Hamels the Hero Again

If game 1 is any indication, the 2008 World Series should be a good one. But the Rays won't win it unless they can either solve Cole Hamels or beat up on the rest of the Phillies rotation. Hamels put in another masterful post-season performance, holding the Rays to 5 hits over 7 innings, as the Phillies edged the Rays 3-2 to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

Hamels is now 4-0, 1.55 in four post-season appearances. He's limited hitters to a .178 average and struck out 27 batters in 29 innings. He got an immediate boost in last night's game when Chase Utley followed Jayson Werth's first inning walk with a 2-run home run to right field off of Scott Kazmir.

The Rays biggest threat came in the third inning when they loaded the bases on singles by Ben Zobrist and Aki Iwamura sandwiched around a Jason Bartlett walk. The Rays had their hottest hitter up in B.J. Upton, and Upton did hit a scorcher. But it was right at third baseman Pedro Feliz who started an inning ending 5-4-3 double play.

The Phillies added a run in the fourth inning that would be the difference in the ball game. Shane Victorino and Feliz stroked back to back singles off of Kazmir to start the inning, and moved up a base on Chris Coste's ground out. With the infield playing back to stop a big inning, Carlos Ruiz grounded to Bartlett for an RBI ground out. Kazmir got out of further trouble by striking out Jimmy Rollins to end the threat.

Carl Crawford got the Rays back in the ball game when he went yard against Hamels in the bottom of the fourth to cut the Phillies lead to 3-1. One inning later the Rays mounted a 2-out threat after Bartlett walked and stole second base. Iwamura came through with a big 2-out hit, doubling to left-center field to cut the margin to 3-2. But Hamels got Upton to foul out to end the inning.

The Phillies had a chance to increase their lead in a wild seventh inning. J.P. Howell came on to replace Kazmir and struck out Werth to start the inning. Chase Utley then singled, stole second base, and moved to third on Howell's wild pitch. But Howell bounced back and struck out Ryan Howard before issuing an unintentional intentional walk to Pat Burell. Joe Maddon sent for Grant Balfour, who made the move pay off by striking out Victorino to end the inning.

Ryan Madson was overpowering out of the Phils pen in the eighth, striking out Upton to punctuate a 1-2-3 inning. Then it was up to Brad Lidge who was perfect in 46 save chances during the regular season. No problem. He K'd Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria and then retired Crawford on a foul out to end the game.


News and Notes

The heart of the Rays order, Evan Longoria, Carlos Pena, and B.J. Upton, went a combined 0-12. Upton hit into two double plays in addition to a strike out and foul out.

Chase Utley joined a litany of players to homer in their first World Series at-bat.

Aki Iwamura had 3 of the 5 hits allowed by Cole Hamels.

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The Better Late Than Never World Series Preview

With the start of Game 1 of the 2008 World Series less than an hour away, though the actual start will depend on how long FOX can drag things out, here is our much anticipated World Series preview.

Joe Maddon and Charlie Manuel are both managing their first World Series, and of course this is the first for the Tampa Bay Rays. But the Philadelphia Phillies don't have much more experience. They've only been to the series five times previously, and have just one title, won in 1980.

Lets take a look at the position by position match ups to see who has the edge.

First Base

Ryan Howard vs. Carlos Pena

There is no question that Howard is the superior hitter, putting monstrous numbers up year after year in his young career (Averaging 51 home runs and 143 RBI over the last three seasons). Pena had a huge contract year (.282-46-121, all career highs) last season and struggled early on with injuries. But he still led the team with 30 home runs and 103 RBI in '08. Howard's a liability defensively, so Manuel could DH him on the road.

Pena is clearly the better defender, an underrated gold glove caliber first baseman. But the edge has to go to Howard for his ability to be a game changer. He has not hit for power in the post-season and the Rays better hope that trend continues.
ADVANTAGE - Howard, PHI

Second Base

Chase Utley vs. Aki Iwamura

You know how good Chase Utley is. He's the guy you wish Robinson Cano was like. Utley has been a model of consistency at the plate, averaging 28 home runs and 103 RBI over the last four seasons. Like Howard, he's looking to bust out after hitting just .250 with one home run so far in the post-season.

Iwamura is an outstanding defender. He made a smooth transition from third base to second base this season. The Rays lead off man may have a swing similar to his fellow countryman, Ichiro Suzuki, but that's where the similarity ends. Iwamura led the Rays in average with just a .274 mark. He did hit .295 at home, but the advantage here easily goes to the Rays.
ADVANTAGE - Utley, PHI


SHORTSTOP

Jimmy Rollins vs. Jason Bartlett

Rollins is the heart and soul of this team and its vocal leader. He won the NL MVP last year after boasting the Phillies would win the NL East and then backed it up with his play. Injuries caused him to miss 25 games and his production was down considerably from his 2007 career best numbers. He did still manage to swipe a career high 47 bases and committed just 7 errors.

Jason Bartlett was acquired, along with Matt Garza, from the Twins during the off-season for Delmon Young. Bartlett provides speed (20 stolen bases during the regular season), but doesn't have much pop in his bat. He hit just one home run in 454 at-bats this season. However, Bartlett crushed right handed pitching to the tune of a .379 mark. Bartlett is a decent defender (16 errors, .970 FPCT in '08) who made a costly error in game 6 of the ALCS and nearly had another in game 7. The Phillies get another one.
ADVANTAGE - Rollins, PHI


Third Base

Pedro Feliz vs. Evan Longoria

Feliz won't hit much for average (.252 lifetime), but he does have an underrated power stick. He averaged 21 home runs over the prior four seasons and then hit 14 in 133 games in his first year in Philadelphia. Feliz is also a pretty good defender, having made only 19 errors over the last two seasons.

