After rain pushed back the make-or-break series for both the Twins and Tigers, they opened up the 4-game series in a day-night doubleheader. The day game proved to be a great event for the more than 35,000 in attendance. Both the Twins’ Nick Blackburn and the Tigers’ Rick Porcello pitched well, giving up just one run each. Blackburn struggled early giving up 6 hits (2 leadoff doubles) in 4 innings, but limited the damage to just one run. He settled down to retire the final 12 in a row.

Porcello got into trouble in the seventh, but Zach Miner came in to retire Denard Span on a weak fly ball and struck out Orlando Cabrera to end the inning. Jose Mijares and Jon Rauch combined to pitch 2 shutout innings for the Twins. Brandon Lyon of the Tigers was in trouble in the 9^th inning with a runner on third and one out, but Nick Punto popped up the suicide squeeze bunt attempt and the Tigers doubled Alex Casilla off of third. However, nothing could save Lyon from disaster in the tenth. A leadoff single by Span and 2 wild pitches later put Span on third. Veteran Cabrera followed with a single, Lyon walked Joe Mauer, and Carlos Gomez bunted them up a base. After an intentional walk to Michael Cuddyer, Delmon Young followed with a sacrifice fly.

When Lyon got Casilla to fly out, he had allowed 2 runs and put the Tigers in a big hole with All-Star closer Joe Nathan coming in. Curtis Granderson led off the bottom of the 10^th with a solo homerun, giving the over 35,000 standing fans something to cheer about. With rally hats abound, Nathan quieted the crowd by getting Placido Polanco and Ryan Raburn to fly out and Miguel Cabrera to ground out to end the game. The Twins celebrated being 1 game back of the Tigers but had one more game to play that night.

I wrote about the keys to the series for both teams in an earlier post. In Game one, the Tigers middle of the order went 2-for-16, 0 RBIs, and 7 men left on base. The Tigers bullpen pitched 3.2 innings, 4 hits, 2 runs, and 2 walks. Oh, and the bullpen (Lyon) got the loss. Not exactly getting it done. The Twins leadoff hitter Denard Span went 2-for-4, with 1 RBI, and 1 run scored. The Twins bullpen pitched 3 innings, giving up just one hit and one run, earning the win (Rauch) and the save (Nathan). The Twins got the job done.

Many asked the Tigers between games if they were feeling the pressure. Brandon Lyon, Game one’s loser, stated it best “We’ve had our backs up against the wall before. This is a situation to go out there and take the pressure off and have some fun and play baseball.” And play baseball they did. In the second inning, MVP candidate Miguel Cabrera jumped on a Brian Duensing fastball and deposited it over the left center field wall for a solo homer. In the third, Magglio Ordonez came through with a 2-run double to stretch the lead to 3-0. Ordonez had been struggling with runners in scoring position since June (hitting around .220). In the fifth, Brandon Inge laced a 2-run single, making it 5-0, and so it seemed, the rout was on.

But in the top of the sixth, Denard Span hit a hustle double, followed by an Orlando Cabrera RBI single. Joe Mauer followed with a double and Jason Kubel added a sacrifice fly, cutting the lead to 5-2. In the 8^th when ace Justin Verlander seemed to be tiring, the Twins took advantage. Mauer hit an RBI groundout, scoring Span, and Kubel added an RBI double. Tigers manager Jim Leyland came out of the dugout for a conference with Verlander, which turned out to be a quick “How are you?” and an about-face back to the dugout to watch Verlander get Cuddyer to hit a groundout to end the inning. Verlander’s next to last pitch was a 98mph fastball blown right by Cuddyer for strike two. Verlander proved why he IS the ace: 8 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 0 BB, 8 K, and throwing 129 pitches. The Tigers offense added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth on Curtis Granderson’s 30^th homerun, which was greatly needed when Fernando Rodney entered the game. After giving up a leadoff single to Young, Rodney set down the next 2 Twins hitters, bringing Nick Punto to the plate. He lofted a fly ball to centerfield that Granderson seemed to misjudge or possibly lose in the lights. It dropped in over his head for an RBI double. With the game on the line, Rodney got Span to fly out to end the game. Game two went to the Tigers, increasing their lead in the AL Central back to 2 games over the Twins.

For Game two, the Tigers middle of the order was much better. They went 5-for-13, with 2 runs scored and 5 RBIs. The bullpen, well closer Fernando Rodney, pitched the ninth allowing 1 run on 2 hits and 1 K (and the save). Span for the Twins went 2-for-5 with 2 runs scored. The Twins’ bullpen line doesn’t look bad: 3 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 K, 1 HR, but Bobby Keppel came on in relief of Brian Duensing and allowed 2 of Duensing’s runners to score.

