Among first-half surprises, the Padres’ rise, the Cubs’ collapse, Jose Bautista’s slugging and now-retired Ken Griffey Jr.’s non-slugging top the list. But don’t forget the Mets.
After a troubled offseason that seemed to put their general manager and manager on the firing line before the season opener, many figured the club would be buried in bad news by now.
But the Mets are hanging tough in the NL East. They have lost their past two games but trail the Braves, another surprise (a mild one, anyway), by just 1.5 games.
Surprise! R.A. Dickey has helped pitch the Mets into contention.
Just as surprising as the Mets’ climb into contention has been one of the key reasons behind their good fortune. If you pegged R.A. Dickey to be 6-1 with a 2.98 ERA at this point, you should be living in Las Vegas.
When the Mets agreed to a minor league deal with Dickey this past December on the same day the cross-town Yankees acquired Javier Vazquez, Dickey barely made it on the transactions page. He was an aging righthander who hadn’t cut it as a conventional pitcher but didn’t want to give up, so he converted to full-time knuckling in 2005. That didn’t work so well, either, and Dickey spent about as much time in the minors as the majors over the next four years.
Well, score one for persistence. Dickey put his name in the Mets’ record book by winning his first six decisions after he was promoted in May. He might have saved not only his career but the Mets’ season, too. Dickey has had plenty of help, of course, but the club is 24-13 since his debut.
For now anyway, Dickey’s career is spinning in the right direction after he conquered the difficult (and disappearing) skill of throwing a baseball without spin.
"It’s not so much that it’s working better, it’s just working more," Dickey says. "The movement I’m getting is late in the strike zone. That was happening before but just not as often."
As for any pitcher, the key has been throwing strikes. Dickey is walking only 2.6 batters per nine innings this season after averaging 4.1 per nine over his previous two seasons in the majors. "I’m in year five of throwing the pitch and feel like I’ve put in enough work to where my muscle memory is starting to take it over. Like anything, there comes a point when you don’t want to have to think about what you’re doing on the mound. You just want it to occur very organically, very naturally. That’s happening more than ever."
Because pitchers like to put doubt in hitters’ minds whenever they can, knuckleballers often say they don’t know where their pitch is going. "We all play into that big time," former knuckleballer Tom Candiotti admits. Don’t buy it, at least not completely.
Candiotti, who walked 2.9 per nine innings in a 16-year career, says throwing strikes isn’t that difficult once you have down the mechanics. "You try to drill the catcher in the mask," he says.
Do that and the knuckleball likely will drop into the strike zone. "Once in a while you throw the one that goes crazy but most of the time, the ball is going to break one of three ways — down to the left, down to the right or straight down," Candiotti says.
Knuckleballs confound hitters, embarrass catchers and bore scouts but they’re a special, if often overlooked, part of the game. Look at it this way: If you’ve ever played catch, you’re probably tried to throw one. It’s no wonder knuckleballers stick together.
"At one point, I was the only guy in the big leagues who threw a knuckleball," says Candiotti, who pitched from 1983-99. "Around 1987, (then Rangers pitching coach) Tom House, who had a huge interest in knuckleball pitchers, told me, ‘Congratulations’ one day. I said, ‘Thanks, what did I do?’ ‘You’ve become the 20th pitcher in the history of baseball to become a full-time knuckleball pitcher.’ I know it was important to Phil Niekro and Charlie Hough and those guys for me to carry the torch.
You don’t have to be knuckleballer — or a Mets fan — to root for Dickey. Anyone who values perseverance can appreciate the years it has taken to have even six weeks of success. "It was a real grueling transition," Dickey says. "But I always had the hope that it would end up on the other side."
Now that he has made a successful transition, he could stick around for a while. The stress of throwing knuckleballs is not much greater than playing catch. "I was in the eighth inning (of a recent start) and felt like I had only thrown a couple of innings," Dickey says.
Considering that good knuckleballers typically last well into their 40s, Dickey, 35, hopes he is just starting. He points out that Tim Wakefield, Niekro and Hough all had plenty of success after turning 35.
"I’m still a prospect," Dickey says. "Like I’m 28 in knuckleball years."
That remains to be seen, but at least he has been able to spin the Mets’ season in the right direction — without any spin on his pitches, of course.
Stan McNeal is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at smcneal@sportingnews.com.
Among first-half surprises, the Padres’ rise, the Cubs’ collapse, Jose Bautista’s slugging and now-retired Ken Griffey Jr.’s non-slugging top the list. But don’t forget the Mets.
After a troubled offseason that seemed to put their general manager and manager on the firing line before the season opener, many figured the club would be buried in bad news by now.
But the Mets are hanging tough in the NL East. They have lost their past two games but trail the Braves, another surprise (a mild one, anyway), by just 1.5 games.
Surprise! R.A. Dickey has helped pitch the Mets into contention.
Just as surprising as the Mets’ climb into contention has been one of the key reasons behind their good fortune. If you pegged R.A. Dickey to be 6-1 with a 2.98 ERA at this point, you should be living in Las Vegas.
