2nd Place Dodgers host 1st Place D-Backs
Second-placed Los Angeles Dodgers hold first place Diamond-backs to a sold out stadium this weekend. It will be the last time the top ranked teams play each other in regular season. Up for grabs is the first place ranking in the National League West. “They’re all big series,” D-backs manager Bob Melvin told MLB.com, “but this one is as important as any all year.” Arizona only holds a 1 ½ game lead over Los Angeles, making this weekend’s games the turning point. Last Friday’s Chase Field game gave the D-back a 4 ½ lead, until D-backs pitchers Dan Haren and Brandon Webb, both of which are starting the lineup this weekend, were crushed by the Dodgers to diminish the lead.
The Dodgers have only made the playoffs twice since ’96, and only won one single postseason game since the 1988 World Series. The series begins at 7 pm tonight, followed by Saturday’s 12:55 game and Sunday’s 1:10 game. Considering these are the two best teams on the West, all three games will no doubt be full of massive hits and loads of runs. Don’t miss out on this chance to see them play, and get your Los Angeles Dodgers tickets now at Stubhub.com!
Roberto Clemente Day Shows Spirit On and Off the Baseball Diamond
Wednesday marked a momentous day for baseball fans everywhere, when Roberto Clemente, Jr., son of Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, gave the nomination for Rays first baseman Carlos Pena for the 2008 Roberto Clemente Award. The nomination came during the 7th annual “Roberto Clemente Day,” which celebrates the legacy of the Pirates outfielder, who died in a plane crash in 1972 while delivering supplies to earthquake stricken Nicaragua. “The thing that is great for us as a family is the fact that the players strive to actually compete to win the award,” Clemente told MLB.com.
The award is given to the player who not only performs well on-field, but also off, donating their time and skills to charities. Pena was nominated from his work with the Sports Buddies program of Big Brothers and Big Sisters, being an active member in the Rays Baseball Foundations and the Foundacion Lumen 2000 in the Dominican Republic. Pena was presented with a $7,500 check to be used at his discretion toward a charity of his choice. Check out Stubhub.com for more MLB events and tickets for the regular season.
Mets Beat Brewers in Extra Innings
In the National League there’s a nice little wildcard race shaping up between either the Mets or the Phillies and the Milwaukee Brewers. The race got a little blast of excitement last night when the Mets were able to come through in the tenth inning to beat the Brewers, improving New York’s record to 78-61, the top record mark in the NL East. In the NL Central the Brewers have a 80-58 record, just a couple of games ahead of Philadelphia (76-63).
If you got tickets to the game you got to see first hand Endy Chavez sacrifice fly for the winning run in the top of the tenth. The real story here, though, was the relief pitching done by the Mets’s bullpen, which had been getting a lot of guff lately. However, from the fifth inning on the Mets allowed no runs, and they went through an extensive amount of closers, trying to get everybody into the mix. Right now the Mets are looking like they could race to a division title, but the Phillies might make things interesting very soon.
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NL Cy Young: Between Webb, Lincecum and Sabathia
It’s Tuesday, we know. But it feels like a Monday, doesn’t it? Well, in the spirit of it feeling like a Monday, we’re going to give you a usual dose of Monday morning charm: “That’s Debatable” by Jayson Stark. The question today asks which pitcher should win the National League Cy Young Award.
Now, there’s no real standard for who wins the thing. Some go for the pitcher who wins the most games, the one with the most positive effect on his team, and some go right by the ERA. There’s no real solution here, and all three present a good case. That’s why it’s so debatable.
The common theme here seems to be this: Brandon Webb has the most wins by far, and will probably lead his team to the playoffs. C.C. Sabathia has been the best since joining the National League, but he’s only been in Milwaukee for about two months. If the Brewers go to the playoffs, then it will be in large part their large ace’s fault. Lincecum has the best ERA and overall pitching stats, though the Giants have not helped him win many games. You decide, then join the debate.
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As the Playoff Race Continues, Some Players Move Up in Fantasy Value
There is no sure-fire way to tell when a player is going to get hot and when he’s going to start to stink it up, but one of the main strategies behind fantasy baseball playing is to get more players who are on the best teams? Why, you ask? Well, the players who are on the teams of contenders will have more to play for. If team X is out of contention, and they know that no matter if they win the next game or lose it, they’re still going to quit playing by October, and they;re still going to get a paycheck, their motivation might slide. On the other hand, if you have a player who wants his team to get home field advantage throughout the playoffs, or wants to get there at all, he might be more inclined to play harder. Get it? Also- players on good teams have a more likely shot of having addition protection in the batting and pitching rotations, thus giving them better pitches, more rest, etc.