Tags:

Jon Rauch, Jose Mijares, Nick Blackburn, Orlando Cabrera, Porcello, Rick Porcello

The American League MVP race is a hot debate, with most not agreeing and another person bringing up another viable option. The MVP should be the best player in the league, regardless of whether or not the team is in the playoffs. But most believe the MVP should be on a winning team because it means that player is THAT good to carry his team.

Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins leads the majors in hitting. As a catcher, Mauer plays the most demanding position in the game, yet he still puts up huge offensive numbers year in and year out. The Twins are fighting for a playoff spot, and with the loss of slugger Justin Morneau, there is more pressure on Mauer to perform offensively. Mauer is also battling for his second consecutive batting title. The only knock on Mauer is that he missed the first month of the season recovering from injury.

The New York Yankees have two MVP candidates: Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira. The captain of the Yankees, Jeter is yet again putting up solid offensive numbers while batting leadoff. Just when the talking heads stated that Jeter was too slow and old to continue playing shortstop, he has been more than up to the challenge. Some say that when Mark Teixeira got hot, so did the Yankees. Teixeira is closing in on 40 homers and over 120 RBIs, while continuing his great defense at first. Teixeira seemed to be fighting the pressure early on of playing in NY and for the Yankees, but seemed to settle in once the calendar turned to May and Alex Rodriguez returned to the lineup. Despite being a perennial slow starter, Teixeira has his average around .290. The knock on both Jeter and Teixeira is how can two players from the same team compete for the MVP when they may not be the best player on their team? They will probably pull votes away from each other, opening the door for another candidate.

Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers has helped the Tigers stay in 1^st place in the Central for most of the season. Cabrera has been the lone bright spot in the offensive lineup for the Tigers. Yes, the Tigers are in 1^st place, but the offense has been inconsistent and disappointing, except for Cabrera. Cabrera has 100 RBIs in his 6^th straight season. Cabrera epitomizes the MVP, offensively he has carried his team and hopefully into the postseason.

Ichiro is the heart and soul for the Seattle Mariners. He has amassed 200+ hits for 9 straight seasons, his first 9 seasons in professional baseball in the US. Ichiro runs well and also plays a great right field. A prototypical leadoff hitter that doesn’t show much power during games, Ichiro hit his first career walk-off HR off of Mariano Rivera on 9/18. That was one day after winning the game in the 14^th inning with a walk-off single against the Chicago White Sox.

The sleeper of the MVP race is the LA Angels Bobby Abreu, who may have been the best off season free agent signing. Abreu has helped the Angels’ hitters have a more patient approach at the plate, which has led to almost every hitter hitting around .300. As of late, Abreu has been struggling at the plate, though his overall numbers are still good. He can also run, as his 29 stolen bases can attest. Abreu has also reached 100 RBIs in 7 straight seasons.

Who should win: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers

152 G/155       .329     32 HR 100 RBI

32 doubles       63 BB/ 105 K

Who will win: Mark Teixeira, NY Yankees

151 G/157       .294     38 HR   120RBI

43 doubles       79 BB/ 112K

OR

Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins

130 G/155       .371     28 HR   92 RBI

28 doubles       67 BB/ 60 K

Sleepers: Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners

140 G/ 156      .351     11 HR   46 RBI

31 doubles       31 BB/ 68 K      26 SB

Derek Jeter, NY Yankees

149 G/ 157      .333     17 HR   65 RBI

27 doubles       70 BB/ 89 K      30 SB

Bobby Abreu, LA Angels

148 G/ 156      .295     14 HR   101 RBI

29 doubles       94 BB/ 111 K    29 SB

*Stats as of 9/29 from MLB.com

Tags:

American League MVP Race

There is only one race left in the American League for the final playoff spot and it comes from the Central division. The Detroit Tigers have been in first place for most of the season, yet they find themselves fighting to fend off the streaking Minnesota Twins (the Tigers are 2 games up with 7 to go). The Twins have won 8 of the last ten, while the Tigers have gone 5-5 in their last ten. Both teams are very good at home, which bodes well for the Tigers because their last 7 are at home, while the Twins play at Detroit for 4. This year’s Tigers team reminds me of 2006 when they lost the division on the final day of the regular season to the Twins, though they went to the World Series as the wild card. This year, the Tigers need to win the division because the Boston Red Sox have the wild card just about locked up.

The series to watch is the 4-game set in Detroit, where the Twins enter Comerica Park to try and overtake the Tigers. The first 2 games of the series will be broadcast live on the MLB Network @ 7pm EST. Wednesday’s game will be broadcast live on ESPN @ 7pm EST.

