Sizing Up September
By: SBR Staff
The New York Yankees, favorites to win it all in Major League Baseball before this season started, are pulling away in the American League East and putting it all together for a possible championship run come October.
New York trailed the Boston Red Sox in the East for much of the season, thanks in part to some key injuries and iffy starting pitching. But the Yankees have gone 32-18 since the All-Star break to not only overtake the Sox (who’ve stuttered to a 21-31 mark since the All-Star game), but open up an 8½-game lead with just a month to go.
Injured Yankee slugger Gary Sheffield remains out of action, and best-case scenarios envision a mid-September return. But fellow outfielder Hideki Matsui, who hasn’t played since breaking his wrist in mid-May, has commenced taking batting practice and could return to the lineup next week.
However, ace closer Mariano Rivera, who missed the just-completed weekend series with Minnesota with a sore elbow, will also miss the Yankees’ upcoming series with the Kansas City Royals, and possibly more.
Those Minnesota Twins, owners of the best home record in the majors (45-22), have grabbed a 1½-game lead over the defending World Series champion Chicago White Sox in the AL wild-card race. The Twins have scored just 21 runs over their last nine games, and catcher Joe Mauer, the leading hitter in the majors (.348), has been in a slump. But the pitching has been solid, especially the bullpen; Minnesota is 67-0 this season when leading after eight innings.
And the Twins may get some good news soon; Francisco Liriano, the Johan Santana clone with the 2.19 ERA, could be back in the rotation in time to get in three or four starts before the end of the regular season. And that could be the difference between playing in October and watching football.
It’s gut-check time for the Detroit Tigers. Still the owners of the best record in baseball (actually, tied with the Mets), the Motor City Kitties have gone just 9-18 over the last month and their lead over the Twins in the AL Central is down to four games. And now Detroit is playing without its’ everyday double-play combination; 2B Placido Polanco is still on the DL after separating his shoulder, and SS Carlos Guillen has missed the last couple of games after tweaking a hammy over the weekend.
The Tigers begin a big four-game series with the Twins in Minneapolis on Thursday night.
The Oakland A’s have opened up a seven-game lead over the second-place Los Angeles Angels in the AL West. Oakland ranks in the bottom third in the majors in many offensive categories, but A’s pitching ranks second in ERA. And Oakland could get closer Huston Street, who’s been out of action with a groin injury the last three weeks, back as soon as this weekend.
The New York Mets look like they’ll be the first team this season to clinch a division title. New York’s magic number to win the National League East is down to 11. And the Mets are 11 games up on the St. Louis Cardinals in the race for the best record in the NL. But New York has a few injury concerns of its own. Pedro Martinez has been on the DL since mid-August with a calf injury, and his ETA for a return is uncertain. And OF Carlos Beltran missed a couple of recent games after banging his knee against an outfield fence while trying to make a catch over the weekend.
Those St. Louis Cardinals, despite a few stumbles this season, look like they’re going to hold on in the NL Central. The Cardinals lead the division by six games over the second-place Cincinnati Reds, who themselves have slipped below the .500 mark and into fifth place in the NL wild-card race. The NL Central is the only division in the majors with just one team above .500.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, owners of one of the larger home/road differentials in baseball, still sit atop the NL West by a couple of games over the second-place San Diego Padres. L.A. is a profitable 44-27 in Chavez Ravine this season, but just 29-37 away from home. Only the Milwaukee Brewers (40-29 at home, 23-46 on the road), Pittsburgh Pirates (36-33 at home, 19-50 on the road) and Tampa Bay Devil Rays (also 36-33 at home, 19-50 on the road) own larger home/road discrepancies than the Dodgers.
By: SBR Staff
The New York Yankees, favorites to win it all in Major League Baseball before this season started, are pulling away in the American League East and putting it all together for a possible championship run come October.
New York trailed the Boston Red Sox in the East for much of the season, thanks in part to some key injuries and iffy starting pitching. But the Yankees have gone 32-18 since the All-Star break to not only overtake the Sox (who’ve stuttered to a 21-31 mark since the All-Star game), but open up an 8½-game lead with just a month to go.
Injured Yankee slugger Gary Sheffield remains out of action, and best-case scenarios envision a mid-September return. But fellow outfielder Hideki Matsui, who hasn’t played since breaking his wrist in mid-May, has commenced taking batting practice and could return to the lineup next week.
However, ace closer Mariano Rivera, who missed the just-completed weekend series with Minnesota with a sore elbow, will also miss the Yankees’ upcoming series with the Kansas City Royals, and possibly more.
Those Minnesota Twins, owners of the best home record in the majors (45-22), have grabbed a 1½-game lead over the defending World Series champion Chicago White Sox in the AL wild-card race. The Twins have scored just 21 runs over their last nine games, and catcher Joe Mauer, the leading hitter in the majors (.348), has been in a slump. But the pitching has been solid, especially the bullpen; Minnesota is 67-0 this season when leading after eight innings.
And the Twins may get some good news soon; Francisco Liriano, the Johan Santana clone with the 2.19 ERA, could be back in the rotation in time to get in three or four starts before the end of the regular season. And that could be the difference between playing in October and watching football.
It’s gut-check time for the Detroit Tigers. Still the owners of the best record in baseball (actually, tied with the Mets), the Motor City Kitties have gone just 9-18 over the last month and their lead over the Twins in the AL Central is down to four games. And now Detroit is playing without its’ everyday double-play combination; 2B Placido Polanco is still on the DL after separating his shoulder, and SS Carlos Guillen has missed the last couple of games after tweaking a hammy over the weekend.
The Tigers begin a big four-game series with the Twins in Minneapolis on Thursday night.
The Oakland A’s have opened up a seven-game lead over the second-place Los Angeles Angels in the AL West. Oakland ranks in the bottom third in the majors in many offensive categories, but A’s pitching ranks second in ERA. And Oakland could get closer Huston Street, who’s been out of action with a groin injury the last three weeks, back as soon as this weekend.
The New York Mets look like they’ll be the first team this season to clinch a division title. New York’s magic number to win the National League East is down to 11. And the Mets are 11 games up on the St. Louis Cardinals in the race for the best record in the NL. But New York has a few injury concerns of its own. Pedro Martinez has been on the DL since mid-August with a calf injury, and his ETA for a return is uncertain. And OF Carlos Beltran missed a couple of recent games after banging his knee against an outfield fence while trying to make a catch over the weekend.
Those St. Louis Cardinals, despite a few stumbles this season, look like they’re going to hold on in the NL Central. The Cardinals lead the division by six games over the second-place Cincinnati Reds, who themselves have slipped below the .500 mark and into fifth place in the NL wild-card race. The NL Central is the only division in the majors with just one team above .500.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, owners of one of the larger home/road differentials in baseball, still sit atop the NL West by a couple of games over the second-place San Diego Padres. L.A. is a profitable 44-27 in Chavez Ravine this season, but just 29-37 away from home. Only the Milwaukee Brewers (40-29 at home, 23-46 on the road), Pittsburgh Pirates (36-33 at home, 19-50 on the road) and Tampa Bay Devil Rays (also 36-33 at home, 19-50 on the road) own larger home/road discrepancies than the Dodgers.