Yardbarker: Chone Figgins

Tales From The Playoff BBQ - Day 3

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 11:17:50 -0500

Two series went to 2-0 as both the White Sox and Angels moved one game closer to elimination. Near walk-off action coming...up...now!

>Boston 7, Los Angeles 5 (Red Sox lead series 2-0) Next Game: Sunday @ 7 pm (Saunders vs. Beckett)

What Happened: JD Drew hit a 9th-inning two-run homer off uber-closer Francisco Rodriguez and Jonathan Papelbon pitched two strong innings to get the win as the Red Sox got their 11th straight postseason win over the Angels. Despite being down 5-1, Los Angeles battled back all night and tied the game in the 8th after a Chone Figgins triple and Mark Teixiera sac fly. Both starters were ineffective as Daisuke Matsusaka (5 innings, eight hits, three earned runs) and Ervin Santana (5.1, eight hits, five earned runs) didn't hold up to their terrific regular seasons.

Breakdown: Normally, this would be a positive for the Angels as they were relentless in chipping away at the hole the Sox put them in. But when you have lost 11 straight against the same team and you're heading back to their home park to face their postseason ace, it's hard to find the sun behind the clouds. Boston overcame unsightly pitching struggles all night and had to turn it over to their closing ace to get a two-inning win. We're normally big Terry Francona fans, but he showed a bit too much restraint in leaving Hideki Okajima and Justin Masterson in a few batters too long. Los Angeles heads into Sunday needing to play with reckless abandon and with no fear in trying to break their postseason curse. Much like the Cubs though, it's a case of last year being just like this year.

The Big Number: JD Drew, Mark Kotsay and Jason Bay went a combined 8-for-15 with six RBI and two home runs.

>Tampa Bay 6, Chicago 2 (Rays lead series 2-0)
Next Game: Sunday @ 4 pm (Garza vs. Danks)

What Happened: Four Rays pitchers combined to hold the White Sox to two runs as the expansion club moved one win away from their first ALCS visit in team history. Akinori Iwamura hit a 2-run homer and Dioner Navarro drove in a pair to pace Tampa. Chicago collected 12 hits, paced by Jermaine Dye's 4-for-5 effort, but left 12 men on base. Scott Kazmir got the win, going just 5.1 innings and striking out four, while counterpart Mark Buehrle gave up 10 hits and five runs in seven innings of work.

Breakdown: In a game that featured 24 hits, it came down to the White Sox' inability to drive anyone in that sunk them. Tampa has been relentless in sticking to the same plan that got them to this position in the first place and they stand one game away from sweeping the 2005 World Champs. Even with Carlos Pena out with an eye injury, substitute Willie Aybar didn't miss a beat with a pair of hits and a run scored. Chicago has a chance to win game 3 as play-in game stud John Danks will take the hill but they'll need timely hitting to take down this Rays machine.

The Big Number: Brian Anderson (0-3) was the only offensive starter for both teams who didn't get a hit.

Saturday Games:

-Philadelphia @ Milwaukee: 6 pm
-Chicago @ Los Angeles: 10 pm

Josh Nason started Small White Ball in 2007 and is the main contributor of content for the site. A long-time writer, his work can also be read at sites like RopesRingandCage.com, EmailMarketingGuy.com and others. He also does radio appearances and was on TV once, albeit for a lame public television game show. He can be reached at josh@smallwhiteball.com.

Can Matsuzaka remain perfect on the road?

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:04:23 -0500

The pressure is on the Angels to recover with a split before heading to Boston... get a preview of tonight's game at The Bottom Line.

Super Jacoby leads Red Sox to Game 1 victory

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 07:48:18 -0500

Jacoby Ellsbury lead the way with a 3-5 night and a spectacular catch to preserve a 2-1 lead... get the video are recap at The Bottom Line.

ALDS Game 1: Lester v Lackey

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:21:35 -0500

Lester has struggled on the road, but Lackey has struggled agaionst the Sox... who will previal and give their team a 1-0 lead in the ALDS tonight?

