In Advanced Scouting, MLB FanHouse's professional talent evaluator breaks down the playoffs from a scouting perspective.
The approach was there, the execution was there, but Pedro Martinez's stuff was just short of allowing him to completely shut down the New York Yankees. All in all, the Phillies have to be more than pleased with just a few runs in six innings for their veteran right-hander. At least for a little while, he had the Yankees eating out of the palm of his hand.
It can't be said enough: The best way to stop New York's lineup is often by allowing their patient approach to work against them. Martinez has the type of command and moxie to pull off such an approach. By letting Martinez consistently get ahead 0-1 and 0-2, you give him multiple pitches to play with and different ways of getting you out.
NEW YORK -- Set the clock, nudge awake the kids. There might not be a more fascinating evening in sports this year than Thursday night, when Pedro Martinez takes the mound at Yankee Stadium and flips the World Series on its rump.
Most anything Pedro does is must-watch theater. He turned a routine press conference before Wednesday's Game 1 into an astonishing revival session that included Martinez proclaiming he "at times [is] the most influential player that ever stepped in Yankee Stadium" and featured his first in-depth, blow-by-blow look back at his 2003 tussle with Don Zimmer. It was almost as if Martinez was craftily writing his own prelude to whatever might happen in Game 2, when he attempts to lift Philadelphia to a 2-0 Series lead.
Will Pedro's first World Series pitch since 2004 (a year that still makes Yankee fans' skin crawl) serve as a reminder to Derek Jeter that some things never change? More delicious, how will Pedro treat Alex Rodriguez? With deference owed a man who has finally (we think) proven October no longer makes him flinch? Or will Pedro buzz them both, buzz them all, and quickly silence the crowd's mocking chants?
NEW YORK -- Charlie Manuel's gamble on Pedro Martinez paid off in the National League Championship Series, so he's going to try it again. Manuel announced that Martinez will start Game 2 of the World Series, an outing he'll make on 12 days of rest after his gem in Game 2 of the NLCS, a game he pitched on 17 days of rest.
The extra rest agreed with the 38-year-old, who pitched seven shutout innings against the Dodgers, but Manuel said Tuesday that he also chose Martinez because of his big game history.
"He has a tremendous feel for the game, and he knows a lot about it," Manuel said. "He loves to compete. The bigger the moment, the bigger the stage, I think the more he likes it. He's been very good for our club, and he fits real well."
LOS ANGELES -- This is why Pedro Martinez picked the Phillies. He said he had offers from other big league teams during his nine-month job search, but he didn't sign with any of them because he didn't want to merely pitch in the majors, he wanted to have a shot to pitch again in the playoffs.
And here he is.
A future first-ballot Hall of Famer, Martinez will make his first postseason start since the 2004 World Series when he takes the ball for the Phillies in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series on Friday.
In Advanced Scouting, MLB FanHouse's professional talent evaluator breaks down each of the playoff teams from a scouting perspective.
While the Phillies have been able to upgrade their pitching with the additions of Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez, this is a club that needs to rely on its potent offense. If they're allowed to jump on the opposition early and get into hitters' counts, they can make it a long night for anyone.
Obviously, stopping the likes of Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez, Chase Utley, and Jayson Werth among others is easier said than done. But, one of the keys is going to be good left-handed pitching against them. Perhaps most crucial is going to be putting pitchers up against them that can keep the ball on the ground.
PHILADELPHIA -- When Tim Lincecum was a little younger, he viewed Pedro Martinez as an inspiration, someone who could excel despite being relatively small in stature.
On Thursday, Tim Lincecum viewed Pedro Martinez with a bat in his hand.
"It's ridiculous how nasty his stuff is," Lincecum said after he and the Giants lost 2-1 to Martinez and the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
"He's not just winging it up there. He's pitching with a purpose."
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
Heading into the season, the signs were there that the Rockies' 25-year-old right-handed starter Ubaldo Jimenez was ready for a breakout campaign. The only question was his occasional lack of command, which reared its ugly head in April (he started the season 1-3 with a 7.58 ERA and 2.11 WHIP). Since then, though, Jimenez has actually been one of the best hurlers in baseball and he's been even hotter for the past month.
Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.
You Oughta Know ... Jamie Moyer can still win games.
Moyer bristled when the Phillies demoted him to the bullpen in favor of Pedro Martinez, and when a rain delay Tuesday forced Martinez from his start against the Diamondbacks, Moyer took over when play resumed in the fourth inning for his first outing since the decision.
He went the rest of the way, allowing two hits and striking out five in six scoreless innings and earning his first relief win since May 15, 1996, for the Red Sox. (That day he worked two innings in relief of Tom Gordon.)
CHICAGO -- At last year's All-Star Break, Pedro Martinez flew to the Dominican Republic. His father, Pablo Jaime, was dying of brain cancer. Martinez asked his dad two questions.
Do you want me to stay here? Or do you want me to go play baseball?
"He just answered, clear," Martinez said Wednesday after his triumphant return to the majors at Wrigley Field, "'No,' and, 'Yes.' "
Martinez pitched five innings, barely gutting through the fifth after being handed an 11-run lead, for a win in his first big-league game in 10 1/2 months.
Welcome back to the big leagues, Petey! Three-time Cy Young award winner Pedro Martinez has been signed by the Philadelphia Phillies to bolster their ailing pitching staff as we head into the second half of the season. Pedro signed a $1 million, one-year contract with the World Series champions on Wednesday, and can earn up to $1.5 million in incentives if he pitches at least one game this season without his entire upper body falling off. Pedro in his prime was one of the best I've ever seen, and his career win-loss record is still 115 games over .500. At least he doesn't have to worry about being the oldest guy in the rotation!
The only thing he really has to worry about is Phillies fans hunting him down and murdering him if his signing gets in the way of Philadelphia acquiring Roy Halladay. And hey, maybe next year the Phils can go after Eric Gagne instead of Josh Beckett! Maybe they can get Sidney Ponson, too.
In Advanced Scouting, MLB FanHouse's professional talent evaluator breaks down the playoffs from a scouting perspective.
NEW YORK -- Set the clock, nudge awake the kids. There might not be a more fascinating evening in sports this year than Thursday night, when 
NEW YORK -- Charlie Manuel's gamble on 
LOS ANGELES -- This is why 
In 
PHILADELPHIA -- When 
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
Starting Five
CHICAGO -- At last year's All-Star Break, 
Welcome back to the big leagues, Petey! Three-time Cy Young award winner 