When the Mets agreed to a minor league deal with Dickey this past December on the same day the cross-town Yankees acquired Javier Vazquez, Dickey barely made it on the transactions page. He was an aging righthander who hadn’t cut it as a conventional pitcher but didn’t want to give up, so he converted to full-time knuckling in 2005. That didn’t work so well, either, and Dickey spent about as much time in the minors as the majors over the next four years.
Well, score one for persistence. Dickey put his name in the Mets’ record book by winning his first six decisions after he was promoted in May. He might have saved not only his career but the Mets’ season, too. Dickey has had plenty of help, of course, but the club is 24-13 since his debut.
For now anyway, Dickey’s career is spinning in the right direction after he conquered the difficult (and disappearing) skill of throwing a baseball without spin.
"It’s not so much that it’s working better, it’s just working more," Dickey says. "The movement I’m getting is late in the strike zone. That was happening before but just not as often."
As for any pitcher, the key has been throwing strikes. Dickey is walking only 2.6 batters per nine innings this season after averaging 4.1 per nine over his previous two seasons in the majors. "I’m in year five of throwing the pitch and feel like I’ve put in enough work to where my muscle memory is starting to take it over. Like anything, there comes a point when you don’t want to have to think about what you’re doing on the mound. You just want it to occur very organically, very naturally. That’s happening more than ever."
Because pitchers like to put doubt in hitters’ minds whenever they can, knuckleballers often say they don’t know where their pitch is going. "We all play into that big time," former knuckleballer Tom Candiotti admits. Don’t buy it, at least not completely.
Candiotti, who walked 2.9 per nine innings in a 16-year career, says throwing strikes isn’t that difficult once you have down the mechanics. "You try to drill the catcher in the mask," he says.
Do that and the knuckleball likely will drop into the strike zone. "Once in a while you throw the one that goes crazy but most of the time, the ball is going to break one of three ways — down to the left, down to the right or straight down," Candiotti says.
Knuckleballs confound hitters, embarrass catchers and bore scouts but they’re a special, if often overlooked, part of the game. Look at it this way: If you’ve ever played catch, you’re probably tried to throw one. It’s no wonder knuckleballers stick together.
"At one point, I was the only guy in the big leagues who threw a knuckleball," says Candiotti, who pitched from 1983-99. "Around 1987, (then Rangers pitching coach) Tom House, who had a huge interest in knuckleball pitchers, told me, ‘Congratulations’ one day. I said, ‘Thanks, what did I do?’ ‘You’ve become the 20th pitcher in the history of baseball to become a full-time knuckleball pitcher.’ I know it was important to Phil Niekro and Charlie Hough and those guys for me to carry the torch.
You don’t have to be knuckleballer — or a Mets fan — to root for Dickey. Anyone who values perseverance can appreciate the years it has taken to have even six weeks of success. "It was a real grueling transition," Dickey says. "But I always had the hope that it would end up on the other side."
Now that he has made a successful transition, he could stick around for a while. The stress of throwing knuckleballs is not much greater than playing catch. "I was in the eighth inning (of a recent start) and felt like I had only thrown a couple of innings," Dickey says.
Considering that good knuckleballers typically last well into their 40s, Dickey, 35, hopes he is just starting. He points out that Tim Wakefield, Niekro and Hough all had plenty of success after turning 35.
"I’m still a prospect," Dickey says. "Like I’m 28 in knuckleball years."
That remains to be seen, but at least he has been able to spin the Mets’ season in the right direction — without any spin on his pitches, of course.
Stan McNeal is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at smcneal@sportingnews.com.
Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano has had a tempestuous first half of the baseball season, struggling to stay healthy and pitch to his previously established levels. On Friday, Zambrano went on an animated tirade directed at his teammates, in the dugout and in full view of television cameras. Zambrano has since been suspended by the team and his future with the organization is in doubt.
Fellow Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster joined ESPN Radio in Chicago with Waddle and Silvy to talk about Zambrano’s outburst. To listen to the interview, go to Sports Radio Interviews. Questions and responses have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Chicago Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster says he expects his suspended teammate, Carlos Zambrano, to return to the club this season.
Was Zambrano speaking in Spanish or English? What did he say?
Dempster: Both. He was upset. He was upset, he was mad, and he said something I’m sure he wished he didn’t say. We’ve moved past it and it’s been a couple days.
I know everybody in Chicago wants to keep rehashing, keep talking about it, but us as players we have just moved on. We’ll deal with whatever hurdles come next with Z coming back and we’ll move forward. You know, it was cool, we came out Saturday and played a good game, and then we came out yesterday and won a game. So we’re just focused on what we can do on the field and not let all that stuff get in the way of what we are trying to accomplish.
Is there a chance the other players won’t accept Zambrano if he comes back?
