Mets Would Beat Los Angeles
New York Has Clearly Superior Starting Pitching
The 2008 New York Mets are the best team in baseball. They have the best starting pitching, a solid group of relief pitchers, one of the best closers, stars at almost every position, and an excellent bench. Since it is no longer 2007, the Mets will get into the playoffs, win the playoffs, and then beat either Detroit or Boston in the World Series. It will be the first time since 1986 that the Mets make the playoffs and the Yankees do not.
LA Will Not Beat the Mets
Joe Torre has taken his act to the West Coast, where Los Angeles is viewed as having a good chance of winning the division, which is irrelevant because they will not beat the Met in October. Comparing Los Angeles to the Mets is similar to comparing any of the presidential candidates to John F. Kennedy or Barry Goldwater.
Penny Is Not Santana
Brad Penny, who is one of baseball’s top pitchers, leads the Dodgers’ pitching staff. At the age of 29, Penny is at his peak, having won 16 while losing only 4 last year, but he is no Johan Santana and when they go head to head, Penny must face a better batting order. A key fact is that Santana strikes out many more batters than does Penny, which is a great edge close games. EDGE TO SANTANA.
One Of the Best Young Pitchers
Derek Lowe lost two more games than he won in 2007. He is a good pitcher, but nothing more. John Maine won 15 games in 2007, which is 3 more than Lowe, and Maine, who is one of today’s the best young pitchers, is on his way up while the 34 year old Lowe has leveled off after winning 21 games in 2002. The fact that Maine pitched a dominating shut out in the Mets’ last to last season game has been forgotten, but it demonstrated that he can do what must be done when necessary. EDGE TO MAINE.
Hiroki Kuroda is Better Than Kei Igawa
Hiroki Kuroda will be given 35.3 million chances to be the third LA starter. The 33 year old Hiroki was 12-8 with a 3.56 ERA in Japan last year. He is ranked below Daisuke Matsuzaka and above Kei Igawa, but trying to find a pitcher ranked below Kei Igawa is like trying to find a silver certificate dollar bill. The Mets’ third starter is Oliver Perez, who was 15-10, had almost a strikeout an inning, was brilliant at times, and was terribly inconsistent. EDGE TO PEREZ.
Billingsley Could Become a Star
Chad Billingsley could be a star. He won 12 games last year, and in 8 of his final 11 starts, allowed two or fewer earned runs. He has consistently had more strikeouts than innings pitched in the minors, and had just under that with LA. The Mets’ fourth starter will be either Pedro or El Duque. Assuming it will be Pedro, it is not known what he will deliver, but if he even resembles Pedro, he will have great value. EDGE TO BILLINGSLEY.
The Fifth
Los Angeles’ fifth starter is Jason Schmidt, who is a question mark. He worked only 25 2/3 innings last year before having shoulder surgery, and could play an critical role in the division race. Either El Duque or Mike Pelfrey will be the Mets’ last starter. EDGE TO SCHMIDT.
The Phillies Didn't Win -- The Mets Lost
Starting pitching depth is more important to LA than it is to New York because the Mets figure to win the division easily, despite what the Phillies exclaim. The Phillies didn’t WIN the division in 2007. The Mets lost it. Santana, Maine, Perez, and possibly Pedro can dominate teams. Only Brad Penny can do that for the Dodgers. And in the playoffs, the only time a fourth starter is needed is in the second round.
CONCLUSION:
If the teams meet in the FIRST ROUND—Mets 3 games, Los Angeles 1 game.
If the teams meet in the SECOND ROUND – Mets 4 games, Los Angeles 1 game.
References:
Los Angeles Dodgers on Sportsline
What do you think about this article?
Latest Articles