It certainly looked like one of the better signing of the offseason: after missing out on Milton Bradley, the Rays inked Pat Burrell to a two-year, $16 million contract to take over as their DH.  He was coming off four straight seasons with OPSs around 890 and he had averaged 153 games during those seasons.  Sure, there'd be a period of adjustment for him coming over to the AL, but he projected as a well above average DH and he'd come at a fair price.

 

Of course, things haven't worked out that way.  Burrell hit .250/.349/.315 with one homer in 30 games before going down with a neck injury that cost him a month.  He entered the All-Star break at .232/.341/.347.  He did do solid work for a month and a half after that, coming in at .257/.335/.493 with nine homers and 27 RBI in a 40-game span through Sept. 2.  However, he's hit .147/.238/.206 in 22 appearances since.

 

The truly remarkable thing is that Burrell has gone the whole year without a homer against a left-hander.  He's hitting .207/.338/.259 in 116 at-bats against them.  All 14 of his bombs have come against righties.  Between 2005-08, Burrell had 38 homers in 587 at-bats versus southpaws.

 

Burrell's career is at a crossroads now.  He's obviously far more comfortable against National League pitching, yet his poor defense limits his value in the Senior Circuit.  The Rays figure to try to exchange him for another lousy contract over the winter.  Burrell for Bradley is one idea that will get tossed around.  The Cubs wouldn't want Burrell, but since he's only signed for one more year, they'd save $12 million as part of such a swap.  The Rays, though, would have big problems taking on that kind of salary for 2011 when so many of their young players will be big significant raises then.

 

Perhaps Burrell could be swapped for a reliever who has fallen out of favor.  Kyle Farnsworth in Kansas City and Scott Linebrink in Chicago would be a couple of possibilities.  The Rays would likely be better off keeping the 33-year-old and hoping for the best rather than taking on someone who would require a longer commitment.  They can always release him and dig up a DH elsewhere if he struggles out of the gate again in 2010.

Minimum 50 innings. Listed along with each pitcher's ERA are saves+holds and blown saves.

1. George Sherrill - 1.75 - 32 - 5
2. Trevor Hoffman - 1.76 - 36 - 3
3. Mariano Rivera - 1.82 - 44 - 2
4. Jeremy Affeldt - 1.84 - 33 - 0
5. Kiko Calero - 1.86 - 12 - 4
6. Andrew Bailey - 1.88 - 28 - 4
7. Jonathan Papelbon - 1.91 - 37 - 3
8. Darren O'Day - 1.93 - 22 - 0
9. Ryan Franklin - 1.95 - 39 - 5
10. Jose Mijares - 2.07 - 27 - 1
11. Jose Valverde - 2.08 - 26 - 4
12. Ronald Belisario - 2.09 - 12 - 7
13. David Aardsma - 2.10 - 42 - 4
14. Francisco Cordero - 2.19 - 39 - 4
15. LaTroy Hawkins - 2.20 - 30 - 4
16. Joe Nathan - 2.25 - 45 - 5
16. Joakim Soria - 2.25 - 29 - 3
18. Matt Guerrier - 2.33 - 32 - 3
19. Mike Gonzalez - 2.45 - 27 - 7
19. Brian Sanches - 2.45 - 8 - 3

These aren't baseball's top 20 relievers this season, but the top 10 or so are all in the mix here.

So who has really been the best? I see three possibilities. Rivera absolutely has to be considered, given that he's blown just two of his 46 chances. But how about Affeldt? He's made 72 appearances this year and hasn't blown a single lead.

And then there's candidate No. 3: Bailey. The big plus in his corner is that he's thrown 81 1/3 innings, compared to 64 1/3 for Rivera and 58 2/3 innings for Affeldt. Also, he hasn't allowed an unearned run all season. Rivera has allowed one and Affeldt two, so Bailey has them beat when you drop the E from ERA. Bailey has blown four leads, but he actually allowed a total of two runs in 5 1/3 innings in those games. Plus, he has six wins, more than Rivera (three) and Affeldt (one) combined.

I'd say it really comes down to Rivera and Bailey, and while you can argue that Bailey's performance was more valuable, there's still no doubt that Rivera is the reliever everyone wants protecting that one-run lead in the ninth.

* Rookie outfielder Sam Fuld has been very productive in 61 games with the Cubs, hitting .302 with a .417 on-base percentage, six extra-base hits, and 16 runs in 103 plate appearances, but is still looking for his first career RBI.

Fuld has 26 hits, including five with runners in scoring position, but amazingly none of them have plated a run. No one in baseball history has finished a season with 20 or more hits and zero RBIs.

* Seattle has gone from 61 wins last season to 81 wins (and counting) this season, and Dave Cameron of Fan Graphs suggests that having the best defensive team of the decade is largely responsible.

* Rick Porcello threw a career-high 111 pitches in Game 1 of yesterday's doubleheader, holding the Twins to one run in 6.1 innings. Rather than have him make one more start this weekend the Tigers are leaning toward shutting down the 20-year-old rookie, which would leave him at 14-9 with a 4.09 ERA in 165 innings.

* In other Tigers rotation news, Jarrod Washburn has been rehabbing his injured knee and hopes to be ready for game action in 2-4 weeks. Of course, even if the Tigers are still playing by then it's unlikely that they'll want to trust Washburn and his 7.33 ERA in an ALCS or World Series game.

* Facing felony charges in Texas for allegedly hitting and choking his wife last week, former Twins and Yankees second baseman Chuck Knoblauch turned himself into police yesterday and was later released on $10,000 bond.

Boston lost last night for the fifth straight game, but still managed to clinch a spot in the postseason when Texas lost 3,000 miles away and a few hours later.

Most of the Red Sox stuck around after their loss to watch the Rangers on television in the clubhouse, but getting into the playoffs that way doesn't exactly lend itself to gregarious celebration. At least not publicly.

Here's how Alex Speier of WEEI.com described the late-night scene at Fenway Park:

And so, the Sox celebrated. Behind the closed doors of the clubhouse, the muffled sounds were of players hollering and, as manager Terry Francona had suggested just a couple days earlier, grown men behaving like little boys. Because the ballpark was empty save for team employees and the couple dozen remaining members of the media, there were no snapshots of a celebration: no Riverdance, no opportunity to spray the fans with champagne, no occasion to storm nearby watering holes and pour drinks for the celebrating fans.

The clubhouse was never opened to the media, instead a steady drip of six bubbly- and beer-soaked players making their way into the concourse just outside of the clubhouse to offer their reactions to the accomplishment. The exchanges were a bit awkward, as the players left the thumping bass of the clubhouse for the silence of the empty ballpark, but the enthusiasm, sense of achievement and anticipation for another October run nevertheless came through.

Speier puts a nice spin on it, but based on their Twitter updates there were quite a few media members not thrilled with waiting around until the wee hours of the night for a handful of players to emerge from the partying clubhouse with quotes. Photographers from Reuters and the Associated Press didn't even stick around, so we'll have to take Mike Lowell at his word when he said that Jonathan Papelbon "is probably in a thong right now with goggles and drinking Budweiser."

Last week I wrote that Eric Wedge was unlikely to be back for his eighth season as Indians manager in 2010 because "general manager Mark Shapiro probably needs to make someone the fall guy before all of the attention turns to him."

Sure enough, this morning Shapiro cleaned house by firing Wedge and his entire coaching staff, including hitting coach Derek Shelton, pitching coach Carl Willis, bullpen coach Chuck Hernandez, first base coach Luis Rivera, and third base coach Joel Skinner.

Making the announcement with less than a week remaining in the season is curious timing, but apparently Wedge and his staff have agreed to stay on for the final six games before clearing out their offices. Don't feel sorry for him though, because Wedge has one season left on his contract and the Indians will be paying him $1.3 million in 2010.

Indians fans can provide a laundry list of Wedge's faults and I'm certainly not going to suggest that he deserves to stay on the job for an eighth season after going 560-568 with just one playoff appearance in seven years. However, the team's problems clearly stretch beyond the man writing out the lineups. When viewed in isolation most of Shapiro's moves look sound, but the end result of his wheeling and dealing has been a series of disappointing teams that have now turned into a full-fledged rebuild. Again.

While in Cleveland for the Society for American Baseball Research convention two years ago I attended a panel discussion featuring Shapiro and St. Paul Saints owner Mike Veeck. Shapiro came across as incredibly intelligent and capable, impressing a room full of hardcore baseball nerds with both his open-mindedness and experience. Yet even then there was plenty of unrest among the Indians fans in the room and he had a hard time shrugging off questions about Wedge's job security.

Now that Wedge won't be around to take the first wave of criticism, it'll be interesting to see if Shapiro can get things turned around before the attention turns to him. He's been on the job since 2002, constantly rebuilding and reloading, but has just one playoff appearance and two winning seasons to show for it despite playing in a weak, low-payroll division that the Indians absolutely dominated from 1995-2001.

* After clinching their third straight division title, the Angels scratched Scott Kazmir from last night's start and have also bumped Jered Weaver from tonight's scheduled outing. Matt Palmer will take Weaver's place against the Rangers.

Lyle Spencer of MLB.com speculates that the Angels' postseason rotation will have John Lackey in Game 1 followed by Weaver, Kazmir, and Joe Saunders, which would leave Ervin Santana in the bullpen despite hurling a complete-game shutout earlier this week to make him 5-2 with a 3.18 ERA in 11 starts since August 1.

* Alex Cora hit just .251/.320/.310 in 82 games before undergoing season-ending surgery on both thumbs, but Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News reports that the Mets are likely to re-sign the 33-year-old utility man.

* Andrew Baggarly does a very good job covering the Giants for the San Jose Mercury News, but his plan to give Jeremy Affeldt a 10th-place vote in the NL MVP balloting is the latest in a long line of things that make me care less and less about baseball's season-ending awards.

* David Ortiz's new restaurant isn't getting glowing reviews, as the Boston Globe called Big Papi's Grille "not very good" and "generic" while comparing it to "a midrange steakhouse in Applebee's style architecture."

It was about this time last year that the Mets gave Omar Minaya his contract extension. The Mets finished choking away the division a day or two later.  The Dodgers are in all likelihood still going to win the west, but with their lead down to 3.5, with them losing like crazy to the Pirates and the Padres, and with the team playing some of their most uninspired ball of the year, can't this wait a week?

The Dodgers are negotiating a long-term contract extension with General Manager Ned Colletti, a high-ranking club official said . . . It is uncertain whether the extension will be finalized or announced before the Dodgers complete play this year. The official was granted anonymity because owner Frank McCourt has asked that off-the-field business not take public precedence over the team's quest to reach the World Series for the first time since 1988.

I don't know when it was that baseball owners went and got themselves in a big damn hurry all of a sudden, but you'd think they'd want to actually, you know, see how the season turned out before deciding what to do with the most important position in the organization.

Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera were given a bunch of gifts before last night's game. Cool stuff, too!  For example, check out what Rivera got: 

Rivera was given the bullpen bench from the old Yankee Stadium and the Citi Field pitching rubber from the night he earned save No. 500 against the New York Mets across town.

Nice! I hope to God that no one told the Mets.

Jeter scored pretty well too. Among other things, he was given that sign from the old Yankee Stadium clubhouse with the famous Joe DiMaggio quote: "I want to thank the Good Lord for making me a Yankee."  Wait a minute, my B.S. detector is going off! Quick! To the time machine! Set the dial for last January!

Derek Jeter came clean Wednesday night. He pilfered the Joe DiMaggio sign, as I suspected . . . A clue on his intentions had come earlier that night, when he said he had his eye on a particular Stadium keepsake but wouldn't say which. After the game and on-field celebration, I noticed the sign was missing and told him, "I know what you're taking out of here," and I asked if I could report it.

He shook his head and replied, "In due time."

Four months later, he admitted he had taken the sign, and another item or two.

So Captain Jetes: were you lying to the New York Times, saying you stole the DiMaggio sign in an effort to make yourself look like a Yankee-history-lovin' bad boy, or did you actually steal the sign, give it back to the Yankees, and then allow them to "award" you with it in last night's ceremony?  It has to be one of those two, right?

Usually you hear old ballplayers talking about how good they were. It's quite odd, then, to hear someone as good as Mike Schmidt talking about how flawed he was:

I hated striking out, all 2,000 times I did it. I guess my problem was I felt the opposing pitcher saw me as a dangerous hitter, not a good hitter. There is a difference. Most of my career I was that hitter ... "dangerous." Make good pitches - fastballs up, sliders away - and I'd get myself out, especially in pressure at-bats where contact was a must. I wanted to be a "good" hitter, good in my eyes and the opposing pitcher's, not just a guy who whaled and occasionally hit a bomb.

I suppose Schmidt was that guy for the first couple years of his career, but if he was merely a dangerous mistake-ball hitter from 1974 to 1987, he was doing it in another dimension. The guy won three MVPs and probably deserved two or three more. He's the best third baseman in the history of the game. He was the best hitter in baseball between the end of WIllie Mays' career and the beginning of Barry Bonds'. Really, if you're defining eras by their best players, the progression arguably goes Wagner/Cobb, Ruth, Gehrig, Williams/DiMaggio, Mantle/Mays, Schmidt, Bonds, Pujols. Rare frickin' company.

So what is Schmidt up to?  In this article, it's criticizing Mark Reynolds, and offering him some advice:

Mark Reynolds and any other high K guy could choke up, spread out and just center the ball, and they'd hit 50 home runs and around .300 in today's game . . . When hitters understand that a shorter, less violent, level swing increases contact, when they realize that more contact means more production, more consistency, and more wins, they'll change . . . It took me 13 years to see the light, make those changes and become "dangerous" and "good." Why should they wait that long? Take it from me and my buddies: Sometimes a single is harder to hit than a home run!

Wow. As noted above, it decidedly did not take Mike Schmidt 13 yeas to become a "good" hitter. Indeed, his eighth through twelfth seasons are clearly his statistical peak (though he remained elite for about four more years). Mike Schmidt was the seventh most strikin'-out hitter in the history of the game. And that's OK, because that was just part of the deal to get those 548 home runs. If Schmidt had taken his own advice when he was at the point in his career that Reynolds is in his own -- if he had shortened up his swing and sought contact -- he wouldn't have all of that hardware, may not have made the Hall of Fame, and certainly wouldn't have rated a column in the Sporting News.

Mark Reynolds strikes out more than Schmidt ever did and he could probably stand to make an adjustment or two if he ever wants to be a truly elite player.  Having an inner-circle Hall of Famer telling him not to do as he had done, however, is probably not the best way to go about it.

(link via BTF)

Twins 3, Tigers 2; Tigers 6, Twins 5: Porcello and Blackburn were each tough in game one, but Verlander wasn't matched by Duensing in Game 2, putting his team in a 5-0 hole. A seriously long day for these two teams, and despite all of the drama, now they're back (back) where they started, here they go 'round again. Day after day they get up and they'll say, they have to do it again. Two more times.

Marlins 5, Braves 4: A three run homer from Matt Diaz to tie it up in the 6th had me dancing the dance of joy, but the Braves just couldn't get over. When Chipper hit into that double play in the ninth all the air came out of the room. They can't win every damn game, even if it seems like they can lately. The Rockies have to lose once in a while.

Rockies 7, Brewers 5: Crap, they didn't lose. At first I was all prepared to write this one up as a 5-2 Rockies win last night when all of a sudden Kendall hit that three-run homer off Street. Jason effin' Kendall. WATFO? But then Chris Iannetta does it his own self? Mercy. Oh well, I still have that NL East pipe dream I was harboring for a couple of hours yesterday . . .

Phillies 7, Astros 4: Double crap. I suppose it was too much to ask the Astros to lay the smackdown on the defending champs. The Phillies' magic number is now one.

Reds 7, Cardinals 2: Jay Bruce hit two home runs. Homer Bailey pitched well. Joey Votto blasted one. This is sort of how Cincinnati drew it up in 2008 or so. Better late than never, I suppose. And the hot finish is likely enough to keep Reds' fans warm over the winter.

Blue Jays 8, Red Sox 7: Take that, Jay Bruce: Adam Lind hit three home runs. Take that Adam Lind: Papelbon plunked Lind on the elbow his last time up. Classy as ever, Jonathan. The Red Sox clinched the wild card when the Rangers lost later in the evening (see below), but they really can't be happy with this last week. Five straight losses. A circa late-July, early-August Clay Buchholz performance. Anaheim won't lose to Boston in the first round forever, you know, and this year is looking pretty ripe for a change of pace.

Cubs 6, Pirates 0: I know he had the shutout going, but I'd like to think that at least a small part of the reason Lou Piniella left Dempster in there to finish the game was to show John Russell that the home crowd will give a pitcher a standing ovation even after the ballgame is over.

Rays 3, Orioles 1: Twelve straight losses for the O's. There hasn't been this much carnage in Baltimore since Junior Bunk opened fire in the squad room at the end of season six.

Nationals 4, Mets 3: Break up the Nats, who have won two in a row. They count as wins, even if they come at the expense of the Mets.

Yankees 4, Royals 3: The Cardinals clinched and have gone on a big slide. The Yankees clinched and haven't lost since. This has to be a good sign, right? Let us consult some teams who entered the playoffs on a hot streak: 2005, 2006 and 2007 Yankees, what say you? Hmmm, they're not answering. Maybe we should talk to some teams who stumbled to the end of the regular season: 2005 White Sox, 2006 Cardinals and 2007 Red Sox, wasn't it a nightmare entering the playoffs with no momentum?

Angels 5, Rangers 2: Good night Rangers. All the more depressing for Rangers fans to have it happen against a second string Angels lineup and a spot starter. At the beginning of the season I picked the Rangers to win the west. Based on everyone else's picks, I was pretty much alone in thinking they'd do anything. Well, they did a lot, and they have nothing to be ashamed of. There's a good foundation here and a good future. They will be back.

Padres 3, Dodgers 1: I suppose they'll clinch eventually, but in the meantime, losing a lot of games to the Padres and Pirates of the world can't feel too nice. And really, between St. Louis, Los Angeles, and Philly, is there any NL team that wants to at least act like they have a shot in the postseason? Poor effort down the stretch, division leaders, really poor effort.

Giants 8, Diamondbacks 4: Those two home runs by Bengie Molina probably bought him another million in contract negotiations with Brian Sabean (but not any sane GM the Giants could hire or who works for another team). Probably bought Buster Posey another month in AAA or on the pine, too. Bruce Bochy: "We don't know what's going to happen and Bengie doesn't know what's going to happen. I do know he's done a great job here. We wouldn't be in this position ... without Bengie." What position is that, Bruce? Outside of the playoffs looking in despite a superior pitching staff by virtue of you having black holes every where you look on offense?

Mariners 6, Athletics 4: Did we see our last ever Ken Griffey, Jr. home run in this one? If so, the circumstances -- a three-run job against a kid who was a year old when Junior debuted, at home, that essentially put the game away -- is a fine way to go out. 628.

White Sox vs. Indians: Postponed: They could cancel it outright, but then they'd deprive the Indians of the dozens of dollars they stand to make in beer and hot dog sales during the makeup game later today.

As bad as they've looked over the past five games, the Boston Red Sox are once again back in the playoffs, thanks to the Los Angeles Angels, who eliminated the Texas Rangers from contention on Tuesday night.

That's a record seventh wild card berth for Boston, as well as its sixth playoff appearance in the last seven seasons. But after two championships since 2004, simply making the postseason is no longer good enough for Red Sox fans.

So after five straight losses - including a weekend sweep at the hands of the New York Yankees - there has got to be plenty of handwringing going on over at Red Sox Nation headquarters. The good feelings of a hot September start have faded during a 5-8 run that could have been even worse if not for a three-game sweep of the pathetic Orioles.

In light of the current losing streak, is there reason for worry in Boston? Is the recent swoon a sign of terrible things to come?

Not necessarily.

According to some research by blogger Lisa Swan at The Faster Times, a hot run in September has little bearing on what happens in October. Also, a fade at the end of the regular season does not spell doom in the postseason.

Ever since three Wild Card teams in a row - the 2002 Angels, the 2003 Marlins, and the 2004 Red Sox - won the World Series after sizzling Septembers, people have thought that ending the season on a hot streak is the key to postseason success. Only thing is, it's not often the case.

