Cover The Number » MLB

Red Sox are still alive in A.L. East

Glenn Andrew — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:00:52 +0000

The American League East is coming down to the wire. The only difference this year is that it’s the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays that are fighting for the title. Both of the teams have clearly been the class of the A.L. all season long, but don’t tell the Boston Red Sox that! Boston has been decimated by injuries since the beginning of the season, and have still managed to stay within arms reach of the division leaders. They are currently just 7.5 games back of the fading Rays, and are in the midst of a 3 game series at home that may give them momentum heading down the home stretch.

At the beginning of the season, the Yankees and Red Sox were projected by most MLB experts to battle for the best record in the league. Unfortunately for Boston, they have lost many of their key players to the DL at one point or another during the year. Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Kevin Youklis, Mike Cameron and Josh Beckett have all spent time of the DL this season. There is no team in the league, regardless of the size of their payroll that can endure that many injuries in the same season. Remarkably, the Red Sox have still managed to patch line-ups together, and stay well above .500.

The pitching staff hasn’t performed nearly as well as expected, but losing several starts from Matsuzaka, Beckett and Buchholtz because of injury has forced them to pull unproven players out of the minors for big league starts. Now that they are as close to full strength as they have been all season, the Sox will be pushing hard to get back in the race for the “wildcard” spot. They have split the first 2 games of a 3 game set against the struggling Rays and will need to take the rubber match if they are to have any chance of reeling them in over the last 23 games of the season.

Making up 7.5 games over 23 games is almost impossible, but it has happened before. Boston has never been the type of team to give up or mail it in, and will be fighting to the finish. They will send Clay Buchholtz to the mound Wednesday to face the potent and powerful Tampa Bay batting order. Buchholtz has been amazing since returning form the DL in late July. He has started 9 games and is 5-2 over that stretch. His pitching merits a better record than that as he lost his last start to Chicago despite allowing just 3 runs and 6 hits. Clay allowed just 2 runs combined in 2 starts in which he received a no-decision over his last 9 starts including one to Tampa Bay. He has lowered his remarkable earned run average to just 2.25, and is showing that he can go deep into games. He will have to be at his best Wednesday as he faces one of the Rays best pitchers in Matt Garza.

Garza has pitched well this season, but he has received a ton or run support too. He is riding a 3 game win streak, but has shown a tremendous amount of inconsistency throughout the season. Allowing 7 runs to the Baltimore Orioles back on July 20th is an indication of how erratic he can be.

This may end up being just another game, but we know what Boston can do when given momentum……just ask the 2004 Yankees! Tune in Wednesday night as the Red Sox battle to get back into contention for the A.L. wildcard.

A.L. Central Heats Up: White Sox get Manny

Glenn Andrew — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:00:17 +0000

Manny Ramirez was acquired off of waiver by the Chicago White Sox, and will join the team on Tuesday as they take on the pesky Cleveland Indians on the road. Ramirez has been out for several games this season due to injury, but is still batting .311 with a .405 on base percentage.

“Mannywood” is no longer, but his contributions to this Dodgers team have been substantial. Manny batted .396 for the Dodgers when they picked him up prior to the trade deadline in 2008. He single handed led Los Angeles to the playoffs with his 17 second half homeruns. The Dodgers have underachieved all season long, and are currently 10 games back in the National League West, and 6.5 games behind the RED HOT Phillies for the wildcard spot. Their season is not officially over, but their lack of hitting is beginning to see more like the standard than a farce.

This is the second time that Ramirez has left a team under bad circumstances. When Manny departed from the Boston Red Sox in 2008 it was due to a lack of effort that had created turmoil in the Boston organization. Ramirez had been requesting a trade for months prior to his leaving for L.A. His hitting was never a problem, but his work ethic and on field escapades became too much to handle for the new Boston management.

Now that the Dodgers have put themselves into such a big hole in the N.L. West, it was the right time to let the aging Ramirez go. Manny’s contract was expiring at the end of the season, and he has lost his desire to play for the “Boys in Blue”. It has been though by people close to Manny as well as baseball experts that he has had a desire to get back to the American League because of the designated hitter.

It is well know throughout baseball that Manny isn’t all that crazy about playing the field. He has been and still is one of the most devastating right handed hitters in baseball history. Ramirez has a lifetime batting average of .313 with 554 homeruns and 1828 runs batted in. These are clearly Hall of Fame numbers, and will inevitably get him in on his first ballot.