Pitching Matchups:

Monday 9/28: Nick Blackburn @ Rick Porcello

1-1, 5.11 ERA (2S)     1-2, 3.71 ERA (3S)

vs. Tigers in 2009        vs. Twins in 2009

Tuesday 9/29: Brian Duensing @ Justin Verlander

1-0, 0.61 ERA (1S)     0-2, 5.49 ERA (3S)

vs. Tigers in 2009        vs. Twins in 2009

Wednesday 9/30: Carl Pavano @ Eddie Bonine

4-0, 1.88 ERA (5S)                 no starts vs. Twins

vs. Tigers in 2009

Thursday 10/1: Scott Baker @ Nate Robertson

0-1, 9.00 ERA (3S)     1-0, 3.60 ERA (1S)

vs. Tigers in 2009        vs. Twins in 2009

The Tigers have stayed in first place with pitching and defense, and lately a little luck (the Twins have lost when the Tigers have lost). The starting rotation has been carried all year by ace Justin Verlander, offseason acquisition Edwin Jackson, and 20-year old rookie Rick Porcello. All three have struggled a bit, allowing the Twins to get back in the race. Injured Tigers starter Jarrod Washburn has been a bust since coming over from Seattle and his injury has led to Eddie Bonine being inserted into the starting rotation. The bullpen has also been inconsistent at times; sometimes lights-out, other times they can’t get an out. Closer Fernando Rodney is an example of the inconsistencies: he is dominant with an upper-90s fastball and a changeup, but sometimes is wild with the fastball which leads to walks and blown saves. Despite the climbing unemployment rate in Michigan, the Tigers still average more fans than half of the teams in MLB. The Tigers would love to treat their fans to playoff baseball.

Tigers Keys to the Series:

The middle of the order: (Magglio Ordonez, Miguel Carbrera, Aubrey Huff, and Carlos Guillen). Cabrera has been the force in the Tigers lineup all season, but can the other 3 around him step up? Huff has been disappointing since coming over from the Orioles and Guillen’s finally starting to get comfortable at the plate after coming back from shoulder problems. Ordonez hasn’t hit for power all year, but is starting to heat up at the plate. In a 12-5 win against the Chicago White Sox, the 3-4-5-6 hitters went 9-for-18 with 6 RBIs. However, in a 2-0 loss the White Sox, the same hitters went 2-for-13 with 8 men left on base. If all 4 can put it all together, they can carry the Tigers into the postseason. If they don’t hit and drive in runs, there will be more pressure on the pitching staff and the Tigers will lose.

The Bullpen: (Closer-Rodney, Setup-Brandon Lyon, Lefty-Bobby Seay, Long men-Zach Minor, Armando Gallaraga, and the rest: Ryan Perry, Alferdo Figaro, Jeremy Bonderman, Casey Fien, and Fu-Te Ni).The bullpen will need to be huge, especially in games three and four of the series. Bonine and Robertson have been giving all they have, but it’s not expected for them to go deep into the game. The bullpen will need to give Jim Leyland big innings if they want to win the series.

The Twins have been coming on strong, despite the loss of All-Star slugger Justin Morneau, proving they are more than just the M&M boys (Mauer & Morneau). The Twins need to win this 4-game series to be tied with the Tigers heading into the final series against the Royals to close down the Metrodome. What a send-off for the greatest home-field advantage if the Twins could make the playoffs.

Twins Keys to the Series:

Leadoff hitter Denard Span: Span has raised his average to .312 down the stretch and his on-base percentage is close to .400. With Span on the bases and running, it will put pressure on the Tigers pitching and defense when Mauer, Michael Cuddyer, and Jason Kubel come to the plate. Span is also a highlight reel for his great defense in the outfield. At the plate and in the field, Span can change the course of the game and series.

The Bullpen: (Closer-Joe Nathan, Setup-Jose Mijares, Lefty-Ron Mahay, Long man- Jeff Manship, and the rest: Jon Rauch, Bobby Keppel, Jesse Crain, and Matt Guerrier). The bullpen has become a strength late in the year, especially closer Nathan (1 run allowed in last 10 outings, 13K, 9SV) and setup man Jose Mijares (1 run allowed in last 10 outings, 8 K, 27 holds). The Twins also bolstered their bullpen by adding veterans Mahay and Rauch. The rotation hasn’t been as strong as of late, so the bullpen will have to continue to be the stabilizing force to beat the Tigers. The Twins offense does not score a lot of runs, so the bullpen will have to keep the game manageable to come back or save the game for the starters.

