Baily's Sports & Stuff

Matt Cain knows exactly what to do in the playoffs. The kid with a 2-0 record and 21.1 straight scoreless innings knows a lot about what to do. And he put that in play. And in the later innings, so did the offense. Cain pitched 7.2 shutout innings, San Francisco scored 7 runs in the eighth inning as the Giants beat Texas 9-0 in a game that looked like a pitcher's duel. For 6 innings, the only score was a homer by Edgar Renteria. In the first, it seemed obvious that Matt Cain would have a good day. He was placing pitches perfectly on the inside corner, not giving the Rangers anything good to hit. However, the Giants offense wasn't coming through. After a strikeout on a change-up, Cain kept going inside. It worked, as the Rangers were popping up and grounding out a lot. Texas wouldn't be able to get a runner on until the 3rd, and no runner got in scoring position until the fifth. In the fifth, Matt Cain left one right over the plate. Ian Kinsler hit it high, an...

If stranding base runners is what the Giants do, then they didn't do it very often. 11 runs and 5 runners stranded on base, all of them in 2+ run innings. That's what you call magic. Good thing they started now. Freddy Sanchez knocked in 3 RBI's, scored 2 runs and got the 6-run fifth inning started as the Giants beat the Rangers 11-7. For the first time in his postseason career, Cliff Lee wasn't working. He allowed 6 runs over 4.2 innings and took the loss. San Francisco didn't look great at the beginning. Elvis Andrus singled, then Michael Young walked. After a Josh Hamilton groundout, the Giants no-longer had a double-play groundout. Vlad Guerrero came up, and he hit one off of Tim Lincecum. Lincecum couldn't get it, and neither could first baseman Aubrey Huff, giving the Rangers a one run lead. After that Nelson Cruz hit a grounder, and Lincecum fielded it and ran Michael Young back to third to load the bases. While every Giant fan in America was sc...

The Texas Rangers have it all; the second best starting and bullpen ERA in the Majors, 17 postseason home runs, no less than 2 games in the postseason, and dominating wins over Tampa Bay and the Yankees. You have to like the chances of the Rangers. The only problem is, they may not have the pitching advantage. The Giants pitching has the lowest ERA in the Majors, and all 4 pitchers in the World Series rotations have winning records. In the playoffs, the Giants staff is a combined 4-2. What Texas is really going to need to do is show patience at the plate and not swing at pitches in the dirt, like the Atlanta Braves did too many times. The Giants starters went 2-0 in that series because Atlanta was swinging in the dirt, and it took opportuinites away from them. In Game 1, Texas has Cliff Lee going. The lefty has been 3-0 this postseason with a 0.75 ERA, and he is almost automatic when it comes down to the playoffs. But the Rangers are going to need some runs to beat the Giants. So...

With the number one and 2 starting pitcher and bullpen ERA, this will definitely be a good pitching series. That's why the 2010 Fall Classic will come down to runs; and stranding runners on base. In Game 6 of the NLCS, the San Francisco Giants simply couldn't score. They stranded 12 runners on base, including 9 in the last 5 innings. So why are they in the World Series? The answer is starting pitching. In Game 1 of the NLDS, San Francisco scored only 1 run. The run was on a questionable call, a call that cost Atlanta the game. However, all the Braves needed to do was score a run to tie and 2 runs to win. But they simply couldn't do that. In that game, Tim Lincecum's slider and change-up were amazing. It worked as the Braves were chasing pitches in the dirt, and that led to a 14 K, 2-hit shutout. Although Lincecum allowed 6 runs over 14.1 innings in the NLCS, he still went 1-1. But, if Lincecum's slider and change-up work and the Rangers aren't patient, Li...

Redskins vs Bears With a terrible offensive line, Jay Cutler would need to make a quick decision of who he would pass to. Sometimes, he would throw a short pass to Johnny Knox. And usually, when that happened, DeAngelo Hall came swooping in like a bird. Hall intercepted 4 second-half passes from Cutler as the Redskins survived the Bears 17-14 to improve to 4-3. Hall returned one intercpetion for a touchdown, and one clinched the win for the 'Skins. Early in the game, the Redskins got down to the Chicago 22 yard line. But after a holding penalty, the 'Skins would be pushed back 10 yards. If they think that was bad, how about this. Donovan McNabb tried a short pass, but D.J Moore closed in on the pass. He returned it 54 yards for a touchdown, and his Bears led 7-0. However, that wouldn't last for long. McNabb calmly led the Redskins down to the 24 yard line, where it was second and 9. He went deep for Santana Moss, who caught the pass in the end zone. After 1 quart...

