http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRiXJdMmn3I
After tonight's Dodgers/Mets game, lefties are batting 2/33 against Jonathan Broxton this season. Imagine sending 16 left-handed batters in a row against a pitcher, and only one of them getting a hit.
Check out Broxton's statline against some of your favorite hitters:http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7613/batvspit;_ylt=Akva3pQ2iwwmiAfZ0iC3oo2FCLcF?year=career&type=Pitching
(Matt Holliday is 1/11 against him, Mike Cameron is 2/13, and Garrett Atkins is 3/17 against him. Conversely, Aramis Ramirez is 4/4, and his Cub teammates are actually pretty good against Broxton.)
On the same level of excellence, the Lakers shot 44% from three tonight. If they shoot 40% from three in the series, they win in 6 games or less. 35% is usually the acceptable standard. Denver shot 42% tonight, but they have a lot more jump shooters, and their % should be higher than the Lakers, especially if they intend to win. (Lakers can thank D-Fish for their 44%, as he nailed 3/6.)Another interesting stat -- despite all the talk about Denver's great shot-blocking, the Lakers out-blocked them tonight, 9 to 8. Gasol/Bynum/Odom had 2 apiece, Kobe/Farmar/Powell all had 1 apiece.
And despite Chauncey's three missed FTs in the first quarter, he was 6-9 on the night from the charity stripe. Not too shabby for a guy who probably hasn't missed three in a row in 10 years in a professional contest.
From what I saw in tonight's game, I believe Game 3 will have more than 208 points. I'm thinking a safe over/under line in Game 3 would be 218. However, I wouldn't be surprised if the actual total # of points scored in that game topped out at around 230.
Why make a prediction on Game 3 and not Game 2? Well, Denver shoots so poorly at times on the road, it's simply unpredictable. They might shoot 60% or higher in one quarter, only to not score for six minutes in the next.
Regardless, tonight's Lakers Nuggets game was a sign of a great series. Should be tons of points in this one. Also, expect things to get rougher and uglier in Game 2, as Denver's big men will try to abuse Pau Gasol.
Back to the Dodgers, or actually a Met. As Ryan Church was stepping up for an at bat, Vin Scully pointed out that last night's missing 3rd base was not only embarrasing and without good reason (according to head coach Jerry Manuel), but it was also probably done in front of a lot of people who came to see him play. You see, Church grew up in Lompoc, which is almost a three-hour mid-weekday-afternoon drive away from Dodger Stadium, but doable I guess. All of a sudden, a mistake like that in the 11th inning becomes magnified.
"One look and Mark Loretta knew Ryan Church hadn't touched third:"
And here's one last funny link for the road:
