Sunday’s Streaking and Slumping Starting Pitchers
Streaking
Cole Hamels (12-10, 2.93 ERA), Philadelphia Phillies
Just like his team, Cole Hamels is on fire. He’s 5-0 with a minuscule 0.82 ERA over his last six starts. The under has cashed in eight of his last nine outings.
Hamels early-season struggles seem like a distant memory. The talented lefty credits Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt with his turnaround.
"You don't have to be that guy," Hamels told reporters after the Braves to one run on six hits in eight innings of work. "You don't have to carry the whole team on your back. When you have one big-time guy, that puts pressure on you."
Fausto Carmona (12-14, 3.79 ERA), Cleveland Indians
The Indians have only won twice in Carmona’s last nine starts but the big righty is pitching much better these days. He’s held opponents to three or fewer runs in each of his last five starts.
The under has cashed in five of his last six appearances and he’s given Cleveland quality starts in four of his last five outings.
Brian Duensing (10-2, 2.19 ERA), Minnesota Twins
If you haven’t seen much of Duensing this season, you’ll get your chance in the postseason. The 27-year-old lefty looks like Minnesota’s No. 3 starter behind Francisco Liriano and Carl Pavano.
He has eight quality starts in his last nine starts and the Twins are 7-2 in his last nine turns in the rotation.
Slumping
Livan Hernandez (10-12, 3.75 ERA), Washington Nationals
The man with the bionic arm appears to be tiring. Hernandez was only charged with five earned runs in his last start, but Houston touched home eight times with the Dominican native in the game.
He’s been charged with four or more runs in four of his last six trips to the mound and 2-7 in his last nine appearances.
Sunday Night Baseball: Red Sox at Yankees
By Aaron Schuldiner
Boston trails New York by 6.5 games going into Saturday’s action, but the Red Sox play five of their remaining nine games against their arch rivals.
Spoiler Alert
The Red Sox knocked the Yankees off their perch atop the AL East Friday night, but it’s the longest of longshots that the Sox will steal their rival’s playoff spot.
Still, Boston 3B/OF Bill Hall is aiming high.
“I don’t think spoiler is what we’re looking at,” Hall told reporters after Friday’s victory. “We want to sweep the series and go to Chicago and sweep there too. We’re looking to win out.”
The next best thing for Boston would be to prevent the Yankees from winning the division, a goal that is well within reach.
No Dice
Boston sends Diasuke Matsuzaka to the mound Friday night, a scary proposition for Boston backers. It’s been a long season for Dice-K (9-6, 4.86 ERA), but he’s been especially bad of late, allowing at least four earned runs in each of his last seven starts.
Matsuzaka has faced the Yankees only once in 2010, an 11-9 loss at Yankee Stadium on May 17. He avoided taking the loss thanks to a late-inning Red Sox rally, but Matsuzaka was clearly overmatched, allowing seven earned runs on nine hits and failing to make it out of the fifth inning.
Plan B
The Yankees will counter with right-hander Dustin Moseley. Phil Hughes was originally slated to make the start, but manager Joe Girardi bumped Hughes to Wednesday in an effort to limit his workload. Hughes has already logged 169 1/3 innings in his first full big-league season as a starter.
Moseley has been shaky for the Yankees, but had one of his best outings of the season in his only appearance against the Red Sox. Moseley limited Boston to two runs over 6 1/3 innings and earned the win in a 7-2 victory on Aug. 8.
Mr. September
After struggling at the plate for the last three months, Alex Rodgriguez has found his stroke in September. Rodriguez homered twice and drove in three runs in Friday’s series opener.
A-Rod is batting .333 for the month, and boasts an impressive 1.056 OPS. His six September home runs are more than he has hit in any other month. The Yankees’ already-potent lineup is a different animal altogether when Rodriguez is on his game.
Problems for Papelbon
Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon has struggled mightily this season. His ERA (3.94) and WHIP (1.20) are higher than in any season since he took over the closer’s job in 2006. Papelbon has blown a career-high seven saves and his K/BB ratio (2.96:1) is also his worst since ‘06.
Papelbon’s woes have prompted some to wonder aloud if a switch to young fireballer Daniel Bard is in order, but manager Terry Francona has stood behind Papelbon.
“We’ve talked about how he set the bar higher,” Francona told the Boston Globe this week. “He’s not there right now. But that doesn’t mean he can’t really be good. I also don’t think it means you immediately take that guy out of that role.”
Papelbon got the save on Friday night, but did allow one run on a Mark Teixeira home run.
Trends
New York is 3-4 at home and 7-6 overall vs. Boston in 2010.
Boston has won five straight on the road and is 7-3 in their last 10.
The over is 6-1 in Diasuke Matsuzaka’s last seven starts.
The Yankees have lost three in a row and are 3-6 in their last nine home games.
The over is 5-2 in New York’s last seven.