Tough matchup for Cubs, runs at premium in October

World Series Coverage   Monday John Donovan: Rox, Sox built to last Albert Chen: Ellsbury an unlikely hero Joe Sheehan: Scenes, notes from clincher Red Sox celebrate World Series victory Sunday Sox clip Rockies 4-3 to win World Series John Donovan's Report Card for Game 4 Jon Heyman's 15 Greatest Mr. Octobers Lowell takes home Series MVP honors Dynasty in the making for Red Sox? Clock strikes midnight for Rockies' ride Time.com: Red Sox are the new Yankees Saturday Red Sox down Rockies 10-5, take 3-0 lead John Donovan's Report Card for Game 3 Tom Verducci: The Sox are superior John Donovan: The Coors Field factor Jon Heyman: Four keys to Game 3 Friday Melissa Segura: Corpas gets his wish John Donovan: Rockies' lumber slumber Jon Heyman: How the Sox got Beckett Joe Sheehan: Electric night at Fenway Thursday Schilling, bullpen shut down Rockies 2-1 John Donovan's Report Card for Game 2 Tom Verducci's five cuts for Thursday Albert Chen on the Red Sox's bullpen John Donovan: Rockies turn to a rookie Joe Sheehan: Postseason drama lacking Tale of the Tape: Rockies vs. Red Sox World Series Fungoes Joe Lemire on Rockies-Red Sox Schedule/Box Scores Game 1: Red Sox 13, Rockies 1 Game 2: Red Sox 2, Rockies 1 Game 3: Red Sox 10, Rockies 5 Game 4: Red Sox 4, Rockies 3

1. If they didn't know it before the Division Series started, the Cubs do now after Game 1: they better avoid seeing Arizona ace Brandon Webb again. The Cubs live on home runs and right-handed hitting. Webb is a groundball machine who eats up right-handers (.199) and doesn't give up home runs to them (four).

2. Runs are harder to come by in the postseason, but especially when teams send rested aces to the mound, as happened Wednesday. The six teams in action hit a combined .182 with just 14 runs.

3. Soft-tossing fraternity brothers Jamie Moyer, 43, and Tom Glavine, 41, took the ball Sunday in virtual elimination games for their teams. Moyer gave up zero earned run for the Phillies, while Glavine gave up seven earned runs for the Mets -- in such a rotten outing that he hit a pitcher with a pitch for the first time in his 20-year career. So now it can be told: Moyer carries with him a videotape of a playoff game thrown by a left-handed pitcher and watches it whenever he gets out his sync. The pitcher on the tape? Glavine.

4. In doing your autopsies on the Mets, remember that they were hurt by Pedro Martinez needing an extra day of rest each time out and by Orlando Hernandez deciding when he was well enough to pitch or not. Without proper depth behind an aging rotation, the Mets gave six starts to Brian Lawrence and a rusty Philip Humber down the stretch -- and lost all six games. That killed New York as much as the bullpen meltdown.

5. Sure, that was an exciting tiebreaker game Monday and one of these days Matt Holliday will actually touch home plate, but stop the madness already with these expanded rosters. Did you know the Rockies won the game using 10 pitchers? Manager Clint Hurdle used 76 pitchers in their 14-1 run. The Phillies and Rockies played a 33- vs. 35-player game in September with a total of 35 active pitchers. The Yankees used 10 pitchers to get 30 outs one game. The Mariners had five left-handed specialists in their bullpen. What other sport gets to its most important games of the regular season and changes the rules? Enough. Call up as many as you want, but designate 25 active players for each game and leave it at that.