Going to the White Sox is the perfect situation for Ramirez. Chicago is still in the playoff hunt, and are in desperate need of another bat to get them on a level playing field with the Minnesota Twins. The White Sox are currently 4.5 game behind the Twins for the A.L. Central title. They will most likely need to win the division in order to make the playoffs as they are 10 games back in the wildcard. The Yankees and Rays are the best teams in baseball and they both happen to be in the same division. With identical 81-50 records, they are virtual locks for the A.L. East title and the wildcard spot.

Manny Ramirez is not washed up! He has plenty of “Pop” left in his bat and will be a major factor in the race for the Central division title. With 30+ games left to play, it’s still anyone’s division.

American League East is Up for Grabs

Glenn Andrew — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 07:16:45 +0000

The American League East is by far the most competitive division in all of baseball. The New York Yankees may be the perennial powerhouse, but the Tampa Bay Rays have proven over the last few seasons that they can compete at that level. Despite being out of the discussion for most of the year, the Boston Red Sox have managed to hold it together and now find themselves just 6.5 games back of New York and Tampa.

Boston has been decimated by injuries this season. They were expected to compete for the division title by most MLB handicappers when the season started, but key injuries to Dustin Pedroia, Josh Beckett and Jacoby Ellsbury have put the Boston behind the eight ball all season long. They have somehow found a way to still pound the baseball as they rank second to the Yankees in many offensive categories. David Ortiz has bounced back from a slow start, and is tearing the cover off of the ball now. He has 27 homeruns and 79 runs batted in, and has increased his batting average by over 40 points over the last couple months. He will be a major factor down the home stretch as the Red Sox look to get back into the playoff race.

The Rays have surprise everyone thus far. As a baseball expert, I expected them to hang around for a while, but fade down the stretch. They have done everything to disprove that theory as they have climbed out of an early second half hole to get even with the Yankees for the A.L. East lead. They have done it with solid pitching and timely hitting. Despite not having a single starter batting over .300, Tampa has found away to get the big hit when they need it. Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria have led this team all season. They have combined for 34 homeruns, 157 runs batted in, 67 doubles and 174 runs this year. Carlos Pena may only be batting .213, but his 25 homeruns have been clutch. He is all or nothing at the plate, but having 73 RBI’s and 84 runs has been huge for the Rays. Their pitching staff has been the main reason for their success this year. David Price is a Cy Young candidate, and Matt Garza has had his best season as a pro. Jeff Niemann has been a surprise this season as he is 10-4 with a 3.67 earned run average with 129 strikeouts. If the Rays are to go all the way it will be because of their solid pitching.

New York is expected to win the World Series every year. This comes with a ton of pressure, but luckily the Yankees have a ton of money. They have assembled an incredible team for the 2010 season, and all of their big money players have performed. C.C. Sabathia has been a beast on the mound this year. He has a 18-5 record and a 3.14 ERA thus far, ad is well on his way to 20+ wins. Perhaps the most improved player on the entire team has been Phil Hughes. Hughes was a highly touted prospect that the Yankees have coveted for years. He’s finally living up to his expectation. Hughes has a 15-6 record and has 122 strikeouts to only 43 walks. His command has improved dramatically over the last couple years, and he is starting to understand how to set hitters up. The offense has been led by Robinson Cano. Cano led the A.L. in batting for the majority of the season, but has fallen off lately. He’s still hitting .322 and has hit a career high 25 homeruns with 30+ games still left to play. Nick Swisher, Brett Gardner and Derek Jeter are solid hitters that get on base more than enough times to allow the Yankees big guns to drive them home. Mark Teixeira has come on strong after a horrible start, and now has 28 homeruns and 91 runs batted in. The Yankees will need Teixeira to stay on top of this division. Alex Rodriguez has been on the DL since August 21st, but will be back in plenty of time to contribute in the post season.

This has been and will be the most intriguing race in all of baseball. It may look as though the Yankees and Rays are in good position to take the division and lock up the wild card, but Boston has more than enough weapons to make it interesting.

A.L. Playoff Positioning as Texas plays Minnesota

Glenn Andrew — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 07:01:09 +0000

The Minnesota Twins and the Texas Rangers are each fighting for positioning in the American League playoff picture. It fairly obvious at this point of the season that the “wildcard” winner will be coming out of the A.L. East. The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays are fighting for the East division title, while the Red Sox are falling further and further behind due to injuries. It looks to be a case of “pick your poison” for the Twins and Rangers. The Yankees have been the best team in the Majors all season long, and are loaded with All-Star pitchers and MVP caliber hitters. Tampa isn’t too far behind in either of the categories as they are 2nd to the Bombers in most categories.

