Pulling Big Z was a big mistake.

So, I fell asleep last night around 11:30 Eastern Time – did I miss anything big?

I am joking of course – well, not about the sleep part. The Cubs and Diamondbacks were in the midst of their Game One at that point, and it was a nice pitchers’ duel until Lou Piniella did the inexplicable, pulling starter Carlos Zambrano. Piniella has defended his decision to go to the bullpen after just six innings and 85 pitches by Zambrano by saying that he is going to need him on short rest on Sunday. The one problem with that logic is that Sunday would be Game Four. The goal of Piniella, and every manager, should be to win in as few games as possible, and by justifying his use, or rather misuse, of Zambrano by saying he needs him on Sunday, Piniella was conceding at least one game, which, as it turns out, was that one. Simply put, Piniella conceded a 1-1 game.

In Philadelphia earlier that day, the Rockies proved that the extra rest that the Phillies got and the numbers Jeff Francis had in earlier appearances against the Rockies were both overrated, as the Rockies won 4-2 to take home field advantage away from the Phillies. Francis was excellent in his first postseason appearance, holding the hot-hitting Phillies in a hitter-friendly park to four hits, two walks, and two earned runs in six innings, and he struck out eight in the win. Unlike the Cubs game, where Zambrano clearly had more in the tank, the young Francis had already thrown 94 pitches and is not the workhorse yet that Zambrano is. The Rockies were very much justified in turning the ball over to the pen, which just might be the best of the four National League teams in the playoffs, and they did the job. LaTroy Hawkins, Brian Fuentes, and Manny Corpas pitched three scoreless, hitless innings, allowing two walks while striking out two. What was once the biggest albatross around the Rockies’ neck – their bullpen – has now become one of their greatest assets with the emergence this season of Corpas and the success in lesser roles of Hawkins and Matt Herges. Considering that the Rockies have now won 15 of their last 16 games, it is no exaggeration to say that they are now the team to beat in the National League.

The Red Sox game went exactly as we said it would yesterday. Josh Beckett did two things that he does really well – pitch against the Angels and pitch in October – and it went exactly as every other outing that fits either of those bills has. It was complete domination, with the Angels mustering only four hits while picking up no walks and striking out eight times. Beckett needed just 108 pitches to finish the shutout, and 83 of them were strikes. Yes, Hanley Ramirez has turned out to be one of the better shortstops in the game, but without Mike Lowell’s bat and Beckett’s overpowering arm, the Red Sox would not be in the playoffs, so I think it is about time for everyone in New England to stop bringing up this trade.

At the plate, the Red Sox did what they always do to John Lackey, especially in Fenway. Lackey, a Cy Young contender all season, was whacked to the tune of nine hits, two walks, and four earned runs in six innings. Two of those hits left the yard, a first inning home run by Kevin Youkilis and a two-run shot in the third by Big Papi David Ortiz. The Angels get a day off now, and they will need it, with the Angels’ other ace, Kelvim Escobar, taking the mound against the Sox against Daisuke Matsuzaka. This matchup is far better for the Angels than last night’s was.

Today, the Yankees and Indians kick off their series, with C.C. Sabathia facing the Yankees for the first time since 2004. Sabathia’s record against the Yankees in his career is atrocious, but he is a far better pitcher than he was when he last pitched against the Bronx Bombers. Will that past matter? Our take is no, but we will find out at 7:00 PM today. The Yankees counter with Chien-Ming Wang, who has been their ace all season. If he is able to keep the ball down and the defense is solid behind him, he will be able to keep the Yankees in the game; however, one hung pitch or a slightly off defense and the Indians will make him pay.

The Phillies and Rockies get another early go at it this afternoon, with Kyle Kendrick for the Phillies and Franklin Morales for the Rockies. Both are rookie pitchers that have had their issues this year, but the edge here goes to Kendrick. Morales is a much better long-term prospect, but Kendrick has been up for most of the season, getting his lumps out of the way while also learning his craft at a big league level. Morales, on the other hand, has just eight major league starts and has been erratic at times, with only three starts where he actually completed six innings, and never more than that. If the Phillies can get to Morales early, they can split the series, but they will be in trouble if Morales gets in six and turns the ball over to the pen with a tie or lead.

Lastly, Doug Davis for the Diamondbacks and Ted Lilly for the Cubs at 10:00 tonight – this should be no contest here, as Doug Davis is, well, not very good. Okay, he has been pretty lousy, with an ERA of 5.23 over his last ten games, and his last quality start came five starts ago. This should be over early – we might not be Lilly fans here, but he is Beckett-like when compared to Davis.

Questions and comments be sent to markhaverty@sportsgrumblings.com