The heavy lifting is over for the SF Giants as they won the NL West last night. Not an unexpected event, they have had the West sewn up ever since they knocked the Diamondbacks around in August to open a double digit lead.

Now the party starts for Felipe Alou’s team, “a party” that is exactly what the postseason is. MLB takes over the show, they plan the event. Your team plays a short series with other champs to figure out who will be the survivor of the cutthroat tournament.

A postseason series can change like the weather, daily or hourly. One bad inning can doom a game, two bad games can doom a series.

The real test is getting there over the course of 162 games, the best team most often prevails, even if by only one game because you have to play them all, and the winner after 162 games in a division or a wild card race is the best in my book.

So, the Giants are in, the best in the West, the Braves will follow any minute, but the remaining two spots are still up for grabs in the NL.

Houston lost in Colorado last night, while the Cubs moved to 1/2 game in the Central as Kerry Wood served notice that he can do what Mark Prior has done recently, and that is throw a power game in the heat of the pennant race.

Jeff Conine, one of the original Miami Marlins led his team with a clutch first inning single driving in two important runs, made a great catch in the field, and then threw out Jimmy Rollins who was foolishly trying to score from third with none out on a short fly to Conine in left.

The result was a big win for the Marlins over the Phillies. The Marlins are now in position to take the series today with Dontrelle Willis facing Kevin Millwood in a game being played earlier than scheduled in an attempt to avoid the possible effects of Hurricane Isabel.

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As expected Tuesday’s baseball results shed some light on how this 2003 story will end for the playoff contenders.

Esteban Loiaza was outpitched by Brad Radke in Minnesota last night. Radke carried the Twins last season all the way to the ALCS with his excellent work against the A’s in the ALDS.

Radke has been on the top of his game now for about one month (13-10 overall with a 4.67 ERA doesn’t tell the story of how he is pitching today). The White Sox are now one back in the loss column, with 12 to play. No big deal, but seeing your ace get trumped by your biggest rival now puts the pressure on Jon Garland to pitch effectively for at least six innings today. Minnesota comes back with Kenny Rogers, a notorious choker in big games. If Minnesota wins today, it will be because its bullpen rescues Rogers around the fifth inning.

The White Sox held Shannon Stewart in check at 0-3, but walked him twice in five at bats. In fact, Loiaza’s five walks in 2 1/3 innings really led to his downfall. Sayanora to Loiaza’s Cy Young award chances, the spotlight now goes onto Roy Halladay who is looking for victory number 21 today against Detroit.

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I remember when I first
talked to Alou, when he was
a player and now
as a manager. The man has
not changed (aside from his age)
-and we all do there-.
Felipe is the same
astute baseball man presently
running the Giants on the field.
as he was as a young player
with the Giants in 1958, with
much more knowledge, of
course.

By Amaury Pi-González
San Francisco [Read more →]

With less than two weeks to go in the baseball season some things seem certain to happen.

The Yankees, Athletics, Braves, and the Giants will fill four of the playoff spots in this year’s tournament.

The Red Sox look stronger than the Mariners and should hold on to win the wild card in the AL.

The Twins face the Tigers seven more times, while the White Sox have to pound their way through a tough finishing schedule. KC just has to keep winning to stay in contention. The Royals are now a longshot, but Tony Pena is AL Manager of the Year and Carlos Beltran should get some serious votes for MVP.

The Cubs can’t slip up against the Mets or any of the other patsies they will face to end the season. Dusty Baker has proven he is a pro going down the stretch.

Houston will face a mine field in Colorado this week. Pitchers have told me that it is the series after leaving the thin air of Colorado that is the problem for them. The next series (at St. Louis) is where the wear and tear on their arms will show up.

Today the Phils and Marlins square off in a series that may determine the fate of the Phillies and the Dodgers.

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The Seattle Mariners are on their
last road trip of the season, the
second largest this year. Four
games in Texas, three in Oakland
and three in Anaheim before returning
home for the last three scheduled
home games of the season.

By Amaury Pi-González
Seattle [Read more →]

The flu bug hit the Boston Red Sox Sunday as all star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra became the latest victim of the malady (I’m sure his 5-73 slump had nothing to do with his absence) that had already taken Pedro Martinez and Manny Ramirez from Boston’s line up earlier this month.

