This Week In Baseball 8/27-9/2

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

MONDAY ESPN2

NY Yankees (Mike Mussina) at Detroit (Justin Verlander) 7pm

 

WEDNESDAY ESPN2

Boston (Josh Beckett) at NY Yankees (Roger Clemens) 7pm

 

SATURDAY FOX

Texas (Vicente Padilla) at LA Angels (Kelvim Escobar) 3:55pm

Detroit (Justin Verlander) at Oakland (Danny Haren) 3:55pm

NY Mets (Brian Lawrence) at Atlanta (Jo-Jo Reyes) 3:55pm

 

SUNDAY ESPN2

Texas at LA Angels 8pm (Starters TBA)

 

A couple big series this week. The Brewers travel to Chicago for a three game series beginning Tuesday. The Mets meet the Phillies for a four game series starting Monday. And of course there is a Yankees/Red Sox series midweek as well. No big head-to-head series this weekend unfortunately, except perhaps the Dodgers/Padres.

 

Standings within Five Games

 

AL Central

Cleveland

Detroit 2.5 gb

 

AL West

LA Angels

Seattle 1.5 gb

 

NL Central

Chicago Cubs

Milwaukee 2 gb

St. Louis 2.5 gb

 

NL West

Arizona

San Diego 2.5 gb

 

AL wild card

Seattle

NY Yankees 2.5 gb

Detroit 4.5 gb

 

NL wild card

San Diego

Philadelphia 3 gb

Colorado 3.5 gb

LA Dodgers 4 gb

Atlanta 4 gb

 

One last note. The minor league regular season ends on Labor Day or thereabouts. Check out Baseball-Reference.com's Travel section and see if there's a team nearby. Check out the action while you can.

[Steve J. Rogers 0]

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

 

The Mets play vs the Phils and Braves this week. Its on your head Al if the race is tight or if the Mets are not in first come September 2nd!

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

It'll take dual 7 game winning and losing streaks. Not happening.

[Steve J. Rogers 0]

It'll take dual 7 game winning and losing streaks. Not happening.

 

I was going for sarcasim bud

[Matt Young 0]

Hmm. I checked that site and the Dodgers' Class A affiliate plays over in San Bernardino, but their remaining games are on the road.

[Prophet of Mike Zagurski 0]

Why not go to a Quakes game instead? They have one home game left versus Modesto on the 31st.

[geniusMoment 0]

The big red machine continues to role on (now 29-19 under Pete Mackanin), by the end of this week they could be back in the race.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

The Red Sox have allowed the fewest runs in the majors this year despite playing in the best hitter's park not named Coors Field. The pitching and defense is just scary good. As long as the offense continues to do their part, this team has a good shot of winning it all.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

The Red Sox have allowed the fewest runs in the majors this year despite playing in the best hitter's park not named Coors Field. The pitching and defense is just scary good. As long as the offense continues to do their part, this team has a good shot of winning it all.

Which really makes me wonder why they felt they needed Eric Gagne in the first place.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

The Red Sox have allowed the fewest runs in the majors this year despite playing in the best hitter's park not named Coors Field. The pitching and defense is just scary good. As long as the offense continues to do their part, this team has a good shot of winning it all.

Which really makes me wonder why they felt they needed Eric Gagne in the first place.

 

 

1. Papelbon has never made it through an entire season as a reliever. His shoulder is still an active concern.

2. Okakima is going to surpass his career high in innings and is 32.

3. Manny Delcarmen is in his first full season as a reliever and has been inconsistent at times

4. Donnelly needed Tommy John. Timlin is 41 and injury prone with decining K rates.

5. He came very cheaply and is still expected to be a Type A in the offseason (netting two picks).

[Boon 0]

The Red Sox have allowed the fewest runs in the majors this year despite playing in the best hitter's park not named Coors Field. The pitching and defense is just scary good. As long as the offense continues to do their part, this team has a good shot of winning it all.

Which really makes me wonder why they felt they needed Eric Gagne in the first place.

I believe Okajima is now way over his career highs for innings, plus they've made it a point to not overwork Papelbon. They felt like they needed another righty setup guy, and since Delcarmen is inconsistent and for the most part unproven, Gagne was the best option. There's also something to be said for keeping him away from the Yankees, and with 3-4 pitching prospects ahead of Gabbard and too many outfield prospects, the deal made sense. In hindsight, despite his rocky start, I still would've pulled the trigger on Gagne.

 

Edit: So basically everything Cheech said.

