Giants take 2-0 World Series lead

Pictured: The Giants celebrate after taking a 2 games to none lead in the 2010 World Series.

The San Francisco Giants defeated the Texas Rangers 9-0 tonight at AT&T Park in San Francisco to take a 2 games to 0 lead in the 2010 World Series. Matt Cain pitched 7 2/3 innings and still has yet to allow an earned run all postseason. He's been lights out. Edgar Renteria broke a scoreless tie in the middle innings with a solo home run once again proving he is a clutch player. Juan Uribe singled in another run later on. The floodgates really opened in the 8th inning against the Rangers bullpen which surrendered 7 runs in the inning, all after there were initially two outs and nobody on base. I said going into the series that the Rangers bullpen was weaker than that of the Giants and so far it has proven true.

The Giants' pitching staff has continued to throw well and tonight the old saying that good pitching beats good hitting was true. People have been hyping up the Rangers' offense, but I don't think they fully grasped what a great pitching staff the Giants have. That's been the recipe for success all year long, along with some timely hitting. The Giants have a lot of intangibles on this team as well and seem to have a real family atmosphere that is conducive to winning. Their offensive numbers may not blow you away, but it seems like so many times this year when the team has needed a hit, they have gotten that hit. Same thing with getting big outs and so forth when those have been needed. That can't always be put into statistics. Take tonight, with runners on 2nd and 3rd and only one out in the 6th inning with the Giants clinging to a 1-0 lead. The Rangers don't even have to get a base hit to score with less than two outs. Cain induced a harmless pop up and then ended the threat with a fly out. No harm, no foul and the Giants went on to the win.

I thought Rangers pitcher C.J. Wilson pitched a pretty good game himself, but just was outdueled by Cain. As I mentioned, things didn't really unravel substantially for Texas until the 8th inning with the bullpen already in the game.

The series now shifts to Texas. Game 3 is Saturday and note that the start time is an hour earlier, first pitch is scheduled for 4:57 p.m. MT from Arlington, TX. The game will be broadcast on FOX. Let's go Giants! Keep this thing rolling!

Giants win Game 1 of World Series; Game 2 tomorrow

Pictured: Juan Uribe (5) rounds the bases after his 3 run home run in the 5th inning of Game 1 of the World Series.

The San Francisco Giants defeated the Texas Rangers 11-7 tonight in Game 1 of the World Series at AT&T Park in San Francisco. The Giants were led by 3 doubles and 3 RBIs from Freddy Sanchez, who like many Giants was making his World Series debut. The really big blow came in a six run 5th inning when Juan Uribe hit a three-run home run to put the Giants up 8-2 at that point. Aubrey Huff had a solid night with an RBI and Buster Posey, Cody Ross, Nate Schierholtz and Travis Ishikawa came up with RBIs as well.

The Giants got to Cliff Lee tonight, proving that he is not invincible. I think it is ridiculous that some people were saying that Games 1 and 5 were automatic Rangers wins simply because Lee was pitching. Maybe now the Giants will get a little more respect. You would have thought getting to the World Series would command some amount of respect in itself. It's even more silly to say that when Lee was scheduled to face Tim Lincecum (who has won the last two National League Cy Young awards as many people seem to have forgotten) in both of those games. Lincecum wasn't exactly lights out tonight, but he was better than Lee. Now I didn't think that the Giants would get 7 runs off of Lee, but I didn't think he was unbeatable either. You never know what's going to happen in baseball and it's hard to think that this particular Giants team won't put up some kind of fight.

Bengie Molina, who was traded from San Francisco to the Rangers in July, got a loud ovation during pre-game introductions. I thought that was a really awesome thing to see. Molina meant a lot to the Giants for the 3 1/2 seasons he was here and seems to be a really good guy. I hope he doesn't do too well in this series because I want the Giants to win, but I still like the guy and would have applauded too if I was there.

Vladimir Guerrero had a pair of defensive miscues in the 8th inning in right field for the Rangers. He is normally the Texas DH but was in the field in a National League park so that the Rangers could have his bat in the lineup. He still has a strong arm, but his knees just aren't what they used to be and that's why he's been primarily a DH. I feel bad for the guy as he used to be one of the top right fielders in the game, particularly from his days with the Montreal Expos. I don't think his mistakes had an influence in the outcome of the game, but did help the margin to be a bit more comfortable at the end for the Giants. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy the Giants won and will take it.

The Giants bullpen was a little shaky, particularly in the 9th inning in which Ramon Ramirez, Jeremy Affedlt and Brian Wilson all allowed baserunners to get on as the Rangers scored 3 runs in the frame. Bruce Bochy downplayed it after the game saying he was glad he could get those guys some work in so that they wouldn't be too rusty. I think there is something to that as nobody had pitched since the Giants clinched the NLCS last Saturday. Affedlt was a huge part in that Game 6 win and Wilson has had a good postseason and particularly a very strong NLCS. I think the Giants' bullpen will pitch well in the remainder of the series.

Here's the particulars for Game 2 of the World Series tomorrow night:

Game 2 -- Texas Rangers (Wilson) at San Francisco Giants (Cain), 5:57 p.m. MT (FOX, Giants lead series 1-0)

World Series gets under way tomorrow night

At left: Cody Ross holds up the NLCS MVP trophy. He and the Giants begin the World Series tomorrow night.

The World Series begins tomorrow night. Game 1 is set for 5:57 p.m. MT with the Texas Rangers at the San Francisco Giants and will be broadcast on FOX. For those of you who aren't near a TV, it can also be heard on ESPN Radio, which in Salt Lake City can be found on AM 700. Back to back Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum will pitch for the Giants and the Rangers will go with their ace, Cliff Lee. It should be a fantastic pitching matchup and I can hardly wait for the game to get started.

Let's hope that Cody Ross can continue his hot streak in which he seems to get an RBI and/or extra base hit every game. I hope the Giants can get to the Rangers' pitching staff, which has some good arms. I think once you get past Lee you have a chance to do some damage. Not to say the guys on their staff don't have talent, it's that the Giants have been able to hit some against similar pitching this year.

I'm going to go ahead and pick the Giants to win this series in six games (knock on wood). The Rangers have a potent lineup and some decent pitching and are a dangerous team to be sure. The Giants, though, clearly have the deeper pitching staff in my opinion, especially in the bullpen. The Rangers' bullpen imploded in Game 1 of the ALCS against the Yankees and has shown some vulnerability and inconsistency throughout the postseason. The Giants' bullpen has been pretty solid for most of the postseason, with Game 2 of the NLDS against the Braves as the exception. The old saying is that good pitching beats good hitting and I think that's what will happen in this series.