The Rangers are having a rough second half of the season, but still maintain an 8.5 game lead over the Oakland Athletics for first place in the West. Texas has lost 9 of their last 15 games, and have struggled with the bats over the last month. The one player that hasn’t had many problems at the plate has been Josh Hamilton. Hamilton leads all of baseball with a .357 batting average. He ranks 2nd in slugging percentage and OPS, and is in the top 5 of 3 other hitting categories. The difference for Hamilton and the Rangers this season has been the addition of Vladimir Guerrero. Guerrero was thought to be washed up after a poor season for the Angels last year, but he’s come through huge for the Rangers. He has 91 runs batted in and 22 homeruns, and is batting close to .300. The added power production has made it hard for opposing pitchers to pitch through the middle of this Texas line-up.

The problem for this Rangers team according to most baseball handicappers has been their lack of depth in the pitching department. Adding Cliff Lee to any pitching staff is like having a huge band aid for a little cut. Lee has actually had a tough go of it thus far as he’s allowed 18 runs over his last 3 outings. However, this is more of a blip on the radar than a trend. Expect Lee to carry this Texas team deep into the playoffs.

The Twins may be the hottest team in the A.L. right now. They’ve won 11 of their last 15 games, and are now 19 games over .500. They have been fighting with the Chicago White Sox all year long, but have now opened up a 4.5 game lead. This series with Texas has the potential to be very important as the Sox are playing the last place Orioles.

Joe Mauer is being Joe Mauer. He’s batting .330, and has an OBP over .400. Like Texas, the difference this year for Minnesota has been the acquisition of Delmon Young from the Rays. Young is starting to live up to the hype of being the 1st pick overall in the MLB draft a few years ago. Young is batting .311 with 15 homeruns and 88 runs batted in. His presence in the line-up has been enormous especially since Justin Morneau has missed almost 40 games this season. The Twins don’t have as big of a cushion as Texas, and will need to fight to the finish to pull out the A.L. Central title.

At the beginning of the season many baseball picks had the Twins running away with the Central, and Texas fighting for 2nd place behind the Angels. That’s why they play the game. This will be a hard fought series that may have huge implications by seasons end.

Reds and Giants Fight for Position in N.L. Playoffs

Glenn Andrew — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 07:01:15 +0000

Two of the best teams in the Nation League face off in game 2 of a 3 game series Tuesday night. Despite the fact the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants are separated by just 3 games in terms of record, they are on two totally different sides of the spectrum in division play.

The Reds may be the biggest surprise of the season as they lead the St. Louis Cardinals by 3.5 games late in August. Not too many MLB experts predicted that Cincinnati would have enough to hold off the powerhouse Cardinals, but they have. The Reds have shown much more offense than baseball handicappers had projected this season. They are led by Joey Votto who is having an MVP type season. Votto is currently first in the N.L. in batting average, OBP and OPS. He is 2nd in runs batted in and third in home runs, and has the possibility of getting the triple-crown with a solid end of the season. Along with Votto, Scott Rolen, Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce and Jonny Gomes are having tremendous years. This line up has outscored their opponents by a total of 99 runs, and have allowed the 3rd fewest runs in the N.L. Cincy is the real deal, and will make the Cardinals fight to the finish to beat them.

The Giants have been known for their pitching prowess for the last few years, but they have stepped up offensively in 2010. As of August 23rd, the Giants have the 5th best pitching staff in all of baseball. This is to be expected with pitchers such as Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain. However, no one thought they would be able to score runs with the line-up they throw out there every day. Aubrey Huff has been awesome this year. He has 21 homeruns, 70 runs batted in and a .295 batting average. This team is not filled with perennial All-Stars, but they have grit, and the ability to manufacture runs.

This game is equally as important to both squads as the Giants are looking to gain ground on the Padres in the N.L. West, and the Reds are hoping to hold off the Cardinals for the N.L. Central title. Jonathan Sanchez and Travis Wood will be at their best Tuesday to give their teams the opportunity to win. If you are a true baseball fan, then you need to check out this match-up between 2 of the best teams in the National League.

Braves Trying to Send Bobby Cox Out a Winner

Tony Bravo — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 18:41:31 +0000

Atlanta Braves are trying to send out their long time manager Bobby Cox with a World Championship ring. Cox announced in spring training hat this would be his last season as a field general. Baseball picks sites all know that the Braves entered the season with slim hopes of getting to the Fall Classic. Atlanta has proven sports handicappers wrong by leading the National League East as we get close to the September stretch run.

One week after losing Chipper Jones to a season ending knee injury the Braves traded for slugging 1^st basemen Derek Lee. Lee in that lineup will add the power that has been lacking since Jones went out with a torn ACL. Atlanta now has a balance lineup that can mash the ball with the rest of the National League.

