Yardbarker: Ben Sheets

Wrapping up the 2008 Milwaukee Brewers Pitching

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:55:37 -0500

Okay, after looking back at the offense it was painfully obvious that there needs to be several upgrades in the offseason. The pitching staff is a different story, however. We will see a great deal of turnover with the pitchers but most of that will be because of free agent losses and not the trades likely coming for a few of the bats.

National League Cy Young Award Nominations

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:51:27 -0500

Bill’s Excellent Analysis

This has to be one of the hardest awards to pick this season as no one has really distinguished themselves from the field. The fact that a player who was traded to the league halfway through the season is in the discussion speaks volumes on how close this race is. Even so there has to be a winnera??

1. Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants
Not what you were expecting is it? He hasn't had to pitch in many tense situations this year, but as a bad team helped Lee get the award in the American League, the Giants' lack of hitting helps Lincecum. If you are a doubter, consider that Lincecum ranks first in the NL in strikeouts with 252, first in winning percentage at .773, second in wins with 17, second in ERA at 2.66, third in innings pitched with 220 and fifth in complete games. No one else comes close to having that many top five finishes in major pitching categories. There is do doubt that if he would have had more offense, he would have at least 20 wins.

2. Brandon Webb, Arizona Diamondbacks
Webb will not be adding to his 2006 award even though he had 22 wins this season partly because his team just tanked at the end of the year and even more so because of his 3.24 ERA. He also only had 176 strikeouts, which is tenth in the league.

3. Edinson Volquez, Cincinnati Reds
Yet another player on a lowly team, but he is here for a reason, mainly because of his statistics. Volquez is in the top five in wins with 17, winning percentage at .739, strikeouts with 206 and is in the top ten in ERA at 3.21. His stats don't blow you out of the water like Lincecum's, but they are impressive and the Reds should be happy to have him, especially at the price they do.

4. Ryan Demptser, Chicago Cubs
If you were looking for a pitcher from a winning team, now you have one. Dempster is also tied for second in the league with 17 wins and his 2.99 ERA isn't shabby either. He had a lot of support all season which is why he is third and he did walk a good number of batters (75).

5. Johan Santana, New York Mets
Santana proved it doesn't matter what league he is in, he can still pitch the lights out. The two time Cy Young Award Winner misses it this year mainly because he only has 15 wins and ranks seventh with a .682 winning percentage. Other than that, he pitched a lot of innings (225.1 so far) and was first in ERA (2.64). He is also one of the main reasons the Mets stayed in playoff contention for so long.

6. Roy Oswalt, Houston Astros
Oswalt was impressive yet again, just not enough to have serious consideration for the award. He is second in wins, third in complete games and eighth in innings pitched, but is 12th in ERA and 14th in strikeouts.

7. CC Sabathia, Milwaukee Brewers
Last year's American League award winner has pitched so well in the National League that he actually made the list. Despite being in the league for only half of the season, he is first in complete games. He is also 10-2 with an amazing 1.78 ERA. If he would have done this all season in one league, he would have run away with the award.

8. Ben Sheets, Milwaukee Brewers
The former ace of the Milwaukee staff didn't have a bad year himself, ranking fourth in ERA and second in complete games. He is this low because he only has 13 wins and is 21st in strikeouts.

9. Jake Peavy, San Diego Padres
Some may say that he dropped off after winning the award in '07, but his team had a lot to do with that. Peavy still ranked fourth in ERA and second in strikeouts, but was also sixth in losses and only 21st in strikeouts.

**Bill’s section was written before the day’s games on September 26th**

Pete’s Analysis

Again, I agree with Bill concerning the overall pick of Lincecum and that it was a lot closer that the AL. The fact that he won 17 games with the Giants behind him is an accomplishment in and of itself.

Dempster, after being in the bullpen in recent years, had a very nice return year to the rotation and his fewer losses put him just above Haren and Webb.

How Bill leaves Dan Haren off his list is a mystery to me, but he was a big part of the reason the D’Backs didn’t finish below second place. Just check out his numbers! In my opinion, he just edges out Webb for third place votes (see below for the reason why).

Although Webb had the most wins, his other stats just aren’t close enough to Lincecum to put him in first and is just edged out by Haren for third due to Haren beating him in strikeouts and walks.

Johan Santana just misses my list as his overall score, per these metrics just didn’t cut it and that probably in part due to his team’s lack of sustaining his leads.

Like Santana, on a better team, Volquez would be higher on my list because he’d have more than just 16 wins.

