The Red Sox pitchers were dominating yesterday - well, all but this guy.

Things every manager should know – walking one perennial MVP candidate to face another perennial MVP candidate is never a good idea. The Angels learned that the hard way last night when they walked David Ortiz to face Manny Ramirez with one on in the ninth inning. The batter on really does not matter – it was the ninth, in Fenway, so none on, one on, ten on does not matter, as any run ends it. The Angels decided that they feared Manny less than Big Papi, and Manny made them pay for that the way he does best, with a three run walk-off home run.

It should not have come to this, though. The Angels had plenty of chances to run up the score against Daisuke Matsuzaka, only they failed to do so. Dice-K allowed seven hits and three walks in his 4 2/3 innings, but the Angels were able to muster only three runs. Once the ball was turned over to the Red Sox’ bullpen, though, all the chances would end, as Javier Lopez, Manny Delcarmen, Hideki Okajima, and Jonathan Papelbon combined for 4 1/3 innings of hitless relief. The only two walks after Dice-K left would come off Papelbon.

Will the Red Sox use Dice-K as their No. 2 starter in the ALCS after this mediocre performance? The Sox are certainly going to have to look at their options. With a sweep, which could happen tomorrow, the Sox might be able to set up Josh Beckett for Game One and Curt Schilling for Game Two, and then pray for rain in Game Three. Tim Wakefield might be able to return by that point, but his right shoulder is still bothering him, he is still working on rehabbing it, and he might be left off the ALCS roster like he was the ALDS.

Over in the other ALDS series, God reigned down against the Yankees, unleashing upon them a plague of locusts. Okay, maybe it was not that Biblical, but it was close to it. Joba Chamberlain was definitely rattled by the bugs swarming around him, leading to a run for the Indians and extra winnings, where the Indians would pick up the win and take a 2-0 series lead. This game should not have gone into extra innings though, and I do not say that because of Chamberlain’s slide due to the bugs, but because of the ineffectiveness of the Indians. In eight of the 11 innings, the Indians were able to get the leadoff runner on, and yet they were only able to score one run until the final, eleventh inning. Part of that was due to the strategies employed by the Indians, as they repeatedly attempted to bunt runners over. While the TBS announcers enjoyed watching a National League style that they were used to, the Indians were wasting outs when they would have been better off just swinging. If the sacrifices really worked, they would have scored far more than they did. Further, while the Yankees’ pitching was clearly better last night than in Game One, this was an Indian lineup that had scored 12 runs the previous night, so why the great urgency and need to play small ball? It was a tactical mistake.

One cannot say enough about the performance of Fausto Carmona in this game. Carmona did everything he possibly could to win, tossing nine innings of three hit, one run ball. Carmona struck out five and walked just two, and the only real blemish on his day was a third inning solo homer by Melky Cabrera. In one season, Carmona has gone from being a failed closer to being one of the best pitchers in the American League.

Speaking of closing, Rafael Perez pitched quite well out of the pen for the Indians this year in his first full season in the pen, and he has been untouchable in the playoffs. In 44 appearances this season, Perez was 1-2 with a 1.78 ERA, with 62 strikeouts and just 15 walks in 60 2/3 innings, and through two appearances in the playoffs so far he has four innings with no walks, hits, or runs, and he has struck out five. Whether the Indians advance or not, this has been Perez’ coming out party.

Heading in to tonight’s game, the Rockies have to be happy where things stand for them. Up two games to none, heading in to their home park, and facing a pitcher with an ERA over 5.00 during the regular season. Jamie Moyer has not had a good season at all, and he has been even worse as the season has gone on, with a record of 4-4 and a 5.82 ERA over his last ten starts to end the season. Moyer also does not have the type of stuff that goes over well in Colorado – one pitch that does not break right, and the ball is a souvenir. The Rockies counter with Ubaldo Jimenez, who has only gotten better as he rookie season has gone on. His last start on September 30 was big for the Rockies getting into the playoffs – had he lost, season over. Instead, he pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowing just one hit, four walks, and one earned run, and he struck out ten. Despite Coors Field supposedly being every pitchers’ nightmare, Jimenez is far more comfortable there, with a record of 3-3 with a 3.81 ERA at home in nine starts, compared to 1-1 with a 5.01 ERA in six starts on the road. Moyer, meanwhile, has been worse on the road than at home, with a record of 6-8 with a 5.25 ERA outside of Citizen’s Bank Park. This should be three-and-out for the Phillies.

As for the other series that could potentially end this evening, we have the Cubbies back at home to take on the Diamondbacks, with elimination looming. With their backs to the wall, the Cubs turn the ball to Rich Hill, who was 11-8 with a 3.92 ERA in 32 starts. Over 195 innings, Hill struck out 183 and walked just 63. That is pretty darned spiffy for his first full season in the major league rotation. The Diamondbacks counter with Livan Hernandez, who all the television commentators praise for his “veteran leadership and presence.” That is television speak for “we really have no intelligent reason to like him, but we do because he has been around a while, and that has to mean something, right?” No, not really – all it means is that the Diamondbacks somehow got to this point despite having a really lousy rotation, and Hernandez was just one part of that. Sure, he has pitched in the postseason in the past with both the Giants and Marlins, but that means little. If playoff experience mattered so much, the Cubs, not the Diamondbacks, would be up 2-0, as they have more than a handful of players that know what the postseason is like. Hernandez was 11-11 this season with a 4.93 ERA, with 90 strikeouts and 79 walks in 204 1/3 innings – in other words, he is lucky to have held his ERA below 5.00 and it is a miracle he won as many as he lost. If the Cubs do not pound Hernandez tonight, they never deserved to win.

Tomorrow, we look back at these two games and set things up for at least two more Game Threes and possibly a Game Four or two, but I doubt it.

Questions and comments may be sent to markhaverty@sportsgrumblings.com.