Dempster: You have to move on with those things. It would be a miserable year if you sit there and outcast one of your teammates like that. Like Ted Lilly said, we’ve all done things we have probably regretted and been forgiven for. We will handle it if and when it comes, and just go out there and make the best of the situation. We have to move forward; you can’t sit there and walk around with negative things hanging over your head. Unfortunately, it was kind of a black mark on what went on during the weekend. We just have to figure out the best way to move past it, and win ball games, and have fun, and rally around each other.
Does Dempster think Zambrano will regain the trust of his teammates?
Dempster: I think that’s up to him, right? When you do those things and react the way he did, you have to be the one to stand up and accept responsibility. I think he’s willing to do that, but we’ll wait and see. Like I said, I can’t make speculations because I don’t know what’s going to happen. Whatever happens happens, and we are just going to go out there and try to win the ball game tonight, and that’s really the only thing on our minds.
Did Dempster have a problem with Zambrano having dinner with Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen the night of the incident, after the game?
Dempster: No. If it was me, would I do it? No. But when you are away from the field, you can go hang out with whoever you want to go hang out with, and have dinner with whoever you want to eat with. I know they are very good friends away from the field and they talk a lot. They see each other a lot during the off season, so he is free to do whatever he wants. Those are judgments you have to make on your own, and you have to decide whether they are right.
I said if it was me I wouldn’t have done it, but that’s his choice. He did it, and it doesn’t bother me.
Does Dempster expect Zambrano to return to the Cubs this season?
Dempster: Yeah, for sure. I think that’s inevitable, right? I think that he’ll be back and I think he has to handle it in a certain way. I think that everybody would be crazy not to assume that he owes everybody an apology, and once we go from there I think you owe it to yourself to forgive your teammate and move past that. Just keep trying to plug forward and try to get to the playoffs is what we are trying to do here.
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Brandon Jennings talks about the upcoming NBA season
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Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano has had a tempestuous first half of the baseball season, struggling to stay healthy and pitch to his previously established levels. On Friday, Zambrano went on an animated tirade directed at his teammates, in the dugout and in full view of television cameras. Zambrano has since been suspended by the team and his future with the organization is in doubt.
Fellow Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster joined ESPN Radio in Chicago with Waddle and Silvy to talk about Zambrano’s outburst. To listen to the interview, go to Sports Radio Interviews. Questions and responses have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Chicago Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster says he expects his suspended teammate, Carlos Zambrano, to return to the club this season.
Was Zambrano speaking in Spanish or English? What did he say?
Dempster: Both. He was upset. He was upset, he was mad, and he said something I’m sure he wished he didn’t say. We’ve moved past it and it’s been a couple days.
I know everybody in Chicago wants to keep rehashing, keep talking about it, but us as players we have just moved on. We’ll deal with whatever hurdles come next with Z coming back and we’ll move forward. You know, it was cool, we came out Saturday and played a good game, and then we came out yesterday and won a game. So we’re just focused on what we can do on the field and not let all that stuff get in the way of what we are trying to accomplish.
Is there a chance the other players won’t accept Zambrano if he comes back?
Dempster: You have to move on with those things. It would be a miserable year if you sit there and outcast one of your teammates like that. Like Ted Lilly said, we’ve all done things we have probably regretted and been forgiven for. We will handle it if and when it comes, and just go out there and make the best of the situation. We have to move forward; you can’t sit there and walk around with negative things hanging over your head. Unfortunately, it was kind of a black mark on what went on during the weekend. We just have to figure out the best way to move past it, and win ball games, and have fun, and rally around each other.
Does Dempster think Zambrano will regain the trust of his teammates?
Dempster: I think that’s up to him, right? When you do those things and react the way he did, you have to be the one to stand up and accept responsibility. I think he’s willing to do that, but we’ll wait and see. Like I said, I can’t make speculations because I don’t know what’s going to happen. Whatever happens happens, and we are just going to go out there and try to win the ball game tonight, and that’s really the only thing on our minds.
Did Dempster have a problem with Zambrano having dinner with Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen the night of the incident, after the game?
Dempster: No. If it was me, would I do it? No. But when you are away from the field, you can go hang out with whoever you want to go hang out with, and have dinner with whoever you want to eat with. I know they are very good friends away from the field and they talk a lot. They see each other a lot during the off season, so he is free to do whatever he wants. Those are judgments you have to make on your own, and you have to decide whether they are right.
I said if it was me I wouldn’t have done it, but that’s his choice. He did it, and it doesn’t bother me.
Does Dempster expect Zambrano to return to the Cubs this season?
Dempster: Yeah, for sure. I think that’s inevitable, right? I think that he’ll be back and I think he has to handle it in a certain way. I think that everybody would be crazy not to assume that he owes everybody an apology, and once we go from there I think you owe it to yourself to forgive your teammate and move past that. Just keep trying to plug forward and try to get to the playoffs is what we are trying to do here.