What can you say about the AL's rookie of the year (in our opinion) that hasn't been said already. The numbers don't lie. Longoria started the season in the minors then missed a load of games down the stretch with a broken arm. He still managed 27 home runs and 85 RBI in 122 games, with 31 doubles and an .874 OPS. He made 12 errors this season while compiling a .963 fielding pct., but he's got the goods to be a solid hot corner man. Any guess who gets the edge here?
ADVANTAGE - Longoria, TB


Left Field

Pat Burrell vs. Carl Crawford

Wow, this is a good one. You've got one of the better power guys in the game against one of the best all around players and athletes in the game. Burrell heard trade rumors during the season, but it didn't seem to effect him. He hit slightly below his career average, .250., but the rest of his numbers were comparable to his prior years - 33 home runs, 86 RBI, and 102 walks. Burrell has been big thus far in the post-season, hitting .300 with 3 home runs and 7 RBI.

Like Longoria, Crawford missed a big chunk of time due to injury, playing in 109 games, the least since his rookie season in 2002. Everyone talks about Crawford's speed, but he's also got power and has a .293 career average. He matched his career high for errors this season with....just 4! You won't see too many balls fall between him and B.J. Upton in center field. Crawford's all around play gets the edge here.
ADVANTAGE - Crawford, TB


Center Field

Shane Victorino vs. B.J. Upton

Another good match up of a pair of spark plugs. Victorino's emergence allowed the Phillies to let Aaron Rowand wander off to the bay area. The Hawaiian native set career marks with a .293 (team high) average, 14 home runs, 58 RBI, 102 runs scored, 167 hits, and had one less steal (36) than 2009. He's also done a very good job replacing the gold gloved Rowand in the outfield.

Upton emerged last season as the player the Rays organization was counting on. Though in comparison to last season (.300-24-82, 22 SB), his '08 numbers (.273-9-67, 44 SB) don't look very good, and he had some discipline problems, the 24-yr old can still be counted on. He's been on fire in the playoffs, hitting .304 with 7 home runs, 15 RBI, and a whopping 1.191 OPS. Though he's still learning the position, Upton put together a .983 FPCT. These two mean so much to their teams, that we really can't separate them.
ADVANTAGE - DRAW


Right Field

Jayson Werth vs. Gabe Gross/Rocco Baldelli

The 29-yr old Werth had a break out season with 24 home runs and 67 RBI, and made only 2 errors in playing all three outfield positions, primarily right field. Though he has hit in 7 of 9 playoff games, he's just .243 with 1 home run and that one lone RBI.

Rocco Baldelli came back from the brink of going nowhere to playing a significant role down the stretch for Tampa. Fighting off a mitochondrial disease that zaps his strength, Baldelli hit .263-4-13 with 12 run scored in 28 games. He has struggled (3 for 14) in the post-season, and played in just two games in the ALCS, but did have a big 3-run home run in game 5.

Gross came over from Milwaukee in an in-season deal, and hit .242-13-38 in 127 games. He's a decent right fielder, though nothing that legends are made of. As of this writing, there was talk Eric Hinske could replace him on the roster.
ADVANTAGE - Werth, PHI


Catcher

Carlos Ruiz vs. Dioner Navarro

Ruiz was impress at all with his bat, .219-4-31, but he calls a good game and plays a strong all-around defensive game. The Phillies will benefit from road games when they won't have both Ruiz and the pitcher batting in the bottom of the order.

Navarro has emerged as the type of catcher the Yankees were hoping they would see, except not with another team. A first time All-Star, Navarro, still just 24-yrs of age, hit .295-7-43 in 120 games. He also become one of the best defensive catchers in baseball and clearly gets the edge in this head to head match up.
ADVANTAGE - Navarro, TB


Starting Pitching

Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Jamie Moyer, Joe Blanton
vs.
Scott Kazmir, James Shields, Matt Garza, Andy Sonnanstine

Hamels is clearly the best of the lot and could be a series changer, especially if he were to go three times. He could even have an impact out of the pen like Randy Johnson had for Arizona. Though Hamels is the best of this lot, the Rays staff is deeper. Garza is the hottest pitcher on the staff right now, Kazmir is still a borderline stud, and Shields emerging as a top notch young pitcher. Sonnanstine is nothing to sneeze at either even if his name is hard to pronounce.
ADVANTAGE - TB

Probable Pitchers

Game 1 - Hamels vs. Kazmir
Game 2 - Myers vs. Shields
Game 3 - Garza vs. Moyer
Game 4 - Sonnanstine vs. Blanton
Game 5 - Kazmir vs. Hamels
Game 6 - Myers vs. Shields
Game 7 - Moyer vs. Garza

Bullpens

The pen, always a horror for Tampa in the past, was a strength this season. But injuries to closer Troy Percival has put more pressure on a team that now has no true closer. Joe Maddon mixed and matched to perfection in game 7 of the ALCS, but will it always work out so well?

Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson have formed a formidable 1-2 punch out of the Phillies pen, though we still don't trust Lidge (46-46 in save situations during the regular season). Though we don't trust him, we still will give Philly a slight edge in their ability to close out a game.
ADVANTAGE - PHI


And the winner is........in 6 games, the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays starting pitching is the difference maker here, especially if it were to come down to a game 7. Matt Garza is on fire right now and Jamie Moyer is looking like he's 85 not 45. It should be an entertaining series, but the Rays will take it. Who the "Devil" would have thought it? ;)

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Rays Sacrifice to Stay Alive

It's difficult to say a team has their backs to the wall after the first game of a seven game playoff series, but that was really the case for the Tampa Rays last evening. Going back to Boston down two games to none, would have created a nearly impossible feat even for an experienced playoff team. But the Rays won't have to worry about that situation. Last night they pulled out a see-saw battle with the Red Sox on B.J. Upton's sacrifice fly in the 11th inning.