This Giants team has shown a lot of heart all year long and is really a tight-knit group which isn't always true with professional sports teams. I think this will also have an impact on how this series goes. So, tomorrow night can't get here soon enough. Let's go Giants!

The Giants win the pennant!

Pictured: The San Francisco Giants celebrate their fourth pennant since moving west.

The San Francisco Giants defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 tonight to win the National League pennant! Those words just sound great! Awesome!!! I am so excited! This is what it's all about! The Giants are going to the World Series! Wow this feels great!

The Giants beat the Phillies 4 games to 2 to win the National League Championship Series. Brian Wilson got Ryan Howard looking for strike three on a full count with two outs and runners at first and second. As FOX announcer Joe Buck said, that was about as intense as a baseball game could be. You have one of the best closers in the game throwing to one of the best hitters in the game with the winning run on base, two outs and a full count with a trip to the World Series on the line. I'm just glad that Wilson came through and sent the Giants to the Fall Classic. I don't think it's totally sunk in yet, but it's just an amazing feeling.

Juan Uribe hit the game-winning home run with a solo shot off Ryan Madson in the 8th inning to give the Giants a 3-2 lead. Uribe has had a good year with the power numbers and it makes me happy to see him come through. That home run will be long remembered among Giants fans. Good, good stuff.

Jonathan Sanchez struggled in this one, giving up 2 runs in the first inning and couldn't find the strike zone. Sanchez hit Chase Utley with a pitch in the third inning and Utley tossed the ball back to him under-handed. Sanchez took exception to this and the benches cleared. It was kind of fun to see the benches clear (there wasn't a fight) and to see guys on both sides show so much emotion for their teams. That proved to be the last hitter that Sanchez faced as he left with two runners on and nobody out. Jeremy Affeldt got out of that inning unscathed and threw two innings in total. Madison Bumgarner pitched two scoreless innings as well. Javier Lopez threw an inning of his own (he's been simply great for the Giants this season) and Tim Lincecum even came in in relief and recorded an out. Lincecum allowed a couple of runners to get on in the eighth and Brian Wilson came in and got out of that and then finished the save in the ninth. The bullpen threw seven scoreless innings in total -- simply awesome in a playoff game.

Cody Ross was named NLCS MVP and to me this was really an obvious choice. He was the Giants' most productive player, particularly on offense, for the entire series. I'm happy for him. I'd say that's a pretty good for a guy the Florida Marlins simply gave away on a waiver claim this year.

The World Series gets under way on Wednesday at 5:57 p.m. MT on FOX. It will be the Texas Rangers at the San Francisco Giants for Game 1 at AT&T Park. Game 2 is set for the same time on Thursday night. I'm excited the Giants have home field advantage. This should be awesome. Go Giants!

Rangers win ALCS; Giants-Phillies Game 6 upcoming

The Texas Rangers defeated the New York Yankees 6-1 tonight to win the ALCS 4 games to 2. The clinched in front of a rabid home crowd to earn their first pennant and World Series berth in team history. Colby Lewis was really good for 8 innings of pitching and Vladimir Guerrero and Nelson Cruz both had big hits in a key 4-run fifth inning for the Rangers. Josh Hamilton took home the ALCS MVP award after a really good series. The Yankees walked him intentionally three different times tonight. The Rangers' lineup is flat out dangerous and their starting pitching has looked quite good as well. The bullpen has been a little shaky, but they did get a great outing from Derek Holland in Game 4 and Neftali Feliz has been dynamic as the closer. They will be a tough out for whoever plays them in what I think will be a long World Series.

I'm really, really happy that the Yankees have lost and won't win the World Series this year. As I've said before, to me they represent everything is wrong with baseball. They have an exorbitant payroll that reaches far beyond even what other large market teams are capable of and are basically poachers of players that other teams have developed. It's infuriating. They think they can just get whoever they want and essentially buy championships. So I was very happy to see all the shots of the Yankees and their long faces late in the game as the inevitability of losing this game sunk in on them. Good stuff.

The San Francisco Giants take on the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6 of the NLCS Saturday night in Philadelphia at 5:57 p.m. MT on FOX. The Giants lead the series 3 games to 2.The Giants start Jonathan Sanchez and the Phillies go with Roy Oswalt. Despite the loss at home in Game 5, I still think the Giants have a really good chance to take home the pennant. Sanchez is a really confident pitcher and has had really good stuff and control lately. The offense has been able to scratch across a few runs and even scored the game-winner against Oswalt when he came on in relief during Game 4. If I had to pick I would say the Giants win this game and move on to the World Series. I hope I am right, I think it will be a good, close game. Go Giants!

Giants drop Game 5, series goes back to Philly

The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the San Francisco Giants 4-2 tonight in Game 5 of the NLCS. The Giants still lead the series 3 games to 2. Game 6 is Saturday in Philadelphia with the start time yet to be determined (it depends on the outcome of Game 6 of the ALCS tomorrow night). Roy Halladay had a strained groin and seemed to be in trouble every inning for the Phillies but he gutted out six innings and had just enough to earn the win. The Phillies did most of their offensive damage in the 3rd inning, scoring three runs off Giants ace Tim Lincecum who suffered his first postseason defeat.

The Giants' defense let them down in the 3rd inning as Pablo Sandoval missed third base on a bunt attempt by Halladay that would have resulted in a double play and Aubrey Huff misplayed a groundball that ricocheted into center field and allowed two runs to score. The offense had some chances in the first inning as well but Phillies first baseman was able to snare a ball that Huff hit right on the screws for an out. If not for that play, the inning could have been a lot bigger than it was with the one early run the Giants did get. It's bad luck on that play, but part of baseball at the same time.

I thought Halladay showed a lot of heart tonight. It was clear he didn't have his best stuff, but he still only gave up two runs in six innings which to me shows a lot of character. And to find out after the game that he strained his groin in the second inning only makes his performance more impressive.

Cody Ross continues to be the frontrunner for NLCS MVP as he doubled in another run to push his RBI total to 5 for the series. He just seems to keep coming up with big hits in big situations. Let's hope he continues to swing a hot bat in Philadelphia.

I'm still optimistic about the Giants. They have already won in Philadelphia in the series and have Jonathan Sanchez and Matt Cain to pitch Games 6 and 7 against Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. Hopefully Game 7 isn't necessary, but it's nice to know that Saturday isn't an elimination game. I can hardly wait to see what happens. Game time should be just before 6 p.m. MT if the Rangers close out the Yankees tomorrow and just before 2 p.m. MT if the hated Yanks force a Game 7 in Texas for Saturday night. Speaking of the ALCS, it resumes tomorrow night. Here's the details:

Game 6 -- New York Yankees (Hughes) at Texas Rangers (Lewis), 6:07 p.m. MT (TBS, Rangers lead series 3-2)

And in another sports note, did anyone else notice what kind of beat down #1 Oregon (7-0, 4-0 Pac-10) put on UCLA (3-4, 1-3 Pac-10) tonight? The final score in Autzen was 60-13. The Ducks look really good and really fast. They are going to be tough to beat. I'm not a big Oregon fan per se, but their team sure is fun to watch play.