My last three starters Cook, Lilly and Oswalt are just as close together stat-wise as Dempster, Haren and Webb, but just don’t have the numbers to even come close to the top half of my list.

Both Sheets and Peavy, like Santana just missed my list as well. I had to cut it off at somewhere and they just didn’t cut it. Although, Peavy is another one of those pitchers who’s stats could have been better (more wins) if they weren’t on such awful teams.

Finally, I just can’t add CC Sabathia to a league’s ballot if he hasn’t at least played 60% of his games in that league. Now maybe that’s a bit harsh, but that’s my thinking about how this voting should be.

Quick Hits

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:01:57 -0500

The Cubs pursued Raul Ibanez at the trade deadline this year, but failed. He is a free agent this offseason and the Cubs may try to offer him a two or three year deal and play him in right field. This will allow the Cubs to move Kosuke Fukudome to center field to platoon with Reed Johnson, or maybe Felix Pie. He and Brian Roberts would make the Cubs lineup one of the best.A
According to the Rocky Mountain News, Scott Boras is looking for a five year deal worth about 85 million dollars. This is obviously one of Boras' ploys to get someone to overpay at a price the team finds reasonable. If a team comes in and offers a three year deal worth 50 million dollars, he would probably take it.A
The Astros would like to sign a big name pitcher this offseason, but will likely settle for a second tier pitcher. Jon Garland or Ben Sheets makes sense, who will probably be looking for a four year deal worth 30-40 million dollars.

This story was approved by MLB Rumors.

2009 Offseason: Starting Pitching

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:53:07 -0500

In this 2009 offseason extravaganza I plan on looking at each area of the team including, starting pitching, relievers, positional players, bench, and what ever else I feel like coming up with. In this section I'm going to start with the teams starting pitching.

In 2008 the Reds starting pitching ranked 14th in the NL with an ERA of 4.97. While that seems terrible the fact is that the starting pitching wasn't all that terrible outside of the 5th spot. I define the 5th starter as every pitcher who gets a start that isn't a pitcher who is in the top 4 in starts for a team. I really don't care what anyone else defines it because only my opinion matters right now. If you don't like the way I play the game get the shit out of my kitchen pussy, but please keep reading and click on the ads kthanks. I love you.

The Reds got 748 2/3 innings of 4.41 ERA baseball with a combined record of 47 wins 47 losses (126 starts) out of their top 4 starters (Harang, Arroyo, Volquez, Cueto). The rest of the teams starters added up to 168 2/3 innings of 7.47 ERA baseball with 4 wins and 21 losses (36 starts). Just to put those numbers in context a little the worst any other team in the NL Central did with their 5th starter(s) is an ERA of 6.64 by the Pirates 5th starter.

Now how the shit do we go about improving that 5th starter?

We could:

Spend the money to bring in a guy
Hope one of our young pitchers can fill the void
Make a trade
Go with a 4 man rotation like the good old days.

Personally I'd just flat out love it to go out and sign someone because I have no money invested in the team and really don't care if it can afford it or not. Those options can be seen here. It's a long list of free agents so I'll just list a few of the not so shitty options.

A.J. Burnett (can opt out of his contract)
Ryan Dempster
Jon Garland
Rich Harden (team option)
Randy Johnson
Derek Lowe
Pedro Martinez
Mike Mussina
Brad Penny (team option)
Oliver Perez
C.C. Sabathia
Ben Sheets

Obviously as all Reds fans know most of those guys are probably not going to be even an option. If I was going to pick which one of those guys has a decent shot at becoming a Red I would have to say Derek Lowe. He's a groundball pitcher, probably wont take an absurd amount of cash or years to sign him, and he was also one of Bronson Arroyo's closest friends when they both were with the Red Sox.

Option number 2 is probably the route the Reds will go just because of the many options they have and the fact that they will come cheap. Ramon Ramirez, Homer Bailey, and Daryl Thompson are probably the main guys that really have a legit shot to be on the opening day roster next year. You could toss Matt Maloney in there as well seeing that

Option 3 and 4 are a waste of my time to even discuss. Hard to predict trades, and the 4 man rotation is never coming back.

That's it for now because honestly this is getting quite long for my attention span, and I really don't feel like typing any more right now. Plus Blogger doesnt feel like saving this so I'm going to just go ahead and post it, and possibly return to talk more about the starting pitching later.