True, going on a run down the stretch - like the 2007 Rockies did, when they went 21-8 over the last month of the regular season - will frequently catapult a team into the playoffs. But it doesn't necessarily increase the likelihood of postseason success.

Swan looked at the results of all 72 playoff teams from 2000-08, and found that of the 10 teams that won more than 70 percent of their regular season games in September and October, only the 2007 Rockies made it was far as the World Series, and they were swept by the Red Sox. Only four of the 10 even made it past the first round.

On the other hand, during the same stretch there were six playoff teams that finished with a losing record down the stretch. Four of those teams made it the World Series, and the 2006 Cardinals and 2000 Yankees took home the big trophy.

After Tuesday night's loss, the Red Sox are 15-12 in September, a perfectly fine .555 winning percentage. Sure, there are concerns, primarily on the pitching side of things. Josh Beckett's back might be ailing him, Jon Lester is recovering from taking a liner off his knee, Clay Buchholz and Michael Bowden don't appear to be ready for prime time, and Dice-K is - well, who knows what you'll get from Dice-K.

But now is not the time to be worried, Red Sox fans, as a September swoon has little bearing on what happens in October. Just take a cue from your ever-calm manager:

"We don't really look at it like that," Francona said. "Whatever happened nine days ago is not going to affect tomorrow. What we're thinking about is today."

Clay Buchholz pitched his way into the Red Sox's postseason rotation by going 7-3 with a 3.21 ERA through 14 starts, but turned in a disastrous outing Tuesday against the Blue Jays. Buchholz served up a career-high five homers after allowing a total of seven long balls through his first 84 innings this year, coughing up seven runs as his ERA rose nearly 20 percent.

Two of those homers came off the bat of Adam Lind, who chased Buchholz from the game and later took reliever Takashi Saito deep for his third blast of the night. Lind is fifth in the league with a .932 OPS, hitting .305 with 35 homers, 46 doubles, and 114 RBIs to show that his .318/.380/.509 line in the minors was no fluke despite posting a modest .745 OPS through his first 195 games with Toronto.

While the Red Sox clinched the Wild Card anyway thanks to the Rangers' loss a few hours later, here are some other notes from around baseball ...

Rest easy Red Sox fans, Josh Beckett's aching back did not come about as a result of pitching, but from an inability to, umm, rest easy (from the Globe):

"It was just something that you wake up with," Beckett said. "It wasn't like I felt anything when I was throwing. You just you wake up and you're locked up."

Instead, he pointed to the road trip.

"Three different crappy beds on the road, one getting in at 5 o'clock in the morning. I just don't think that all that stuff really sat well with my back," Beckett said. "It was unfortunate that you wake up on the day you start and don't really feel well enough to be able to do that. I think we made the right decision. I feel a lot better today."

This is certainly good news for the Red Sox, as Beckett has the most impressive playoff line of any of their starters: 7-2, 2.90 ERA, .943 WHIP, 96 Ks in 87 innings. He, along with the blossoming Jon Lester, give the Red Sox an edge in just about any matchup.

So no more crappy beds on the road for Josh Beckett. Let him sleep on a pile of feathers if need be. Or on one of these. Anything to keep that back in good shape.

Of course, I'm not sure what you can do about the blisters.

While the subject had died down during the last couple of years, the idea of putting Rickie Weeks in the outfield is again being kicked around in Milwaukee, this time because of Felipe Lopez's stellar performance since arriving in a July trade.

Not surprisingly, Weeks is still completely against a possible move to center field.

"I would never go out there," Weeks said. "I've talked to (general manager) Doug (Melvin) about it and it's squashed, and that's all that matters."

Melvin, for the record, said he talked to Weeks' agent about the possibility recently, though not the player.

"It's never been put forward to him as, 'Would you do this?'" Melvin said. "I talked to him about playing the outfield in general. He played the outfield in high school and in college, but he moved (to second) in college."

Three years ago, the idea made plenty of sense. Weeks was a terrible second baseman when he entered the league. He was about as error-prone as anyone at the position, and while his outstanding speed should have led to great range, his poor footwork most nullified it.

Weeks, though, has gotten a whole lot better, to the point that UZR has rated him as almost exactly average over the last three years. I'd put him a little below, mostly because of some lingering awkwardness when turning the double play, but he is perfectly acceptable.

Could he be above average in center field? Possibly, though it'd surely take time. Weeks still has well above average speed, though injuries have taken a bit of a toll there. Since the learning curve would be steep, the Brewers would almost surely be better off with Weeks at second and Mike Cameron in center next year than with Lopez at second in center.

Still, a switch might still pay off for the long haul. Second basemen have a long and proud tradition of fading in their early-30s. Those blind double-play turns make the position more dangerous to play than any besides catcher, and Weeks has had big problems staying healthy. It's quite likely that he'd have a longer career in center than at second and earn more money in the process.

The Brewers certainly will go along with his wishes. They'll probably let Lopez go this winter and attempt to re-sign Cameron for a year or two. The idea of trading Weeks, who is a free agent after 2011, and re-signing Lopez figures to be broached. However, Lopez will want significantly more than the $3.5 million or so that Weeks figures to make in arbitration and it seems unlikely that Weeks will bring back a quality starting pitcher when he's coming off wrist surgery.

Here are the infield hit leaders, listed along with their number of bunt hits.

Numbers taken from Fangraphs.com

1. Ichiro Suzuki - 49 - 6
2. Michael Bourn - 29 - 17
3. Carl Crawford - 27 - 0
3. Shane Victorino - 27 - 0
5. Cristian Guzman - 26 - 1
6. Ryan Braun - 25 - 0
6. Jacoby Ellsbury - 25 - 9
6. Scott Podsednik - 25 - 5
9. Everth Cabrera - 23 - 13
9. Matt Kemp - 23 - 3

And here's bunt hits, along with each player's number of infield hits:

1. Erick Aybar - 18 - 15
2. Emilio Bonifacio - 17 - 18
2. Michael Bourn - 17 - 29
4. Willy Taveras - 15 - 13
5. Nyjer Morgan - 14 - 15
6. Everth Cabrera - 13 - 23
6. Rafael Furcal - 13 - 19
8. Denard Span - 10 - 19
9. Luis Castillo - 9 - 18
9. Jacoby Ellsbury - 9 - 25
9. Chone Figgins - 9 - 13

- Ichiro does rather stand out up there, doesn't he? But I wonder if he wouldn't be even better if he attempted a few more bunts. He's 6-for-10 reaching base when he gets a bunt down this year, and he's over 50 percent for his career.

But, then, I also wonder if he wouldn't be worse off for it. Ichiro may just be the one hitter in baseball who doesn't benefit from having the infield come in against him. His ability to beat out seemingly routine grounders is legendary. He probably doesn't want the shortstop and second baseman any further in than they already are.

- Ichiro aside, the great "bunt for hitters" are generally in the 40s as far as reaching first when they get a bunt down. Cabrera (50), Bourn (47) and Ellsbury (47) are the best of the guys on the leaderboard. Castillo is the low man at 28 percent.

Also in the 50 percent club are Colby Rasmus (7-for-14) and B.J. Upton (6-for-12). Troy Tulowitzki and Brian Roberts are both 4-for-5. Bunting against the shift, Carlos Pena is 5-for-8 and Jack Cust is 3-for-3. Kemp is also 3-for-3.

- Back to infield hits, here's the bottom of the leaderboard:

1. Brian McCann - 2
1. Bengie Molina - 2
1. Daniel Murphy - 2
4. Jermaine Dye - 3
4. Brad Hawpe - 3
4. Paul Konerko - 3
4. Brad Hawpe - 3
4. Andy LaRoche - 3
4. Carlos Pena - 3

Ron Gardenhire did his best to over-manage the game by calling for five bunts--including a suicide squeeze that resulted in an inning-ending double play--but the Twins still prevailed in extra innings this afternoon to take Game 1 of the crucial doubleheader in Detroit.

Nick Blackburn and Rick Porcello both turned in strong starts, combining for 13.1 frames of two-run ball, but the Twins got to Brandon Lyon for a pair of 10th-inning runs in his second inning of work. That gave closer Joe Nathan a bit of breathing room and he needed it, serving up a leadoff homer to Curtis Granderson before getting three straight outs for his league-leading 45th save.

Minnesota is now just one game back of Detroit in the AL Central, but the Tigers have a sizable advantage for Game 2 with ace Justin Verlander and 26-year-old rookie Brian Duensing taking the mound in less than four hours. A win by Verlander would essentially leave the Twins needing to win both of the final two games to have any sort of realistic shot at the division title.

However, if the Twins can pull off an upset victory against Verlander they'll be tied atop the division and in the driver's seat with Scott Baker and Carl Pavano matching up against Eddie Bonine and Nate Robertson to finish the series. As the great Ernie Banks said, let's play two!

Shannon Drayer of ESPN radio in Seattle has chronicled the amazing psychic abilities that announcer Mike Blowers displayed yesterday. You really ought to read Drayer's amusing recap, which includes the actual audio clips, but here's the short version ...

On the pregame show Blowers selected Matt Tuiasosopo as his "pick to click" and then jokingly made an extremely specific prediction about the rookie hitting his first career homer to left-center field on a 3-1 fastball in his second at-bat.

So naturally Tuiasosopo worked the count to 3-1 in his second at-bat and then launched a fastball into the left-center field seats for his first career homer as legendary play-by-play man Dave Niehaus went nuts and laughter filled the broadcast booth.

Last night Peter Moylan set a Braves record by appearing in his 85th game, which is pretty remarkable for a guy who missed nearly all of last season following Tommy John elbow surgery and was no sure thing to be healthy by Opening Day.

In fact, even after making the team out of spring training Moylan struggled in his first two outings, allowing five runs without recording an out. Atlanta stuck with him and since then he's 6-2 with a 2.03 ERA in 71 innings while limiting opponents to a .235 batting average.

Moylan's average fastball is down about two miles per hour compared to his pre-surgery norms, but his slider remains just as sharp and the side-arming right-hander continues to induce a ton of ground balls. He has the third-highest ground-ball rate among all pitchers with 50 or more innings at 62.8 percent and has yet to allow a homer in 300 plate appearances. Toss in 60 strikeouts in 71 innings and he's basically a perfect setup man.

Moylan was ridden extremely hard in 2007, logging 90 innings in 80 appearances, and that workload likely led to his needing to go under the knife. This season's workload isn't quite as heavy, but pitching 85 times in 156 games has still put an awful lot of stress on his surgically repaired elbow. On the other hand he's already 30 years old despite this being just his second full season in the majors, so riding Moylan until the wheels fall off makes some sense.

Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports that 16-year-old Dominican shortstop Miguel Angel Sano has lowered his asking price after MLB was unable to verify his age.

Considered by many to be the top international prospect available this year, Sano reportedly turned down a $2.6 million offer from the Pirates several months ago only to have several other teams tone down their pursuit.

Melewski reports that 8-10 teams remain interested in Sano, with the Pirates, Twins, and Orioles joined by the usual big-payroll clubs.

* There's been a lot of speculation recently about whether the Giants will retain Brian Sabean and Bruce Bochy, but Sabean made it clear yesterday that Bochy will return as manager if he returns as general manager.

"Without question, Bruce has done a great job," said Sabean, who has the second-longest tenure among all GMs with 13 years on the job. San Francisco will finish with a winning record this season for the first time since 2004.

* It's been a month since the Nationals first started talking publicly about moving Cristian Guzman from shortstop to second base next season and three weeks since they actually sat down with Guzman to discuss the switch, yet the 31-year-old veteran said yesterday that he's still not sure about making the change.

* Gabe Kapler, Ben Zobrist, Evan Longoria, and Willy Aybar went deep last night as the Rays established a new team record for homers with 193, which is especially impressive given that they've been without Carlos Pena and his AL-leading 39 homers all month. Just like last season the Rays rank fourth among AL teams in homers and they've improved from ninth to fourth in runs scored, but the pitching staff has declined from second to eighth in runs allowed.

I was just sort of joking in the recaps this morning when I mused that the Braves could potentially overtake the Phillies for the division, but apparently some people in Philadelphia are a little uneasy. Maybe the Braves fan in me is reading too much into it, but is Charlie Manuel making excuses already?

"The schedule has been perfect for them. That's definitely not an excuse, because I feel we have the best team in our league," Manuel said. "But the schedule's been good for them. [Bobby] Cox might have made that schedule up. He announced his retirement and they let him go ahead and make the schedule."

Blaming the schedule. The last refuge of a scoundrel. And maybe a choker. But here's a couple of things about the schedule: (1) Philly and Atlanta play in the same division, so they have basically the same schedule; (2) the only difference in interleague schedules is that rather than play the Rays like the Phillies did, the Braves were stuck with three extra games against Boston; and (3) if you really wanted to make this last week meaningless, Charlie, you should have done better than 8-10 head-to-head against Atlanta.

The upshot: If Philly somehow loses this thing -- and the odds are still really stacked in the Phillies favor, I don't deny it -- they only have themselves to blame. 

In the meantime, here is some reading material to tide you over until tonight's game.

They haven't popped champagne just yet, but with the Pirates' win against Los Angeles yesterday, the Nats can now finish no worse (better?) than a tie for the worst record in baseball. If the Pirates lose out and the Nats win out, they'll both finish 59-103. 

But, because the Pirates took the season series 5-3 against the Nats, Washington wins (loses?) the tiebreaker, thereby entitling them to draft one Bryce Harper. That is, if getting the rights to take a 16 year-old kid whom Scott Boras will try to have moved to Andorra or something in order to make him a free agent constitutes "entitlement."

Congratulations, Nationals, you did it! Now all that is left is for Adam Dunn to hit two homers so he can finish with an even 40 for the fifth season in a row and the season will have been an unequivocal success!

I mentioned in the recaps this morning that it's hard to gauge the impact of the rainout given that the Tigers will throw better starters out there while the Twins have a better bullpen. What I didn't think about until some readers and the Strib's Joe Christensen reminded me of it was that two games in one day will have some fallout with respect to Joe Mauer deployment. As in, can the guy catch for eighteen innings in one day and still be expected to carry the offensive load?

While Ron Gardenhire says he hasn't made up his mind, Christensen and my reader thinks that Mauer will catch Game 1 and be the designated hitter in Game 2. Makes sense to me. Which may not actually be a bad thing in terms of offense maximizaton, because recently Ron Gardenhire has been using Brendan Harris as a DH when Mauer catches, but putting in Jose Morales behind the plate when Mauer DHs.  I don't know how Morales's defense measures up -- it's likely inferior to Mauer's -- but Morales > Harris with the stick, and runs may be hard to come by against Porcello and Verlander today.

Right now the weather, while iffy -- it's going to be cold and gusty, but the rain will be of the scattered, as opposed to soaking variety -- looks like it will hold.  It's possible that by the time we go to bed tonight the Tigers will have all but locked up the division. It's also possible that the Twins will have tied the damn thing. Either way, I'm excited as hell for a truly meaningful twinbill.

I've been accused of being an apologist for players taking steroids. There's an element of truth to that, I suppose, at least if you equate "not thinking that players who take PEDs are Satan" with being an apologist.  I simply think there are worse offenses in the baseball world, even if some folks disagree.

A big reason for my view of this is that not every player -- and I'd argue not any player -- who tests positive for PED is some cartoonish evil cheater with black intentions in their heart. Some are a little more brazen than others. Some, however, are just kind of screwed by circumstance.

Case in point: The Phillies' J.C. Romero. As you'll recall, he was suspended for 50 games to kick off the season as the result of testing positive for a steroid he took via an over the counter supplement last fall.  You'll also recall that Romero has sued the supplement maker, claiming that it failed to identify the substances in the product that led to his positive test. That suit is still pending, but Major League Baseball -- pursuant to a policy it implemented as the result of extreme Congressional heat -- wasn't all that interested in the details.

What gets lost in all of this is that neither Congress -- the prime mover behind baseball's current PED policy -- and Major League Baseball -- the enforcer -- has clean hands in any of this.  Why? For one thing, Congress itself -- with the help of President Clinton -- was what allowed the current wild west supplement industry to blossom in the first place when it enacted the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, which basically punted all oversight of the supplement industry to . . . the supplement industry itself.  We should not have been shocked, therefore, when all manner of revolutionary products with all manner of questionable yet unnamed ingredients starting showing up at the GNC.

For its part, Major League Baseball famously lagged in telling the union that the supplement Romero was taking would lead to positive tests, even though it knew so ahead of time, and even though it had pledged to keep the union informed of the latest state of PEDs. Romero, in turn, relied on the union for his information.  Of course the union could have and should have told Romero that he needed to call the Major League Baseball hotline, where he could have gotten the updated information, but they failed to do that.

Upshot: there was a metric crap-ton of stuff that happened which led to Romero getting what amounted to a $1.5 million suspension, almost all of which was more the fault of those who would go after PED users than Romero himself.

Against that backdrop, today we learn that Congress is going to wade back into the fray and think about re-regulating the supplement world. That wading is led by Arlen Specter, who was spurred on, he says, by the Romero case. "We're looking at whether there's adequate protection for consumers from getting these supplements which have steroids or steroid-like substances," Specter said.  Union head Don Fehr added that "players, like everyone else, have no idea what they're taking."  Specter is probably right to want to take another look at the supplement industry and review that 1994 deregulation. Fehr is right that players who take over the counter supplements may very well not know what they'e taking, partially due to MLB and the union not giving them good or timely information.

In light of this, it is an inescapable conclusion that the PED and supplement world is not comprised of a landscape in which there are cheaters and non-cheaters, evil and good. It's a complicated environment, and that's even before you get into the issue of certain things being legal in one country and not legal in another.

To the extent we as fans have decided otherwise and have adopted the rhetoric of good and evil in the great steroid debate, it's because those congressional hearings and all that fell out of it set such a tone.  Now even Congress is reconsidering the matter.  Maybe we all should too.

Frenchie, when asked if he is sad that he's not part of the Braves' late season wild card surge:

I wish them nothing but the best," Francoeur said, "but to be honest with you, there's not even a .1 percent chance that I'd want to be back there right now. It has nothing to do with the people there because I love Bobby [Cox] and I love that team. But sometimes you just gotta get out of the situation, and I was a guy that needed to get out."

Yeah, it's probably best that he's not back there. Because if he was, someone may put two and two together and realize that his .250/.282/.352 line while in Atlanta is the main reason why the Braves have had to surge just to get into the playoff conversation in the first place.

For the past month or so, the Blue Jays' chain of command has been in apparent disarray. Cito Gaston told the media that the team wasn't interested in retaining Rod Barajas. J.P. Ricciardi basically told the fans that they have no reason to root for Toronto. Now Gaston is once again out there, acting as the team's defacto spokesman and playing hot stove pundit:

Halladay was on a spinning table, like the second item up for display on The Price is Right, for 26 days in July before the Jays ruled everyone had underbid. Whether it is this off-season or next July's deadline, they'll receive less.

"If we don't add anybody this winter, or go get somebody that can help, I doubt we keep him," manager Cito Gaston said. "That's my opinion. I don't know that. Would it make any sense to keep him? Probably not."

We can argue about whether keeping Halladay is a good idea, but is it really the manager's place to be speculating, hypothesizing and pontificating about the team's personnel moves like this?  Better question: is there anyone in charge in Toronto?

Angels 11, Rangers 0: The Angels clinch the West, and in a fit of wrongheadedness so comically tragic that it strains credulity, they soak the jersey of a victim of a fatal drunk driving accident with beer and champagne in celebration. Here's hoping that someone in Angels' management was passing out cab vouchers last night.

Tigers vs. Twins, POSTPONED: I usually put rainouts last, but this rainout was more significant than most of the actual games that were played last night. Not sure whether a doubleheader today gives either team a big advantage. The Twins have a better bullpen, but the Tigers are going with two starters -- Porcello and Verlander -- who will make their own bullpen less important by comparison. All I know is that if I was in Detroit tomorrow I'd probably be skipping work. Heck, the wine I ordered when I was out in California last week is getting delivered today, so I may skip work anyway.

