The Pennant Race - 8/21

You just get the feeling that for the second straight year, the Mets and Phillies will come down to the final weekend to determine the NL East winner. The Mets are playing good baseball, but they haven't been able to put much cushion between themselves and the Phillies since moving into first place.

Mike Pelfrey has really stepped up this season and did again last night, limiting the Braves to three hits in a complete game, 6-3 Mets victory. David Wright continued his run at the NL MVP with his 24th home run and 97th RBI. Rookie Dan Murphy's two RBI gave him 11 in 18 games and he's batting .404 in 47 at-bats.

The Phillies got a complete game of their own from Brett Myers, who scattered nine hits in shutting down the Nationals 4-0. Washington has lost 12 straight. After a brief stint in the minors, Myers has returned to form and is 3-1, 1.47 in his last five starts.

The Marlins' hopes are fading away. They dropped a 6-5 game to the Giants last night that put them 5 games behind the Mets and 7.5 behind the wildcard-leading Brewers. Florida rallied for 3 runs in the top of the ninth to tie the game, but Bengie Molina's sac fly won it for the Giants in the bottom of the ninth.

Speaking of the Brewers, they got themselves back to within 5 games of the Cubs with a 5-2 win over the Astros. J.J. Hardy hit a 2-run home run to help Manny Parra win his 10th game. Ryan Braun sat out for the 9th time in 11 games due to lower back soreness.

The Reds edged the Cubs 2-1 despite starter Ted Lilly allowing just two hits over seven innings.

The Cardinals remained 2.5 behind the Brewers in the wildcard with an 11-2 thumping of the Pirates. Todd Wellemeyer won his career-high 11th game and reached the century mark in strikeouts for the first time.

The Diamondbacks moved two games ahead of the Dodgers with an 8-6 win over the Padres. Neither starter Dan Haren nor Jake Peavy was good, but after allowing four runs in the first inning, Haren settled down to get the win. Adam Dunn belted a 3-run home run, his 34th of the season.

The Rockies played spoilers, beating the Dodgers 4-3. The Dodgers lead 3-0 early, but Brad Hawpe almost single-handedly beat LA. He reached on an error that cut the lead to 3-2, singled in the game-tying run in the seventh, and singled again in the ninth to drive in the go-ahead run.


There was no movement in the AL Central standings as both the White Sox and Twins were daytime winners. Chicago got four home runs in a 15-3 rout of the Mariners. Ken Griffey Jr. tied Sammy CheaterSosa with his 609th career home run, and his first in Chicago. Gavin Floyd earned his 13th win.

Francisco Lirano and four pitchers pitched the Twins to a 3-1 win over the A's. Little-used reserve Mike Redmond drove in two runs.

The AL East's top two teams remained 4.5 apart as they both lost last night. The Angels beat the Rays 5-4, overcoming an early 3-0 deficit, and then winning after blowing a 4-3 lead. Garret Anderson's ninth inning single was the game winner. K-Rod notched his 48th save.

The Red Sox jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but it was all Baltimore after that as the Orioles won it 11-6. Melvin Mora, who had four RBI, and Ramon Hernandez each hit 3-run home runs. Clay Buchholz was hammered for five runs in 2.1 IP and is reportedly headed back to Pawtucket.

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Around the Horn - 7/26

The Dodgers, looking to strengthen their infield, have acquired Casey Blake from the Indians for prospects RHP Jon Meloan and catcher Carlos Santana (can he play guitar too?).

The Mets won again last night and are now 23-12 under Jerry Manuel. They also have a 2 game lead in the NL East after the Phils got drubbed by the Braves 8-2. The Mets will be without Pedro Martinez, due to the death of his father. Boston's David Ortiz paid tribute to his friend by putting RIP 45 on his helmet.

Despite rumors to the contrary, the Twins not be promoting Francisco Liriano for Sunday's game. Liriano has talked about bringing action against the Twins for not promoting him sooner.

Rangers pitcher Kevin Millwood is headed to the DL for the umteenth time with a groin injury. His teammate Josh Hamilton reached the 100 RBI mark last night before any other ALer reached 80 RBI.

The Astros expect Roy Oswalt back from the DL on Monday.

Twins outfielder Carlos Gomez was released from a Cleveland area hospital after crashing into the wall last night against the Indians. Gomez injured his lower back and was given a pain injection. He's not expected to miss significant time.

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Around the Horn - 4/25

Two of the most promising young pitchers hooked up at Petco Park last night. The Giants sent second year man Tim Lincecum to the hill against the Padres big man, 6'10", Chris Young. Young allowed 1 run on 2 hits, and struck out 10 in his 7 innings...and lost the game.

Rich Aurilia, who seems like he's 400 years old, hit his first home run of the season for the game's line run. Lincecum's line - 6.1 IP 4 H 5 BB 9 K- earned him the win.

