Barry holds the cards

World Series outcome will come down to Bonds' at-bats

After two exciting games in Anaheim, the Fall Classic shifts Tuesday night to Pac-Bell Park in San Francisco with the Angels and Giants tied at one game apiece. CNNSI.com spoke with Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci, who was on hand for the first two contests. Here are his thoughts on the action to date as well as what we're likely to see next.

CNNSI.com: Has anything surprised you about the series thus far?

Tom Verducci: I certainly didn't expect 21 runs to be scored in Game 2. I didn't expect all these home runs, either. Usually, the ball doesn't carry that well in Anaheim at night. But I think the competitiveness of the series is exactly what most people thought it would be.

CNNSI.com: Should the Giants be satisfied with splitting the two games in Anaheim or disappointed that they couldn't complete a sweep after squandering a 9-7 lead in Game 2?

Verducci: I think San Francisco is happy with the split. Now the series is a best-of-five and the Giants have home field advantage. They were playing with house money in Game 2, so they still have to like their position, especially since the Game 3 pitching matchup, at least on paper, is in San Francisco's favor.

CNNSI.com: What about the Barry Bonds factor so far? He has hit two monstrous home runs and, for the most part, Anaheim has pitched to him.

Verducci: I think the situation with Bonds been almost ideal for the Angels. He has come up nine times, but only once with someone on base. And that one time, Anaheim intentionally walked him. The Angels have done a good job clearing the deck in front of him, allowing them to try to get Bonds out. I don't think that will change. If there are runners on base, Anaheim will pitch around Bonds. With nobody on, the Angels will be more aggressive and go after him.

CNNSI.com: Both teams had to go deep into their bullpens in Game 2, and relievers for each club have had plenty of work in the first two games. Will this have an impact on the rest of the series?

Verducci: Because there was almost a week off before the series started, and there is a day off on Monday -- which is a short travel day -- I don't think the extended use of the bullpens is that big of a deal. The danger game will be Game 5. If these teams have to call on their relievers in the next two games as much as they did in the first two games, then I think you're looking at the potential for a real dangerous situation in Game 5. Going into Game 3 though, I think the bullpens are in pretty good shape.

CNNSI.com: The Game 3 pitching matchup of Livan Hernandez against Ramon Ortiz seems to favor the Giants (Hernandez is 6-0 in his postseason career). Does that make it a must-win for San Francisco, since not taking advantage of the matchup could be fatal?

Verducci: When this series started, I looked at this as a six-game series, minimum, so I'm not going to say Game 3 is crucial for either team. I do think San Francisco has an edge on paper going into the game because Ortiz is the most emotional starter Anaheim has and, as we saw against New York in the Division Series, he's liable to be too pumped and too excited, causing him to be wild. That could really work against him. The ironic thing is Ortiz has the best stuff of any of the Angels' starters. On a good night, he's very capable of going deep into the game. But he's also capable of being out of the game in second inning.

CNNSI.com: Aside from the big names, i.e. Bonds, Troy Glaus, etc., which one player on each team do you see having an impact on the remainder of the series?

Verducci: I think J.T. Snow has had consistently good at-bats for the Giants. He's staying on the ball really well and has been hitting drives to center field and left field. I think he's going to continue to be a factor. For the Angels, I think Darin Erstad fits into the same category. He has had real good at-bats against left-handed pitching. He seems to be a clutch player -- a guy who wants to be up in tight situations.

However, having said that, I still think this series is all about Barry Bonds' at-bats. Not only what he does when he's at the plate, but also what the situation is when the game comes around to his turn to bat. How many runners are on base? How many outs are there? What's the score? Everything revolves around the four or five times Bonds comes to the plate.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Tom Verducci covers baseball for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. Check out his Insider column throughout the postseason.

 

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