Playoff Preview: Shape vs. Birds
3. Shapecity (95-67)
6. High Flying Birds (94-68)
two Defectors stalwarts looking to make The Leap square off
Setting the Scene:
Shape comes into the series riding high after holding off 3-time league champion Shup to lock up his first-ever division crown (Yes? No?). On the other side, a slow start to the quarterfinals leaves Birds in the 3-6 matchup after finishing second best to the aforementioned Shüpürrz (nosing his way into all of these previews it seems) in the #5 seed tiebreaker. Both of these teams have more or less been settled in their final positions in the league table (Birds 5th, Shape 6th) since June. They also finished with extraordinarily similar counting stats across an array of categories (18 R, 7 W, 6 IP, 4 HR, 2 E, and a partridge in a pear tree). After early hiccups, Birds closed strong (64-33) to secure his 90+ win season. Shape alternated bad and good months down the stretch but his 18-16 record after August 1 proved enough to wrap up the #3 seed.
If They Win, It's all Thanks to...
God, of course. But aside from the Big Guy in the sky who forgot that the Cardinals moved to Phoenix back in 1988, it's probably guile. Or luck. Or a spate of rainouts that take starts away from the other guy. Oh wait, that's luck, isn't it?
For Shape, it will be a solid week from two-start Marcus Stroman or Fernando Rodney being the dominant closer on a team incapable of winning by wide margins. Or even possibly Yadier Molina requisitioning his groove back. On the other side, it's gotta be Matt Holliday. With 18 hits, 4 HR and 19 RBI over the last 14 days, the June 2001 Carolina League Player of the Month is capable of being the tipping point in this closely-matched affair.
Avert Your Eyes, Children!
As of late, Shape's best offensive player has been Juan Lagares. I'm a Mets fan and I consider this to be a warning sign for the residents of Shapeville. Also, Chris Young misses out on a start against the hapless Rangers and, based on recent results, may be on tilt.
How do you say “dumpster fire” in Japanese? Because that's where we're at with the usually metronomic Koji Uehara. After serving up the game-tying and game-winning HRs last night in the Boogie Down, “Kojak” has given back a whopping 21.5 points in the last two weeks. There is also a trio of bullpen arms that seems more likely to screw the pooch over the rest of the series than vulture a win.
So, Who Advances?
If I had written this before September 3, I would've deleted the word “push” by now and gotten off my lazy ass to look for the nearest quarter. However, I now have the knowledge of a 72.55 point lead and Chase Headley hitting a ball off of Uehara that may or may not have cratered a section of the Yankee Stadium bleachers. As a result, I will predict a continuation of Birds' sputtering playoff start and a berth in the semifinals for the 2014 Western Division champions.
