Bleacher Report - Articles by Erik Schultz

Cubs' Comebacks Could Fuel NL Central Run, Like in '07

Erik Schultz — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 14:43:58 -0400

Photo above from espn.com

Coming off Thursday’s improbable late-inning rally against the usually airtight White Sox back-of-the-bullpen, the Cubs were on their way to falling fast and hard on Friday afternoon, in their series’ opener with the Cleveland Indians.

The exciting win from the day before seemed to be settling into what it truly was: one win. One win, less than halfway into a 162-game season.

After starting pitcher Rich Harden gave up two three-run homers, in the second and third innings respectively, the Cubs found themselves down quickly 6-0. Two innings later, it was 7-0.

The struggling Cubs’ offense had come out of hibernation for two innings Thursday afternoon to help the Cubs steal a win. Now it had decided to return to hiding; its return unknown to the Wrigley faithful.

With Cliff Lee on the mound for the Indians, there was even more reason to think the afternoon would end much more somber than it had the day before. Lee was coming off a dominant three-hit shutout of the Cardinals last Sunday in Cleveland, showing the form that easily won him the 2008 AL Cy Young award.

In the Cubs’ fifth, Reed Johnson managed to finally get to Lee, with a solo homer, getting the Cubs on the green scoreboard. The following inning, Derrek Lee hit one out as well, into the right-center bleachers. However, it was another solo shot, and the Cubs’ were still staring at a five-run deficit, at 7-2.

Think back two seasons ago—on another Friday afternoon at Wrigley, in the month of June. June 29, to be exact. The Cubs dug themselves an early 5-0 hole against the Milwaukee Brewers, leaders of the NL Central at the time. The Brewers were playing excellent baseball to that point in the season, and the Cubs trailed them by 9.5 games in the NL Central going into that game.

Even though it was still June, the series took on more of a sense of urgency for the Cubs.

The Cubs broke through with two runs in the fourth, and then another in the seventh. They still trailed 5-3 when they came up in the ninth facing closer Francisco Cordero.

After Soriano and Mike Fontenot singled to start the inning, Derrek Lee drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, making it 5-4. Aramis Ramirez then came up, but with two outs. On the first pitch he saw, he launched a three-run bomb into the bleachers in left center. Just like that, the Cubs had pulled off an extremely improbable 6-5 win.

Ramirez had sent Wrigley into a wild frenzy that late afternoon, and the buzz carried on throughout that summer. The Cubs managed to make up the entire 9.5 game deficit just over a month later After a win over the Phillies on Aug. 1, again at Wrigley, they moved into sole possession of first place for the first time that season.

The Cubs remained in first place through the rest of the ’07 season, and of course went on to the postseason. While their play in the postseason, losing in three games to the Arizona Diamondbacks, was disappointing, the path the Cubs took to get there was quite exciting, if not somewhat unexpected.

Back to yesterday afternoon. With Lee leaving the game after seven excellent innings for the Indians, the Cubs seized the opportunity. For the second straight day, they managed to put four runs on the board in the eight inning.

Key contributions came from throughout the lineup – Geovany Soto, with a double; Andres Blanco, with a two-out, two-run single; and Alfonso Soriano with a single to score Blanco, trimming the Indians lead all the way down to 7-6.

Meanwhile, the Cubs’ bullpen was certainly doing their part to give the Cubs a shot at pulling off another improbable late-inning comeback. David Patton threw two scoreless innings following Harden’s departure, and Aaron Heilman threw a scoreless eighth. Carlos Marmol managed to work his way out of some self-made trouble in the ninth by striking out Victor Martinez to end the inning, leaving runners on first and second.

It seemed as though the hitters and pitchers were feeding off each other, neither wanting to end the Cubs’ chances at another exciting comeback victory.

In the bottom of the ninth, D-Lee came up with one out, facing former long-time Cub Kerry Wood. Lee did his best to replicate the magic that Aramis had two years ago, lifting Wood’s pitch into the left field seats to tie the game at 7. It was Lee’s second homer of the game, and his biggest of the season to this point.

After another scoreless inning of relief, this one from Kevin Gregg, Soriano came up with two outs and nobody on. He drew a walk off reliever Luis Viscaino. He then took the opportunity to get in scoring position by stealing second with Theriot at the plate.

Theriot then hit a ground ball to the right side, just enough to get out of the infield, allowing Soriano to race home with the game winning run. A mob scene ensued around the first base bag, with teammates immediately jumping around The Riot.

Nothing energizes a team quite like a spirited come from behind victory. The last two days saw not only an awakening of the Cubs’ offense, but an awakening of their collective pulse. These wins were true team efforts, after a month long period in which the team seemed to be simply riding their starting pitchers to stay somewhat competitive, hovering around the .500 mark and remaining within three games of the NL Central lead.

Is the worst stretch now behind this team? Hopefully so. If the Cubs can build off the energy created the last two days, like they did in ’07, then it should be another exciting summer at Wrigley.

Game information from 6/19/2009 and 6/29/2007 from mlb.com

A Pitching Stat Making a Comeback in 2009

Erik Schultz — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:38:55 -0400

This past weekend of interleague series around baseball certainly yielded its share of interesting matchups, wild finishes, and crooked numbers on the scoreboard.

However, it was something that happened twice in the three days of games—on Friday and then again on Sunday—that was perhaps most worth noting. Something that was much more prevalent in the days long before interleague play.

That something: a complete game thrown by the starting pitcher.

On both Friday and Sunday, there were four complete games thrown by different pitchers.

Friday, those who went the distance were: the Diamondbacks' Dan Haren, the Giants' Tim Lincecum, the Rockies' Ubaldo Jimenez, and the Royals' Luke Hochevar.

Sunday's complete game hurlers: the Orioles' Brad Bergesen, the Marlins' Josh Johnson, the Giants' Matt Cain, and finally, the Indians' Cliff Lee in a masterful three-hit shutout in the ESPN Sunday Night game.