Juan Uribe was tired of the boos at AT&T Park. It was time to make an impact to get a different reaction. So he figured that the only way to do that was to win the game. And he did. Uribe hit a 2 out homer off of Ryan Madson to give the Giants a 3-2 win over the Phillies to take the NLCS. Madson left a fastball right over the plate, and Uribe ripped it into right for a home run. Andres Torres hit a leadoff single for San Francisco, but 2 strikeouts and a flyout wasted the base hit. But the Phillies would start off well. Placido Polanco walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch, and he scored on a Chase Utley double. After Ryan Howard singled Jayson Werth came up, and he got a perfect pitch to hit. He just missed a 3 run homer, but he hit it deep enough for Utley to tag up and score. Philadelphia led 2-0 after 1 inning. Pat Burrell singled to lead off the second, but a double play took Burrell off the bases. Juan Uribe hit a single, but Edgar Renteria flied out to end ...

Buster Posey hadn't done that much in the postseason for the Giants number 4 hitter. Maybe that was because it was his first postseason appearance or something, but that would need to be changed. And it did. Posey had 4 hits, 2 RBI's and the double that set up the game-winning run as the Giants stunned the Phillies 6-5. Aubrey Huff scored the game-winning run on a sac fly by Juan Uribe. In the bottom of the first, Freddy Sanchez singled and advanced 2 bases on 2 wild pitches. Buster Posey hit a single right up the middle, and the Giants had a 1-0 lead. Jimmy Rollins got a base hit in the top of the second, but he was caught stealing after Aubrey Huff threw it to Edgar Renteria, who made a great tag. In the third Madison Bumgardner struck out Carlos Ruiz and Joe Blanton, adding to his strikeout total of 5. After 2 straight outs Aubrey Huff hit a line drive into right field for a single, and then the rookie came up. Posey blasted a hanging curveball just over the glove ...

Giants vs Phillies Cody Ross has earned the nickname "Mr. October" by fans, press and teammates. If he keeps it up, and so do the Giants, he might take over Reggie Jackson for a year. Ross hit a key RBI single in the fourth inning to power the Giants past the Phillies 3-0 to give San Francisco a 2-1 series lead. Aubrey Huff and Freddy Sanchez also knocked in runs with infield singles. Neither pitcher gave up a hit until 2.1 innings were in the books, but then Carlos Ruiz hit a one-out single off of Matt Cain. Shane Victorino was hit by a pitch, leaving Chase Utley up with 2 outs. Utley couldn't come through, and he grounded out to shortstop to end the inning. The Phillies got a good chance in the fourth, but Raul Ibanez went down swinging at a high fastball. The Phillies stranded a total of 8 runners on base. In the bottom of the fourth Edgar Renteria singled, and he advanced to second on Freddy Sanchez's sacrifice bunt. After Buster Posey struck out and Pat ...

It's time for Week 2 of Pick 'Em! Pick as many games as you can and watch the games to keep track of your progress. Air Force at #3 TCU #7 LSU at #5 Auburn #4 Oklahoma at #17 Missouri #10 Wisconsin at #13 Iowa UCLA at #2 Oregon #16 Nebraska at #22 Oklahoma State Washington at #18 Arizona Arizona State at California #9 Michigan State at Northwestern #24 Georgia Tech at Clemson North Carolina at Miami Florida All picks due by Thursday at 9:01 PM ET.

Ohio State at Wisconsin Number one teams have just been have a hard time winning. It's been like that for Ohio State, who just lost their third straight game as the number one team. John Clay rushed for 104 yards and 2 scores, James White ran for a touchdown and Wisconsin upset Ohio State 31-18, dropping Ohio State out of the number one spot. David Gilreath found a seam on the opening kickoff return, and then he outran the Buckeye return team for a touchdown. After a Buckeye punt John Clay ran for 51 yards on 5 carries on the next drive, finding holes and rumbling forward. The Badgers decided to use John Clay, a runner who can break tackles and who is good with good blocking, and James White, a more athletic runner. Ohio State was confused the whole drive, and it led to a John Clay touchdown and a 21-0 Badger lead. Wisconsin led 21-3 at halftime. However, it was Terrelle Pryor and Ohio State who came out strong. Pryor was able to avoid a dominating pass rush and complete p...

Yankees vs Rangers Brett Gardner. Derek Jeter. Marcus Thames. A-Rod. Mark Texiara. Robinson Cano. It doesn't matter who was up, they came through. And the Yankees survived. New York rallied from a 5-0 deficit to beat Texas 6-5 and the Yanks took a 1-0 series lead. C.C Sabathia went 4 5 run innings, allowing a homer to Josh Hamilton and a 2 run double by Michael Young. After C.J Wilson retired the top of the Yankee order, Elvis Andrus walked and Michael Young singled. Josh Hamilton was up, and he fell behind 0-2. However, Sabathia made another mistake. He gave Hamiltom a hanging breaking ball, a pitch that Hamilton feasted on. He hit a line drive into the first row of the stands, giving Texas 3 runs early. In the next 2 innings both teams got opportunities, but no one scored. In the fourth Matt Treanor hit a one out single, and after Jorge Cantu flied out Elvis Andrus chopped a single into shallow center field. After that Michael Young came up, and Sabathia made another mis...

