Inside The Cage: MLB Pre-Game - A World Series Preview

Baseball is America's past time for a reason

Well, here it is; the World Series. This is what every team in Major League Baseball has been trying to get to. Well, maybe except for the Marlins, I think they're just trying to stay in the Show and not be sent down, designated for assignment.

The last time the two top teams from either league had met up in the World Series, was when I was a sophomore in high school and playing all of the sports my grades would let me play. The Red Sox and the Cardinals seem to be, almost mirror images of each other, at least speaking on behalf of the playoff road taken to get to the World Series.

The Red Sox had taken three games out of four in the NLDS, from the Tampa Bay Rays. For game 1, they completely lit up Rays' left-hander, Matt Moore, scoring 8 runs, 7 earned, off of 9 hits, through 6 1/3 innings. In game 2, David Price did not fare any better, giving up 7 runs -- all earned -- in 7 innings. One has to wonder if that will hurt his market value, come this winter.

The Rays seemed to be coming alive with a dramatic 9th inning win, with a walk-off home run by catcher, Jose Lobaton. But in the end, the Red Sox had proven to be too much for the young Rays, as they handed them a plane ticket each to go to their respective homes; Red Sox take the ALDS, 3-1.

Up next: Detroit in the ALCS. You just knew that this was going to be a series that would, at the very least, go to game 6. If game 1 was foreshadowing the rest of the series, you would have thought that it was going to come down to one thing: the team that scores first, wins. Well, you'd be wrong, as the Bo-Sox managed to score 20 runs in 6 games-- not too shabby.

One teams pitching performance did not overshadow the other, but I guess an argument can be made for the Red Sox pitching staff because they were able to keep the Tigers high-powered offense to a total of 17 runs throughout the series.

Now, you would figure that scoring 17 runs in 6 games would be more than enough to advance to the next round, but that only averages out to about 2.83 runs per game, so that is actually not too bad.

As I've said before, I was rooting for the Bo-Sox since I am a fan of just about anything Boston, but I had thought Detroit would pull it out in 7 games.

Now, onto the NL; the Cardinals had a little bit more of a tougher time getting through the NLDS, as they were facing the resilient Pittsburgh Pirates. Aside from game 4, this series was a slug-fest. The theme was: who can score the most runs?

There was no shortage of runs here, with the Red Birds scoring, roughly, 4.2 runs a game and the Bucs averaging 3 runs a game. However, game 4 was a completely different story; enter Michael Wacha. This 22-year-old took a no hitter into the 8th and absolutely looked like a 6-year veteran that's been pitching a game 7 every year of his pro career; in sports jargon, the kid looked like a stud.

Regardless of how many games it took, the Pirates were just over matched in the series.

The NLCS was a completely different story; this series was a perfect match up on paper. But as we all know, paper is only a distraction on the field, especially in October.

I really don't care what anyone says; Dodgers or Cardinals fan, this was a great series. Yes, Cardinal players and fans had issues with Dodger players and Dodgers players and fans had issues with Cardinal players, but it shouldn't take focus away from an incredibly played series.

For comparison, if you remove game 6 from the series, both teams played a very tight, hard-fought game and as the Red Birds scored 12 runs in 5 games, the Blue Crew had scored 13 runs. But, game 6 cannot be removed from the books and our minds, for that matter, as the Dodgers were thoroughly man-handled in said game and were sent home for the winter.

All that is left is the two BEST teams in the league, which have the records to reinforce the point, and you can bet it's going to go down to the wire. Yes, it's going to be another slug fest and anyone who doesn't watch, for at least one inning, should not call themselves a fan of the game.

It shouldn't matter which team you bleed for, it's still going to be a great series and that's all we, as baseball fans, can ask for. So go ahead, if you’re a Dodgers fan, and cheer for Boston. Or if you’re a Tigers fan, cheer for St. Louis; just as long as you're cheering for someone.

I understand you may be hurting; we all are for those whose teams have been knocked out, but we shouldn't be so scarred that it prevents us from enjoying the game we love.

Especially if it means watching the Cardinals lose. Apologies, I couldn't help myself on that last one.

First pitch is at 7:30 PM EST in Fenway Park. Taking the hill for the rubber match is Cardinals' ace, Adam Wainwright against Red Sox sort-of ace, Jon Lester.

Inside The Cage: MLB Post Game - League Championship Series

Adrian Gonzalez celebrates after a third inning solo home run Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

As the Los Angeles Dodgers look to even up the series against the St. Louis Cardinals in St. Louis Friday night down 3-2, one team is out to take the lead in the ALCS Thursday night, between the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox with the series being tied at 2-2 apiece.

