Thursday, October 15, 2009

MLB playoffs: California dreamin' of L.A.-L.A. Series?

The Bill James Playoff Predictor went 4-for-4 in the pre-dilly-ictable first round of Major League Baseball's second season, so why not try it again? You know the drill.
  1. 1 point to the lead team for each half-game in the standings
  2. 3 points to the team that scored more runs
  3. 14 points to the team with fewer doubles
  4. 12 points to the team with more triples
  5. 10 points to the team with more home runs
  6. 8 points to the team with the lower team batting average
  7. 8 points to the team that committed fewer errors
  8. 7 points to the team that turned more double plays
  9. 7 points to the team that walked more batters
  10. 19 points to the team that had more shutouts
  11. 15 points to the team whose ERA was lower
  12. 12 points to the team that has been in postseason most recently or went further.
  13. 12 points to the team which won the season series.
It's by no means definitive, especially in areas where one team's statistical advantage is small. Nevertheless ...

ALCS: ANGELS vs. YANKEES
  1. The Yankees were 103-59, the Angels were 97-65. (Yankees 12)
  2. The Yankees scored 915 runs, the Angels scored 883. (Yankees 3)
  3. The Angels hit 293 doubles, the Angels hit 325. (Angels 14)
  4. The Angels hit 33 triples, the Yankees hit 21. (Angels 12)
  5. The Yankees hit 244 home runs, the Angels hit 173. (Yankees 10)
  6. The Yankees batted .283, the Angels batted .285. (Yankees 8)
  7. The Angels made 85 errors, the Yankees had 86. (Angels 8)
  8. The Angels turned 174 double plays, the Yankees turned 131. (Angels 7)
  9. The Yankees walked 574 batters, the Angels walked 523. (Yankees 7)
  10. The Angels had 13 shutouts, the Yankees had 8. (Angels 19)
  11. The Yankees had a 4.28 ERA, the Angels' was 4.45 (Yankees 15)
  12. The Angels won the AL West in 2008 and lost in the division series. (Angels 12)
  13. The season series was split 5-5.

    TOTAL: Angels 72, Yankees 57
NLCS: Philadelphia Phillies vs. L.A. Dodgers
  1. The Dodgers went 95-67, the Phillies were 93-69. (Dodgers 4)
  2. The Phillies outscored the Dodgers 820-780. (Phillies 3)
  3. The Dodgers hit 278 doubles, the Phillies hit 312. (Dodgers 14)
  4. The Dodgers hit 39 triples, the Phillies 35. (Dodgers 12)
  5. The Phillies hit 224 home runs, the Dodgers 145. (Phillies 10)
  6. The Phillies batted .258, the Dodgers batted .270. (Phillies 8)
  7. The Phillies made 76 errors, the Dodgers made 83. (Phillies 8)
  8. The Dodgers turned 134 double plays, the Phillies 132. (Dodgers 7)
  9. The Dodgers walked 584 batters, the Phillies 489. (Dodgers 7)
  10. Both teams had nine regular-season shutouts, the Phillies had one in the first round (Phillies 19)
  11. The Dodgers' staff ERA was 3.41, the Phillies' was 4.16 (Dodgers 15)
  12. The Phillies won the World Series in 2008, the Dodgers lost in the NLCS. (Phillies 12)
  13. The Dodgers won the season series, 4-3. (Dodgers 12)

    TOTAL: Dodgers 71, Phillies 60

2 comments:

Jordie Dwyer said...

And Maggie the Monkey is picking the Yankees and the Dodgers.....lol

sager said...

Seriously? Well, TSN is the network that pays Rod Black to commentate baseball ("Small ball!") and Steve Phillips to talk about it in on Sportscentre.