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they won 13 of their last 14 regular season games just to force a one game playoff with the San Diego Padres. The Rockies proceeded to eek past the Padres into the Division Series. They flew right through the Philadelphia Phillies in a three game sweep, doubling the run output of their opponents in each game.

In the National League Championship Series, the Rockies faced their division rivals, the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Rockies struck early, dropping four runs on Diamondbacks' ace Brandon Webb in Arizona to take game one. Winning game two, the Rockies found themselves in position to win the series without having to go back to Arizona for games six or seven. Arizona never recovered, losing each of the next two games to give the Rockies their first National League Pennant. With their playoff brilliance, the Rockies have won 21 out of their last 22 games and have momentum with them as they head into their first World Series.

A young and talented team, the Rockies have found the best way to improve their pitching staff: a top-notch defense. They have an incredibly sure-handed defense, committing only 68 errors, and a ton of range in the outfield. Their offense was the second best in the NL, averaging better than five runs per game in a pitchers' league. Led by MVP candidate Matt Holliday, they have slugged themselves to where they are now as their pitching staff has been roughly middle of the road. In the playoffs, however, their pitching has been far better, holding their opponents to less than three runs per game.

The Red Sox and Rockies finished fourth and fifth respectively in runs scored this season. Each team has a deep batting order, running seven and eight hitters deep, and wearing out opposing pitchers. Home field advantage could be a major factor as the Rockies have struggled away from home. The Rockies' offense has enjoyed the thin air of Colorado as their team OPS at home was .853 while their road OPS was just .730. The Red Sox, however, will lose one of David Ortiz, Mike Lowell, or Kevin Youkilis for each game played under NL rules in Colorado. It will be a tight and exciting series, but in the end, the Red Sox have the advantage of a true pitching ace, a deeper pitching staff, and less downtime between games - the Rockies will have had eight days off between the NLCS and the World Series. The Red Sox will win it in six games.

Statistics gathered from http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/stats/i ndex.jsp

Learn more about this author, Art Vandelay.
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