis Cardinals. This picker has had a tough time picking them all season. They win when they should lose and they lose when they should win. But that's okay, that's the life of a baseball picker. Even the Mets do that. But there is one evil man out there that has made this picker dread picking their games. This evil man also happens to be one of the best of the St. Louis Cardinals writers on the planet. He knows who he is. You see, this man is convinced that this game picker has the power of the Cardinals' season underneath his fingertips. This evil man is convinced that when the game picker picks the Cardinals, they lose and picking against them guarantees a win. And since this gentleman roots desperately for the Cardinals, the pressure has become enormous. Now every day is filled with anxiety. Does the Fan pick the Cardinals and threaten that evil man's happiness? Or pick against them for his sake? Ugh! Well, you're not going to corrupt this picker, Mr. Netherton. The pick will be whatever the pick SHOULD be despite the overwhelming urge to please you. Heh.
Two more playoff games are on tap today. They are both in the National League Division Series category. Too bad, TBS. You'll have to feature one of them today. Sucks to be you, eh? And for some odd reason, the games are also scheduled geographically correct that favors the fans in their own time zone?. How did that happen? It must have been a moment of monetary weakness for the network. Here are the picks:
- The Cardinals over the Phillies: Sorry, Bob. This is the correct pick. Edwin Jackson isn't exactly a lock in any game but him pitching early in the shadows should help his stuff tremendously. Jackson is sort of the poor man's A.J. Burnett and Burnett put it all together yesterday, so Jackson can do it today. The real key to this game is whether the Cardinals can get to Roy Oswalt. Oswalt has had a great career, but he has to be deemed the weakest link in the Phillies rotation at this point. If Tony LaRussa was smart (he's a genius, right?), some of the Cardinals' secondary hitters should try to bunt for base hits early. Make Oswalt field his position and see if you can get his back out of whack. One thing is for sure, the Cardinals have to win. Another storyline is whether Matt Holliday will play. If he does, there is more offense in the Cardinals' line up but far less defense.
- The Brewers over the Diamondbacks: It seems puzzling that both teams are sticking with a four man rotation and not circling back to their best starters here. Especially the Diamondbacks whose backs are against the wall (ugh, a cliche). But Randy Wolf is going against Joe Saunders. Advantage, Brewers. Saunders has had a surprisingly good season. But when push comes to shove, he's still Joe Saunders. The Diamondbacks should have pitched Ian Kennedy, who they are saving for a possible Game Five that may never come.
Yesterday: 3-1
Week: 6-3
Month: 10-3
Season: 1373-1068
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