If you've given up on the 2008 Brewers, do not read this

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 19:37:59 -0500

I've recently been taking a lot of criticism from one of the posters on our message boards. If I've written about it, he's bashed it. The latest hatred that he's spewing is my lack on thoughts and comments on this current week of baseball since my last post talked about the biggest baseball series that I've ever attended. So you want my reaction to Games 1 and 2 of the NLDS, MTJ? Well, here you go.

MLB Playoff Party Picks

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:39:33 -0500

As part of the site's mission statement to cause our own pain, the Truth and I will square off in our usual playoff picks challenge. The loser has to write something really, really painful. Scoring is as follows: 20 points for picking the winning team, 10 for choosing the number of exact games, 5 for being one off with the winner. Each round doubles.

While one of us will lose, one of you will win . We'll be awarding a Garment of Greatness (aka, a Five Tool Tool T-shirt) to the commenter with the highest score, so post yours in the comments. It's great for cleaning up spills, scaring small children, and getting you nooky with girls with low self-esteem. (If you are a girl, it'll make your breasts perkier.) So pick already!

Milwaukee-Philadelphia

Yovani Gallardo works Game One, just the fifth time he'll pitch in this year, for a Brewer team that staggered into the post-season. They'll face Phillies ace Cole Hamels, who should be good here. Game two has workhorse CC Sabathia against second-half superstar Brett Myers, and Game Three gives you Jamie Moyer against Jeff Suppan. Game four is said to be Dave Bush against Hamels in the game where the Brewers will miss Ben Sheets the most, and Five, if necessary, would be Sabathia against Myers.

The Phils have home field, rested aces, and unlike the Brewers, healthy starters. They also have fresh reasons for despair, in that Pat Burrell is having back issues, but the Brew bullpen is just shaky enough to give them late-game magic. Besides, they turned their year around with a 4-game sweep that cost Ned Yost his job just a few weeks ago; they think they can beat this team like a drum at home, and they will.

CC has made himself ridiculous money from his three-month NL sabbatical, but it ends here and somewhat decisively, despite the fact that we're talking about more or less even teams. Oh, and watch for a crippling fielding error from the Brewers; they are better than they were last year since Ryan Braun was banished to the outfield, but still not that good. Phillies in four.

Los Angeles-Chicago

The Cubs were a whopping 13 games better than the Dodgers this year while playing in a tougher division. The series starts with Derek Lowe vs. the suddenly dominant Ryan Dempster, followed by Chad Billingsley against Carlos Zambrano. Game three has Rich Harden against Hideki Kuroda, with Game Four being Ted Lilly against Greg Maddux.

Basically, the Cubs should have an edge in every pitching matchup of this series, along with an edge in the starting lineups. The bullpens are more or less a wash, with both closer situations being less than airtight. Hell, I even like the Cubs in the dugout, as Lou Pinella works against Joe Torre; Torre has more rings, but it's not like any of them have come in this century, and he doesn't usually do as well when his team is just ordinary.

If the Cubs can limit the damage from the ludicrously hot Manny Ramirez and a crippling injury to the very good but very worrisome Zambrano / Harden combo, they should sweep. But Derek Lowe has a history of post-season success, and the Cub fan base is all about me-me-me drama, whereas no one is really expecting that the Dodgers are going to be around for long. I think the series is close and tough, but Greg Maddux in Game 4 is a real worry, as he's just not a big-game pitcher anymore. Cubs in 4.

Los Angeles-Boston

Kind of a mirror to Dodges-Cubs, except that in this case, the better team is out West. The Angels coasted to postseason with a 100-win year, ignited in the second half by the suspiciously low-priced trade of Mark Teixiera to really make that lineup go. Boston failed to catch Tampa in the pennant race and has injury issues to go with some shakiness in the late inning pen, though closer Jonathan Papelbon continues to be one of the game's best.

Pitching wise, this goes Jon Lester versus John Lackey, then an off day before Dice-K against Ervin Santana. Once the series moves to Boston, it's Joe Saunders aginst Josh Beckett, and the off day means that both teams are going to skip their fourth starter, at least at present. Santana at home is a lot better than Santana on the road, but Dice has also been living with great fortune -- you don't often see an 18-2 record and sub 3-run ERA with a 1.32 WHIP, mostly from a lot of walks. Lester and Lackey are both great, and Saunders is serviceable. The wild card is Beckett, who has been awful at times this year and fighting through injuries.