Chipper Jones, "Wally" to those out at Shea, celebrated his 36th birthday with his 393rd career home run and went 3-3. The Braves beat the Marlins 7-4 as the chipper feeling Jones raised his average to .442.

Troy Tulowitzki's fielder's choice and Ryan Spilborghs singled plated a pair of runs in the 8th to give the Rockies a 4-2 win over the Cubs.

Lance Berkman went 3-3 with a home run and 3 RBI in the Astros 5-3 win over the Reds. Rookie phenom Johnny Cueto gave up all 5 runs in 7 innings.

The Mets lead the Nationals 3-0, but starter Oliver Perez and the bullpen faltered, and the Nats pulled out a 10-5 win. Aaron Heilmann continued his horrid pitching, serving up a grand slam to Felipe Lopez who drove in 6 on the day.

Conor Jackson and Jeff Salazar drove in 2 runs each to pace the Diamondbacks past the Dodgers 6-4.

Pat Burrell's 2-run double in the 8th snapped a 1-1 tie and the Phillies held on against the Brewers, 3-1. Jamie Moyer and Jeff Suppan both pitched well in gaining no-decisions.

Brian Barton drove in 2 runs and Joel Pineiro picked up his first win in the Cardinals 6-2 win against the Pirates.

Eric Hinske drove in 2 runs to back a strong outing from Andy Sonnanstine in the Rays 5-3 win over the Blue Jays. Toronto starter Dustin McGowan walked 7 hitters in just 4 innings.

The Orioles rallied from a 5-0 deficit to beat the Mariners 8-7. Former 'M', Adam Jones drove in 3 runs including the game winner. George Sherrill picked up the save, his 5th against his former team this season (out of 8 total).

The Indians swept the Royals in a doubleheader, 9-6 and 2-0. Grady Sizemore had 4 hits including a home run and Fausto Carmona was shaky but earned his 3rd win. In the nightcap, Cliff Lee threw a complete game shutout to raise his record to 4-0 and lower his ERA to a mind boggling 0.28.

The Angels came back from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Rex Sox 7-5. The Angels couldn't solve rookie emergency starter Justin Masterson, but they had the number of the Sox pen. Gary Matthews Jr. enjoyed a 3-hit, 3 RBI afternoon.

The Tigers rolled over the Rangers again, this time by an 8-2 margin. Magglio Ordonez hit two of the five Tigers home runs on the day. Detroit outscored the Rangers in the three game series, 37-10. Jim Leyland has to be concerned about Jeremy Bonderman, who was removed one out shy of being eligible for the win. He'd already thrown 110 pitches and walked 7.

Donnie Murphy hit his first two home runs of the year and knocked in 4 as the A's steamrolled the Twins 11-2. Twins starter Francisco Liriano only retired 2 hitters, allowing 6 runs, 5 hits, and 3 walks. He's probably ticketed for a return to the minors.

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Around the Horn - 4/4

The Nationals had a chance to go to 4-0 yesterday, but blew a 6-1 lead to the Phillies. They would eventually lose in 10, on a bases loaded walk, 8-7.

The Pirates nipped the Braves in 10, 4-3, on Xavier Nady's RBI single. The Braves also lost Mike Hampton yet again. Hampton was originally slated to start Thursday's game, but instead ended up with a strained pectoral muscle and landed on the 15-day DL. This guy should get together with Carl Pavano.

The Cards' Brian Thompson and 3 relievers blanked the Rockies 3-0.

The Padres took 3 of 4 from the Astros, finishing it off with a 3-2 win on Thursday. Trevor Hoffman notched career save #526.

The Cubs salvaged the final game of their series with the Brewers with a 6-3 win. Kerry Wood earned his first major league save.

The Reds beat the Diamondbacks 3-2 behind rookie phenom Johnny Cueto. The 22-yr old had an MLB debut to remember - 7 innings of 1 hit ball and 10 strikeouts. He retired the first 15 batters he faced.

The Royals completed a 3 game sweep of the Tigers as Zack Grienke out pitched Jeremy Bonderman, 4-1. The Tigers loaded lineup was without Curtis Granderson for all 3 games, and Miguel Cabrera for the last one, but that still doesn't explain the complete lack of punch.

The Angels beat the Twins 5-4 to take 3 of 4 in their opening series. Torii Hunter gave his old fans a treat with his first home run of the year. K-Rod, despite a loss in velocity due to an ankle induced adjustment, picked up his 2nd save.

The White Sox managed to take the final game of their 3 game set with the Indians, 2-1. John Danks and Jake Westbrook hooked up in a good pitcher's duel, but Joe Crede was the hero with a game winning home run in the 8th.

The Rays-Orioles series finale was rained out.

The Royals are likely to be without David DeJesus this weekend due to his injured ankle. No word yet if it will land him on the DL.

The Tigers will have Miguel Cabrera back in the lineup at DH tonight after missing Thursday's game with a sore quad. Gary Sheffield ripped a tendon in his finger, but should be able to avoid the DL.

