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Mood Swings-Drive You Mad-Make You Crazy”

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Have you enjoyed this, these crazy post season baseball games?

Everyone had an idea what they have on the roster and on the field, and then all this happens. Games, wild finishes, breakdowns, mistakes.

Dodgers…They are sitting and waiting…ready for the NLCS series. The four days off have allowed them to rest their pitching staff, line up the starters, get your bullpen plans established, and get ready for either the Cubs or Nationals. LA is acting now like the team that went (57-11) thru much of the summer, not the gang that went (1-16) late in the season.

Nationals…Stephen Strasburg was spectacular in the Wednesday game at Wrigley….7-shutout innings…11-strikeouts…3-hits allowed. Since the All Star game the ace has an amazing (0.86)-ERA. But he cannot pitch every day, and Max Scherzer is trying to gut thru that hamstring injury. Do they have enough hitting? Can they find enough pitching?

Cubs…Yes they are playing in mid-October, but it has not been a season equal to last year. The big bats of Rizzo-Bryant, have not been the same as last year. Yes 250-to-270 batting averages, but just not the same terrorizing lineup. And the front line pitching has not dominated as much as last year. But they are still playing and still have a chance.

Astros….They can beat you with that front line starting rotation, and they can beat you with their bats…and they can win on the road and at Minute Maid Park. Like the Dodgers, they are sitting at home waiting to beat on someone in the ALCS.

Indians….Not having Edwin Encarnarcion in the lineup has made them a different batting order, but anyone else in the lineup, from Jay Bruce to Jason Kipinis, Jose Ramirez to Francisco Lindor. Then the post season starting staff and the roster got a case of the shakes, and then suddenly it was over. The 103-win season gone. The 22-game win streak and that (27-1) ride a distant memory. 1948, the series win against the Boston Braves, was a long tie ago. Now it’s wait till next year.

Yankees…They bludgeoned people and struck out a lot in the regular season, and have done so against in the playoff series with Cleveland. Too much talent, not enough slots, hard to believe Joe Girard has struggled to find slots for Matt Holliday, Chase Headley, Aaron Hicks and others. The starting pitching was iffy, but hitting home runs bailed them out. And now they head off to Houston in what might be some type of Home Run Derby show. Some off season drama ahead though, with the unknown status of GM-Brian Cashman-and-Girardi.

We move after tonights game to what will be a pretty interesting weekend of games starting Saturday.

You might be strong on paper, you might have accomplished a lot during the season and into the postseason, but it might not be the same starting on the weekend.

Mood swings, big games, bad outings. It’s playoff baseball.

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1 Man's Opinion by Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
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