Lineup wise, Boston's beat up, and David Ortiz has not been himself all year. Jason Bay's a good player and not a drama fest, but he hasn't been otherworld Manny in the stretch. (Left aside: Manny wouldn't have been, either.) When your offensive MVP is Dustin Pedroia, that's a nice story, but it's not a great offense.

I like the Angels here, but it won't be easy or pretty, especially since this thing lines up very nicely for a big Boston comeback after falling behind. Whoever wins Game One will win the series, and as good as Lester has looked in big moments this year, that's surprisingly close. Angels in five.

Tampa-Chicago

Do you believe in momentum? Then you will love this ChiSox team, who has won multiple elimination games to get the maiden Rays. Tampa was 8 games better in the regular season and has dramatically better pitching, along with a roaring new home crowd and dome that will prove highly irritating to the visitors from Chicago.

Game One has Javier Vazquez going against James Shields, while Game Two gives us Mark Buehrle facing the electric stuff of Scott Kazmir. Game three in Chicago has elimination game hero Gavin Floyd (yes, the Phillies could use him) against Matt Garza, while Game Four has both teams going to Andy Sonnastine versus Jon Danks.

The Rays have the better starting nine, a manager that isn't prone to the crazy talk, a home crowd that will probably clear anything and the better starters. They also will have the usual doubters citing their lack of playoff experience, and at some point in these playoffs, the health of closer Troy Percival and the mental stability of talented head case BJ Upton will prove fatal. I also think they are kind of nuts for trying to turn David Price into Joba Chamberlain at this point in his career, though when you see his stuff, I get why they are falling into temptation.

Anyway, the Rays will lose... but not this early. Tampa in 4.

Brewers have Sabathia throw a 180-pitch side session Tuesday

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 22:17:26 -0500

MILWAUKEE — A “bored” Milwaukee Brewers team had ace pitcher CC Sabathia throw a 180-pitch side session Tuesday to help pass some time, a day before the team takes on the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Division Series. Sabathia, who will pitch Thursday on three days’ rest for the third time in a row, has [...]

NLDS Preview: Phillies Success Dependent on Quick Start

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:36:52 -0500

Photo courtesy of AP

Major League Baseball's second season gets underway Wednesday beginning with Milwaukee and Philadelphia at 3:00pm et. Both teams are enjoying unfamiliar playoff births - the Brewers are making its first appearance since 1982 and the Phillies are representing the NL East in consecutive years for the first time since 1981.

For Philadelphia to have some success and move on to the NLCS, it will come down to a quick start. With Ben Sheets sidelined for the series, Milwaukee will give the ball to Yovani Gallardo for Game 1. While Gallardo might end up being the opening day starter next year for the Brewers, he is still young and inexperienced. In a season that the 22-year-old only made four starts due to knee surgery, he'll be asked to limit a Phillies offense that has started heating up again.

If the top of the Phillies' order can jump on Gallardo early, it's hard to imagine him being able to respond. Plus, he doesn't have the stamina of a pitcher that has worked all season. In his lone start following surgery, Gallardo only went four innings, and it's unlikely he'll go much longer Wednesday.

Another reason Wednesday is so important for the Phillies can be explained by two letters: CC. The lefty that was acquired mid-season from the Indians will be pitching again on three days rest but has already shown it won't hurt his effectiveness on the mound. Sabathia pitched the playoff-deciding game on Sunday, and it will be a tough task for a left-heavy Philadelphia offense.

While it goes without saying, these first two games will decide the series. If Milwaukee can ride it's late season momentum, they might just leave Philadelphia with a 2-0 advantage. On the other hand, if the Phils get the offense rolling early in Game 1, this could end in a sweep for the city of brotherly love.

Playoff Schedule, including days, times, and tv. (MLB.com)

Phillies/Brewers pitching matchups set

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 21:12:35 -0500

The Phillies and Brewers announced their starters for games 1 and 2 of their playoff series: 10/1, Game 1: Brewers (Yovani Gallardo, 0-0) @ Phillies (Cole Hamels, 14-10) 10/2, Game 2: Brewers (C.C. Sabathia, 17-10) @ Phillies (Brett Myers, 10-13) The Phillies also announced that Jamie Moyer will start Game 3. Depending on how the series is going, the Phillies could start Joe Blanton in Game 4 if they have a 2-1 lead or Cole Hamels if they are behind 2-1. Click for more analysis on the pitching breakdown.....

Mets Rumors and Speculation : The Off-season has begun!