If you check out the fantasy baseball player rankings at CBS Sports, you’ll see some of the trends working. The green up arrows tell you that a player is getting traded for or put into more lineups. The red arrows say their stock is going down. Especially with outfielders, you can see that the action is with player son contending teams. Matsui, Bay, Ludwick, Werth, Church, Lind… these guys are all moving up. Think about it as you watch some great games this weekend and as you set your lineups for the next week.
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Kotsay Added to Red Sox Outfield in Wake of Drew Injury
This story actually comes off the wire yesterday, but we’re bringing it to you guys today because it needs to be covered. As you might know, the Boston Red Sox are in the hunt for a postseason birth. However, they just had a minor setback when outfielder J.D. Drew went down with a back injury two days ago. The Sox reacted fast, trading a minor league player for Mark Kotsay of the Atlanta Braves. Kotsay had been having a fine season, batting .289 in 88 games. According to the Associated Press article “Red Sox Acquire Mark Kotsay from Braves,” Kotsay had this to say about the trade:
“It’s very invigorating, no question. Unfortunately in Atlanta, things didn’t go as well as we would have liked. I see Atlanta giving me this opportunity and we have to be thankful for that as well.”
According to the Associated Press Article, Red Sox owner Theo Epstein added:
“J.D.’s injury necessitated this trade. He adds a lot to our club. He’s a plus defensively in center and in right. He plays first base. He has great instincts. He’s really a gamer. He’s the type you want up in a big spot. … He’ll help this club on the field and in the clubhouse.”
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Cubs Already the New MLB Villains?
With the playoff pictures becoming clearer and clearer as the days go by, the idea that both the Red Sox and the Yankees miss the playoffs this season is becoming more and more of a reality. With the Tampa Bay Rays still out in front of the AL East, and other competitors like the White Sox and Twins hoping to get a Wild Card spot, it could become the case that both of the teams which fans love to love and love to hate are not part of the postseason.
But what will happen when there’s nobody for the average fan to root against? Will fans gang up on the Angels, who have been given a pretty easy path to the postseason, and seem to be a regular of October baseball? Will they take their misery out on the Diamondbacks? No, according to this Joe Posnaski article at SportsIllustrated.com, America is getting ready to love to hate the Cubs. But why? The Cubs always seemed to have that loveable loser kind of appeal. And they famously haven’t won the World Series since 1908. But this time around, the love can melt into hate very quickly. Find out why fans are turning against the Cubs by reading this article at SI.com.
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Red Sox to Visit Yankee Stadium for the Last Time
The Boston Red Sox are set to visit Yankee Stadium, which will be replaced with another stadium as the Yankees’ home ballpark after this season is over, for the last time ever. There have been many great moments between the two biggest rivals in pro baseball at Yankee Stadium, but unless something big happens this next series, there will be no more. Needless to day, the media is making a big deal of the event. Even the Wolrd Series Blog has decided to run a blog about it. However, for some, it’s just another game. Said Red Sox manager Terry Francona:
“I guess I felt more of that during the All-Star Game because it was an All-Star game and you had time to maybe think about things. When we’re playing the team, we’re just trying to beat them. That’s really what I care about. I don’t get too caught up in the other stuff.”
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Debate the Best “Playoff Rotation”
The Jayson Stark ESPN regular article “That’s Debatable” is no stranger to the World Series Blog. This week their question is particularly interesting. A reader wrote in with the question, “Who has the best starting pitching rotation 1-5?” Stark chose to change that question around to make it a little sexier: “Which potential playoff team has the best playoff rotation?” Basically, the question is changed form a 1-5 rotation, which would have a lot more variables, to a 1-3, because in the playoffs, hardly anybody goes four pitchers deep and lives to tell the tale.
Jayson Stark comes to the conclusion that the Cubs, with Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster and Rich Harden, present the best playoff rotation. However, there are a few other teams who make a good case. There’s Arizona, with Dan Haren, Brandon Webb and Randy Johnson. In terms of straight winning games, we think the Diamondbacks might have the edge, though the Cubs dominate the stats in several other areas. If the Red Sox were completely healthy, they might have a shot at getting into the mix, but as is, they’re heading into the final stretch a bit hobbled. So who do you think has the best playoff rotation? Go to ESPN to debate.
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Are the Phillies and Red Sox Adding a Catcher?
The title of this blog should have been: Are the Phillies OR Red Sox Adding a Catcher? Apparently the Cincinnati Reds have released catcher David Ross, and both the Phillies and the Red Sox are interested in adding him to their respective rosters. Both the Phillies and the Red Sox are in tight playoff races in their respective leagues and divisions, so getting a quality catcher- even if he’s only used as a backup- would be a good idea.
We’re getting this scoop from the Fan Nation Truth and Rumors site, via Sports Illustrated.com. They got it from PhillyBurbs.com. Who knows how accurate this information is, but it nonetheless would not surprise the World Series Blog if these guys tried to land Ross very soon. Could come as soon as today or tomorrow. Stay tuned.
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