[sfaJack 0]

Astros have a press conference called for 2:00 local time to announce that both Tim Purpura and Phil Garner have been fired.

[Guest Soriano's Torn Quad]

Aw dang. With Purpura and Garner gone, how is anyone going to botch a double-switch involving generic white guys?

[UseTheSledgehammerUh 0]

I would've put Mets/Phillies or DBacks/Padres under the thread title as FAR more important series than those shitty NL Central teams, but oh well.

 

I'm headed out to Phils/Mets tonight. I got tix for Wednesday's game, too, and sold the tickets for tomorrow already.

 

On a related note, Brett Myers may be the biggest piece of white trash ever, and I hope he gets injured for further embarassing himself.

 

 

[Guest Soriano's Torn Quad]

1. Phillies are like 7 back

2. Nobody cares about the Diamondbacks

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Phillies/Mets are a six game difference. A sweep puts the Phils within two, anything else cuts it to no more than four. The Mets right now are given a 94% shot at the division by Baseball Prospectus. I'm sorry Phillies fans, but this one is done barring a major beatdown this week.

[UseTheSledgehammerUh 0]

But the Mets, Phillies, Padres and DBacks all playing each other affects teams that can realistically win a World Series when healthy. The Brewers and Cubs and Cardinals cannot win said Series. In a perfect world, none of these teams even have a good enough record to be IN the playoffs. But someone has to win the Central.

 

DBacks/Padres is probably the series of the month. The Best Team in The NL and the Best Pitching in The NL That's Starting to Hit, respectively.

[Failed Bridge 0]

I'm curious to see how Clemens fares tommorow. Can't say I've seen a game he's pitched this season.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

But the Mets, Phillies, Padres and DBacks all playing each other affects teams that can realistically win a World Series when healthy. The Brewers and Cubs and Cardinals cannot win said Series. In a perfect world, none of these teams even have a good enough record to be IN the playoffs. But someone has to win the Central.

 

DBacks/Padres is probably the series of the month. The Best Team in The NL and the Best Pitching in The NL That's Starting to Hit, respectively.

You're right, the Cardinals can't possibly win a World Series.

 

For the record, I think the Diamondbacks are worse than any contender except St. Louis. The Phillies, that's a riot. But none of that matters until we actually get to the postseason.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

But the Mets, Phillies, Padres and DBacks all playing each other affects teams that can realistically win a World Series when healthy. The Brewers and Cubs and Cardinals cannot win said Series. In a perfect world, none of these teams even have a good enough record to be IN the playoffs. But someone has to win the Central.

 

The Cardinals won the World Series last year. The Cardinals won the World Series last year. The Cardinals won the World Series last year. Doesn't matter how crappy you look on paper, you make the playoffs and you can win the whole thing. The Tigers and Cards were the two worst teams in the playoffs last year.

[Guest Soriano's Torn Quad]

The Cubs can win a World Series, but they won't. I can't see them taking two out of three from the Padres, Diamondbacks, or Mets. The Dodgers better make an insane run to win the West; they're the only non-Cub team in the National League that I can bear to see win a pennant this year. At least they're culturally relevant. Spare me from the likes of Brandon Webb, who looks like every guy from Texas with a goatee that's ever played baseball, who plays on a team with no established fanbase.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

The Dodgers better make an insane run to win the West; they're the only non-Cub team in the National League that I can bear to see win a pennant this year. At least they're culturally relevant. Spare me from the likes of Brandon Webb, who looks like every guy from Texas with a goatee that's ever played baseball, who plays on a team with no established fanbase.

 

So the baseball postseason is only interesting when it involves teams that are "culturally relevant"? I just want to see good baseball. The Dodgers aren't very good at baseball. What does an established fanbase have to do with anything? The Cardinals have one of the most established fanbases in professional sports and they won the most boring World Series I've seen in my entire lifetime.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Not boring, anticlimactic. I remember the Onion publishing a story the next day with Tony La Russa apologizing for ending Detroit's fairy tale season.

 

Also, Czech's assertion about football fans using the word FOOTBALL over and over again also applies to baseball.

So the baseball postseason is only interesting when it involves teams that are "culturally relevant"? I just want to see good baseball. The Dodgers aren't very good at baseball.

[Slayer 0]

Not boring, anticlimactic. I remember the Onion publishing a story the next day with Tony La Russa apologizing for ending Detroit's fairy tale season.