Cano Trade Possibilities?

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:52:57 -0500

Jon Heyman of SI.com has a good piece out on the Brewers managerial situation. Within that piece, there is word that the Yankees may look to trade Robinson Cano this offseason in a way to bulk up their minor league system. Here are a couple teams that would benefit from Cano:

The Dodgers: Cano's first manager Joe Torre manages the Dodgers and the Dodgers have an opening at second base. The Dodgers have the prospects, and could use Cano to support an already dangerous lineup. He would likely benefit to playing in the NL.
The Angels: The Angels will likely unload Chone Figgins this offseason, making room for several prospects they have. While they will likely keep either Francisco Rodriguez or Mark Teixeira, it is possible they would trade a package of prospects to the Yankees for Robinson Cano. They have the spot and he would make that lineup a little younger, and even more dangerous.
The White Sox: Alexei Ramirez is looking like a long term player for the White Sox. He has made the proper adjustments, and is a great fielder all around the field. If the White Sox were to move him to shortstop, they could put a package together and acquire Robinson Cano. They have the prospects, and it would easily make them the favorites in the Central.
The Rockies: The Rockies will definitely be in the market for a second baseman and could use a prospect or two in a trade involving Garrett Atkins and acquire Robinson Cano. Cano playing in Colorado will definitely boost his numbers, as well as being in the NL.

Cano is the type of player that can make a big difference, so the Yankees may look to trade him to the National League before shipping him to an American League team.

