Marty Lurie Talks San Francisco Giants Baseball
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Losers are Winners on Tuesday Except for Bonds and Kent


All the teams that needed to get back in the win column did so on Tuesday, setting up pivotal series match ups for Wednesday.

Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent got into each others way in the dugout in San Diego last night when Kent was telling David Bell how stupid Bell’s throw to second base was, the throw pulled Kent off the bag and led to a big Padres inning.

Bonds and Kent had to be separated, dragging Dusty Baker and others into the fray.

The A’s lost to Seattle as Tim Hudson, usually unflappable, disintegrated before our very eyes.

More fireworks today around the leagues, I’m sure.

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The A’s learned a valuable lesson last night. If you hand the game to Seattle, they will take it and not give it back.

Seattle is hurting right now. Injuries, self doubts about their hitting, fielding mistakes and much more.

What makes Seattle very dangerous in any game they play, is if the opponent is not on top of its game for nine innings, this Mariner team will take every opportunity given to it, and win the game.

Hudson completely lost his composure and control last night when he didn’t receive some close calls from the home plate umpire.

The calls weren’t close and Hudson walked the ball park, thus allowing Seattle to take control of a close game.

One thing became clear. The A’s appear to be equal to the Mariners if not stronger right now. This division lead will change hands during the next three weeks. You can count on it.

There is a lot of pitching yet to be done in this race. The big four of both staffs will get about 18 more starts.

Would you rather be the A’s with Hudson, Mulder, Zito, and Lidle or Seattle with Garcia, Moyer, Baldwin and Pineiro.

Oakland just needs to play their game. Art Howe knows this and has a sense of serenity I haven’t seen before.

I think he realizes he has the advantage and if his team stays healthy he can beat the Mariners.

The A’s and Mariners are very comparable teams. This race may turn on how the Angels or the Rangers play both when they meet.

There is a lot of baseball yet to play in this division. Don’t get carried away by one game, either good or bad, for the A’s or the Mariners.

Chicago and Minnesota have no love for each other. When Chicago took an early lead on Monday, the trash talk started on the White Sox bench. Unfortunately, for the Sox, they had to go to their bull pen and they lost the game.

Last night was a different story. Mark Buehrle has the best run support in the league. Chicago scored 15 runs on 23 hits, much of the onslaught against a struggling Eric Milton.

Milton’s problems sound very similar to Cory Lidle’s. Two strike hits, two out hits, .339 batting average against him with runners in scoring position.

The Twins bull pen was rocked as well last night. Chicago is shorthanded in the pen tonight as Damaso Marte has a dead arm and Antonio Osuna is in Mexico awaiting the birth of his next child.

Keith Foulke is the closer once again for Jerry Manuel. Foulke has not been reliable and could be the difference tonight.

Kyle Lohse and Todd Ritchie pitch game three. Ritchie pitched a little better his last time out, but he has been hit hard and often. He had a better second half last year with the Pirates, without a like second half this year, Chicago will have little chance to catch Minnesota.

These two teams don’t like each other which is good news for a drab Central Division.

Tom Glavine and Whitey Ford are close in total victories. Glavine, a lefty is having another Cy Young type season for Atlanta. These two teams are comparable in pitching, the Mets just haven’t hit this season. Shawn Estes has pitched many times against the Braves and is a tough lefty. Everyone in the world is conceding tonight’s game to Atlanta, I say not so fast because Estes can throw and Chipper Jones’ back hurts which severely cramps the Braves style.

So, what’s up with the Giants.

There is an incredible amount of tension around this team. Bonds and Kent don’t like each other. Both are very good baseabll players and also very selfish people.

It is summer time and tempers are short. These players have been together since February 15th. Kent accused Dusty Baker of allowing Bonds to run the team. Not a kind accusation directed at the sensitive Baker.

This incident will have reprecussions. The team will be split. Team spirit plays a bigger part in baseball because of the down time and the six month, 162 game season. These guys spend a lot of time together.

Who goes?

Bonds won’t.

Kent must go and go soon. He is in his free agent season. Kent is under incredible tension, Bonds is constantly being walked, pitchers would rather take a shot at Jeff Kent. I think this is wearing on Kent.

Lat night’s shoving match in the dugout was an outgrowth of Kent’s frustration and the team’s dislike for Bonds which is heightened these days after Bonds blasted the pitching staff for not protecting him.

Frankly, Kent was right in correcting Bell. Bonds should have minded his own business and kept his mouth shut.

What a mess.

The Yankees and the Red Sox both lost last night. Mariano Rivera is back for NY and Darren oliver was cut loose by Boston. The Sox also sent reliever Casey Fossum to the minors to become a starter. Manny Ramirez is back with Boston, but looks understandably rusty.

Pedro Martinez pithces for the Sox and big gun Roger Clemens throws for NY against Baltimore’s Rodrigo Lopez.

Both Boston and NY have had trouble hitting against righties. Can Ryan Drese for Cleveland or Lopez for the O’s beat these two future Hall of Famers?

I can’t wait for SportsCenter to find out.

0 comments

1 Anonymous { 06.26.02 at 1:33 pm }

and I thought fireworks didn’t start until the 4th

of july

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