Pirates 11, Dodgers 1: John Russell lifted Zach Duke with one out to go for a complete game. Russell's explanation: that he wanted to give Duke a standing ovation as he left the mound. Sorry John, this ain't basketball and I ain't buyin' it. My guess: Russell is in a fantasy league in which CGs are a stat and the guy he's battling for first place owns Duke. It'll be a scandal if people can ever prove it. Like the Pete Rose thing, but boring. As for the rest of the game: Andy LaRoche homered twice, doubled twice and singled, driving in six runs. Some genius once told me that homers were rally killers. They're also cycle killers, so your failure was two-fold, Mr. LaRoche. So, L.A.? Is this how you're gonna bring it against Philly or Atlanta or whoever you get next week? Good luck with that.

Braves 4, Marlins 0: I don't know if the Rockies are going to cooperate and lose two or three games before Sunday, but if they do, ain't nobody gonna want to face the Braves in the playoffs. Based on some stuff I read yesterday, there are still some people who don't quite appreciate how awesome Jair Jurrjens is ("middle of the rotation starter?"). I wouldn't trade the dude -- who shut the Marlins out over seven -- if the money for Fielder was dead even.

Astros 8, Phillies 2: Well, I suppose it's possible that the Braves AND Rockies could make the playoffs. Such a collapse would be damn nigh historic as far as collapses go, but as I sit here this morning anything seems possible. I thought the 1987 Blue Jays had the division wrapped up too.

Rays 7, Orioles 6: If the Rays were to move from St. Pete after building a new stadium in Tampa or Branden or Riverview or something, could they change their name to the East Bay Rays? Because that would be cool.

Blue Jays 11, Red Sox 5: This one was called in the seventh inning because of rain and the mercy rule and the fact that three-fourths of the Red Sox roster is having spasms of some kind this week. Michael Bowden gave up seven runs on seven hits and a walk in a spot start for Beckett. In this he was like the substitute teacher who would just put on the "Free To Be You and Me" video, read her Better Homes and Gardens magazine and let the class run amok the entire period. Not that we all didn't stop when Rosey Grier sang "It's alright to cry," some of us because we were touched, others because we couldn't believe our frickin' eyes. Man, being born in the 70s sucked.

White Sox 6, Indians 1: It blows my mind that, despite how nightmarish a season it has been for the Royals, they could once again finish out of the cellar and ahead of a team everyone thought would go to the playoffs when camp broke. But here are the Indians, losing again and letting this race go down to the wire.

Yankees 8, Royals 2: Not that Kansas City is going to go down without a fight. Luke Hochevar, pitched a three hit shutout a couple of starts ago, got shelled for eight runs on 12 hits in six innings. Atta boy, Lukey, always keep 'em guessing! This performance, by the way, came against a Yankee lineup containing such luminaries as Brett Gardner, Eric Hinkse, Shelley Duncan, Juan Miranda, and Frank Cervelli.

Nationals 2, Mets 1: Helen Keller once said "The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision." She went on to say that the second most pathetic person in the world is any Mets fan who hasn't jumped ship before now.

Since beginning the season with five saves over six straight scoreless appearances Matt Capps has blown five saves in 26 chances while going 4-8 with a 6.61 ERA and .342 opponents' batting average in 48 innings. Despite six straight months of brutal pitching by Capps general manager Neal Huntington said that the 25-year-old righty will remain the Pirates' closer next year "barring some unforeseen circumstances."

In other words, Huntington will spend the winter trying to coax a contender into giving up a decent prospect or two for Capps and if that proves unsuccessful thanks to his collapse or history of arm issues will hand him closer duties again next season in the hopes that he can recoup some value. If healthy Capps is a nice bet to bounce back thanks to a solid 45/17 K/BB ratio amid the overall struggles.

While the Pirates' boss mentions Joel Hanrahan, Jesse Chavez, and Evan Meek as closing alternatives here are some other notes from around baseball ...

Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio has told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he and general manager Doug Melvin are exploring every avenue to improve their team for next season, even if that means trading its best hitter, Prince Fielder.

"I don't like thinking about the Milwaukee Brewers without Prince Fielder, I'll tell you that," Attanasio said. "It's a challenge, because on the other side, if you concentrate too much on one player. ... It's not like basketball. If LeBron James or Michael Jordan is on your team, you can dominate. Prince could not have been more of a dominant player and we're scuffling to get to .500 with the challenges we've had with starting pitching. What do you do?

Attanasio states that Fielder's trade value will never be higher than it is right now, and if that were really the issue, he might be right. Fielder has put together arguably his best season, a .297/.406/.596 line with 43 homers and 137 RBIs. He's walked more than 100 times for the first time in his career, and doesn't turn 26 until May.

Has Fielder peaked? It seems unlikely for a guy that young, but concerns over his physique might change the formula a little bit, and Fielder's next contract will be a big one.

And that's really what it comes down to: Money.

Milwaukee was smart to lock up Ryan Braun, who won't even make as much as $8.5 million until the 2013 season. Fielder, though, resisted following a similar path, opting instead to keep one year of arbitration eligibility after his current two-year deal expires (after 2010) before heading into free agency.

On the other hand, Fielder's presence undoubtedly sells a lot of tickets (Milwaukee topped the 3-million mark in attendance for the second straight season) so you might want to keep him around a bit, patch some holes and hope for a rebound in 2010. Either way, it's not an easy decision.

"If you play that player too much you have to surround him with good enough players to win. On the other hand, players like Ryan Braun and Prince, they come along only every 10 years or so. Believe me, I think Doug thinks about that every day."

What would you do?

Not that Jack Morris was really Jack Morris anyway. The myth that Morris racked up his big win totals by pitching to the score is mostly just that, a myth.

Zach Duke, though, will never be accused of pitching to the score, at least not in 2009. The 26-year-old left-hander has turned his career around by going 11-15 with a respectable 3.94 ERA for a bad Pirates team. That's a .423 winning percentage for a club that's at .381 overall. However, the truth is that he could have been far better had he divvied up some of those RAs differently.

Remarkably, just once all year has Duke won a game in which the Pirates scored fewer than seven runs. That came on June 2, when he outdueled Johan Santana and beat a punchless Mets team 3-1. The Pirates have totaled 97 runs and allowed 26 in his 11 victories. That's an average score of 9-2. The Pirates have played 144 other games this season. In those, they've scored 520 runs and allowed 719. That's 3.6 runs scored per game and 5.0 allowed.

So, yeah, the Pirates are bad. But it's still amazing that they've somehow managed to go 1-20 when Duke starts and they don't score at least seven runs. Duke actually receives the best run support on the staff. It's a little inconsistent, but it's there. He's gotten 4.6 runs per nine innings, just a bit ahead of Ross Ohlendorf at 4.4. Compare that to Paul Maholm, who has gotten 3.6 runs, yet has still gone 8-9 with a 4.44 ERA that's substantially higher than Duke's. Ohlendorf has the same ERA as Duke and is 11-10.

To lay it all out:

The Pirates are 11-20 in Duke's starts. They score 4.6 runs per 9 IP for him, and he has a 3.94 ERA.
The Pirates are 15-16 in Maholm's starts. They score 3.6 runs per 9 IP for him, and he has a 4.44 ERA.
The Pirates are 14-15 in Ohlendorf's starts. They score 4.4 runs per 9 IP for him, and he has a 3.92 ERA.

I chalk it up to luck, mostly. But Duke hasn't done his best work in close contests, and since wins and losses are the name of the game, he just hasn't helped the Pirates as much his numbers indicate. It's not something I'd hold against him going forward, but it will be worth watching for, just in case it starts to happen again next year.

With one week, the AL and NL batting titles and OPS crowns are no longer in doubt. Still, there are plenty of league leaders left to be decided.

AL Home Runs
1. Carlos Pena - 39
2. Mark Teixeira - 38
3. Jason Bay - 36

Pena has been done since Sept. 7, but he just might get the crown anyway. He homered once in every 12.1 at-bats this year, compared to one in every 15.7 for Teixeira so far.

NL Home Runs
1. Albert Pujols - 47
2. Mark Reynolds - 44
3. Prince Fielder - 43
3. Ryan Howard - 43

Pujols still has a shot to be the first player to get to 50 homers since Alex Rodriguez and Prince Fielder in 2007. Also up in the air is whether Adam Dunn will get the two homers he needs for a sixth straight 40-homer season. He'd join Babe Ruth (seven), Alex Rodriguez and Sammy Sosa as the only players to pull that off.

AL RBI
1. Mark Teixieira - 120
2. Jason Bay -115

Teixiera could get two-thirds of the way to the Triple Crown. He's also in a big fight for second place in the league in OPS. He's at 952, barely ahead of Miguel Cabrera and Kevin Youkilis at 951. Bay is fifth at 930.

NL RBI
1. Prince Fielder - 137
1. Ryan Howard - 137
3. Albert Pujols - 132

Talk about a three-man race: Derrek Lee is in fourth place with 109.

MLB Bases on Balls
1. Albert Pujols - 112
2. Adam Dunn - 111
3. Adrian Gonzalez - 110

Shockingly, Chone Figgins is the AL leader at 98. No one would have guessed that at the start of the year.

MLB OBP
1. Albert Pujols - .446
2. Joe Mauer - .444
3. Nick Johnson - .420

We know Mauer will lead the majors in average and Pujols will lead both leagues in slugging and OPS. OBP remains up for grabs.

MLB GIDPs
1. Miguel Tejada - 29
2. Evan Longoria - 27
2. Yadier Molina - 27

Tejada needs just one more 6-4-3 to become the second player in baseball history to ground into 30 double plays in back-to-back years. Jim Rice did it three straight years from 1983-85.

NL ERA
1. Chris Carpenter - 2.30
2. Tim Lincecum - 2.47
3. Adam Wainwright - 2.58

The NL Cy Young race appears down to Wainwright and Lincecum, with Wainwright likely to clinch it if he can earn his 20th victory this week.

MLB Strikeouts
1. Justin Verlander - 256
2. Tim Lincecum - 254

They'll both lead their leagues. On a per-inning basis, Lincecum has a clear lead. He fans 10.5 per nine, while Verlander is at 10.3. Jon Lester is third at 10.0.

MLB WHIP
1. Dan Haren - 0.99
2. Chris Carpenter - 1.01
3. Javier Vazquez - 1.02

Zack Greinke is the AL leader at 1.07.

MLB Home Runs Allowed
1. Braden Looper - 39
2. Jeremy Guthrie - 32
3. Bronson Arroyo - 31

No, this one isn't in doubt. But we will get to see if Looper becomes the first pitcher to allow 40 homers since Eric Milton in 2005.

If only he could always play against his old team, LaRoche really would be the star many thought he'd become. The 26-year-old third baseman went 5-for-5 with two homers, two doubles and six RBI in Monday's rout of the Dodgers. That made him 14-for-29 against the Dodgers this season. His slash line is .483/.516/.931, compared to .259/.333/.403 overall.

LaRoche's performance this month and in the four-game series win over the Dodgers in particular won't change the fact that he's been a disappointment in his first full season as a regular, but it likely will lock up a starting job for him in 2010. He's hit .338 and launched five of his 12 homers during September.

Beyond the first couple of months of next year, it's hard to tell what's in store. The Pirates' former top position prospect and current top prospect are both third baseman. Neil Walker, though, needed a strong finish just to end this year with a modest .264/.311/.480 line as a 23-year-old in Triple-A, and Pedro Alvarez seems increasingly likely to end up at first base.

LaRoche looked like a future 30-homer guy in the low minors, but injuries sapped his power potential. Almost as disappointing is that his on-base skills haven't come along. LaRoche posted OBPs of .410, .399 and .445 in his final three minor league seasons. He was often aided by kind offensive environments, but his patience and his ability to hit line-drive singles and doubles figured to make him a quality major leaguer. Instead, he's really only been adequate against left-handed pitchers so far. Fortunately, two-homer, two-double games do have a way of changing numbers in a hurry.

* Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports that the Cubs "have no plans" to re-sign impending free agent Rich Harden despite the oft-injured right-hander saying publicly that he'd like to stay in Chicago. Minnesota made a run for Harden prior to the trading deadline, but an incentive-laden deal from a big-payroll team seems like the most probable scenario.

* Team USA lost their tournament opener and then won 14 straight games to capture back-to-back World Cup titles, defeating Cuba in the championship game yesterday. Cuba had won nine straight World Cup titles before losing to the United States in 2007. Rangers prospect and 2008 first-round pick Justin Smoak was named MVP of the tournament after hitting nine homers with 22 RBIs in 15 games.

* Nate Schierholtz has been swinging at everything while posting awful strikeout-to-walk ratios for his entire pro career, which spans 800 games and 3,100 plate appearances between the majors and minors. All of which makes Giants manager Bruce Bochy's contention that playing winter ball this offseason "will help him learn the strike zone" kind of silly.

* Omar Vizquel has spent this season backing up Elvis Andrus in Texas and the majors' oldest position player said yesterday that he's planning to play in 2010. Vizquel was a starter for the first 20 years of his career, but the 42-year-old has hit .266/.319/.343 while logging just 187 plate appearances as a full-time backup this season.

* San Francisco is unlikely to exercise the $8.1 million option on Freddy Sanchez for 2010 and the impending free agent indicated yesterday that he'd rather hit the open market than agree to a new deal with the Giants at a lower salary.

* Ozzie Guillen clarified that he doesn't hate football, he just hates football after his team gives up 12 unanswered runs after leading 5-0.

Barring a complete collapse by the Rockies seven of the eight playoff spots have already been decided, with baseball's worst division offering the lone intrigue for the final week as first-place Detroit hosts second-place Minnesota for four games beginning tonight.

The weekend went well for the Twins, as they won two out of three in Kansas City, losing only to the top pitcher in the league Sunday, and the Tigers lost two out of three in Chicago, winning only when the White Sox coughed up a 5-0 lead Saturday.

With seven games remaining the Twins now trail the Tigers by two games heading into the four-game series in Detroit, which basically means that Minnesota needs to win at least three of these four matchups to have more than slim playoff odds going into the final weekend:

TONIGHT:
Nick Blackburn      192 IP    4.2 SO/9    1.9 BB/9    45.4 GB%    4.85 xFIP
Rick Porcello       159 IP    4.5 SO/9    2.8 BB/9    54.6 GB%    4.56 xFIP
 
TUESDAY:
Brian Duensing       78 IP    5.7 SO/9    3.2 BB/9    45.3 GB%    4.97 xFIP
Justin Verlander    224 IP   10.3 SO/9    2.4 BB/9    35.6 GB%    3.40 xFIP
 
WEDNESDAY:
Carl Pavano         189 IP    6.5 SO/9    1.7 BB/9    44.5 GB%    4.16 xFIP
Eddie Bonine         29 IP    4.9 SO/9    3.1 BB/9    55.8 GB%    4.49 xFIP
 
THURSDAY:
Scott Baker         189 IP    7.5 SO/9    2.0 BB/9    33.9 GB%    4.34 xFIP
Nate Robertson       44 IP    6.8 SO/9    5.8 BB/9    41.8 GB%    5.40 xFIP

* xFIP stands for Expected Fielding Independent Pitching, which is generally a better measure of pitcher performance than ERA.

Based on the pitching matchups each team has a pretty clear edge in two of the games. Detroit has an edge with Justin Verlander, who's one of the five best pitchers in the league, and Rick Porcello, who's one of the five best rookies in the league. Minnesota has an edge against Eddie Bonine, who's 28 years old and making his ninth career start after posting a 4.10 ERA in 62 starts between Double-A and Triple-A, and Nate Robertson, who's 9-13 with a 6.19 ERA since the beginning of last season.

There's certainly a lot more room for analysis, but at this point we're essentially talking about a series of four coin flips, with each one weighted somewhere in the range of 50-50, 55-45, or 60-40. A split is the most likely scenario and would leave the Twins needing to finish with a sweep of the Royals while the Tigers lose at least two of three to the White Sox in the final weekend. However, a 3-1 series win for the Twins would put them in a relative driver's seat and a 4-0 sweep would all but lock up the division title.

As a wise man once said, "There's one word in America that says it all and that word is youneverknow."

For most of baseball history hitting 30 homers and stealing 30 bases in the same season was a pretty big deal.

From the beginning of time through 1982 the only players in the 30-30 club were Ken Williams (the 1920s outfielder, not the current White Sox general manager), Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Bobby Bonds, and Tommy Harper.

Beginning in 1983 the club started to expand rapidly, adding Dale Murphy, Darryl Strawberry, Eric Davis, Howard Johnson, Joe Carter, Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Ron Gant, and Sammy Sosa during the next decade.

And since the players returned from their strike in 1995, at least one player has joined the 30-30 club every year for an influx of 21 new members and 31 total 30-30 campaigns in 15 seasons.

Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler became the club's newest member Friday with the 54th 30-30 season in baseball history, and it's also one of the least impressive 30-30 campaigns. Kinsler's current .250 batting average would be the lowest by any 30-30 player, his .323 on-base percentage would be the fourth-lowest, and his .480 slugging percentage would be the ninth-lowest.

Here are the best and worst adjusted OPS+ totals from a 30-30 season:

BEST              YEAR     OPS+         WORST             YEAR     OPS+
Barry Bonds       1992     205          Joe Carter        1987     104
Barry Bonds       1996     188          Brandon Phillips  2007     105
Hank Aaron        1963     179          Raul Mondesi      1999     108
Larry Walker      1997     178          Alfonso Soriano   2005     109
Willie Mays       1957     174          Preston Wilson    2000     109
Barry Bonds       1997     170          IAN KINSLER       2009     110
Barry Bonds       1990     170          Sammy Sosa        1993     111
Jose Canseco      1988     170          Dante Bichette    1996     112
Howard Johnson    1989     169          Shawn Green       1998     116
Barry Bonds       1995     168          Jimmy Rollins     2007     118

This Bonds guy must have been pretty good, huh? Actually, of the 54 instances of a 30-30 season Barry and his father Bobby account for 10 of them. Anyway ...

In terms of offensive production Kinsler is having one of the worst 30-30 seasons of all time, but a 110 adjusted OPS+ is better than it looks coming from a middle infielder. On the other hand, Carter's adjusted OPS+ of 104 in 1987 is the lowest by any 30-30 player and he split time between first base and left field. That season the average adjusted OPS+ was 125 at first base and 112 in left field, so Carter was actually a significantly below-average hitter for his positions.

* Matt Capps has struggled this season, going 4-8 with a 5.91 ERA and .326 opponents' batting average while blowing five saves in 31 opportunities, but general manager Neal Huntington said yesterday that he'll remain the Pirates' closer next year "barring some unforeseen circumstance." Of course, if they get any decent offers for Capps this offseason my guess is that the Pirates would be happy to trade him.

* Craig noted this morning that the Brewers are thinking about hiring Rick Peterson as their new pitching coach, but it sounds like manager Ken Macha will stick around for 2010 despite a disappointing first year in Milwaukee. Peterson and Macha worked together for quite a few years in Oakland.

* Roger Clemens showed up at Minute Maid Park over the weekend because his son Koby Clemens was among eight players honored as the team MVPs of their respective minor-league affiliates. Koby, who's a 22-year-old catcher and former eighth-round pick, batted .345 with 22 homers, 45 doubles, and 121 RBIs in 116 games at high Single-A Lancaster of the California League.

* Koby Clemens can look forward to one day being involved in the Astros' annual hazing ritual, which this year consisted of forcing the rookies to dress up in 1980s workout clothes. In other words, basically a whole bunch of neon, spandex, headbands, and tanktops. Alyson Footer of MLB.com has all the embarrassing details.

As Zack Greinke cruised towards victory yesterday, the fans in Kaufman Stadium were chanting "Cy Young! Cy Young!"  You'd think that would bring a smile to Greinke's face, but apparently not:

"It's pretty annoying, actually. I don't like it at all. I guess it's nice that they'll do that, but it's annoying to me."

We know you don't like the spotlight, Zack, but these fans haven't had anything to cheer for in 24 years, so you may want to cut them a little slack.

I've been going to baseball games since the Carter administration and I've never even sniffed a foul ball. I think the closest I've ever been to getting a souvenir was six or seven rows. So you'll understand my jealousy of one Brian Cardis:

While most fans go a lifetime without catching a foul ball, Cardis caught two in the upper deck in a span of four pitches with the Dodgers' James Loney batting in the ninth inning Sunday.

Both plays were nearly the same - high popups that floated over the first deck, carried three rows deep into the club-level seats behind third base in the second deck and directly into Cardis' glove.

