SoCal Sports Observed: Dodgers Up, Angels Down

Dodgers Up, Angels Down

Phil Wallace • Bio • Email

--The Dodgers now have a 2-0 series lead against the Cubs, and all of Chicago is in panic. The Cubs certainly did everything they could to lose Game 2, as each of their infielders committed at least one error, but some credit should go to the Dodger pitching staff.Chad Billingsley has been the best young pitcher on the West Coast this season not named Lincecum, and he proved his worth in shutting down the Cubs lineup.

Now we'll see how the Dodgers do against an excellent pitcher in Rich Harden. The Dodgers need to continue working the count against Harden (who doesn't have a ton of stamina), and try to get to the bullpen early.

So far the Cubs have dominated the national media narrative for this series. While I'd like to see the Dodgers get a little more credit for their solid play since the Ramirez deal, it's not bad for the pressure to be place upon someone else.

--After winning 100 regular season games, the Angels are now down 2-0 in their series with the Red Sox. The Angels have a terrific team, but I don't like how their roster is built for the postseason.

I've always felt that power is an underrated commodity in the postseason, and acquiring Mark Teixeira didn't turn the Angels into a great power hitting team overnight. They don't have the power depth to match the Red Sox. The Halos had 11 hits tonight, and 10 of them were singles.

Pitching-wise, the Angels are stronger than Boston on paper, but in a short series the Red Sox have the horses to compete. Also, the Halos have to be disappointed with their "Cy Young candidate" or "MVP candidate" in Francisco Rodriguez. As I noted a few weeks ago, his record save total would be far more impressive if he didn't also have 6 blown saves. Tonight, he threw a fastball to JD Drew, right as Buck Martinez said on TBS that he absolutely shouldn't, and Drew crushed it to centerfield for the game-winning home run. That home run alone might have knocked $1 million off of K-Rod's annual salary for his next contract negotiation.

The Angels do have some hope in Game 3, largely because I don't think Josh Beckett is pitching healthy. But to win this series, the Halos may need some help from heaven.

--Finally, congratulations to Candace Parker on winning the WNBA MVP Award for the Los Angeles Sparks. It's a shame though that the Sparks were eliminated in the Western Conference Finals by the San Antonio Silver Stars.

October 3, 2008 11:00 PM • Native Intelligence • Email the editor

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