More from SRI
Brandon Jennings talks about the upcoming NBA season
Urban Meyer says he has to take better care of himself
Media: Author James Andrew Miller, who’s working on a book about ESPN, says Erin Andrews is staying with the network, and USA Today reported Andrews has tentatively agreed to a new two-year deal. Miller tweets, "Erin Andrews will be staying at ESPN, and no, I didn’t get it from the network." Her current contract expires Thursday. "I interviewed Erin twice for the book. She loves sports too much to leave it behind for an all entertainment career," Miller continues. His book’s working title is "ESPN — Those Guys Have All The Fun."
NFL: Count Warren Sapp among those who think Albert Haynesworth needs to suck it up. (Via the D.C. Sports Blog) Sapp says, "Let’s stop the BS, like we like to say," Sapp told Vic Carucci and Howard Balzer on Sirius NFL Radio. "I mean, c’mon, son. You sat at the table. The people told you they had a very lovely check for you….Albert Haynesworth, you took the check, now show up to the job, son. It’s that simple. You take that kind of check. I mean, I’ll flip dogs for you. I mean, c’mon, what you want me to do, you want me to return punts? I mean, what? C’mon. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it."
Soccer: Seems news of a possible baby mama in Landon Donovan’s life wasn’t exactly breaking news for Donovan’s wife, Bianca Kajilich. A spokesman for the actress told the New York Post, "She was not blindsided by this and isn’t angry." Donovan and Kajilich are in the process of getting a divorce. Donovan said Sunday that he learned during the World Cup that a British woman is saying she is pregnant with his child and that he will take responsibility if that assertion is true.
MLB: New York Daily News scribe Bob Raissman has a take on the coverage of the YES Network and FOX’s coverage of Joe Torre’s first series against the Yankees that Fly completely agrees with: "Neither outlet covered itself with glory while chronicling this eventful series. Their coverage of the Torre story, the Dodger manager’s first encounter with the team he navigated to four World Series titles and 12 consecutive playoff appearances, was rancid." YES wouldn’t give Torre even the slightest nod, and FOX was all but genuflecting. Gag.
• Tweet of the day comes from Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Not to sound like Mike Krzyzewski, but this Atlanta Braves’ season feels ‘special.’ "
High school baseball: Not quite as juicy as the whole Tim Donaghy thing, but a former New York high school assistant baseball coach was among those swept up in an illegal betting dragnet, the New York Post reports. The team’s head coach isn’t named in the indictments, but former head coach Dennis Canale is also involved with nysportswager.com, which is run by the notorious Genovese family. Five mob-related gambling rings were part of the sweep. Both coaches left Xaverian because of the investigation.
Media: Author James Andrew Miller, who’s working on a book about ESPN, says Erin Andrews is staying with the network, and USA Today reported Andrews has tentatively agreed to a new two-year deal. Miller tweets, "Erin Andrews will be staying at ESPN, and no, I didn’t get it from the network." Her current contract expires Thursday. "I interviewed Erin twice for the book. She loves sports too much to leave it behind for an all entertainment career," Miller continues. His book’s working title is "ESPN — Those Guys Have All The Fun."
NFL: Count Warren Sapp among those who think Albert Haynesworth needs to suck it up. (Via the D.C. Sports Blog) Sapp says, "Let’s stop the BS, like we like to say," Sapp told Vic Carucci and Howard Balzer on Sirius NFL Radio. "I mean, c’mon, son. You sat at the table. The people told you they had a very lovely check for you….Albert Haynesworth, you took the check, now show up to the job, son. It’s that simple. You take that kind of check. I mean, I’ll flip dogs for you. I mean, c’mon, what you want me to do, you want me to return punts? I mean, what? C’mon. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it."
Soccer: Seems news of a possible baby mama in Landon Donovan’s life wasn’t exactly breaking news for Donovan’s wife, Bianca Kajilich. A spokesman for the actress told the New York Post, "She was not blindsided by this and isn’t angry." Donovan and Kajilich are in the process of getting a divorce. Donovan said Sunday that he learned during the World Cup that a British woman is saying she is pregnant with his child and that he will take responsibility if that assertion is true.
MLB: New York Daily News scribe Bob Raissman has a take on the coverage of the YES Network and FOX’s coverage of Joe Torre’s first series against the Yankees that Fly completely agrees with: "Neither outlet covered itself with glory while chronicling this eventful series. Their coverage of the Torre story, the Dodger manager’s first encounter with the team he navigated to four World Series titles and 12 consecutive playoff appearances, was rancid." YES wouldn’t give Torre even the slightest nod, and FOX was all but genuflecting. Gag.
• Tweet of the day comes from Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Not to sound like Mike Krzyzewski, but this Atlanta Braves’ season feels ‘special.’ "
High school baseball: Not quite as juicy as the whole Tim Donaghy thing, but a former New York high school assistant baseball coach was among those swept up in an illegal betting dragnet, the New York Post reports. The team’s head coach isn’t named in the indictments, but former head coach Dennis Canale is also involved with nysportswager.com, which is run by the notorious Genovese family. Five mob-related gambling rings were part of the sweep. Both coaches left Xaverian because of the investigation.
