Thursday's streaking starting pitchers
By JASON LOGAN
Streaking
Rich Harden, Chicago Cubs (10-2, 2.03 ERA)
Harden was scheduled to pitch Tuesday, but had his start pushed to Thursday. The right-handed hurler is 5-1 in his previous 10 appearances and has allowed just five earned runs over the past six games.
The Cubs have locked up the NL Central, however, they can play spoiler to the Mets’ playoff hopes. Harden has never faced New York.
Roy Oswalt, Houston Astros (16-10, 3.51 ERA)
Oswalt is back on track after suffering just his second loss in 10 games last week. Houston’s ace rebounded with a six-inning, one-run effort in a 6-2 win over the Pirates Sunday.
Oswalt has an ERA of 1.67 over his last 10 with a 56/12 strikeout-to-walk count.
The righty has dominated Cincinnati with a 22-1 record and 2.51 ERA over 27 games. Oswalt added to that total with three wins over the Reds this year. He did, however, leave his last start with a sore neck and is throwing on short rest.
Slumping
Jake Peavy, San Diego Padres (9-11, 2.77 ERA)
Peavy has watched his record go south after losing five of his last eight starts. His most recent showing was a 5-2 loss to the Giants in which Peavy allowed five runs on 11 hits in eight innings.
In Peavy’s defense, he hasn’t had the bats to back him up during this skid. He has a solid ERA, just under three in his last 10, but an average of just 2.6 runs of support.
Pedro Martinez, New York Mets (5-6, 5.50 ERA)
Pedro’s place on the team has been in question ever since the Mets brought in Johan Santana during the offseason. Martinez’s sub-par performances have sparked talk about where the veteran right-hander will end up next season.
He has dropped his last three starts and has allowed just as many earned runs as innings pitched (16) during that span. His breaking balls just aren’t breaking and his fastball doesn’t have the command it once did.
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)
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AL Playoff Picture
By Josh Jacobs
Tuesday night in the big league had the Dodgers increasing its lead over Arizona by three full games, while Philadelphia allowed the Mets to crawl a bit closer for first place honors in the NL East. The race to October is without a doubt coming right down to the wire.
We’ll now shift our attention to the American League and what scenarios are most likely to develop. Boston was able to clinch a playoff birth on Tuesday, edging out Cleveland 5-4. What this means is the New York Yankees won’t receive a ticket to the postseason, breaking a 13-year consecutive streak.
Without further ado, here’s what stories are shaping up in the AL and again, where gamblers can take advantage of a financial situation in their favor.
Chicago White Sox (86-70, +1051)
Dropping three out of four against the Yankees last week, taking a 5-2 loss in one-game against the down-and-out Royals and a 9-3 wipeout on Tuesday in Minnesota are all unnecessary results for a club that’s only 1½-games ahead in the AL Central (guess manager Ozzie Guillen’s challenge to starting pitcher, Javier Vazquez went in one ear and out the other).
The good news is that southpaw slinger Mark Buehrle (14-11, 3.87 ERA) will get the start on Wednesday. The bad news in that the Sox are 4-12 in Buehrle’s 16 starts on the road this season (compared to going 13-3 at home). And there’s also the hurdle of a 7-21 record in the team’s last 28 games played on turf.
Looking not to far down the road also reveals a tough three-game series to close out September versus Cleveland. The writing is on the wall; Chicago has nailed an impressive 10-5 record on the bulletin board in 15 games against the Tribe, but a 4.00 ERA with a 1.30 WHIP hasn’t overly impressive. It’s the five runs produced per contest versus Cleveland’s 2.7 runs per game in the 10 head-to-head wins that have been the underlying factor for success.
Just take this into consideration before wagering on the Sox in their final sprint to the finish line: the club is batting a poor .245 average and the bullpen can’t find the sweat spot over the plate with a 7.66 ERA in the last 10 games. With these batting woes, the ‘under’ has been a hot bet with a 6-3 record.
Starting Pitchers: Sept. 25 – Gavin Floyd (16-8, 3.84), Sept. 26 – John Danks (11-8, 3.20), Sept. 27 – Mark Buehrle (14-11, 3.87)
Minnesota (85-72, +1439)
It’s been a tough series against the rival White Sox in ’08, with both teams splitting eight games apiece. Wednesday and Thursday will put a bow on the series for the rest of the season and the Twins have the key to the future in their hand.
A 3-6 slide since September 14 has stunted Minnesota’s surge to surpass Chicago but the battle is far from over. Despite the problems in the win-loss column, the Twins bats have been on fire with a .283 average in the last 10, while the bullpen has be able to hang in with a 3.35 ERA. The problem resides in the starting pitching staff, who have logged in a 5.73 ERA in the same 10 games.
September alone has been hazardous with starting slingers, Glen Perkins, Kevin Slowey and Nick Blackburn combining for (get ready for this) a 2-6 record and a suicidal 7.23 ERA.
With five games remaining on the schedule, bettors must know that Minnesota is the No. 1 team in the American League with a 40-27 record versus teams in its own division. Even with the tough opponent in Chicago in the next two, three finishing games against Kansas City should dictate heavy money movement on the Twins, regardless of the steep money line price.
