Posted on 08/22/2005 8:43:43 AM PDT by ken5050
OK..fellow baseball fans..a very exciting week..much to discuss...especially for those who love/hate the NY teams....so let's begin...
AMERICAN LEAGUE:
AL EAST: Red Sox lead Yankees by 4.0, Blue Jays by 8.5
AL CENTRAL: (Gotta post this now, for Petronski).... White Sox lead the Tribe by 8.5
AL WEST: Angels lead A's by 2.5
AL Wild Card:
A's lead Yankees and Indians by .5, Twins by 2.5, and Blue Jays by 5.0
Yankees are in BIG TROUBLE..In case you didn't realize it, the Little Pinkie ( or, the player formerly known as the Big Unit) turns in Sept...and yesterday he pitched like it...he looks older on the mound than Sheets does on the Senate floor..the 4th home run ..the pitch was heading for the backstop..
Yankees have a 4 game series with the Blue Jays, and it says here they lose 3 of 4, maybe get swept, since Moose is due for a bad outing.....and then they welcome the newly resurgent Royals for 3..Nothing less than a sweep is acceptable for the Yankees and it won't happen..so, by this time next week..Yankees could be out of it for all practical purposes..
Red Sox get Schilling back into the rotation. I think they'll be 7 up by the end of the week...Could well be that the 6 games left with the Yankees become meaningless..
Many here have said the Chisox are overrated..and they've had a little slump..they're playing .500 since the All-star break..but I think they really miss Posednik..he makes the team go..and he should be back this week..but how about the Tribe....as predicted here, by yours truly and Petronski..Indians are quietly getting the job done..and they're getting overlooked in all the hoopla of the AL east and west races...Cleveland has a soft schedule..and should be atop the WC standing by the week's end. And if, IF the Chisox don't get back on track..and the lead falls to 4-5, then all bets are off...
A's were due for a mini-slump after that incredible stretch..I think the race stays tight down to the last week..
Gotta give kudos to the Twins..they've played themselves back in to the race, when, after losing Torii Hunter, they could have folded, and of late Sanatana has returned to last year's Cy Young form. FYI..the hottest team in MLB since the all-star break..your very own Tampa Bay Devil Rays...and the Tribe gets them now for a series..Tampa may not care about beating anyone outside their division....
NATIONAL LEAGUE NL EAST: Braves lead the Phillies by 3.5, Marlins by 4.5, Nats by 5.0, and the Mets by 6.5
NL CENTRAL: Cardinals!!! CARDINALS!!! CARDINALS!!! (that's for our good friend SCALEMAN, who never gets to see his team listed on this thread..)
NL WEST: do we have to.....??? Pods lead by 4.0...they are UNDER .500
NL WILD CARD: Phils lead Astro's by.5, Marlins by 1.0, Nats by 1.5, Mets by 3.0
My Metsies, after I consigned them to the has-been list last week, played themselves back into contention this week, though they almost pulled off one of the "greatest?" collapses ever Sat night...blowing Pedro's 8-0 lead..now they are off on the road for 7 games..4 in Arizona and 3 in SF..If, IF, they are serious, they need to go 5-2 on this road trip...
Braves are coming back to the fold..everyone in the NL EAST is not thinking about the WC..they're looking ahead to the Braves and the division title..
Pettite is the suprise of the 'Stros staff..winning 8 of his last 10 starts...I told you all here two weeks ago that Nats would finish last..Oh, how you all scoffed at me...they'll be there by next week...
Let's take a closer look at the NL wild card schedules:
Phillies: Today they start a 12 game 14 day road trip, then they're home for 16, playing Houston, Florida, and Atlanta..Of their final 31 games, 21 are against winning teams.
Astros: 8 of Houston's next 12 series are against losing teams. They play the Marlins 4 games Sept 12-15, then do NOT face a winning team in their final 16 games, except for 2 late games against the Cards, who will be resting everyone by then, unl;ess they wanyt to knock off the Astros. With their pitching, including a very hot of late Pettite, Astros look like the class of the field, which makes our own Allegra ecstatic... ...
Nats: They have 25 home games left, most of any WC hopefuls. They finish with 9 of 12 at home..including 3 game sets with the Mets, Marlins, and Phillies.
Marlins: They close August with a 3 games series against the Cards befoe 20 straight games against other wild card contenders..Mets, Nats, Phils, and 'Stros...Starting Sept 5...the play 17 of 20 on the road..
Random thoughts...did you see the Little League playoff game..with the kid who struck out all 18 batters he faced? Well, this "12 year old" shaves once a week...and he has a goatee..go figure....
Note: I need a pinch-hitter to do the thread NEXT week...I expect to be travelling...so PLEASE!!!!..Freepmail me..thanks...
What? No mention of the Cubs in the wild card race? Astounding!
Pettitte's performance is no surprise to anyone who's been paying attention the last decade. The Yankees not doing everything in their power to re-sign him was a disastrous non-move.
How about Randy Johnson pitching a complete game in a 6 - 2 loss yesterday? Weird. Gave up 4 HRs in one inning, and that was all she wrote.
Good Monday Morning all..BTW.. I think the ping list is finally all corrected, but if anyone wants off or on..just Freepmail me..regards..
Tigers have turned up the heat again with two wins against Boston and a sweep of the series against Toronto. Carlos Pena has returned from the minors and hit 3 homeruns against the Jays.
speaks volumes on how tired their pen is
He can sure pitch..and I thinkt he Yankees NOT signing him was more of a personal fit, or lack of..He never liked NY, and remember that dust-up when he was the spokesman for a religious group in TV ads...I don't think Andy ever intended to resign with the Yankees..and being the gentleman he is, I expect he told them so.. ....but in terms of coming off of the DL this season..I don't think anyone expected him to be pitching as well the last two months...Maybe Clemens told him he couldn't do it all by himself..
I will agree the Yanks are in big trouble but not that much more than Boston.
I like it.
Scott Rolen is going to have surgery on his left shoulder so, he's out for the season. Molina is back, but Grudzielanek is on the 15-day DL with a knee infection.
Good morning. I don't know about the Houston side of that equation, but as for Cleveland, I'd say the odds are long. I believe Cleveland can make the playoffs, but the teams they'll face there all seem to have the Tribe's number: Boston, Chicago, etc.
You guys have KC, Det, and Tampa coming up. ....so no worries.
Yeah, The Yankees are in "big" trouble going 7-3 in their last 10... -sarc
The 'Stros had an awful homestand. Ugh. Of course, I chose to go to many of the games, so it's probably all my fault. I've done penance, however, so hopefully the slump is over. But there's really no excuse for not winning a series with the Bucs and the Brew-Crew.
But how about Burke hitting in the 3-spot? That was bizarre to say the least, but it seemed to work out. Garner proves to either have the foresight of Muad'Dib, or a charmed life. Luck is more important than talent, and the 'Stros need a bottomless supply of fortune.
Red Sox Magic Number: 37
KC has won 2 straight (Not that it counts for anything), Detroit is 7-3 in last 10 and Tampa is 8-2 in last 10 (Won 5 straight).
After the Yankees faced the Tigers the last time Randy Johnson gave up 9 runs in one game and later said that the Tigers aren't an easy mark anymore.
A's Magic Number: 43 (Unfortunately, there are only 39 games left in their seasion.)
Just too late for this season..though they can play the spoiler roll..Next year, though..
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