Baseball Like A Good Book, Everyday Another Chapter
I always say watching a baseball season develop is similar to reading a good book. Every single day is another story. Everyday is another chapter in a story that is just impossible to predict what will happen on a day to day basis.
More of the same today. The Giants fly to St.Louis, the Yankees face the Tigers in Detroit, the Angels are in Oakland, the Mariners head to Texas, and the Mets try to pass the Expos in Canada.
Here are my thoughts on today’s gamesThe Yankees escaped from Toronto with a split in their two game series. Jeff Weaver will make a difference on this club in two years. Right now he is pitching as he did with the Tigers, a couple of good games, a couple of mediocre efforts. You just saw a couple of average starts from Weaver. Today, Andy Pettitte trots out his questionable left elbow against a Detroit team that falls close to Tampa Bay and Texas in futility when facing lefthanders. Mark Redman has pitched well for Detroit, but the Yankees will be too much for him in Comerica Park. Shutout possibility.
Tim Hudson has dominated Anaheim since he joined the A’s. Kevin Appier is a complete mystery. He beat the A’s handily in Anahein early in the year. The A’s got in from Tampa at 4:00 AM and will be playing tonight’s game on adrenaline. Appier usually pitches to the level of his competition on the mound. Hudson is very good, Appier, if healthy, will match Hudson pitch for pitch until the A’s break through around the 6th innning. The key to beating Appier, get him into high pitch count innings. Good defense is important to Appier. The A’s do very well against righthanders. This series is important to Anaheim. Bull pens rule, and the A’s is better right now.
Shawn Wooten is back with Anaheim after being out earlier in the year. He has hit A’s pitching well in the past.
Seattle throws southpaw Jamie Moyer against Texas. It is unbelievable to me why Texas struggles so much against lefthanders. A Rod, Juan Gone, Pudge, Perry, and Kapler should be enough to get it done. Seattle has beaten Texas five of six and Moyer already has one five inning win in the bank this year over the Rangers. Ismael Valdes has been a pleasure on the hill for Jerry Narron’s team, tonight he’ll need help from his pen and that ends the story. They can’t get anybody out.
The Red Sox broke loose finally against Detroit late in yesterday’s game. Paul Wilson threw very well against the Mariners his last game. After seeing the Oakland staff the last couple of days anything will look better to Tampa Bay.
I have written that Derek Lowe is coming back to earth. Today he may be locked in a tight game with Wilson. I think this one is the potential upset of the day. I still want to see the Sox hit consistently for a few days before I believe the funk is over.
By the way, why isn’t Randy Winn a member of the A’s. He plays a great centerfield, he’s from the Bay Area, he can leadoff, he has power, he has speed, he has a good arm, and he’s a good kid? Now the papers speculate about Roberto Alomar coming to the A’s. First, the Mets are very much in the Wild Card race in the NL and second why get Alomar for half the year, the A’s won’t exercise an option on him next year. Winn is the most logical choice, it gets Terrence Long out of center and maybe out of Oakland, which isn’t such a bad idea.
My favorite game of the day. Roy Halladay versus Jason Johnson in Toronto. Both teams are hot and both pitchers go deep into the game. Both pitched well last time out. I’m hoping for 1-0 Baltimore, but Halladay is a better choice at home.
The Cards had an uplifting trip out West in San Diego and LA. The Giants don’t hit with authority on the road and Livan Hernandez, even though he pitched with much more desire Friday night at home against the Rockies, is still far from a sure thing. lefties hurt him and St.Louis has a couple of good hitters. Giants will play better when they get to LA on Friday night. What a schedule.
Also a couple of notes from yesterday. Randy Johnson was not up to par and I speculate that his arm might not be feeling 100%. I’m sure he wanted to be with his family and missed the All Star fiasco for that reason, but after yesterday’s outing I put him in the Pedro class (needed the week off) and that was the main reason he didn’t go to Milwaukee.
Joel Pineiro was hit hard in Baltimore for the second time this year. He rebounded very strongly in his next start. Maybe he doesn’t like to pitch in Camden yards. We’ll see if it holds true this weekend when he pitches against Anaheim.
Expos and the Mets fight for second in the NL East. The Mets are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel, it’s not impossible for them to get into the Wild Card picture. Ohka has been terrific, D’Amico is capable, this looks like a late inning game again, advantage Mets.
Who knows how all these games will turn out?
Read another chapter today and find out.
What a book.
0 comments
Man, I love baseball. You have captured it well. The thought of a strike saddens me. I won’t know what to do.
I think Randy Winn would be a great idea. In fact, other than wild dreams about Brian Giles, he is probably the player I would be most excited to see the A’s get–the defense, the speed and a significant hitting upgrade over T. Long (whom I should add, I have really enjoyed watching over the last couple of years, but he has simply not developed defensively or offensively, despite seeming like such a nice guy.) I would also pass on Alomar, move Winn into the leadoff hole and slide Mark Ellis down to the bottom of the order. Plus, Winn is hitting really well against left-handers this year. He has done particularly well against that A’s nemesis Jamie Moyer.
Thanks, Marty, for the website and intelligent commentary on the A’s.
Steve B.
Steve, I appreciate your feedback. How do you see these west coast races shaping up over the next month? Six of the nine teams when looking at both divisions have a shot at wininng the west. Reminds me of 1967.
Marty
Alas, I’m too young to remember 1967, but this looks like a fun one all around.
Baseball is at its best when you have races like these. Three team races are often necessary as well to prevent the no-loser scenario of the wild card. (Thank the presence of Cleveland for keeping 2000’s down to the last day excitement in place between the A’s & M’s. Imagine how different it would have been if the loser between the two was guaranteed the wild card. With Cleveland right there until the end, everybody had to keep winning. That final regular season A’s game was the most exciting sports moment I have ever witnessed live.)
Anyway, in the AL, due to strength of schedule, I am betting the wild card comes out of the East and probably by enough games to take the interest out of the Red Sox-Yankees chase. So, the race is primarily about winning the west. You’d be crazy not to make the M’s the favorite, as much as I hate to say it. The A’s right now simply do not have enough offense to seriously compete. Their pitchers are forced to be perfect every night, as the offense can rarely overcome an off game in which the pitching gives up 4-6 runs. As for the Angels, I am still not convinced that they will continue to hit and pitch enough to compete (although they hit plenty last night–boy that long at bat by Fullmer really seemed to drain Hudson). The Angels do not draw enough walks to help them through a batting slump, and the bottom end of their rotation is pretty weak. The injuries don’t help either. You still have to think that Seattle is the most complete team–offense, starting pitching, bullpen. If the A’s can acquire a big bat, look out though. Billy Beane makes late July an exciting time to be an A’s fan (and I still have those unrealistic dreams at night of the incredible Brian Giles in the four spot.)
As to the NL West–well, I have to admit not to follow this as closely, but here I think we have to be thankful that three teams are involved. Despite Montreal’s moves, I think it highly unlikely that the wild card comes from outside the West. So, you’ve got three teams playing for two spots. Ultimately, I lack faith in the Dodgers over the long haul for similar reasons to the Angels. I just don’t think they hit enough to support a pitching staff that as a whole is pitching quite a bit better than one should expect. The Giants offense (with my vote for greatest living hitter, Barry Bonds) and solid pitching and the Diamondbacks incredible starting duo will probably put these two in the playoffs.
The great thing about baseball is that you never know. We cannot even be sure what these rosters will look like by the end of the month, and the acquisition of a hot player (see Dye 2001) can push a team to a whole different level.
Steve
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