Wednesday’s streaking starting pitchers
By JASON LOGAN
Streaking
Mark Buerhle, Chicago White Sox (14-11, 3.87 ERA)
Buerhle seems up to the task of taking the bump in the middle of this important AL Central showdown. The ChiSox’s lefty is 3-0 in his last four starts with an ERA just over 2.00.
Buerhle knows the Twins better than anyone. He’s recorded a 21-12 career mark against Minnesota but is just 1-2 facing the division rival this season.
Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals (10-3, 3.21 ERA)
Wainwright picked up his seventh win in his last 10 starts in a 12-6 win over the Cubs Friday. He allowed just two runs on four hits in a five-inning showing. He is 3-0 over his previous four starts and has a 4.03 ERA during that span.
St. Louis is marred in one of the worst skids of the season but is 14-5 when Wainwright takes the hill. The right-hander defeated Arizona in an 8-2 Cardinals win September 2, where he gave up just one run on three hits in over five innings pitched.
Slumping
Jeff Suppan, Milwaukee Brewers (10-10, 5.06 ERA)
The Brewers won’t point fingers during their recent collapse, but bettors will. Suppan was horrific in his previous two starts, allowing 11 runs in just under six innings of so-called work.
He is 0-3 in his last four appearances after coming off six wins in seven starts. Suppan is scheduled to pitch Wednesday according to the Brewers’ regular rotation, but could be bumped if interim manager Dale Sveum has a change of heart.
Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners (9-11, 3.37 ERA)
When a team craps out like the M’s have, there are bound to be some casualties. Hernandez recorded his third loss in four games when he threw eight impressive innings, but got a goose egg from Seattle’s bats in a 2-0 loss to the A’s Friday.
He has a 4.05 ERA over the previous four starts in which he received just six total runs of support. Hernandez is 1-0 in three starts with a 4.79 ERA against the Angels this year.
NL Playoff Picture
By Josh Jacobs
We’ve been discussing what scenarios might play out with October approaching. Time has just about run out for the 2008 regular season and the final push to make the playoffs is red hot.
Tampa Bay and the L.A. Angels have reserved seats for the postseason, while the NL continues to field some death defying battles on the diamond. So with the stage being set for the final week until October commences can we rely on certain clubs to yield a substantial return on our money?
Here’s a breakdown of what the NL is cooking up.
Philadelphia (89-68, +533)
While it’s still premature to say that the Phillies have locked up the NL East, the Mets aren’t sprinting to the finish line with the division lead in mind. Philadelphia has been explosive, bringing home runners for a 10-1 record in the last 11 and a 24-10 billing in the last 34.
What’s surprising is the club’s seasonal ineptness on offense, swinging through pitches for a 23rd worst .255 BA and a middle of the pack .332 on base percentage. But when it counts most, the Phillies have stepped up to the plate for a .275 BA in the last 10 games and 106 RBIs in September thus far.
Philly will finish off the season facing Atlanta and Washington, two teams which have been dominated by the NL East leaders. The Phillies have combined to go 23-8 versus these two opponents, with an impressive 14-2 record versus Atlanta alone.
As of Tuesday, Philadelphia has a magic number of four.
Starting Pitching: Sept. 24 – Brett Myers (10-12, 4.46 ERA); Sept. 25 – Joe Blanton (8-12, 4.79); Sept. 26 – Jamie Moyer (15-7, 3.78); Sept. 27 – J.A. Happ (1-0, 3.90)
N.Y. Mets (86-70, -339)
Is it about that time when the Mets choke on fastballs, inevitably ruining their shot at postseason life or can the club rebound from a three-game losing streak? This is the million dollar question, but evidence of slumping play is not without consequences.
While the Metropolitans have brought in a league sixth best, 775 runs, a 4.21 ERA attached to the bullpen has been the major pitfall. To put this in perspective New York has dropped seven games when leading after eight innings and 13 games when leading from the eighth and beyond. Adding insult to injury, the Mets’ relief squad has blown 29 saves, third worst in the majors (four games have gone into the record books as an 'L' when leading in the ninth inning – worst in both leagues).
Closer Billy Wagner shut down the season in the beginning of August after opting for left elbow surgery. This forced New York to snatch up right-hander, Luis Ayala, a far cry when comparing what division rival, Philadelphia has been working with. In-fact, the Phillies’ shutdown relief pitcher Brad Lidge can arguably be labeled as the best closer in the game with 40 saves in ’08. Philadelphia is 32-2 when leading from the seventh inning onward and is a perfect 37-0 when ahead on the scoreboard during the ninth inning.