I'd understand if he had to scramble for 'em. It's Pittsburgh in late September, so there's maybe three dozen fans in the whole joint. But these went right to his glove. He was taking a picture of the first one with his phone when the second one came his way.

I'm not exactly sure why I'm jealous. It's one thing to show off a foul ball back at school on Monday, but I'm in my mid-30s now and there really isn't anyone who would be all that impressed if I flashed a James Loney foul ball at a staff meeting at work or at a party or something.

But I am jealous. And given that lightning seems to like to strike there, I'm going to see if this Cardis guy puts any of his season tickets on StubHub next summer.

Despite clinching the division, Tony La Russa was angry about something over the weekend:

Dissatisfaction over a seeming discrepancy between the visitors bullpen mound and the Coors Field main mound caused Cardinals manager Tony La Russa to seek an umpires' review of the two following Friday night's loss and led to an animated exchange with the Rockies grounds crew Saturday . . .

. . . The umpiring crew measured the two mounds Saturday and found no discrepancy. The finding didn't prevent La Russa and Duncan from a testy back-and-forth nearly four hours before first pitch with Rockies head groundskeeper Mark Razum.

This may seem like your standard "Tony La Russa being difficult" kind of story (why argue with the groundskeeper even after the umps made the measurements?), but I think there's more going on here than meets the eye.

For one thing, the article notes that Chris Carpenter -- who lodged the mound complaint -- said that the problem wasn't the height of the bullpen mound, but the slope. It's possible for the bullpen mound to be regulation height yet still have the wrong slope due to the whole mound havng a greater diameter or something. I've seen umpires measure a mound's height before -- it's a fairly simple operation involving a stick, a level and a tape measure -- but I've never seen them measure the slope. It's not clear from the article, but it doesn't seem likely that they could have done it, let alone accurately, before Saturday's game (UPDATE: OK, I may be wrong about this). La Russa is a lawyer by training. Though this often makes him a jerk, it also makes him the detail-oriented guy that he is, and I'm guessing he still wasn't satisfied on Saturday, maybe for good reason.

The much more interesting thing about this comes via the Baseball Think Factory message boards. It's no secret that long time Rocky Mountain News writer Tracy Ringolsby posts over there from time to time under the name "ballfan."  Ringolsby knows Rockies' baseball of course, and in response to the mound dispute, "ballfan" posted this yesterday:

Interesting tid bit is that Mark Razum, groundskeeper at Coors Field, was hired from Oakland, where he developed a friendship with former A's manager Tony La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan. Now, here's the real question. Could Duncan and La Russa be suspicious because of anything they might have been involved with in the past?

 

Nice catch, Tracy.  Could this be a situation in which La Russa and Duncan know damn well that Razum messes with the bullpen mounds based on personal history? If so, it might explain the argument on Saturday.

That's according to Ken Rosenthal anyway.

Peterson is one of those famous, name brand pitching coaches. He became a name brand by landing a job with the A's just before Zito, Hudson and Mulder came up, and talent like that has a funny way of making a pitching coach look good.  He's famous for allegedly saying that he could "fix Victor Zambrano in ten minutes" and slagging on Scott Kazmir when he was with the Mets, which led to New York trading the latter for the former in 2004. Maybe Steve Phillips Jim Duquette shouldn't have listened to Peterson, but it's hard to fathom how an alleged genius pitching coach could get such an assessment so damn wrong.

No matter what you think of Peterson, however -- and based on the pic to the right you have to respect any man who rocked the perm-mullet as late as 2007 -- the bottom line in Milwaukee is that the Brewers' 2009 staff suffered from an acute Sabathia and Sheets deficit disorder, and was afflicted with chronic Dave Bush syndrome and a virulent strain of Suppanitis. Bringing in a new pitching coach to treat the symptoms may have some sort of placebo effect, but it's likely going to take a multiple pitcher transplant for the patient to get healthy again. 

You gotta take the things players say in the final week of disappointing seasons with a grain of salt, but what Carlos Zambrano is saying is interesting:

"It's been a disappointing season. People say, 'Why can't you pitch like that all the time?' It's not all the time I feel like that. Look, this is the only season I haven't won 16 or 18 or 14 games. If it happens again next season, two seasons in a row, I'll quit. Believe me, I'll quit. I just have to put this behind me."

The "pitching like that" comment was in reference to his shutout of the Giants on Friday night. No, you can't expect anyone to do that "all the time," but I have this feeling that Zambrano could approach that more often if he'd get himself in better shape (and Zambrano admitted earlier this season that he was out of shape). It was probably a nice cool 67 degrees in San Francisco on Friday and Zambrano probably felt pretty good.  He'd feel more like that in hotter temperatures if he'd lose some weight and hit the treadmill a bit more.

Either way, I hope he doesn't retire any time soon. Crazy or not, ineffective in 2009 or not, he's one of my favorite pitchers for some reason.

It happens almost every year: the Giants, for reasons clear only to them, sign some 30 year-old (or older) hitter to a silly contract based on a career year and some pie-in-the-sky sense that he'll do it again. The candidate for 2010: Juan Uribe:

There exists a player who sounds as though he wants to be a Giant next year. This year, he is hitting .299 in 378 at-bats. Project his numbers over 500 at-bats and he would have 20 homers and 70 RBIs.

His on-base-plus-slugging percentage (OPS) as an everyday player since Aug. 1 is 1.011. To put that in context, the only National Leaguers over 1.000 for the entire season are Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder. He is a favorite among fans and teammates.

I'll pass on the Pujols/Fielder comparison because I'm trying to give up my ducks-in-a-barrel addiction and simply note that Uribe is putting up numbers like nothing he's done in his nine seasons in Major League Baseball. Seriously, his OBP over the past four seasons has been .296, .284, .257, and .301. His lifetime OBP is .299. By any measure, by any way you slice and dice it, his current season is the very definition of a fluke. He has a touch of pop in his bat and can play two or three positions so he has some use as a utility guy, but he's not the sort of dude you make a point of going after in the offseason.

Like Uribe, Giant GM Brian Sabean's contract is up after the season. The fact that a 30 year-old fluke is sitting out there, just waiting to be given a $5M+ salary by Sabes is reason enough to find a new general manager.

Yankees 4, Red Sox 2: The Bombers clinch, win 100, guarantee home field, etc. Inevitable, but the exuberance looked a little less rote yesterday than I seem to remember it in years past. I think those who have been there a while have a new appreciation for making the post season after what happened last year. The guys like Sabathia and Teixeira probably feel like a lot of weight has been taken off their shoulders. At least for a week or so. This is strange to me: "The Yankees have the choice of whether they want to play in the division series that has a day off between Games 1 & 2." Time out. Why do they get to choose? I mean, why don't I get to choose, why doesn't he get to choose? Better question: why isn't that sort of thing just set up ahead of time? I actually thought it was.

Rockies 4, Cardinals 3: If the Braves miss the playoffs by one game I'm going to blame Matt Holliday's hangover. Oh, I'm sorry, his "flulike symptoms" which just happened to show up the morning after the Cardinals doused themselves in booze for clinching the division. Their second most important hitter misses the day and Ryan Ludwick and Mark DeRosa combine to go 0-6 with five strikeouts. You telling me Matt Holliday couldn't have managed one extra flare beyond what Ludwick and DeRosa did? Just one? A gork, a ground ball with eyes, a dying quail . . . just one more dying quail and the Cardinals could have won this game and the Braves would be one back in the loss column. Damnation.

Braves 6, Nationals 3: I wrote my team off so many times this year -- and for good reason -- that I feel like getting all giddy now would be like taking back a cheating girlfriend or something. But there they are, looking all fine and everything. I just know that if I lower my guard they'll hurt me again, but I can't keep my eyes off of them. Dude, seriously: don't let me walk over there. I don't care how much I drink tonight, do NOT let me walk over there and talk to them. And take my cell phone too. I just don't trust myself . . . . . . . OK, give me my cell phone back. C'mon, I promise I'll be cool.

Pirates 6, Dodgers 4: Ugly ending for Los Angeles, blowing a three run lead in the ninth to some dudes who stole the Pirates' uniforms. Worth noting that L.A. was boned by Matt Holliday's hangover too, as a Rockies loss would have given them the division title. They'll get it though. More worrisome for L.A. was that Clayton Kershaw, though arguably effective, was kinda wild in his first game back since separating his shoulder. He'll get one more start before the playoffs, and I'm sure the Dodgers would like to see him a bit sharper.

Phillies 6, Brewers 5: Dave Bush put the Brewers in a 6-1 hole, the offense came back, but it wasn't enough and the Phillies magic number is down to three.

White Sox 8, Tigers 4: Detroit stumbles into the showdown with Minnesota with both Edwin Jackson and Fernando Rodney getting roughed up.

Royals 4, Twins 1: Minnesota doesn't take advantage of Detroit's stumble, but you have to figure that they had this one -- a Zack Greinke start -- penciled in as a loss anyway. Just another day at the office for Greinke (7 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 8K). Less expected was Yuniesky Betancourt's day (3-3, HR, 3 RBI).

Giants 5, Cubs 1: Matt Cain was dominant, shutting out the Cubs over eight innings. Eugenio Velez on the Giants' playoff hopes: "We have to win all of our games and they have to lose all of their games. That's how we have to look at it." Eugenio, the chances of that happening are, like, a million to one. Velez: So you're telling me there's a chance... Yeah!

Rays 7, Rangers 6: If you've got a 5-0 lead with two outs in the eighth, you had best hold on to it. More Eugeino Velez thinking: the Rangers are still technically in the wild card race, much like I'm technically qualified to be President of the United States and technically capable of settling down and having a couple of kids with Salma Hayek.

Angels 7, Athletics 4: With this win and the Rangers' loss, Anaheim merely need one of its next four games -- all of which come against Texas -- to seal the deal.

Mets 4, Marlins 0: File "Pat Misch throws a shutout" in the "stuff I didn't expect to see before the season ended" drawer. Jeff Francoeur hit a homer and made a home run saving catch in support of Misch. Francoeur: "He's going to buy me dinner and beers." Jeffy, you really think it's a good idea to keep track of when other people save your bacon? If people did that for you, you'd have spent enough on dinner and beer by this point to hold substantial stakes in Anheuser-Busch and several restaurant companies by now.

Diamondbacks 7, Padres 4: Adrian Gonzalez hits his 28th road home run this year vs. 12 at home. Man, if this guy played anywhere else but Petco Park . . .

Indians 9, Orioles 0: "It's been a rough 10 games for us," Baltimore manager Dave Trembley said after the game. The 145 before that weren't a friggin' picnic either, to be honest.

Blue Jays 5, Mariners 4: Seattle squanders 3-0 and 4-2 leads as the Blue Jays finish the season on a fairly strong note.

Astros 3, Reds 2: Wandy Rodriguez (6 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 9K) is about the only good thing that has happened to Houston this year.

Just one note: you shouldn't be surprised that the recaps for some of these games featuring non-contenders are going to be a bit cursory this last week of the season. I mean, sure, it's possible that I'll find myself on my deathbed one day saying "boy, I wish I had spent more time thinking about late September Astros-Reds games," but I just sort of doubt it. If you're a partisan of one of these dead teams walking and you really feel like I missed something important, by all means, let us know in the comments. I'll edit the recaps to include really good stuff I learn after the fact.

The New York Yankees are in. The St. Louis Cardinals, too. The Los Angeles Dodgers are assured at least the NL wild-card slot, and will soon be celebrating a division title. And these traditional powers are about to have a lot more company very soon.

What's left in baseball's playoff races? Not a whole lot, really.

[Breakdown of playoff races  |  Standings] 

The Texas Rangers, hanging on by a thread in both the AL West and wild-card races, essentially have to run the table this week and receive a ton of help to even have a chance. They open the week with a four-game series against the Angels, and any loss in that series will end their division hopes.

In the wild-card race, the Boston Red Sox can clinch by going just 2-5 this week - even if the Rangers win out.

In the NL, the Phillies can clinch the NL East with a 3-4 week - even if the Braves run the table -- and the aforementioned Dodgers can clinch the West with a mere two wins this week - no matter what the second-place Colorado Rockies do.

That leaves only two races with any sort of drama left, the NL wild card and the AL Central. In the NL, the Atlanta Braves have ridden a 5-game winning to move within 2 ½ games of the leading Rockies. And there is reason for hope in Atlanta. If the Braves can get past the Marlins in the early part of the week, they finish with four games at home against the Washington Nationals, whom they just swept by a combined score of 21-9.

Colorado has a much tougher road, with three games at home against Milwaukee before heading to Los Angeles for three games against the Dodgers. L.A. is 12-3 against Colorado this season.

In the AL Central, the Tigers are trying to fend off the Twins, who are hanging two games back as the teams enter a four-game series on Monday in Detroit. A split would put Detroit in good shape, as the Twins would then almost certainly need a weekend sweep against Kansas City - and they'll face leading AL Cy Young contender Zack Greinke on Saturday.

FIVE SERIES TO WATCH
Marlins at Braves, Sept. 28-30: The Marlins are pretty much cooked, but they Braves still have an outside chance of catching the Rockies for the NL wild card spot. Florida wouldn't mind playing spoiler

Rangers at Angels, Sept. 28-Oct. 1: The Rangers haven't been eliminated yet from either the AL West or wild card races. That being said, anything less than a four-game sweep of the Angels spells doom. The drama here could end real quickly.

Twins at Tigers, Sept. 28-Oct. 1: This is pretty much it for the Twins, who trail Detroit by two games heading into this four-game series. If Minnesota doesn't win at least three, you can pretty much give Detroit the division.

Royals at Twins, Oct. 2-4: As we said above, Greinke and the Royals get a chance to play spoiler here. And Greinke has something to play for, too, as he aims to grab as many wins as he can to impress Cy Young award voters.

Rockies at Dodgers, Oct. 2-4: The Atlanta Braves must look at this series and think "Ahah. We have hope." While Atlanta will be playing the lowly Washington Nationals, Colorado draws Los Angeles. Colorado is 3-12 against the Dodgers this season. The Braves must just make sure they are close enough heading into the weekend.

******

If you Twitter, you can find me there at @Bharks.

- The Yankees clinched their first American League East crown since 2006 with a 4-2 win over the Red Sox on Sunday afternoon. The Bombers reached the 100-win mark for the first time since 2004 with the three-game sweep of their archrivals. With Sunday's win, the Yankees have assured themselves of home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

- Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Mets front office shouldn't take the Pollyanna approach with promising showings by Jeff Francoeur, Luis Castillo, Angel Pagan, Dan Murphy and Josh Thole. He argues that the Mets would be better served to go after Rod Barajas/Bengie Molina/Miguel Olivo at catcher: Nick Johnson/Russell Branyan/Adam LaRoche at first base: and Bobby Abreu/Mark DeRosa/Jermaine Dye in left field. The acquisitions would likely keep them near the estimated $15 million budget Omar Minaya will have to work with during the offseason.

- Kevin Fagan of the San Francisco Chronicle penned a fantastic piece on Giants' prospect Angel Villalona. The 19-year-old first base prodigy is being held without bail in his native Dominican Republic for the shooting death of a 25-year-old convenience store worker. Some, including the co-owner of the disco bar where the shooting took place, believe that Villalona is being singled out because of his notoriety in the community. The trial, scheduled to begin in two months, could result in a prison sentence of 20 years.

- According to Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune, some 'baseball people' believe the White Sox may have interest in Carlos Zambrano, possibly in exchange for the recently-acquired Jake Peavy. It's a curious suggestion, since Peavy has looked great over his first two starts with the White Sox, allowing three runs over 12 innings. But it might be worth it, just to see Zambrano and Ozzie Guillen in the same locker room.

- And finally, who is that masked man? (Pssst...it's Omir Santos)

At the All-Star break, Brad Hawpe was enjoying his best season, batting .320/.396/.577 with 14 home runs and 59 RBI. Tenth in the league in batting, Hawpe earned his first trip to the All-Star game. However, while the Rockies have surged to a 40-27 record since the All-Star break, taking control in the NL Wild Card race, Hawpe's once-promising season has fizzled out.

Hawpe is batting only .235/.372/.418 since the break. With a two-run homer against Adam Wainwright on Saturday, Hawpe has just six home runs and 20 RBI in the second half. Hawpe led the majors with 39 strikeouts in August, and has registered at least one strikeout in 41 of his last 46 games. Now, Mark Reynolds, Adam Dunn and Ryan Howard are enough to tell you that strikeouts don't necessarily correlate to negative production, but until two home runs this week, Hawpe had zero home runs and zero RBI through the first 14 games of the month.

Manager Jim Tracy has stuck with his struggling slugger throughout the slump, but as wins have become more crucial, his treatment of Hawpe has begun to change. During Friday's game against the Cardinals, Tracy pinch-hit for Hawpe with Jason Giambi -- another left-handed bat -- with one out in the ninth inning. Giambi delivered with a single and Yorvit Torrealba hit a sacrifice fly to secure the 2-1 win. But that doesn't mean the decision was easy for Tracy.

"When you respect a player as much as I respect Brad Hawpe and as aware of his accomplishments as I am, not only in the time I've been in a Rockies uniform but when I've sat over there on the other side of the field, it's not easy. But part of your job as the guy in charge is to make a difficult decision and know full-well it may not be appreciated or understood at the time."

As for Hawpe, he is playing the good solider:

"No, I don't want to talk about if it was hard. We won the ballgame. That's the only thing I care about. Of course, I would like to perform well every time I get on the field, but the bottom line right now is winning ballgames."

Hawpe was dropped to seventh in the lineup for Saturday's game and responded with a double and a home run. The good news is that he is back to fifth in the order for Sunday's game, so it appears Tracy is doing everything within his power to motivate the 30-year-old outfielder in time for the postseason. Just don't be surprised to see him make a similar decision in October.

Taken from ESPN.com

Athletics  - 144
Red Sox - 135
Yankees - 132
Blue Jays - 121
Marlins - 121
Royals - 117
Dodgers - 117
Reds - 113
Cubs - 110
Phillies - 110
Rockies - 110

Surprise! The Athletics are 17-7 this month. Speedster Rajai Davis is second in the majors with 22 runs scored in September.

"Before, we were a good club that was gutsy. Now, we are a really good club with great guts."

- Tony LaRussa, after the Cardinals clinched their first NL Central title since 2006 with a 6-3 victory over the Rockies on Saturday night.

"I'm not in a pennant race, but at least I have some pride. When you get [to the clubhouse] and turn on a stupid-ass football game when those [expletive] football players don't give a [expletive] about you, that's embarrassing. We've got seven games [left]. They are going to pull their [expletive] together, period. I don't mind losing a game, but when you lose a game and you don't care about it, we are going to have a problem. To get your asses kicked like that and all of a sudden, you're watching football games? That's a bunch of [expletive]."

- Ozzie Guillen, after watching his team blow a 5-0 lead in an eventual 12-5 loss to the Tigers on Saturday night. The White Sox have dropped eight of their last 10 games.

"When was the last time a 40-year-old pinch-ran for a 39-year-old? That's what I want to know."

- Brad Ausmus, after he pinch-ran for Jim Thome during Saturday's 8-4 comeback win over the Pirates. With the victory, the Dodgers secured a trip to the postseason, however, their magic number to clinch the division is down to two.

"This is fun. You don't start making a big deal about it with a week [to go]. I'm not trying to do that. We've got our own destiny in our own hands. That's just the way it is. You either do it or you don't. And I feel very good where we're at, but you have to go out and win games."

- Jim Leyland isn't letting the pressure of a pennant race get to him. With Saturday's win over the White Sox, The Tigers remain two games in front of the second-place Twins with eight games left to play. They host a critical four-game series against Minnesota on Monday.

- The Braves might make a race of this thing. They won their fifth straight on Saturday afternoon, storming past the last-place Nationals 11-5. They have won 13 out of their last 15 games to move within three games of the Rockies for the National League Wild Card. The Braves have eight games left, including four against the Nationals again to close the season, so while a comeback of epic proportions looks unlikely, don't count them out. After all, the Rockies aren't exactly striding to the finish -- they are 5-5 over their last 10 games.