If Terry Francona has made a mistake in this playoff, it's keeping Mike Timlin on the post-season roster. While the thinking was probably not use Timlin in a big situation, Francona had no choice last night after having used five relievers, including his closer Jon Papelbon for 1.1 innings.

Timlin walked Dioner Navarro and light hitting Ben Zobrist to start the inning. Jason Bartlett's sacrifice bunt moved the runners up a base, forcing the Red Sox to intentionally walk Aki Iwamura to load the bases. That brought up B.J. Upton, who hit a fly to shallow right. The Rays gambled that J.D. Drew, running hard on the play, would not be able to set himself for an accurate throw home. The gamble paid off when speedy pinch-runner Fernando Perez slid home with the winning run ahead of an off the target throw by Drew.

The Rays would not have been in position to win if not for the relief work of veteran Dan Wheeler and rookie David Price. Wheeler had to bounce back after his wild pitch allowed the Red Sox to tie the game in the eighth inning. But he tossed a scoreless ninth and tenth before leaving with one man out in the 11th and runner on a first. Price, the number one overall pick in the 2007 amateur draft, walked Drew, but struck out Mark Kotsay looking and got Coco Crisp to bounce into an inning ending ground out.

Neither starter pitched well, with Boston's Josh Beckett fighting a strained oblique and Tampa's Scott Kazmir continuing his '08 struggles against the Red Sox. Boston struck first against Kazmir, who was 0-2, 9.00 in four starts against the Sox this season. Kazmir's control problems came up to bite him in the first inning when he issued a two out walk to David Ortiz. Kevin Youkilis followed with a single and Jason Bay brought them both home with a double. Kazmir walked Jed Lowrie, but struck out Jason Varitek to escape further trouble.

The Rays came right back though when Evan Longoria smacked a 2-run home run, his third of the post-season, in the bottom half of the first. The tie only lasted until the third when Dustin Pedroia smashed a solo home run to left. That lead would last an even shorter amount of time when Upton crushed a 424-ft solo shot in the bottom of the third. Longoria stroked a one out double and came home on Carl Crawford's single for a 4-3 Rays lead.

Tampa extended their advantage to 5-3 when Cliff Floyd led off with a solo home run to straight away center field. But Kazmir wouldn't stick around to try to get the win. Pedroia's second solo shot of the game and Youkilis' own solo blast one batter later knocked Kazmir from the box and tied the game at 5-5. Bay greeted Grant Balfour with another solo home run to put the Red Sox ahead 6-5. Balfour then walked Lowrie and Varitek before J.P. Howell came on to work out of the jam.

Upton led off the fifth with a walk and promptly stole second base. Carlos Pena singled off of Beckett to tie the game and came home on Longoria's second double, and third extra base hit, of the ball game. Fracona finally yanked Beckett from the game, but Crawford laced reliever Javier Lopez's delivery to right for an RBI single and an 8-6 Rays lead. Manny DelCarmen was next out of the Boston pen and he finally quelled the fire.

Pedroia drew a one out walk in the sixth, but Howell struck out Ortiz looking. Joe Maddon went to the pen again for right-hander Chad Bradford, but Bradford gave up back to back singles to Youkilis and Bay to cut the Rays lead to 8-7.

After a scoreless seventh, only the second scoreless inning of the game, Pedroia singled off of Bradford to start the eighth. Maddon sent for lefty Trevor Miller to face Ortiz, but Big Papi drew a walk as well. Wheeler came on and got a big double play grounder from Youkilis, but then threw a fastball a mile over Navarro's head to allow Pedroia to score the tying run.

Box Score

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The Pennant Race - 10/10

ALCS Preview

The Rays and Red Sox are just about set to begin game one of their best of seven ALCS series. The Rays are trying to keep their amazing ride going after making the post-season for the first time in their history. The Red Sox are looking to build a mini-dynasty, which arguably could happen should they win a third World Series title in five years.

The Rays played hard-nosed baseball right from the start of the season (see Francisco Cervelli). They've got a manager in Joe Maddon who does a good job of balancing a team of younger players, sprinkled with a handful of key veterans. He hasn't been afraid to show who's boss, benching star player B.J. Upton during the stretch drive due to a lack of hustle.

His counterpart on the Red Sox, Terry Francona, has come a long way in his five years in Boston. He was ostensibly hired to mollify Curt Schilling. Francona was shredded by fans and the media part way through his first season in 2004, but soon he was at the helm of the greatest comeback in playoff history and was lauded as the man who had broken the "Curse of the Bambino". He's now attained hero worship status not only because of winning a title last year, but also the way he conducts his business.

The Red Sox have physically had a rough year. Injuries to Schilling, David Ortiz, Mike Lowell, J.D. Drew, Julio Lugo had a major impact on the team. There was the whole Manny Ramirez mess, a disappointing year by Clay Buchholz, and like many teams, difficulty in building a steady bullpen.

But outstanding years by Daisuke Matsuzaka and Jon Lester, and the steady performance of Josh Beckett led the rotation. Jason Bay stepped in big time for Ramirez, and Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis had outstanding seasons. Bottom line: Boston is still a very dangerous team.

The Rays have a balanced line up, mixing speed and power. They have a shooting superstar in rookie Evan Longoria and a solid veteran core in Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, and Cliff Floyd. But the key to the Rays' amazing turnaround has been their pitching staff. A starting rotation of Scott Kazmir, James Shields, Matt Garza, Andy Sonnanstine, and Edwin Jackson combined to go 64-45.