What could be saving grace for this club are the Brewers (2-10 in their last 10 and 5-15 in September), a team who’s competing for the tank award with the Mets.
The Mets will look to hold on to a playoff dream when it faces the Cubs and Marlins (0-3 versus Chicago and 9-6 against Florida) to end play in September.
Starting Pitching: Sept. 24 – Oliver Perez (10-7, 4.10); Sept. 25 – Pedro Martinez (5-6, 5.50); Sept. 26 – Mike Pelfry (13-10, 3.70); Sept. 27 – Jonathon Niese (1-1, 7.07); Sept. 28 – Johan Santana (14-7, 2.65)
Arizona (79-77, -1520)
Talk about the Dodgers speeding past Arizona in the divisional race has quieted down in the last few days. Sure, L.A. is and has been in first place in the NL West for most of September but as of Tuesday, Arizona sits only two games back. It’s safe to say that the Diamondbacks are completely out of the race for the wild card so the next few days are sure to excite even the most laid back baseball fans.
For a club that was questioned in letting go some of its key pieces (closer Jose Valverde and outfielder Carlos Quentin) and letdown starts between slingers Brandon Webb and Dan Haren, Arizona looked to be heading down a one-way street. But things have changed and both Webb and Haren are a combined 5-0, giving up eight runs in a total of five recent starts.
And let’s not forget about veteran starter, Randy Johnson. The Big Unit hasn’t recorded a win since Aug. 17, but five starts which have bared witness to 2.6 runs allowed per game is effective pitching.
Offensively, the D-Backs may be at the bottom of the barrel with a seasonal .251 BA but a .283 BA with 36 runs produced in the last seven games has been timely (10 homers have also helped in staying on L.A.’s heals).
More reason to begin waiting in line at the window to back Arizona is the team's 3-1 record versus St. Louis and a 12-3 performance versus Colorado this season.
Starting Pitching: Sept. 24 – Max Scherzer (0-3, 3.00); Sept. 25 – Doug Davis (6-8, 4.25); Sept. 26 – Dan Haren (16-8, 3.27); Sept. 27 – Brandon Webb (22-7, 3.24); Sept. 28 – Randy Johnson (10-9, 3.99)
L.A. Dodgers (81-75, -618)
Now the Dodgers aren’t in danger just yet but they can definitely feel the heat from the second place Diamondbacks breathing down their back. Sputtering with a 2-3 record in the last five, L.A. looks to be involved in another one of its slides. Granted three defeats aren’t the end of the world, but we’ve all seen this team crawl instead of run in tight situations.
After recovering from a degrading 3-10 fall from Aug. 19 to the 31st, the Dodgers strapped themselves into the driver’s seat. A 10-1 record from Sept. 1 to the 13th helped gain lost ground but the club now finds itself fending off division rival, Arizona with a half dozen games left.
Games which should be locked and loaded victories against San Diego and San Francisco are left on the docket. A combined record of 17-10 versus these two clubs has been manufactured, with the Dodgers’ starting staff tossing a 3.30 ERA against the Padres batters and a low 2.91 ERA versus the Giants.
Since grabbing outfielder Manny Ramirez from Boston, L.A. increased its offensive productivity from batting .250 in July to making contact with the ball for a .280 BA in August. For September, the Dodgers are currently logging in a .270 BA with 99 RBIs (already higher then RBIs produced in May and the same as was manufactured in June).
L.A. has been a mammoth of a team at home, going 22-8 in the last 30. Add in a 2.98 ERA at home with a bullpen sending opposing bats to the dugout with a 2.30 ERA and the defensive formula for success is present.
Starting Pitchers: Sept. 24 – Clayton Kershaw (4-5, 4.28); Sept. 25 – Greg Maddux (7-13, 4.31); Sept. 26 – Hiroki Kuroda (9-10, 3.84); Sept. 27 – Derek Lowe (14-11, 3.29); Sept. 28 – Chad Billingsley (15-10, 3.22)
vegasinsider.com.
Baseball Today
Wednesday, Sept. 24
Chicago Cubs at New York Mets (7:10 p.m. EDT). The Mets desperately need wins to remain in the NL East race with the Phillies, and have the Brewers to worry about in the wild-card race. Carlos Zambrano (14-6, 3.77 ERA) will try to make sure the Mets don’t get to the playoffs, where they’d likely play the Cubs again. Oliver Perez (10-7, 4.10) pitches for New York.