- According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, desperate for pitching help, the Diamondbacks may listen to offers for shortstop Stephen Drew this winter. After a promising 2008, the former first-round pick is batting just .259/.323/.430 with 12 homers and 59 RBI this season. Since he is under the organization's control through 2012, the club hopes he might be an attractive piece on the trade market entering his "Age 27" season. With agent Scott Boras in tow, the club is unlikely to lock Drew up with a long-term deal at a reasonable price if he bounces back in 2010.

- The hard-charging Twins will try to make it five in a row when Scott Baker (13-9, 4.43) opposes Lenny DiNardo (0-1, 8.22) and the Royals on Saturday night. The Twins have won 10 of 11 and currently sit just two games behind the Tigers in the AL Central. Detroit will send Nate Robertson (2-2, 5.13) to the hill against Freddy Garcia (2-3, 4.01). The Tigers were shut out by Jake Peavy on Friday night. It should get very interesting when the Twins and Tigers meet for a four-game series on Monday in Detroit.

- And finally, Lookout Landing has Ichiro's first-career ejection covered from all angles, including some nifty .gifs. Gotta love it.

Joba Chamberlain answered Joe Girardi's call on Friday night, allowing three runs over six strong innings in a 9-5 win over the Red Sox. Chamberlain was very efficient, throwing 52 of 86 pitches for strikes, fanning six and walking just one. He retired the first 11 batters he faced until a Victor Martinez solo home run in the fourth inning. Held the "Joba Rules" in recent starts, it was his longest outing since Aug. 11.

"You get challenged a lot in life, and you have to look yourself in the mirror, see how you can make yourself better," said Chamberlain, who struggled for weeks. "It was good for me to realize."

Girardi seemed pleased with the results:

"The expectations are extremely high on him, and he's had to make adjustments and change some of the things he's done. It's learning. It's maturing. And tonight, he showed us what he's capable of doing."

Chamberlain lines up for a final tune-up against the Royals next week. The Yankees probably won't need him to start in the ALDS, but if they manage to advance to the ALCS, he will most certainly be called upon.

Jon Lester gave Red Sox fans quite a scare on Friday night when he took a Melky Cabrera line drive off the inside of his right knee. He looked to be in considerable pain, crumpling to the ground before limping back to the dugout. Similar comebackers have knocked Roy Halladay (leg) and Brad Bergesen (shin) out for the year in recent seasons.

However, X-rays on the knee came back negative and Lester was diagnosed with a contusion on his right quadriceps. In fact, things were looking so good on Saturday morning that the Red Sox are now optimistic that he can make his next scheduled start against the Indians on Thursday:

"We'll monitor him the next couple days," Francona said. "This time of year, they don't always throw a side, anyway. So that doesn't necessarily get in the way. And we're certainly not going to let him pitch if he's hobbling around out there. But he doesn't necessarily have to do a side day tomorrow, either. He looked pretty good. He's doing alright."

The Red Sox would like to keep Lester on his regular schedule, but they will make an adjustment to his preparation for the postseason if the contusion on his right quadriceps demands it.

If he makes his Thursday start, as scheduled, he would line up perfectly to start Game One of the ALDS, most likely against the Angels, on Wednesday, Oct. 7 or Thursday, Oct. 8.

"Keep giving me the ball. It doesn't matter, the situation. I need to get myself ready to pitch this postseason. It doesn't matter to me if it's a one-run game or we're down by seven. Work like that tonight is very productive for me."

- Brad Lidge wants to be the Phillies' closer in the postseason, even as they consider alternatives. Lidge allowed one run on two hits in an inning of mop-up duty against the Brewers on Friday night. He has a 7.51 ERA and a major-league leading 11 blown saves this season.

"There's not many positives we can take away from this year as a whole...It's not a learning process dealing with failure. I'm ready after that last out to turn the page and get ready for next year, because this hasn't been fun for anybody. In fact, it's been very disappointing."

- David Wright expresses his disappointment in the Mets season. They sit at 66-88 entering play on Saturday. Wright is batting just .221 since returning from the disabled list on Sept. 1 and has already established a career-high with 135 strikeouts.

"Just dartboard, man. They just crush me. The intensity on the field shut down, but the intensity picked up in the bullpen, man, with the verbal abuse I'm taking."

- J.P. Howell is taking a beating from his teammates after being shut down for the rest of the season by manager Joe Maddon on Friday. Howell has appeared in 123 games over the last two seasons. All the work seemed to take a toll on his arm, as Howell posted a 6.75 ERA over his final 17 appearances.

"Oh, this is fun. More than you can imagine. It's the best time you ever have in your career, the September run to the playoffs and the World Series ... it's incredibly fun. It gets the hair raising on your arms."

- The bloom hasn't come off the rose for Bobby Cox as the Braves are still alive and kicking in the Wild Card race, just 3 1/2 games behind the Rockies with nine to play.

In a move that was widely expected to come either this month or in early October, Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman was declared a free agent on Friday.

Chapman made it through the red tape in record time, in large part because he managed to escape Cuba with his passport. The 21-year-old defected in July while taking part in the tournament held in the Netherlands and established residency in Andorra earlier this month.

Known for a fastball that has reportedly reached as high as 102 mph, Chapman has a chance to set a new record for a contract given to a Cuban defector, surpassing the four-year, $32 million deal Jose Contreras received from the Yankees after the 2002 season. He lacks polish and may require time in the minors before helping a contending team, but his youth and huge arm will land him a big deal. Expect usual suspects like the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels and Dodgers to express interest in the left-hander.

This concludes a series of columns looking at this winter's free agent class. I'm listing each player along with his age, as of next April 1, and his place in the previous edition of these rankings from May.

Nos. 111-91
Nos. 90-71
Nos. 70-51
Nos. 50-36
Nos. 35-21
Nos. 20-11

10. Ben Sheets (31) - Prev. NR - Because he had yet to sign, Sheets was ineligible for the May edition of the rankings. Now he comes in at No. 10, even though he's missed the entire year. The original hope was that he'd return from surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon in August, but it was always something of a long shot. Unless there have been setbacks we just don't know about, it should be assumed that he'll be at full strength next spring. Sheets has lost his best stuff and it's probably never coming back, but he was good enough to post a 3.09 ERA in 198 1/3 innings last year. Since he's not coming off one of the big three surgeries (Tommy John, labrum or rotator cuff), he should find some multiyear offers on the table. However, he may prefer to take a one-year pact in the hopes of landing something like $75 million for five years next winter.

9. Jose Valverde (32) - Prev. #7 - Valverde added an extra birthday recently, sort of. He had been listed recently as having been born in 1979, but the correct 1978 date was also out there and that's the one that was used here in the original rankings back in May. Valverde has dealt with injury issues this year, but he's avoided arm problems and posted a 2.12 ERA in 51 innings. He's the only available closer worthy of a four-year deal, and he'll probably receive around $10 million per season.

8. Aroldis Chapman (22) - Prev. NR - Chapman, who defected from Cuba in July, is expected to be granted free agency within the near future and he should prove extremely popular, given that he's one of the five hardest throwing lefties in the world. Reports have had him clocked as high as 102 mph, and he didn't seem to have much trouble throwing 98 mph in the World Baseball Classic. As a pitcher, he still has a long way to go, and anyone who signs him expecting him to be a quality starter in 2010 will probably be disappointed. He'd be more likely to help as a reliever initially. Because his ceiling is so high and the team that signs him will have him for at least six years -- seven if he opens 2010 in the minors -- he's going to be a very rich man. I'm guessing he'll get around $50 million.

7. Adrian Beltre (30) - Prev. #6 - Beltre's Mariners tenure will be labeled a disappointment, but thanks in part to his terrific defense at third, he justified his $13 million salary each of the last three seasons before his injury marred 2009. He didn't recover as hoped from offseason shoulder surgery, struggled throughout the first half and then underwent another surgery in June. Upon returning in August, he hit .390 in nine games and then went down with a bruised testicle. Now he's back struggling again this month. Beltre is still pretty young, and he's been very durable aside from this year. He'll probably receive a smaller deal this time around and prove to be a pretty good value for whatever team that lands him.

6. Tim Hudson* (33) - Prev. #8 - What was in doubt at the beginning of the year seems settled now: Hudson's $12 million option will need to be exercised mutually by both the team and the player. Any doubt that the Braves would pick up their end should have been erased by the quick and impressive return Hudson has made from Tommy John surgery. Hudson, though, will be able to do better elsewhere. For 2010 alone, there's a good argument to made for a fully recharged Hudson over any other available free agent starter, particularly if John Lackey ends up working deep into the postseason.

5. Chone Figgins (32) - Prev. #17 - Figgins picked a great time to have his most valuable season to date. He was a better hitter in 2007, when he finished at .330/.393/.432, but he played in just 115 games then. After following that up with a 685 OPS in a 116-game season in 2008, his stock hit a new low. However, he's bounced back to bat .301/.399/.401 this year and he hasn't missed any time at all. Odds are that he'll be viewed primarily as a third baseman this winter, but the Yankees and Cubs are possibilities to consider him as an option in center field, at least for a year or two. Those additional suitors should help him get a deal worth in excess of $50 million for four years.

4. Manny Ramirez* (37) - Prev. #5 - After another scorching start, Ramirez seemed to be in line to decline his $20 million player option for 2010. However, the steroid suspension, at least as much as his subsequent decline, changed everything. He's remained one of the NL's better hitters since returning from the 50-game ban, but his .279/.393/.517 line in 70 games since returning pales in comparison to the nearly 1200 OPS he posted in his first 80 games with the Dodgers. Barring an outstanding postseason, it's doubtful that Ramirez would do better than $20 million out on the open market.

3. John Lackey (31) - Prev. #4 - Lackey has missed the first six weeks of each of the last two seasons due to elbow problems, but he keeps on bouncing back strong. This will be his fifth straight year with an ERA under 3.80 and perhaps the third in which he's had at least three times as many strikeouts as walks (he's at 135/46 right now). Whether he'll reemerge as a 200-inning guy is the question. It's a good sign that he's never had any in-season recurrence of problems once he's returned from the DL, not to mention a testament to the way the Angels have taken care of him. There's a good chance Lackey will stay put. The Angels will have plenty of cash available with Figgins, Vladimir Guerrero and Bobby Abreu all potentially coming off the books, and keeping Lackey should be the top priority.

2. Jason Bay (31) - Prev. #3 - The middle two months were nothing to brag about, but Bay has come back with 16 homers and 41 RBI since the beginning of August. He's now established new career highs in both categories, and his 930 OPS would rank as the second-highest mark in his six full seasons. Bay is 16 months older than Matt Holliday and a weaker defender, so the difference in contracts should be significant. Nevertheless, he's clearly the No. 2 free agent available and he could potentially receive $75 million-$80 million over five years this winter. The Red Sox tried to sign him during the first half and couldn't come to terms, so odds are that they will take a long look at Holliday this winter. Bay and the Red Sox seem like a good fit, though, so something should be worked out.

1. Matt Holliday (30) - Prev. #1 - Holliday would have ranked as the No. 1 free agent even had he finished the season with the .286/.378/.454 line he posted with the A's before being traded back to the NL. Still, that he has come in at .356/.414/.630 with the Cardinals certainly won't hurt him in contract talks. Holliday did seem to be figuring out AL pitchers towards the end of his stay in Oakland, so he shouldn't be afraid to go back if the money is right. All things being equal, though, he'd probably prefer to stay in the NL. It's going to be extremely difficult for the Cardinals to come up with the cash when they still have Albert Pujols to worry about. He's likely due about $100 million for six years.

* Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald reports that the Red Sox will likely start Jon Lester in Game 1 of the ALDS, followed by Josh Beckett, Clay Buchholz, and Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Beckett was MVP of the World Series in 2003 and MVP of the ALCS in 2007, and has a sparkling 7-2 record and 2.90 ERA in 87 postseason innings. Then again, Lester has been the Red Sox's best pitcher this season and has a 2.25 ERA in 36 postseason innings himself. Can't go wrong either way, really.

* On a related note, Brad Penny turned in another strong start last night, holding the Cubs to one run over eight innings. Penny and John Smoltz now have a combined 3.24 ERA in 11 starts back in the NL after going 9-13 with a 6.24 ERA in 32 starts for the Red Sox. Helluva league, that NL.

* After a decade with the Orioles and the 10th-most games in franchise history, Melvin Mora is preparing for life away from Baltimore once his $8 million option for 2010 gets declined. Mora was a 28-year-old utility man when the Orioles got him from the Mets as part of the haul for Mike Bordick in mid-2000, but since then he's been one of the best third basemen in the league while making two All-Star teams and hitting 158 homers.

* David Brown of Yahoo! Sports did a great interview with Denard Span, who has emerged as one of the best all-around players in the league after once looking like a bust.

* Brandon Webb reiterated yesterday that he's not interesting in an incentive-laden contract, so if the Diamondbacks want to keep him from becoming a free agent they'll need to pick up his $8.5 million option for 2010. "I've got to go out and see what's best for me," Webb said. "I think I can get [$8.5 million] anywhere I want." And he's probably right.

Prince Fielder receives a lot of criticism for his weight and the presumed lack of conditioning that comes with it, but as Adam McCalvy of MLB.com notes he's the only player in baseball to appear in all of his team's games this season.

Fielder has started at first base and batted cleanup in each of the Brewers' first 153 games and plans to maintain his perfect attendance down the stretch:

Fielder recalled coming out of a Little League game when he was 12 years old, after fouling a pitch off his foot. "I came out of the game, and I remember someone being [upset]. They were like, 'I think you're all right,'" Fielder said. "That made me feel bad. I didn't like the way I felt. So from then on, I wanted to play every day.

"I just felt soft. I didn't like it. If I'm hurt, it's one thing, but if I can to play, I want to play." Fielder said he has fought through aches and pains this season, but never came close to asking for a day off. Manager Ken Macha never considered giving him one. "Not even close," Macha said.

Interestingly, at least four players have appeared in 162 games every year since the strike-shortened 1994 and 1995 seasons, with a total of 76 different 162-game players during that 14-year stretch. And now suddenly Fielder is the only guy with a shot to do it this season. Coincidence or are teams more focused on giving their stars at least an occasional day off?

Fielder, incidentally, is hitting .297/.408/.595 with 42 homers, 34 doubles, 101 walks, and a league-leading 132 RBIs, including .282/.386/.600 with six homers and seven doubles in 23 games this month.

Kansas City started Anthony Lerew last night rather than the best pitcher in the league, but Zack Greinke still managed to make headlines by getting thrown out of the game from his seat in the dugout. Here's how Dick Kaegel of MLB.com described the scene:

Greinke was ejected after [home plate umpire Greg] Gibson's call of a ball that gave Red Sox batter Jacoby Ellsbury a 2-2 count against Royals starter Anthony Lerew. But it wasn't just that pitch that riled Greinke. He'd been watching Gibson's calls from the dugout and later from a television in the clubhouse. Finally, he came into the dugout and unloaded verbally.

"I just lost my composure, at least temporarily," Greinke said. "I don't usually do that. But it happens sometimes. I did right there, I don't know why. It wasn't warranted to be as vocal as I was about it. I was loud because I wanted him to hear me. I shouldn't have done it. There were no cuss words. I don't ever say cuss words, so I didn't do that. I didn't call him any names, either."

Greinke's next start comes Sunday afternoon against the Twins and the Royals are pulling out all the stops for his final home outing of the season, offering half-price tickets, discounted concessions, and "Greinke for Cy" t-shirts for the first 10,000 people through the turnstiles. Greinke is 9-3 with a 1.76 ERA at home this year and his 2.08 ERA overall would be the lowest mark by any AL pitcher since Pedro Martinez's ridiculous 1.74 in 2000.

He also leads the AL in fewest hits per nine innings, WHIP, and shutouts, ranks second in strikeouts, K/BB ratio, and complete games, and is fifth in innings. To me that's a slam-dunk Cy Young winner, but because Greinke has just 15 wins thanks to awful teammates some people see it another way. For instance, longtime announcer and former Cy Young winner Steve Stone wrote the following today:

While Greinke seems to be people's choice for AL Cy Young, take a look at Felix Hernandez. Felix: 17-5. Greinke: 15-8.

Hernandez is an amazing young pitcher having a Cy Young-caliber season, but he just hasn't been as good as Greinke, slightly better win-loss record or not. Of course, it's tough to blame Stone for holding that opinion. Not only have people focused on pitcher win-loss records for decades and decades when it comes to determining who's best, Stone benefited greatly from that focus when he won the award in 1980.

That year he ranked seventh in ERA and ninth in innings, but won a league-high 25 games for a 100-win Orioles team. Stone threw 251 innings with a 3.23 ERA and 149/101 K/BB ratio while Mike Norris of the A's threw 284 innings with a 2.53 ERA and 180/83 K/BB ratio. Norris threw more innings while allowing fewer runs, had more strikeouts and fewer walks, was the league's toughest pitcher to hit, and completed three times as many games, but because Stone had three more wins he got the award.

No wonder he views this year's best pitchers the same way.

* Yesterday manager Eric Wedge and the Indians held a team meeting for the second time in a week ... and then lost their 11th straight game. Cleveland is now 3-19 this month and the 11-game losing streak is the team's longest since 1931.

At this point I'll be very surprised if Wedge is back for an eighth season at the helm in 2010, if only because general manager Mark Shapiro probably needs to make someone the fall guy before all of the attention turns to him.

* Derrek Lee has the second-highest OPS in baseball during the past four months, but left yesterday's game after aggravating the back injury that has lingered for much of the season. He's considered day-to-day.

* In the process of winning his fourth straight game last night Brett Anderson set the A's record for strikeouts by a rookie with 145. Oakland has had a ton of impressive young pitching in recent years, but because guys like Barry Zito, Mark Mulder, Tim Hudson, and Rich Harden didn't play full seasons as rookies the record belonged to Rick Langford, who had 141 strikeouts while going 8-19 in 1977.

* Fernando Martinez is in the Dominican Republic recovering from July knee surgery and recently had his wallet "stolen while he was in a party with some relatives in an amusement center." He's out $2,000 and the Mets' season gets just a little more absurd.

He has played coy to date, but Tim Lincecum is now letting it be known that he'd like to do a long term deal with the Giants:

"I definitely like San Francisco. I've seen nothing but positive things as far as my personal experiences. It's where I see myself being for awhile."

And according to his agent, the ball is clearly in the Giants' court: "We've let it play out this year. I think it'll be up to the Giants as to what they want to do and how they approach the offseason. It'll really be a function of how the Giants look at him."

Yet another reason for the Giants not to spend their offseason time messing around with and devoting money to Bengie Molina.  If they sign Lincecum, install Buster Posey behind the plate and do whatever they can to upgrade the offense even a little bit, San Francisco would have to be considered a favorite in the 2010 NL West.

So says Dejan Kovacevic:

Team president Frank Coonelly and general manager Neal Huntington each affirmed, in unambiguous terms, that they want Russell and his staff back. Within the past week, each simply answered, "No," when asked if there had been any change in how they feel. Neither elaborated because neither sees Russell or the staff as an issue and, moreover, they like what they have seen of the team's motivation and instruction over the full season.

This probably makes sense. I'm no Russell fan, but there's no question that he's finishing the season with a radically different team than the one he started with. To the extent there was clubhouse dissent this summer it was understandable, albeit misguided dissent in the fallout of necessary, albeit depressing trades.  That stuff happens.

The Pirates have been losing all year and are in a death spiral at the moment, but there's not a poisonous atmosphere surrounding this team like there was around the Cecil Cooper Astros, and there's not the stink of massively squandered potential like that wafting off of the Eric Wedge Indians.

Firing Russell would be temporarily cathartic, but ultimately pointless.  The Pirates aren't going to win with a better manager. They're going to win with better players.  And at present, there's no reason to believe that John Russell isn't the guy to lead them if those better players ever happen along.

Giants' catcher Bengie Molina got smacked in the left hand by a foul tip yesterday and had to leave the game.  Bruce Bochy put Eli Whiteside in.  Whiteside can't hit. Neither can Molina for that matter.  Buster Posey raked all season in the minor leagues, yet has only been given three (3) plate appearances since his callup at the beginning of the month. This all makes sense to Bochy, I assume, but he hasn't really explained it.

One would think that with Molina down and the Giants almost certainly out of the wild card race, Bochy would finally give Posey a start or at least some playing time.  I'd bet dollars to donuts that Whiteside starts tonight, however, because Bochy has absolutely no trust whatsoever in the Giants' best hitting prospect since Matt Williams.