The big blow to this team is the loss of Troy Percival, who recorded 28 saves before myriad leg problems caused him to miss time, including the ALCS. The removal of Percival has made the pen weaker, because there's one less setup man to build the bridge to the ninth. Dan Wheeler has stepped up with 13 saves, but he doesn't exactly give you a great feeling of confidence. Grant Balfour, J.P. Howell, and Chad Bradford will need to continue to step up if the Rays are to stand a chance.

The Rays won the season series 10-8, but the Red Sox have to be considered the favorite here.

Probable Pitchers

Game 1 (10/10) - Dice-K vs. James Shields
Game 2 (10/11) - Josh Beckett vs. Scott Kazmir
Game 3 (10/13) - Matt Garza vs. Jon Lester
Game 4 (10/14) - Andy Sonnanstine vs. Tim Wakefield
Game 5 (10/16) - James Shields vs. Dice-K
Game 6 (10/18) - Josh Beckett vs. Scott Kazmir
Game 7 (10/19) - Jon Lester vs. Matt Garza

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The Pennant Race - 10/4

2-0 is the running theme in this year's playoffs. All four series are 2-0 thus far, with an even split between the home and road teams.

ALDS

The Angels clearly must have thought they would be playing the Yankees again this year. Apparently they freaked out when they heard they were playing the Red Sox, because they have their backs to the wall after losing two straight at home. Last night was a perfect example of why Francisco Rodriguez, aka K-Rod, is no Mariano Rivera. Though Mo struggled in tie games this year, K-Rod failed on a much bigger stage last night. Trailing 4-0 after one inning, the Angels rallied to tie the game at 5-5 in the eighth before J.D. Drew took K-Rod deep in the ninth with a man aboard.

The series continues Monday night in Boston with John Lackey facing Josh Beckett.

The Rays are on the brink of winning their first playoff series after Friday's 6-2 win over the White Sox. Scott Kazmir struggled with his control in the first inning and was unfortunate to escape down just 2-0. Aki Iwamura's 2-run home run off of Mark Buerhle in the fifth inning gave the Rays a 3-2 lead and the Rays added three more in the eighth to put the game away.

The Rays can close the series out in Chicago on Sunday afternoon with Matt Garza against John Danks.


NLDS

Jinx or no jinx, the Cubs woes continue. The Cubs committed three errors that led to five unearned runs as the Dodgers pounded Chicago 10-3. Manny Ramirez homered for the second straight game and Chad Billingsley allowed one run while striking out seven in six innings of work. The Wrigley faithful were fired up with Carlos Zambrano on the mound, but were all doom and gloom when it was over.

CC Sabathia can only work his magic so many times. Coming back on three days rest again, the Phillies jumped on the Brewers ace for five runs in the second inning. Shane Victorino delivered the big blow with a grand slam. Phillies starter Brett Myers allowed just two hits over seven innings for the win. Victorino added a pair of singles, a walk, and a two stolen bases.

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Pettitte Delivers an Ace Performance

The Yankees made it three straight wins last night over the teams their chasing in the AL East behind a star turn by Andy Pettitte. The Yankees ace tossed 4-hit ball over 8 scoreless innings in the Yankees 5-0 win. In out pitching Rays ace Scott Kazmir, Pettitte helped move the Yankees to within 7.5 games of the Rays for the division lead, and remain 4.5 back of the Red Sox for the Wild Card.

Derek Jeter had the key hit and the key defensive play in the game as the Yankees moved to six games over .500. The game was scoreless in the bottom of third when Robinson Cano lead off with a single and Jose Molina followed with a double. With two on and none out, Kazmir fired strike three pitches past Brett Gardner and Melky Cabrera to get within an out of the jam. Jeter has not hit up to par this season, but he's still been solid with men in scoring position, and he came through again, doubling off the base of the wall in right field for a 2-0 lead.

Pettitte cruised through the first six innings, allowing just one base runner to reach 2nd base. B.J. Upton led off the 7th with a single, and after Pettitte struck out Carlos Pena, stole 2nd base. After Evan Longoria went down swinging, Dionner Navarro reached on an infield single to put the tying runners in scoring position with 2 outs. And that's when the Captain came through again. Much maligned for his lack of range, Jeter went deep in the hole at shortstop to stop Willy Aybar's grounder and threw to Cano to force Navarro at 2nd base for an inning escaping play. A fired up Pettitte punched the air to emphasize the play.

With Kazmir's pitch count up to 97 after 5 innings, Rays manager Joe Maddon went to the pen and the Yankees took advantage. Melky Cabrera took Gary Glover deep in the 8th for his 8th home run of the season and a 3-0 Yankees lead. Bobby Abreu added an RBI double and Cano an RBI single to push the advantage to 5-0, allowing Mariano Rivera to have a seat for the night.


News and Notes

Andy Pettitte struck out 5 Rays to top 1,500 career strikeouts as a Yankee.

Hideki Matsui took 45 swings in batting practice yesterday and felt fine afterwards.

Joe Girardi told Newsday's Kat O'Brien that he doesn't see Phil Hughes pitching until September. The Yankees phenom has still not thrown off a mound in his recovery from a fractured rib. Johnny Damon went to Tampa and hopes to swing a bat soon. Brian Bruney will pitch for Trenton on Saturday.

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Around the Horn - 6/23

Weekend Interleague Recap

Interleague play continued this past weekend and will finish up this coming Sunday. Here are the latest results.