Notice who is not mentioned above—the Blue Jays' Roy Halladay, who has led the majors in complete games the past two seasons, and the Royals' Zack Greinke, who currently leads the majors with five. Halladay did pitch on Friday night, but left the game early and will miss his normal turn in the Jays' rotation this week.

In addition to this past weekend's surge in pitchers going the distance, we have seen a noticeable rise in complete games (CGs) thrown throughout the league so far in 2009.

There have been 67 CGs in 70 days since this season began. If that pace continues the rest of the season, the total number of CGs will be right around 170. Last year's total was 136. In 2007, the number was even lower at 112. That would mean a 25 percent increase from '08 to '09, and a 52 percent increase from '07 to '09.

Currently, there are 48 different pitchers who have thrown CGs so far in '09. This number is also on pace to be significantly higher than last year's total of 83 different pitchers throwing CGs, and the 71 who did so in 2007.

Of the aforementioned 48, 13 of them have thrown two or more CGs this season. After Grienke's league-leading five CGs, Halladay, Cain, and the Angels' Jared Weaver have each thrown three. Nine other pitchers have thrown two.

Looking at the numbers from a team perspective, there are currently 13 teams who have gotten at least three CGs from their starters this season. There were 14 such teams who had at least three all of last season. Two teams who currently are in playoff contention in their respective divisions, the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants, each have five CG efforts. The Royals, behind Greinke, lead all teams with seven.

Even the Washington Nationals, with the majors' worst record at 16-45, have had three CG outings. Two of these have come from rookie pitchers—Ross Detwiler and Shairon Martis. Manager Manny Acta should get a little bit of credit for fighting conventional wisdom, and having the confidence in those youngsters to get the job done.

A possible indication that Acta and other managers throughout baseball are putting more confidence in their starters to finish what they start is in the number of shutouts relative to CGs. This season, there have been 20 shutouts, accounting for 30 percent of all CGs. Last season, there were 54 shutouts, which was 40 percent of all CGs.

This difference seems to lend support to the fact that more of the CGs this season are not simply dominant starts where a pitcher has incredible stuff working that particular day. A greater number seem to be a product of manager confidence in the starter, or perhaps, a lack thereof with the relief options available.

Another possibility is that managers are trying to get as many good innings as they can out of their starters now, in an effort to help preserve the bullpen in the second half of the season. If that is the case for some managers and teams, then the CG total for the season will end up being much closer to the '08 total than current projections would suggest.

For teams who hope to contend throughout the entire 162-game season, like the Rangers and Giants, this management of innings could prove crucial, for better or worse, to their team's postseason chances.

All 2009, 2008, and 2007 statistics used in this article are from mlb.com and mlb.com/historicalstats.

Pierre Shines in Leading Dodgers While Manny Sits

Erik Schultz — Tue, 26 May 2009 18:51:16 -0400

May 7: A day Dodgers fans would like to try and forget.

Manny Ramirez, immediately embraced by the Dodger Stadium faithful after coming from the Boston Red Sox in a trade last July 31, found out he was forced to sit out the next 50 games for his actions.

With all the questions about the steroids issue and Manny's character aside, Dodgers fans had a few pressing questions about the team itself:

How would all of the talented young hitters fare in his absence? How much of a drop in run production would the team suffer? Would any teams in the NL West be able to gain significant ground on the Dodgers in the division race?

A more simple question: Who would replace Manny in left field?

A simple answer: Juan Pierre.

Pierre, the one who became the odd man out in the Dodgers' outfield last year after the trade for Ramirez would now have his chance to spark the Dodgers offense in his own way.

He would also have the chance to remind everyone just how good a player can be, and of the one we have seen do some pretty impressive things throughout this decade.

In eight seasons in the Major Leagues before 2008, Pierre had established himself as one of the premier leadoff hitters in baseball. He tallied over 200 hits in four different seasons (2001, 2003, 2004, and 2006), over 100 runs in three ('01, '03, '04), and over 50 stolen bases in four ('03, '04, '06, and '07). He also hit finished the season batting over .300 three times ('01, '03, and '04).

However, after appearing in 821 consecutive games between 2002 and 2008, Pierre was forced into a role completely unknown to him throughout his nine-year career. He had not only played in, but started all 162 games in the outfield in both 2004 and 2006, with the Florida Marlins and Chicago Cubs, respectively.

Even before Ramirez arrived in L.A., Pierre hadn’t been an everyday fixture in the Dodgers outfield in the 2008 season. Manager Joe Torre was giving emerging young outfielders Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier as much time playing time as he could. He was also trying to keep the highly paid veteran Andruw Jones happy, giving him his share of starts in center field.

That forced Pierre into a platoon of sorts in both left and center field. After Manny came to L.A., Pierre’s role was relegated further, primarily to a pinch hitter and pinch runner later in ballgames.

There were reportedly some grumblings from Pierre about the lack of playing time late in the season. This may have seemed like a selfish response, but how else would you expect a gamer like Pierre to react to the situation? He was uncomfortable because he simply did not know how to not play.

The 2009 season started out with the same situation for Pierre—serving as the fourth outfielder behind Ramirez (left), Kemp (center), and Ethier (right).

When Manny sat out the first game of his suspension on May 7, however, it opened the door for Pierre in left field. He responded immediately, going 2-for-4 that night against the Washington Nationals.

Pierre has not let up in 17 games since his return to the leadoff spot in the Dodgers starting lineup. He has two or more hits in 11 of those 17 games. After another two-hit game in Monday's 16-6 rout of the Colorado Rockies, Pierre is hitting .402 since May 7, and .385 for the season. His on-base percentage of .458 is in the same stratosphere as Manny, whose OBP was .492 in 27 games prior to the suspension.