Giants win Game 4

Just a quick post tonight, but I have to say I am really excited about the Giants beating the Phillies 6-5 to go up 3 games to 1 in the series. Game 5 is tomorrow in San Francisco at 5:57 p.m. MT on FOX. I'll be watching. You should be too. Juan Uribe hit a walk-off sacrifice fly tonight. Resiliency is the word that comes to mind when describing tonight's win and that's not the first time this year I've used that word. Great win, the Giants should shoot for closing it out tomorrow night. They seem like a really tight-knit group that keeps grinding it out. It's been a fun year. Let's hope it gets even more fun. Go Giants!

Cain is able and Ross comes through again for Giants in Game 3

Pictured: Cody Ross once again comes through, this time with an RBI single in the 4th inning.

The San Francisco Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies 3-0 this afternoon in Game 3 of the NLCS to take a 2-1 series lead. Game 4 is set for tomorrow night at 5:57 p.m. MT on FOX. Matt Cain threw seven shutout innings and outdueled Cole Hamels to earn his first career postseason win. Can't say enough about Cain, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said that Cain seemed to get even tougher when he got in more pressurized situations. The rest of the country is starting to see what we've seen for a couple of years now: the Giants have some big time pitching. Javier Lopez pitched a perfect 8th -- I still don't think he gets all the recognition he deserves as he's been absolutely lights out lately. Brian Wilson threw a scoreless 9th to earn the save.

Cody Ross once again came through, this time with a two out RBI single in the 4th inning off Hamels to enable the Giants to draw first blood. He's really dialed in right now -- after the game both Ross and Hamels said they felt it was a pitcher's pitch which makes it even more impressive that he was able to pull it to left field and give the Giants the lead. Aubrey Huff followed with an RBI single of his own and Freddy Sanchez added an RBI single an inning later.

The Giants are in pretty good shape but it's important for them to keep riding this momentum into tomorrow night's game. A win tomorrow night will put them in great shape for a prospective National League pennant.

The Texas Rangers beat the New York Yankees tonight 10-3 to take a commanding 3-1 series lead in the ALCS. The big blow was a three run home run from Bengie Molina to make it 5-3 in the 6th and the Rangers kept adding on after that. Reliever Derek Holland was as big a hero as anyone, throwing 3 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball to hold down the fort. He appropriately earned the win. The Rangers have a chance to clinch tomorrow. That sure would be cool.

Here's the details for tomorrow's games:

Game 5 -- Texas Rangers (Wilson) at New York Yankees (Sabathia), 2:07 p.m. MT (TBS, Rangers lead series 3-1)
Game 4 -- Philadelphia Phillies (Blanton) at San Francisco Giants (Bumgarner), 5:57 p.m. MT (FOX, Giants lead series 2-1)

Cliff Lee dominant; Giants-Phils resume play tomorrow

The Texas Rangers beat the New York Yankees 8-0 tonight at Yankee Stadium to take a 2 games to 1 lead in the ALCS. Cliff Lee was masterful through eight scoreless innings and the Rangers rocked the Yankees bullpen with six runs in the 9th. Josh Hamilton hit a two run home run in the first and that was all Lee needed. This was a big win for the Rangers who took home field back and will try and extend their series lead tomorrow evening.

The San Francisco Giants host the Philadelphia Phillies tomorrow afternoon at AT&T Park in Game 3 of the NLCS. Hopefully they come out on top. Just a short post tonight as I am busy. Go Giants! Here are the start times for tomorrow's games:

Game 3 -- Philadelphia Phillies (Hamels) at San Francisco Giants (Cain), 2:19 p.m. MT (FOX, Series tied 1-1)
Game 4 -- Texas Rangers (Hunter) at New York Yankees (Burnett), 6:07 p.m. MT (TBS, Rangers lead series 2-1)

Phillies even NLCS at 1-1

The San Francisco Giants lost Game 2 of the NLCS last night to the Philadelphia Phillies by a score of 6-1. Roy Oswalt was dominant through eight innings, allowing only one run on a homer by -- who else -- Cody Ross. Jonathan Sanchez was pretty solid for the most part, he did walk three in the first inning but the third walk was granted on a missed call. The Phils were able to get a run when Oswalt ignored a stop sign from his third base coach and Aubrey Huff cut off an on target throw from center fielder Andres Torres that likely would have had Oswalt out by at least ten feet. Huff said he saw the stop sign and his instincts were to cut the ball off. It was a tough play, but the Giants still likely would have lost the game anyway.

After an intentional walk to Jayson Werth in the 7th, Jimmy Rollins hit a bases clearing double to bust the game open and make it 6-1. Even with Rollins struggling lately, he's not the guy you want up there in that situation if you're the Giants. J-Roll loves the big stage and has a knack for coming through in the clutch -- it's what he does. I wasn't surprised to see the big hit there that just missed being a grand slam.

Cody Ross hit his 3rd home run of the series in just two games. He is really dialed in right now and I hope he stays that way when the series shifts to northern California.

You can't understate what a big performance this was from Oswalt to even the series at 1-1 heading back to San Francisco. He was dynamic and seemed determined to get the win. Game 3 is tomorrow afternoon at 2:19 p.m. MT on FOX. The ALCS resumes tonight with it being imperative for the Rangers to get a win with their ace Cliff Lee on the mound. Here's the details:

Game 3 -- Texas Rangers (Lee) at New York Yankees (Pettite), 6:07 p.m. MT (TBS, Series tied 1-1)

Giants take Game 1 of NLCS

At left: Cody Ross celebrates after one of his two home runs Saturday night in Philadelphia.

The San Francisco Giants defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 Saturday night in Game 1 of the NLCS from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Cody Ross was the big star, clubbing two home runs off Phillies ace Roy Halladay, who had thrown a no-hitter in his previous start. Tim Lincecum went 7 solid innings, yielding 3 earned runs. Javier Lopez retired two hitters in the 8th and Brian Wilson earned a four out save. Halladay allowed 4 earned runs in his outing. Pat Burrell had an RBI double and Juan Uribe an RBI single in the top of the 6th to push the Giants' lead to 4-1. The Phillies countered with a two run homer from Jayson Werth to trim the lead to 4-3 but would get no closer.

