http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/4035 Recent articles about Michael Pelfrey en-us With eight days left in baseball's regular season, the playoff races have yet to be settled. While the Cubs have wrapped the National League Central, and the Dodgers are on the verge of taking home the National League West, the National League East and the Wild Card remain up for grabs. With only two spots available, three teams have their sites set on October baseball. The Milwaukee Brewers, the New York Mets, and Philadelphia Phillies all find themselves within three games of each other with just over a week of baseball left to play. Recap of Saturday's Action: Both the Mets and Phillies got a boost on Saturday. The Cincinnati Reds scored 3 runs in the sixth inning off CC Sabathia (pitching on three days rest), as they beat the Brewers for a second consecutive day 4-3. Rickie Weeks went 3 for 3 with a home run, triple, and two RBI's in the Brewers loss. The Mets also lost last night against a Braves team looking to play spoiler. Pedro Martinez did his part, allowing 4 runs and 9 hits over six innings. He also contributed at the plate, driving in 2 with a double in the fifth. Josh Anderson went 3 for 4 for Atlanta with a clutch RBI off Martinez in the sixth inning. The Phillies found themselves in a nail biter facing a hot Marlins team, winners of nine in a row. Greg Dobbs bloop single in the sixth inning plated Ryan Howard, and the bullpen pitched four shutout innings as the Phillies beat the Marlins 3-2. The bullpen came up big for the Phillies getting out of jams in the eighth inning (second and third, no outs), and the ninth (man on second, one out), but Brad Lidge shut the door for his 39th save of the season. After last night's action, the Phillies lead the NL East by a half-game over the Mets, and a three game lead over the Brewers. Magic Numbers: Phillies - 5 Playoffs, 8 Division Mets - 6 Playoffs, 9 Division Brewers - 11 Playoffs Sunday's Preview: Brewers @ Reds – The Brewers need a win and they need it bad. Their September collapse has run to 4-14 and the firing of Ned Yost didn't motivate the team to play inspiring baseball. Seth McClung (5-6, 4.22), takes the mound for the Brewers. McClung, who is filling in for an injured Ben Sheets, has been used as a reliever for a good part of his career. He last started on July 21st where he allowed two runs over five innings against the St. Louis Cardinals, while not factoring in the decision. Taking the mound for the Reds is Bronson Arroyo. Arroyo (5-10, 4.57), has had a disappointing season in the Queen City, but has turned it around lately. He's only allowed 3 earned runs in the month of September (20.1 innings). Mets @ Braves – Given the up and down season the Mets have had this season, they have to be proud where they are. With the cushion they have on the Brewers, there is some comfort and a loss wouldn't be the end of the world. Last season's collapse is still in the mind of the Mets and every game is a must win. While winning the Wild Card could be nice, taking the division form the Phillies would be sweeter. Mike Pelfrey will take the mound this afternoon for the Mets. This season has been a success for Pelfrey as he's started to show the Mets why he was once a top prospect. His 13 wins and 3.67 ERA rank both second on the Mets behind Johan Santana. Rookie James Parr will start for Atlanta. Parr has had success in his limited action this season going 1-0 with a 2.20 ERA. He began his Major League career with a 12 inning scoreless streak. In his last start Parr got roughed up, when he allowed 10 hits and 4 runs over 4.1 innings against the Phillies. Phillies @ Marlins – The Marlins are not mathematically out of contention, but four and a half games out of the Wild Card is a slim chance. In saying that the Marlins believe they can do what the Rockies did at the end of last season and make it a four-team race. The Phillies plan to put and end to that. Jamie Moyer starts for the Phillies, who is a career 10-1 with a 3.07 ERA against the Fish. His lone loss came in his last outing against the Marlins where he went five innings, allowing 2 runs. Top pitching prospect Chris Volstad will take the mound for the Marlins. Volstad (5-3, 3.07), has looked more like a seasoned veteran this season, then a 21 year-old rookie. Volstad has faced the Phillies twice this season and is 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA. Sun, 21 Sep 2008 10:35:20 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/336079 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/336079 Holy crap, it's the middle of September already. I remember anxiously awaiting the first pitch of the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies season back on a cold day in March, and yet here we are with only 12 games remaining on the schedule and the Phils in the thick of the NL playoff picture. Things didn't always look so good for the Phightins though, but thanks to some recent events they're sitting pretty. Click on URL for full article of the recent events that have helped the Phils (Mets collapse, Ned Yost being retarded with the Brewers, and the Astros getting screwed over by MLB), and a look at important games tonight with pitching matchups (Phils- Jamie Moyer vs. Braves- James Parr, Mets- Mike Pelfrey vs. Nationals- Odalis Perez, and Brewers- CC Sabathia vs. Cubs- Ryan Dempster). Tue, 16 Sep 2008 