More importantly, the Dodgers as a team have won nine of their past 12 games with Pierre. They won two out of three in each of their series’ against the Phillies and Mets, currently the top two teams in the NL East. The Dodgers are still holding a commanding lead in the NL West, leading the San Diego Padres by 7.5 games.

They also still hold the Majors' best record at 31-15.

If the Dodgers can continue to play they way they have of late, a new question should be asked in L.A.: Who could Pierre replace when Manny is eligible to return to the team on July 3?

It sounds like a ridiculous question, but it's one Joe Torre will have to seriously contemplate if Pierre can continue to play anywhere close to the level he is right now.

Also, consider the fact that shortstop Rafael Furcal has struggled to hit consistently in 2009 (.238 average on the season, .194 since May 7). This means the Dodgers will have a greater need for a consistent, legitimate leadoff hitter that they can put out there each night.

Juan Pierre certainly seems like the man for the job.

Individual and team statistics used in this article obtained from the Los Angeles Dodgers team page at mlb.com

Rich Hill: The Long Road Back to the Majors

Erik Schultz — Thu, 21 May 2009 16:38:56 -0400

One year and fourteen days.

That was how long it had been since Rich Hill's last start in the Major Leagues.

Until this past Saturday.

Prior to recording the win in his start in Kansas City on Saturday, his last start was on May 2, 2008, with the Chicago Cubs. In that game, he gave up fewer runs (one) than he did in his impressive Orioles debut.

The problem—Hill walked four hitters. In the first inning. He didn't even make it out of that first inning, being pulled after just 27 pitches, only ten of which were strikes.

Cubs Manager Lou Piniella had seen enough. The organization had too. Despite a knee-buckling curve ball, Hill simply could not find the plate with this fastball, giving hitters no reason to worry about the curve.

After making five starts early in the 2008 season, Hill was sent down to Triple-A Iowa. The Cubs hoped he would be able to work out his control issues there. They hoped Hill would be able to improve on his ability to locate the fastball, which was consistently missing high. There was no set timetable for Hill's return to the majors, but there seemed to be confidence among the Cubs that Hill would figure things out, and return sometime in the middle of the '08 season.

Hill proved them wrong, very wrong.

Not only did he never make it back to Chicago, Hill actually found himself in Single-A ball by the end of the 2008 season. The control issues remained at each stop along the way. Hill walked 28 batters in seven starts at Iowa, while pitching only 26 innings. At Daytona, the Cubs A club, Hill walked 11 in three outings, pitching 12 1/3 innings there.

The problem was simple. The solution was not. The Cubs organization was frustrated with the continued struggles of their once prized pitching prospect. At 28 years old, the patience aspect of the development process was pretty much out the window. They did not feel the need to hold onto Hill forever.

Andy MacPhail, the Orioles GM, knew he had an opportunity to buy low from his former organization. He made a deal for Hill in February, getting him in exchange for a player who has still yet to be named. Hill's salary for 2009 is only $445,000. That is less than ten percent of that of fellow starter Koji Uehara, who, prior to the 2009 season, had yet to make a start in the Major Leagues.

Going into Spring Training, the plan for Hill was to have him begin the season in the starting rotation, perhaps being slotted as high as third. Not only was the potential there, it had already been proved at the major-league level.

MacPhail saw what Hill did for the Cubs in 2007, when he went 11-8 with a 3.92 ERA in 32 starts. He also finished fifth in the National League in strikeouts that year with 183, while allowing less than three walks per nine innings pitched.

That plan was curtailed when Hill suffered a right elbow injury in March. It seemed like the nothing-to-lose move by MacPhail might turn out to be a nothing-to-gain move as well.

However, on April 25, Hill was able to return to the mound, at Frederick. After one start for the A ballclub, he went on to AAA Norfolk, where he gave up just two runs in three starts, totaling 13 1/3 innings. This was enough for the Orioles to feel comfortable in giving Hill the starting nod last Saturday, when he was eligible to return from the Disabled List.

Two runs, seven hits, two walks, six strikeouts, in 5 2/3 innings. Plus, he was the winning pitcher.

A pretty good start, especially for an Oriole starting pitcher. Certainly impressive for someone making their season debut. Manager Dave Trembley called it the best performance by an Oriole starter so far this year.

With one successful start behind him, Hill will take the mound again on Friday against the Washington Nationals. It will be interesting to see how Hill pitches in his second start, in front of a more local crowd in Washington, and with a little higher expectations.

Let's hope the road for Rich Hill doesn't take him away from Baltimore anytime in the near future.

Statistics used in this article obtained from the Baltimore Orioles team page at mlb.com

Jones' Absence Gives Orioles More Options Going Forward

Erik Schultz — Tue, 19 May 2009 13:41:42 -0400

It was one of the last things Orioles Manager Dave Trembley wanted to see in last Wednesday's game against the Rays.

His emerging star center fielder, Adam Jones, hobbled off the field in the fourth inning with a strained hamstring. That is not the kind of news you want to face when you are about to embark on a 11 day, 10 game road trip, one that may significantly help define the Orioles character as a team in 2009.

Fortunately for Jones and the Orioles, the injury was not serious, and he is expected to return for Tuesday night's game in New York, against the Yankees. If this holds true, he will have only missed the four games played in Kansas City, in which the Orioles split 2-2 against a much-improved Royals ballclub. As a manager, you can live with that.

Frankly, nobody would consider it good news to have the team's leader in batting average (.370), on-base percentage (.426), runs scored (35, tied with Nick Markakis), and home runs (8) shelved for an entire four-game series. However, the silver lining in Jones' time out of the lineup comes from those who filled in for him in the KC series.

The first, and most widely anticipated, player to benefit was Nolan Reimold. Reimold was called up to the team on Wednesday after hitting .394 with AAA Norfolk. He then made his Major League debut on Thursday night, going 1 for 4. Reimold then had his first RBI and two-hit game on Saturday, a game the O's won 3-2.