But like I said, the Giants are done so maybe it doesn't matter.  The real question is what they plan to do next year.  If they have a lick of sense they will start with the assumption that Buster Posey will be the starting catcher.  They will do so because they will realize -- in hindsight, but still -- that if they had had even a lick of hitting in 2009 they would have likely made the playoffs on the back of their superior pitching staff.

If they don't -- and if, instead, they spend the money that should go to a big bat on a Bengie Molina extension and relegate Posey to AAA once again -- you can pretty much kiss off their chances for another year.

Curt Schilling, after saying that A-Rod is already starting to choke before the playoffs even start, tries to explain why A-Rod is a poor postseason performer:

"For a guy that's as good as he is, he still strikes out a lot. Guys who strike out a lot tend to have a tough time in October."

Someone want to tell Schilling that the man who was actually given the nickname "Mr. October" is also the all-time leader in strikeouts?  The upper reaches of the all-time strikeout list also includes 2004 World Series MVP and Curt Schilling teammate Manny Ramirez, 1979 World Series MVP Willie Stargell, and 1980 World Series MVP Mike Schmidt.

But I'm sure this is a simple mistake on Schilling's part because he never talks nonsense just to hear his own voice.

Liberty Media owns the Atlanta Braves. They also own a company called BodyBuilding.com. The latter is in some trouble:

A nutrition company owned by the same company that owns the Atlanta Braves is selling steroids over the Internet, according to court papers unsealed Thursday. The nutrition company, BodyBuilding.com, is selling dietary supplements that contain steroids and designer steroids, including a substance found in the raid on the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative in 2003, the court papers said.

They were raided yesterday.

On some level this story makes me feel good. I mean, when they bought the team a few years ago, I was concerned that Liberty Media was going to mistreat the Braves, raiding their profits and using them to prop up some of the weaker sisters in their vast media conglomerate.

Seeing that one of those sisters is selling steroids while the Braves are below the league average in home runs, however, makes me confident that Liberty is keeping their subsidiaries nice and separate.

He's never been good at P.R., and there's a sense that he's already toast anyway, but the Blue Jays' GM now seems to be begging for unemployment:

"Let me make this clear: It doesn't matter if J.P. Ricciardi is the GM, or Joe Blow is the GM. Two years from now, five years from now, seven years from now, the reality that we face in Toronto is the division is not going to change," Ricciardi said in an interview this week. "The Red Sox and Yankees are not going away. If the Yankees want to, they can take their payroll to $300 million . . .I get this feeling that people are dying for me to lose my job, they think my world is going to come crashing down. I'm not built like that."

All of that may be true. But when you're the GM of a baseball team, it's not good business to (a) provide quotes which basically give the entire fan base permission to stop hoping and caring; and (b) tell your bosses that being fired wouldn't bother you a bit.

Ricciardi should have been let go a couple of years ago. I have little doubt that he'll be let go a couple of weeks from now.

Mariners 5, Blue Jays 4: King Felix struck out 11 in eight innings to notch his 17th win. I was out of town and without a computer when people started up that "the Mariners can't sign Felix so the Red Sox are gonna get him" talk a few days ago. You know what? That's crazy. Hernandez is one of the top two or three pitchers in baseball. The Mariners have an entire corner of the country to themselves. They have Adrian Beltre, Miguel Batista, Jarrod Washburn, and Erik Bedard coming off the books next year. They can afford him and if they're serious about ever winning anything, they will sign him. This smells like wishful thinking on behalf of Red Sox fanboys.

Reds 4, Pirates 1: The Pirates have won only three more games than you this month, and you're not even trying. And if you were, I'd bet that more people would show up to watch you than watched this game too.

Dodgers 7, Nationals 6: The Nats lose number 100. They're the first team to do so in back to back seasons since the mid-70s Padres. Without looking I'm going to guess that the 1930s-40s Phillies have the record here with five or six if I remember correctly. The Nats won't match that. In fact, I think they're going to look really good in a few years and all of this will be a distant memory. In the meantime, though, ugh.

Tigers 6, Indians 5: In nine or ten days someone is going to have to wake up Eric Wedge and tell him he's been fired. But let him rest now. He looks so peaceful.

Athletics 12, Rangers 3: Brett Anderson got a lot of run support and the A's beat the Rangers in what seems like the 187th time they've played in the past month.

Red Sox 10, Royals, 3: I guess Clay Buhholz pitched well, but I'm gonna be honest and tell you all that I wasn't impressed. Really, he reminds me of a right-handed Roger Moret. Which is more fun: the fact that the Royals committed five errors, or the fact that Zack Greinke was ejected from the game even though he wasn't playing?

Phillies 9, Brewers 4: Happ struck out seven over five and two thirds. Charlie Manuel: "There's a chance he could wind up in the back end of the bullpen if we don't get something straightened out."

Padres 5, Rockies 4: The Padres have been a total pain the butt to just about every contending team this past month. The Rockies have lost seven of 11 and the Braves are now three and a half back, which seems way more doable than four for some reason. Especially considering that Colorado hosts St. Louis this weekend. Go Cards.

Cubs 3, Giants 2: Jeff Baker's two-out, two-run homer in the top of the ninth to win the game is going to haunt San Francisco for a couple of days. San Francisco's failure to take advantage of the Rockies' recent skid is going to haunt them all winter. The Cubs win means that the Cardinals have to lug their champagne to Colorado.

Albert Pujols and Joe Mauer are the leading MVP candidates with two weeks left this season and it sounds like both players may spend the offseason negotiating contract extensions. Mauer is a free agent after next season and the Twins desperately want to lock him up long term, and St. Louis owner Bill DeWitt revealed Thursday that the Cardinals plan to approach Pujols with a long-term deal as well.

Pujols still has two seasons remaining on the seven-year, $100 million contract that he signed in February of 2004, so the Cardinals can afford to be a little more patient with him than the Twins can be with Mauer. In fact, the first order of business for the Cardinals this winter will be deciding what to do with free agent Matt Holliday, who's hit .356 with 13 homers and 50 RBIs in 55 games since coming over from the A's.

While the Cardinals decide whether to hand out $250 million in new deals, here are some other notes from around baseball ...

All you Zack Greinke fans out there are not going to be too happy with Jim Rice (from Ask 14, with a hat tip to Joe Posnanski):

Zack Greinke didn't really impress me last night. He pitched well and maybe I caught him on a bad night, but to me he didn't seem dominant. Greinke has may have the lowest ERA in the AL since Pedro Martinez in 2000, but he doesn't strike me as the dominant force that Pedro was during his statistical peak. Don't get me wrong, Greinke pitched very effectively but he was not the unhittable beast on the mound that Pedro or Clemens (or even Johan Santana) were during their reign of dominance.

Yes that's right, because Pedro Martinez and Roger Clemens (and even Johan Santana), always threw no-hitters. Every time they pitched. This makes perfect sense. Listen to Rice, because who better to identify greatness than a Hall of Famer?

Don't pay any attention to the numbers. Don't listen to anyone who has seen Greinke pitch more than once this season. Just remember, if a guy is merely good on the night you happen to watch him, then he can't be that great.

I once saw Nolan Ryan pitch a one-hitter in person. But I was also watching the night his career ended. He failed to get an out, and his final pitch was jacked for a grand slam by some dude named Dann (two ns!) Howitt. How did Ryan ever make it to Cooperstown with an outing like that?

In fact, now that I look at the numbers, I see that Rice had a three-game hitless streak in 1978. With this evidence - and logic - in hand, maybe it's time to revisit the MVP voting for that season.

OK, so this is pretty obscure and the results are so bunched together that one can't take a whole lot from the data, but I wanted to check something and I though it was pretty interesting to see this work out mostly the way one would expect.

Here is a list of which hitters have faced the hardest fastballs this year (taken from Fangraphs):

1. Alex Rodriguez - 92.0
2. Billy Butler - 91.9
2. Ryan Braun - 91.9
4. Albert Pujols - 91.8
4. Jack Cust - 91.8
4. David Ortiz - 91.8
7. Dustin Pedroia - 91.7
7. Jhonny Peralta - 91.7
7. Ryan Sweeney - 91.7
7. Jermaine Dye - 91.7
7. Jason Bay - 91.7
7. Mark DeRosa - 91.7
7. Torii Hunter - 91.7
7. Jason Kubel - 91.7
7. Kevin Youkilis - 91.7
7. Matt Holliday - 91.7
7. Mark Teahen - 91.7

That's the top 17. The first three and 12 of the 17 are right-handed hitters. Which makes sense, since they'll see more right-handed pitchers and right-handers throw harder than lefties. I was actually somewhat surprised to see five left-handed hitters on the list: Ortiz, Cust, Sweeney, Kubel and Teahen.

I'm guessing part of the reason for the presence of the lefties is the lack of soft-tossing specialists in the league right now. Mike Stanton, Mike Myers, Rheal Cormier and others are all out of the league. There just aren't many current specialists throwing in the low-80s. Brian Shouse and Daniel Ray Herrera are the only two, and even the ones who work in the upper-80s tend to throw at least as many breaking balls as fastballs when they're facing quality left-handed hitters.

Besides the handedness, it's worth noting the quality of the hitters above. A-Rod and Pujols are two of the game's best, Braun isn't far behind and Ortiz still has that reputation. Butler is the one Royal who scares pitchers, and given his career splits, he shouldn't ever be facing left-handed relievers.

Cust is the real surprise. He's at 91.8 this year after coming in at 90.9 and 90.8 the last two seasons. He's known as an excellent fastball hitter, so he sees fewer fastballs than most of the hitters here (the only two of the 17 to see fewer are Pujols and Kubel). It's probably just a fluke that he's so high on the list. The A's in general face harder throwers than most. Here's the top and bottom six on a team basis (again, shamelessly taken from Fangraphs):

1. Red Sox - 91.6
1. Indians - 91.6
3. Blue Jays - 91.5
3. Athletics - 91.5
3. White Sox - 91.5
3. Royals - 91.5

25. Phillies - 90.9
26. Rangers - 90.9
27. Mets - 90.8
28. Pirates - 90.7
29. Cubs - 90.4
30. Marlins - 90.3

This is part six in a series of columns looking at this winter's free agent class. I'm listing each player along with his age, as of next April 1, and his place in the previous edition of these rankings from May.

Nos. 111-91
Nos. 90-71
Nos. 70-51
Nos. 50-36
Nos. 35-21

20. Orlando Hudson (32) - Prev. #14 - Hudson rode a strong April on a first-place team to an All-Star appearance, but he's been an average regular at best since the beginning of June. His current 768 OPS is about 50 points under his marks from 2007 and '08. Hudson has often dealt with injuries, though he's still played in 130 games six times in his seven full seasons, and he's now reached an age at which second basemen can lose it in a hurry. The four-year, $40 millionish deal he thought he'd receive after 2008 never came close to materializing, and it's not going to happen this winter, either. Still, he should land a multiyear deal, perhaps something like $18 million for two years.

19. Andy Pettitte (37) - Prev. #27 - We already know how this is going to work: Pettitte will talk about retirement after the postseason, sit around for a month thinking about things and then sign another one-year contract with the Yankees. The Bombers will certainly want him back after another season of around 15 wins and 200 innings pitched, and he shouldn't have to settle for a deal as incentive laden as the one he took last winter.

18. Jarrod Washburn (35) - Prev. #44 - Thanks to a superb outfield defense and a pitcher's park helping him along, Washburn was a very hot property at the trade deadline. However, his ERA has jumped from 2.64 as a Mariner to 7.33 with the Tigers, in large part because of a knee injury that currently has him shut down. Washburn posted ERAs of 4.67, 4.32 and 4.69 in his first three seasons in Seattle, so he's far from a lock to be an above average pitcher going forward. In truth, he'll likely prove to be a bust unless he lands in another great situation. He makes more sense in Seattle than just about anywhere else.

17. Vladimir Guerrero (35) - Prev. #10 - Guerrero certainly hasn't helped himself this year by missing significant chunks of time with a torn pectoral muscle and a strained knee or by being limited to DH duties while in the lineup, but the ability is still there. Since the All-Star break, he's hit .309/.359/.528 in 178 at-bats. He'd seem to be worthy of one more multiyear deal, whether it's for two or three years. Guerrero doesn't say much, but it's certain he prefers the outfield to DHing and he likely will want to sign with a team that intends to use him in right. He'll also probably want to stay on the West Coast. San Francisco would seem to be an obvious fit if the Angels decline to bring him back.

16. Bobby Abreu (36) - Prev. #20 - A disappointing final third of the season, at least to date, has Abreu threatening to post a new career-low OPS. Still, he's helped his value this year by playing better defense and, incredibly enough, functioning as a leader in Anaheim, if not vocally, then by example with his patience at the plate. He's currently hitting .293/.393/.424, and he's swiped 29 bases in 37 attempts. Even if he continues to slump, he'll do a lot better than $5 million for one year this winter, and a strong postseason could put him in line for something like $28 million for two years. Odds are that the Angels will keep either he or Vladdy, but not both.

15. Joel Pineiro (31) - Prev. #69 - It's his first year as a quality starter since 2003, but what a year it's been for Pineiro. Having reinvented himself as a sinkerballer, he's given up just seven homers and 25 walks in 203 innings. His peripherals suggest his ERA should be even better than his current 3.24 mark. Really, there's no good reason to think he can't keep this up for a few years. However, any team that outbids the Cardinals for him will be taking him away from Dave Duncan's tutelage. That's a definite cause for concern.

14. Adam LaRoche (30) - Prev. #13 - Youth and durability are LaRoche's main advantages over all of the other first basemen available. It still looked like he might end up with a one-year deal back when the Pirates and Red Sox were passing him around in July, but now that he's hit .355/.426/.622 in 172 at-bats for Atlanta, pushing his season line up to .283/.360/.505, he again appears to be in line for a nice three-year deal worth $8 million-$9 million per year. LaRoche may be streaky, but his career OPS is 838, he's never had a bad year and he's a solid defender at first base.

13. Johnny Damon (36) - Prev. #12 - Yankee Stadium has played a big role in inflating his numbers, but Damon is currently on track to post the second-best OPS of his career. He's tied his career high with 24 homers. Playing in a new stadium that's even more kind to his swing than the last one was, Damon has hit .290/.385/.556 with 17 homers at home. Elsewhere, he's come in at .281/.348/.441, which is still plenty respectable. Damon is through as a center fielder now, and he'd likely be better off if he found a team able to DH him at least once a week. The Yankees figure to try to re-sign him, but they may offer just one year and that shouldn't be good enough to keep him.

12. Randy Wolf (33) - Prev. NR - No one met Wolf's three-year, $30 million asking price last year, and he ended up taking $5 million from the Dodgers, with a chance to earn $3 million more in incentives. Obviously, he's been quite a bargain for the team, but the big difference between Wolf this year and Wolf most years is just his batting average against. He's always had a nice strikeout rate and his walk rate is lower than usual, but it's the unusually low number of singles and doubles that is mostly responsible for his current 3.24 ERA. The three- or four-year deal he gets this winter figures to see him overpaid.

11. Rich Harden (28) - Prev. #11 - Not offering Harden arbitration just might be the Cubs' dumbest move yet, but while that has been the subject of speculation, I have a very difficult time believing that they'll let him go that easily. As terribly risky as Harden would be on a long-term deal, he'd have plenty of value on a one-year, $10 million contract and he probably wouldn't even get that much. With all of his upside, he'd receive two- and maybe three-year offers from large-market teams this winter. After all, he has managed to make 51 starts the last two years and strike out 352 batters in 289 innings.

* Mariners closer David Aardsma injured his back recently while "scrunched up reading a book" on the team flight to Florida. Seriously. No word yet on what he was reading, but presumably it wasn't this book.

* David Ortiz smacked his 25th homer last night while driving in four runs, and is now hitting .261/.356/.548 with 24 homers, 18 doubles, and 67 RBIs in his last 90 games after batting .187 with one homer through June 1. "I knew that when I got my swing back, good things were going to happen," Ortiz said.

* Giants manager Bruce Bochy inexplicably continues to give Eli Whiteside starts behind the plate when Bengie Molina needs a day off. Not only is Whiteside a career minor leaguer hitting just .200 in 45 games, the Giants have arguably the best catching prospect in baseball sitting on the bench.

* Aroldis Chapman is going to become a very rich man once he's officially declared a free agent, but for the most part Cuban pitchers haven't had a ton of success in the majors during the past couple decades.

Orlando Hudson, on how he jammed his surgically repaired wrist last night during a collision at first base with Adam Dunn:

He's not used to playing first base. Instead of putting his foot, he decided to put his whole leg on the bag, man. Unbelievable. He came over to apologize. I said, "Dunn, how are you going to put your whole leg, your big donkey leg, on the top of the bag?"

He's got a point. And the good news is that while Hudson's tumble looked serious, he's listed as day-to-day.

Houston's decision to fire Cecil Cooper with 13 games remaining left Dave Clark with a two-week stint as interim manager and the assumption seems to be that he won't be offered the full-time job. So who will the Astros tab as their next manager? Alyson Footer of MLB.com and Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle both tackled that subject this morning.

Footer separated potential candidates into three groups consisting of 14 total names: Clark, Jim Fregosi, Bobby Valentine, Manny Acta, Willie Randolph, Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Brad Ausmus, Jim Deshaies, Phil Garner, Bill Ripken, Tim Bogar, Kirk Gibson, Tim Wallach.

Not included on Footer's list is longtime Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan, who discussed his possible interest in the job with Ortiz:

Earlier in my career I think I had a desire to manage more than I do now. I don't think that you go into the job like that without making a really strong commitment. And usually it has to have some length to it. So my interest right now, you know I've been around a long time, and I don't know whether I'd have the same desire to make that type of commitment than I might have in years past.

Clark is Houston's fifth manager in the past nine seasons and the job awaiting skipper No. 6 is a tough one, because the Astros don't have much in the way of MLB-ready impact prospects coming up through the farm system and are 10 games below .500 despite spending over $100 million on the oldest team in the league. Among the 27 players who've batted 100 times or pitched 25 innings for Houston this season, only Hunter Pence, Michael Bourn, Felipe Paulino, Bud Norris, Alberto Arias, and Wesley Wright are in their twenties.

Freddy Sanchez seemed like a worthwhile midseason pickup at the time. After all, he was a 31-year-old career .300 hitter batting .296/.334/.442 in 86 games with the Pirates and the Giants desperately needed some help offensively.

Instead of providing a big upgrade at second base Sanchez has hit just .284/.295/.325 while missing half of San Francisco's games with shoulder and knee injuries, the latter of which will require surgery at some point. For the now the Giants are still clinging to slim playoff hopes, so Sanchez will try to put off surgery until the offseason and contribute something down the stretch.

Perhaps the bigger question is whether the Giants will exercise their $8.1 million option on Sanchez for next season. At the time of the trade that seemed like a foregone conclusion, but Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News now calls it "almost automatic" that they'll decline the option and "talk to Sanchez about a two-year contract at a lower figure."

Baggarly also notes that both the Giants and Pirates were aware that Sanchez would likely require offseason knee surgery when they made the July 29 trade. In fact, Sanchez sat out a three-game series against the Giants directly preceding the swap. Asked if he regrets trading a quality pitching prospect in Tim Alderson for what has turned out to be 25 games of terrible hitting and mediocre defense from Sanchez, Giants general manager Brian Sabean said:

I know at the time we made the trade everybody was all-in, including the medical team, that we could keep him on the field,. The bigger thing with Freddy is he hasn't been on the field because of other things, including the left shoulder. He didn't have the chance to be out there on a regular basis. You can't deny that Freddy, when he's been out there, has been every bit a No. 2 hitter that we didn't have, and an All-Star second baseman.

Of course, you can deny exactly that, because Sanchez has a lowly .295 on-base percentage and .325 slugging percentage for the Giants, which isn't exactly ideal atop the lineup. Perhaps the Giants will end up re-signing Sanchez at a discounted rate and perhaps he'll bounce back with a healthy, productive 2010, but so far the trade has been a bust and with several quality middle infielders set to become free agents this offseason the Giants are probably right to decline Sanchez's option.

