2014 NLCS Preview - Metropolis vs. Brew City

Brew City swept two series to make their way to an NLCS matchup with two-time defending NL champ Metropolis. Here are a few nuggets to set the stage.

• The regular-season series was a complete mismatch, with Metropolis going 6-1 against Brew City. The sole Warrior win was 2-1, while the Avengers won games 16-4 and 20-2. Metropolis scored 66 runs in the seven games and allowed just 21. Metropolis scored more in their series vs. Brew City than it did against any other team.
• Brew City won 97 games to Metropolis’s 121, with much of that difference in games that could go either way. The Avengers went 10-0 in extra innings and 24-15 in one-run games. The Warriors went 11-10 in extras and 25-23 in one-run games.
• Even though the Avengers won 24 more games during the regular season, it’s tough to call them the favorite, as the Warriors just swept series against Portsmouth, who won 105 games and Fleetwood, who won 113 games.
• The series is a matchup of two first basemen who are also battling for MVP votes. The Warriors’ Paul Goldschmidt hit .333/.410/.602 for a 1.012 OPS with 41 homers and 145 RBIs. Avenger Chris Davis hit .286/.376/.662 for a 1.038 OPS with 51 homers and 124 RBIs.
• Metropolis will be facing Doug Fister, who it traded to Brew City during the offseason. Fister went 13-8 with a 4.61 ERA in 32 starts for the Warriors. He also started (and lost) the game vs Metropolis which Brew City lost 20-2.
• Brew City closer Jesse Crain appears to be fully healthy after missing much of the season. He is also a weapon out of the Warrior bullpen, compiling a 0.68 ERA in his 13.1 innings during the regular season.
• Brew City’s leadoff hitter Starling Marte knows his job is to get on base, anyway possible – he got hit by 20 pitches during the regular season, trailing only Shin Soo Choo’s amazing 35 in all of Brassball. (Number two hitter Brett Gardner got hit by 15 pitches himself.)
• The aces for each team had nearly identical seasons. Brew City’s Matt Harvey went 12-4 with a 2.44 ERA. Metropolis’s Clay Buchholz went 12-4 with a 2.45 ERA.
• The number twos were also nearly identical. Brew City’s Cliff Lee was 17-8 with a 2.68 ERA and Metropolis’s Stephen Strasburg was 18-7 with a 2.62 ERA.
• During the regular season, Brew City’s relievers were essentially indistinguishable from its starters – the relievers had a 3.52 ERA and the starters had a 3.53 ERA.
• The Metropolis bullpen was a real weapon, however, compiling a 2.49 ERA in 452 innings, compared to the starters’ 3.08 ERA in 1006 innings.