Quote:
Originally posted by BigCityStripper
And whoever posted that the Padres will win the series against St. Louis (1 win would be the most optimistic I'd go with) must not either understand the sport of baseball or is on enough drugs to OD Mick Jagger.
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Nah, actually I think the Pads have a VERY good chance - I just couldn't man up and commit to it on paper.
Peavy gets to throw twice - and because of the scheduling quirks, he'll throw games 1 and 4 on full rest. He's considerably better than any pitcher the Cardinals throw out there - including the decaying corpse of Chris Carpenter, who has looked positively awful in his last few starts. He's way over his average innings and usage pattern - the tank is empty.
The Padres have a MUCH better bullpen, which can help offset the Cardinals' biggest strength - top-to-bottom depth. Also, depth is considerably less important in the playoffs than in the regular season - your starters (offensive) make most of the difference.
The Cardinals are a team based upon two incredible players (Edmonds and Pujols), and a bunch of role players - Eckstein, Grudz, even Larry Walker? Not impressive at the plate, and not highly rated in terms of VORP or other statistical measures.
The Padres, meanwhile, counter with production from nearly every position - and their regular season was marred by a stretch in which they missed key position players (especially Greene and Hernandez, statistically two of their top players).
The Pads most certainly could pull this series out.
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