In a rematch of the 2004 World Series, the Cardinals finally won a pair of games. Too bad some of them couldn't have been 4 years earlier. Boston salvaged the finale only after Jon Papelbon blew his 4th save of the season. He only blew 3 saves all of last year. Kevin Youkillis provided a 13th inning walk off winner on Sunday. AL:1 NL:2

The Cubbies took the battle of the windy city in a clean sweep. The Cubs are now a remarkable 32-8 at home this season. Ryan Dempster's win on Sunday gave him a 9-0 record in Wrigley. Aramis Ramirez slugged a walk off winner on Friday and hit his 3rd in two days in Saturday's win. AL:0 NL:3

The Angels had no problem going into the "City of Brotherly Love" and beating the Phillies 2 of 3. Angels pitching held the Phillies to just 4 runs in the 3 games. Francisco Rodriguez became the fastest closer to earn the 30 saves when he closed out Sunday's win in the Angels 76th game. AL:3 NL:0

The Royals won their series with the Giants thanks to a big comeback in the finale. Down 6-0 to Tim Lincecum, KC rallied to an 11-10 win. It made up for blowing a 4-0 lead on Friday. AL:2 NL:1

The Astros and Rays played three 1-run games at the Trop. Roy Oswalt out dueled Matt Garza in the opener and Brandon Backe out pitched Scott Kazmir in the finale. In between the Rays won on Gabe Gross' pinch-hit 2-run single in the bottom of the 9th or it could have been an Astros sweep. The best part of the series was the Astros donning their old '70s uniforms. AL:1 NL:2

The Pirates made it a tough return for Cito Gaston, winning 2 of 3. The two teams were scoreless until the 12th on Friday when John McDonald made a rare error to give the Pirates a 1-0 win. The Blue Jays gave Gaston his first win since 1997 with an 8-5 win in the series finale. AL:1 NL:2

The Rangers and Nationals started their series with a 14th inning marathon, won when Elijah Dukes, who had tied the game with a home run, singled in the game winner. The Rangers got strong pitching performances, how often is that said, from Kason Gabbard and Vincente Padilla to take the next two. AL:2 NL:1

The Twins took a sweep of the NL West leading Diamondbacks, including a win against ace Brandon Webb on Sunday. Scott Baker, Livan Hernandez, and Nick Blackburn helped hold the Dbacks to just 6 runs in the series. AL:3 NL:0

Jim Riggleman got a present in Friday's 10-2 romp by the Mariners over the Braves, but it was downhill after that. Mark Texeira belted 3 home runs on Sunday for the second time in his career. AL:1 NL:2

Aubrey Huff hit a pair of home runs on Friday as the Orioles topped the Brewers for their 4th straight win. But the Brewers owned the rest of the series behind home runs from Prince Fielder and Corey Hart. AL:1 NL:2

After putting together no offense in a weekday series against the Yankees, the Padres put 6 runs on the board Friday to beat the Tigers, 6-2. They managed to score 5 and 3 the next two games, but this time the pitching let down and the Tigers took both. Justin Verlander won on Sunday, but continued his odd season, walking 5 and striking out 10 in 5.1 innings. AL:2 NL:1

The injury riddled Indians still managed to take 2 of 3 from the struggling Dodgers, dropping the finale on Sunday. The first two games went extra innings and included a 6-run 11th inning for the Indians on Saturday. C.C. Sabathia started that game, allowing 1 run over 7 innings and recorded 10 strikeouts. He also hit his first home run of the season. The big man is 2-0, 1.50 in his last 3 starts. AL:2 NL:1

The A's and Marlins played a thriller to start their series on Friday night. Dan Uggla's 2nd home run of the season tied the game in the 9th against Huston Street, but Kurt Suzuki doubled in the game winner in the 11th. Saturday's game came down to the 9th again, and again Uggla delivered, this time with a game winning 3-run double. The A's took the series with a laugher on Sunday. AL:2 NL:1

FINAL TALLY
AL: 22 NL: 20

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Around the Horn - 6/12

Willie Randolph must have been thinking things couldn't get much worse. His team was saddled with a 5-game losing streak, but had a 3-0 lead against the Diamondbacks in the 9th inning. Mike Pelfrey may have been pitching his best game in a Mets uniform. Then he allowed a base runner and Randolph pulled him for his closer Billy Wagner. Moments later Wagner was hanging his head after Mark Reynolds hit a game tying 3-run home run. But Carlos Beltran saved the day and his manager's stomach with a 13th inning walk off 2-run home run.

The Mets won 5-3, but the news wasn't all good. After 2 games back, it looks like Moises Alou is headed back to the DL.

Talk about tough losses in a win. The Cubs rolled over the Braves 7-2, but lost Alfonso Soriano for at least 6 weeks with a broken hand after he was hit with a Jeff Bennett pitch. Kosuke Fukudome belted a 3-run home run to help Ryan Dempster improve to 8-2.

Milton Bradley is nuts unstable. It's been documented on several occasions. Last night Bradley added to his resume by trying to go after KC Royals announcer Ryan Lefebvre in the press box when Bradley found otu that Lefebvre had spoken despairingly about him. Teammates stopped him and he returned to the clubhouse in tears.

"All I want to do is play baseball and make a better life for my kid than I had, that's it," Bradley said. "I love all you guys. I'm strong, but I'm not that strong."

Lefebvre said, from what he remembers, that he was complimenting Josh Hamilton and how he's been accountable for his mistakes and said "it doesn't appear Milton Bradley has done the same thing in his life."

"It is an interesting contrast between the two guys," Lefebvre said. "We also spent a lot of time complimenting Milton Bradley, but that's not what he heard when he was in the clubhouse."

Seriously, this guy needs meds if he's not on them already. Meanwhile his teammates came back from a 5-1 deficit for the second straight night to beat the Royals 11-5. Rookie David Murphy homered twice and drove in 5 runs.

Justin Verlander won his first game since May 20 and pitched in the 9th inning for the first time all season in Detroit's 5-1 win over the White Sox. Marcus Thames gave the Tigers offense a jolt with a 2nd inning 3-run home run.

Felix Hernandez won his third straight game as he moved down the Blue Jays over 8 innings in the Mariners 2-1 win. Closer J.J. Putz had to leave the game with a sore arm after facing just one hitter in the 9th inning.

