October Baseball In The Daytime: Rockies-Phillies Game 1

Baseball's pecking order of popularity has dictated that the two hottest teams in the game will play the early game today and tomorrow. I personally have no problem with this, as I'm a capitalist. The Yankees, Red Sox and Cubs get way better ratings than the Rockies and Phillies. So here we are, with the leadoff game for the playoffs starting at one o'clock Mountain on TBS and XM 183.

17-game winner Jeff Francis gets the ball for the Rockies opposite 15-5 Cole Hamels. These two have similar games, as both bring it from the left side and neither rely on overpowering heat. They both have nice breaking pitches and change speeds effectively. The Rockies have better right-handed sticks that Philly does, but I don't think that kind of nuance will mean a damn thing in this game or this series. These teams have both defied the odds and they both just win games.

Now we're working on some actual playoff previews here at at the HoGquarters, and if you're anxious for some pregame reading you can surely find something from the advertiser-supported, paid professionals out there on the StubTubes. Here's my quick and sure-to-be-at-least-twenty-five-per-cent-accurate predictions:

Yankees in five.
Diamondbacks in five.
Red Sox in five.
Rockies in five.