September Baseball Preview: American League

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 17:45:09 -0500

Now that the Labor Day weekend is over and we are all stuck inside waiting for Hurricane Hannah to pass and Hurricane Ike to make its way up the coast, us sports fans are also settling in for the most exciting couple of months of sports of the year. Football starts this weekend with hockey and basketball right around the corner. But before we get too immersed in those other diversions, we have the most exciting month of sports right here and now. That's right folks, it's September Baseball. It's been a season full of twists and turns (especially if you're a Phillies fan), surprises and disappointments, as well as a little history. We've seen the emergence of the Tampa Bay Rays as perhaps the best team in the major leagues, the fall of the mighty Yankees who may not make the playoffs for the first time in well over a decade, and the Washington Nationals continue to be one of the worst teams in baseball (except for when they play the Phillies). So join us as we go through the major leagues conference by conference, division by division and predict with uncanny prescient wisdom how the rest of the season and the postseason will turn out. We start in the American League. American League East The Rays are certainly the biggest story of the 2008 season as they currently hold a two and a half game lead over the reigning MLB Champion Boston Red Sox and eleven games over the beleagured Yankees. Led by Scott Kazmir, their young lefty who continues to baffle American League hitters with a dizzying aray of pitches, the Rays have been atop the East for most of the season. Despite only have 11 wins this season, due to a stint on the disabled list, Kazmir is in the tops of the league in ERA with 2.99, K/9 of 10.00 and a WHIP of 1.22. On the hitting side, the Rays are led by one of the youngest and most talented lineups in the majors in a long time. Carlos Pena leads the team in homeruns with 27 and RBIs with 82, and is backed up by Evan Longoria at thirdbase and B.J. Upton in the outfield. This team has endured through its share of speed bumps this season, including injuries to Kazmir, Longoria, and veteran leader Carl Crawford and have maintained their first place lead throughout most of the year. They have been able to fend off charges by the Red Sox and the Yankees and appear to be finally earning the respect of the baseball world. The Red Sox continue to be one of the best teams in the league and are making a strong run at the first place Rays. Despite being two and a half games back, the Sox have won four games in a row and were bolstered by the return of staff ace Josh Beckett, who threw five scoreless innings in his return from the disabled list on Friday. Despite losing Manny Ramirez in a trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers before the trade deadline, that pain has been eased by the addition of Jason Bay (batting .274 with three home runs and 23 RBIs in his last 30 games) and Big Poppy David Ortiz appears to be back in form, batting .314 with 20 RBIs of his own over the same period. That being said, there are significant questions that plague the Sox. J.D. Drew is on his annual trip to the disabled list, and Beckett, Tim Wakefield and third baseman Mike Lowell are just coming off of stints of their own and it is unclear yet if they will be able to maintain a 100% level of play the rest of the season. Curt Schilling is, of course, out for the season and this is of course the time of year in which he is at his best and is most valuable. The Yankees are out of it at this point. They are eleven games out of first and have lost two in a row. They are going nowhere fast, which is unfortunate as this is their last season in the House That Ruth Built. This will be the first time in almost fifteen years that the Yankees have not made the playoffs. In the end I think the Rays win the division. Despite having to play each other six more teams, I do not think the Red Sox will be able to make up enough ground during those games and beyond it. The Sox still have to play Cleveland, who are one of the hottest teams in the majors right now, and the Yankees, who despite having a poor season always play them strong. The Rays, on the other hand, hanve handled the Yankees pretty well this season and Minnessota is the only real strong team left for them on the schedule. AL Central Speaking of the Twins, they are making a run at the White Sox for first place in the Central, just one and a half games back as of Saturday. Despite losing Torii Hunter and Johan Santana in the offseason, the Twins have defied all expectations behind the play of Kevin Slowey and Santana, Jr. Francisco Liriano, as well as closer Joe Nathan who has 36 saves this season with a 1.07 ERA. Former MVP Justin Morneau leads the team with 22 homeruns and 113 RBIs with a .311 batting average, supported by Jason Kubel, Joe Mauer, and Dmitri Young. They are chasing after the White Sox who held reign over the Central for the better part of the season, largely uncontested with the Indians and Detroit Tigers having such disappointing seasons. Carlos Quentin is the current front runner for AL MVP with 36 homeruns and 100 RBIs. Jim Thome continues to defy age and time with 29 home runs of his own, as does Jermaine Dye, who has 32 homeruns and 83 RBIs of his own. On the pitching side, the White Sox are led by an unexpected young former Phillie, Gavin Floyd. Floyd has 15 wins with a 3.61 ERA. This comes as quite a surprise to us Phillies fans, who vividly remember Floyd being absolute garbage. Mark Buehrle, John Danks, Javier Vazquez and Jose Contreras round out a veteran staff who understands what is required to compete in September baseball. White Sox win the Central. AL West The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are the best team in baseball and the rest of the division is garbage. Need I say more? No, but I will anyway. The Angels continue to dominate the AL West despite many predictions that the Seattle Mariners would finally wrest the title away from them this season. (The Mariners, by the way, are the worst team in the American League) Ervin Santana, John Lackey, Joe Saunders, Jon Garland, and Jered Weaver make up one of the most dominant pitching rotations in the majors. Francisco Rodriguez is having perhaps the greatest season in history for a closer, with 54 saves and a 2.43 ERA. K-Rod has 68 strikeouts in 59 innings pitched with a WHIP of just 1.23. Year after year the Angels are the most complete baseball team in America. They pitch well, they play small ball, they run the bases, and they can still hit for power. They are led, of course, by Vladimir Guerrero, who is batting .295 this season with 23 homeruns, 79 RBIs and an OPS of .863. Recently acquired first baseman Mark Teixeira has 29 homeruns and 104 RBIS, Torii Hunter has 20 homeruns and 72 RBIs of his own and Chone Figgins again has 30 or more stolen bases. The next best team in the West is the Texas Rangers and they are 17 games back. Needless to say, the division is in the bag for the Angels. Angels win the West. Despite the recent surge by the Twins, I still think the Wild Card comes out of the East. Whether the Rays or the Red Sox take East, the other will take the Wild Card. The Twins are five and a half games back in the Wild Card race and the Red Sox are just too good for them to make up that much ground. Red Sox win the AL Wild Card. Check back tomorrow as we preview the National League and make our playoff picks.

Mets Stat: Delgado's 5 for 5 Night!