The pitching match up of the night featured the Giants Tim Lincecum and the Rockies Ubaldo Jiminez. Each throw shut out ball for 7 innings and the game was scoreless in the 9th. The Rockies loaded the bases and Yorvit Torrealba's sac fly brought home the game winner.

Maecir Izturis' 2-run single in the 7th gave the Angels a 4-2 win over the Rays. John Lackey picked up his 3rd win in defeating Scott Kazmir. Rays starter James Shields dropped the appeal of his 6-game suspension stemming from the brawl with the Red Sox on June 5.

Justin Morneau and Jason Kubel combined for 5 RBI in the Twins 8-5 win over the Indians. Nick Blackburn won his first game since getting drilled by a Bobby Abreu line drive on June 1. Indians catcher Victor Martinez had to leave the game with a sore elbow and will be going for an MRI today.

The Padres won for the 5th time in 6 games, beating the Dodgers 4-1. Randy Wolf improved to 5-4 with 7 stellar innings, supported by home runs from Khalil Greene and Edgar Gonzalez. Jake Peavy comes off the DL today for the Padres and will start the finale of the series.

Baseballs were flying out of Minute Maid Park in Houston. 8 home runs in total in the Brewers 10-6 win. Corey Hart lead the way with a pair of home runs and 4 RBI. The Astros, who started out so surprisingly, have lost 10 of 13.

Bartolo Colon improved to 4-1, 3.41 with a 6-inning, 7 strikeout performance against the Orioles. Jason Varitek's 3-run home run capped a 5-run 1st inning in the Red Sox 6-3 win. Dice-K threw his first bullpen session since going on the DL on May 30.

Dan Uggla gave the Marlins a 6-2 with a 9th inning walk off grand slam, his 19th home run of the season. Chase Utley drove in both Phillies runs including a game tying RBI in the top of the 9th. That got Cole Hamels off the hook. Incredibly, he stood to take the loss after pitching 3-hit ball for 8 innings with 13 strikeouts. Two of those three hits were solo home runs by Jorge Cantu. The Marlins also ended the Jacques Jones experiment, designating him for assignment.

In case anyone cares, the Pirates beat the Nationals 3-1. 'nuff said. Bad news though for Nats fans, Ryan Zimmerman will miss at least another 4-6 weeks with his cranky shoulder.

The Cardinals played their first of many games without Albert Pujols and pounded the Cincinnati Reds 10-0. Rick Ankiel, Jason LaRue, and Ryan Ludwick all went deep. Braden Looper threw a complete game shutout to improve to 8-5. Pujols is expected to miss at least 3 weeks with a calf strain (our imagination or is the calf strain the new hamstring injury?).

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I'm Going to Make a Fool of Myself

Okay, those probably were not Ian Kennedy's words to his wife before yesterday's game ("I woke up today and told my wife, 'I have a feeling I'm just going to make these guys look stupid,'" said Kennedy, laughing. "I'm trying to say it humbly, it doesn't matter..) But making his first big league start since being sent to the minors back on May 4, Kennedy (0-3) was just as ineffective as before. Yes, he was more aggressive, but the results were no better.

Kennedy was hammered for 5 runs in 5 innings and the Rays coasted to a 5-2 victory. Scott Kazmir (2-1) and four relievers limited the Yankees to 7 hits. Troy Percival easily retired the Yankees in order in the 9th for his 10th save.

Kennedy got off on the wrong foot from the get go when Rays lead off man Aki Iwamura hit his 3rd home run of the season in the 1st inning. The long ball bit Kennedy on the behind again in the 4th when a 2-0 game became 4-0 on Shawn Riggans long home run into the left field seats. Kennedy's only improvement? He only allowed 1 walk.

The Yankees continued its lifeless form, finally scoring 2 runs in the 7th inning on RBI singles by Melky Cabrera and Derek Jeter. The Rays have good pitching, but the Yankees made them look like vintage Dodgers or Orioles staffs. The Yankees managed just 6 runs in the series as they plummeted into last place for the first time on May 15 sine 1969.

Kazmir was making his first start since agreeing to a 3-yr, $28.5 million extension that will run through 2011. He improved to 2-1, with a 1.69 ERA.

News and Notes

The Yankees bullpen was impressive as LaTroy Hawkins, who struck out the side, Jose Veras, and Edwar Ramirez each tossed a scoreless inning.

To make room on the roster for Kennedy, Kei Igawa was jettisoned back to the minors. Kennedy's days could be numbered again as Jeff Karstens is close to returning.

May 15, 2008

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
NY Yankees	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0		2	7	0
Tampa Bay	1	0	1	2	1	0	0	0	X		5	5	0

NY Yankees	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Damon, LF-1B	5	0	0	0	0	0	4	.255
Cabrera, CF	4	0	2	1	0	0	0	.268
Jeter, SS	4	0	2	1	0	0	1	.302
Giambi, DH	4	0	0	0	0	1	4	.181
Duncan, S, RF-1B	3	0	1	0	0	0	1	.200
b-Matsui, PH-LF	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	.314
Ensberg, 1B-3B	2	0	0	0	2	1	2	.217
Cano, 2B	4	1	1	0	0	1	2	.207
Gonzalez, 3B	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	.281
a-Abreu, PH-RF	2	0	0	0	0	1	1	.282
Molina, C	4	1	1	0	0	2	2	.203
Totals	34	2	7	2	3	7	17
a-Popped out for Gonzalez in the 7th. b-Struck out for Duncan, S in the 8th.
BATTING TB: Cabrera 2; Jeter 2; Duncan, S; Cano; Molina. RBI: Cabrera (19), Jeter (19). 2-out RBI: Cabrera; Jeter. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Duncan, S; Damon; Ensberg; Giambi. Team LOB: 8.

