Ken Rosenthal Reacts to Thursday's Playoff Action

All smiles for Torre as Dodgers keep rolling

Joe Torre isn't merely getting the last laugh on the Yankees. He's throwing his head back and unleashing a full-blown guffaw.

Actually, Torre isn't saying a word, doesn't have to say a word. His Dodgers' performance in the Division Series speaks volumes.

The Dodgers lead the Cubs, two games to none, and their 10-3 rout on Thursday night was hatched by a hit-and-run that Torre called in the second inning, triggering a five-run rally.

Boy, the Dodgers sure took a chance when they signed Torre to a three-year contract without performance incentives.

Torre, according to the Yankees, needed extra motivation, needed a $1 million bonus for reaching each postseason round.

New York's offer to Torre was for one year with a pay cut from $7.5 million to $5 million. But hey, Torre had the chance to make an additional $3 million if he won the World Series!

The Yankees' offer was an insult. Their failure to mention Torre during Yankee Stadium's closing ceremonies was an insult. And now the baseball gods are taking revenge.

Frankly, the gods are quite busy in this series. Not only are they sending a message to the Yankees, but they also are performing their usual black magic on the Cubs.

You know the Cubs are in trouble when their volatile pitcher, Carlos Zambrano, is the only guy on the field who is composed.

All four Cubs infielders made errors Thursday night. Dodgers right-hander Chad Billingsley held the Cubs' vaunted offense to one run in 6.2 innings. Dodgers leadoff man Rafael Furcal went 3-for-6 with a gorgeous RBI bunt single, and, of course, Manny Ramirez hit another home run.

Ramirez and starting pitching are the foundation of the Dodgers' success, but the difference in execution between the two teams is striking. The Dodgers' hitters are going up the middle and to the opposite field. The Cubs' hitters are trying to pull everything. At some level, the Dodgers' efficiency reflects their manager's steady hand.

This isn't to suggest that the Yankees should have kept Torre; his last three teams in New York were eliminated in the first round, and both sides needed to move on. But after 12 straight postseason appearances, Torre deserved a dignified departure. The Yankees gave him no such thing.

Meanwhile, Torre's replacement, Joe Girardi, recently had to apologize to the media for lying about injuries. Torre is masterful with the media, masterful with his players. His Dodgers' team, an unusual mix of rising stars and fading veterans, came apart last season under Grady Little. Now, they're one victory away from the National League Championship Series. Ramirez is a big reason. But so is Torre.

I know what some Yankees people are thinking—Torre blew a three-games-to-none lead in the 2004 ALCS, he might do it again! All things are possible, especially with Rich Harden and Ted Lilly starting the next two games for the Cubs. But the Dodgers are going home playing their best ball of the season.

To paraphrase Torre's TV commercial in which he professes his affection for the Los Angeles lifestyle:

You know that place where there are no Steinbrenners? He is so there.

Can't be too harsh on CC

The next time CC Sabathia pitches in the postseason—for the Dodgers, Yankees, or some other club—we in the media will roll out Sabathia's awful postseason numbers.

And it will be so unfair.

Sabathia, making his fourth consecutive start on three days rest, had nothing left to give in the Brewers' 5-2 loss to the Phillies in Game Two of the Division Series.

He struggled last October after throwing 241 innings in the regular season. When he hit the wall face-first Thursday night after working 253 innings, no one could have been surprised.

The great warrior's difficulty putting away Phillies pitcher Brett Myers was painful to watch. As the crowd roared with delight, Sabathia succumbed with a nine-pitch, two-out walk to Myers in the second inning, triggering a five-run Phillies rally.

The soon-to-be-minted $150 million free agent then needed 10 pitches—10!—to retire Myers, a .116 career hitter, in their next "confrontation."

C'mon.

Sabathia, throwing hard but elevating his pitches, allowed six extra-base hits in 3.2 innings, including a grand slam by Shane Victorino. Right-handers went 6-for-13 against him with three walks.

It was sad, and it was inevitable.

The Brewers' pedal-to-the-metal approach was not exactly reckless—Sabathia heartily endorsed the strategy, and 29 other clubs would have done the same thing.

Still, it's fair to ask whether some teams will pause before offering Sabathia $150 million as a free agent, knowing how much the Brewers took out of him down the stretch

As one rival executive pointed out Thursday, a GM presenting a case for Sabathia to his owner must point out what the pitcher has done in the past—and what he might do in the future.

Fear not for CC—he will get his money. His unselfishness for the Brewers, a team he only joined in July, was exactly what fans want from their sports heroes, a refreshing departure in an age of greed.

The team that signs Sabathia will acquire not just his arm, but also his heart. That team, no doubt, also will show him greater care, protecting its investment long-term.

The Brewers need not be ashamed. They completed one of the best mid-season trades in major-league history. They reached the postseason for the first time in 26 years.

But their elimination is almost certain to occur this weekend in Milwaukee, with Dave Bush starting Game Three and fellow right-hander Jeff Suppan pitching Game Four, if necessary. After that, Sabathia will be gone and the team's difficult restructuring will begin.

CC stands for Courage Cubed. If you must know, his ERA in five career postseason starts is 7.92. And that is the last time you will see that number written by me.

Rays didn't look nervous...just good

Convinced yet?

Consider which Rays did not contribute to the team's 6-4 victory over the White Sox on Thursday in Game 1 of the Division Series:

• No. 3 hitter Carlos Pena, who struck out on three pitches in his first at-bat and then left the game in the top of the third inning because of blurred vision.
• Designated hitter Cliff Floyd, who went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts, and No. 2 hitter B.J. Upton, who went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts.
• Right-hander Edwin Jackson, a 14-game winner, and Troy Percival, a 28-save closer, neither of whom even made the Rays' postseason roster.

Depth is perhaps the Rays' strongest asset—depth in the rotation, depth in the bullpen, depth among their position players.

The team's $43.8 million payroll on Opening Day was the second-lowest in the majors, ahead of only the Marlins. Yet, the Rays boast far more good players than the Yankees, who spent $209 million only to miss the postseason.

Cave under postseason pressure? Please.

Willy Aybar, one of the Rays' many useful bench players, produced a sacrifice fly, single and run scored as Pena's replacement and also played terrific defense at first base.

The entire team played with uncanny poise, just as it did in winning two pivotal series from the Red Sox in September, just as it has all season.

Right-hander James Shields, the Rays' starting pitcher, allowed a three-run homer to DeWayne Wise in the third inning, putting his team behind, 3-1. Yet Shields earned the victory by pitching into the seventh inning without allowing another run.

The Rays' bullpen, a question mark for many scouts, didn't look too scared, either. Righty Grant Balfour escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the seventh with two strikeouts, lefty J.P. Howell struck out two in a perfect eighth and righty Dan Wheeler earned the save after allowing a leadoff homer by Paul Konerko in the ninth.

Finally, there was that terrified rookie, third baseman Evan Longoria. Two home runs in his first two at-bats, an RBI single in his third, a walk in his final plate appearance.

I just wish that kid would relax. Him and all his trembling teammates.

This article originally published on FOXSports.com.

Read more of Ken's columns here.