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:20:03 -0500

Carlos Delgado went 5-for-5, including a game-ending single in the bottom of the ninth inning, in the Mets' 5-4 win over the Braves on Thursday night. In the ten-season span from 1997 through 2006 no major-league player was 5-for-5 (or better) in a game with a walkoff hit; but that's now been done five times over the last two seasons. Chone Figgins (6-for-6), Josh Willingham and Mark DeRosa did it in 2007 and Johnny Damon (6-for-6) did it earlier this season. Four of Delgado's hits came off left-handed pitching.

He had four (or more) hits off lefties in only one other game of his major-league career -- on May 10, 2002 for the Blue Jays (at Oakland). The last Mets' left-handed batter to have four hits in one game off left-handed pitching was John Olerud, on September 16, 1998.

Source:Elias Says:/ESPN

Could baseball's fastest man challenge Usain Bolt?

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:06:24 -0500

Baseball speed is usually measured in the 60-yard dash and the sprint from home to first. However, some players are called "fast" for stealing bases, covering ground in the field and having great baserunning ability. But, who's the fastest? Did you ever wonder if any of the current MLB players would challenge Usain Bolt in a race? Well, it's time for the 2008 MLB Track Olympics. Here are 16 guys that could give him a run for his money.

Sunday MLB on TBS: Comments from Angels/Yankees Gm

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 21:13:43 -0500

The following is commentary from today's (8/3) Sunday MLB on TBS broadcast between the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the New York Yankees with announcers Chip Caray and Ron Darling. ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** LA of Anaheim Angels (9) @ NY Yankees (14) Announcers: Chip Caray (play-by-play) and Ron Darling (analyst) Studio: Marc Fein Darling on NY Yankees starting pitcher Darrell Rasner's first inning struggles: He is a sinker/slider type pitcher. It's almost like he is too strong at the beginning of the game. His pitches tend to be out of the strike zone or flatten out a bit...It looks like he is trying to aim his pitches. You can never do that, you have to let them go. Darling on the Angels aggressive approach to running the bases: What makes it so unusual is that this Angels team has a lot of power, but they still play kind of smallish baseball. Darling on Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick, who has batted .500 against them in his career: (Howie) Kendrick, whom they (the Angels) believe is a future batting champion, that's how they feel about him. Caray: I think the Yankees feel the same way. Darling on the Yankees addition of outfielder Xavier Nady and left-handed reliever Demaso Marte: (Xavier) Nady could be the (former Yankees third baseman) Scott Brosius of this team; just the study guy, doesn't say much just gets the job done...but Demaso Marte, they really needed that addition, they haven't had a left-handed in their bullpen really all season long. Darling Angels third baseman Chone Figgins: In my opinion Chone Figgins is one of the most valuable players in this league, (he) does everything for this Angels, and they are arguably the best team in baseball going from first to third. they always are pushing the envelope. Darling on team's not protecting their farm system and trading for 'name' players: I think you suffer a lot more from stries - histories and salaries. You're always going to pay off of what people have done, not what they are going to do in the future. Darling on the Milwaukee Brewers: Of course (starting pitchers) Ben Sheets and CC Sabathia, when those two don't win in Milwaukee they look very ordinary as a team. Darling on Yankees outfielder Bobby Abreu getting thrown out at third in the fourth inning before shortstop Derek Jeter scored at home: Bad play by Abreu...Just amazing to me when you see a guy (like Bobby Abreu) that has that much experience in the game; has seen it all, done it all, and occasionally has that bonehead kind of play, no other way to describe it. Darling on the NY Mets pitching woes: John Maine, their sturdy right-hander who's had a solid season, now is going to be put on the DL with shoulder stiffness/soldier strain, and Billy Wagner is going to have another MRI, his second in the last couple of weeks. Caray: That's not a good category to lead Closers in. Darling on NY Yankees outfielder Xavier Nady, who's three-run HR in the seventh inning gave the Yankees an 8-5 lead: When you look at Xavier Nady, he was a very popular player when he was with the Mets a few seasons ago. I think for (NY Yankees GM) Brain Cashman when he goes to trade for players, especially every day players, it is always nice to know that they have played in New York, had success in New York and was a popular player in New York, even though it was for just a short time with the Mets. Caray on the high-scoring seesaw battle between the Yankees and Angels: If this is a playoff preview, Ron Darling, boy have we had a great game to watch today. Darling: What a great game, almost like a boxing match; toe-to-toe, these teams going back and forth. Caray on the third error by the Angels in the eighth inning, fourth overall, giving the Yankees a 10-9 lead: A nightmarish inning for Chone Figgins at third. It should have been two (a double play), they got none, Yankees back in front. Caray on the Angels blowing leads of 5-0, and 9-8: They've had a Halo of a time finishing off the Yankees today. Source: TBS Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/), which includes The Biz of Baseball (http://www.bizofbasketball.com/), The Biz of Football (http://www.bizoffootball.com/), The Biz of Basketball (http://www.bizofbasketball.com/) and The Biz of Hockey (http://bizofhockey.com/). He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus (http://baseballprospectus.com/news/?author=124), and is available as a freelance writer.Brown's full bio is here. (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content view=article id=47 Itemid=18) He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/index.php?option=com_contact view=contact id=2 Itemid=29).