He was in Trembley's starting lineup as the left fielder for each of the four games, finishing the series with four hits and two RBI. Though not spectacular, it is a respectable start for the 23 year old whom the Orioles hope will become the third and final piece of an extremely promising outfield, joining Markakis and Jones, for many years to come.

The second player who took advantage of the situation was Cesar Izturis. Although having played in 29 of the team's 34 games going into the Royals' series, Izturis had been a fixture at the bottom of the O's lineup. He had hit in either the 8 or 9 slot in every game. With Jones out, Trembley decided to hit Izturis second in the lineup, a spot which had been occupied by Jones.

Izturis did not disappoint, responding with a 2 hit, 2 run, 3 RBI game, which included a key 2-run triple, in Thursday's victory. After his stolen base on Sunday, he is also tied with Brian Roberts for the team lead in steals, with eight. The veteran shortstop was trying to serve notice to Trembley that he can handle hitting at the top of the lineup, something he has done at times throughout his nine year career.

The third to capitalize on added playing time was Felix Pie. The 24 year old outfielder had split time in left field with Scott and Ryan Freel (since traded to the Chicago Cubs). Pie had been struggling mightily at the plate for the season's first month, hitting just .158 through May 6. This put him in serious jeopardy of being either sent down to Norfolk, or perhaps being released.

After Jones left the game last Wednesday, Pie came in to replace him. He responded with two hits in two at bats, including a ninth inning home run. The next night, Trembley gave Pie the first of four consecutive starts in center field for Thursday's game, and he responded again by reaching base twice, and scoring twice, in five plate appearances. On Sunday, he hit an RBI triple and scored a run in the Orioles 7-4 loss.

With Jones about to return, there are a few questions that Trembley will have to ponder as the season moves along.

Will Jones remain in the No. 2 slot, keeping the same type of lineup we saw through last week? Or will he try hitting Izturis second and move Jones into the middle of the lineup, perhaps fifth, thereby allowing Mora and Scott to hit sixth and seventh. This could help boost a faltering bottom third of the Orioles' lineup.

What will be Luke Scott's role when he returns? Will he become the primary DH? Will he still get time in left field, despite the emergence of Reimold? It may become to difficult for Trembley to get Ty Wigginton the regular at bats he expects. With him hitting barely above .200 at the moment, that may not be a bad thing.

Who will see the most time in left field? Reimold, Pie, or a platoon between the two? While Reimold is the favored option from an offensive standpoint, Pie is the better defensive option with his speed. The competition for this spot could bring out the best in both these young players.

These are the type of questions Trembley will not mind facing. It should be interesting to see how he, and the team, respond with the return of Adam Jones. There will be a little more to look forward to in the Orioles' first series at the new Yankee Stadium.

5 American League Rookies Ready to Shine in October

Erik Schultz — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:45:08 -0400

As the calendar turns to September, there are only five American League teams that can consider themselves true playoff contenders: the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox in the AL East; the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins in the AL Central; and the Los Angeles Angels in the AL West.

Only one of these five will not make the postseason.

The Angels have all but locked up the division. The Rays are in great shape as well. The Red Sox, White Sox, and Twins are in fierce battles for the final two spots.

Each of these five teams have seen players come on this season and make very valuable contributions to the ball club. Here is a look at a rookie from each of these five teams who has a chance to become a household name, and help their team towards a World Series.

ALEXEI RAMIREZ - 2B/OF, Chicago White Sox

Key Stats: .309 AVG, 15 HR, 60 RBI, 10 SB (109 games)

To many fans, this name won't come as too big of a surprise. He is a leading candidate for AL Rookie of the Year honors.

For those less familiar with Ramirez, think Alfonso Soriano, of the South Side. This guy can flat out hit, and doesn't see many pitches that he can't hit. Hard.

Ramirez, 26, made his Major League debut on Opening Day of 2008. He struggled early on, with just five hits in his first 36 ML at bats. In mid-May, however, Ramirez started playing every day, and his hitting has taken off since. He has hit .327 since May 12, including a .355 average in June and .341 in July. He also drove in 22 runs in the month of August.

Even with his success, Manager Ozzie Guillen has kept him in the bottom third of the lineup, behind the veterans Jermaine Dye, Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, and Ken Griffey Jr. This should allow Ramirez to continue to see a lot of good pitches to hit, even into the postseason.

National League pitchers who have yet to face Ramirez be warned: no fastball you throw is safe with this guy's bat speed.

DENARD SPAN - OF, Minnesota Twins

Key Stats: .301 AVG, .385 OBP, 44 R, 13 SB (67 games)

The Twins thought they had their leadoff hitter for 2008 and beyond, in Carlos Gomez. Gomez was acquired from the New York Mets in the Johan Santana deal, and was immediately inserted into the leadoff spot on Opening Day. His failure to consistently get on base, however, opened the door for Span.

Span, 24, was recalled to the ball club back on June 30, and since then has been excellent as the Twins everyday leadoff man. Span's outstanding speed has brought both excitement to the lineup and to the outfield, where he has already made several highlight-worthy plays in right field.

The ability to consistently get on base has made Span a very important player to watch. In the 56 games he has played since June 30, he has reached base at least once in all but eight of them, very impressive for a rookie. Perhaps even more impressive: Span is hitting better on the road (.317), without the friendly turf bounces of the Metrodome. As a left-handed hitter, he is also hitting better against lefties at .315.

However, you look at it, Span would be a very tough out, in any situation, in October.

JED LOWRIE - SS/3B, Boston Red Sox

Key Stats: .278 AVG, 17 2B, 35 RBI (56 games)

Manager Terry Francona has been forced to endure a lot of changes to his lineup this season, whether it be from injuries (David Ortiz, Mike Lowell, JD Drew, etc.), deadline deals (Manny Ramirez out, Jason Bay and Mark Kotsay in), or just plain inconsistency (Jacoby Ellsbury, Julio Lugo, Drew again). However, a fixture in the lineup has quietly developed recently. That would be Jed Lowrie.