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:35:34 -0500

MLB Trade Rumors has offered some interested tidbits to what the NY Media has been talking about since the secondary collapse:

Ken Davidoff suggests the Mets patch up their bullpen with Francisco Rodriguez. It'd be an obvious overreaction, and would ignore past history of big money tossed at relievers. The Mets had a firsthand look with their own Billy Wagner signing. $43MM for 193.3 innings - was it worth it?

David Lennon believes Luis Castillo is as good as gone, though I'd be surprised if eating half of his contract is enough. Would Castillo get a three-year, $9MM deal on the open market right now given numerous palatable one-year options?

Adam Rubin sees the Mets trading Castillo, Aaron Heilman, and Scott Schoeneweis (he suggests eating 90% of Castillo's contract).

As for the rotation, Lennon doesn't see the Mets involved on C.C. Sabathia, Ben Sheets, A.J. Burnett, Oliver Perez, or Pedro Martinez. I imagine the Mets will add one starter to follow Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, and John Maine though. Freddy Garcia could make sense. Rubin says Derek Lowe and Brian Moehler are rumored possibilities, though Moehler already re-signed with Houston for '09.

Bob Klapisch wonders if the Mets should consider trading Jose Reyes, David Wright, or Carlos Beltran to shake up the team.

Astros to Sign Wolf?

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 13:22:50 -0500

According to the Houston Chronicle, the Astros and Randy Wolf are close to working out an extension. Wolf, who is 12-12 with a 4.30 ERA, has done a great job for the Astros. He is just thirty-two, and will likely receive a three year extension making at least 8.5 million dollars. The Astros will likely sign Wolf. He has expressed his interest in resigning and Ed Wade would love to have a veteran like Wolf at the bottom half of the rotation.A

If the Astros can sign Wolf and Ben Sheets, they would definitely be in contention in 2009.A

This story was approved by MLB Rumors.

Ben Sheets is “gutsy”; Brewers are just plain stupid

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 22:51:02 -0500

I wanted to watch the archived game to see how Sheets looked because it seemed he had no control, got hit awfully hard, and what velocity Gameday did have had him throwing in the high 80s. He was taken out in his previous start and then missed one start before making the start today against the Cubs. Sheets said after the game that he was done in 2008 and that his elbow just hurt too much. And the Brewers just let him go out there. To try and win the fucking Wild Card. Think about that for a moment. The Brewers let him go out there knowing he was injured just so they could be the 4th best team in the National League. Amazing. The beat reporter in that article claimed Sheets was "gutsy" and I'll give him that. He wanted to help the team get to the playoffs and he put his own career in jeopardy in doing so. The Brewers players and the players he is with next year will remember that. I can respect someone doing what Sheets did today. That doesn't mean it wasn't stupid. It was. By being "gutsy" he may very well have cost the Brewers the game and the right to claim they are the 4th best team in the National League. The problem is that it should not have been his decision to make. The way the Brewers treat their players health is ridiculous. Gallardo being brought back 5 months after an ACL tear. That might be an improvement actually. When he first tore the ACL, Milwaukee sent him back out there 5 minutes later rather than 5 months later. CC Sabathia is being asked to pitch on 3 days rest and has done so for 4 turns through the rotation now with his start tomorrow. They haven't reduced his pitch counts either. Last time out he threw nearly 110 pitches. This team is going to have shitty luck trying to find a free agent pitcher that wants to put up with that shit.

Game 160 Thread / Cubs @ Brewers (2 of 3)

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 21:44:10 -0500

Game Chat | Press Pass | BR Preview

SP	*Ted Lilly	SP	Ben Sheets
	16-9, 4.17, 180 K, 63 BB, 198.2 IP		13-8, 2.98, 157 K, 45 BB, 196 IP
A	A	A	A
RF	*Kosuke Fukudome	CF	Mike Cameron
SS	Ronny Cedeno	3B	Bill Hall
1B	*Micah Hoffpauir	LF	Ryan Braun
LF	*Daryle Ward	1B	*Prince Fielder
CF	Reed Johnson	SS	J.J. Hardy
2B	*Mike Fontenot	RF	Corey Hart
3B	Casey McGehee	3B	Rickie Weeks
C	Henry Blanco	C	Jason Kendall
P	*Ted Lilly	P	Ben Sheets

A Brewers win and a Mets loss (Mets currently up 1-0 in the 3rd) and the Brewers would clinch and the Cubs would know their opponent for the NLDS. To honor the occasion, Lou has trotted out the "B" squad. The game should be on Fox for most of the country I believe.

