Crouching Tigers, Angry Indians
By Roz Juarbe
Taking a short time off from analzying sports picks, I like what the Detroit Tigers did this week, and I do not like what the Indians did. The Tigers have not been able to upgrade their offense, so they took the other rout and upgraded the pitching staff. The Seattle Mariners traded left-handed pitcher Jarrod Washburn to the Tigers for rookie left-hander Luke French and pitching prospect Mauricio Robles. They beat the Yankees to the punch for Washburn, who is 8-6 with a strong 2.64 ERA.
Still, when are the Tigers going to start hitting? Detroit is on a 22-5-2 run under the total! In Cleveland, a poll was taken of fans after they dealt Cliff Lee for prospects. For fans of the Tribe, 64% said, "Yes. I am done. I can't take this anymore." 26% said they will watch them in the future after this house cleaning, while 8% said they are still with them. It is clearly the start of a rebuilding run for the Indians. And what a fall: This team was up 3-games-to-1 in the 2007 ALCS, that close to winning a title. Since then, aces C.C. Sabathia and Lee have been dealt, huge blows to the staff.
The Phillies were already the team to beat in the NL. Now with Lee, they are stocked. He should thrive in the NL. After red-hot runs, perhaps the Phillies and Yankees are cooling off a bit, as both have lost this week as chalk. But the Phillies look even better now than they did last October.
It was in June that the Phillies stumbled badly, not doing anything right, but all that changed in July, when they got hot and took control of the division. The Red Sox hope they got their bad month out of the way. Despite a lot of home games and a soft schedule, Boston has been shaky. The top-ranked Red Sox bullpen had not allowed a run since the All-Star break, until giving up 7 in a 9-8 collapse to Oakland this week. Then they lost again the next night, 8-6.
Speaking of hot, the Angels are 14-3 since Torii Hunter and Vladimir Guerrero went on the DL. SS Eric Aybar is leading the major leagues with a .439 batting average in July. The switch-hitter is second in batting average among American League shortstops behind the New York Yankees' Derek Jeter, who is hitting .323. Only 25, Aybar has evolved from a fleet-footed, free-swinging player to one whose improved plate discipline makes him a viable option to hit almost anywhere in the lineup, though he has mostly batted in the No. 9 spot this season. This is a great organization.
The top teams in ERA in the National League are the Giants, Dodgers, Braves, Cards and Cubs. Does anyone want to face the Giants pitching staff in October? Finally, this is why the NL is fun: Florida ace Josh Johnson won again this week AND hit a home run against Atlanta! The Marlins are 17-4 when Johnson pitches.