Lowrie, 24, made his ML debut back on April 15, but saw very limited playing time throughout the first half of the season. He had just 47 at bats prior to the All Star break. Since then, Lowrie has assumed the starting job at shortstop, and has also seen some time at third base since the injury to Lowell. Lowrie has not disappointed at the plate, hitting .278 since the break, and driving 24 runs in the month of August.

He has been hitting consistenly in the six or seven spot in Francona's lineup, giving him some good RBI opportunities behind Kevin Youkilis and Bay. He should get the opportunity in the postseason to drive in some big runs for the Red Sox, especially if Lowell does not fully recover from his injury in time for the playoffs.

EVAN LONGORIA - 3B, Tampa Bay Rays

Key Stats: .278 AVG, 22 HR, 71 RBI (104 games)

I know, this one is pretty obvious. The stats pretty much speak for themselves for the likely frontrunner for AL ROY. There weren't many other choices though. The Rays do not have another rookie on their current roster. This team is full of players in their second, third, and fourth seasons in the majors.

Keep in mind, Longoria has been out since August 7 with a wrist injury, and he is not expected to return until the middle of next week, according to raysbaseball.com. It will be interesting to see how well he hits for the last couple weeks of the regular season, coming off that injury.

It should be interesting to see how Longoria would do in his first postseason. Not much has fazed the 22 year old hitting phenom in his first season, however, and Rays fans should still be very optimistic he would be a major contributor in the postseason.

JOSE ARREDONDO - RP, Los Angeles Angels

Key Stats: 7-1, 1.13 ERA, 13 HLD (40 games)

In his debut season, Arredondo has been largely overshadowed by his bullpen mate Francisco Rodriguez, and his pursuit of the single season saves record.

Arredondo has quietly assumed the role of set-up man to "K-Rod", pitching primarily the seventh and/or eighth inning. Since being called up on May 14, Arredondo has been spectacular for the Angels, allowing a grand total of six earned runs in his 47 2/3 innings pitched.

He has allowed just 33 hits this season, while striking out 41. He has also pitched more than one inning in 19 of his 40 outings, making him more valuable should one of the outstanding Angels starters have an early exit in a postseason game.

At just 24, Arredondo may very well be the Angels' closer of the future, if they can not re-sign K-Rod this offseason. For now, contending AL teams should simply worry about Arredondo's presence on the mound this October. It may be reminiscent of K-Rod's postseason debut back in 2002.

Somebody Has To Win It: Breaking Down the NL West Race

Erik Schultz — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:33:10 -0400

It was the Chicago Cubs last season and the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006. Back in '05, it was the San Diego Padres.

What do these three teams have in common?

In the last three seasons, respectively, these teams have won a division title, despite winning 85 games or less. The Cubs of '07 finished with an 85-77 record and won the National League Central. The Cardinals of '06 were 83-78, also winning the NL Central, and the Padres of '05 were an even-less impressive 82-80, winning the NL West.

After winning their division in those years, the Cubs and the Padres' went on to get swept right out of the postseason in just three Division Series games. The Cardinals, well, do I need to remind you they went on to win the World Series in '06?

This season, there is a pretty good chance we will see this happen again: A team will win their division without winning more than 85 games.

The division: NL West, again. The winner: Who knows?

Since the All Star break, this has pretty much been a two-team race between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers. Arizona has held a slight lead over L.A. for a majority of that time.

Both teams had begun to play very good baseball earlier this month, with the D-Backs winning eight out of 10, from Aug. 10-21, and the Dodgers won 10 out of 15 from Aug. 2-17.

After games on Aug. 21, Arizona sat at 67-60, with the L.A. Dodgers at 65-62, two games behind.

However, within the past week, both teams have really struggled. Arizona lost two out of three at home to the Florida Marlins before getting swept in a three-game series in San Diego.

The Dodgers, with a great opportunity to make up their two-game deficit to the D-Backs, have had an even worse time playing on the East Coast. They were swept in a four-game series against the Phillies before going on to get swept in three games in Washington DC by the lowly Nationals.

The recent struggles of Arizona and L.A. have pushed the door open for a third team to make a move in this race: the Colorado Rockies. Despite a very mediocre 63-72 record, the Rockies are somehow in a decent position to make a run in September and return to the playoffs.

They may not even have to win 14 out of 15 to end the season, like they did in '07, to do it!

Here is a look at these three teams, and what will help or hurt each of their chances of winning this division.

NOTE: Records and standing are updated as of all games played on Aug. 28.

Arizona Diamondbacks 68-65 First place

Strengths

STARTING PITCHING: This may not be any great revelation to anyone, but those who don't follow this division may not realize just how good the D-Backs' top three starters—Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, and 45-year-old Randy Johnson—have been. Since the All Star break, Webb has continued his Cy Young-caliber pitching, going 6-1 with a 2.34 ERA in eight starts. The No. 2 man, Haren, has also gone 6-1 since the break, with 59 strikeouts to only eight walks in 54-1/3 innings. Perhaps even more impressive than Webb and Haren, Johnson owns a microscopic 1.82 ERA since the break, in the same number of innings pitched as Haren. His post-break record of 4-2 would be even better if not for some bullpen meltdowns, including yesterday's, that have occurred after his outstanding starts. If all three pitchers keep this up, it will be tough for the Dodgers or Rockies to catch them.
SCHEDULE: The D-Backs have a combined record of 24-11 this season against the Dodgers, Rockies, and Giants. They will play 19 of their remaining 29 games against these three teams. Also, they only play one team with a winning record, the Cardinals. With this type of schedule, they have to feel good about finishing the season strong and maintaining their division lead.