Sunday MLB on TBS: Comments from Angels/Yankees Gm

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 21:13:43 -0500

Manny and his lollygagging

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:02:04 -0500

Boston fans have known for years that Manny Ramirez isn't exactly a cheetah on the basepaths. He can turn it on when he wants to but rarely does he want to. No example of this is better than the one from Tuesday's game where John Lackey almost no-hit the Red Sox. Manny hit a ball down the left field line that Chone Figgins fielded at the deepest point in the infield. Figgins made a desperation throw and then laughed when he saw Ramirez get called out by a few steps. Either Mr. '2004 World Series MVP' didn't think Figgins would get to the ball or he didn't think that he'd be able to be safe on the play. Whatever the reasoning, it was enough to convince him not to hustle it down the line and it kept John Lackey's no-hitter going. Last night on ESPN, Baseball Tonight decided to take a closer look at the play. They timed how long it took Ramirez to get down the line that night and how long it took him to get to first base last night. Check out the numbers..

Expected BABIP - Finding Fantasy Sleepers

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 22:43:46 -0500

Using a link between line drive rate and expected BABIP, the Roster Doctor tries to identify some players that should see a nice bounce in batting average in the coming two months. It's fun to play with numbers.

Mid Season Report

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:54:07 -0500

The first half of the 2008 Major League Baseball season has been full of surprises, from the Tigers to the Rays to the Padres to the Braves. Most surprising of all, at least to the Phillies faithful, is that at the All Star break the Phillies were in first place atop the National League East. The Phillies are currently a half a game ahead of the Mets and one a half games up on the Marlins. Lets go through the majors and recap the season so far. AL East Perhaps the biggest story in the majors this year is the surprising play of the Tampa Bay Rays, who at the break were just half a game behind the first place Red Sox, and that's with a seven game losing streak. The Rays have been bolstered by one of the most talented young lineups in the majors in years, as well as some timely defense and a great, young rotation led by ace Scott Kazmir. They are definitely the Cinderella, the darlings of the 2008 season, much to the chagrin to their division rivals the Red Sox. Boston fans are upset that some of the media focus and the limelight has been diverted from their beloved Sox. The reigning champs continue to be one of the best teams in baseball, despite losing pitcher Curt Schilling for the year (and perhaps for good) and a decline in production from slugger David Ortiz (including a stint on the disabled list). It looks like this could be the first time in years that the New York Yankees won't make the playoffs. They currently sit six games back of Boston and it just looks like there is too much talent in Tampa and Boston for the Yanks to make up enough ground. That being said, I am loathe to ever count the Yankees out of anything. Red Sox win division. If it wasn't for the Rays, the debacle in the AL Central would be the biggest story of the season. The Tigers, whom I picked to win the World Series, are a disappointing .500 on the season. Even more surprising, the Indians are in last place, 12 games under .500. The Chicago White Sox are sitting pretty atop the Central at 14 games over .500, led by 10 game winner, and former Phillie, Gavin Floyd. Erratic closer Bobby Jenks, despite being on the DL, has 18 saves with a 1.95 ERA. On offense, the White Sox have a tandem of heavy hitting outfielders in Jermaine Dye and Carlos Quentin. I have to admit, I'm not overly impressed by the White Sox. In large part, I think they have overachieved so far this season. I think they will come back to earth, which will leave an opening for the Minnesota Twins to step in and take the division. The Twins, led by first baseman Justin Morneau, DH Jason Kubel, and catcher Joe Mauer, are right on the tail of the White Sox, just a game and a half back, and with star pitcher Francisco Liriano waiting in the wings of AAA, the Twins are poised