The big thing about the first Ross home run was that Halladay had not allowed a hit to that point and the game was in the third inning. I think that hit and that run that gave the Giants the 1-0 lead really helped loosen everyone up. Ross has been huge lately and it's pretty to cool to see from a guy whose acquisition seemed to be almost an afterthought in the minds of Giants fans. Even when Carlos Ruiz tied the game up on a homer, the Giants did not lose their cool and recaptured the lead behind Ross' second long ball. It was interesting to see on the replays on Baseball Tonight that Ross' stroke looked pretty much exactly the same on both of his homers on pitches that were in almost the exact location. That's some good consistency.

The Giants showed resiliency tonight and did not fold in front of a rabid, sell-out crowd and the two-time defending National League Champions. I thought the bullpen did a tremendous job. Brian Wilson has been great, but so has Javier Lopez ever since the Giants acquired him from the Pirates. Lopez has been extremely tough on left-handed hitters and that trend continued tonight when he retired Chase Utley and Ryan Howard in succession in the top of the 8th.

It's nice to take the opener in Philadelphia and have the lead now not to mention having the assurance of going back to the bay area with no worse than a split. A win tomorrow night, however, would be pretty sweet.

In the ALCS today, the Texas Rangers bounced back in a big way from last night in defeating the New York Yankees 7-2 to even that series at 1-1. The Rangers' bats were once again hot and they were able to jump out to a big lead. The difference today was that the bullpen was able to hold the lead, throwing 3 1/3 innings of scoreless, one-hit baseball. The win was the first home win in Texas Rangers playoff history so it's good to get that out of the way. One cool play in the game came in the first inning when Elvis Andrus stole home on a double steal play to put the Rangers up 1-0 and help give them some momentum. Cliff Lee pitches for the Rangers in Game 3 on Monday night in the Bronx in a very pivotal game in the series.

Here's the stuff for the game tomorrow night:

Game 2 -- San Francisco Giants (Sanchez) at Philadelphia Phillies (Oswalt), 6:19 p.m. MT (FOX, Giants lead series 1-0)

Utes drop Pokes 30-6

The 11th-ranked Utah Utes (6-0, 3-0 MWC) football team defeated the Wyoming Cowboys 30-6 (2-5, 0-3 MWC) Saturday afternoon in Laramie. The Utes put this one away in the 2nd quarter and led 23-0 at halftime. Matt Asiata looked sharper than he has all year and he may be more fully recovering from his torn ACL he suffered last year. Eddie Wide didn't get a lot of touches early but had an effective game. Jordan Wynn was pretty good and had a nifty 45 yard touchdown pass in the first quarter on a flea flicker to a wide open Luke Matthews. I thought there was room for improvement for the Utes but the important thing is to get the 'W' and climb in the polls. The Pokes are not a very good team so a win like this was expected, the only real question was how large the margin would be. Utah faces Colorado State (2-5, 1-2 MWC) next Saturday at 4 p.m. MT at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.

Rangers cough up lead and lose Game 1

The Texas Rangers lost Game 1 of the American League Championship Series to the New York Yankees tonight by a score of 6-5 in Arlington, TX. The loss was especially brutal because the Rangers held a 5-0 lead through six innings of play and a 5-1 lead entering the 8th. Ah, but the 8th was a brutal inning where the Rangers bullpen imploded and allowed the Yankees to take the lead before even recording an out. One of the big killers was Darren Oliver coming in from the bullpen and walking two hitters. You can't give away free bases in these kind of games. Of course I shouldn't single out Oliver because pretty much anyone that came in from the bullpen didn't get the job done in that inning. Marcus Thames got the big hit that put the Yankees ahead for the first time but there were many contributors.

The whole thing just disgusts me. The Rangers had the Yankees' ace, CC Sabathia, on the ropes and couldn't win. You can't afford to have that happen. Now all the momentum is with the Yankees. Hopefully the Rangers can bounce back tomorrow and even the series up. They can't dwell on this loss too much. Here's the LCS Schedule for tomorrow:

Game 2 -- New York Yankees (Hughes) at Texas Rangers (Lewis), 2:07 p.m. MT (TBS, Yankees lead series 1-0)
Game 1 -- San Francisco Giants (Lincecum) at Philadelphia Phillies (Halladay), 5:57 p.m. MT

It's no secret. I'm very much looking forward to the Giants game tomorrow night and it can't get here soon enough. Go Giants!

Utes look ahead to Pokes after blowing away Cyclones

The 10th-ranked Utah Utes (5-0, 2-0 MWC) demolished the Iowa State Cyclones (3-3, 1-1 Big 12) last Saturday night in Ames, Iowa, winning by a score of 68-27. The Utes looked like the superior team in all phases of the game and after trailing following the first quarter really put their foot to the gas pedal and never looked back. Jordan Wynn looked solid in his first road start of the year and well the offense as a whole looked good. Shaky Smithson had a nifty long punt return as well as a touchdown pass on a trick play. He was doing everything for the Utes and looks like a really good player. In fact he had more yards than the entire Iowa State team in the first half.

The Utes, who somehow dropped a spot in the AP Poll and are now ranked 11th, next visit the Wyoming Cowboys (2-4, 0-2 MWC) tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m. The game will be televised on the Mtn. As long as the Utes don't look past this game it really shouldn't be much of a challenge. The Pokes have not looked very good this year and really looked bad in getting blown out 51-6 on their home field by third-ranked Boise State (5-0, 1-0 WAC) on their home field earlier this year. The Utes shouldn't be in much trouble on this one.

I'll be following the game and have some tweets during it (follow me at twitter.com/dpaysports) but my main focus tomorrow will be on Game 1 of the NLCS between the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies (see immediately below for previews of both LCS) that starts at 5:57 p.m. MT on FOX. My hope is that the Utes will have a big enough lead to where I won't feel too guilty about changing the channel and checking out the Giants. I'll be featuring tweets of the baseball game too. I will also be blogging about both games after the fact.

League Championsip Series preview

The American League Championship Series gets under way tonight at 6:07 p.m. MT with the New York Yankees at the Texas Rangers. The Yankees start CC Sabathia and the Rangers counter with C.J. Wilson who was very solid in his Game 2 start against the Rays in the Division Series. The Yankees looked like a buzzsaw in sweeping the Twins in the first round and appear to have a lot of momentum plus a bona fide ace starting in Game 1. I hate the Yankees more than any other team in sports but I think they just have too much for the Rangers to handle and will win the series in five games.

