The National League championship series opens on Thursday with two heretofore unheralded mid-west teams, the Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks duking-it-out with the NL pennant on the line.

Unlike in recent past seasons, where the NLCS pitted big money teams like the Mets, or Atlanta Braves, the St. Louis Cardinals, or the Dodgers or  Padres against each other, this season two so-called small-market teams clash.

AP Sports Writer Bob Baum classifies the two teams as “young, talented and they work cheap, at least relatively so in the world of major league baseball.”

Each club has it’s legitimate Rookie of the Year contenders;  3rd baseman  Mark Reynolds representing Arizona and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who holds the rookie homerun mark for shortstops with 24, for the Rockies.

Both teams have plenty of young offensive talent and young strong-armed pitching staffs.   

On Thursday and Friday, they play the first two games in Arizona with Rockies lefthander Jeff Francis (17-9), who held the Phillies to 2 runs (both homers) on 4 hits in 6 innings in the division series opening 4-2 Rockies win, opposing ace Brandon Webb (18-10) for the Diamondbacks on Thursday.

Rockies Ubaldo Jimenez (4-4), who tossed a fine 1 run, 3 hit effort in 6 1/3 innings against the Phils in the 2-1 sweep game, opposes Diamondbacks veteran lefthander Doug Davis (13-12) in Friday’s game two. 

The two teams are off on Saturday.  On Sunday, the venue changes to Colorado for the next 3 games before returning to Arizona for games 6 and 7 if necessary.

The ALCS begins on Friday night as the pitching and offense-laden Boston Red Sox face the Cleveland Indians, who sport a couple of 19 game winners themselves, but don’t possess nearly the offensive punch of the Sox who host the first two games at Fenway Park.

Josh Beckett (20-7), MLB’s only 2007 20 game winner is opposed by veteran Cleveland lefthander C.C. Sabathia (19-7) in Friday’s opener.  Saturday’s game two sees a match-up between 2nd year pitcher Fausto Carmona (19-8), who totally reversed his fortunes in 2007 from a horrific 1-10 rookie season, facing one of my all-time favorites — veteran Curt Schilling (9-8).

For the scores, boxscores and recaps on Thursday’s, Friday’s and  Saturday’s NLCS and ALCS games, click here, here and here.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, October 11th, 2007 at 10:26 am and is filed under All Time Baseball Highlights
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