to move into the post Santana era. Twins win the division. AL West Until the Texas Rangers find someone who can pitch (Vicente Padilla currently leads the team in wins with 10), the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are the prohibitive favorites to win the division for years to come. The Rangers can hit, led by the top individual story of the year Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler and Milton Bradley, but their pitching is a joke. They boast a rotation of Kevin Millwood, Padilla, Jamey Wright and Kason Gabbard. Until they can get at least one pitcher, they could have all the offense in the world, they still won't be able to compete with Los Angeles. The Angels' pitching rotation, which boasts John Lackey, Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders and Jered Weaver, not to mention closer Francisco Rodriguez who is on pace to shatter the single season saves record, is arguably the best in the majors. Their offense, while not being the power heavy lineup that Texas or Boston has, plays small ball like no other team in the majors. The obvious offensive leader is Vladimir Guerrero, accompanied by Torii Hunter. But the offense works so well because of intelligent baseball guy like Chone Figgins, Howie Kendrick, and Garret Anderson. The Oakland Athletics have basically traded themselves out of contention and the Seattle Mariners have the worst record in baseball. Needless to say, Angels win the division. I think the Rays win the AL Wild card this year. They are too talented to fall behind the likes of the White Sox or Rangers. In the end however, the Red Sox have too much experience and skill to be taken down. They beat the Angels to go on to the World Series. NL West Many commentators are calling this the NL Worst, and it's hard to argue with that. After starting out red hot, division leading Arizona is now one game below .500. That's right. The division leader has a losing record. Need I say more? The reigning NL Champion Colorado Rockies are fourth in the division with a record of 39-57, topped only by the San Diego Padres, an incomprehensible 37-58. The Dodgers are one game back of the Diamondbacks, trailed by the San Francisco Giants in third place. This division is a crapshoot at this point, but the Diamondbacks' pitching, led by Brandon Webb and Dan Haren is just too good and the offense is not going to continue to struggle in the mighty fashion it has over the past month or so. With up and coming stars like Mark Reynolds, Conor Jackson and Chris Young, the Diamondbacks are going to eventually right their ship. Arizona wins the division. NL Central This is the best division in baseball. The Cubs are tied with the Angels for the best record in baseball. Four and a half games behind them are the Cardinals, with the Brewers just a half game behind them. All three of these teams are going to be better in the second half. The Cubs traded for Rich Harden last week, and the Brewers added reigning AL Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia. The Cardinals are getting ready for the return of Adam Wainwright and former Cy Young Chris Carpenter. Both pitchers are aces on almost any other team in the majors. The Cubs and Brewers already have bona fide aces on their teams in Carlos Zambrano and Ben Sheets, respectively. This is, without a doubt, the toughest division in baseball in some time. I think the Cubs are ultimately the most complete team in the league, and certainly the division. Now let me just say, here and now, there is no way Ryan Dempster continues to pitch this well. He just isn't this good. He will come back down to earth. But even with The Dumpster coming back to reality, the Cubs are bolstered by some serviceable pitching in Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis, in addition to Zambrano and Harden. On offense, the Cubs' lineup reads like it's very own All Star roster, led by Derek Lee, Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, and Geovany Soto. Cubs win the division. NL East The Phillies came into today with a half game lead over the Mets. The Marlins sit just one game behind the Mets. It is a division up for grabs to say the least. The Marlins boast a talented, young roster rivaled by only Tampa Bay and Arizona. Led by Hanley Ramirez, Mike Jacobs, Dan Uggla and Josh