* Kevin Jepsen has emerged as the go-to guy in the Angels' bullpen, but the rookie has been unavailable all week because of "a dead arm period." As the right-hander with a 1.87 ERA since the All-Star break put it: "My shoulder is tired. I really don't know how to explain it, but just throwing the ball you can tell it's just ... the ball feels a little heavier."

* Pedro Martinez threw off flat ground yesterday and reportedly sounded "optimistic" about making his scheduled start Saturday against the Brewers. Martinez exited his last start after three innings with a sore neck and hasn't thrown off a mound since.

* I've written a couple articles recently about why it makes little sense to get worked up about hitter strikeouts, and here's a perfect example: John Romano of the St. Petersburg Times notes in today's column that "Tampa Bay is on pace to score a franchise record 803 runs" and then in the very next sentence declares that "the Rays strike out too much." So they've scored more runs than any team in franchise history, but we should be worried about what type of outs they made?

* Braves prospect Todd Richmond tossed eight shutout innings yesterday as the United States defeated Puerto Rico to earn a spot in the World Cup championship game, where they'll face Cuba.

This part of the season usually gives us playoff races, but we really only have one in play right now.  In their absence, we're sort of in a pre-postseason holding pattern, with no major news or action to keep us busy until the games start to truly matter again.

Thank goodness, then, for some early hot stove action, courtesy of the St. Petereburg Times.  They break down the Rays' offseason roadmap this morning.  The upshot:  keep the rotation as it is, plan on Longoria, Upton and Zobrist being untouchable, but dangle anyone else and see if a good deal comes along.  Yes, anyone, including Jason Bartlett, Carl Crawford and Carlos Peña, all of whom have probably peaked even if a lot of people haven't noticed it yet.  The goal: get some bullpen help and address the problems at catcher and DH.  Oh, and this is fun:

In a perfect world, the Rays upgrade at catcher or DH without hurting themselves elsewhere. How do you do that? Finding the right match. For instance, the Rays were interested in Milton Bradley last off-season before he signed with the Cubs.

Bradley had a tumultuous season in Chicago -- as he has elsewhere -- and will probably be traded. If the Rays convince the Cubs that Burrell could excel by returning to the NL in the walk year of his contract, they might have a willing partner. Their 2010 salaries are a wash, but the Rays will have to figure out a way to negate Bradley's $12 million salary in 2011.

Is it likely? Probably not, but that's the sort of deal the Rays will probably be seeking.

Yes, you read that correctly. Mere days after he was suspended for being utter cancer to a ballclub, people are out lobbying for Milton Bradley.  And I'm not sure what's crazier: Bradley himself, the idea to bring him to Tampa Bay, or the fact that I kinda like it.

I know it's premature, but man you gotta love the hot stove season. Anything can happen and nothing is nuts.

A late Septemeber day game between two of the worst teams in baseball is usually all it takes to send attendance to record lows, but world leaders have literally united to make attending today's Reds-Pirates game even less appealing:

Those arriving at PNC Park for this afternoon's Pirates game against the Cincinnati Reds will face increased security, the team's president said.

The team heightened security all week in light of the Group of 20 economic summit across the Allegheny River at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. But measures at the North Shore stadium will be particularly high today and tomorrow, President Frank Coonelly said.

The Pirates added extra security inside and outside the ballpark, and fans will be scanned with metal-detecting wands at the gates.

Given what has happened at previous world economic summits, the extra security is probably smart. Bonus effect: any Pirates season ticket holders who had planned on attempting suicide during the game -- which would be completely understandable, I might add -- will now have to put it off until next week.   

It's hard to argue with this:

No muss, no fuss, no drama--and no longer much debate about who is the best player in baseball. For much of the decade, the debate focused on Rodriguez and Barry Bonds. But in nine seasons, Pujols has never not surpassed a .300 average, 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. Those Hall of Fame numbers (by age 29) define him only slightly more than his all-around pursuit of excellence.

A-Rod was a distant second.  He had better counting stats than did Pujols, but if you adjust for the fact that he has played the entire decade while Albert didn't debut until 2001, those differences become minimal.  Pujols kills A-Rod on the rate stats. He also has a ring. He also isn't loathed in the way that Rodriguez is loathed by so many, though I don't think that entered into SN's decision.  Really, the only way Rodriguez would have had an argument would be if he had stayed at short and continued to play good defense there, but that obviously didn't happen.

Sad that this was such a no-brainer. I'm in the mood for an argument this morning, but this thing really doesn't call for one. 

Kenny Williams is keeping things level going forward by re-signing the entire White Sox staff through 2011.  Which makes perfect sense to me, no matter how much of a bummer 2009 ended up being for the Sox. As Williams said, "at the end of the day, it's the players that make you look smart or make you look dumb, and right now we're all not looking too smart."   

But while Williams is unwilling to make scapegoats out of his coaches, he's got no problem with throwing his players under the bus:

''I know who's quit and who hasn't, who's willing to sacrifice. It's hard to win. Winning and success, whether it be baseball or any other facet of life, if you are not willing to sacrifice, you're not willing to put in the work, you're not going to be successful. You're just not. ... If you are not willing to do that, I can't have you here and I will send you to a better place for you.''

Williams wouldn't name the alleged quitters' names, but did say "I am certainly looking at it very hard and see who is willing to make the sacrifice to win.''

The fact is, the failure of players to "sacrifice" is not the White Sox' problem. The guys they have are basically performing as you'd expect them to perform. The problem is that they simply don't have a ton of good players, and no real superstars to speak of.

Usually, the blame for a lack of good players falls on the general manager.  Rather than own up to that, Williams is trying to turn the White Sox 2009 story into one in which his team, or at least part of it, quit.  Maybe a diehard southsider has a different opinion, but my take of the Sox this year doesn't bear Williams' view out at all. 

Seems crazy given the fact that he was an All Star and has 15 wins, but given his late season slide, including last night's loss, people are talking about it in Denver:

An all-star, one of baseball's most pleasant surprises for four months, Marquis has raised at least a morsel of doubt regarding his playoff rotation spot . . . If, as expected, the Rockies reach the postseason, they must configure their rotation. As it stands, the only lock is Ubaldo Jimenez for the Oct. 7 opener, followed closely by Jorge De La Rosa, Marquis, Jason Hammel and Aaron Cook. Only four starters would be necessary, leaving Cook an X-factor to wedge himself back in with a strong showing Friday. A rotation without Marquis seems a longshot but can no longer be dismissed out of hand.

Marquis has gotten used to being left out of the mix in the postseason. Early in his career it was because he was the least-essential pitcher on the Atlanta Braves. More recently, it's because he's posted poor second halves, not unlike the one he has going on this year.  He's the bizarro Adam LaRoche, really.

If the postseason started today, the Rockies would face the Cardinals. Marquis has faced St. Louis once this year, and pitched well. He's done pretty decently against them overall in his career, posting a 9-7 record and a 3.80 ERA.  My guess is that he's in the rotation, but the very fact that reasonable people are suggesting he might not be bodes ill for the Rockies' chances once the playoffs start.

On at least one level I feel sorry for Milton Bradley, and that has to do with his mom, who simply won't stop talking to the Chicago media about her son.

The latest? According to her, Bradley was distracted because his three year-old son was subjected to racist taunts. "Parents, teachers and their kids called him the n-word," she said.  Tough preschool.  Also, says Ma Bradley, the fans hated him right off the bat because he wasn't Mark DeRosa. "And he could see right away the fans didn't accept him because they wanted DeRosa, I think his name was, to be there. So he never really felt accepted. He never felt comfortable at all.'' Oh, and she also says that Bradley would like to play in Chicago again if given the chance.

I feel sorry for him because I could totally see my mom doing this. Except instead of racist toddlers and DeRosa envy, my mom would blame all of my struggles on gas or "a change in the weather," which are the two things she has blamed for every bit of negativity that has happened in her lifetime, be it the space shuttle exploding, inflation, or the Kennedy assassination.

I'd say I can't wait to hear more from Bradley's mom, but my guess is that Milton is going to spend a good bit of time today arranging for her phone number to be changed.

Brewers 3, Cubs 2: Prince Fielder pads his stats with a homer and a couple of RBI. It's easy to forget in all of the Cub-drama that Chicago is actually a few games ahead of Milwaukee in the standings.

Astros 3, Cardinals 0: And look! The Cubs are technically still alive! If St. Louis just loses its last nine while the Cubs win their remaining. . . er, well, let's just never mind, shall we? According to the game story, St. Louis "had 25 cases of champagne waiting in the clubhouse, but the bottles will remain corked for at least another day." Twenty-five cases? They got, what, 38 guys on the roster right now? Add in eight or ten coaches and trainers and such. This is a road game, so figure that front office staff is light: the GM, an assistant or two, random traveling secretary types. Being generous, we'll call it a complement of 60 people with the team, and then some random media guys who don't care if partying up with the team hurts their credibility. Tops -- absolute tops -- you have 75 people that could even hope to be shooting champagne over one another, though many of these people would never touch a bottle in such a situation because, really, it's the players' thing. Twenty-five cases of champagne makes for 300 bottles. I love drinkin' as much as the next guy, but ain't that overdoing it a bit? And that's before the beer cans you always see guys throwing into the celebratory shower. Oh, one more thing: The Cubs play tomorrow and the Cardinals don't, which means that they can clinch on their day off if Chicago loses to San Francisco. What the hell happens to those 300 bottles if they clinch while on a day off? Do soup kitchens take booze?

Giants 5, Diamondbacks 2: Bruce Bochy: "We're still breathing. There's still hope." Four games back.

Braves 5, Mets 2: The ghost ship that is the New York Mets continues to drift aimlessly around the National League, its crew having all but abandoned it, a lamentable calm having descended over its decks. The Braves, like the Giants, sit four back of Colorado.

Tigers 11, Indians 3: Four RBI and two homers for Carlos Guillen keep the Tigers two and a half up on Minnesota.

Twins 8, White Sox 6: The lights went out in U.S. Cellular Field. What's worse, they hung my brother before I could say that the tracks he saw while on his way to Andy's house and back that night were mine.

Red Sox 9, Royals 2: Josh Beckett gave up 12 hits, but they weren't as big as the ones Luke Hochevar gave up.

Marlins 7, Phillies 6: Brad Lidge in the playoffs is gonna be something special to behold. Last year's Mr. Automatic blows yet another save, this one a one-run lead in the ninth. He was apparently getting the calls too, because Fredi Gonzalez was ejected with two out in the ninth for arguing balls and strikes. Lidge wouldn't record another one, however, and his legend continues to grow.

Rays 5, Mariners 4: B.J. Upton had three RBI and made a spiffy catch to rob Bill Hall of extra bases to end the game. Game story: "Seattle 1B Russell Branyan (back) took 35 swings off a tee." Despite this, his downswing is too steep, his swing path is too outside-in, and his clubface is open. Mariners' hitting coach Alan Cockrell is watching him closely, but he's still cutting across the ball and pull-slicing it.

Reds 12, Pirates 2: Homer Bailey is 4-1 with a 1.99 ERA over the past month. It will be fun to see how many fantasy players key on this strong finish to the season, declaring Bailey a sleeper, without realizing that three of those wins came against Pittsburgh. And now, Deep Thoughts, with your host, John Russell: "Obviously, when you don't score runs, it doesn't look like you're playing very good. That's one of the things that always looks bad -- you don't score and the other team's scoring a lot, then they look a whole lot better than you do."

Blue Jays 7, Orioles 3: Thirty years ago this fall, the Orioles played the Pirates in the World Series. May as well have been a billion years ago.

Nationals 5, Dodgers 4: Andre Ethier dropped a fly ball in the ninth, allowing the Nats to win the game. If they had won this one, they would have clinched the west because . . .

Padres 6, Rockies 3: The Rockies lost in San Diego, who were powered by Will Venebale's four RBI.

Yankees 3, Angels 2: The Angels struck out 15 times in this one. Ian Kennedy loaded the bases and then slithered out of the jam in his first work in over a year. The Yankees took two of three from their potential ALCS foe.

Rangers 9, Athletics 8: Of all of the stuff that could be mentioned about this game, this bit -- the last thing in the little notes section of the game story -- is the most interesting: "The Rangers stole four bases and moved past the Angels into second in the AL with 143 steals." I've said it many times this year, but this is not your older brother's Rangers team.

Brad Lidge blew his MLB-leading 11th save Wednesday, dropping to 0-8 with a 7.48 ERA. Asked afterward why Lidge continues to receive save chances, Charlie Manuel said: "I keep sending him back out there and hopefully he does the job. That's about all I can say. I pull like hell for him every time he goes out there." Brett Myers isn't an option because of shoulder problems and Manuel doesn't trust Ryan Madson. So ...

Benjamin Franklin once opined that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results, which would make Manuel certifiable. Philadelphia has enough cushion in the NL East that allowing Lidge to cough up lead after lead hasn't hurt their postseason chances, but all that margin for error vanishes in less than two weeks and the Phillies' bullpen is as big a mess as ever.

While the "pull like hell for him" approach to managing proves dicey, here are some other notes from around baseball ...

It's so easy to get down this time of year. The weather is getting chilly, it's not staying light out as late, and if your team isn't in playoff contention - and in this dullest of September stretch runs, you pretty much know by now - the final days of the season can be quite a chore.

But it doesn't have to be, because baseball is all about hope. Hope that a certain veteran might reach the obscure milestone that no one cares about but he. Hope that the late-season call-up will show you some flashes of greatness. Hope that if you're not going to win this year, there's always the next.

So to all you fans out there following an also-ran club, this one's for you. A quick scan around the blogosphere reveals plenty of things for you to be positive about:

-- In Milwaukee they may not have the playoffs to look forward to, but they'll always have beer. And they really, really love their beer. [Miller Park Drunk]

-- It's celebration time in Toronto, where the Blue Jays have just clinched fourth place in the AL East. They should send a thank-you note to the Orioles. [The Tao of Stieb]

-- In Chicago, Milton Bradley has apologized for the heap of misery he brought on his team and its fans. So what if the players learned about it by seeing the statement handed out to the media? What do you want from him, people? [Carrie Muskat via Twitter]

-- Not sure who out there thinks Zack Greinke doesn't deserve the Cy Young, but in Kansas City, they're still stumping hard for him. [Ball Star]

-- Rajai Davis has people downright giddy in Oakland. Now if they can just find some power. [Athletics Nation]

-- If you can't win in Cleveland, at least you can dominate the Eastern League. Nothing wrong with that, folks. [Waiting for Next Year]

-- In Seattle, they're marveling at Jose Lopez's ability to hit at least 25 home runs and walk fewer than 25 times. It's cool that guys like Joe DiMaggio and Albert Belle are also on the list. Not so cool that Jeff Francoeur and Marcus Thames are also on it. [U.S.S. Mariner]

-- In New York, they're celebrating that the Mets came up short in their quest to break the record for fewest home runs. That's something, at least. [NYT Bats blog]

-- And last but not least, they may not have much of a team in Cincinnati, but when it comes to goggles, no one tops their own Chris Sabo. [OMGReds]

This is part five in a series of columns looking at this winter's free agent class. I'm listing each player along with his age, as of next April 1, and his place in the previous edition of these rankings from May.

Nos. 111-91
Nos. 90-71
Nos. 70-51
Nos. 50-36

35. Miguel Tejada (35) - Prev. #49 - Tejada is still racking up plenty of singles and doubles, but they're coming with very few walks and a mediocre on-base percentage. In the second half, he's hit .265/.294/.391, leaving him at .303/.332/.440 overall. With his range on the decline, many believe he belongs at third base these days, yet he probably doesn't have the bat to be a quality regular at the position. The team that gives him a multiyear deal this winter figures to regret it.

34. Erik Bedard (31) - Prev. #2 - Coming back from shoulder surgery, Bedard defied expectations by opening the year in the Seattle rotation and immediately reemerging as one of the league's elite starters. Unfortunately, it lasted just two months. Bedard went down again in each June, returned to make four starts in July and then had to shut it down again. Labrum surgery followed, and Bedard figures to miss the first month of 2010. Odds are that his next contract will include one guaranteed season and an expensive option for 2011.

33. Bengie Molina (35) - Prev. #16 - Molina's great start didn't last long, and he currently has a .281 OBP and a 708 OPS that world rank as his worst since 2002. He's contributed 18 homers and 75 RBI anyway, as the Giants have kept him in the cleanup spot through thick and, mostly, thin. That's not going to fool a lot of outside suitors, though. Perhaps his market will even diminish to the point at which the Giants could re-sign him to a one-year deal. They're not going to want to block Buster Posey beyond 2010, but Molina seemed to be in line to get a two- or three-year contract elsewhere.

32. Brett Myers (29) - Prev. #15 - It looks like Myers may well have hurt his cause by rushing back from hip surgery in a bid to help the Phillies this month and in October. He returned with diminished velocity, and now he's sidelined again with a strained lat. Teams will surely appreciate his competitiveness, but even before the hip problems, Myers wasn't showing the same stuff that helped him fan 397 batters in 413 1/3 innings between 2005 and '06. He made it known in 2007 that he preferred relieving to starting, and it's entirely possible that he will shop himself as a closer this winter. He might opt to take a one-year deal and go back on the market next year.

31. Doug Davis (34) - Prev. #38 - Davis is a hard guy to trust because of his tendency to work outside of the strike zone and rack up big pitch counts in the early innings, but he's a durable left-hander who knows exactly what works for him on the mound. He's never had a significant arm problem as a major leaguer, and he's on his way to posting an ERA in the low-4.00s for the third straight season. That probably won't excite the large-market teams at all, but several mid-market teams could use an average lefty they know they can count on to make 33 starts.

30. Placido Polanco (34) - Prev. #31 - Polanco, who is currently hitting .283/.329/.404, figures to finish the season his worst average and OBP since 2002, if not 1999, but he has reached double figures in homers for the first time since 2004 and driven in a career-high 68 runs. While he's typically missed 20-30 games a season throughout his career, he should play in 150 games this year for the time. It's a rather surprising turn of events, given that Polanco has reached the age at which second basemen tend to break down. His defense remains above average, so it looks like he can be counted on as a starter for at least a two more years.

29. Nick Johnson (31) - Prev. #34 - His power hasn't come back after last year's torn wrist tendon, but Johnson has been a very good first baseman while hitting .291/.420/.407. He's also suffered just one injury, that being a strained hamstring which sidelined him for 2 1/2 weeks last month. Time will tell if it's good enough to get him a three-year deal this winter. He still might regain some power, and even if he doesn't, his outstanding on-base skills aren't likely to go away anytime soon. Unfortunately for him, the teams that most appreciate OBP probably won't be looking for first basemen this winter.

28. Mike Gonzalez (31) - Prev. #35 - Gonzalez didn't lose his closer's gig in Atlanta so much as he was simply overtaken by Rafael Soriano. He has a 2.60 ERA, he's struck out 84 and he's blown away his previous career high in innings of 54. He's currently at 69 1/3. He has been charged with seven blown saves, but four of those came in his current setup role and since he was usually charged with just a run in those games, the Braves went on to win five of them. No, it's durability far more than performance that will count against Gonzalez this winter. He'll probably get a nice three-year deal anyway, but it won't be at Jose Valverde money.

27. Jermaine Dye* (36) - Prev. #23 - Dye's season turned sour in a big hurry. After hitting .302/.375/.567 with 20 homers in the first half, he's batted just .168/.276/.260 with five homers in 196 at-bats since the break. His $12 million option seemed very reasonable a couple of months ago, but the White Sox are all set to buy him out for $1 million now. While Dye isn't finished as a regular, he's at an age now at which he's no longer a very good investment on multiyear deals. Someone will probably give him a two-year contract anyway.

26. Jason Marquis (31) - Prev. #52 - Even though Marquis was five games over .500 in 61 starts with the team, the Cubs wanted nothing more to do with him as he entered the final season of his three-year deal with the team. They paid the Rockies to take him, and Marquis has proceeded to go 15-11 with a 3.84 ERA, boosting his stock higher than it's been in five years. It'd be foolish to count on him being so effective again next year, but he's still rather young and very durable. He's in line for another three-year contract, likely at more than the $21 million he's making now.