Cliff Lee is truly a great pitcher when it comes down to the playoffs. He has proven that he can pitch well in clutch games. Just ask the Tampa Bay Rays. Lee pitched a complete game, and Texas beat Tampa Bay 5-1. Lee struck out 11, using his curveball and slider to help him record strikeouts. Lee struck out 21 batters in the ALDS, tying a record. Lee, who beat Cy Young candidate David Price twice in the series, allowed just 1 run, coming on a single by Ben Zobrist. In his final six innings of work, Lee allowed just 2 hits and no runs, and he struck out 10 batters over that period. Elvis Andrus led the game off with a single, and he stole second. Josh Hamilton hit a grounder, but the Rays were so busy at first they didn't notice Elvis Andrus coming home to give Texas a 1-0 lead. Jason Bartlett led the game off with a single, but Ben Zobrist, Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena were no help. They couldn't knock him in, and the score remained 1-0. In the second inning Bengie...

San Francisco at Atlanta Not every manager would put a rookie up against a rising star in the playoffs. However, Bruce Bochy believes in Madison Bumgardner. And Bumgardner came through. So did Cody Ross. Ross hit a home run and an RBI single, Bumgardner got the win by pitching 6 good innings and the Giants advanced to the NLCS, where they will play the Philadelphia Phillies. Madison Bumgardner got into a bases loaded jam in the second, and he got into a runners on the corners jam in the third. Although he got out of the second, Brian McCann hit a sacrifice fly to put the Braves up 1-0. The Giants only baserunner for 5.1 innings was Andres Torres, who reached on an error by Alex Gonzalez. Torres was also caught stealing second, and Lowe kept going, having faced the minimum 15 batters after 5 innings. Bumgardner turned on in the 4th and 5th inning, retiring all 3 batters in each inning. He was able to record 2 strikes in those innings, and get ahead of the count, unlike he had...

Pick college football games here at my blog and keep track of your record. I will post 5-25 games each week to pick, and you pick the winner. Here are the games for Week 7: (2) Ohio State at (18) Wisconsin Ole Miss at (8) Alabama (17) Iowa at Michigan (24) Oregon State at Washington California at USC (12) South Carolina at Kentucky (1) Boise State at San Jose State BYU at (4) TCU (13) Arkansas at (9) Auburn (23) Mississippi State at (25) Florida Texas at (5) Nebraska South Florida at (20) West Virginia Game of the Week: (13) Arkansas at (9) Auburn Picks must be in by 7:31 PM ET. Click on comments to make picks. Help save Cal Rugby by going to savecalrugby.com.

Green Bay at Washington Can it get any worse for the Packers? Aaron Rodgers suffered a concussion, you give up a 13-3 fourth quarter lead, you miss the game-winning field goal off the post and then an interception forces you to lose in overtime. Washington overcame a 13-3 deficit to beat Green Bay 16-13 in overtime and improve to 3-2 with another huge victory. Mason Crosby missed 2 second half field goals, and LaRon Landry intercepted Rodgers and then penalties got the Redskins down to the Packers 15, where Graham Gano nailed a 33 yard kick. The game started off with a huge fumble by Donald Lee giving Washington the ball at the Green Bay 21, but after Ryan Torain lost 2 yards a bobbled snap cost the Redskins 22 yards. Washington had to punt. Brandon Jackson made the most out of his first carry, making a move to pick up the first down, breaking a tackle and galloping down the right sideline. DeAngelo Hall pushed him out of bounds, but not before he picked up 71 yards. Rodgers wou...

USC at Stanford Stephan Taylor ran for 104 yards and a touchdown as Stanford beat USC 37-35 in the 2nd annual "What's Your Deal Game"? Matt Barkley led USC to a quick 7-0 lead, but Doug Baldwin caught a pass and turned it into a touchdown from 11 yard out to tie the game at 7. However, USC got downfield again, but a Stanley Havili fumble gave Stanford the ball back. Chris Owusu caught a pass for 35 yards, and he broke some tackles to get into Trojan territory. Anthony Wilkerson rushed for a touchdown, and Stanford took a 14-7 lead. However, freshman Robert Woods caught 3 passes and gained 53 yards on those passes, including a touchdown. However, Stephan Taylor fumbled, and Shareece Wright picked up the ball. But he wished he didn't, because he was nailed by Andrew Luck. Stephan Taylor converted a key 3rd down play, and then Andrew Luck hit Coby Fleener for 35 yards, and Taylor rumbled in for 6. Stanford took the lead, but Robert Woods scored a touchdown becau...

