Heading into the final six games of the Major League Baseball season, the National League wild-card race is about as interesting as anyone could hope for.
Entering Tuesday, the Padres and Phillies are tied atop the wild-card standings, with the rampaging Rockies a game back and the Braves still clinging to hopes three games behind.
Here's a look at the four teams battling for the final playoff spot in the senior circuit:
*-San Diego Padres: The Padres, despite being tied for the lead, may be the team in the worst shape to win the wild card. They have lost four games in a row after Monday?s defeat in San Francisco, have lost outfielder Milton Bradley for the season after he tore his ACL while being tackled by his manager on Sunday, and outfielder Mike Cameron likely won?t start this week because of a thumb injury - suffered, incidentally, when Bradley stepped on his hand in that same game Sunday. The Padres did acquire outfielder Jason Lane from the Astros to try and fill the holes for the remainder of the regular season. "We still determine our own fate," said Bud Black, San Diego's first-year manager. "For us and for the Phillies and for the Rockies and for the Diamondbacks, it's a six-game season. It's exciting. There are a lot of teams that would trade places with us." San Diego finishes with two more games in San Francisco and then four in Milwaukee. San Diego is +105onWagerWeb.com for tonight?s game against the Giants, with Brett Tomko taking the hill for the Padres.
*-Philadelphia Phillies: Philly has been rolling, winning eight of 10 and still has a shot to win the NL East, just two games behind the Mets. Shortstop Jimmy Rollins is making a case for NL MVP with a .293 average, 29 HRs, 90 RBIs, 132 runs and 37 steals. It?s what Rollins did while stars Ryan Howard and Chase Utley were injured that bolsters his MVP case. The Phillies have no pitching to speak of, but they rank first in the NL in runs, on-base percentage and slugging, among other categories. The good news for Philadelphia is its final six games are at home, where it is 43-32 on the season. Tuesday night, Atlanta comes to town to begin a crucial series. Chuck James faces Jamie Moyer in that game, with Philly -137on the WagerWeb.com money line. After the Braves series, Washington comes to town for three. Philly is my pick to win the wild card.
*-Colorado Rockies: No team is hotter than Colorado. The Rockies have won eight in a row, including coming off a sweep of San Diego. Colorado has its own MVP candidate in Matt Holliday, who has a .337 average, 36 HRs, 131 RBIs and 113 runs scored. Holliday took Sunday off due to a strained oblique but says he will be back in the lineup Tuesday night when Colorado begins a series at the Dodgers. L.A. is a big -142 favorite on the WagerWeb.com money line with ace Brad Penny facing Colorado?s Ubaldo Jimenez. The Rockies finish the season with three games against NL West leader Arizona. The schedule seems too tough for Colorado to get in.
*-Atlanta Braves: Atlanta is the longest shot of this group, but the Braves have done just enough to stay in the race. Chipper Jones is having one of his best seasons in years, and pitchers John Smoltz and Tim Hudson give Atlanta a chance to win any time they pitch. The bad news is that Hudson and Smoltz are each only scheduled to get one more start, Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, against the Phillies. Atlanta also has a tough road this week, with three at the Phillies, then three at Houston. Atlanta pretty much needs a sweep of Philadelphia, beginning tonight as Chuck James opposes Jamie Moyer, with Moyer?s Phils -137 on the WagerWeb.com money line. As hot as Philly has been, don?t expect an Atlanta sweep, so the Braves won?t make the postseason for the second straight year.
The 2007 MLB Playoffs are on the Horizon and the NL Central Race is on!
By Jordan Walters
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer
Of all the division races in baseball, none are tighter than the National League Central - it seems to be the division no one wants.
It's down to a two-team race now, with the Cubs (79-73) and Brewers (78-72) in a virtual tie for first. The Cubs have 10 games remaining, which includes two off days. The Brewers must play 12 with no off days, which means their pitching could be overextended.
And Milwaukee got some potential bad news on Tuesday night. Ace Ben Sheets left Tuesday night's win against the Astros after one inning due to tightness in his hamstring. Team officials said Sheets would be evaluated sometime today. Sheet' status was uncertain for his next scheduled start, in Atlanta on Sunday. Check InSpin.com for an update on Sheets' status later today.
"I guess I'll see (Wednesday)," said Sheets, still in pain after the game. "It was just grabbing me back there. I felt great in the first [inning]. I thought I was going to get into a nice groove."