If this had not been Cox’s final season they would not of given up 3 prospects to get Lee from the Cubs. Now that the lineup is set the Braves strong pitching staff can now attack hitters knowing they have the lineup to outscore teams. After a long drought that has not seen the Braves in the playoffs for 7 years, it’s nice to see one of the great managers of all time go for the ring one more time.

Reds and Cardinals Battle down the stretch for the N.L. Central

Glenn Andrew — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 07:01:34 +0000

The St. Louis Cardinals were supposed to run away with the National League Central division. The majority of baseball handicappers had picked them to win the National League pennant, and represent the N.L. in the World Series this year. They may still get there, but not if the Cincinnati Reds can help it.

The Reds came out of the gated hot, and have continued to keep the pressure on the Cardinals despite being at a huge disadvantage in the pitching department. St. Louis is loaded! They have what many MLB experts consider the best pitcher in baseball with Chris Carpenter. As great and as dominate as Carpenter can be, he’s not even the best pitcher on his team in 2010. Adam Wainwright is having a phenomenal season as he is currently 17-6 with a minuscule 1.99 earned run average. He ranked in the top 4 in the National League in wins, strikeouts, WHIP, complete games, inning pitched, earned run average and winning percentage.

Carpenter will take the mound Wednesday as the Cardinals look to even their series with the Brewers after a loss on Tuesday. St. Louis is just 1 game back of the Reds, and have gained ground since the All-Star break. Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday have provided a tremendous amount of offense for the Cardinals this year. Combined, they have 51 homeruns and 159 runs batted in. The rest of the starting line-up isn’t bad either as Colby Rasmus is having one of his best years with 19 homers and 54 RBI’s.

Regardless of how much offense the Cardinals have, they will need to get good pitching down the stretch to overtake Cincinnati in the Central. Cincy has actually scored 40 more runs this season than St. Louis, and do not look to be letting up any time soon. Joey Votto is matching Pujols stride for stride this year. He is slightly behind Pujols in homeruns and runs batted in, but leads his in batting average. Scott Rolen is back to his old form as he is hovering around the .300 mark with 18 homeruns and 65 RBI’s.

The battle for the N.L. Central may come down to the final week, but for now St. Louis has to worry about getting past the Brewers with their “Ace” on the mound. Yovani Gallardo will toe the rubber for the Brewers Wednesday with an 11-5 record and a 2.97 ERA. Gallardo is the only solid starter for Milwaukee. He has allowed 4 runs in each of his last 2 starts, but has the potential to shut teams down with a devastating fastball. Gallardo is 7th in the N.L. in strikeouts, and 7th in winning percentage. He will have a tough task in holding the dynamic Cardinals offense down, but his offense has the potential to put runs up against Wainwright.

This may be the closest division battle in baseball, and could very well come down to the final week of the season. If the combo of Wainwright and Carpenter can not hold serve down the stretch, the Cardinals may find themselves at home for the playoffs as Philadelphia and San Francisco currently have the lead for the wildcard spot.

A.L. Central Title is on the Line as Chicago Battles Minnesota

Glenn Andrew — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 07:01:18 +0000

The Minnesota Twins got the upper hand in the A.L. Central Tuesday with a blowout win against the Chicago Whit Sox. Neither starting pitcher brought their best stuff, but Scott Baker outlasted Freddy Garcia as he allowed just 4 runs to Garcia’s 6.

This may be just another regular season series, but due to the closeness of the race in division, this may have serious implications as to which team finishes first and which team goes home. Chicago was supposed to of had the pitching advantage in this 3 game set as they lined up better for Tuesday and Wednesday’s games. Now that the Twins have thrown a wrench in the White Sox’s expectations for the series, it is imperative that Chicago bounces back with a strong showing Wednesday.

They again have the edge on the mound as Minnesota was forced to bring up Glen Perkins from triple-A to fill the void left by Kevin Slowey. Slowey needed to push back Wednesday’s start because of a sore elbow. John Danks has thrown well for the Sox over the last few weeks. He’s won 4 of his last 5 decisions, and had raised his record to 11-8 this year. He beat Minnesota back on July 15th despite allowing 6 runs on 9 hits. There is no doubt that he will have to have a better performance this time around if Chicago is to get even with Minny in terms of record.

Minnesota has a top 5 line-up offensively. They can hit for power and lead all of baseball with a team .282 batting average. Joe Mauer and Delmon Young have led this offense in Justin Morneau’s absence. Mauer and Young are both currently batting over .320 and have slugging percentages around .500. If the White Sox are to fend off the Twins for the division title they will have to do it with solid pitching down the stretch. MLB handicappers predicted that these teams would finish 1-2 in the A.L. Central with the Twins winning. It looks as though it will be a much tougher task then baseball experts had thought as the White Sox have hung around for far too long to be considered a fluke. Games 2 and 3 of this series may inevitably end up becoming the difference in which team gets the division Championship at the end of the year.

