Phoenix Suns @ Los Angeles Lakers
Phoenix, at 10-7 against us, is one of only two teams that we have a losing record against in 2076. The other team was the Vancouver Whitecaps… you saw how that went for them. Obviously, I’m kidding – this series will be a tough one, for sure, and if we lose it then my days as the Los Angeles Lakers GM will most assuredly be kaput. Not that there is any shame in losing to the Suns – this is easily the hottest team in baseball, they seem to have peaked at the perfect time, with the #1 ranked offense in all of baseball and a pitching staff that is ranked a respectable 5th in the National League. This is respectable because their staff hasn’t been completely healthy all season – until very recently, that is. So, my most hated rival, peaking at the perfect time, is headed our way with a winning record against us in 2076 and with a trip to the World Series on the line. What could go wrong? I’m not worried – seriously… we got this. Easy. I mean, c’mon – what me worry? Never.
LCS Game 1: Patrick Keith (2-0, 2.45) @ Dejuan Burns (1-0, 4.05)
Loss, 7-2.
Crushed, at home, in front of all we know & love. Dejuan gave up 5 runs in 2 innings, Newton performed admirably in relief – he allowed 1 run to plate over 5.1 innings – and, unfortunately for Phoenix Patrick Keith left with an undisclosed injury. We’d get only 6 total hits in this one, an error out of Mullens, and strike out 7 times as a team – Phoenix is in our heads, it’s that simple. And, oh yeah – almost forgot – Ray Gerhold went 3 for 5 with 3 RBI. So, that’s awesome.
LCS Game 2: Julen Morales (2-0, 1.76) @ Nat Millard (2-0, 4.61)
Loss, 5-2. Phoenix has now won 8 straight postseason games.
EIGHT. Jason Bland went 2 for 4 with a double and a HR against us, and Julen allowed only two runs over 7 innings of work. Nat was solid through 6 – only 3 hits and 1 earned, but the Barbaccia/Caldwell dynamic duo strikes again – they gave up four runs in the 8th and 9th to hand this one over to the Suns with
ZERO resistance.
LCS Game 3: Michael Brisk (0-0, 2.57) @ Cam Murphy (1-0, 2.45)
Win, 11-4.
Brisky gave up 4 runs over 8 innings and Weiser closed the show, only giving up one hit over two innings of work. Lonzo scores, Otto brought two in (one on a double), Rajkumar scores twice, as do Williams & Marshburn, we steal two bags, and we'd complete FIVE double-plays (we also got an outfield assist). This was the effort we’ve been looking for.
LCS Game 4: Lee Myers (1-0, 1.29) @ Liam Anderson (1-0, 2.57)
Win, 7-6. We tied up the series in a gutsy extra-innings win – Austin Rollins was the star of the show – 3 for 4, two doubles, 2 RBI, and 2 walks… and Larry Williams hit the 2-run double that ended up being the difference-maker for us. Lonzo went 4 for 6 with a run, Otto struck out 3 times (is he just an Alex Rodriguez clone? He disappeared in the playoffs last year – particularly in the World Series, so…),
PEPPER also struck out three times, Dom plates twice, and we turn 3 ferocious double plays. Of note: Barbaccia blew the save, Caldwell wasn’t much better – but somehow ends up with the win, his first of the postseason. These guys, man.
Straight clown shoes.
LCS Game 5: Dejuan Burns (1-1, 8.31) @ Julen Morales (3-0, 2.01)
Win, 4-2. Dejuan bounces back nicely from his crushing game one defeat with a 7-inning, 6-hit, 2 earned performance and manages to outduel Julen who gave up 4 over the same stretch. Barbaccia gave up two hits and posted a 0.0 IP, 2 H night – that’s pretty nifty, it only took him 6 pitches to make that happen – efficient… and Caldwell, someway, somehow, earns his 4th save of the postseason. Wow – they do like to take my emotions on a journey, don’t they? Otto scored, two RBI for Dom, Dontrelle got pegged by a wayward pitch, and we put another double play on the board. Heading back home now with a 3-2 series lead against the Suns – neither team has won a home game in this series yet, so I’m not sure if the trip back to LA is good or bad.
I tend to smash through the playoffs quickly – I’m just way too impatient to take my time in the postseason. So, I’ll now force myself to step away and pick up this series tomorrow after work (I could seriously keep going all the way through the Winter Meetings tonight if I gave into this OOTP obsession)… incidentally, the LA Galaxy are up 3 to 1 on the Fire – we could have an improbable Los Angeles versus Los Angeles series on our hands… if we are lucky.