"It didn't pop," Sheets said. "It just gradually grabbed worse and worse every time."
This would be a huge blow to Milwaukee. The club brought Sheets back on three days' rest to pitch Tuesday night in hopes it could use him at least twice more. But Sheets has a big injury history, so the prognosis may not be good.
The Brewers are at Houston again tonight, with right-hander Dave Bush taking the mound against the Astros' Juan Gutierrez, with the Brewers favored on WagerWeb.com.
Meanwhile, the Cubs also brought back their ace on three days' rest, but Carlos Zambrano wasn't sharp Tuesday night against the Reds. Cincy starter Aaron Harang improved to 3-0 vs. Zambrano this year as the Reds knocked the Cubs back into a tie for first.
Tonight, Chicago starts Ted Lilly against Cincinnati's Tom Shearn. Lilly has in fact been Chicago's de facto ace recently, as he has given up three runs or fewer for five consecutive starts. And he is 9-1 when starting after a Chicago defeat. Lilly, however, will be starting on three days' rest for only the second time in his career; he is 1-1 with a 4.00 ERA in three starts this season against the Reds.
The rookie makes his fifth start of the season for the Reds. Shearn allowed three runs and four hits in 6 2-3 innings in his last start and has given up three runs or fewer in each of his starts while pitching at least six innings three times.
It seems like almost every team in the playoff hunt this year has been hit hard by injuries at some point during the 2007 MLB season. A number of playoff contenders have some key personnel almost ready to make their return from the infirmary and give them an added boost down the stretch.
Curt Schilling - Boston
After throwing pain-free in the bullpen earlier in the week Schilling was cleared to make his first rehab start for Pawtucket this weekend, with another minor-league start tentatively scheduled for next Thursday. If all goes well down on the farm, Schilling could be back in Boston within two weeks.
Ryan Dempster - Chicago Cubs
After pitching a perfect inning in a game with Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday and putting together another fine outing in the minors on Thursday, Dempster was scheduled to rejoin the Cubs on Friday. Dempster is expected to take over the closing duties again, which would allow Bob Howry to step back into his usual set-up role.
Randy Wolf - L.A. Dodgers
Wolf threw off flat ground during a bullpen session earlier in the week, but still appears to be a week or two away from rejoining the Dodgers. The Los Angeles rotation is full of holes thanks to injury and they need Wolf back as soon as possible, but management has said they won?t rush him back from his shoulder injury.
Bill Hall - Milwaukee
Hall practiced in the outfield and did some light running on Wednesday on his sprained ankle. According to Hall he's almost back up to full speed and was planning on taking batting practice on Thursday for the first time since the injury. Barring any major setbacks Hall should work his way back into the lineup next week.
Phil Hughes - N.Y. Yankees
The Yankees could really use Hughes' arm in their rotation and he may be close to returning to the big leagues. Hughes pitched four strong innings in his second rehab start with New York's Double-A farm MLB team in Trenton earlier last week, and is expected to take the mound again on Monday for Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre. As long as Hughes' hamstring continues to hold up he should be back in pinstripes by the end of the month.
Huston Street-Oakland Mike Piazza - Oakland
If the Athletics hope to make another second-half postseason push they need Street and Piazza healthy and productive. Street felt fine after pitching a simulated game earlier this week, but his final test will come this weekend when he'll make a minor-league appearance. If that goes all right he could be back with Oakland on Monday. Piazza began a minor-league assignment earlier this week and is hitting .400 with a homer and two RBI. Piazza could rejoin the Athletics as soon as Friday.
Brett Myers - Philadelphia
Myers begins a rehab assignment with the Phillies' A-ball minor-league team on Friday. The timetable on Myers right now has him returning to the Phillies' bullpen in about a week. Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel has already said Myers will take over the closer's role again once he returns.
The 2007 baseball season reaches it unofficial mid-point this week with the All-Star festivities beginning on Monday. This year's All-Star game is being played at AT&T Park in San Francisco, likely the only park in baseball in which Barry Bonds would not be booed.
There was speculation that Bonds would take part in Monday night's home run derby in his home ballpark, but according to Bonds he'll be sitting this one out. As of Thursday, the complete lineup for the annual homerfest was not yet confirmed. The only confirmed participants were defending champ Ryan Howard, AL MVP Justin Morneau, and the Brewers' big slugger Prince Fielder. Other names being tossed around include former derby champ Ken Griffey Jr., Miguel Cabrera and Carlos Lee. Don't expect to see home run leader Alex Rodriguez in the Derby. A-Rod has already said he's giving the derby a pass and he may even end up skipping the All-Star game to rest his injured hamstring. Whatever the lineup of mashers turns out to be, the favorite will be Howard after the show he put on in Pittsburgh last season.
