Three Games To Go


Will anyone be this season's Bucky Dent?

Excitment thick enough to cut with a machete.

The weedy jungle of the regular season has nearly been hacked through and at the clearing sit several teams on the precipice.

New York @ Boston



Nothing much needs to be said about this series finale that bookends nicely with the season's opening series and all 156 games in between. For all those games, the Yankees hold a fragile one game lead.

One of these teams will take two out of three at Fenway. If it's the Yankees, they will win the AL East and gloat into the playoffs. If it's the Red Sox, a playoff for the AL East title will follow.

Making matters even more tense is the possibility that one of these teams might not make it into the post season at all, should the Indians continue to roll against the White Sox, who have already clinched the AL Central and their birth in the playoffs.

"I wish good luck to our pitching, because let me tell you, (the Yankees) are hitting the (expletive) out of the ball," Sox hero Papi Ortiz warned. "If you don't come and throw some good games against them, you have no chance.

"They're hitting right now, they're hitting good. All of them. Every one of them. You're going to have to bring your best stuff, to every hitter. It's hard to do it, but you have to."

Game One will feature the unexpected Chien Ming Wang taking the mound against former Yankee headache and sometime saviour David Wells. At Fenway Park this year, Wells is 7-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 11 starts.

Game Two will see the man the Yankees coveted specifically for this sort of situation, Randy Johnson, facing knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. The Big Unit is 4-0 against the Red Sox and he's held their league-leading offense to a .230 batting average this season. Precisely what he's been paid to do and he will have to do it at least once more this season against the Sox.

The Final Game which will be the biggest game of the year unless the Yankees take the first two, will feature Mike Mussina against Curt Schilling. Little more needs to be said.

Who Is The Real Number One?


Will this be the Year for A-Rod finally after last season's scorn and derision? He is 9 for his last 23 at-bats with a pair of homers and 8 RBIs. He has alot to pay the Red Sox back for.


Or Will Papi Rock Fenway like he rocked the Yankees last season?

As Newsday's Shawn Powell wrote, this is the perfect finish for an endless rivalry.

White Sox @ Indians

Some of the sparkle was taken off of this season finale when the White Sox avoided one of the more infamous collapses in baseball history and clinched their AL Central title already.

However, the Indians are still tied with the Red Sox for the AL Wildcard lead and winning two out of three against the White Sox will almost assure their place in the postseason.



Tonight, AL ERA leader Kevin Millwood takes the mound for the Tribe. Millwood, just 3-7 at home this season, has made all four of his career starts against the White Sox in 2005 and is 0-2, despite giving up only four earned runs in 27 frames (1.33 ERA).

He will face Mark Buehrle, (16-8, 3.19).

Five days earlier versus Cleveland, Buehrle escaped with a no-decision after surrendering four runs on seven hits, including three homers, in six innings.

He is 7-7 in his career versus the Indians with a 4.36 ERA in 19 games, including 18 starts. Buehrle has faced Cleveland four times in 2005 and is 2-0 with a 2.96 earned run average.

Chicago leads the season series, 11-5, and is 6-1 at Jacobs Field this season.

Game Two will feature Jake Westbrook (15-14, 4.46) vs. Jon Garland (17-10, 3.53) Saturday afternoon.

Game Three will see Scott Elarton (11-8, 4.51) go for the Indians vs. Brandon McCarthy (2-2, 4.21) Sunday afternoon.

SPORTS AMNESIA PREDICTION AS TO WHO WILL MAKE THE PLAYOFFS

Cleveland will lose two out of three and the Red Sox will take two out of three from the Yankees.

That means the Yankees will win the AL East by virtue of the better head-to-head record against the Sox and the Sox will make it in as the AL Wildcard. The Indians will do a quick fade and settle for happiness at having come so close out of nowhere.

Red Sox @ White Sox - Soxtober won't last forever
Angels @ Yankees - Exhausted by their final push, Yankees suffer repeat of their 2003 AL playoff meltdown.

Hmmm? Red Sox @ Angels in ALCS.

*****

NL

Significantly less exciting. We already know the Cardinals, Braves and Padres are in and frankly, barring a historic collapse, the Astros will make it in as the NL Wildcard meaning the playoffs pan out like this:

Astros @ Braves
Padres @ Cardinals

Hmmm? Braves @ Cardinals in NLCS

*****

World Series Rematch:

Cardinals v. Red Sox.