Two teams headed in opposite directions meet this weekend in another key NL West series. The Giants have lost 13 of their past 16 games, yet are only 4½ games back in the division race. The Dodgers, on the other hand, are the hottest team in baseball, having won 12 of 13 to take over solo possession of first place in the West for the first time since June 26.
| GIANTS AT DODGERS: WEEKEND PITCHING PREVIEW |
| Friday: Noah Lowry (5-7) vs. Mark Hendrickson (1-4) Noah Lowry did not earn a win in his last start, but he did hold the Rockies to one run over nine innings. He has only one win in the last month, but is 2-0 with a 3.12 ERA in his career against the Dodgers. Mark Hendrickson has yet to get it going in L.A. The former Devil Ray has allowed at least three runs in six of seven starts since joining the Dodgers. |
| Saturday: Matt Cain (8-8) vs. Brad Penny (12-5) Youngster Matt Cain looks to win consecutive starts for the first time since mid-June. In his only career start against the Dodgers, Cain allowed three runs in four innings in July and got a no-decision. Brad Penny looks to become the NL's first 13-game winner. Penny is two wins shy of tying a career high for wins, set in 2003 with Florida. He has a good ERA (3.12) against the Giants, but is only 1-1 in 10 career starts. |
| Sunday: Jason Schmidt (9-7) vs. Greg Maddux (10-11) The finale of the three-game series pits two aces in Jason Schmidt and Greg Maddux. Schmidt has won three of his last four starts, not allowing more than three runs in any of them. He has lost both his starts against the Dodgers this season after going 3-0 against them last year. Maddux has pitched well in both of his starts since joining the Dodgers at the trade deadline. He has allowed only seven hits and two runs in 12 innings. A win would be the 329th of Maddux's career, moving him into a tie for 10th on the all-time list with Steve Carlton. |
There has been a lot of talk about .500 teams and whether they should be in the postseason. The NL East race is over, but it's still exciting because the other teams in the division (Braves, Marlins, Phillies) still have a chance to make the postseason because of the wild card.
Is the NL West a good division? The teams aren't that good -- but is it fun to watch? Any pennant race is fun when it's close, regardless of a team's record.
When Tiger Woods is shooting 15-under to win a major, does it make it any less exciting when Geoff Ogilvy wins this year's U.S. Open shooting 5-over? Should he not be considered a major champion because he was over par? It was still an exciting tournament that came down to the final hole.
Once the postseason starts, normally it's not the best team that wins a series, but the team that's playing the best. Last year, the White Sox had to get hot down the stretch just to get in because the Indians were playing so well. Houston got in last year on the last day of the season, and the Astros made it to the World Series, despite not having a great record (89-73).
Look at the Mets right now. Will they go into the postseason with that hunger or knowing they haven't played a meaningful game in a while?
The teams in the wild-card race are going to have to play this race down to the end. Isn't it more exciting baseball to see 10 teams within 5½ games of the wild card? To me, San Francisco playing Colorado, when both teams don't have chance to win the division, is not very exciting baseball. But it is now that both teams are still alive in the NL West and wild-card races.
When you look at teams like the Pirates, Cubs and Nationals, every game they play -- unless they're playing one another -- are meaningful games to them. There are no more throwaway games. Look how hard Kansas City played this week against the Red Sox. With the wild card, the bottom-tier teams have more to play for because there are more teams they can knock out and they take pride in that.
If Kansas City sweeps or takes two of three from Boston, that makes the Royals' season. If Boston misses the playoffs by a game, the Royals can look back to the series and say we're the reason the Red Sox didn't get in.
All along, everyone thought the AL wild-card winner would come from the Central Division. I am not so sure this will happen anymore.
Minnesota has been playing well, but now they have a real concern. Potentially losing Francisco Liriano for an extended amount of time will be devastating. A player like that -- a Cy Young candidate -- is not easily replaceable. Hopefully, they will get him back soon.
The loss of Jason Varitek to me was crushing. When the Red Sox lost him, they not only lost their catcher, but they lost their leader and that cannot be replaced. From my experience in the big leagues, you can't lead a team if you don't play. Javy Lopez will not be able to fill his shoes. Boston, as we have seen, is really struggling to make up for the loss of their catcher. With so much attention going toward David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, we don't realize just how valuable the Red Sox captain is.
• Anthony Reyes earned a win and Chris Duncan hit two home runs in St. Louis' triumph at Cincinnati on Thursday. It's only the second game since 1970 in which a Cardinals rookie starting pitcher recorded a victory, while one of his rookie teammates hit two or more home runs. The other instance came in 1998 (Jose Jimenez and J.D. Drew).
• Bronson Arroyo (9-8) took the loss for the Reds and became the first major league pitcher since 1900 to win at least nine of his first 15 starts of a season and then fail to win any of his next 10 starts. Arroyo started this year 9-3 but has not recorded a victory in his 10 starts since then.