After the sluggers display their power strokes on Monday night, the actual All-Star game takes the spotlight on Tuesday. The National League will be looking to end a long losing streak in the midsummer classic, as the AL has a 10-game unbeaten streak. The AL hasn't actually won 10 All-Star games in a row, thanks to the ridiculous 7-7 tie in the 2002 game after both squads ran out of players.
Last year the AL won 3-2 courtesy a two-run triple by Michael Young in the ninth inning. The game-winning hit won Young the MVP award. Young will have a chance to win back-to-back MVPs this year as he is returning as a reserve shortstop. No player has ever won back-to-back All-Star game MVP awards, but there have been a few repeat winners, including Cal Ripken Jr. and Gary Carter.
The starting pitchers have not yet been announced but cutting the list down to two or three from each league usually isn't too hard. For the AL the start will likely go to either AL wins leader C.C. Sabathia, ERA leader Dan Haren, or Boston ace Josh Beckett. Johan Santana could get the nod because he's Johan Santana, and Justin Verlander might get preferential treatment because of his no-hitter and since Jim Leyland is managing. But most likely it will be whichever pitcher out of Sabathia, Haren or Beckett whose throwing schedule best fits the date. The NL starter should be either Brad Penny or Jake Peavy, hands down. Penny is 10-1 with the best ERA in the NL, while Peavy has only one fewer win and his ERA is only 0.09 higher. Either pitcher would be a fine choice.
Starting Lineups:
American League
C: Ivan Rodriguez 1B: David Ortiz 2B: Placido Polanco 3B: Alex Rodriguez SS: Derek Jeter OF: Vladimir Guerrero OF: Magglio Ordonez OF: Ichiro Suzuki
National League C: Russell Martin 1B: Prince Fielder 2B: Chase Utley 3B: David Wright SS: Jose Reyes OF: Carlos Beltran OF: Barry Bonds OF: Ken Griffey
Roger 'The Rocket' Clemens launches the New York Yankees
By Cane Kercher
Maybe the return of pitcher Roger Clemens really was all the New York Yankees needed to turn things around. Since the Rocket's arrival in the Bronx, the Yankees have been one of the best teams in baseball. In fact, the Yankees are sporting one of the best records in all of baseball at 10-2 during the month of June.
Clemens can't receive direct credit for all of the recent success because he's only made one start in pinstripes so far in the 2007 baseball season. But the rise in confidence among the Yankee players that has accompanied the winning streak is no doubt largely attributable to the presence of The Rocket both on the mound and in the team's clubhouse.
After enduring a brief setback caused by a scar-tissue injury in his right groin, Clemens finally made his Yankees' debut versus Pittsburgh last week and lasted six innings, allowing three runs on five hits with seven strikeouts in a 9-3 Yankees win.
The seven-time Cy Young Award winner returns to the mound on Friday night when the Mets visit Yankee Stadium for an interleague battle. Clemens has plenty of experience versus the New York Mets from his three years in Houston, when he went 3-5 with a 5.09 ERA in 10 starts. Against the hard-hitting Mets' lineup, Clemens will need to be much better than that for the Yankees to continue their winning ways.
If the Yankees' sluggers can continue hitting with as much pop as they have been already in June, Clemens may be able to surrender four or five runs on Friday night and still escape with a win. The baseball stats speak for themselves: after hitting a measly .208 in May, Bobby Abreu has regained his old form and is smoking the ball in June. So far this month Abreu is batting at a .457 clip, with two home runs and 13 RBI in 12 games. Abreu only went yard once and drove in nine runs in 28 games in May.
Alex Rodriguez has also seen his bat come alive again in June. After smacking 14 home runs in April, A-Rod only found the seats five times in May, and the "what have you done for us lately" fans and media in New York started muttering to themselves. Rodriguez has brought the power back in June, with six homers in only 12 games and plating 21 runs.
With Roger Clemens on board and the offense getting in gear, the NY Yankees have crawled out of the AL East basement and actually climbed over the .500 mark on Wednesday. With only 8.5 games separating them from Boston in the division and only 4.5 games back of the Wild Card, the Yankees aren't done yet.
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