Taking a quick peak into Minnesota’s track record against the Royals reveals an 11-4 performance with the slingers in the rotation and pen manufacturing a staggering 2.48 ERA. With the run line almost exclusively set at 1½-runs, it could be a worthy investment to take the Twins in their up-and-coming three-game series (+2591 run line profit on the season).
Given the chase to October, Minnesota has crossed the plate for 5.5 runs per game versus Kansas City’s 2.4 runs per game in the 11 wins this season. Eight of those 11 games have witnessed the Twins leaving stadiums with wins of two runs or more versus the Royals.
The ‘over’ is 9-1-1 in Minnesota’s last 11 versus a team with a winning record, is 6-1 in the last seven overall and 8-3-1 in the last 12 versus the American League Central.
Starting Pitchers: Sept. 25 – Kevin Slowey (12-11, 3.85), Sept. 26 – Francisco Liriano (6-3, 3.39), Sept. 27 – Glen Perkins (12-4, 4.50), Sept. 28 – Scott Baker (10-4, 3.59)
End of an Era
With the Red Sox closing the deal on the wild card with their much needed win on Tuesday night (5-4 against Cleveland), the rest of the AL becomes spectators. The Twins and White Sox are the only clubs left fighting for extended life this season.
Other clubs ousted from October but appear to be bread winners with the handful of games left that we should be setting our financial sites on include the Yankees, Indians and Athletics.
The pinstripes are 14-6 in September, 9-1 in their last 10 and are on a six-game winning streak. Salvaging a let down season, the Yankees have received masterful pitching performances from possible Hall of Famer Mike Mussina (19-9, 3.47) and lost and found Carl Pavano (4-1, 4.99). Pavano will get his last start of the season on Thursday in Game 3 against Toronto.
New York is 8-8 versus the division rival Blue Jays but a .254 BA with 3.4 runs per game generated leaves a lot of speculation open to argument. If there’s one matchup to possibly fade it’s when Andy Pettitte (14-14, 4.54) takes the mound on Friday against the Red Sox. We’re pretty sure that Boston might take a cruise control approach to this contest but it’s hard to overlook the fact that Pettitte is 1-5 in his last six starts. Beginning his horrible stretch was a short and ugly outing against Boston on Aug. 26, which witnessed Pettitte going 4.2 innings, giving up 10 hits and six runs.
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Baseball Today
Thursday, Sept. 25
Chicago White Sox at Minnesota Twins (8:10 p.m. EDT). The top two teams in the AL Central close out a three-game set with Chicago’s Gavin Floyd (16-8, 3.84 ERA) going against Kevin Slowey (12-11, 3.85). The White Sox close out their season with three games against Cleveland while Minnesota hosts Kansas City.
STARS
Wednesday
— Manny Ramirez, Dodgers, homered and drove in two runs as Los Angeles beat the San Diego Padres 12-4 to clinch a tie for their first NL West championship in four years.
— Nick Blackburn, Twins, combined with three relievers to shut down the White Sox in a 3-2 victory that cut Chicago’s lead in the AL Central to a half-game over Minnesota.
— CC Sabathia, Brewers, gave up a run and four hits in seven innings, striking out 11 in a 4-2 victory over Pittsburgh that pulled Milwaukee into a tie with the Mets for the NL wild card.
— Randy Wolf, Astros, scattered eight hits over 6 2-3 innings in a 5-0 win over the Reds that kept Houston 3 1/2 games out of the wild-card race with four left.
— Francisco Rodriguez, Angels, worked the ninth inning of Los Angeles’ 6-5 victory over the Seattle Mariners to extend his major league record to 62 saves.
— Brian Bannister, Royals, pitched six shutout innings to help Kansas City beat the slumping Detroit Tigers 10-4.
— Clint Barmes, Rockies, went 4-for-5, scored four runs and drove in four as Colorado pounded the San Francisco Giants 15-6.
— Bobby Abreu, Yankees, hit a grand slam in the 10th inning, after going 0-for-4 to start the night, and New York beat Toronto 6-2.
— Michael Young, Rangers, went 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles and two RBIs in a 14-4 rout of the Athletics.
— Ryan Howard, Phillies, hit his major league-leading 47th homer in Philadelphia’s 10-4 loss to the Atlanta Braves.
— Carlos Delgado, Mets, went 2-for-4 with his 13th career grand slam in New York’s costly 9-6, 10-inning loss to the Chicago Cubs.
— Lance Berkman, Astros, hit a two-run homer to lead Houston to a 5-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds.
WILD NL
The Phillies will return to the field Friday knowing they’re in first place, no thanks to themselves. They’ve lost two straight, but are still 1 1/2 games ahead of the bumbling New York Mets in the NL East. The Mets blew a four-run lead in a 9-6, 10-inning loss to the Chicago Cubs that dropped New York into a tie with the Milwaukee Brewers for the wild card.