• The Brewers had only six hits in their 8-6 win over the Cubs. Only one other team in the majors scored eight or more runs on six or fewer hits this season: The White Sox had eight runs on five hits at Cleveland on June 1.
Starter Freddy Garcia believes the White Sox will show him the door during the offseason to make room for Brandon McCarthy in the rotation, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
"Yeah, I know it's going to be me," Garcia told the newspaper. "I think about it a little bit, and I know it's going to be me. I understand that. It almost happened [last] offseason, so if they trade me, what can I say? Hopefully they trade me to a good team, a team that is contending."
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Mets pick up first home sweep of season.
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| GOOD |
| Ted Lilly threw six shutout innings in the Blue Jays' 5-0 win over the Twins -- Toronto's fourth victory in five games following a seven-game losing streak. Lilly (10-10) allowed only three hits and two walks. He struck out three and gave the Jays a big boost as they try to get back in playoff contention. |
| BAD |
| Ervin Santana lasted only five pitches in the Angels' 14-2 loss to the Indians. The right-hander bruised the inside of his left knee after being hit by a line drive off the bat of Jason Michaels and is day-to-day. Los Angeles, which dropped 3½ games behind AL West-leading Oakland, already is without 2005 AL Cy Young Award winner Bartolo Colon, who's on the disabled list due to tendinitis in his right arm. |
| UGLY |
| Curt Schilling got hammered by the Royals, who beat the Red Sox 5-4 to complete a three-game sweep and give Boston its first five-game losing streak since 2004. Schilling (14-5) gave up 11 hits (including nine doubles and a home run) in 7 1/3 innings. He led 4-2 going into the eighth but failed to become the majors' first 15-game winner. |
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"I'm tired of sucking for three months. ... At the same time, you learn from the negatives. It's not bad to suck for three months and be hitting .295."
-- Giants RF Moises Alou in the San Francisco Chronicle
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• The Twins are optimistic, but not totally confident, that injured LHP Francisco Liriano will return this season. A second, enhanced MRI exam showed a mild chronic strain of his ulnar collateral ligament, and a clinical exam revealed weakness and stiffness in his shoulder that is causing the soreness in his forearm near his elbow. For now, he'll treat the shoulder and elbow with physical therapy.
• Cubs manager Dusty Baker will testify in the Mitchell investigation into steroid use in baseball. He figured he was called because of his relationships with Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa"I don't have any choice," said Baker, who managed Bonds with the Giants and Sosa in Chicago. "I was already scheduled to [testify] Aug. 2 and for whatever reason, it was canceled. All I know is I didn't schedule it. I didn't cancel it." • Yankees RHP Carl Pavano threw 2 2/3 innings in his first minor league rehabilitation start since surgery in May for a bone chip above his right elbow. Pitching for Class A Tampa against the Daytona Cubs, Pavano allowed three runs, five hits, one intentional walk, striking out one. He has not pitched in the major leagues since June 27, 2005. • Maine Gov. John Baldacci plans to send David Ortiz 41 lobsters after learning the Red Sox slugger loves seafood but has never been to the 23rd state. The lobsters -- one for each of Big Papi's home runs this season -- will be delivered before the start of Friday's game at Fenway Park against the Orioles. Baldacci also invited him to visit the state. • Orioles SS Miguel Tejada apologized for making what appeared to be an obscene gesture toward the stands during Wednesday's game in Toronto. Tejada made a gesture after swinging through a pitch in the dirt from B.J. Ryan and being thrown out at first in the eighth inning. The Orioles lost the game 4-3. |
• Tigers at White Sox, 8:35 ET: After missing a start to rest his arm, Justin Verlander (14-4, 2.79) is ready to continue his Rookie of the Year and Cy Young quests. He has won his last seven outings and is tied with Roy Halladay and Curt Schilling for the AL lead in wins. Jose Contreras (10-4, 3.75) looked unbeatable in the first half, but has gone just 1-4 with a 4.93 ERA since the break.
• Marlins at Diamondbacks, 9:40 ET: Josh Johnson (9-8, 2.85) is having a strong rookie campaign. He already has beaten Pedro Martinez, Roy Halladay, John Smoltz and Livan Hernandez (9-8, 5.34) head-to-head, and is holding opponents to a .233 average. Hernandez has won his last four decisions while allowing three or fewer runs in each of his last five starts. He is a workhorse -- averaging 236 innings the last six seasons -- and should help Arizona's bullpen as much as its rotation down the stretch.
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AP Photo/George Nikitin The Cardinals gained a series split to remain 3½ games ahead of the second-place Reds. |
• Devil Rays at A's, 10:05 ET: 
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- Olney: A free agency notebook
- Arangure: The Aroldis Chapman market