NY Yankees	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Kennedy (L, 0-3)	5.0	5	5	5	1	3	2	8.48
Hawkins	1.0	0	0	0	0	3	0	6.05
Veras	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1.93
Ramirez	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.00

Tampa Bay	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Iwamura, 2B	3	2	2	1	1	0	0	.265
Crawford, LF	3	0	0	1	0	0	1	.276
Upton, CF	3	0	0	1	0	0	2	.273
Pena, 1B	4	0	0	0	0	2	2	.212
Floyd, DH	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	.367
Longoria, 3B	3	0	0	0	0	3	0	.210
Hinske, RF	3	1	1	0	0	1	0	.261
Gross, RF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.218
Riggans, C	3	2	2	2	0	0	0	.250
Zobrist, SS	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Totals	27	5	5	5	1	7	5
BATTING 2B: Hinske (8, Kennedy), Iwamura (5, Kennedy). HR: Iwamura (3, 1st inning off Kennedy, 0 on, 0 out), Riggans (3, 4th inning off Kennedy, 1 on, 2 out). TB: Iwamura 6; Hinske 2; Riggans 5. RBI: Iwamura (13), Crawford (24), Riggans 2 (10), Upton (26). 2-out RBI: Riggans 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Pena 2. SF: Crawford; Upton. Team LOB: 2.

Tampa Bay	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Kazmir (W, 2-1)	6.0	3	0	0	3	3	0	1.69
Glover	0.2	4	2	2	0	0	0	3.65
Miller (H, 4)	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0	4.15
Wheeler (H, 10)	1.0	0	0	0	0	2	0	1.23
Percival (S, 10)	1.0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2.25

HBP: Zobrist (by Kennedy).
Pitches-strikes: Kennedy 78-49, Hawkins 16-12, Veras 12-7, Ramirez 14-9,
Kazmir 100-59, Glover 19-13, Miller 2-2, Wheeler 9-7, Percival 14-11.
Ground outs-fly outs: Kennedy 7-5, Hawkins 0-0, Veras 1-2, Ramirez 0-2,
Kazmir 5-10, Glover 0-2, Miller 0-1, Wheeler 0-1, Percival 0-1.
Batters faced: Kennedy 22, Hawkins 3, Veras 3, Ramirez 3, Kazmir 24,
Glover 6, Miller 1, Wheeler 3, Percival 3.
Inherited runners-scored: Miller 2-0.
Umpires: HP: Dale Scott. 1B: Dan Iassogna. 2B: Chad Fairchild. 3B: Rob Drake.
Weather: 72 degrees, dome.
Wind: Indoors.
T: 2:44.
Att: 19,976.

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Around the Horn - 4/29

Not too much action in the major leagues last night. The Orioles and White Sox had rain interrupt play at the start and the end of their game. It ended up a 3-3 tie with the game suspended after 12 innings. Since it was the end of 4-game series, there's no word on when it would be continued. Daniel Cabera (2 ER 6.1 IP) and Javier Vazquez (1 ER 8 IP) both turned in good starts.

The A's scored 8 runs in the 7th inning to blow away the Angels, 14-2. Frank Thomas was a HR short of the cycle when he left the game, and Daric Barton, Emil Brown, and Jack Hannahan each homered. Chad Gaudin has come back from injuries well to post a 3-1, 3.00 record. John Garland gave up 7 runs in 6 innings for the Angels.

The Mets and Pirates were rained out in Flushing. The Reds held off the Cardinals 4-3 as Bronson Arroyo finally picked up his first win. Rick Ankiel hit his 5th HR for the Cards.

Dan Haren improved to 4-1 in the Diamondbacks 5-3 triumph over the Astros. Mark Reynold's 2-run double gave him 24 RBI for the month.

The Giants moved Barry Zito to the bullpen, but Matt Cain and the pen gave them some relief last night. Cain was the victor in the Giants 4-0 win against the Rockies. Aaron Rowand knocked in a pair of run and is hitting .308.

News and Notes

After passing through waivers, Hideo Nomo was officially released by the Royals.

Mike Lieberthal will be signing a 1-day contract shortly with the Phillies, so that he can officially retire as a Phillie.

Rich Harden is scheduled for rehab start on Thursday as he tries to come back from yet another injury for the A's.

Scott Kazmir threw an 81-pitch rehab start on Monday and could be activated by the Rays this weekend.

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Around the Horn - 2/26

Bartolo Colon tried on his new Red Sox duds and took the mound today. His freshly signed contract will earn him $7 million if Colon makes the team out of spring training and takes the hill for 30 starts. The most amazing thing about all this is how out of shape Colon looks. You'd think a guy coming back from an arm injury and trying to get a contract would get into better shape. This dude is a serious candidate for a mansierre or bro.

The Giants will be without Omar Vizquel for 4-5 week due to surgery on his sore left knee.

Brett Boone says alcohol was one of the contributing factors in stepping away from the game 2 yeas ago. It got the to the point where Boonie was having 12-15 beers after each game.

The Rays have to be sweating right now after Scott Kazmir complained about elbow pain. Kazmir, who said it felt like a hyperextension, will go for an MRI.

The San Fran Chronicle reports that former Met Mike Piazza may hang up the cleats if he doesn't find work before the end of spring training.

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The Rotations - AL East

Yankees

Guaranteed Spots: Andy Pettitte, Chien-Ming Wang, Phil Hughes

That leaves 2 spots for 3 pitchers - Ian Kennedy, Joba Chamberlain, and Mike Mussina.

Management has a number of concerns coming into the grapefruit league. Will Andy Pettitte be affected by his involvement in the P.E.D. scandal? Will Chien-Ming Wang shake off his 2 horrendous playoff performances and show the consistency that made him a 19 game winner two years in a row? How much does Mike Mussina have left in his arm?