06:14:30 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/333588 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/333588 Jeff Freier, Hot Stove New York - If everybody were healthy, I'd say the Mets. But right now they're both in the same boat – they have three guys they can count on (Hamels, Meyers, Moyer / Santana, Pelfrey, Perez) and then it's a crapshoot. Joe Blanton's been pedestrian, Kendrick's been terrible, you don't know what you're going to get with Pedro and do the Mets really have a fifth starter right now? Jon Niese? If Maine were healthy that would give the Mets the edge, but the Phillies have healthy bodies to throw out there so that gives them the edge. Jon Atwood, Hot Stove Philly - The Phillies have a better starting rotation. Johan Santana and John Maine are the only two solid pitchers on the Mets rotation, whereas Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, and Jamie Moyer are all serious hurlers. Granted, Santana is the best pitcher of the group and is arguably the best pitcher in the major leagues, but Hamels is not far behind him. Hamels is 12-8 this season with a 3.01 ERA and 174 strikeouts. Santana is 12-7 with a 2.71 ERA with 169 strikeouts. Their numbers are very similar and Hamels is in just his second full year in the major leagues. Maine, also in just his second full year, has struggled with injuries and control this year. He is just 10-8 with a 4.18 ERA this season. He also has 67 walks in just 140 innings pitched. By comparison, Hamels has 46 walks in 203 innings pitched and Santana has 51 in 196 innings pitched. He has a WHIP of 1.35. Again by comparison, Hamels has a WHIP of 1.03 and Santana's is 1.15. Maine has run into many of the same "sophomore slump" problems that Phillies' youngster Kyle Kendrick has. On the other hand, Myers has dominated every team he has faced since returning from a stint in AAA earlier this year. Since that stint Myers has gone 5-1 with an ERA of 1.80. Moyer had a streak of 14 games in which he did not allow more than three earned runs and has been one of the most consistent pitchers in the major leagues this year. Sat, 06 Sep 2008 16:08:27 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/328869 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/328869 Huge 3 game series in New York this weekend, starting tonight with Brett Myers vs. Mike Pelfrey. The Phillies are 3 games back of the Mets and to say this is a "must win" series for the Phightins is cliche but oh so true. Jamie Moyer vs. Pedro Martinez on Saturday and Cole Hamels vs. Johan Santana on Sunday round out the matchups. Click on the URL for a more indepth look at the pitching matchups and a hillarious picture of Amy Winehouse with Mr. Met. Fri, 05 Sep 2008 05:51:56 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/318899 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/318899 This kid fell out of the outfield stands at Citizens Bank Park and landed on the warning track during batting practice. Check out this video. Fri, 29 Aug 2008 12:22:32 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/315136 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/315136 Thoughts on a professional hitter with a 23-game hitting streak, why you shouldn't manage for a statistic, a home run hitter on pace to accomplish a feat not done by either Aaron or Mays, a pitcher who is 4-0 since re-joining his playoff-contention team in early August and lots more. Thu, 21 Aug 2008 08:06:36 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/310295 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/310295 Looking at those three pitchers last ten games, my vote goes for Maine to move. He's been battling a shoulder issue, so decreased work would definitely help. He's only gotten into the seventh inning one times out of his last ten outings. He's also struggled through those same ten. Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:21:01 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/304673 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/304673 This time around it's Weezer's latest album, nicknamed the "Red Album." Enjoy... Daniel Murphy is proving to be a Troublemaker for opposing pitching. Mets fans can only hope he will be The Greatest Man That Ever Lived. Seems his parents raised him well on a steady diet of Pork and Beans. Sun, 10 Aug 2008 11:09:51 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/303704 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/303704 C.J. Wilson's mystery injury is finally revealed and he is headed to the DL. Eddie Guardado immediately becomes very valuable in fantasy, but several other relievers should be downgraded after recent performances. Adam Jones might be done for the year, and another Baltimore rookie dominated the Angels. Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:57:28 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/301885 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/301885 It's amazing to me how popular BABIP has become, as I seem to be reading about it now all over the place, when just last year, no one except the Baseball Forecaster and Baseball HQ and Baseball Prospectus were basically talking about it. Yes, Patrick also talked about it in the first incarnation of the blog, but the metric was virtually missing from most pitcher analyses. Anyway, although BABIP has caught on, and I've been seeing a lot more about strand rates as well, it seems as though the pitcher HR/F allowed has been ignored. Tue, 29 Jul 2008 10:59:23 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/297451 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/297451 Screaming Sports' Tommy D breaks out another edition of MLB Trade 'Em and suggests some very surprising moves. Trade Carlos Delgado? Jorge Cantu? You betcha. And while it may sounds crazy, he follows it up with some very sound reasoning. Sun, 27 Jul 2008 06:36:48 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/296333 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/296333 Tonight starts the biggest series of the year for both the Phillies and the Mets, as they face off in Flushing for a pivotal three game set. They come in to tonight's game tied for first place in the National League East with matching records of 53-46. The Mets are riding a hot streak of 8-2 in their last 10 games, while the Phillies are an uninspiring 5-5 during that span. The winner of this series will solidify themselves atop the NL East by at least two games, if not three. The loser could ultimately find themselves in third place in the division, as the upstart Florida Marlins loom just a game back of first place. Despite being shut out last night by the fourth place Braves, the Marlins are a team that could make a run at any moment. Pitching tonight, and making his Phillies debut, is Joe Blanton (0-0, 0.00 ERA), recently acquired from the Oakland Athletics. He will face off against Mets ace Johan Santana (8-7, 3.10 ERA). Santana's record is not what you expected it would be when he was traded to the Mets from the Minnesota Twins this past off-season, and he has not pitched as well as expected, but that record is in large part due to a lack of run support. Over the past thirty innings, Santana has an ERA of 3.30, 25 strikeouts, and only 12 walks, but only one win. Offense, however, has not been a problem during their recent hot streak. Over the past 10 games, the Mets have scored 52 runs, while only giving up 29. Over the past week, third baseman David Wright has two home runs and six RBIs while batting .385. First baseman Carlos Delgado is hitting at an incredible .615 clip with one home run and five RBIs. It appears the Mets are unstoppable right now. However, if you examine the numbers a little closer, the Mets are actually human after all. Despite having a tremendous month, the Mets' pitching has been roughed up over the past four games. Of the 29 runs given up over the past 10 games, 25 of them were given up over the last four games alone. Mike Pelfrey, who has five wins over his last 40 innings with a 2.27 ERA, gave up five runs in seven innings in his last start. John Maine only went 4.2 innings his last start, giving up five runs with five walks. In Santana's last game he gave up five runs in only four innings, an ERA of 11.25. Despite winning eight of their last 10 games, the Mets are beatable and if the Phils' bats can come alive like we all know they can, then the Phillies should be able to take this series. Outfieler Pat Burrell is batting .417 over his last 12 at bats with two home runs. Chase Utley is batting .455 over his past 11 at bats and Ryan Howard is batting .308 with one home run and three RBIs over the past week. It is going to be the pitching that decides this series. The Phillies success will hinge on the performances of Blanton and Brett Myers, who is returning from a stint in AAA to face the Mets on Wednesday. Both pitchers have struggled this year, but will be the key to the Phillies success if they hope to make the playoffs this season. Any Phillies-Mets series is exciting and definitely worth watching, but this week's series could set the tone for the rest of the season for both teams. Stay tuned… Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:30:06 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293865 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293865 Trade rumors are swirling around Brian Fuentes, but he's pitching impressively in the meantime, says Mike Harmon. Also, fantasy news on the Mets and latest injury updates on Takashi Saito, Chris Carpenter, Bobby Jenks and David Ortiz. How will Scott Kazmir's and Dan Uggla's performance in the All-Star game affect them? Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:05:42 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292738 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292738 Oft-injured Pedro Martinez is up to his old tricks again, forcing the New York Mets to make changes to their upcoming rotation. The 36-year old pitcher received a cortisone injection in his right hip to help with the pain in his groin. The good news is his shoulder pain wasn't anything to worry about. The soreness was from altering his pitching motion due to the groin. So what does this mean for the team and pitcher? Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:11:16 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292442 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292442 Screaming Sports' Phil Yoon runs down several baseball Bulls and several baseball Bears in the latest edition of Stock Market. J.D. Drew? Oh yea, he's definitely a bull. Dan Uggla? Ehhhh ... not so much. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:27:21 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291569 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291569