By Kyle Soppe

Setting: A meeting of two Pennsylvania-based teams battling for playoff position, and no, this isn’t a football preview. The Phillies, who own the top home and overall record in the MLB, were expected to be here the second Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt brought their talents to Philly. The Bucco’s, who boast the third best winning percentage on the road in the NL, have been the feel good story of 2011. With 18 straight losing seasons, the Pirates are in the thick of the NL Central race, part of a three-team race where all the teams are within a game and a half of one another. The Phillies are the unquestioned kings of the NL, and the Pirates can prove that they belong with a series win against their state mate.

Plot: During the first week of June, these two teams met up in Pittsburgh for a 3 game set. The Pirates won 2, but didn’t manage much off of the “big 4″ of the Phillies. Their pitching saved them in a game one duel with Cole Hamels, and they eventually beat the Phillies’ bullpen. Their other win was against Kyle Kendrick, the weak link of this staff. To conclude the series, Doc Halladay dominated and was able to avoid the sweep. They won’t be as lucky this time around as the Phillies are expected to start Halladay, Cliff Lee, and Vance Worley for this Friday-Sunday series. Halladay (12-4 2.55 ERA)  has been the ace we’ve all come to expect, posting an eye popping 147:19 strikeout to walk ratio. As the best pitcher in all of baseball today, he continually eats up innings and always puts his team in a great position to leave with a win. Cliff Lee dominated June, but has limped through July (0-2 4.97). However, Lee has been in Cy Young form at Citizen’s Bank all year long (7-2 2.05). Vance Worley 7-1 2.02) actually leads the Phillies in ERA and has been even better in the comforts of his home park (4-0 1.62). The Phillies offer exceptional depth with their pitching staff, making it hard to forecast a repeat of the series in early June.

Opposing Halladay on Friday will be 27-year old Charlie Morton (8-5 3.69). Morton has already set career highs in IP, wins, CG, and strikeouts but tends to battle and grind through his starts, a risky proposition against the opportunistic Phillies. He often works in and out of trouble (1.50 WHIP), and that has haunted him at various points throughout the season. He beat Philly on June 4th with 7 strong innings and is capable of keeping it close again if he can limit the number of leadoff base runners.

On Saturday, we will see budding star James McDonald take the bump. McDonald’s season  numbers (7-4 3.95) don’t tell the story of late. Ever since he lost to these Phillies on June 5th, the 26-year old lefty has gone 4-0 with 4 of those 8 starts being considered quality. Over that span, the strikeouts have increased, and the bullpen has been phenomenal. Staff ace Jeff Karstens (8-5 2.41) gets the call in the final game. In the midst of a career year, Karstens has been rock solid of late. He shut down the Phillies on June 3rd, holding them to only 4 hits and 1 run. He is 5-1 in his last 9 starts, and everyone of those starts lasted at least 6.2 innings. He’s not flashy and won’t light up the radar gun, but if the Bucco’s have a pitching advantage, this is it.

Final Word: The Phillies lead the league with a 1.18 team WHIP and the Pirates rank 23rd in the league with a .311 OPS. The Pirates aren’t a power-oriented team, and without many long balls, scoring chances will be far and few between this weekend.

Soppe Score: My buddy from Pennsylvania and devoted Pirates fan Pat Stoner posed this question: “It’s July, and we are still winning. Is it time to get excited yet?” I believe this is the series that could determine that. If the Pirates pull off a series win, it would be impossible to not consider them a legit playoff contender. Having said that, give me the Phillies in a 3-game sweep. The experience and overall talent is hard to bet against, as we are used to them winning these big games. The Pirates didn’t play well late last week against the Cardinals, which was the first of many series that will affect the playoff chase. They have made great strides this year, but remain a year or two away from challenging the elite teams. To much pitching for the Phightin’ Phils not to rebound from that series in June.

Texas Rangers pitcher Cliff Lee fields a hit during baseball pitching drills in an afternoon team practice for the World Series, Sunday, Oct. 24, 2010, in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are scheduled to play the San Francisco Giants in the opening game of the series on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

By Aaron M Smith

Somewhere Brian McCann is wondering if he is going to get a World Series ring this year.  Sounds a little strange, as McCann’s Braves are already home hitting the local golf courses.  But thanks to McCann’s double in the Midsummer Classic, also known as the MLB All-Star game – the National League won the game and ultimately home field advantage for the World Series. The San Francisco Giants are the recipients of Brian McCann’s game winning hit.

