The plucky Dodgers win six straight road games to secure the NL Wild Card, losing the NL West title only on the basis of a tiebreaker (they were just 5-13 against the Padres) but returning to the postseason for the second time in three years. Sweeter still, they do it by clinching on their archrivals' field, chasing the ghosts of Joe Morgan's 1982 home run away. James Loney's nine-RBI game and Greg Maddux's stellar start on three days' rest key a dramatic week punctuated by the cool-as-ice performance of 36-year-old rookie closer Takashi Saito (third in the NL in Reliever Expected Wins Added at 5.469). The Dodgers will face the Mets in the first round, and their rejiggered rotation--which now includes Hong-Chih Kuo instead of Chad Billingsley and ahead of ailing Brad Penny--comes in at a 3.81 Quick ERA; given the battered state of the Mets rotation, this matchup has upset potential.And here's the top-ranked Yankees' entry:
In an uneven week that sees them blast out 16 runs one night and then come within two outs of being no-hit the next, the Yanks clinch home-field advantage throughout the postseason while savoring their ninth straight AL East title and celebrating a league record for attendance (4,248,067). Nonetheless, this is a vulnerable team; Randy Johnson's herniated disc emphasizes the Yanks' relative lack of power pitching and less than dominant rotation. But despite wrist injuries that limited Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield to a combined 91 games, the Bombers banged out 930 runs, 60 more than any other team; when you can put forth a lineup with an All-Star in every spot and the league's hottest hitter in the #9 hole, you've got little to complain about. Look out, Detroit.As nice as it is to have two teams in the playoffs, Wednesday's slate forces me to leave the house before the end of the Dodgers-Mets opener to head up to Yankee Stadium for Game Two of the Bombers' series with the Tigers (the Pinstripes looked pretty good last night). I know, I know, tough break, ain't it?
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