We’re changing things up a bit for this week’s power poll. This is "Buck says" week, featuring a poll infused with insights and opinions from TBS analyst Buck Martinez, a former big-league catcher and manager.
For example, Buck says: "Stephen Strasburg is the most interesting guy because everybody is clamoring for his appearance (at the All-Star Game). But, it’s difficult for me to suggest Stephen Strasburg is an All-Star selection given the fact it might keep someone else from being on there who’s played all year and is deserving."
Buck Martinez says he’s surprised by the Mets and Padres, but not the Mariners.
We’ll find out if Strasburg is an All-Star on Sunday, when the starters and reserves are announced on TBS’ All-Star selection show, which starts at noon ET.
Anyway, on to the poll.
1. Yankees (last week: 2). Buck says: "Robbie Cano’s certainly an All-Star, and he’s going to win a batting title one of these days." Cano might not have to wait long to claim that first batting title. He entered the week at .359, which was 13 points ahead of Minnesota’s Justin Morneau and Texas’ Josh Hamilton, and has been a stronger second-half player through his career. He’s hit .299 before the All-Star break and .329 after it, so don’t expect much of a letdown from that lofty .359 mark.
2. Rangers (5). Buck says: "Ron Washington is a terrific baseball guy, and he’s got those guys in Texas understanding there’s more to baseball than just hitting the ball. They’ve done a great job tightening up their defense, and Vladdy Guerrero looks like he met Ponce de Leon at the fountain of youth because he looks terrific. I saw him the first series of the season against the Blue Jays and, boy, the bat speed was there, his legs look great and to his credit, with that extra work, he looks like the Vladdy of five or six years ago. And this Josh Hamilton kid has had some month of June, hasn’t he? He’s been incredible."
3. Padres (6). Buck says: "Nobody even talked about the Padres, but here they are pitching so well, and Buddy Black’s done a great job of encouraging his guys and pushing them to take it one game at a time. They’ve got impact players. (Chase) Headley’s become a leader, and the (Nick) Hundley kid has become a leader behind the plate. And they’ve got one of the least-known impact hitters in baseball in Adrian Gonzalez. I think Buddy’s done a great job with his pitching staff, and if you get into the back end of the game with (Luke) Gregerson, (Mike) Adams and Heath Bell, the game is over."
4. Red Sox (1). The Sox dropped, in part, this week because of a couple of losses on a West Coast road trip through Colorado and San Francisco. But the larger reason was the loss of star second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who is thought to be out at least six weeks with a broken bone in his foot. And then Victor Martinez broke a bone in his left thumb and Clay Buchholz hyperextended his knee. All in all, a horrible week for the Sox.
5. Braves (3). The Braves have been in first place every day since May 31, their longest such streak since they closed out the 2005 season in first place every day after July 22.
6. Rays (4). In the two seasons since hitting .288 with a .985 OPS in the 2008 playoffs, B.J. Upton has hit just .234 with an awful .694 OPS. With two more arbitration years before he becomes a free agent—and unavoidable raises from his $3 million salary in 2010—you wonder if the cost-conscious Rays would move Upton for the right price. A price that would certainly be significantly lower than it was a few short years ago.
7. Mets (8). Buck says: "The biggest surprises to me have been the Mets and the Padres. Look at the Mets. They’re right there staying with Atlanta and ahead of Philadelphia." David Wright has regained his "superstar" status with his bounce-back season. Yes, he’s striking out a lot—88 times in 74 games—but he’s also hitting .300 with a .928 OPS and leads the NL with 61 RBIs.
8. Phillies (17). Buck says: "They’re not in first place, but, boy, are they swinging hot bats right now. Up and down the order, they’re doing a great job and now they’ve got Jimmy Rollins back—he had a four-walk day on Friday and a three-hit day on Saturday. You look at them and they’re going to get (Ryan) Madson back, (Chad) Durbin doesn’t look to be out for a long time. J.A. Happ’s going to come back. These guys, they’re the team that can win a division that’s not in first place right now."
9. Reds (15). Scott Rolen and Joey Votto enter the week with identical home run and RBI totals (16 and 50). Votto has a higher average (.305 to .300) and on-base percentage (.411 to .367), while Rolen has a better slugging percentage (.571 to .552) and more extra-base hits (34 to 30).
Move over, Albert? Colby Rasmus is flexing his muscles in St. Louis.
10. Cardinals (11). Who would have thought, at this point of the season, second-year outfielder Colby Rasmus would have the same number of homers (16) and extra-base hits (32) as superstar Albert Pujols and more runs scored (46 to 40) and a better slugging percentage (578 to .542)?
11. White Sox (18). Buck says: "It was a surprise that they had not pitched better early on. How many people were so critical of Ozzie (Guillen) for calling his team out, saying ‘You’ve got to be better than this, we’re better than this.’ Well, they were. In this age where you’ve got to be politically correct, Ozzie rubs a lot of people the wrong way, but the reality is, he’s telling the truth and his players have responded. They’re a good team. They’re a very good team."