STARS
Tuesday
— Prince Fielder, Brewers, hit a game-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth and Milwaukee kept pace with the Mets in the NL wild-card race with a 7-5 win over the Pirates.
— Jason Kubel, Twins, had two home runs and a triple and Minnesota stayed alive in the AL Central race with a 9-3 rout of the first-place White Sox.
— Jose Reyes, Mets, went 2-for-4 with a bases-loaded triple to help New York close in on Philadelphia in the NL East with a 6-2 win over the Cubs.
— Blake DeWitt, Dodgers, homered and drove in three runs to help Los Angeles defeat San Diego 10-1, reducing their magic number for clinching the NL West title to three.
— Zack Greinke, Royals, pitched seven shutout innings, allowing four hits in Kansas City’s 5-0 win over Detroit.
— Edinson Volquez, Reds, struck out nine in 7 1-3 innings, allowing a run and six hits in a 2-1 win over the Astros.
END OF AN ERA
Derek Jeter won’t be playing in October for the first time in his career. The Yankees’ impressive streak of postseason appearances came to an end. Mike Mussina pitched five shutout innings to earn his 19th win, Jason Giambi homered and the Yankees beat the Blue Jays 3-1. It wasn’t enough to keep New York’s slim postseason hopes alive as Boston beat Cleveland 5-4 minutes before the Yankees’ win. The Red Sox victory clinched at least the AL wild card and eliminated New York, which had made 13 straight postseason appearances.
CLINCHED
Tim Wakefield outpitched Cliff Lee and Jonathan Papelbon needed just one pitch to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth as Boston clinched a playoff berth with a 5-4 win over the Indians. The Red Sox took a six-game lead over the New York Yankees with five games left. The Red Sox still have a chance to win the AL East, where Tampa Bay holds a three-game lead after sweeping the Orioles in a doubleheader.
MAGIC NUMBERS
Nomar Garciaparra and Blake DeWitt each hit three-run homers and the Los Angeles Dodgers reduced their magic number for clinching the NL West title to three with a 10-1 victory Tuesday night. The Rays reduced their magic number to win the AL East to two by sweeping the Orioles 5-2 and 7-5. The Phillies and White Sox both lost, leaving their magic numbers at four and five, respectively.
K-CORNER
Tim Lincecum (17-5) struck out nine in 4 1-3 innings to set the San Francisco single-season record with 252 strikeouts. He passed Jason Schmidt, who had 251 in 2004. It wasn’t Lincecum’s best outing of the season as he allowed six runs and saw his ERA jumped up to 2.66, a point higher than that of New York Mets ace Johan Santana. Lincecum lost his second straight after a six-game winning streak.
FREE PASS
Albert Pujols drew a career-best 100th walk in the Cardinals’ 7-4 victory over Arizona. He topped his previous high of 99 set last season on an intentional walk from Randy Johnson with two outs and a runner on second in the fifth inning. Pujols is batting .350, second in the National League, and is the only player in major league history with 30 homers and 100 RBIs in the first eight seasons.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
The Tigers have completed a freefall to the bottom of the AL Central. Zack Greinke and Leo Nunez combined for a four-hitter to lift the Royals to a 5-0 win over Detroit. With the loss, the Tigers fell a percentage point behind Kansas City for last place in the division. Detroit, which only has eight hits in its last two games, has lost 11 of its last 12 and was shut out for the 13th time this season. The Tigers were expected to contend for the division title and had hopes of getting to the World Series, but instead have faltered all season long.
KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
Mitch Talbot made his first major league start for the Rays and gave up three runs and six hits in 4 1-3 innings in Tampa Bay’s 7-5 win over Baltimore in the second game of a doubleheader. Talbot was the ninth different starter used by Tampa Bay this season, all of them under 26 years old.
HOMERING FISH
Josh Willingham’s homer in the second inning set a new Marlins record for round trippers in a season. The 202 broke the previous mark of 201 set last season. Cody Ross hit No. 203 in the ninth inning. It’s the third straight season that the Marlins have broken their own home run record.
SPEAKING
“We’ve been disappointed for a little longer than just today. It’s been a tough summer for us. We expected more out of ourselves than what has happened.” — Pitcher Mike Mussina after the Yankees were eliminated from postseason contention by virtue of Boston’s win over Cleveland. Mussina and the Yankees beat the Blue Jays 3-1.