Atlanta at San Francisco Be it the fans or the stakes in September and October, Tim Lincecum can't cool down. Lincecum allowed just 2 hits as the Giants survived the Atlanta Braves with a 1-0 win after a questionable call helped the Giants score their only run. Lincecum pitched a complete game, and he allowed just 2 doubles. Every batter struck out except for Omar Infante. Infante hit a double against Lincecum to lead off the game, but Jason Heyward flied out to left. Then he got 2 quick strikes to Derrek Lee, threw 3 balls and got the Sacramento native chasing a slider. The exact same happened to Brian McCann, and he chased another slider for strike 3. Andres Torres led off the bottom half of the inning with a single, but Freddy Sanchez grounded into a double play. Then Aubrey Huff walked, but Buster Posey grounded out to end the inning. In the second, Tim Lincecum was able to get Atlanta swinging at high pitches to start the inning, and throw a slider that the Braves wou...

Reds at Phillies Roy Halladay just wanted a win. He just wanted his team to take a 1-0 series lead. He got that, and then more. Halladay threw the 2nd postseason no-hitter as Philadelphia beat Cincinnati 4-0. In his playoff debut, Halladay allowed just one baserunner, and he struck out 8. In the first, Halladay's first pitch was a grounder that Jimmy Rollins fielded, and he threw to first for the out. Orlando Cabrera took Halladay for 8 pitches, but a flyout ended his at-bat. Joey Votto hit a hard liner to Chase Utley, but he put it away for the third out. In the bottom of the inning, Shane Victorino lined a 1 out double down the left field line, and he stole third. Chase Utley knocked him in with a sacrifice fly, giving the Phillies all the run support they need. Halladay stayed hot though, retiring Scott Rolen on a change-up and forcing Jonny Gomes and Jay Bruce to ground out. When the Phillies came up to bat, the Reds got 2 quick outs. But Carlos Ruiz walked, and Wilson...

MLB Playoff Preview Well, it's that time of year. The MLB playoffs are here, and this time only 3 teams that made it last year are in this year. So let's see how new teams fare, and how the rest of the playoffs plays out. (3) Cincinnati at (1) Philadelphia With 37 homers and 113 RBI's, the Cincinnati Reds have relied heavily on Joey Votto. If not him, then it's Jay Bruce, who hit 3 homers in one game and hit the walk-off shot that sent Cincinnati ton the playoffs. But Bruce and Votto can't always bat. You need a deep lineup like Philadelphia's, with Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jayson Werth, Jimmy Rollins, and many more good players. Ryan Howard leads Philadelphia with 31 homers and 108 RBI's. With a great pitching staff led by Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels, the Phillies have a very deep lineup. I say the inexperienced Reds will have trouble against the defending NL champion, and the Phillies will sweep Cincy. (3) Texas at (1) Tampa ...

Ravens at Steelers Being 4-0 without your starting quarterback would be an amazing feat. And the Steelers were very close to accomplishing that feat. Close. Very close. Joe Flacco hit T.J Houshmedzedah for an 18 yard touchdown with 37 seconds left as the Ravens beat the Steelers 17-14 to even the AFC North race up. However, the Steelers have an advantage with Ben Roethlisberger coming back in 2 weeks against Cleveland. The game started off by Baltimore driving down to the Steelers 29, where they looked to take a 3-0 lead. But Billy Cundiff missed a 46 yard kick, and Pittsburgh got the ball back. At the Baltimore 33, Charlie Batch went deep left for Antawn Randle El, who caught the ball at the Ravens 1. Rashard Mendanhall plowed in for a touchdown, and the Steelers led 7-0 after the first quarter. The Ravens started their drive by having Joe Flacco hit Derrick Mason over the middle for 40 yards, and then a penalty on Pittsburgh gave Baltimore an unearned first down. Will...

San Francisco vs San Diego With 2 strikes and 2 outs on Will Venable, Brian Wilson knew he couldn't give up a hit and the momentum. So he decided to pitch a high fastball. And it worked like a charm. Wilson got Venable swinging high to start a celebration at AT&T Park as the Giants beat the Padres 3-0 to win the NL West. Jonathan Sanchez got the win, and Mat Latos lost his fifth straight. Both teams got runners on early, but no one could finish and score a run. Then with Jonathan Sanchez leading off the third, the Padres looked to have an easy out. Not exactly. Sanchez knocked a fastball into Triples Alley to get the Giants started, and Freddy Sanchez knocked him in to put San Francisco up 1-0. Aubrey Huff then blasted a double into deep center, giving the Giants a 2-0 lead. Sanchez pitched 5 3-hit innings, and then Santiago Casilla pitched 1.2 sharp innings. However, he came out with 2 outs and runners on first and second, and Ramon Ramirez was thrown into the game....