September Showdown
Six games, ten days, two cities. Three inner-circle Hall of Famers. A
division title hanging in the balance.
OK, the safety net of the wild card takes away some of the drama, but these
are still some of the biggest regular-season series we’ve seen in some time.
The New York Mets and Atlanta Braves began their best-of-six last night with
the Braves clinging to a one-game lead in the NL East, and the Mets carrying
a 3 1/2-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds for the wild card.
The two teams are as evenly matched as the standings indicate. The Braves
have the best pitching in the league and a middle-of-the-pack offense, while
the Mets are fourth in the league in runs (third at sea level) with the
fifth-best staff in the NL. The Mets have a great lineup with OBP machines
at seven spots, but a spotty rotation. The Braves have a dysfunctional
lineup with just two top-tier hitters, but an excellent rotation. Both teams
have effective, and deep, bullpens.
The Mets come into the series catching a few breaks. The Braves may be
without right fielder Brian Jordan, whose sore right hand has
crippled his power (.381 SLG since the All-Star break), anyway. The Mets
will also miss seeing Kevin Millwood in the first three-game set.
Millwood is the best right-hander in the National League right now, with a
2.41 ERA since May 1. He hasn’t given up more than two runs in a start since
August 8. He should pitch in next week’s series at Shea Stadium.
Those who like to talk about the importance of veterans in situations like
these aren’t going to be able to find their storyline on the mound. Of the
series’ six scheduled starters, the youngest is John Smoltz, at 32.
Only last night’s starter for the Mets, Rick Reed, comes in without at
least one World Series ring, and even he’s 34 years old. The "veteran
intangibles" crowd should remain quiet this week. Mercifully.
I expect these games to be decided late, and in the bullpen. The Braves have
shut the Mets out in three of their six meetings this season, but New York’s
offense is even better now, with the addition of Darryl Hamilton,
than it was in June. Atlanta’s lineup holes will probably prevent them from
taking advantage of the relatively poor Met rotation, which will keep the
games close.
So it will come down to the pens, and the benches, and most of all, the
luck. When two evenly-matched teams play short series under pressure, the
biggest factor of all is the one no one can control. Look for some great
baseball in Atlanta and New York over the next ten days.
And try not to think about how much more interesting it all would have been
in 1993.
Notes
Dustin Hermanson is healthy again. The Montreal right-hander is
finally over the tendinitis that caused him to pitch more like Dustin
Hoffman in the first half. Since August 1, Hermanson has an ERA of 2.25 and
is averaging just over seven innings per start. Jim Beattie must turn him
into a top shortstop prospect (D’Angelo Jimenez?) this winter to
continue the Expo rebuilding…. It was good to see the Phillies finally
shut Scott Rolen down for the year. The games are meaningless, Rolen
is the franchise player and his back problems are going to be helped by
rest. Look for Rolen to have a big 2000.
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