12. Angels (12). Buck says: "I think they will (contend) because they have the front-line pitching. Those are the types of guys who can keep you in the race. My concern is, where’s the offense going to come from? Losing (Erick) Aybar was a big blow. Can (Hideki) Matsui hold up for the long haul? Can Bobby Abreu and Torii Hunter maintain the standards they’ve held for so long?"
13. Twins (7). No contender had a worse week than the Twins, who were swept in Milwaukee and lost two of three in New York against the Mets. Their only win? A gem by Carl Pavano, who has thrown back-to-back complete games and has lowered his season ERA to 3.33.
14. Tigers (10). The Tigers are 10 games over .500 in day games, and their 22 day wins are the most in baseball. Leadoff hitter Austin Jackson is hitting. 353 in day games, .270 in night contests. Of course, Brennan Boesch is hitting .365 at night, and just .301 during the day.
15. Giants (9). For the first time all season, the Giants have given up at least four runs in five consecutive games. Not surprisingly, they’re 1-4 in those contests.
16. Dodgers (13). Buck says: "The Dodgers certainly have the best offense in that division, the Rockies have the best balance, but the Padres have enough, I think, to hang on." The Dodgers lead the division with 4.68 runs per game despite ranking fifth in the division with 55 home runs. They lead the division in batting average (.267) and on-base percentage (.337).
17. Blue Jays (14). Buck (who doubles as the Jays’ TV play-by-play voice) says: "It is amazing that they’ve been able to do that when both (DH Adam) Lind and (second baseman Aaron) Hill haven’t done anything. I mean, you’re talking about the two Silver Sluggers from a year ago—both guys drove in 100 and both guys had 30 home runs and they’re not doing anything. They’re both hitting around .200 and it’s been a season-long slump. Cito Gaston’s done a great job of convincing these guys to go up and look for a fastball, then pick your fastball and hit it. Mind you, when they run into a tough pitcher who’s not going to let you hit balls out of the ballpark, they have their troubles. But I don’t think anybody expected them to be where they are as we close in on the first half."
18. Rockies (16). Buck says: "If Colorado continues to get healthy, they have (Huston) Street back and when they get (Jorge) de la Rosa back, that’s going to make for probably the best division race in baseball." How’s this for a balanced offensive attack? The Rockies have five different players with either nine or 10 home runs, and they have six different players with between 30 and 34 RBIs entering the week.
A big part of Oakland’s future, Trevor Cahill is pitching like an ace.
19. A’s (20). Trevor Cahill, the A’s 22-year-old right-handed starter, is making a good case to be the team’s representative at the All-Star Game. Throw out his first start of the season and Cahill is 7-1 with a 2.31 ERA in 11 starts.
20. Brewers (24). Hey, Trevor Hoffman has thrown seven consecutive scoreless innings, and he’s faced the minimum three batters in five of those seven outings. And, the Brewers have won six of seven heading into a three-game series at home vs. the Astros.
21. Marlins (19). In his second season as the Marlins’ closer, Leo Nunez has lowered his ERA (4.06 to 2.27), WHIP (1.252 to 0.979) and batting average against (.230 to .202) while raising his strikeout-to walk ratio (2.22 to 3.88) and WAR (0.4 to 1.3).
22. Cubs (21). At this point, you have to wonder how much longer Lou Piniella will manage the Cubs. The losing in Tampa Bay wore on him, and that was with a team nobody expected much from. That’s not the case with the Cubs, who had high expectations but are nine games under .500.
23. Royals (23). Hey, the Royals took two of three from the in-state rival Cardinals and are 20-21 since Ned Yost took over from Trey Hillman (they were 12-23 under Hillman).
24. Nationals (22). Roger Bernadina has been the Nationals’ best hitter this month, posting a .333 average to go with three homers and 11 RBIs.
25. Diamondbacks (25). As a team, the Diamondbacks are third in the NL in slugging percentage (.426) despite the fact that their individual leader, Kelly Johnson, is only 19th in the league with a .491 slugging percentage.
26. Mariners (26). Buck says: "I did not expect Seattle to play well. Everybody was on their bandwagon, everybody expected them to be the team to beat, but I did not see the offense. I didn’t see them having enough offense to compete. Lately, they’ve been winning games because they’ve been shutting out everybody with their great pitching."
27. Astros (27). The Astros are two games over .500 against the NL Central and 20 games under .500 against everybody else.
28. Indians (29). We’re going to keep giving Carlos Santana updates until the dynamic rookie stops treating major-league pitchers like low-level scrubs. Through 15 games, he’s at .333 with a 1.179 OPS, four home runs, 11 total extra-base hits and 14 RBIs.
29. Pirates (28). The Pirates are 7-2 against the Cubs, 18-48 against everybody else. Wow.
30. Orioles (30). The Orioles are 5-4 against the Red Sox, 18-48 against everybody else. Wow, again.
Ryan Fagan is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at rfagan@sportingnews.com, and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ryan_fagan.