But the biggest concern is how to handle the “Big 3” - Hughes, Kennedy, and Chamberlain. The team wants to limit the innings pitched for all three of them, particularly Chamberlain who spent much of the season working out of the bullpen. The debate has waged on all off-season internally as well as between the fans as to what Chamberlain's role should be (if you haven't already answered our poll question in the right sidebar, please do).

The Yankees also want to be sure Hughes can handle a full load after missing much of last season with injuries. Kennedy was a horse last season, throwing 165.1 innings between 3 levels of the minors and 3 starts for the Yankees.

Chamberlain pitching out of the pen of course gives it a huge boost, and allows Joe Girardi to not have to rely so much on Kyle Farnsworth or LaTroy Hawkins to set up Mariano Rivera.

Much of what happens will be directly tied to what the Yankees can get out of Mussina. The ornery right-hander started out a house fire last year, but then burned to the ground. Yankees fans would like nothing more than the young guys to become the established starters, and in our case, Mussina shipped out of town.

At some point, Alan Horne could also have an impact on the rotation, or could join Russ Ohlendorf in an attempt to strengthen the pen.

Red Sox

Guaranteed Spots: Josh Beckett, Dasuke Matsuzaka, Tim Wakefield, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz

Things have changed drastically for the Red Sox before pitchers and catchers even report to spring training. Curt Schilling has a bad shoulder and differing opinions on how it should be treated. For now it’s a cortisone shot and rehab, but no matter what the course of treatment is, the big windbag will miss the beginning of the season.

The direct outcome of Schilling’s injury is the Sox, just like their division rivals, will be looking towards their youth to pick up the slack. Instead of just Jon Lester or Clay Buchholz being part of the rotation, both will be penciled in.

Lester was the feel good story of the year, coming back from cancer treatment to post a 4-0 record in the regular season and the final win of the World Series. Buchholz made a big splash on the scene, throwing a no-hitter on September 1^st before being shut down for fatigue after 2 more starts. The Sox will be monitoring their innings as well. Lester threw a career high 153.2 last season, while Buchholz threw 148.

The Red Sox still have plenty of experience though in Beckett, the incumbent Cy Young Winner, Dice-K who is a sophomore in MLB experience only, and knuckleballer Tim Wakefield.

Blue Jays

Guaranteed Spots: Roy Halladay, A.J. Burnett, Dustin McGowan, Shaun Marcum

Halladay is the stud of the group. A Cy Young Winner with some of the nastiest stuff in baseball. Burnett’s stuff may be even nastier than Halladay’s, but he could be gone by the end of spring training. GM J.P. Ricciardi publicly dissed his injury-prone 2005 free agent signing last year, and Burnett still has 3 years left on his deal.

McGowan finally began to show the promise last season that scouts have talked about for years, posting a 12-10 record with a 4.08 ERA. He also struck out 144 in 169.2 IP.

Marcum stepped up in his role split between the bullpen and starting rotation. His 4.13 ERA in 122 K’s in 159 innings should help the Jays pitch their way to a competitive season.

Jesse Litsch went from being a Rays bat boy to a 24^th round pick in 2004 to jumping from Double-A to the majors in his 1^st season in pro ball last year. After leading the Eastern League with a 0.96 ERA, he put up very respectable numbers- 7-9, 3.81- for the Blue Jays. Right now he has the inside track for the final spot in the rotation.

Gustavo Chacin went 22-13 in his first two seasons before injuries start to befall him. He made just 5 appearances last season. He’ll most likely start the season at Triple-A Syracuse. Casey Janssen was a starter before being moved to a set up role last season where he excelled. Though it would hurt the pen, he could return to a starting spot.

The Jays rotation has the ability to be the best in the division by the end of the season.

Orioles

Guaranteed Spots: Daniel Cabrera, Jeremy Guthrie

The Orioles dealt their ace Erik Bedard to the Mariners last week, leaving their rotation pretty much in shambles.

Cabrera falls in to the category of “if he could only harness his stuff”. Cabrera’s inconsistency has been one of the constants in Baltimore. He threw a career high 204.1 innings last year, striking out 166 in the process. But he topped 100 walks for the 2^nd straight season.

Guthrie showed last year that the Indians gave up too quickly on their former star prospect. Though he tired out down the stretch, Guthrie tossed 175.1 innings, compiling a 7-5 record with a 3.70 ERA.

Adam Loewen missed last season due to Tommy John surgery, but is ready for spring training and could make the rotation. He could very well be the next Erik Bedard for the O’s, though fans must look at that as a mixed blessing.

Brian Burres, Matt Albers, Troy Patton, Garrett Olson, and Hayden Penn will compete for a spot, which is why GM Andy McPhail might bring in Josh Fogg and/or Steve Trachsel for a more veteran presence.

Rays

Guaranteed Spots: Scott Kazmir, Jamie Shields, Matt Garza

Kazmir is the stud of the group, and it remains to be seen whether the Rays will be able to keep him long term or if he’ll “Bedard” his way out of town. The left-hander led the AL last season with 248 strikeouts.

Shields had an outstanding rookie campaign, going 12-8 with 3.85 ERA and 184 strikeouts in 215 innings. He also only walked 36 hitters.

Garza was the key to the Rays dealing Delmon Young. He began to show the promise expected of him last season, going 5-7, 3.69 in 15 big league starts.

The final spots are up for grabs for just about any pitcher in camp. Chief among them is the Rays’ number 1 pitching prospect, David Price. The lefty out of Vanderbilt was the top pick of last June’s draft, and though the Rays don’t like to rush their youth, he could have an impact this season.

Rating the rotations:

1. Red Sox
2. Yankees
2. Blue Jays
4. Rays
5. Orioles

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