Weaknesses

TEAM HITTING: Arizona is hitting just .251 as a team this season, ranking 12th in the NL. Although the acquisition of Adam Dunn from Cincinnati has given them a true power-presence in the middle of their lineup, he also brings a bunch of strikeouts with him. His 135 K's at the plate only puts him third on the team, behind Mark Reynolds (166) and Chris Young (136). That is an awful lot of strikeouts in a lineup, and it could prove to be crippling in key situations where the team needs a run or two in a late-inning rally situation.
LATE-INNING RELIEF: The two guys at the back end of the Arizona bullpen, Brandon Lyon and Jon Rauch, have been very shaky of late. Lyon has allowed 10 ER in his last five-and-one-third IP, and Rauch has allowed nine in his last six-and-two-thirds. These are the two guys manager Bob Melvin counts on to close out games, and they have been failing considerably at this over the past few weeks. Considering the team's inability to produce runs, the successes (or failures) of the 'pen become even more magnified, considering the number of close games the team is involved in.

LA Dodgers 65-69 Second Place - 3.5 GB

Strengths

QUALITY STARTERS: The Dodgers don't have the great starters at the top of their rotation like Arizona, but they have a very solid rotation from one through five. The five starters—Derek Lowe, Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda, Clayton Kershaw, and the recently acquired Greg Maddux—all currently have ERAs between 3.11 and 4.22. Kuroda and Billingsley have been very effective in August. Kuroda has allowed just one run in four of his last five starts, while Billingsley has a 2.77 ERA over his last six starts.
NO EASY OUTS: Going along the lines of how I described their rotation, the Dodgers' lineup has good hitters at each spot in the lineup (pitcher's spot excluded). Six hitters are currently hitting .275 or better for the season, and that doesn't include Manny Ramirez, who has hit .380 with his new team since the July 31 trade. Veteran hitters Casey Blake and Nomar Garciaparra have struggled some of late, but they are still capable of getting that big hit with runners in scoring position.

Weaknesses

LACK OF POWER: Even with the addition of Manny and his six home runs he has hit as a Dodger this month, the team still ranks third-to-last in the NL in team HRs with 102. They also rank fourth-to-last in team slugging percentage (.388). Among season-long Dodgers, Andre Ethier leads the team with just 17 HRs. With Manny being by far the most feared and dangerous hitter in their lineup, you wonder just how many pitches he will see that he can drive out of the deep dimensions of Dodger Stadium.
NO TRUE CLOSER: Takashi Saito had converted 80 out of 89 career save opportunities since 2006, before being sidelined since the All Star break with a right-elbow injury. Since then, Jonathan Broxton has moved into the closer's role. While Broxton converted on his first seven save opportunities, he has since blown two of his last five. He has given up seven runs in his last nine innings, giving manager Joe Torre a bit of a dilemma. A closer-by-committee situation could open up in L.A., with Hong-Chih Kuo and veteran Chan Ho Park getting possible save chances in September. Like with Arizona, this should be an issue to watch as this team also finds itself in a lot of close, low-scoring games.

Colorado Rockies 63-72 Third Place - 6 GB

Strengths:

OFFENSIVE OUTBURST: Matt Holliday and Brad Hawpe have been offensive machines in the second half, picking up where they left off late last season. Since July 20, Holliday has hit .367, with 51 hits and 42 runs scored. Hawpe has hit .344, with a .434 on-base percentage and 23 RBI in August, becoming the Rockies' primary cleanup hitter. One of the new guys—third baseman Ian Stewart—has been just as impressive since returning to the club after the All Star break. Stewart has hit .351, with six HRs and 35 RBI since July 19. If Todd Helton were healthy, Garrett Atkins would never have been moved to first base, and Stewart would have never had the chance to do all this. Oh, and Willy Taveras happens to lead the majors with 61 stolen bases. This has certainly helped give these guys some great RBI opportunities.
HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE: Beginning Sept. 1, the Rockies will play 15 out of 18 games at Coors Field. While their current home record (36-30) is not quite as stellar as last year's (51-31), it is still far better than their 27-42 mark away from Coors. The Rockies will probably need to win at least 10 of those 15 in order to put themselves in position to seriously challenge the D-Backs and Dodgers at the end.
CONFIDENCE: I wouldn't bet that the great memories from '07 have faded from any of these players' minds. Almost all of the key players are still there that led them through that amazing regular-season finish, and run to the World Series. A run that included four-straight wins over Arizona in the NLCS. These guys can benefit from that postseason success should they have the chance to overtake the D-Backs in the final week to return to the playoffs.

Weaknesses

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS: Since the Rockies blew past the D-Backs last year to reach the World Series, Arizona has gained some measure of revenge so far this season. The Rockies are just 2-10 in 12 games against the D-Backs, with six more to play, including three in Phoenix to end the regular season. They will have to turn their previous struggles around and win at least four of these six games against Arizona. Otherwise, they will have to win almost all their remaining games to have a shot.
NO STOPPER: Not to be confused with closers. Jeff Francis emerged as the No. 1 starter in '07 and backed it up with some outstanding starts in September and October. However, Francis has struggled all season at 4-8 with a 5.36 ERA. He also just recently returned from a shoulder injury that forced him to miss over a month. Aaron Cook had an excellent first half and looked like a potential staff ace, going 10-3 with a 3.29 ERA through June 15. Since then, Cook has been more like a No. 4 starter, going just 5-5 with a Coors-like 5.43 ERA. Ubaldo Jimenez, though, has sort of reemerged with seven wins since the beginning of July. However, the lack of a consistent No. 1 starter, or even No. 2, could give the Rockies big problems in some of those late matchups with Arizona.

With all things considered, this appears to be Arizona's division to lose. They have the chance to win enough games on their outstanding starting pitching alone. Manny may not get enough chances to drive in runs and win games for the Dodgers. The Rockies should make a run before it's all said and done, but they will not be able to win enough matchups with Arizona's top three.