For those that have been hiding under a rock it is David vs. David. One team is in the World Series for the first time ( Texas) and the other hasn’t won a World Series Championship in 56 years ( San Francisco). Either way after this series, the drought is over for one city.

Games 1 & 2 are in San Francisco and National League rules are in. Conventional wisdom would say that the American League representative would be at a disadvantage. These Texas Rangers don’t fit that mold. While this team does have power, this team also relies on speed and situational hitting to create runs. The Giants however, are an opportunistic team who relies on its pitching to keep them in games.

Game 1 features a pair of aces with Cliff Lee and Tim Lincecum matching up. Games 1 & 2 also see the DH rule going away, forcing Vladimir Guerrero to the field. This means David Murphy will likely not start and if the Rangers get a lead – will be a defensive replacement. Will Guerrero’s knees hold up in the field?

AP Photo/Eric Risberg

Both teams are inexperienced in post-season play, so how much will nerves play in Games 1 & 2? Giants don’t score a ton of runs, so any defensive miscues will be amplified. The Rangers has hit the opposition’s starting pitching hard in the first two rounds  – how will they do against Tim Lincecum? Lincecum has been outstanding in the post-season, second only to Bob Gibson in strikeouts in their first two appearances in the postseason.

Will either League Championship series MVPs, Josh Hamilton or Cody Ross continue their torrid hitting? Conventional wisdom says Hamilton, but history has shown that conventional wisdom doesn’t rule in the playoffs.

Prediction – Series heads back to Texas tied 1-1.
Got a prediction? Let’s hear it!

Cliff Lee grabs my POTW.

Lee did not toss a perfect game like Don Larsen in game 5 of the 1956 World Series. Lee didn’t even have a game equal to Bob Gibson’s performance in the 1968 World Series when Gibson struck out 17 and walked 1 for a complete game shutout in a Game 1 win over the Tigers, 4-0.  Lee’s performance takes a back seat to Jack Morris who threw 10 shutout innings in game 7 of the 1991 Series.

Lee’s performance is not better than those legendary outings.

But Cliff Lee had a performance to remember. The southpaw went the distance holding the Yankees without an earned run while striking out 10 and walking none as the Phillies beat the Yankees, 6-1.

Who gets your POTW?

The Phillies didn’t land Roy Halladay, but they have officially declared themselves the team to beat in the National League with Wednesday’s signing of reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee. The Phils now have the unusual problem of having too much starting pitching, with Lee and the also recently acquired Pedro Martinez joining Cole Hamels, Jamie Moyer and Joe Blanton in the rotation, with J.A. Happ and Rodrigo Lopez likely moving to the bullpen.

Speaking of Halladay, according to Toronto General Manager J.P. Ricciardi, trade talks involving the Blue Jays right-hander are dead, but the club remains willing to listen to offers. So, did we learn anything new from that statement? Most likely not, but with today’s trade deadline of 4 p.m. ET fast approaching, it appears that the Jays are unlikely to move him, with the only real contenders for his services being the Red Sox and the Dodgers.

Halladay may be staying put, but Jarrod Washburn isn’t, with the Tigers acquiring him from the Mariners today in a move that improves their status as the favorite to win the AL Central, although the Twins and White Sox still might have something to say about that. Washburn appears to have resurrected his career this year, posting an 8-6 record with a 2.64 ERA, and is well on his way to his best season since he was the ace of the 2002 World Series champion Anaheim Angels staff.

The Red Sox may not get Halladay, but it seems unlikely that they’re not going to add another bat by the deadline, with the rumor mill saying that they’re close to a deal with the Indians that would bring Victor Martinez to Boston, in exchange for Clay Buchholz. Martinez has split time between catcher and first base for Cleveland this year, but it’s unclear how much the Red Sox would plan on using him behind the plate. The deal would make Adam LaRoche expendable, however, so the word is that they’re looking to find a taker for him as well.

The Twins, in dire need to improve upon a weak offensive middle infield, have worked out a deal with the Athletics to bring Orlando Cabrera to Minnesota. He’ll likely replace Nick Punto (.208 BA, .568 OPS) at shortstop, with Brendan Harris already pushing Alexi Casilla (.171 BA, .474 OPS) out of second base duties.

In a couple of smaller, but not insignificant deals involving left-handed relief pitchers, the Dodgers bolstered their bullpen by acquiring George Sherrill from the Orioles, and the Pirates dealt John Grabow to the Cubs.

By the time you read this, of course, a few of the questions regarding potential trades will already be answered. What are your opinions on these recent developments in Major League Baseball? Please share with the bench and let’s get the discussion started.