Ass-First 2053 Doubleday Preview: Sluggers vs Mad Popes (Best of 7)

[neugey]

Bustin' Their Ass: Louisville broke Iowan hearts in a 3-game sweep of the Cinderella-story Kernels. Each game was a 1-run victory. The press named 3B Luiz Mendoza (.385, 1 HR, 4 RBI) the MVP of series, but I might prefer Louisville closer Manuel Cruz, who gave up no runs and recorded 2 saves and 1 win. SP Yoshii Takuda continued his regular season success into the playoffs with 7 innings of scoreless work and the win in game 2. The team also played error-free baseball. Maybe there is a little more to the Sluggers squad than I or other critics have been willing to admit.

Sittin' on Their Ass: The insults from the Mad Popes have been rather quiet lately, as the team has been focused with extra practices and any and all preparations necessary to see if they exorcise their playoff demons in 2053. This is Sacramento's seventh playoff berth in a row. The Doubleday Series has proven to be their undoing, as they have lost in the Doubleday series 6 years in a row in one fashion or another.

Does the 2053 configuration of the Mad Popes have what it takes to finally advance? History says "no", but Sacramento's pitching says "yes". Their rotation is iconic, led by 24-year old SP Joe King, who compiled a 19-8 record with a 2.69 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. The young lefty will likely take the ball in game one, followed by righty Ruben Vazquez in game 2. Vazquez is no slouch and went 18-7 himself. Thomas Turner rounds out the trio of the most dangerous threesome of starters that the BBA have seen in some time. If that wasn't enough, the bullpen and defense of the Mad Popes is almost as good as their starters.

On the offensive side, the Mad Popes are a team that mostly eschew the longball and focus on hitting singles, doubles and triples. The lone exception is 3B Alex Ramirez, who contributed 26 homers and 119 RBI. He hits fourth in the lineup and has fun with all the contact hitters getting on base before and after him. SS Badr Isam led the Frick with a .330 batting average. 2B Dallas Dixon is Isam's partner-in-crime, matching his contact hitting and middle infield defense in most games. CF Kei-Thing Law had a nice rookie season, hitting .290 with remarkable defense. This team is constructed so well but ... something always seems to go awry when the Doubleday rolls around.

Kickin' Ass: On paper the Popes have everything they need to advance, and all the numbers I see say Sacramento's got this in the bag. But it's hard ignore such long-standing history. Thus, I see the Sluggers winning this series in 5 games. If I'm wrong and the Mad Popes advance, it will be either a sign of the apocalypse or a severe bug in the OOTP engine. Possibly both.

[shoeless.db]

The truth, it cuts. Deep.