The
Pittsburgh Pirates are back on familiar grounds, as their
pitching staff will be put to the test against the slugging
Baltimore Orioles. The Pirates, whos 4 man rotation of Jesse
Tannehill, Deacon Phillippe, Jack Chesbro, and Rube Waddell
cannot be matched anywhere. Period. The rotation is so deep
that Waddell, a 25 year old star in the making, has a career
38-27 record with an ERA of 2.16 each season and will not
even be starting in the Series, due to the 3 man rotation
rules. Pittsburgh had an all-around great season as they finished
2nd in the league with a .259 batting average, 2nd in runs
scored (581), 1st in team ERA (2.38), 3rd in opponents average
(.230), T-5th in homeruns allowed (18), 3rd in walks allowed
(198), and 2nd in runs allowed (448). Reigning NL Batter of
the Year Honus Wagner lead the offense with a .333 average
(lead the league), 3 homeruns, 75 RBI (4th in the NL), 85
runs (1st in the NL), and 45 steals (9th in the NL).
The
Pirates finished 2nd in average and runs to one team, the
Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles were a team built around offense,
definetely not pitching. Ranked first in team batting average
(.264), T-1st in team walks (305), 1st in stolen bases (260),
and first in runs scored (616), the Orioles offense is one
to be reckoned with. Mike Donlin leads this powerful offense,
as he had an average of .325 (1st in AL), 7 homeruns (3rd
in AL), 82 RBI (2nd in AL), 84 runs (2nd in AL), and 35 steals.
Prediction:
It's a true test of pitching vs. hitting, but unlike the Orioles
16th ranked team ERA, Pittsburgh can also hit. Pirates in
5.