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Bullpens At Their Best In National League Series

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The Associated Press

The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 14, 2008

LOS ANGELES - The Phillies and Dodgers finished 1-2 in the NL in bullpen ERA, so it's no surprise that only one run has been charged to a reliever in 24 combined innings of work through the first three games of the league championship series.

That run came Sunday night on Nomar Garciaparra's RBI single off J.A Hipp, which helped Los Angeles beat Philadelphia 7-2 to trim its deficit to 2-1 in the best-of-seven playoff.

"They're kind of like us. If they're down a couple of runs, they've got guys they can bring in to keep the game right there and give their team a chance to come back. That's why we've both been successful," Dodgers lefty Joe Beimel said. "They were the top bullpen in the league, so you definitely can't ignore that. They've got a closer who hasn't blown a save all year, and they've got the guys to bridge the gap between the starter and him."

The Phillies were a major league-best 79-0 during the regular season when leading after eight innings. The only other teams with perfect records were the Yankees (77-0) and Giants (60-0). Brad Lidge was the only prefect closer, converting all 41 save opportunities with setup help from Chad Durbin, Ryan Madson and J.C. Romero.

"Those guys don't get enough credit," Lidge said. "They've been doing it all year long. I mean, what Madson's been doing the last month and a half is just extraordinary. I'd say, from top to bottom, this is the best bullpen I've ever been on. There's no weakness down there. There's no one you can say can't get the job done in important, close-game situations."

The Dodgers' bullpen finished the season with a 3.33 ERA, just 14 points higher than Philadelphia.

"We've been feeding off each other in the bullpen all year. It's been awesome," said closer Jonathan Broxton who took over and converted 14 of 16 save opportunities after Takashi Saito went on the disabled list July 13 with sprained right elbow.

Beckett Insists He's Fine
Josh Beckett insists he's healthy, despite his postseason struggles.

The Red Sox right-hander allowed eight runs in 4 1-3 innings Saturday night when the Tampa Bay Rays beat Boston 9-8 in 11 innings to even the best-of-seven AL championship series at one game apiece going into Monday.

"It came down to execution -- pitch selection and execution," Beckett said before Boston's optional workout Sunday at Fenway Park. "I felt fine."

Beckett struggled in his last regular-season game, a 4-3 loss to Cleveland on Sept. 22 in which he allowed four runs in six innings and hit a career-high three batters with pitches.

A strain in his side pushed him back from starting the opener of the AL division series against the Los Angeles Angels to Game 3. He wasn't sharp then either, allowing four runs in five innings in the Angels' only win of the series, 5-4 in 12 innings.

"He's fine," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "He's certainly battling some consistency issues, and I think some of that is having some of your starts interrupted and then having the oblique (strain) a couple of weeks ago. You know, it's been a battle for him."

In his two playoff starts, Beckett has an 11.57 ERA. He has allowed 18 hits, five walks and five homers in 9 1-3 innings. In 10 postseason games before this year, he was 6-2 with a 1.73 ERA, allowing four homers in 72 2-3 innings.

On Saturday night, the Red Sox gave him three leads and he lost every one.

"That's frustrating," Beckett said. "You score eight runs and you couldn't come out of there with a win. I don't expect that of myself."

Jonathan Papelbon walked out of the drug store just around the corner from Fenway Park when a fan asked politely for an autograph.

"I didn't want to stop you in the store," he told the Red Sox closer Sunday, "but would you mind signing this ball?"

Papelbon complied, then got in his car and drove away on a familiar street.

Welcome home.

Papelbon and his Boston teammates returned for three games in the ALCS after splitting the first two in the best-of-seven series on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Red Sox had the second-best home record in baseball during the regular season. Only five teams had better road records than the Rays.

"They don't have a lot of experience," Boston reliever Manny Delcarmen said. "They have a little bit of heart, (but) playing in Boston's a little different in the playoffs."

The teams split their first 12 matchups this season, each team winning six at home. Then the Rays came into Boston and took two of three in early September. In the series finale, Carlos Pena hit a three-run homer in the 14th inning and Tampa Bay won 4-2.

"We know we can win everywhere," Pena said Sunday. "We also understand that we have to play our game. The Boston Red Sox are a great team. But we're a pretty good team ourselves."

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