It hurts the Rangers' cause that Cliff Lee likely won't be able to start until Game 3 of the series because he pitched on Tuesday night in the deciding Game 5 of the Division Series against Tampa Bay. Lee's performance in the Rangers' win has further solidified him as a big game pitcher who knows how to win in October. Curt Schilling, now an analyst for Baseball Tonight, said he feels a big key in this series for the Rangers will be to get Lee two starts. I agree as I feel the Rangers will have the edge when Lee takes the ball. They need to find a way to win a couple of other games, though. Tonight is a big game because whoever wins will be in the driver's seat for the series. If the Yankees win they will have stolen away home field advantage after the first game and if the Rangers win they will go back to New York with no worse than a split and their ace Lee lined up to pitch in Game 3. The stakes are high tonight and I'm excited to watch.

The National League Championship Series gets under way tomorrow night at 5:57 p.m. MT on FOX with the San Francisco Giants at the Philadelphia Phillies. Game 1's pitching matchup could be one for the ages as the Giants go with Tim Lincecum and the Phillies with Roy Halladay. I'm really excited to watch that one. Halladay of course threw a no-hitter in his most recent (and first career) postseason start while Lincecum threw a complete game shutout in his NLDS start against the Braves and yielded only two hits while striking out 14 batters. Both teams have solid pitching, especially when you look at their first three starters. The Phillies go with Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. The Giants go with Lincecum, Jonathan Sanchez and Matt Cain. The Phillies' offense is more potent than San Francisco's and while the front line starting pitchers are similar (I may give the Phillies a very slight edge in this department) but I believe the Giants' bullpen is more formidable. This should make for a very exciting series and I for one can't wait for it to get under way. As much as I would love for the Giants to win and am craving a world title for them, I think the Phillies take this series in six games.

Giants finish off Braves

Pictured: The San Francisco Giants celebrate their NLDS victory over the Atlanta Braves.

My San Francisco Giants beat the Atlanta Braves 3-2 tonight to win their best-of-five National League Division Series 3 games to 1. Cody Ross had a game tying home run in the sixth and then a game winning RBI single one inning later. The Giants once again proved they were resilient and even after falling behind on a couple of different occasions tonight, they fought back and got the win. I thought Ross was huge and I also thought rookie Madison Bumgarner pitched well for us. Brian Wilson walked a couple of guys in the 9th but still nailed down the save and the series.

This is some really cool stuff; this resilient bunch of guys are going to the NLCS, somewhere they haven't been since 2002. For now never mind that it's against the Philadelphia Phillies who have won the last two National League pennants. It's just time to savor the goodness of victory. It's been a great year and hopefully there is some more greatness left in it. The NLCS gets under way on Saturday from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

It was managerial legend Bobby Cox's last game ever and it was sad in a way for a legend and a classy guy to go out. I'm not sad enough to where I won't take the win, but it was just sad to see Cox go. He will be missed.

The big, winner take all Game 5 of the Rays-Rangers series tomorrow pitting starters David Price of Tampa Bay and Cliff Lee of Texas gets under way at 6 p.m. MT on TBS. I highly recommend checking it out.

And now to commemorate this occasion of the Giants moving on, I'm going to listen to the song "Winner" by Jamie Foxx featuring Justin Timberlake and T.I. Because, after all, you know you're looking at a winner.

Giants win dramatic Game 3

Pictured: Freddy Sanchez shows his excitement after scoring what proved to be the winning run Sunday.

The San Francisco Giants were one strike away from losing Game 3 of the National League Division Series to the Atlanta Braves and Freddy Sanchez was up against it with an 0-2 count. However, Sanchez battled and got a single (Travis Ishikawa had walked and moved to 2nd base on the play). Aubrey Huff then followed with an RBI single to make it 2-2 in the 9th. Talk about a clutch hit. Buster Posey then hit a ground ball that got through 2nd baseman Brooks Conrad, who made his 3rd error of the game, and allowed Sanchez to score the go-ahead run. I feel for Conrad, that must be a horrible thing to go through, but I'm still really glad that the Giants won. This all came after Eric Hinske hit a pinch-hit, two run home run to give the Braves a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the 8th.

Anytime a game is 1-0 into the 8th inning and that run was scored all the way back in the 2nd, it makes for a dramatic game. This game was even more dramatic than you would think -- especially considering it was a playoff game. When Hinske hit the home run, all my mojo and excitement were crushed. It looked like the Braves were in great position to win the game and they had over 50,000 euphoric fans behind them to help them. And then you get to two outs, a guy on first and an 0-2 count with the entire stadium rocking and on their feet it just doesn't look good. Sanchez looked bad swinging at the first two pitches to fall behind but he hung in there and got a clutch single. Huff's hit was the biggest of his career and could really be the turning point in the series. I couldn't be happier for Huff, who has toiled for almost a decade on some really bad teams, and was able to come up with a huge hit in his first trip to the playoffs. Fortunately, Brian Wilson was able to shut the door with a relatively quiet bottom of the 9th to earn his first career postseason save and preserve the 3-2 win. The Giants lead the series two games to one now. Game 4 is tomorrow night in Atlanta.

I can't say enough about how resilient the Giants have been. That's been the story all year and I know these guys don't have any quit in them. What an exciting game and it's even better because my team came away with the win.

In the other National League game tonight, the Phillies defeated the Reds 2-0 in Cincinnati behind a complete game shutout from Cole Hamels. This win meant a series sweep for the Phillies and a berth in the National League Championship Series. When you consider that Hamels is considered Philadelphia's number 3 starter and he just threw a shutout at one of the most hitter friendly ballparks in all of baseball against one of baseball's best offenses it really shows how deep the Phils rotation is. They are going to be a tough out for sure. I like the Phillies a lot but I do feel bad for the Reds who were in the playoffs for the first time in 15 years and didn't even get one win. They did have a pretty magical year, though, and managed to exceed just about everyone's (including mine) expectations. Hats off to the Reds.

In the American League, the Yankees wrapped up a 3 game sweep of the Twins with a 5-1 win in New York last night. The Twins appeared overmatched in Game 3 and to be honest didn't really look the same after they coughed up the 3-0 lead they had in Game 1. The Yankees look like they are going to be tough, but hopefully somebody can beat them.

It's interesting how momentum can change quickly in the playoffs -- especially in a short series. As recently as the end of the 7th inning Saturday in Arlington, the Rangers had all the momentum. They were at home in front of a raucous crowd for Game 3 and had just taken a 2-1 lead in the game. They led the series 2-0 and were six outs away from a sweep and from winning their first ever playoff series. The Rays looked dead in the water and looked like they couldn't score. But then the Rays' bats came alive for 2 in the 8th and 3 in the 9th en route to a 6-3 victory. And then the Rays go back out and win today 5-2 to even the series at 2 and force a deciding Game 5 back in Tampa Bay on Tuesday night. Who knows what will happen, the road team has won every game in that series.