Tags:

American League, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Edwin Jackson, Fernando Rodney, Jarrod Washburn, Justin Verlander, Minnesota Twins

Has the National League Wild Card Race become a race again? The Atlanta Braves, Florida Marlins, and San Francisco Giants sure hope so. Heading into Saturday’s games, the Colorado Rockies still held a 3.5 game lead over the Braves, and 5 games over both the Marlins and Giants. The Giants still believe they are in the Wild Card race, as evidenced by holding off on getting second baseman Freddy Sanchez knee surgery.  The Braves believe they have a shot, as evidenced by not holding young starter Tommy Hanson back. Going into the final week of the regular season, the Rockies have allowed 3 other teams to hold out hope for the postseason.

The Rockies have struggled lately going 5-5 in their last ten, after being one of the hottest teams in baseball. The starting pitching, which was a strength during the hot streak, has cooled off. Jason Marquis, a potential CY Young hopeful at midseason, has only won once in his last 7 starts (1-4) and has seen his ERA rise to almost 4.00. Jorge De La Rosa has been inconsistent, one game pitching 8 shutout innings against the Giants and then the very next start only going into the 3^rd inning giving up 6 runs to the San Diego Padres. Aaron Cook has been out since August 22^nd with a right shoulder strain, though he returned Friday night to pitch 5 shutout innings against the Cardinals in a no-decision. Young starter Ubaldo Jimenez has been the surprise workhorse and has become the ace as of late. He’s won 7 out of his last 10, and has lowered his ERA to 3.47. The Rockies offense has also struggled, with a few key players battling injuries (Dexter Fowler, Carlos Gonzalez, Ian Stewart, and Troy Tulowitzki). If the Rockies are going to survive the last week of the season and enter the postseason, they are going to have to overcome the toughest schedule out of the remaining Wild Card contenders and become consistent across the board. Colorado has 2 more at home with St. Louis, 3 at home with Milwaukee, and the final 3 at the Dodgers. The walk-off win Friday night against the Cardinals didn’t hurt.

The Braves have won four in a row and 8 out of 10. They have the deepest pitching staff of the playoff contenders, with Derek Lowe, Jair Jurrjens, rookie Tommy Hanson, newly healthy Tim Hudson, and Javier Vazquez, who is quietly having a CY Young type season. Their bullpen is always a question mark, but if Pete Moylan, Mike Gonzalez, and Rafael Soriano can shut down the 7-8-9 innings, the Rockies are in trouble. The offense has been the most inconsistent for the Braves. They don’t have a ton of power and Chipper Jones is having a down year, but if shortstop Yunel Escobar comes up with men on base, be sure that they will score (he leads the NL in average with RISP). The Braves offense is built on gritty players like Nate McLouth, Matt Diaz, Brian McCann, and Martin Prado, and hoping that veterans Adam LaRoche, Chipper Jones, and Garrett Jones can drive them in. Atlanta has 2 more at Washington, 3 at home vs. Florida, and 4 at home with Washington.

The Marlins are young and gritty. It seems that every year they are wreaking havoc on the NL and this year is no exception. They have a young pitching staff led by CY Young candidate Josh Johnson, and an offense led by shortstop Hanley Ramirez, an MVP hopeful and soon-to-be batting champ. The only question is: can the Marlins sustain the success for an entire season? When they are going bad, they can’t beat anyone, but when they are going good, they can beat anyone. Florida has 2 more at home vs the Mets, 3 at Atlanta, and the final 3 at Philadelphia. Starting on Monday, they play the Braves in Atlanta to determine who will give the Rockies a run for the Wild Card going into the final weekend. The pitching matchups for the 3 games are:

Monday 9/28: Anibal Sanchez @ Jair Jurrjens

2-2, 4.15 ERA (4 starts)          4ER, 10H in 13 IP

vs. the Braves in 2009             vs. the Marlins in 2009

Tuesday 9/29: Rick VandenHurk @ Tim Hudson

0-0, 3.27 ERA (2 starts)          1-0, 3.39 ERA (1 start)

vs. the Braves in 2009             vs. the Marlins in 2009

Wednesday 9/30: Rickey Nolasco @ Javier Vazquez

1-0, 4.67 ERA (3 starts)          0-2, 5.68 ERA (4 starts)

vs. the Braves n 2009              vs. the Marlins in 2009

The Giants were so close not too long ago, but can the pitching staff carry them to the playoffs? As Mitch Williams said last night on MLB Tonight, the pitching staff has to pitch like a closer with no net; no one will pick them up. That puts tons of pressure on the entire pitching staff to put up zeros every inning to win a game. The pressure may also be felt on the lone consistent offensive force in the lineup, Pablo “Kung Fu Panda” Sandoval. He has seen his average drop into the .320’s when it hovered in the .330’s for most of the season. But someone around him needs to start hitting. If Eugenio Velez and Andres Torres can get on base and Bengie Molina, Juan Uribe, and Aaron Rowand can drive them in, the Giants have a chance. The Giants have 2 more left against Chicago, 3 at home vs. Arizona, and 3 at San Diego. The Giants may have the easiest schedule left, but being 5 games out and if the offense cannot generate some support for Lincecum & Co., their postseason chances are slim to none.