Final standings prediction: Arizona 84-78, Colorado 81-81, and L.A. Dodgers 80-82.

Cubs Will Face Several Challenges in NL Playoff Push

Erik Schultz — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 04:44:15 -0400

With a major-league best record of 80-50, after a 6-1 win over the Washington Nationals on Sunday, the Cubs are showing no signs of slowing down, heading into the final month of the regular season.

With yesterday's win, the Cubs raised their win total to 15 this month. That matches the number of wins they had in June (15-12) and July (15-11). They are currently 15-6 in August, with a week left in the month. If the Cubs continue this level of play in September, they will push the 100-win mark.

The last time a Cubs team won 100 games was in 1935, when the season went only 154 games.

However, the road will get a lot tougher for the Cubs very quickly. If they do get to 100 wins, or more importantly, hold on to win the NL Central, they will certainly have earned it.

The Cubs' remaining schedule starts with a three-game series this week in Pittsburgh against the Pirates. Next, the Cubs come back to Wrigley for four games against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Fightin' Phils are currently in a heated battle with the New York Mets for the NL-East lead and are now just a half game behind the Mets after a sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers this weekend.

The first week of September will hopefully be a chance to catch their collective breaths before their difficult stretch run. They will host the Astros for three games beginning on Labor Day and then travel to Cincinnati to face the pesky Reds for three games over the following weekend.

Beginning with the series in Cincinnati, the Cubs will play 16 of their last 22 games away from the Friendly Confines. This will be a good test for a team that has been able to gradually improve their record as a result of winning seven out of every 10 games at Wrigley Field.

After Cincinnati, the Cubs go to St. Louis for three games against the Cardinals, who are currently eight games behind the Cubs in the NL Central race and three-and-a-half games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL wild card.

This could be a chance for the Cubs to put the Cardinals away in the division race once and for all. However, with pitchers Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter returning to the Cards' rotation, the Cubs could find themselves struggling to put up runs the way they've been used to in 2008.

The Sept. 5-14 road trip ends with three more games against the Astros, in Houston. The last visit to Houston did not go well at all for the Cubs. They lost two out of three, and were held to just one run in each of the first two games. The Cubs cannot afford to have this type of offensive deficiency this time around, if they want to keep the Brewers (and Cardinals) at a distance in the NL Central.

With the Astros having crept above the .500 mark at 66-64, the Cubs will end the season with 19-straight games against teams with a winning record. After the road trip ends in Houston, the Cubs will return to Wrigley for three against the Brewers and then three more with the Cardinals, which will be the Cubs' final series at Wrigley for the regular season.

Winning two out of three in each of these series will be the expectation for the Cubs before heading back on the road for seven games to close out the season.

Once again, the Cubs will be challenged with a four-game series against an NL East contender: the Mets. The Mets will be looking to avoid their historic collapse of last season, when they blew a seven-game lead to the Phillies with just 17 games to play.

A split here would probably work well for the Cubs, before going into Miller Park to close the season with three more with the Brewers.

This will be a huge series for both teams, if the Cubs have not clinched the division by this point. Even though the Cubs stormed in and out of Miller Park with a four-game sweep of the Brewers at the end of July, they don't want to be forced to duplicate that kind of performance to wrap up the division crown.

Manager Lou Piniella has had the Cubs playing good, consistent baseball throughout the entire 2008 season. There's no reason to think they will let up this late in the season, but the team will face a longer stretch of tough, important games unlike any they have seen so far.

It may give us a good idea of what to expect from the Cubs in the postseason, assuming they get there.

An Unfair Ending for Team USA Softball

Erik Schultz — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:26:33 -0400

11-0, 3-0, 7-0, 8-1, 7-0, 8-0, 9-0.

Those numbers represent the scores in each of Team USA Softball's Preliminary Round games in the Olympic event.

53-1 was the combined margin of those seven games, a truly staggering indication of a team dominating their sport. Two more games of anywhere near that kind of dominance and the ladies would be bringing home their fourth straight gold medal in softball. This streak goes back to the debut of Olympic softball in the 1996 games in Atlanta.

Two more games, the first one against Japan in the Semifinal Round. Crystl Bustos breaks a scoreless tie, in the top of the 9th inning, with a three-run bomb to put the US ahead before eventually winning 4-1.

After losing a tough game, the Japanese had to beat Australia to earn a rematch with the US in the Championship. After an incredible, back-and-forth twelve inning marathon, Japan pulled out a 4-3 win to get their second shot at the impossible—taking down the unbeatable American women.

It would seem there would be no way for Japan to even keep the game close, after playing 21 innings within a 24 hour period just to get to this game. They had certainly earned the respect and attention of the US women after their outstanding effort in the semis (after losing 7-0 to the US in the Preliminary Round), but there just couldn't be anything left in their tank. Could there?

They sent pitcher Yukiko Ueno went back to the mound against the US. She had pitched all 21 innings in their games against the US and Australia the previous day. Now she was being asked to do it one more time.

Just like the semifinal game, Bustos once again homered for the US, off Ueno. Problem was, that was the only run the US would score. And it would not be enough.

US starter Cat Osterman gave up two runs in five innings, and Monica Abbott came on to pitch the final two. She allowed one run to score in the seventh, on her own error, which put Japan up 3-1. This was the final score, giving the Japanese the Gold medal.

It is the first, and perhaps the last time, that a nation other than the United States won the Gold medal. There will be no Olympic Softball in the 2012 games in London. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted back in 2006 to discontinue the event after the 2008 games.

At the time of the vote, it seemed as though there was simply no competition for the United States, The idea of simply handing a gold medal to each of the women on the US team just isn't what the Olympics are about, they figured.

The IOC's decision to eliminate softball reflected an assumption based on a very short history of results. Yes, Team USA had won Gold in all three prior Olympics: 1996, 2000, and 2004. Yes, in 2004, Team USA won every single game, while outscoring their opponents 51-1.