Here's the schedule for the lone game tomorrow:

Game 4 -- San Francisco Giants (Bumgarner) at Atlanta Braves (Lowe), 5:30 p.m. MT (TBS, Giants lead series 2-1)

Utes visit Iowa State tonight

The 10th ranked University of Utah Utes (4-0, 2-0 MWC) visit Iowa State (3-2, 1-1 Big 12) at 5 p.m. MT. The game will be televised on Fox College Sports, available tonight on channel 623 on DirecTV and on expanded Comcast in the Salt Lake area although I am not sure what channel. The Utes face their first real road test because as one of my friends said a good high school team could probably give New Mexico a good game this year.

Under Kyle Whittingham the Utes have traditionally done well with more than one week to prepare and that's what they have now following their 56-3 trouncing of San Jose State two weeks ago. I expect the Utes to be hungry and ready to go tonight, but I don't think it will be all that easy of a game. It's a long trip to Ames, Iowa and the Cyclones will have their sights set on a knocking off a top 10 team.

Iowa State is led by senior quarterback Austin Arnaud who from what I have read can run and throw the ball so the Utes will have to watch out for that. The Cyclones' running game was solid last week also as they had a pair of running backs go over the century mark in Alexander Robinson and Shontrelle Johnson. Of course I do think Utah's defense is more formidable than that of Texas Tech but the Utes still have to be wary of the Cylcones.

I'll take the Utes in a close one on the road. You can follow me on Twitter during the game for updates at twitter.com/dpaysports. I'll be back to blog after the game as well. Go Utes!

Ankiel homer sinks Giants in Game 2

The Atlanta Braves defeated the San Francisco Giants 5-4 in 11 innings last night at AT&T Park. Rick Ankiel hit a mammoth home run off reliever Ramon Ramirez into McCovey Cove in the top of the 11th that was the difference in the game. The Giants struck first on a three run home run by Pat Burrell in the 1st and a Matt Cain RBI single in the 2nd to make it 4-0. Cain was superb in 6 2/3 innings, allowing just one unearned run.

The 8th inning, though, is where things fell apart for the Giants. With a 4-1 lead going into the inning, the Giants called on Sergio Romo who promptly gave up back-to-back hits to start the inning. After this development, manager Bruce Bochy called on Brian Wilson for a six out save. Melky Cabrera reached on an error and a run scored putting the score at 4-2 with runners on 1st and 2nd. Following a sacrifice bunt, Alex Gonzalez doubled in the runners from 2nd and 3rd to tie the game at 4.

The Giants had a chance to win it in the bottom of the 10th as they had the bases loaded with one out. However, Buster Posey grounded into a 5-4-3 double play to end the threat. I honestly thought Braves 3rd baseman Troy Glaus was going to throw it home to be sure the winning run scored, but he sent it around the horn instead. The throw to second required a bit of a stretch, but Omar Infante did a great job in making the turn. It was a really solid play and the risk proved to be worth it for the Braves.

The bottom line is that the bullpen did not come through for the Giants and that is what matters. I thought Wilson pitched well and he only gave up the one hit to Gonzalez and the runs that scored in the inning were Romo's plus Cabrera who reached on the Pablo Sandoval error. Wilson looked dominant in a shut down 9th so I don't buy the argument that some people are making that Bochy brought him in too soon. The offense had a good start but didn't do much of anything after that and once again was not able to score on the Braves bullpen.

One development to watch is that Braves closer Billy Wagner had to come out of the game in the bottom of the 10th with an oblique injury and manager Bobby Cox has ruled him out for the remainder of the series. So as unfortunate as the injury is, it could prove beneficial as the Giants face the Braves bullpen at the end of games.

The series is tied 1-1 with Game 3 set for tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. MT on TBS. In the other game yesterday, the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Cincinnati Reds 7-4 to take a 2 games to none lead in their best-of-five series. I didn't watch a whole lot of this game, but from what I gather the Reds defense really let them down and helped provide the Phils with a lot of their runs following the Reds taking an early 4-0 lead. Another thing to remember is that the Phillies don't quit so it's not extremely surprising that they were able to come back to win the game.

Here's the schedule for today's playoff games:

Game 3 -- Tampa Bay Rays (Garza) at Texas Rangers (Lewis), 3 p.m. MT (TBS, Rangers lead series 2-0)
Game 3 -- Minnesota Twins (Duensing) at New York Yankees (Hughes), 6:30 p.m. MT (TBS, Yankees lead series 2-0)

Lincecum dominates Braves in Game 1

At left: Giants ace Tim Lincecum delivers a pitch during his complete game shutout against the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS.

Tim Lincecum threw a complete game shutout in leading the San Francisco Giants to a 1-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves tonight in San Francisco. Lincecum was dealing all night, allowing only two hits and one walk in going the distance. Lincecum also set a franchise playoff record with 14 strikeouts in his first ever postseason start. "The Franchise" was outstanding and seemed in control all night. I was happy to see that manager Bruce Bochy let him go all nine innings. The Giants lead the best-of-five series 1 game to none.

Man it was fun to watch tonight. It had been a long time since my favorite team was in the playoffs and to see the festive atmosphere at AT&T Park was just awesome. The fans love it and as a fan, so do I. The Giants got their only run in the 4th inning and benefited from a couple of breaks that went their way. Buster Posey appeared to be out in stealing second base in the inning but was ruled safe on a close play (Posey commented after the game that it's a good thing they don't use instant replay yet). After an intentional walk to Pablo Sandoval, Cody Ross hit a two out single to drive in Posey from second. The ball got under the glove of Braves third baseman Omar Infante and went into left field which allowed for the run to score. The Giants took advantage of the breaks and were able to win the game.

In games earlier in the day, the Texas Rangers hammered the Tampa Bay Rays 6-0 at Tropicana Field and the New York Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins 5-2. I only caught part of each of those games, but I caught the turning point of the Rangers-Rays game. In the fifth inning and the Rangers holding a 2-0 lead, Texas 3B Michael Young was at the plate against Rays pitcher Chad Qualls with two runners on and one out. On a 2-2 pitch, Young attempted to check his swing, but even in live action appeared to clearly go around on the swing. However, on the appeal to the first base umpire it was ruled that Young did not swing which made the count 3-2. The Rays bench was incensed immediately and became even more so when on the next pitch, Young crushed a 3 run home run to make the score 5-0. Rays manager Joe Maddon went out to argue and was ejected in short order. I don't blame Maddon as that missed call changed the entire complexion of the game. Yes I know the Rangers were already ahead, but there is a huge difference between a 2-0 and a 5-0 game. Who knows, there is a good chance the Rangers would have won anyway as the Rays have had a lot of trouble scoring, but there definitely was a lot more pressure on Tampa Bay after that.