McCain wants to postpone debate until fantasy baseball season is over

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 21:39:34 -0500

OXFORD, MS — Citing the unbelievable pressures facing most fantasy baseball playing Americans and the heady times that are coming up this weekend, John McCain has proposed that the presidential debate between he and democratic candidate Barack Obama be postponed until after the season. “Citing the unique challenges facing Americans, financially and fantasy-related, and the millions [...]

NL Playoff Run Breakdown

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 21:28:27 -0500

3 teams, 3 games left, 2 spots remaining. So who gets in, who is out? Or will there be some extra baseball played on monday? Let's take a quick look at some key questions.

Schedule
Brewers
Fri Sep 26 Cubs 8:00 PM Suppan (10-10) Dempster (17-6)
Sat Sep 27 Cubs 3:55 PM Bush (9-10) Lilly (16-9)
Sun Sep 28 Cubs 2:05 PM Sabathia (16-10) Marquis (11-9)
Mets
Fri Sep 26 Florida 7:10 PM Pelfrey (13-10) Volstad (5-4)
Sat Sep 27 Florida 1:10 PM Niese (1-1) Nolasco (15-7)
Sun Sep 28 Florida 1:10 PM Santana (15-7) Olsen (8-11)
Phillies
Fri Sep 26 Washington 7:05 PM Blanton (8-12) Balester (3-6)
Sat Sep 27 Washington 3:55 PM Moyer (15-7) Lannan (9-14)
Sun Sep 28 Washington 1:35 PM Hamels (14-10) Perez (7-11)

Will the Cubs Lay Down?
The Cubs didn't exactly put their best lineup out there last night against the Mets and I doubt they will over the course of the next few days. With Zambrano's recent struggles, either Lilly or Dempster will likely be their #2 starter which means both will likely be taken out around the 100 pitch mark leading to Sweet Lou doing some bullpen experimentation. I expect the Cubs to do exactly what they did against the Mets, rest some starters and anyone who is dinged up (ie DeRosa) and play with 75% of their A squad.

Sheets or Bush?
Ben Sheets is very questionable for Saturday but could potentially replace Bush on the mound if he's good to go. Personally I don't think that's going to happen, but Bush has been under the radar good this season so I don't think it's the worst possible situation.

Do the Nats Have Any Life?
The Phillies staff sucks but outside of Myers they have the three pitchers going this weekend they would like to go and they are playing a team they would like to play. As bad as the Nats are at least Odalis Perez and John Lannan can be tricky at times. But still at home against a 100 loss team the Phillies should be able to get it done this weekend. It will be interesting to see if the Phillies can win the first two and manage to save Hamels for game 1 of the NLDS.

Weather Forecastin
First off living in CT I know that's it's been pouring and pouring and pouring all day long and chances are high that the Mets game will end up getting postponed which most likely will lead to a double header on Sunday. This would be optimal for the Mets. The Mets have the option of bringing Santana back on 3 days rest on saturday if need be, but the man threw a career high in pitches his last start so that seems like it might not be the best idea, but pitching Niese isn't a good idea either. If the game tonight is canceled then the Mets get a bail out. They can pitch Pelfrey tomorrow, throw Santana on full rest on Sunday and pitch Ollie P on short rest rather than Niese.

Can the Marlins Do It 2 Times?
The Marlins knocked the Mets out of the postseason last year and ironically they get the same opportunity this year. Outside of making the playoffs themselves the Marlins would like nothing better than to watch the Mets stare blankly onto the field on sunday after their playoff hopes have been eviscerated.

Do You Rest Your Ace If You're a Game Up?
If the Mets/Phillies/Brewers are a game up on sunday what do they do with their staff aces? Do they go for the throat and pitch their top guys to clinch the spot, or do they roll the dice pitch a lesser guy hoping for a win in order to save their ace for hopefully the ALDS or at worst the Play-In game.

Who's In / Who's Out
I expect all teams to go 2 and 3. I expect the Phillies to win their first two games and go into Sunday up 2 games on the Brewers and Mets with the ability to rest Cole. I expect the Mets and Brewers to be forced throw Santana and Sabathia in Sundays game and I expect both to win which sets up a monday showdown where the Mets have nobody to pitch and the Brewers pray for Sheets to be ready. I have a feeling that Sheets will giddy it up on monday afternoon against a Mets pitcher of your choice (Niese maybe, Petey on 3 days rest doubtful, Maine back from the dead doubtful) and in the process send the Brew Crew to October baseball.