Month: May 2018

The was a very good series as you would expect from 2 division winners. Visiting team wins the first 4 games as the Cardinals would come back strong to win games 3 and 4. In Game 5 Valenzuela pitches the game of the tournament a 1 hit 13 K performance to be followed by a 1 hitter by Hershiser. Dodgers win games 5 and 6 only allowing only 2 hits. Simply incredible. The Dodgers will face the winner of the Mets and Blue Jays semi-final in what should be an epic final. Game 1: Dodgers 3, Cardinals 1 Game 2: Dodgers 6, Cardinals 3 Game 3: Cardinals 8, Dodgers 3 Game 4: Cardinals 7, Dodgers 4 Game 5: Dodgers 2, Cardinals 0 Game 6: Dodgers 2, Cardinals 0

Masterful pitching performance by Valenzuela sets up a must win for the Cardinals as they send Danny Cox (18-9 2.88 Grade 15Z) vs Orel Hershiser (19-3 2.03 Grade 20YZG).   Pitchers come out as you would expect throwing up 0's for the first 3 innings. In the 4th the Dodgers would break through. Pedro Guerrero would triple down the right field line to score Mike Scioscia. It would remain 1-0 Dodgers until the 7th when the Dodgers would add another run courtesy of a 2 out RBI single by defensive replacement Bob Bailor.   Hershiser would take care of the rest as unbelievably he would only allow 1 hit a second inning double to Terry Pendleton. He would end up walking 4 men but back to back 1 hit shutouts…

Huge Game 5 with the visitor winning every game so far has a pitching matchup of Fernando Valenzuela (17-10 2.45 Grade 19XG) for the Dodgers against Joaquin Andujar (21-12 3.40 Grade 14Z) for the Cardinals.   The Dodgers having lost 2 in a row at home after winning both games in St. Louis get on the board first in Game 5. Ken Landreaux would double with 1 away in the 2nd and Steve Sax would come up and double him in for a 1-0 lead. After a infield single by Valenzuela to make it first and third, Mariano Duncan would hit a sac fly to right to score Sax.   This would be more than enough for Valenzuela who pitched the game of the tournament so far. Valenzuela would only…

The Cardinals looking to even the series send John Tudor (21-8 1.93 Grade 20YZG) to the mound opposite Bob Welch (14-4 2.31 Grade 14YZ).   Tudor and Welch match 0's until the 3rd when the Cardinals would get 3 runs off Welch. Ozzie Smith and Cesar Cedano would single ahead of Willie McGee's huge 3 run homer. The Cardinals would add 2 more in the 4th as Darrell Porter would double in 2 runs. The Dodgers would get a run back in the bottom half as Bill Madlock would finally get a big hit to score Mike Marshall. In the 6th the Dodgers would get 2 more off Tudor as Greg Brock would hang in against a Tudor sinker and knock it over the right field wall.   With the…

Dodgers take both in St. Louis and start veteran lefty Jerry Reuss (14-10 2.92 Grade 14Z) while the Cardinals turn to Bob Forsch (9-6 3.90 Grade 4Z).   The Cardinals do exactly what they need to do being down 2-0 in the series. They come out and get 5 runs. The Dodgers would help them with error from Steve Sax and Mariano Duncan. Terry Pendleton and Darrell Porter deliver big RBI hits. With the score 5-0 before they can even bat the Dodgers would get a run of their own as Greg Brock would single in Mike Marshall. The Cardinals would get that run back as well as another as Willie McGee would line a homer to left-center off Reuss.   The Dodgers would get a run in the 3rd…

Dodgers take home field advantage in Game 1 and send Orel Hershiser (19-3 2.03 Grade 20YZG) to the mound against big righty Danny Cox (18-9 Grade 15Z).   The Dodgers already ahead 1-0 in the series jump all over Danny Cox in the first sending 10 people to the plate and scoring 4 runs.  Big hits by Pedro Guerrero, Greg Brock, and Ken Landreaux driving in runs. Cardinals got lucky to not give up more as left the bases loaded. The Cardinals would scratch together a run in the second as Willie McGee would single in Ozzie Smith.   The score would remain 4-1 until the 7th as the Dodgers would get an insurance run courtesy of Mike Scioscia singling in Mariano Duncan. The Cardinals would get 2 off Hershiser…

This semifinal matchup between the #5 Los Angeles Dodgers and the #1 St. Louis Cardinals is a rematch of the 1985 NLCS in which the Cardinals won in 6. This is a titanic matchup and one that features real good pitching, lots of speed and some decent hitting.   The Dodgers would send lefty sensation Fernando Valenzuela (17-10 2.45 Grade 19XG) to the mound against Joaquin Andujar (21-12 3.45 Grade 14Z) for the Cardinals.   This had the makings of a pitchers duel and it didn't disappoint as Valenzuela was perfect through 4 innings and the score would remain 0-0 until the bottom of the 6th. In the 6th the Cardinals would get a base hit to center from MVP Willie McGee. McGee would steal second on a great slide…