There was a similar situation in the Twins-Yankees game as Lance Berkman was not rung up on a pitch that could have been called strike three and subsequently hit an RBI double. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire was ejected for arguing that one. The Yankees just disgust me on so many levels, but they do play some good baseball. I don't want to dwell too much more on them right now.

So looking back, all 3 games had tough calls. I would say the team with the biggest gripe was the Rays, with the Twins and Braves having lesser gripes. The calls against the Twins and Braves were at least reasonably close and could be construed as questionable (the umpire appeared to have a tough angle on Posey's steal of second, although replays clearly showed he was out) even if it appears that the calls were missed. The call against the Rays, though, in my book was blatantly missed and when you add to the fact that a 3 run home run was hit on the next pitch, well that's a tough one to swallow. But I'm sure the Rangers, Yankees and Giants are all taking them. I know I'm not putting an asterisk by the Giants win tonight. The fact is umpires are human and miss calls for better or worse and teams sometimes have to overcome them. However, some calls are so bad that there isn't an excuse for missing them and I feel the non-call on Young's checked swing was one of them. But the Rays can't dwell too much on that as they have to focus on their next game on Saturday. It's in the past now and the Rays certainly didn't take advantage of opportunities they had to win. Part of the game is playing the cards you are dealt even if it doesn't seem fair.

Here's the schedule for the playoffs tomorrow:

Game 2 -- Cincinnati Reds (Arroyo) at Philadelphia Phillies (Oswalt), 4 p.m. MT (TBS, Phillies lead series 1-0)
Game 2 -- Atlanta Braves (Hanson) at San Francisco Giants (Cain), 7:30 p.m. MT (TBS, Giants lead series 1-0)

One more thought on the action today: Don't get me wrong as I still believe the Rangers, Yankees and Giants all played well enough to win and their victories should not be viewed as tainted. I'm excited for Game 2 from AT&T Park tomorrow night. It should be another electric atmosphere and be a lot of fun to watch. Go Giants!

Roy Halladay throws no-hitter!

At left: Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay embraces catcher Carlos Ruiz following his historic no-hitter against the Reds.

What a first day of the postseason! Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Halladay stole the show on opening night of the playoffs by tossing just the second no-hitter in postseason history! Halladay was dominant all day long and showed why he is the consensus pick to win the National League Cy Young Award. Fortunately I was able to get home from work in time to see the last two innings of the game and to soak in the incredible atmosphere.

I remember growing up just hearing about Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series was the only no-hitter ever thrown in playoff history. That really puts this one in perspective. It is incredibly hard to throw a no-hitter in the regular season and in the playoffs it is just that much more difficult as there are only quality teams remaining.

Halladay has had a long career and until this year played for the Blue Jays and had never pitched in a playoff game. What a way to make an impression in his first ever playoff game. I can still hardly believe it happened. His stuff was, obviously, dominant. I can't think of a pitcher I would rather start a team with than Halladay. I thought it was really cool that it was a home game for the Phillies -- that really added to the atmosphere that much more, the fans were really pulling for it. Halladay said something in a post-game interview to the effect that to describe the atmosphere as electric wouldn't even do it justice.

Oh and the Phillies won the game 4-0. I think they are the team to beat this year with their pitching and their deep lineup. Here are the scores from Wednesday's Division Series Game 1s:

Texas Rangers 5, Tampa Bay Rays 1 (Rangers lead series 1-0)
Philadelphia Phillies 4, Cincinnati Reds 0 (Phillies lead series 1-0)
New York Yankees 6, Minnesota Twins 4 (Yankees lead series 1-0)

The Rays and Twins are both in a bit of a hole after losing Game 1 on their home field and will have to look at their Game 2s tomorrow as must-wins. I still like the Rays in that series against the Rangers as I think they have the deeper team. Cliff Lee was pretty darn good for the Rangers today, though. As for the Yankees, yuck, I just hope the Twins beat them. I think they can at the very least give them a competitive series, but winning tomorrow is paramount. Here's the schedule for Thursday:

Game 2 -- Texas Rangers (Wilson) at Tampa Bay Rays (Shields), 12:30 p.m. MT (TBS, Rangers lead series 1-0)
Game 2 -- New York Yankees (Pettite) at Minnesota Twins (Pavano), 4 p.m. MT (TBS, Yankees lead series 1-0)
Game 1 -- Atlanta Braves (Lowe) at San Francisco Giants (Lincecum), 7:30 p.m. MT (TBS)

That last one there is the one I will be the most dialed into for sure. The Giants play their first postseason game in seven years at home with their ace on the mound. I'm predicting a very competitive series and the Giants winning in five games. Derek Lowe goes for the Braves and he has been pitching very well down the stretch. We'll see how it all plays out. I can't wait!

MLB Playoff predictions

Okay here are my picks for the first round best-of-five playoff series, with the teams with home field advantage listed first. Starting with the National League:

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Cincinnati Reds: I'll take the Phillies in 3. Their pitching and offense put together will be too much for the Reds to overcome in this series.

San Francisco Giants vs. Atlanta Braves: Giants in 5. Both teams feature good pitching and offenses that can do things so I think it will be a competitive, long series. In the end I'll take the Giants with home field and the opportunity to have Tim Lincecum pitch twice in the series.

And now the American League:

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Texas Rangers: Rays in 4. The Rays are a more complete ballclub and will benefit from having home field advantage. They have offense and pitching and seem to have the drive necessary to advance. Cliff Lee of the Rangers could make things interesting.

Minnesota Twins vs. New York Yankees: Yankees in 5. It hurts to type that but I think with CC Sabathia pitching twice and with this team knowing how to win in October I have to go with the Yankees. The Twins will make it a good series and having home field advantage will definitely make things interesting.

For the record I'll take the Phillies over the Giants in the NLCS and the Rays over the Yankees in the ALCS. This would go in accordance of my preseason prediction of a Phillies-Rays World Series. And as I did in the preseason I'll go with the Phillies to win it all.