They seemed unbeatable going into this year's games, and while 2008 was shaping up to be a replication of 2004's amazing run of dominance, Japan's win today to claim the gold medal proves just why sports is so exciting. The unthinkable can happen at any time; and nobody is unbeatable.

The result that we woke up to hear in the US this morning was absolutely shocking. It was supposed to be a bittersweet game for the American women—a win in their final ever Olympic competition to earn the Gold.

For each of these women, the thought of not having a chance to participate in another Olympics in four years is heartbreaking enough. However, the thought of not having another chance to participate in the Olympics AND not having the chance to redeem a loss in their final Olympic game—that is just completely cruel and unfair.

I would have said the same for Japan if they had lost this game, after proving in the semifinal that they could compete with the United States. Everyone deserves to compete. Everyone deserves a shot to beat the best. The sport will certainly be missed in 2012.

The "Other Guy" in the Cubs' Rich Harden Trade

Erik Schultz — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:42:13 -0400

Wait...the Cubs got somebody else in the Rich Harden deal? OK...who the hell is he? How did a person manage to fit himself inside Harden's luggage when he flew into Chicago?

The last question may be a bit of a stretch.

During the week of Jul. 7-13, the week leading up to the All-Star break, all the talk revolved around pitchers Rich Harden and CC Sabathia. You know the story: The Milwaukee Brewers pulled the first move, snatching Sabathia on Jul. 7 from the Cleveland Indians; the Cubs then immediately countered by picking up Harden from the Oakland Athletics on Jul. 8.

That's right, the very next day. Twenty-three days before the Jul. 31 trade deadline. Every time you heard Harden's name mentioned, it was inevitably followed by the letters "CC." Harden was talked of as the answer, the man who could offset Sabathia and the potential damage he and the Brewers would inflict upon the Cubs in the NL Central race.

The Cubs gave up four players - pitcher Sean Gallagher, outfielder Matt Murton, OF/2B Eric Patterson, and minor league catcher Josh Donaldson—in exchange for Harden and Chad Gaudin (pronounced "go-dan").

You've already seen what Harden is capable of, if he stays healthy, in just six starts in a Cubs uniform: 35 IP, seven ER, 52 K. Considering he has thrown only 72 innings combined over the previous two seasons, this is a BIG if. Leave it to Cubs GM Jim Hendry to demand a quality insurance plan (Gaudin) on such a valuable, yet fragile, commodity.

In addition to simply being a potential replacement to Harden should the injury bug come back, Gaudin will provide the Cubs with a strong, versatile presence in the bullpen.

A guy that can pitch in either long, middle, or late relief, Gaudin has already been asked to come in to many different situations in his first month on his new ballclub. Whether it's been close leads, tie games, extra innings, blowouts, Gaudin has proven effective in whatever situation he has been asked to handle.

Gaudin, at age 25, has already pitched 438 career innings in the majors, compared with Harden, at age 26, who has 576. Gaudin has made 50 career starts, but has been used primarily as a reliever in 2008—first with Oakland, and now with the Cubs.

Gaudin has already seen plenty of action—he has appeared in 15 of the 30 games the Cubs have played since both he and Harden arrived in Wrigleyville. He has picked up the win in 3 of those 15.

In 17 2/3 innings with the Cubs he has allowed six ER (a 3.06 ERA), while fanning 20 and issuing only five walks, a crucial stat for effective mid-to-late inning relief (take note, Carlos Marmol). Also, he has pitched two innings in five of his appearances, providing manager Lou Piniella with a guy he can use in long-relief situations if needed.

The addition of Gaudin has provided some necessary reinforcement to a Cubs bullpen that was extraordinary and in no real need of any major help, until about the middle of June. Since then, closer Kerry Wood was sidelined for over three weeks with a blister, but has since returned to the bullpen.

Set-up man and closer-in-waiting Carlos Marmol has gone through some very erratic spells where he couldn't get anybody out, or simply couldn't throw the ball over the plate. The other late-inning man, Bob Howry, has been a liability since the All-Star break (nine ER, six HR allowed in 10 2/3 IP).

While Marmol has seemingly gotten back on track (11 straight scoreless outings since the All-Star Break), and Wood should return to his closer's role, having Gaudin allows Piniella to have more flexibility in those close late innings games, without having Wood and Marmol bear the entire burden.

Another source of real value for Gaudin is that he can also be used as a starter if the need presents itself. It is foolish to think the current Cubs rotation, as strong and deep as it is currently, is in any way invincible. Harden, of course, has had his extensive history on the DL in just 5 major league seasons.

Jason Marquis has been pretty solid as a No. 5 man this season (8-7 4.67 ERA) but has toed dangerous line of allowing lots of men to reach (1.45 WHIP) in most of his 22 starts. Then there is the potential issue of durability with Ryan Dempster, who became a starter this year after closing for the Cubs the previous three seasons.

He was a starter early in his career (from '99-'03) but has not pitched 200 innings in a season since '01. He is on pace now for 215. This is not guaranteed to be a problem, but it will be interesting to see whether Dempster will keep it going for the final quarter of the season.

For Gaudin, this may not mean actually replacing Dempster in the rotation, but perhaps providing Dempster an extra day of rest by filling in for a start on Dempster's normal turn to pitch. Having a fresh, strong Dempster as the No. 3 starter going into a playoff series will be important to the Cubs' postseason success.

Ultimately, Chad Gaudin will not likely be the reason the Cubs do or don't win the division, win the NLCS, or...I won't even say it. However, he will be involved in some important games down the stretch, pitching some important innings and more than likely being around to pick up at least a couple wins in those games.

He can also become a player the Cubs look to keep around for a few years after the 2008 campaign. At only 25, he already has some quality major league experience on his resume, while still having the potential to become a very quality starter or late-inning reliever for many years to come.