Maybe these guys don’t eat properly or get enough rest, but this team seems to suffer more “flu outs” than any other team in baseball.

Mark Buehrle didn’t help the Red Sox either as he dominated the home team for seven innings. John Burkett got tagged early by Carlos Lee, the unknown outfielder for Chicago who is hitting .294 with 30 homers and 104 RBI’s. Amazing, but Chicago tried to trade this guy all winter without success.

The Angels got an excellent performance from former A’s farmhand Kevin Gregg and edged Seattle 2-1 with the winning hit coming on a single by Scott Spiezio off a 95 MPH fastball from Rafael Soriano. Ichiro, Brett Boone, and Edger went 0-11 and that’s all she wrote as the Mariners are now 3 1/2 behind the A’s in the West.

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So who is the most unheralded power hitter in the game today?

Try Richie Sexson. Saw him hit two bombs at Pac Bell Saturday, pitches crushed into Barry Bonds territory. He is no Dave Kingman, big slugger from the 70’s and 80’s who struck out all the time as well as hit long homers. Sexson can play first base, run, and is languishing in obscurity in Milwaukee.

Some enterprising GM will make the Brewers a legit offer and get this guy, he can be an MVP.

Ken Macha told me in December that he wanted to bat Erubiel Durazo in the second spot in the batting order. Wonder why it took 140 games to make the move? No matter, Durazo looks like a force in the low pressure two hole. After seeing Jose Guillen play three or four games, I suggested he would look better in the five spot, glad Macha made that move too.

With all these moves, the key to Oakland is still pitching. Tim Hudson, Barry Zito, Ted Lilly and three relievers Bradford, Rincon, and Foulke are making this run happen, notwithstanding the hitting which is coming around at the right time.

Jermaine Dye hit two rockets last night, what a week he is having.

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The sole remaining issue for the Giants is whether they are going to overcome the Braves in their race for homefield advantage and, in any event, how best to position themselves for the playoffs and the following World Series. In any short series, whether the initial five game setup or in the following seven game battles, pitching will be the usual predominating factor.

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With only three weekends of baseball left in the regular season, all the races still up in the air have critical matchups beginning today.

Some people say that a win in April is just as important as a win in September, they all count the same, one game in the standings. I don’t buy it.

A bullpen collapse in September can carry over to the next game, with only 15 games left to play, the cushion of making up for a blown save is gone. A head on loss to a rival counts two games in the standings, there may not be enough games left if you do that too many times.

In other words, when you have 100 games to go, you can make up for your mistakes, with three weekends to go, it may become too late. That is why clutch players are remembered (Yaz, Giambi, Frank Robinson) in history, especially during the stretch run, since they keep the team on track for the playoffs.

Tonight Barry Zito faces Texas, a team he has beaten nine straight times. The game is in Texas which means nothing will be easy for Oakland this weekend. Zito has pitched some of the best games of his career in Arlington and faces Cal alum Ryan Drese, a righty who seems to give up three or more in the first inning whenever he starts a game.

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The White Sox’s Esteban Loiaza can solidify his Cy Young credentials today when he faces the Minnesota Twins and Brad Radke. Minnesota got back to within one game of the lead behind lefty Johann Santana and two excellent relief outings from LaTroy Hawkins and “Everyday” Eddie Guardado. Shannon Stewart (MVP?) drove in two runs as the Twins won the game 4-1.

With the Boston Red Sox on tap for the weekend for Chicago, both Minnesota (who goes to Cleveland) and KC (who will play the 1962 Mets, I mean Tigers) have a chance to pick up some ground or in the Twins case perhaps take the lead if the White Sox falter in Fenway.

So, pressure falls on Loiaza today to extend the lead back to two games in the Central over the Twins. May not be that simple as Brad Radke has been here before in big games and has pitched better as of late.

Absolutely no doubt that Ted Lilly is in the A’s playoff picture if they get to the postseason. With only Hudson and Zito as sure bets to start, and with the A’s only throwing Hudson on three days rest if necessary, the A’s will need two more starting pitchers. Lilly is first up and deserves it. Next, Rich Harden, simply because there is no one else available that the manager would trust in that situation. This is the spot where I thought Pat Hentgen would have fit in perfectly.

Signature move by Ken Macha last night pulling Lilly in the sixth (he has done it with huge success all year), turning the next five outs over to Chad Bradford, then closing with a bevy of others.

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