The Indians are optimistic that Victor Martinez, who left the first game of the season with a strained hamstring, will be back in at catcher tonight. He was able to pinch-hit in Thursday's game.

The Twins were expected to recall Francisco Liriano after 2 starts in the minors, but they may revamp that plan after yesterday's season debut. Liriano gave up 4 runs in 5.1 innings to Class 'A' hitters.

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The Rotations - AL Central

Tigers

Guaranteed Spots: Justin Verlander, Nate Robertson, Dontrelle Willis, Kenny Rogers, Jeremy Bonderman

The final spot in the rotation will belong to Jeremy Bonderman, though it might have not been a given if the Tigers had some competition for Bonderman. The right-hander wore down at the end of last season going 1-8, 8.23 over his final 10 starts. That was after a 10-1, 3.53 start.

The Tigers gave up prospect Andrew Miller as part of the Miguel Cabrera-Willis deal, but Willis should have an immediate impact on the rotation.

Verlander is the stud/workhorse of the rotation. Robertson just got himself a new deal will give the Tigers many solid starts. Kenny Rogers is 43 and must prove he can stay healthy. The Tigers can plug in Zach Miner for some spot starts.

The Tigers staff could be anywhere from very good to good enough.

Indians

Guaranteed Spots: C.C. Sabthia, Fausto Carmona, Jake Westbrook, Paul Byrd

Sabathia had to be keeping a close eye on the Johan Santana contract negotiations, and although GM Mark Shapiro said he would not trade his big left-hander before the season is over, anything is possible.

Carmona went from closer bust in ’06 to 19 wins as a start last season. He showed poise during the first round playoff win against the Yankees in the ALDS.

Westbrook is what he is. He’ll lose nearly as many games as he wins, but he should give you 200 innings. Byrd was busted for HGH use, and then made lame excuses for it. How that will impact his 2008 season remains to be seen. A guy with no great stuff, Byrd has managed to win 97 big league games.

The final spot in the rotation is up for grabs. Cliff Lee was 5-8, 6.29 in an injury plagued season. The left-hander won 32 games the prior 2 years and has the inside track for the final spot.

Jeremy Sowers was 7-4, 3.57 in 14 rookie starts in ’06, but was awful (1-6, 6.42) in 13 starts last year. Adam Miller has been highly touted since being drafted out of high school in 2003. He spent the full season at Triple-A last year (5-4, 4.82, 68 Ks in 65.1 IP) and, if healthy, should compete for the last spot.

Twins

Guaranteed Spots: Scott Baker

With Johan Santana, Carlos Silva and Matt Garza gone, the starting rotation is wide open for the Twins. Scott Baker went 9-9, 4.26 and threw 143.2 innings, to bounce back from a terrible 2006 season, to be the only guaranteed spot. Boof Bonser (8-12, 5.10) would be next on that list.

Francisco Liriano missed last season with Tommy John surgery, but says he ready for spring training. That doesn’t mean he’ll be ready to pitch at the major league level when teams break camp.

Kevin Slowey showed some of his promise in 13 appearances, 11 as a starter (4-1, 4.72) for the Twins, and a stellar 10-5, 1.89 mark at Triple-A.

Of the prospects acquired for Santana, only Phil Humber has a shot at making the rotation during the grapefruit league. GM Bill Smith may still be looking to add a veteran presence before the team heads to Minnesota.

Update - 4:40 pm 2/12 - The Twins have agreed to terms with free agent Livan Hernandez on 1-year, $5 million deal. Hernandez can earn another $2 million in incentives.

Royals

Guaranteed Spots: Gil Meche, Brian Bannister, Zack Greinke

Meche showed last year that he was well worth the big contract the Royals gave him prior to the 2007 season.

The Mets had to be kicking themselves for dealing Bannister for hard throwing, wild reliever, Armando Burgoix. Bannister put up very good numbers, 12-9, 3.87, in holding batters to a .249 average of 165 innings (27 starts).

Greinke started to blossom last season into the pitcher the Royals had always expected him to be. After starting the season in the rotation, Greinke was moved to the bullpen where he excelled. The Royals moved him back into the rotation late in the season and his promise continued. Overall he put together a fine season (7-7, 3.69), including a 2.42 ERA in the 2^nd half.

Brett Tomko (4-12, 5.55) was pretty much guaranteed the 4^th spot by new manager Trey Hillman, despite the fact that Tomko, in a word, stinks.

Hillman would like to have one left-hander added to that mix and either Jorge De la Rosa (8-12, 5.82) or John Bale (1-1, 4.05, 42K’s in 40 innings of relief) could fit the bill.

Kyle Davies (3-7, 6.66) continued his struggles after being acquired from the Braves and will probably start the season in Triple-A unless he puts together a big spring.

Ranking the Rotations

1. Tigers
2. Indians
3. Twins
4. Royals

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