Baseball today - October 15
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SCOREBOARD
Monday, Oct. 15
Arizona at Colorado (10:18 p.m. EDT)
The Rockies try to advance to the World Series for the first time in franchise history.
STARS
-Yorvit Torrealba, Rockies, hit a tiebreaking three-run homer to fuel Colorado's 4-1 victory over Arizona.
ROLLIN' ROCKS
Josh Fogg allowed one run in six innings in his first postseason start as Colroado beat Arizona 4-1 in Game 3 of the NL championship series on Sunday to move within a game of sweeping the series. The win was the Rockies' 20th in 21 games.
PRESSURE ON ROOKIES
Franklin Morales faces Micah Owings in a matchup of rookies who have never faced each other's teams as Colorado looks to finish off Arizona on Monday. The Diamondbacks are hoping to join the 2004 Boston Red Sox, who rallied past the New York Yankees, as the only teams to overcome a 3-0 hole to win a best-of-seven postseason series.
SECOND SHOT
Daisuke Matsuzaka starts for Boston in Game 3 of the ALCS on Monday with the series tied 1-1. Matsuzaka is looking to bounce back from a rough outing in his first playoff start in which he lasted just 4 2-3 innings. He allowed six runs and a season-high 12 hits against the Indians in a May 30 loss but gave up four hits in seven scoreless innings on July 24 in his only game in Cleveland.
SPEAKING
''We as a pitching staff love that guy. He's a thinker. He could go 0-for-20 behind the plate and it wouldn't even matter.'' - Colorado reliever Matt Herges, on catcher Yorvit Torrealba's importance to the Rockies' pitching staff, which has a 1.77 ERA through six postseason games.
Arizona (3-3) at Colorado (6-0)
The Diamondbacks’ Micah Owings (8-8, 4.30 ERA) is the only thing that stands between the Rockies and the World Series when he faces Colorado lefty Franklin Morales (3-2, 3.83) tonight in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series at Coors Field in Denver.
With Sunday’s 4-1 victory, the Rockies, winners of 20 of their last 21 games, have a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Colorado is 39-14 in its last 53 home games and 37-17 in its last 54 overall.
Owings went 4-3 on the road this season with a 4.96 ERA, but his last outing was Sept. 27 in Pittsburgh when he blanked the Pirates on four hits over 6 1/3 innings of an 8-0 victory.
Only once in his last eight starts did Owings allow more than three earned runs in a game. And even though the teams are in the same division, the rookie did not face the Rockies this season.
The same holds true for Morales who did not see the D’Backs in his eight starts this year. Three of those starts were at home where he went 1-1 with a 6.23 ERA in 13 innings. He made a start in Philadelphia in Game 2 of the division series and gave up three runs on three hits in three innings and wasn’t around for the decision as the Rockies won 10-5.
Arizona is just 5-5 in its last 10 games overall with all five losses coming against Colorado. For the season the D’Backs are just 8-13 against the Rockies, including 2-9 in the last 11.
The over is 16-11 in Owings’ 27 starts this season, but the under is 8-3 in Arizona’s last 11 games as an underdog and 11-4 in the last 15 head-to-head meetings between these two teams. Both the Rockies and D’Backs have stayed under the total in five of their six playoff games.
ATS ADVANTAGE: COLORADO and UNDER
Boston (4-1) at Cleveland (4-2)
All tied 1-1, the Red Sox turn to their high-priced Japanese import Diasuke Matsuzaka (15-12, 4.40 ERA) tonight to try and grab the lead in the American League Championship Series against the Indians and Jake Westbrook (6-9, 4.32) at Jacobs Field in Cleveland.
The Indians outlasted the Red Sox Saturday night, winning 13-6 in 11 innings as the Cleveland bullpen limited the potent Boston offense to just three hits and no runs over the final five innings.
Now the series shifts to Cleveland where the Red Sox have won nine of their last 12 games, including three of four from July 23 to 26. However, the Indians have been red-hot at home lately, winning 17 of their last 21, including sweeping two playoff games against the Yankees in the division series.
Matsuzaka pitched 10 days ago in Game 2 of Boston’s division series against the Angels and lasted just 4 2/3 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits. The Red Sox won the game 6-3 when Manny Ramirez hit a three-run walk-off homer.
Matsuzaka struggled down the stretch, losing six of his last nine starts. He allowed five earned runs or more in five of those outings and earned just two wins in those nine starts overall. He went 1-1 in two starts against the Indians this season with a 4.26 ERA in 12 2/3 innings. But it was at Jacobs Field where he dominated the Indians, blanking them on four hits over seven innings.
The Red Sox rookie is winless in his last five road starts and 0-2 with a 10.34 ERA in his last three outings on the highway.
Westbrook is making his second career playoff start, having allowed six runs on nine hits over five innings in the 8-4 loss to the Yankees last Sunday. Only once in his last nine regular-season starts did he allow more than three earned runs. In his last home start he allowed just two runs on four hits in seven innings of a 6-2 win over Oakland on Sept. 23.
Westbrook is 3-2 in six career starts against Boston with a 4.81 ERA in 48 innings. The Red Sox roughed him up this year as he gave up five runs on 10 hits in six innings back on July 23 in a 6-2 loss at home.
The Red Sox have won 12 of their last 16 playoff games, but the Indians are 8-3 in their last 11 as an underdog.
The under is 17-8 in Westbrook’s 25 starts this season and 9-4 in Matsuzaka’s last 13 road starts. Finally, five of the nine meetings between these teams this season stayed under the number.
ATS ADVANTAGE: UNDER