Before we get to Thursday's results, a healthy serving of gratitude goes out to Mike42 of FishStripes (a fellow SpotsBlogNation site) for noticing the Adjusted Playoffs and getting in the adjusted spirit. (Also, thanks to another SBN-mate, SC of Camden Chat, for the shout-out. SC strongly implies that the Nats represent the Dark Side, a proposition I find curious since Peter Angelos is clearly Emperor Palpatine.)
Okay, away we go . . .
New York Mets (NL Adjusted Wild Card) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (Adjusted NL Central), Game Two
NYM 2 8 0
STL 13 14 1
WP: Mulder (1-0)
LP: Benson (0-1)
Recap: Reggie Sanders homered three times and drove in eight runs, single-handedly manhandling Mets' starter Kris Benson and a procession of dazed relievers. Tiny shortstop David Eckstein uncorked an upper-deck home run in the sixth inning; shortly thereafter, Benson's wife, Anna, defected to the Cardinals' locker room.
Series status: Series tied, 1-1.
San Diego Padres (Adjusted NL West) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (Adjusted NL East), Game Two
SDP 0 4 0
PHI 1 2 1
WP: Cormier (1-0)
LP: Seanez (0-1)
Recap: David Bell, brother of Aaron F., cranked an eleventh inning home run off Padres reliever Rudy Seanez, who bears a passing resemble to the worst pitching prospect of all time. The extra-inning drama overshadowed a bizarre pitching duel between starters Vicente Padilla and Pedro Astacio, who allowed but one hit and struck out twelve in seven innings.
Series Status: Philadelphia leads, 2-0.
More to come tomorrow! In the meantime, check out the Fair and Balanced Standings.