We’re changing things up a bit for this week’s power poll. This is "Buck says" week, featuring a poll infused with insights and opinions from TBS analyst Buck Martinez, a former big-league catcher and manager.
For example, Buck says: "Stephen Strasburg is the most interesting guy because everybody is clamoring for his appearance (at the All-Star Game). But, it’s difficult for me to suggest Stephen Strasburg is an All-Star selection given the fact it might keep someone else from being on there who’s played all year and is deserving."
Buck Martinez says he’s surprised by the Mets and Padres, but not the Mariners.
We’ll find out if Strasburg is an All-Star on Sunday, when the starters and reserves are announced on TBS’ All-Star selection show, which starts at noon ET.
Anyway, on to the poll.
1. Yankees (last week: 2). Buck says: "Robbie Cano’s certainly an All-Star, and he’s going to win a batting title one of these days." Cano might not have to wait long to claim that first batting title. He entered the week at .359, which was 13 points ahead of Minnesota’s Justin Morneau and Texas’ Josh Hamilton, and has been a stronger second-half player through his career. He’s hit .299 before the All-Star break and .329 after it, so don’t expect much of a letdown from that lofty .359 mark.
2. Rangers (5). Buck says: "Ron Washington is a terrific baseball guy, and he’s got those guys in Texas understanding there’s more to baseball than just hitting the ball. They’ve done a great job tightening up their defense, and Vladdy Guerrero looks like he met Ponce de Leon at the fountain of youth because he looks terrific. I saw him the first series of the season against the Blue Jays and, boy, the bat speed was there, his legs look great and to his credit, with that extra work, he looks like the Vladdy of five or six years ago. And this Josh Hamilton kid has had some month of June, hasn’t he? He’s been incredible."
3. Padres (6). Buck says: "Nobody even talked about the Padres, but here they are pitching so well, and Buddy Black’s done a great job of encouraging his guys and pushing them to take it one game at a time. They’ve got impact players. (Chase) Headley’s become a leader, and the (Nick) Hundley kid has become a leader behind the plate. And they’ve got one of the least-known impact hitters in baseball in Adrian Gonzalez. I think Buddy’s done a great job with his pitching staff, and if you get into the back end of the game with (Luke) Gregerson, (Mike) Adams and Heath Bell, the game is over."
4. Red Sox (1). The Sox dropped, in part, this week because of a couple of losses on a West Coast road trip through Colorado and San Francisco. But the larger reason was the loss of star second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who is thought to be out at least six weeks with a broken bone in his foot. And then Victor Martinez broke a bone in his left thumb and Clay Buchholz hyperextended his knee. All in all, a horrible week for the Sox.
5. Braves (3). The Braves have been in first place every day since May 31, their longest such streak since they closed out the 2005 season in first place every day after July 22.
6. Rays (4). In the two seasons since hitting .288 with a .985 OPS in the 2008 playoffs, B.J. Upton has hit just .234 with an awful .694 OPS. With two more arbitration years before he becomes a free agent—and unavoidable raises from his $3 million salary in 2010—you wonder if the cost-conscious Rays would move Upton for the right price. A price that would certainly be significantly lower than it was a few short years ago.
7. Mets (8). Buck says: "The biggest surprises to me have been the Mets and the Padres. Look at the Mets. They’re right there staying with Atlanta and ahead of Philadelphia." David Wright has regained his "superstar" status with his bounce-back season. Yes, he’s striking out a lot—88 times in 74 games—but he’s also hitting .300 with a .928 OPS and leads the NL with 61 RBIs.
8. Phillies (17). Buck says: "They’re not in first place, but, boy, are they swinging hot bats right now. Up and down the order, they’re doing a great job and now they’ve got Jimmy Rollins back—he had a four-walk day on Friday and a three-hit day on Saturday. You look at them and they’re going to get (Ryan) Madson back, (Chad) Durbin doesn’t look to be out for a long time. J.A. Happ’s going to come back. These guys, they’re the team that can win a division that’s not in first place right now."
9. Reds (15). Scott Rolen and Joey Votto enter the week with identical home run and RBI totals (16 and 50). Votto has a higher average (.305 to .300) and on-base percentage (.411 to .367), while Rolen has a better slugging percentage (.571 to .552) and more extra-base hits (34 to 30).
Move over, Albert? Colby Rasmus is flexing his muscles in St. Louis.
10. Cardinals (11). Who would have thought, at this point of the season, second-year outfielder Colby Rasmus would have the same number of homers (16) and extra-base hits (32) as superstar Albert Pujols and more runs scored (46 to 40) and a better slugging percentage (578 to .542)?
11. White Sox (18). Buck says: "It was a surprise that they had not pitched better early on. How many people were so critical of Ozzie (Guillen) for calling his team out, saying ‘You’ve got to be better than this, we’re better than this.’ Well, they were. In this age where you’ve got to be politically correct, Ozzie rubs a lot of people the wrong way, but the reality is, he’s telling the truth and his players have responded. They’re a good team. They’re a very good team."
