Montreal Impact (4-3, On Road: 0-3) @ Los Angeles Lakers (4-0, At Home: 2-0)
The Impact didn’t exactly have our number during the regular season – they won the season series against us 4-3 – but, they didn’t exactly
not have our number either. They are unique like that – a team that was seemingly built to hang with us, one with the ability to expose our hidden flaws at the most inopportune of times. On paper, these guys don’t inspire much fear for our staff – however, in practice, they have a knack for sneaking in a few shots out of nowhere – it’s the ones you don’t see that hurt the most. Their offense is meh, but they can defend – and their staff is lights-out, routinely handcuffing even the most capable and sturdy of offensive clubs. They’re good, occasionally great – the sort of club that inspires focus instead of fear – they rarely give it away, you have to be on point when they come to town. Conversely, we’re good everywhere, and great offensively – riding a wave of superior play lately with the hope that it won’t crest anytime soon. Otto has been superb in the postseason so far – a trend we’ll need to continue here – and our pitching has been a few ticks above serviceable (an area where a little improvement wouldn’t go unnoticed). We’ll need to stay dialed in, with our eyes on the prize for the duration of this series – never mind the Hollywood starlets pretending to watch the game from the Diamond Club seats – only baseball matters now. My perpetually distracted club – who have often dove head-first into the glitz & glam this city affords it’s most celebrated citizens – just need to keep it together for a couple more weeks. A much taller order than it should be…
John Aivazian (0-0, 0.00) @ Michael Brisk (1-0, 2.57)
Brisk enters the game with his uniform pressed, his ‘stache impeccably manicured, and his confidence high – your boy is never far from a mirror before the start of a nationally televised game – what he didn’t bring today was his A-game, allowing 5 runs on 7 hits in the first two innings. At least he looked good doing it, right? Isn’t that what’s really important? On the flip – Aivazian is dealing – only a solo shot courtesy of Pepper Grant gets through over 8 innings of work. We’d rally late, bringing ourselves to within 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th – but just couldn’t get it done and lose game one, at home, by a score of 6-4. We took our eye off the ball here, if only for a second, and Montreal capitalized in exactly the kind of effort that has typified their season – they don’t necessarily force you into mistakes, they just capitalize on the ones that you make. Here, our mistake is allowing Brisk the chance to sort it out a bit in the 2nd – once the bleeding had been stopped, the wound was just too much to overcome. The wave has, seemingly, crested for now – we’re sitting on our longboard, scanning the surf, and desperately trying to locate the wave that can take us all the way back to the beach.
Bonus Coverage (ALCS – Game 2, JAX lead 1-0)
Chicago Fire (Jeffrey Egan, 1-1, 4.14) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (Nat Millard, 2-0, 2.44)
Chicago strikes early – puts 3 on Millard – and then goes into lockdown mode against the Jacksonville Jaguars in this one – shutting out the home team by a score of 3-0. This is how Chicago gets down – a constant tempo (at a unique pace) and a rhythm as fluid as Lake Michigan – they lull you into poor play, and strike while you’re down. They got that look, that mysterious “it factor”… this is the club that worries me the most in the 2075 playoffs. They just keep coming – 2-hits each for Jason Brown, Jun Wu, EJ Wilson, and Joshua Norman – not fancy, relentless. This series could go the distance – we may have a classic in the making here.