GETTING CLOSER
The surging Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres 12-4 to clinch a tie for their first NL West championship in four years. The Dodgers’ victory combined with Arizona’s 4-2 loss at St. Louis gave Los Angeles a four-game lead over the Diamondbacks with four games remaining. … Tampa Bay beat the Baltimore Orioles 11-6, but Boston’s win over Cleveland means the Rays will have to wait at least another day to celebrate their first AL East title and pop open the 200 bottles of champagne waiting in the visitors clubhouse. One more win by Tampa Bay or a loss by Boston will provide the Rays their first division crown.
RECORD RING-UPS
Arizona’s Mark Reynolds struck out once in a 4-2 loss to St. Louis to tie the major league record for strikeouts in a season with 199. Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard set the mark last season. Jack Cust also struck out for Oakland, his 192nd, in a 14-4 loss to Texas.
FUTURE FISH
The Marlins may have been eliminated from playoff contention, but they have a reason to look forward to next year. A couple, in fact. Gaby Sanchez picked up his first three major league hits and Cameron Maybin added three more in a 9-4 win over the Nationals. Sanchez was the MVP of the Double-A Southern League this season, and Maybin is 14-for-28 since getting called up.
TEXAS TWO-STEP
Rangers president Nolan Ryan, hired in February to revitalize a team that has never won a playoff series, said he doesn’t anticipate changing managers. Ryan expects Ron Washington to return next season along with general manager Jon Daniels. The team moved over .500 late in the season after a miserable start, only to slump in September and again miss the playoffs.
STREAKING
The New York Yankees won their seventh straight game, 6-2 over the Blue Jays in 10 innings. … Kansas City beat the slumping Tigers 10-4, completing a sweep of the three-game series. The Royals have won 11 of its last 13, while Detroit has lost 12 of 13. … The Orioles lost their ninth straight, 11-6 to Tampa Bay.
SPEAKING
“It wouldn’t be the Philly way. No matter what sport, we don’t make it easy.”—Shortstop Jimmy Rollins, whose Phillies remain 1 1/2 games ahead of the New York Mets in the NL East despite losing their second straight to the Atlanta Braves.
Rain could wreck Mets' pitching plans
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK (AP) -Rain could wreck the New York Mets' pitching plans this weekend.
The forecast called for rain starting Thursday evening, which could postpone the finale of a four-game series between the Mets and Chicago Cubs. There also is a possibility of rain the following three days, when the Mets are scheduled to close the regular season against the Florida Marlins.
''It would possibly cause us to move people into positions that they're not used to being in. That would be tough,'' Mets manager Jerry Manuel before Wednesday's brutal 9-6 loss to the Chicago Cubs. ''If you wanted to bring somebody back early, that would almost be impossible.''
Manuel isn't thinking of moving up Johan Santana to Saturday on three days' rest. The Mets ace threw a career-high 125 pitches in Tuesday night's 6-2 victory over the Cubs.
''I've probably pushed him enough,'' Manuel said. ''He's had an extra day in there but for the most part, every time he's been asked to take the ball, he's taken it. So I would rather stay away from that type of scenario right now.''
Still, Manuel wouldn't rule it out completely if Santana volunteered.
''He'd have to really do a job on me to get that. That's possible, too. I could be had. (He's) making $137 million, I can be had,'' the manager said, laughing.
For now, Pedro Martinez is to start Thursday and be followed by Mike Pelfrey. For Saturday, Manuel plans to choose among Jonathon Niese, Brandon Knight and Nelson Figueroa. Santana is to make his final regular-season start Sunday - but the Mets would hold him back if they've already clinched a postseason berth.
With the Cubs preparing to host their playoff opener at Wrigley Field next Wednesday, Chicago manager Lou Piniella doesn't want to have to come back to New York for a makeup game on Monday - which would be necessary if it's needed to decide a playoff berth for the Mets.
''I would prefer to spend the day off in Chicago, let these guys get some rest,'' he said.
New York dropped into a tie with Milwaukee for the NL wild-card lead and remained 1 1/2 games behind Philadelphia in the NL East. Manuel started rookie Argenis Reyes at second base against the Cubs and Carlos Zambrano on Wednesday night, benching Luis Castillo.
Reyes went 1-for-3, ending an 0-for-25 slide. Castillo is 4-for-35 (.114) with one RBI in September, and fans booed him loudly Tuesday as he went 0-for-4.
''I know how it is here,'' Castillo said. ''The fans want you to do well. I try to do too much. I put too much pressure on myself. I need to be relaxed and enjoy the game. I have to play relaxed. Sometimes when you go to the plate, you're thinking about the fans and what's happening. I need to clean my mind.''
Especially in the wake of last September's collapse, when the Mets blew a seven-game NL East lead with 17 games to play, Manuel is aware of the pressure on players.
''There is some frustrations with us, and that's understandable. Obviously, you can't hide from that. You need to face those particular things,'' he said, adding that he realizes Castillo has become ''somewhat of a target.''
John Maine, on the disabled list since late August because of a bone spur in his right shoulder, threw at 92-93 mph on flat ground before the game and was activated. General manager Omar Minaya said he could pitch in relief twice before Sunday and that if Maine were dominant, he could be considered for a postseason roster.
Maine warmed up during the game but wasn't brought in.