12. Angels (12). Buck says: "I think they will (contend) because they have the front-line pitching. Those are the types of guys who can keep you in the race. My concern is, where’s the offense going to come from? Losing (Erick) Aybar was a big blow. Can (Hideki) Matsui hold up for the long haul? Can Bobby Abreu and Torii Hunter maintain the standards they’ve held for so long?"
13. Twins (7). No contender had a worse week than the Twins, who were swept in Milwaukee and lost two of three in New York against the Mets. Their only win? A gem by Carl Pavano, who has thrown back-to-back complete games and has lowered his season ERA to 3.33.
14. Tigers (10). The Tigers are 10 games over .500 in day games, and their 22 day wins are the most in baseball. Leadoff hitter Austin Jackson is hitting. 353 in day games, .270 in night contests. Of course, Brennan Boesch is hitting .365 at night, and just .301 during the day.
15. Giants (9). For the first time all season, the Giants have given up at least four runs in five consecutive games. Not surprisingly, they’re 1-4 in those contests.
16. Dodgers (13). Buck says: "The Dodgers certainly have the best offense in that division, the Rockies have the best balance, but the Padres have enough, I think, to hang on." The Dodgers lead the division with 4.68 runs per game despite ranking fifth in the division with 55 home runs. They lead the division in batting average (.267) and on-base percentage (.337).
17. Blue Jays (14). Buck (who doubles as the Jays’ TV play-by-play voice) says: "It is amazing that they’ve been able to do that when both (DH Adam) Lind and (second baseman Aaron) Hill haven’t done anything. I mean, you’re talking about the two Silver Sluggers from a year ago—both guys drove in 100 and both guys had 30 home runs and they’re not doing anything. They’re both hitting around .200 and it’s been a season-long slump. Cito Gaston’s done a great job of convincing these guys to go up and look for a fastball, then pick your fastball and hit it. Mind you, when they run into a tough pitcher who’s not going to let you hit balls out of the ballpark, they have their troubles. But I don’t think anybody expected them to be where they are as we close in on the first half."
18. Rockies (16). Buck says: "If Colorado continues to get healthy, they have (Huston) Street back and when they get (Jorge) de la Rosa back, that’s going to make for probably the best division race in baseball." How’s this for a balanced offensive attack? The Rockies have five different players with either nine or 10 home runs, and they have six different players with between 30 and 34 RBIs entering the week.
A big part of Oakland’s future, Trevor Cahill is pitching like an ace.
19. A’s (20). Trevor Cahill, the A’s 22-year-old right-handed starter, is making a good case to be the team’s representative at the All-Star Game. Throw out his first start of the season and Cahill is 7-1 with a 2.31 ERA in 11 starts.
20. Brewers (24). Hey, Trevor Hoffman has thrown seven consecutive scoreless innings, and he’s faced the minimum three batters in five of those seven outings. And, the Brewers have won six of seven heading into a three-game series at home vs. the Astros.
21. Marlins (19). In his second season as the Marlins’ closer, Leo Nunez has lowered his ERA (4.06 to 2.27), WHIP (1.252 to 0.979) and batting average against (.230 to .202) while raising his strikeout-to walk ratio (2.22 to 3.88) and WAR (0.4 to 1.3).
22. Cubs (21). At this point, you have to wonder how much longer Lou Piniella will manage the Cubs. The losing in Tampa Bay wore on him, and that was with a team nobody expected much from. That’s not the case with the Cubs, who had high expectations but are nine games under .500.
23. Royals (23). Hey, the Royals took two of three from the in-state rival Cardinals and are 20-21 since Ned Yost took over from Trey Hillman (they were 12-23 under Hillman).
24. Nationals (22). Roger Bernadina has been the Nationals’ best hitter this month, posting a .333 average to go with three homers and 11 RBIs.
25. Diamondbacks (25). As a team, the Diamondbacks are third in the NL in slugging percentage (.426) despite the fact that their individual leader, Kelly Johnson, is only 19th in the league with a .491 slugging percentage.
26. Mariners (26). Buck says: "I did not expect Seattle to play well. Everybody was on their bandwagon, everybody expected them to be the team to beat, but I did not see the offense. I didn’t see them having enough offense to compete. Lately, they’ve been winning games because they’ve been shutting out everybody with their great pitching."
27. Astros (27). The Astros are two games over .500 against the NL Central and 20 games under .500 against everybody else.
28. Indians (29). We’re going to keep giving Carlos Santana updates until the dynamic rookie stops treating major-league pitchers like low-level scrubs. Through 15 games, he’s at .333 with a 1.179 OPS, four home runs, 11 total extra-base hits and 14 RBIs.
29. Pirates (28). The Pirates are 7-2 against the Cubs, 18-48 against everybody else. Wow.
30. Orioles (30). The Orioles are 5-4 against the Red Sox, 18-48 against everybody else. Wow, again.
Ryan Fagan is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at rfagan@sportingnews.com, and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ryan_fagan.