I think the Colorado Rockies will hold onto the Wild Card and make the postseason, but this final week will be exciting.

Tags:

Aaron Cook, Atlanta Braves, Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies, Dexter Fowler, Florida Marlins, Ian Stewart, Jorge De La Rosa, National League Wild Card Race, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Troy Tulowitzki, Ubaldo Jimenez

The National League CY Young award race has come down to 3 pitchers: 2 from the St. Louis Cardinals and 1 from the San Francisco Giants.

Adam Wainwright has smoothly made the transition from World Series closer in 2006 to ace starting pitcher. Wainwright is tied for the lead in the majors with 18 wins and leads the NL in innings pitched.

In Wainwright’s last 10 starts, only once (against the Pirates) has he given up more than 2 runs (6-2 in that span).

He has been a workhorse for the Central division leading Cardinals and part of the 1-2 punch that has other playoff-bound teams quivering.

Chris Carpenter is the other ace of the Cardinals. Despite missing part of the 1^st half, Carpenter has 16 wins and an NL-leading 2.34 ERA. Carpenter bounced back from a horrible start against the Braves on 9/13 to shut out the Cubs for 8 innings on 9/19 (8IP, 8H, OR, 2BB, 4K). He is 7-1 in his last 10 starts, with 2 no-decisions.

Because Wainwright and Carpenter are both deserving of this award, they may pull votes from each other, opening the door for the Giants ace, Tim Lincecum. Lincecum, last year’s winner, has yet again put up gaudy numbers, which would be much better if the Giants offense was as good as the Cardinals or Phillies. Lincecum is a workhorse and leads the majors in strikeouts. He has recorded double-digits in strikeouts in 3 of his last 10 starts. Lincecum is 4-3 in his last 10 starts, with three no-decisions. He lost to the Phillies on 9/3, giving up just 2 runs on 4 hits and struck out 11 (he was out-dueled by Pedro Martinez). His last outing was one of his worst and shortest, but he had been dominant in his starts prior. These three pitchers have separated themselves from the rest of the pack.

Two sleepers for the CY Young are Matt Cain and Josh Johnson. Matt Cain forms the formidable 1-2 punch with Lincecum for the Giants. Cain has struggled as of late as his innings have increased well over what he has ever thrown and he’s amassed 4 complete games. Cain is 1-5 in his last 10 starts, with four no-decisions in which he only gave up a total of 9 runs. Josh Johnson is the hard-throwing who has emerged as the young ace for the Florida Marlins. Johnson, like Cain, has struggled lately as his innings have increased. Johnson is 5-3 in his last 10 starts, but has only gone more than 6 innings 3 times. However Johnson is still 15-5 with a 3.12 ERA.

Who should win: Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals

219 IP              18-8                 2.59 ERA         193 K/63 BB

1CG                 .243 AVG        16 HR allowed

Who will win: Wainwright or Tim Lincecum, SF Giants

211.1 IP           14-6                 2.47 ERA         247 K/63 BB(leads majors)

4 CG/ 2SHO    .208 AVG        10 HR allowed

OR

Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals

180.2 IP           16-4                 2.34 ERA (leads NL)   136 K/34 BB

3 CG/ 1 SHO   .227 AVG        7 HR allowed

It could go either way because all 3 have similar statistics, but Wainwright and Carpenter are leading the Cardinals to the playoffs, while Lincecum’s Giants are on the outside looking in. Lincecum won it last year on a losing team, but this year’s competition is a little better.

Sleepers: Matt Cain, SF Giants

204.2 IP           13-7                 2.99 ERA                     158 K/70 BB

4 CG                .235 AVG        22 HR allowed

Josh Johnson, Florida Marlins

199.1 IP           15-5                 3.12 ERA                     181 K/53 BB

2 CG                .235 AVG        13 HR allowed

*stats as of 9/23/09 from MLB.com

Tags:

Chris Carpenter, NL CY Young Award, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Tim Lincecum