MLB Playoffs: Day 9

Today we saw two of the most boring close games you're ever likely to see in the playoffs.  In Yankee Stadium, the Tigers won 3-0 to take a 2-0 lead back to Detroit.  There's a pretty good chance that this was the last game of the year in Yankee Stadium, and yet the Yankee lineup is so hapless that even the good folk of the Bronx could scarcely bother to cheer.  For years now, the Yankees get into the post-season with a line-up that slams homers off of bad pitchers -- only to find that there aren't that many bad pitchers in the post-season.  New York was almost completely stymied by Baltimore's pitching, and only survived that series because the Orioles couldn't hit either.  The Tigers, on the other hand, at least have Miguel Cabrera, as well as the occasional ability to hit with runners in scoring position.  The Bombers have captured only one AL pennant since 2003, and from what I've seen so far, that does not appear likely to change.

San Francisco continued to look weak at home, losing their third straight post-season game in Pac Bell Park.  They fell behind 6-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth -- then scored four runs to make it 6-4 -- and then, just as the game was starting to get interesting, everyone stopped hitting again.  SF never seriously threatened again, and the Cards won 6-4.

NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES (Best of 7):
St. Louis leads San Francisco 1-0

AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES (Best of 7):
Detroit leads New York 2-0