Willingham, they have an offense that puts the in a position to win every night. That being said, their pitching is thin, with Ricky Nolasco leading the team with 10 wins and a 3.70 ERA. The Braves are most likely looking to scrap this year and go into rebuilding mood, if only temporarily. First baseman Mark Teixeira is a free agent at the end of this year and chances are that the Braves are going to move him before the trade deadline. Their pitching is pretty banged up, and old. John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Mike Hampton are all currently on the disabled list. Not to mention that they are six and a half games out of first place. The Mets pose the biggest threat to the Phillies' playoff hopes. Winners of nine straight coming into the break, the Mets are batting .320 as a team during that time. They also only gave up a total of 19 runs over the same span. They are hot, no doubt, led by Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, and Fernando Tatis. But therein lies the problem for the Mets. They have been winning in large part as a result of the contributions of usual bench players like Tatis, Endy Chavez, and Damion Easley. The Mets' pitching is also suspect after you get past Johan Santana and John Maine, neither of whom have been stellar this season. After having a impressive season last year, Oliver Perez is 6-5 with a 4.44 ERA. His record is somewhat deceiving, as he has been wildly inconsistent this year. Pedro Martinez continues to battle being really old. Originally set to return this week, his next start is being skipped. I just don't think the Mets have the talent to overcome a Phils team with a much more potent offense and what could end up being a more stable pitching rotation. The Phillies acquired Joe Blanton from the Athletics Thursday, and while Blanton has not had much of a year so far this season (5-12, 4.96 ERA), he has show some real talent and a change of location could be all he needs to break out. More importantly, the addition of Blanton means that Adam Eaton is out of the starting rotation. Brett Myers is progressing nicely in AAA and is set to return to face the Mets on July 23rd. JA Happ threw a no hitter today in his minor league start and it is only a matter of time before he is brought up to the major leagues for good. The biggest cause for concern for the Mets is that the Phils' struggles have in large part been due to a lack of offense. This coming from one of the most offensively talented teams in the league. Jimmy Rollins, Chasey Utley and Geoff Jenkins are eventually going to turn things around. Ryan Howard continues to lead the league in home runs and RBIs. Pat Burrell is going to eclipse his usual 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. And that's without the possible addition of another bat, like Matt Holliday or Jason Bay. I say this with the caveat that I generally have no faith in the Phillies in ever winning anything, and at the risk of tempting fate, I pick the Phillies to win the division. I pick the Brewers to win the NL Wild Card this year. I'm going to be very cliche and pick the Cubs to win the NL Pennant over the Brewers. I think unless the Phillies add a serious starting pitcher, ala Erik Bedard, they are not going to be able to compete with the Brewers in the playoffs. That will bring us to the ESPN's ultimate dream, a Red Sox Cubs World Series. Bristol could fawn all over the lovable losers from Chicago and Boston. Seriously though, just thinking about it makes me want to throw up. Boston wins, again. (Just threw up again) Should be a very exciting second half. Continue to check out Hot Stove Philly as we bring you all the latest scores, trades, rumors, and general sports drama.

MLB Busts of the Week - Week 15

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:35:19 -0500

Which fantasy studs dropped the ball last week? And which "sleepers" fell short of their hyped billing? Screaming Sports' Phil Yoon runs down an eight-player list of fantasy bombs.

MLB Start 'Em, Sit 'Em (7/14)

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:07:43 -0500

Screaming Sports' Phil Yoon goes over a week of upcoming matchups and determines who you should sit, who you should start and why. Surprisingly, there are three pretty big names that should be riding the pine this coming week.