Guest Author - David Landry
In early August I described Detroit as an unstoppable juggernaut. Shortly thereafter they proceeded to implode, winning only 19 of their last 50 games. They managed to win the wild card and went on to face the Yankees in the first round. They turned things around and are now seven for eight in the post season, with only the World Series to remain. Based on what I’ve seen from Detroit and the lackluster performances of the Mets and Cardinals, I expect to see the World Series flag flying in Detroit.
Throughout this series, Detroit pitching did to Oakland what they had done to New York. Oakland only scored 9 runs over the four games, including a shutout in game 3. Frank Thomas and his bat were conspicuously silent throughout the series. He failed to capitalize on an opportunity to open up game two with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth. He failed to do anything noteworthy after that.
Magglio Ordonez was having the same kind of series as Thomas going into game four. He promised his son that he would hit a home run in honor of his 11th birthday. Ordonez became “father of the year” when he jacked a solo shot in the second inning and the game winning three run homer in the ninth.
With Oakland out of the way, Detroit will face either the New York Mets or St Louis. In either case, I expect them to have an easy time of it. Neither club has wrapped themselves in glory in the NLCS. They are currently tied at two. In game four, they trotted out a pair of starting pitchers who had a total record of 8 wins and 21 losses (Anthony Reyes 5-8; Oliver Perez 3-13) in the regular season. If Detroit plays anything like they have in the postseason, they will have no problem with either NL team.
Ken Macha Fired
Detroit’s latest victim is Ken Macha. He was fired by the A’s on Monday, with two years remaining on his contract. The A’s owe Mach over $2 million over that term. Last year Billy Beane, Oakland’s General Manager, cut Macha loose after they were unable to agree on salary, only to hire him for three years and about $3 million. It looks like his patience has run out.
The Kiss of Death Part II
I called my initial predictions “the kiss of death”. I don’t feel too bad about it because seven out of eight of the baseball experts on ESPN.com did no better. I predicted the Mets in five and the A’s in seven, with the A’s winning it all against the Mets in six. The A’s are out and the Mets are tied at two, as I write this. That means it will go to at least six with the Cardinals.
At this point, I’m sticking with the Mets, but expect them to be defeated by Detroit.
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