Last week, the Cincinnati Reds, who had the NL's second best record in 2012, recorded a convincing 9-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants, the team with the NL's best record. This week, they go up against the team with the AL's best record, the Rays. Had the two teams been matched up last week, the Rays would have won 9-3, with the Reds taking SBs, IPs, and Ks. The two teams were at the top of their respective leagues in pitching, with the Rays finishing top five in every category and the Reds finishing top 5 in every category except saves, a category in which they have seen great improvement with the recent addition of Tom Wilhelmsen and emergence of Luke Gregerson. With eight starting pitchers in the lineup this week against the Reds' six, the Rays may have an advantage in the counting categories, but a number of Rays pitchers have struggled recently in the rate stats, while the Reds' pitching has been somewhat more consistent. Offensively, both teams were near the tops of their leagues but neither team was as dominant as it was in the pitching categories. The Reds will miss their third baseman Jose Bautista, on the disabled list since August, but are anticipating the return of Shane Victorino early in the week. The Rays will be without first baseman Mark Teixeira for the first week, but hope for a return for the final few days of the Series.
As a reminder, if the World Series ends in a tie, the teams will be declared joint champions.
Clutch Performance of the Night: Joey Votto, DH, CIN: 1/2, 2 BB, .500 AVG, 1.750 OPS, 1 XBH - Votto provided 2 of CIN's 3 BBs to take the lead in that category, and 1 of CIN's 5 XBHs to tie up that category.
Final Day Analysis: Cincinnati has two SPs today (Bailey @ STL, Wood vs HOU), while Tampa Bay has none. Cincinnati should take the lead in IPs (currently 89.2-82.0, TB), but the remainder of the pitching categories should be unchanged unless Bailey and Wood walk a large number of batters between them (at least 10, likely more depending on innings pitched). Otherwise, pitching performances should put the Reds up 8-3. The Rays will need a good offensive day to retake the lead in three out of five categories: SBs (3-2 CIN), BBs (21-20 CIN), AVG (.240-.225 CIN), OPS (.680-.657 CIN), and XBH (18-18). If the Rays end up ahead in three of these categories while the Reds end up ahead in the other two, the World Series will likely end in a 6-6 tie. A tie will also likely occur if 2 of these categories end up tied and the Rays win 2 of the remaining 3. If the Rays end up ahead in four of these categories, or if they end up ahead in three with one of the other two tied, the Rays will most likely win the World Series. If the Reds hold their lead in three offensive categories, the Reds will most likely win the World Series.
Clutch Performance of the Night: Jay Bruce, Joey Votto, Homer Bailey, and Jose Arrendondo - with the Rays having tied up the score at 6-6 early in the evening, the Reds were in a precarious position, but four real life Reds came to the rescue during the night game: Bruce and Votto each provided a walk to retake the category, while Bailey and Arredondo ensured that the Reds won innings pitched. Subtract these four performances from four true Reds and the World Series would have ended in a tie.
Last Edit: Oct 4, 2012 10:34:31 GMT -5 by Ben (Rays GM)
Post by Ben (Rays GM) on Oct 4, 2012 10:29:48 GMT -5
Congratulations again to the Cincinnati Reds for winning the 2012 Pro-GM World Series. For the second consecutive year, an NL Central team has defeated an AL East team in the World Series. The World Series was an exciting one, with multiple lead changes. Even on the final day the Series was briefly tied at 6-6. However, the Rays' offense would have needed to do more if they wanted to claim a share of the Title, as it was apparent that the 6-6 tie wouldn't last with the Reds nipping at the Rays' heals in Innings Pitched and Homer Bailey still to pitch later in the evening. Bailey's innings would have been enough to put the Reds ahead 7-5, but walks from Jay Bruce and Joey Votto put the Reds ahead in that category as well, and an additional inning from Jose Arredondo served as insurance. It's fitting that four real life Reds did the final damage and earned the rings for their Pro-GM team. Both the NL Champion Reds and AL Champion Rays earn 5% discounts for this winter's free agency, as do the other six playoff teams. In addition to the 5% playoff discount and the well-deserved Championship Title, the Reds also earn a 5% World Series discount.
