Good or Bad I'm Your Habit: Recap, Day 5 of Playoffs

Title comes from a Jeremy Fisher song, Cigarette, that I've come across lately and those words seem to talk about me and baseball.

Philadelphia 6 Milwaukee 2

Well, the Brewers pushed it one game past a sweep but that was it. Blanton was great, 6 innings 5 hits, 7 strikeouts and 1 earned. Jeff Suppan was decidedly not great, he lasted only 3 innings and gave up 5 earned runs. The Phillies' 3rd inning was really all that mattered today. Victorino (he's been in the middle of everything this series) doubled, then with 2 out Howard was intentioinally walked then Pat Burrell and, former Jay, Jayson Werth went back-to-back and the game was pretty much over.

Prince (or is that the batter formerly known as Prince) Fielder hit a massive home run in the 7th and they got one more run in the 8th. Jimmy Rollins lead off the game with a home run and Burrell got his second home run of the game in the Phillies half of the 8th. Another former Jay, Matt Stairs, hit into a double play in the 9th in his second at bat of the series.

So Phillies and Dodgers in the NLCS, so I was 1 for 2 in the NL half of the pool......so really I'm going much better than I have on any of the football pools.

White Sox 5 Tampa Bay 3

So in the 4th inning of today's game the White Sox were able to score more runs (3) off Matt Garza than the Jays were able to score in 4 games (1) against him this season. And, of course, today they equaled the number of wins we managed off him this season. Graza went 6 and gave up 5 earned. Chad Bradford pitched the last two innings keeping the Rays in the game.

Lefty John Danks pitched 6.2 for the White Sox giving up 3 runs and then the Sox bullpen closed the door on the Rays only allowing 1 hit in their 2.1 innings. Former Jay Dewayne Wise went 1 for 2 with a double and walk, drove in 2 and scored for the Sox. Our hero Eric Hinske still hasn't gotten into a game. Gabe Gross went is as a defensive replacement in RF in the bottom of the 8th.

B.J. Upton had 2 hits and drove in 2 runs with a home run and Iwamura, Pena and Navarro each had 2 hits but that was all the hits the Rays got, the rest of the lineup had 0 fors. Game four is in Chicago Monday, with the Rays up 2 games to 1.

Angels 5 Boston 4

Josh Beckett's run of great post season starts ended tonight, he didn't look comfortable at all. I hope it was only because of the long time between starts and not that it's because of some injury. 9 hits and 4 walks in 5 innings isn't what we are used to from Beckett.  But by the end of the 5th the Red Sox had 5 runs too and that was all the scoring that happened till the top of the 12th inning.

Both team's bullpens were amazing, at least until Francona brought Javier Lopez into the game, Lopez gave up 3 hits and the game winning run in his inning of work. KRod did not look good again, but made it thru one inning without giving up a run, dispite a hit and 2 walks. Jered Weaver earned the win with two scoreless innings. With all the relievers used by both teams I'm not sure who either team will be able to use tomorrow when it is time to go to the pen.

Mike Napoli was the hero for the Angels hitting 2 homers and scoring and driving in 3 runs. He scored the winning run on Erick Aybar's 12 inning single. Canadian Jason Bay went 0 for 5 his first playoff game without a home run. Former Jay Kevin Cash got into the game but didn't get to bat. Tomorrow game one starters John Lackey and Jon Lester go at it again. Both managers will be hoping they go deep into the game because they both emptied their pens today.