10/27: No DH? No problem.

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Oct. 27 GAME 3 – WORLD SERIES 2007

Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-1, 5.65) @ Josh Fogg (2-0, 1.13) Coors Field (Denver, CO) 8:25 PM EDT, FOX CF Jacoby Ellsbury 2B Kaz Matsui 2B Dustin Pedroia SS Troy Tulowitzki 1B David Ortiz LF Matt Holliday LF Manny Ramirez 1B Todd Helton 3B Mike Lowell 3B Garrett Atkins RF J.D. Drew RF Brad Hawpe C Jason Varitek C Yorvit Torrealba SS Julio Lugo CF Cory Sullivan SP Daisuke Matsuzaka SP Josh Fogg

GAME NOTES: This is Game Three of the World Series, and it’s in Colorado. The caliber of Josh Fogg and Aaron Cook means the Red Sox could easily sweep (no knock against Cook intended; if he hadn’t had a layoff since August, I’d be concerned about beating him) … but Coors Field is not made for Dice-K.
Coors flattens out offspeed pitches, and rewards those who can keep the ball on the ground and pitch in the lower half of the strike zone. I’m iffy on Dice-K’s ability to pull off a win with only his fastball (which is beatable) and his command issues. Fogg has been known as “The Dragon Slayer” due to inexplicably winning matchups against pitchers of better caliber… but he’s still not a good pitcher.
Since everyone’s predicting a slugfest, it will probably be 0-0 in the 15th inning, but … yeah, slugfest. Let’s see which team’s bats are more potent (have to go with Colorado on paper in that area). I never really complained too much about the DH/no-DH issues in the past, but now I’m anti no-DH in the World Series. It handicaps the AL team horribly, while the NL team is not handicapped by the DH rules. Let’s show everyone that we can win without the DH.