Photo courtesy of Chicago TribuneIt has been a playoffs to forget for the two teams that represent the National League Central Division in the 2008 MLB Playoffs. For the Brewers, CC Sabathia was unable to get out of the fourth inning as the Phillies battled all night at the plate. For the Cubs, however, it turned into another playoff appearance full of mistakes.
Milwaukee entered Thursday with the team's success riding on the shoulders of 6'7" Sabathia. Since his arrival to the NL, Sabathia has been the most dominate pitcher in baseball - 1.65 era and 7 complete games. Maybe it was one too many starts on three days rest or possibly it was the big stage and hostile environment that shook the ace. Either way, Philly worked counts and drove the ball when they got good pitches. This series will likely be over Saturday night.
The bigger story thus far comes from the Windy City. The Chicago Cubs were the best team in the NL all season. They made the trade to bring in pitcher Rich Harden, which appeared to give them one of the best staffs in the game. But just as it has the other four postseason appearances since 1945, the Cubs look like a completely different team and the fans put out the feeling of pessimism.
Thursday's game 2 felt like a Dodgers win from the beginning. As soon as the first mistakes began to occur, the crowd fell apart just as quickly. Boos rung down from all over Wrigleyville. As much as Cubs fans act like they would do anything for a championship, they give up quicker than any fans in baseball. It's unfortunate because this team could come back in this series, but it will not happen. The curse needs to be forgotten and fans need to start accepting some of the blame for these playoff struggles.
Original Story:
http://www.thesportspoint.net/2008/10...