The big problem with the watchability of the last two WS has been the loser being so awful in their losing effort, namely Detroit's fielding errors galore as well as Houston's fielding errors and base-running gaffes (speaking of which, I'll miss Garner's "Adventures in Lineups")... at least when the Cards got swept three years ago they didn't wind up looking like a team that should've been left behind in September

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

The only time I've said baseball this entire thread is in the topic title or when referencing an organization with that word in the title. And the last sentence.

[vivalaultra 0]

I'm a little surprised that both Purp and Garner got the axe. I liked Phil. However, I also like his replacement Cecil Cooper a lot. Yesterday at the Bagwell Jersey Retirement, they announced Tim Purpura right after they announced Mike Scott and Nolan Ryan and I've never heard a crowd go from overwhelming applause to hateful boos so quickly. I had heard that Randy Smith (Tal Smith's son) will take over as GM next season and I guess with his Dad being interim GM, that lends it more credibility.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I'm a little surprised that both Purp and Garner got the axe. I liked Phil. However, I also like his replacement Cecil Cooper a lot. Yesterday at the Bagwell Jersey Retirement, they announced Tim Purpura right after they announced Mike Scott and Nolan Ryan and I've never heard a crowd go from overwhelming applause to hateful boos so quickly. I had heard that Randy Smith (Tal Smith's son) will take over as GM next season and I guess with his Dad being interim GM, that lends it more credibility.

Tal's got the hill named after him so he's a credible name to fill the gap for the Stros. Randy Smith was scouting director for the San Diego Padres from 1989-91. The best players they drafted in those years were Tim Worrell, Jay Powell and Joey Hamilton. Smith took over the Detroit Tigers in October '95, following a 60-84 season. He took a fourth place team and led them to a franchise record for losses in a season. Given a five-year rebuilding project, Randy managed to build a 55-106 team in 2002 and set the building blocks for the 2003 fiasco in the process. He has shown no ability to build a winning team and if the Astros hire him, it will be disaster for the Astros and their fans.

[Guest Soriano's Torn Quad]

The Dodgers better make an insane run to win the West; they're the only non-Cub team in the National League that I can bear to see win a pennant this year. At least they're culturally relevant. Spare me from the likes of Brandon Webb, who looks like every guy from Texas with a goatee that's ever played baseball, who plays on a team with no established fanbase.

 

So the baseball postseason is only interesting when it involves teams that are "culturally relevant"? I just want to see good baseball. The Dodgers aren't very good at baseball. What does an established fanbase have to do with anything? The Cardinals have one of the most established fanbases in professional sports and they won the most boring World Series I've seen in my entire lifetime.

Sometimes, you have to look at postseason baseball from a television executive's perspective. Generally, when October baseball involves star players, storied teams, treasured parks, and legions of fans, it's a winning equation. Am I wrong? Yes or no?

[vivalaultra 0]

I'm a little surprised that both Purp and Garner got the axe. I liked Phil. However, I also like his replacement Cecil Cooper a lot. Yesterday at the Bagwell Jersey Retirement, they announced Tim Purpura right after they announced Mike Scott and Nolan Ryan and I've never heard a crowd go from overwhelming applause to hateful boos so quickly. I had heard that Randy Smith (Tal Smith's son) will take over as GM next season and I guess with his Dad being interim GM, that lends it more credibility.

Tal's got the hill named after him so he's a credible name to fill the gap for the Stros. Randy Smith was scouting director for the San Diego Padres from 1989-91. The best players they drafted in those years were Tim Worrell, Jay Powell and Joey Hamilton. Smith took over the Detroit Tigers in October '95, following a 60-84 season. He took a fourth place team and led them to a franchise record for losses in a season. Given a five-year rebuilding project, Randy managed to build a 55-106 team in 2002 and set the building blocks for the 2003 fiasco in the process. He has shown no ability to build a winning team and if the Astros hire him, it will be disaster for the Astros and their fans.

 

 

I agree. I've heard nothing good about Randy Smith, but, he's Tal's son, so he'll at least get a long look. I wish the Astros could somehow lure Gerry Hunsicker back from the D-Rays. They only got rid of him because he didn't want to resign Biggio after the 2004 season. I'm glad that Biggio got resigned, but Hunsicker was a good GM.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

I would've put Mets/Phillies or DBacks/Padres under the thread title as FAR more important series than those shitty NL Central teams, but oh well.

The Phillies are done. The three contending teams in the Central are far from great, but nevertheless, two games is all that separates them. That alone makes it the tightest race in the NL, so why wouldn't it take precedent over the other games?