NLCS Update: No Longer a Pitchers' Duel

By Charles Curtis

We expected some offense. Maybe an outburst or two. But the first two games of the National League Championship Series have shown two teams with enough firepower to win games on their bats alone. While critics, analysts and fans got excited about seeing young pitchers from both the Cubs and Marlins with nasty stuff, the series has turned into a slugfest.

The first game consisted of back and forth baseball, as a total seven dingers were hit in the game. Neither team's bullpen could hold a lead, and when the dust settled, the Marlins emerged with a home run from ­ who else? ­ injured third basemen Mike Lowell. Out in September with a broken hand that kept him out of Florida's series against the San Francisco Giants, Lowell was the Marlins' MVP this year before he was injured. So in a game where the final clutch hit would win it, of course it was fitting that Lowell hit the home run in that game. He was called upon as a pinch-hitter to start a rally... and he won it on one swing. While the Cubs looked exhausted and slightly dejected at the end of the first game of the series, they had actually accomplished more than they thought: Sammy Sosa came alive for his first postseason home run in his career. The lineup as a whole flexed some muscle, as their 1-7 hitters all had at least one hit, while catcher Paul Bako helped the team out by throwing speedster Juan Pierre out at second on an attempted steal. Except for the fact that they lost a nail-biter of a game, the Cubs couldn't hang their heads for long.

That's when Chicago got mad, as game two became a slugfest from the start. The score was 8-0 in their favor by the third inning, and with their young phenom Mark Prior on the mound, Florida bats were shut down completely until they figured him out in the sixth inning with back-to-back homers by Derrek Lee and Miguel Cabrera. But by then it was too late. And now the series shifts to Florida, where fans are marginally excited, as opposed to Chicago's riot scene on Waveland Avenue.

Today's third game will feature an intriguing pitching matchup between Kerry Wood, who has shut down hitters throughout the postseason thus far, and Mark Redman, who pitched a great game against the Giants in his last series (6.0 IP, 2ER, 4K, 3BB). The Marlins' lineup isn't completely incapable of getting to Wood, but as their performance against Prior showed, it's a tough task to beat two of the National League's most dominant pitchers. If Redman can shut the Cubs red-hot offense down, the Marlins will have a chance.

Game four will be even more crucial. Either team will be looking to take a two game lead, and the Cubs will be facing the most exciting young pitcher to debut this year, Dontrelle Willis. With his wild throwback pitching style (for proof, check out the Diamond Angle's Neon Pitchers), Willis should be exciting to watch, but if playoff inexperience takes over, the Cubs will pounce on him as they did against Brad Penny in game two. The same can be said about the Cubs' Matt Clement. Count on game four to be one of those classic matchups that ends in excitement. Or it could end up in yet another slugfest. But who are we to complain about too much offense?