One-two punches? Most of this year’s playoff teams have those at the top of their rotations. But beyond that, rating the starting staffs for the 2007 postseason is not as easy as 1-2-3 simply because a third quality starter – or a fourth once we get beyond the Division Series – is no sure thing. Depth is a missing ingredient from most teams’ rotations, and that’s even true for this year’s playoff-bound Elite Eight. Here is msnbc.com's analysis of the all-important starting staffs with some ratings that show very few 5-star performances.";
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No team has more depth in its rotation than Boston and no AL club had a better team ERA than the Red Sox. Turns out they needed that depth. Curt Schilling missed a chunk of time in mid-season and Daisuke Matsuzaka hit the proverbial wall in late summer when his innings count reached uncharted waters. The Red Sox will likely still have to rely on Matsuzaka in the postseason rotation, as rookie no-hit flash Clay Buchholz is injured. Another youngster, Jon Lester, was one of the feel-good stories of the summer when he turned in several winning outings after recovering from cancer.
The ace and leading Cy Young candidate, of course, is Josh Beckett. The former Marlin who vanquished the Yankees in the 2003 World Series, was baseball’s only 20-game winner and had a spectacular season. He’s got swagger and the stuff to back it up.
In sharp contrast to Beckett, in age and pitching style, is veteran knuckleball artist Tim Wakefield, though even he faded down the stretch. Schilling, another conqueror of the Yankees both with Boston in 2004 and with Arizona in the unforgettable 2001 World Series, relies more on guile than lights-out stuff but he’s got a Clemens-like resume.
msnbc ratings (5 stars is highest ranking):
Experience: *** (3 stars)
Durability/Health: *** (3 stars)
Strikeout Ability: *** (4 stars)
Home runs allowed: **** (4 stars)
Average rating: 3.5 stars";
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Cleveland’s bullpen problems last season were legendary and it didn’t seem as if the Tribe had addressed the closer issue in the offseason. But veteran Joe Borowski saved more games than any of the other three closers in the AL bracket even though his ERA was exceptionally high for a reliever.
All of which points to the effectives of the Indians’ rotation, especially the top 3. Like the Angels, the Angels have two legitimate Cy Young candidates in C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona. Both were durable (200-plus innings) and effective (low-3 ERAs) and were a big part of the reason why Cleveland dethroned Detroit in the AL Central and why the Indians will be a tough out, especially in the best-of-five first round.
Veteran Paul Byrd had a big season as the No. 3 starter, though he’s prone to allowing the long ball because he’s a contact pitcher with exceptional control. An early-season injury kept Jake Westbrook from having a big season. Similarly, Cliff Lee missed all of April and never regained his form of previous season.
msnbc.com ratings (5 stars is highest ranking):
Experience: ** (2 stars)
Durability/Health: **** (4 stars)
Strikeout Ability: ** (2 stars)
Home runs allowed: **** (4 stars)
Average rating: 3 stars";
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There’s no better example of the unpredictable nature of baseball than the fact that you’re are now reading about Arizona’s playoff rotation and that we’re not featuring Randy Johnson. Not only were the Diamondbacks the surprise team in baseball for 2007, but they got this far with only 10 starts and four victories from the Big Unit, who went down with an early-season injury.
But the rotation, like the entire team, has been energized by an infusion of youth. That gem Micah Owings pitched last week to clinch the NL West crown demonstrates why the Diamondbacks wouldn’t include him in the deal with the Yankees for Johnson. Owings may be a rookie, but he certainly won’t be overmatched this month.
How far Arizona advances, however, depends on reigning Cy Young winner Brandon Webb, who was spectacular again with an 18-10 record, a 3.01 ERA and 194 strikeouts in 236.1 innings. He allowed only 12 homers, a fantastic ratio. Veterans Livan Hernandez and Doug Davis were also workhorses. Youngster Enrique Gonzalez showed down the stretch that he’s a legitimate alternative if needed. The starters are prone to contact problems – too many homers; too few strikeouts.
msnbc.com ratings (5 stars is highest ranking):
Experience: ** (2 stars)
Durability/Health: **** (4 stars)
Strikeout Ability: ** (2 stars)
Home runs allowed: ** (2 stars)
Average rating: 2.5 stars";
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The “Humidor Effect” at Coors Field helped keep the home runs down for Colorado’s unheralded crew of starters. But they made their astonishing run to the wild card mainly because of some hot young relievers and a potent, youth-infused lineup.
Still, there’s no denying that Jeff Francis (17-9 and the only Rockies’ pitcher to exceed 200 innings) is a legitimate ace given how hard it is to win big at Coors Field, humidor or not. It’s still a hitter’s park no matter what temperature the baseballs are stored at.
Aaron Cook, Josh Fogg, Jason Hirsch and Ubaldo Jimenez all had their moments, but this is basically a quartet of .500 hitters unless their run support is off the charts. Colorado pitchers do strike people out, which is a big advantage at Coors. The recipe for postseason success is simple: If the Rockies keep hitting and the starters can just keep it close before turning it over to the bullpen, the magic can continue.
msnbc.com ratings (5 stars is highest ranking):
Experience: * (1 star)
Durability/Health: *** (3 stars)
Strikeout Ability: *** (3 stars)
Home runs allowed: *** (3 stars)
Average rating: 2.5 stars";
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// END editorial data