Tampa Keep the Pressure on in the A.L. East

Glenn Andrew — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 07:45:30 +0000

Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers take on will take on Matt Garza and the Tampa Bay Rays in a battle between two teams heading in opposite directions. The Rays started the season red-hot and looked as though they were going to run away with the American League East division. This is not an easy task as they go head to head with two of the best teams in baseball on a consistent basis. The Yankees and Red Sox have dominated this division for several years, but Tampa has put a tremendous amount of pressure on them over the last few years.

Tampa’s philosophy has been to bring players up through the farm system and compete without getting involved with trades and acquisitions. They have done that so well that they currently have the second best record in all of baseball. Tampa Bay is currently 69-44, and is trailing the perennial powerhouse New York Yankees by just a half of game for the division lead and the best record in baseball. They have brought several solid bats through the farm system, but it has been their pitching that has kept them in contention for the majority of this season.

David Price has been perhaps the best starter in the Majors this season as he has gone 15-5 with a 2.84 earned run average through 22 starts. He has at least 8 or 9 more starts to get o the 20 win plateau, and will more than likely get there with the tremendous amount of run support he receives from the Rays offense. Many MLB experts under-estimated the Tampa Bay bullpen this year. They have exceeded expectations to this point, and are the main reason why the Rays are contending for the A.L. East title. Rafael Soriano already has 32 saves and is well on his way to his best season ever as a reliever. His minuscule ERA of 1.81 is why the Rays are just about unbeatable after the 8th inning. Along with Soriano, the middle relief has been outstanding. Joaquin Benoit has held 17 games through 41+ innings, and has made it beyond difficult for teams to make late rallies.

Offensively, the Rays have been as good as any team in baseball. They are ranked third in baseball in runs scored, and have done it by manufacturing runs rather than the long ball. Evan Longoria leads the way offensively as he has 124 hits, 209 total bases, 34 doubles and an OPS of .860. He will need to continue his offensive production if the Rays are to stay close to the loaded Yankees for the A.L. East lead.

Check out Tampa Bay as they take on the Detroit Tigers and their best pitcher Justin Verlander Wednesday night in an important series that can be a determining factor as to whether or not the Rays make the playoffs this season.

White Sox and Twins fight for A.L. Cental Title

Glenn Andrew — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 07:01:06 +0000

Freddie Garcia takes on the Minnesota Twins in a match-up of two teams battling for the A.L. Central lead. Both the Twins and the Chicago White Sox are pushing hard to make the playoffs as they puch each other to win the Central division. It seems very unlikely that whomever doesn’t win the division will make the playoffs as the A.L. East has a huge advantage in terms or record. Both the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox are fighting hard for the wildcard spot this season.

Garcia has won 5 of his last 6 decisions, but has only pitched well in 1 of those games. He threw 6 innings of shutout ball against the Los Angeles Angels back on July 7th to get his 9th win of the season, but has received a tremendous amount of run support to get 3 of the other 4 wins. He has an earned run average that is dismal. His 70 strikeouts in 117 inning pitched is a huge indication of how he has lost control of his command this year. Garcia was an above average pitcher over his last few seasons, but has fallen into the category of an innings eater rather than a shutdown starter over the last few seasons. He will need to bring his best stuff Tuesday in order to keep the Twins from gaining momentum and pulling away with the division lead.

Scott Baker is coming off of a an 8 inning performance against the Tampa Bay Rays in which he gave up just 3 hits and struck out 7. He has been a consistent starter that rarely lets the team down when he’s called upon to stop a losing streak. Baker may be 9-9 on the year, but he has only had a handful of suspect starts. He has shut down many of the best offenses in the league, and will be much better as he learns how to pitch with the arsenal of pitches he has.

The White Sox have won 5 out of 10 and have given up their slight lead in the A.L. Central, but they have more than enough talent on both sides of the ball to take the division from the Twins. They have won 7 out of 10 and currently lead the league in batting average and hits, The Twins have been a home grown team that can stay competitive for years with the talent they have brough up from the minor leagues. Justin Morneau, Joe Mauer and Delmon Young have led the way all season long. They are all batting well over .300 and have supplied plenty of offense to sustain the Twins lead.

Tune in Tuesday as the Twins and the Sox battle for a chance at the division title. This may be a regular season game, but it may be the difference maker when the season comes to a close. MLB experts have picked the Twins to win this division since the season started, but Chicago has held on for far too long to be ignored.