Ranking October’s Pitching Staffs
30 Sep
Pitching wins championships. Period. Nothing’s more important than the guy toeing the rubber – if he’s off, your team heads to clubhouse along with the Yankees and Mets. If he’s throwing gems, get your finger sized. So with that in mind, here’s how we rank the pitching staff for each team in the playoffs:
8. Chicago White Sox/Minnesota Twins
While we’re still waiting to see which team will emerge as the AL Central Champs, we do know that either team will boast the weakest rotation in October. That’s what happens when nearly every pitcher has double-digit losses. For the White Sox, Mark Buehrle is a nice pitcher, but he’s no ace. The rest of the rotation is a far cry from the 2005 White Sox that steamrolled through the postseason. The Twins? They’ve got Francisco Liriano and…um…uh…is Brad Radke still around? But seriously, they might as well throw Radke when they have to rely on guys like Nick Blackburn (11-10, 4.14 ERA) and Kevin Slowey (12-11, 3.99 ERA).
7. Philadelphia Phillies
How did Philly make the playoffs? Oh yeah, the Mets blew the last week of the season. Jamie Moyer is solid, posting a 16-7 record this year. After that, things get very weak. Hamels (14-10) and Kendrick (11-9) are not going to carry the the Phillies very far. Worse, should this team make it to the NL championship, they will have to rely on Brett Myers as their 4th starter. It is bad news when your 4th guy is 10-13 with a 4.55 ERA.
6. Los Angeles Dodgers
Is Manny Ramirez pitching? Seriously though - Derek Lowe is the #1 pitcher in baseball over the last several weeks winning six of his last eight starts and only losing to the Brewers (one run through eight innings) and the Nationals (two runs over eight innings). He is baseball’s best pitcher in that period and no one knows it. But after Lowe – who is proven in October – the lineup is sketchy. Maddux is awesome… if this was 1998. And Billingsly lost three of his last four starts – including to the Giants and Rockies. So it really does all come down to Manny Ramirez and his bat.
5. Tampa Bay Rays
The talent the Rays bring to the postseason rotation is second to none. But, obviously, it’s the lack of experience that makes this bunch a huge question mark. We all know Scott Kazmir, James Shields, and Matt Garza can get boatload of strikeouts, with 454 K’s between them in 552 combined IP. But it’s the IP that’s the problem – we know Shields can go deep into games, contributing 215 innings to that combined total, but both Kazmir (152.1) and Garza (184.2) are less effective. The inability of guys like Kazmir and Garza to go deep into games past the 5th or 6th innings means a lot of stress on a bullpen that’s not anything spectacular to begin with.
4. Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers enter the postseason with perhaps the hottest man on the planet in C.C. Sabathia. Sabathia picked up a very impressive 11 wins since moving to Milwaukee to go along with 128 K’s and a 1.65 ERA. The Brew Crew doesn’t let up from there when they throw their second ace, Ben Sheets (13-9, 3.08 ERA). As if that wasn’t scary enough, phenom Yovani Gallardo made his return to the rotation last thursday against Pittsburgh, throwing 4 innings and picking up 7 punchouts with just 1 earned run.
3. Boston Red Sox
I would rank the Red Sox #1 if this was posted before Josh Beckett’s strained oblique muscle… which really pins the Sox in tough position. But here is why you would rather have the Sox rotation than any other: they have been there and done it. Would you rather have a bunch of first-time playoff guys? Obviously not. You want Jon Lester – who was clinched the Red Sox World Series last year and had a remarkable year. You want Mr. October Josh Beckett – who is a new man come October 1st. And you want Dice K – who will get 2nd in the Cy Young this year. And Wakefield adds versatility that no one else has: he can start, eat innings, go short rest, etc… because whe you throw 50 mph – your arm doesn’t get tired.
2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
When you’re talking one through five, the Angels have arguably the best rotation in all of baseball. But in a shortened series where you typically throw out just your top 3 guys, the Halos fall a shade short of the likes of the Chicago Cubs. Still, John Lackey has become one of the most dependable starting pitchers since winning Game 7 of the 2002 World Series as a rookie. With Ervin Santana finally tapping into some of his potential and Joe Saunders pitching very effectively, the Angels still have one of the better staffs in October.
1. Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs have the best rotation in baseball. Ryan Dempster (17-6, 2.96 ERA), Carlos Zambrano (14-6, 3.91 ERA), Rich Harden (5-1 1.77 ERA), and Ted Lilly (17-9, 4.09 ERA) stack up better than any other team’s starting 4. The Cubs starters have a combined 53-22 record, puting them 31 games over .500! Harden was an excellent aquisition, allowing the team to keep a 4 man rotation throughout the playoffs. Due to mid-season injurys, Zambrano’s numbers are a poor indicator of just how dominating he is right now. Dempster and Lilly rank 12th and 15th in strikeouts in the entire MLB. The Cubs have the starting pitching to end their 100 year drought.
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