Reviewing my preseason playoff picks really quickly as well:

NL East pick/winner: Phillies/Phillies
NL Central pick/winner: Cardinals/Reds
NL West pick/winner: Rockies/Giants
NL Wild Card pick/winner: Braves/Braves

AL East pick/winner: Rays/Rays
AL Central pick/winner: White Sox/Twins
AL West pick/winner: Angels/Rangers
AL Wild Card pick/winner: Yankees/Yankees

Here's a look at the playoff schedule as the playoffs get under way today with Game 1s (starting pitchers in parentheses):

Texas Rangers (Price) at Tampa Bay Rays (Price), 11:30 a.m. MT (TBS)
Cincinnati Reds (Volquez) at Philadelphia Phillies (Halladay), 3 p.m. MT (TBS)
New York Yankees (Sabathia) at Minnesota Twins (Liriano), 6:30 p.m. MT (TBS)

My MLB awards

And now it's the moment you've all been waiting for, it's time for my Major League Baseball season awards. Let's start with the National League:

MVP: Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds first baseman. Votto was in the top 3 in the National League in the 3 major offensive categories, hitting .324 with 37 home runs and 113 RBIs. The real clincher for me is that although Albert Pujols of the Cardinals had more home runs and RBIs (42 and 118), they weren't substantially more and Votto was able to lead his team to the playoffs.

Cy Young: Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies. Halladay was 21-10 for the Phils with a 2.44 ERA and was everything they would have expected him to be as their staff ace when they brought him in before the season. He really did anchor the Phillies staff and though his ERA wasn't the top in the league (2.30 from Florida's Josh Johnson) it was close enough where it can still be argued that he was the most formidable pitcher.

Rookie of the Year: Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants catcher. Posey hit .305 with 18 home runs and 67 RBIs for the Giants this year. The argument against him and for the Braves' Jason Heyward is that Heyward played the whole season for the Braves whereas Posey played about 4 months for the Giants. My counterargument is that Posey managed to hit as many home runs as Heyward and had only 5 fewer RBIs while having a significantly higher batting average. Plus Posey played catcher for one of the best pitching staffs in baseball and by all accounts has done a great job. People don't always give catchers the credit they deserve for helping teams win. I watched the Giants all year and there is no way they would be in the playoffs without him. I get that Heyward had a big year and contributed to the Braves (I do really enjoy watching him play as well) but Posey had more of an impact on the Giants and a better year overall.

Manager of the Year: Dusty Baker, Cincinnati Reds. The Reds hadn't been to the playoffs since the late 90s and Baker led them there behind a surprising pitching staff as well as a potent offense. Nobody, myself included, expected much from the Reds this year, but Baker kept them going even after everybody had written them off after a three game sweep at home in August against the Cardinals. He did a good job and has proven time and again that he knows how to manage and get the most out of his ballclub.

And now for my American League awards:

MVP: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers first baseman. Cabrera hit .328 with 38 home runs and led the league with 126 RBIs this year. He finished in the top 3 in the other two offensive categories. The two runner ups in my book are Josh Hamilton of the Rangers who hit .359 and had a great year and Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays who hit an incredible 54 home runs and had 124 RBIs himself. But Cabrera was near the top in all categories and his steady contributions are what gives him my vote.

Cy Young: Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners. I know, I know he was only 13-12. But he was on a horrible team and still put up outstanding numbers in other categories. He led the American League in ERA by a long shot with a mark of 2.27 and had 232 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.06. He clearly was the best pitcher not just in the American League but in all of baseball this year and that's why he deserves this award. I know there is a lot of momentum going for CC Sabathia of the Yankees who had 21 wins but he is nowhere close to Hernandez's ERA and isn't in the top 5 in the AL in that category. My runner up in fact would be David Price of the Rays who was 19-6 and third in the league in ERA at 2.72 while leading the Rays to the AL East title.

Rookie of the Year: Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers closer. Feliz had 40 saves in 43 chances while recording 71 strikeouts in 69.1 innings pitched and a WHIP of 0.88. He put up great numbers in a role that isn't always easy to fill and had some nasty stuff. He was a big reason the Rangers were able to win the American League West.

Manager of the Year: Ron Washington, Texas Rangers. He guided a team with little expectations to the playoffs and really got something out of a pitching staff that wasn't expected to do much.

Well, there you have it. Those are my picks. We'll see how the writers feel when the results come out next month following the playoffs.

Giants win the West!

At left: 3B Pablo Sandoval hugs CF Andres Torres (56) after the Giants defeated the Padres 3-0 to clinch the NL West.

The San Francisco Giants (92-70) topped the San Diego Padres (90-72) to win the National League West on Sunday afternoon. The offense was supplied by RBI hits by Freddy Sanchez and Aubrey Huff, both of which came on the heels of a triple from pitcher Jonathan Sanchez, as well as a home run by Buster Posey in the 8th inning. Jonathan Sanchez threw five strong, scoreless innings and the bullpen was able to close the door. Brian Wilson worked a 1-2-3 9th inning to record his franchise record tying 48th save of the year.

It was really awesome to watch the Giants clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2003. It's just an incredible feeling to watch your favorite team accomplish something that they have worked so hard for. It's a long season and to win the division on the final day is quite an accomplishment. That's another thing about baseball that I love: the regular season means so much. In no other sport do you see guys celebrating a playoff berth this way. Every year there are good teams (like the Padres this year) who don't make the playoffs which makes getting there all the more special. I like that the season has been watered down and that you have to be one of the top teams just to get to the playoffs, unlike in other sports where about half the teams make it, often with records hovering around the .500 mark.

With the win, the Padres were eliminated and the Atlanta Braves (91-71) won the Wild Card following their 8-7 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies (97-65) earlier in the day. The Giants and Braves meet for Game 1 of their best-of-five series on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. MT on TBS. I'm really excited to have my guys in the playoffs. It should be a fun ride. Go Giants!

Game 162

The San Francisco Giants (91-70) host the San Diego Padres (90-71) in the last scheduled game of the regular season today at 2:05 p.m. MT. For some reason, the game doesn't appear to be scheduled for national TV so you'll have to catch it on MLB Extra Innings or mlb.tv. Jonathan Sanchez starts for the Giants and Mat Latos goes for the Padres. The first place Giants have lost the first two games of the weekend series to the second place Padres, but can still clinch the National League West with a win today.

The Atlanta Braves (90-71) are currently tied with the Padres for the National League Wild Card. The Braves host the Philadelphia Phillies (97-64) today and currently lead 6-2 in the bottom of the 5th inning. The Phillies have already assured themselves of home field advantage throughout the playoffs, but have still beaten the Braves in the first two games of that series.

No matter what happens, the Giants cannot be eliminated from the playoffs today. If the Braves hold on to win and the Giants lose, then it would set up a couple of play in games for the Giants in which they would only have to win one. If all that comes into play, I will set the scene for you later. But I say, just win today and clinch the West and not have to worry about any of that.

I'm pretty nervous about the game today, it's the biggest one all year. I will say that the Giants have been resilient and I don't expect them to go down without a fight today. Sanchez and Latos are not particularly beloved in the respective opposing teams' clubhouses so the pitching match-up today should be a fun one. Go Giants!