Game 4 brought you the first real offensive surge in the League Championship Series with the Tigers scoring 7 runs off of Boston Red Sox starter and former Padres ace, Jake Peavy, in which he was only able to last 3 innings.

Tiger’s starter, Doug Fister, kept the Red Sox at bay for 6 innings, while allowing 8 hits but only letting one run cross the plate and striking out 7.

Even though there were no balls leaving the yard, the Tigers were still an impressive 4-9 with runners in scoring position. Right fielder, Torii Hunter and Triple Crown winner, Miguel Cabrera both had 2 RBI’s a piece, each coming with two outs.

Both starters had tough acts to follow with veterans John Lackey and Justin Verlander pitching an impressive game 3 and really giving the fans a true pitcher’s duel, something that’s been echoed throughout the entire League Championship Series across the board.

Boston veteran, John Lackey able to conjure up some type of voodoo-magic and keep the Tigers off of the score board for 6 2/3 innings, striking out eight and allowing four hits all on 97 pitches.

Detroit ace, Justin Verlander finished his night off an 8 inning start with 120 pitches thrown, one earned run and ten K's losing-- unbelievably so. But, in that respect, it was also a tribute to the terrific performance of the entire Red Sox pitching staff.

Amazingly enough, David Ortiz has, pretty much, been a non-factor in the series leading up to Thursday night’s rubber match between Detroit’s Anibal Sanchez, and Boston’s Jon Lester.

Although, it hasn't just been him that's been largely ineffective; the entire team seems in need of a serious wake-up call as they haven’t been able to score more than 3 runs in any one game. In the end, the Red Sox were not able to mount a comeback as the Tigers took the game 3-7, and tying the series up, 2-2.

First pitch for game 5 is at 8 PM, EST.

My dream World Series would include the Dodgers against the Red Sox, but unless both teams wake up their respective bats and start scoring some runs when the chances present themselves, my dream will dissipate like water in a sauna.

Speaking of the Dodgers, they seem to always get under the skin of someone in the baseball world. After Monday's game, St. Louis Cardinal OF, Carlos Beltran was quoted as saying, "As a player, I just think he doesn't know [how to act]; that's what I think. He really doesn't know," Beltran continued.

"He must think that he's still playing somewhere else. He has a lot of passion, no doubt about that -- great ability, great talent. I think with time he'll learn that you've got to act with a little bit more calm."

With Carlos saying that he doesn't think Puig is a "bad kid," he should also bear in mind that, only a year and a half ago, Yasiel was living in a communist country. He is being paid to play a game, and Jerry Hairston Jr. had summed it perfectly when he said, "this guy is like a 16-year-old kid playing Little League."

Whether he's slamming into a wall, knocking in the go-ahead run, keeping a rally going, or even starting a rally, I'm sure Puig means no disrespect when he jumps for joy or pumps and raises his hands in triumph on even a simple slump-breaking single.

Cardinal players should not be focusing on Puig and his hip-hop-hooray’s; what they should be focusing on is the arms in the Dodgers pitching staff.

The Red Birds pitching staff have done an outstanding job shutting down the Dodgers threats, but the Cardinals are still giving the Dodgers far too many opportunities to break the game open.

Looking in from the other side of the diamond, the Cards pitching staff has successfully buckled down when the Dodgers were threatening. That is, until Wednesday afternoon, when they allowed four one-run home runs; Kelly gave up two and his bullpen gave up the other two.

In the 9th inning, Kenley Jansen jogged in from the Dodgers bullpen to the tune of "California Love" by TuPac and Dr. Dre, and had had his shakiest outing of the playoffs, thus far.

Matt Holliday greeted him immediately with a double and Matt Adams was able to drive him in with a broken-bat single that. Now, in all other instances, would've been handled routinely, had it not been for the extreme shift that had second baseman Mark Ellis playing alongside Yasiel Puig in right field.

Even with the box-score showing Jansen striking out the side in the bottom half of the 9th, it doesn't tell the complete story, and had locals wondering whether this was the second-coming of Jonathan Broxton before striking out pinch-hitter, Adron Chambers.

With a win Wednesday, it takes the series back to St. Louis, and with some in the baseball world reminiscing of last year, when the Cardinals were up 3-1 in last years' NLCS against the Giants, and were ultimately taken out of the playoffs with a game 7 loss. We'll see how the Cardinals react with the rest of the series winding down in their backyard, and whether the Dodgers can keep the Cards on their heels, forcing a game 7.

First pitch is at 5:30 PM PST, with universal ace, Clayton Kershaw taking the hill against rookie phenom, Michael Wacha.