Postseason’s Finest thus far
By Editorial Staff
With the 2011 MLB postseason getting into high-gear, I thought I’d take some time to recap some of the players who are sticking their chests out the farthest so far. And just for fun, I feel like I’m gonna make it a top-10 list, cause lets be honest. Who doesn’t love lists?
So, with out further adieu, here are your top-10 playoff performers so far…
10. Fernando Salas
Ok, we’re kicking off things with a weird one here. Salas, the Cardinals’ former closer has thrown only two innings in the series against the Phillies, but they were huge. Salas replaced the struggling Chris Carpenter in the fourth, and went on to record six outs without allowing a base-runner. This kick-started a brilliant performance by the St. Louis bullpen in game two, which allowed them to steal a game in Philly and draw even in the series.
Shoppach induced quite a bit of damage on his own in game one versus Texas, and played a big part in the Rays winning the game. The Ray’s backstop blasted two homers in game one, and has accumulated Six RBIs in the series.
The Yank’s second baseman is kind of in the same boat as Shoppach. He’s quieted down in games two and three, but he went nuts for the opener in New York. Cano’s six RBI game was of course highlighted by his towering grand-slam that helped the Yankees win game one.
7. Roy Halladay
The Doc allowed Lance Berkman to connect for a three-run bomb in the first inning of game one versus the Cardinals. But Halladay would eventually settle down nicely, finishing up his strong eight-inning performance by retiring the final 21 batters he faced.
The Tampa rookie is living up to his billing. Jennings did all he could do to try and pull off a game three win at the Trop – he hit two solo shots, but in the end, it wasn’t quite enough. All together the left-fielder has four hits in the series.
Shame on Joe Sheehan for insinuating Justin Verlander is not an ace on twitter last night. I am sure the sober version of him would say other wise. Maybe he took a bathroom break in the fifth when Verlander struck-out the side on ten pitches. Yes Verlander gave up four runs last night, but hey, it wasn’t like he was facing the Oakland A’s or something. The 11 strikeouts were a nice touch too.
4. Delmon Young
Verlander and the Tigers were contemplating gagging away last night’s game. Delmon Young had other plans. His solo shot in the seventh put Detroit ahead for good. It was his second homer in the series. While it might be nice if Delmon took a pitch once in a while, he’s proved his style can still be effective.
3. Mike Napoli
4-10 with a homer, four RBIs and a stolen base for the Ranger’s catcher so far. His home run in game three against the Rays was a huge knock. David Price was in cruise control, and when Napoli’s homer found the bleachers, it changed the entire dynamic of the game and the series.
Gallardo’s performance in game one set the tone for the Brewers in their series with the Diamondbacks. Milwaukee’s under-the-radar ace went eight innings, surrendering only one run on four hits. He also struck out nine batters.
1. Ryan Braun
I don’t think anyone could make that much of case against this one. Braun is 6-8 with a homer, two doubles and three RBIs. He’s been a wrecking ball, and Arizona’s worst nightmare.