25. Brandon Webb* (30) - Prev. #22 - The scenario that led to him being ranked here back in May has come to pass exactly: obviously, if Webb finished the season healthy, his $8.5 million option was a no-brainer. But if he did end up needing shoulder surgery he could be in play, not as an elite free agent, but still as a pretty desirable property. Since Webb's surgery turned up no rotator cuff or labrum tears, the Diamondbacks would be foolish to buy him out for $2 million. However, that's exactly what some have suggested they'll do. I think they'll relent and pick up the option, because if they don't, the Yankees, Red Sox and others in position to offer complicated-but-lucrative incentive-laden deals will do so.

24. Marco Scutaro (34) - Prev. #61 - Scutaro's big breakthrough came at age 33, and while he's been a fine defensive shortstop this year, there's just no telling how long he'll last as solid option at the position. There is reason to believe that he'll be a useful leadoff man for a couple of more years, even if his current .379 OBP is 50 points higher than his previous career mark. His inflated power numbers seem less likely to carry over to 2010. Since he's undeniably the best 2010 option at shortstop available in free agency, he's going to land a nice contract. He may, however, fade back into a utility role before his next contract comes to an end.

23. Rafael Soriano (30) - Prev. #58 - Wearing down from a heavier workload than he's ever experienced before, Soriano has seen his ERA jump from 1.48 before the break to 5.74 afterwards. It's still good to see the injury-prone right-hander up to 69 1/3 innings for the season, but he'd likely have been even more valuable to the Braves if kept on a 65-inning pace. One of the game's most dominant pitchers, Soriano has fanned 92 batters. His .202 average against is right at his career mark, and his 1.08 WHIP is only slightly above. Because he's had so many injury issues, it'd be smarter to overpay Soriano for two years than to go to three or four years to get him. The Braves might be able to keep either he or Gonzalez, but probably not both.

22. Mark DeRosa (35) - Prev. #26 - Incredibly, DeRosa's torn wrist tendon sheath hasn't done anything to his power stroke. He's set a new career high with 23 homers, surpassing his 2008 total of 21. Before that, he had just 48 career homers in 2,145 at-bats. Especially because of his versatility, DeRosa will be an extremely interesting case this winter. He's no longer much of a second baseman, but not everyone sees it that way. Other teams will look at him as a third baseman or a corner outfielder. He turns 35 next spring, but he's a far better player now than he was five years ago. He could be in line for about $24 million over three years.

21. Mike Cameron (37) - Prev. #28 - Still going remarkably strong at age 36, Cameron likely ranks as the game's most underrated player of the last 10 years. He's played the vast majority of his career in poor ballparks for hitters, yet he's always finishing with OPSs around 800 and playing excellent defense. Maybe he's no longer one of the game's five best defensive center fielders, but he still comfortably ranks in the top half of the league. He'll probably get about $20 million for two years and be worth every penny.

The Braves announced Wednesday that Bobby Cox will manage the team for one more season in 2010 and then retire after what will be his 25th year running the team.

The 68-year-old Cox, who will return with his entire coaching staff, is currently in his 28th year as a major league manager. He has 2,408 victories, placing him fourth on the all-time list. He is, of course, first all-time in ejections.

Under the terms of his deal, the four-time Manager of the Year received a one-year extension for 2010 and a five-year consulting agreement through 2015.

Mark Reynolds broke his own single-season strikeout record last night by whiffing for the 205th (and 206th) time and ... well, no one seems to care all that much. Which is a good thing.

Not so long ago a player even approaching the strikeout record was viewed as a big deal that usually drew all sorts of heavy-handed criticism from columnists and talking heads, but whether because the baseball media has evolved or someone breaking his own record simply isn't much of a story the hand-wringing over Reynolds has been minimal.

Last week, while writing about why the focus on hitter strikeouts is largely misguided, I noted that the 10 guys who've struck out most often this season have been significantly more productive hitters than the 10 guys who've struck out least often. Along those same lines, the 10 highest single-season strikeout totals have all come from very productive hitters:

                    YEAR      SO      AVG     HR     RBI      OPS
Mark Reynolds       2009     206     .266     43     100     .919
Mark Reynolds       2008     204     .239     28      97     .779
Ryan Howard         2007     199     .268     47     136     .976
Ryan Howard         2008     199     .251     48     146     .881
Jack Cust           2008     197     .231     33      77     .851
Adam Dunn           2004     195     .266     46     102     .956
Adam Dunn           2006     194     .234     40      92     .855
Bobby Bonds         1970     189     .302     26      78     .879
Jose Hernandez      2002     188     .288     24      73     .834
Bobby Bonds         1969     187     .259     32      90     .824
Preston Wilson      2000     187     .264     31     121     .817

It's very difficult to post a high batting average while striking out 180-200 times in a season, but batting average doesn't equal production and the seasons shown on the above list have averaged 36 homers and 101 RBIs with an .870 OPS. Reynolds is having a fantastic offensive season, just as guys like Ryan Howard and Adam Dunn and Bobby Bonds did before him, and anyone unwilling to see that is missing the forest through the trees.

There are some situations where a strikeout is worse than other types of outs. For example, with a runner on third base and less than two outs, hitting a sacrifice fly out has more value than striking out. However, there are also some situations where a strikeout is better than other types of outs. For example, with a runner on first base and less than two outs, striking out is more valuable than grounding into a double play (which Reynolds has done just eight times this year compared to 29 for high-contact hitter Miguel Tejada).

Add up all of those different situations and at the end of the day a strikeout is no worse than flying out or grounding out, even if a certain segment of the baseball-watching public refuses to believe it. Striking out has the added bonus of typically coming with lots of homers and walks, and unlike the difference between types of outs those things actually have a huge impact on scoring runs.

Starring for the Rockies during their World Series run in 2007 made Troy Tulowitzki a household name as a rookie, but he had a rough sophomore campaign that included a 108-point drop in OPS and missing one-third of the season with injuries.

Despite a clean bill of health for this season Tulowitzki got off a very slow start, hitting just .216 with a measly .683 OPS through one-third of the Rockies' schedule while getting benched by then-manager Clint Hurdle.

Hurdle has since been replaced by Jim Tracy and Tulowitzki has since been one of the most valuable players in baseball, hitting .324/.410/.622 with 24 homers, 47 total extra-base hits, 46 walks, 14 steals, 66 RBIs, and 71 runs in 92 games dating back to early June.

In fact, toss in his usual stellar defense at shortstop--which includes just one error in his last 41 games--and there's a viable argument to be made for Tulowitzki being the most valuable player in baseball during the past two-thirds of the season. Seriously. Here are the OPS leaders over that nearly four-month stretch:

                        OPS
Albert Pujols         1.116
Derrek Lee            1.074
TROY TULOWITZKI       1.028
Hanley Ramirez         .981
Pablo Sandoval         .981
Kendry Morales         .979
Prince Fielder         .979
Adam Dunn              .974
Garrett Jones          .972
Joe Mauer              .962

Albert Pujols is obviously amazing and he'd get my vote for NL MVP, but during the past two-thirds of the season Tulowitzki has been in the same stratosphere because even with Coors Field in the mix a 1.028 OPS from a strong defensive shortstop is definitely comparable to a 1.116 OPS from a strong defensive first baseman. Not coincidentally, Tulowitzki, Hanley Ramirez, and Joe Mauer are the only guys from that list who play an up-the-middle position defensively.

After starting the season 18-28 under Hurdle the Rockies have gone 68-37 under Tracy, which is an amazing turnaround that will lead to winning the Wild Card. Among the many things that have gone right for Colorado during the past 100 games Tulowitzki should be at the very top of the list. Not bad for a guy who'll turn 25 years old on the same day as Game 3 of the NLDS.

Jennifer Garner was a guest on The Jay Leno Show last night and was challenged to recite the Red Sox's starting lineup, with amusing results:

* Marco Scutaro's career-best season is likely over after an MRI exam revealed a tear in the plantar fasciitis of his right heel. The injury comes at an inopportune time for the 33-year-old impending free agent, but hitting .282/.379/.409 with 12 homers, 35 doubles, 90 walks, and 14 steals in 144 games as the Blue Jays' starting shortstop still figures to at least quadruple his current $1.1 million salary in 2010.

* Curt Schilling has officially decided not to run for Ted Kennedy's vacant senate seat. "Regardless of the amount of support and outreach that's been given to me, it just did not make sense," Schilling said. Meanwhile, polling in Massachusetts suggested that he had little chance to win anyway.

* Team USA opened the World Cup final round yesterday with a 6-3 victory over Venezuela, who previously handed the United States their only loss of the tournament. Pirates prospects Pedro Alvarez and Brad Lincoln starred in the win.

* Flip Flop Fly Ball has a cool graphic showing how often the team with baseball's best record goes on to win the World Series.

* Mariners fans are now free to go strip-clubbing around Safeco Field.

Dejan Kovacevic had a lot of time to do some research in the PNC Park press box last night:

Perhaps the one good thing about the Pirates' many miseries in recent years is that they have resurrected the classic names of Crazy Schmit, Phenomenal Smith and Peek-A-Boo Veach.

Those were just a few of the farmers and mill workers who comprised the 1890 Pittsburg Alleghenies, the infamous worst team in franchise history and the one invariably cited anytime a futility record is challenged . . . That 3-21 stretch now is the second-worst in such a span over the franchise's 123-year history, with the 1890 team's... um, phenomenal 3-35 finish to that 23-113 season still standing alone.

Kovacevic is one of my favorite beat writers.  Seeing his work during the heat of a pennant race would be nice, but at this point I'd love to see what he could do if he had even a run-of-the-mill bad team to cover.

Peter Gammons is bored, so he's proposing expanding the playoffs:

But why not think about having two wild-card teams per league? For instance, in what might be an aberrational season, the Giants, Marlins, Braves and Cubs would be within 2½ games of that NL spot right now.

So MLB can avoid a Thanksgiving clash with the Lions, start the season half a week earlier; someone much smarter than I points out that, as opposed to starting on Monday and getting no one at weekday games on Wednesday and Thursday, they should start on Thursday and play the first weekend. Then have the two-out-of-three play-in series on the weekend.

The several paragraphs he spends arguing against such an idea before he gets to the above-quoted bit is much more compelling.  This year's lack of exciting pennant races is an aberration.  Expanding the playoffs risks cheapening both the playoffs and the regular season the way the NBA and NHL have done. I'm not a fan of the wild card as it is, but it's been around long enough to where I'm resigned to it.  Let's not press our luck any further though, OK? 

The most bizarre thing about this column, however, is that a guy like Gammons wrote it. He's not a total purist or anything, but he's not the kind of guy who tends to throw out ideas like this. Indeed, this column has all of the earmarks of an editor's suggestion -- "hey Pete! Put something together that argues for an expansion of the playoffs!" -- rather than something Gammons actually believes in.

So it's not only a bad idea, but it's a bad idea poorly supported in its own right.

About those Bobby V. managerial rumors? Eh, forget I said anything:

Television industry and baseball sources say Valentine, completing his final season as manager of the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan's Pacific League, is on the verge of signing a lucrative multi-year deal with ESPN . . . "It's a done deal," one source said. "And it should be announced soon."

The article says that the last time ESPN hired Valentine he had a clause in his contract that called for him to pay back some money if he bolted to take a manager's job.  Which pretty much has to rule out him taking either the Mets or the Nats jobs. I mean, it's one thing to work for either of those train wrecks, but to actually pay for the privilege? Ye Gods.

There's a reason the guy is so powerful.  Pete Abe:

Scott Boras has a suite right behind the plate at Angel Stadium and almost always arrives early to watch batting practice and consult with his clients. At one point yesterday, Johnny Damon, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez were literally lined up to speak to Boras.

Boras may or may not be worthy of such fealty, but ask yourself: if you're a young up-and-coming player and you see a half a billion dollars worth of contracts lining up to talk to the guy, aren't you going to at least consider throwing your agent over the side to get with him?

Gordon Edes talks managers. Among the tidbits:

* Eric Wedge is almost certain to be fired;

* Dave Trembley is going to be gone and Jim Riggleman may very well be too;

* Ken Macha is probably safe for now;

* No matter how much the Wilpons talk about Jerry Manuel being safe, Bobby Valentine is being considered in Queens;

* Ed Wade needs to hire someone to clean up the mess, and based on the names floated -- everyone from retreads like Jim Fregosi to newbies like Jeff Bagwell -- he hasn't yet figured out what he's going to do.

Take all of this with a grain of salt, however, because based on what Edes says about Bobby Cox and the Braves, he may not be as plugged in as he would have you believe. 

Citing "a major league source," Edes claims in the piece that Cox and Braves' GM had a big falling out last spring over the way John Smoltz' situation was handled and that the poor relationship between the men could very well mean that Cox won't be back in 2010.  On the surface that sounds plausible, but according to both Cox himself and Mark Bradley at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the report is bunk. Cox says "everything is fine" and that Wren has been "outstanding."  Wren is a little more reserved, but calls Edes' report "inaccurate."

I'm guessing Cox and Wren aren't big pals like Cox and Schuerholz were, but Cox is a pro who has been around forever. He survived Ted Turner for crying out loud, so I can't feature a couple of personnel decisions by Wren causing such a rift.

If Cox isn't back in 2010 it's because he's tired of managing, not because he can't get along with the boss.

It's a mystery to me why the Mets don't want to fire Omar Minaya, but maybe getting rid of everyone who works for and advises him may be the next best thing. The Daily News:

The Mets have fired Ramon Pena, the organization's top official in charge of signing Latin American talent, the Daily News has learned. In addition, vice president of scouting Sandy Johnson intends to retire, and minor-league field coordinator Luis Aguayo has been let go, sources said.

Tony Bernazard, who was fired on July 27 after a series of over-the-top clubhouse antics, and Johnson were Minaya's two top lieutenants. More turnover could be coming since only Rudy Terrasas, who oversees the amateur draft, is believed to be under contract beyond this season.

Pena's dismissal signals displeasure with the performance of a number of high-caliber Latin American prospects signed as teenagers.

The Latin thing is interesting.  For the past couple of seasons, I have noticed increasing resentment among Mets fans about the team's heavy interest in Latin players under Omar Minaya. My first impulse was to write much of it off as misplaced grousing at best, something more ugly at worst. After all, who doesn't like Johan Santana and K-Rod? Wouldn't Mets fans rather have someone besides Daniel Murphy getting so many at bats, even if his name was Gonzalez or Martinez?

But the Daily News article really does a good job of describing the failure of the Mets' international operations under Minaya.  Jose Reyes was a Steve Phillips signing. No one else has made an impact, despite the Mets' far greater need to make waves on the international market due to their constant forfeiture of draft picks due to free agent signings.  There's nothing wrong with focusing so heavily on Latin players per se, but if you're going to put all of your huevos in one cesta, you had better be good at it.

Assuming all of these guys getting axed were Omar Minaya hires -- and assuming that Omar isn't going to be trusted to pick their replacements -- one wonders why Minaya still has a job himself.

Rockies 11, Padres 10: It's long been obvious that the Rockies are charmed this year, but when they win despite a horrible outing from their starter and a bullpen meltdown and still win, that just seals it. Inside the park homer for Barmes, though it took Edgar Gonzalez dislocating his shoulder while diving for it to make it so.

Yankees 6, Angels 5: The Yankees clinch. They also came back after blowing five-run lead and held on for a rare win in Anaheim.

Diamondbacks 10, Giants 8: Mark Reynolds broke his own strikeout record. Which shouldn't be a big deal given that he's got a .922 OPS, but that didn't stop the dude in front of me on the plane Monday night going on and on about how Reynolds sucks "because he can't make contact."

Reds 10, Pirates 4: I have a friend with Pirates season tickets for some reason. This is him via Blackberry during the game "I'm behind home plate @ Pirates v. Reds - about 5 real players - this sucks - kill me now."

Athletics 9, Rangers 1: It's easy this time of year to sort of write off every team that has had a poor season as a wreck and feel sorry for their fans and generally just want it to all end quickly (as many of my recaps today suggest). But you have to remember that there are still games to be played and that games, on an individual basis, still matter. People still enjoy them for their own sake and haven't simply moved on to football or the hot stove season or whatever. That was brought home to me during my trip this past weekend, as many people I talked to in the Bay Area were rather excited about the A's strong September. They're not showing up in droves, but people are watching and listening and are simply happy to have baseball.

Cardinals 11, Astros 2: Often at this time a year I wonder if teams can't simply pay some fee to the league office that would allow them to simply forfeit every remaining game rather than go out and embarrass themselves the way Houston is as the season comes to a close.

Royals 5, Red Sox 1: Zack Greinke pretty much sewed up the Cy Young award with this one, right? His 15th win in front of the influential Boston press corps. puts the exclamation point on a strong finish.

Dodgers 14, Nationals 2: Three . . . thats the magic number. Yes it is. Its the magic number. Somewhere in this hip-hop soul community, was born three Mase, Dove and me, and that's the magic number.

Phillies 9, Marlins 3; Marlins 3, Phillies 0: Joe Blanton gave up two hits in seven innings in the first; Anibal Sanchez allowed two hits in eight innings in the second. I like symmetry.

Mariners 4, Rays 3: Tampa Bay is eliminated. The team, not the bay itself. That would be catastrophic.

Tigers 3, Indians 1: Some wonder whether Edwin Jackson is hurt or tired or is tipping his pitches or whatever, but it seems he simply hasn't faced the Indians enough.

Braves 3, Mets 1: Jair Jurrjens allows only one run on five hits as the Mets painful season draws closer and closer to a merciful end. The Braves have won 10 of 12, but it's going to be too little, too late.

Twins 8, White Sox 6: The Twins have won eight of nine, and are showing themselves to be a better overall team than the Tigers, but can they close the 2.5 game gap? Whatever happens, we can thank them for giving us an actual race as the season winds down.

Cubs 7, Brewers 2: The Cubs won their third straight since suspending Milton Bradley for the season. Coincidence? Doesn't matter, because it will not be viewed as such when it comes time to decide what to do with the guy next year.

Blue Jays 6, Orioles 5: See Houston comment above.

Last week various reports surfaced that the Diamondbacks don't plan to exercise the $8.5 million option on Brandon Webb for 2010 and would instead attempt to work out a new, incentive-laden deal for the injured right-hander.

Those plans hit a major snag Tuesday when Webb said that he's not willing to take a discount to remain in Arizona "if it comes down to that and they ask me to do something like that."

While paying $8.5 million for Webb next season is a huge risk for the Diamondbacks given that he hasn't pitched since Opening Day thanks to a shoulder injury, it doesn't make much sense for him to accept a below-market deal when big-payroll teams like the Yankees and Red Sox would definitely take fliers on him being healthy. As he put it: "I'd have to see what else is out there and see if there's something better."

While the Diamondbacks learn that declining the $8.5 million will likely mean the end of Webb's time in Arizona, here are some other notes from around baseball ...

If I write this story and no one cares, should it count? (Don't answer that please!)

I think of this after seeing an interesting story by the New York Times' Jack Curry on the only time a stolen base doesn't count as a stolen base: When the defense doesn't care.

You may have already known this, but the "defensive indifference" rule has been around for 89 years. The people over at Elias actually keep track of them.

Usually this only comes into play late in a ballgame when the leading team doesn't bother to stop a runner from stealing a base, preferring to keep its defense in place and focus on getting the final outs of the game.

So when a runner swipes a base under these conditions, "defensive indifference" is called, and the runner is not credited for a steal. I guess it's sort of like when people leave their junk on the sidewalk with an attached sign reading "free." If you take the junk, the previous owner can't turn around and call the cops on you.

While some players might think that is hardly fair - after all, football and basketball players are free to pad their stats late in blowout games - the general consensus among those interviewed by Curry (including Carlos Beltran) don't seem to mind.

"If the first baseman plays 50 feet behind me, there's no way that's a steal," Beltran said. "As a base runner, I wouldn't want that."

And don't worry baserunners, if you fall down and are tagged out, you won't be charged with a caught stealing.

Hirdt noted that Rule 10.07(h) states that a runner cannot be nabbed with a caught stealing if he would not have been credited with a steal if he had been safe.

Fair is fair - after all - if they don't care.

Three months after signing the 16-year-old outfielder to a record $3.1 million pact, the Cardinals on Tuesday voided Wagner Mateo's contract, saying he failed his physical based on "pre-existing injuries and physical defects."

Mateo's deal was the second-largest ever given to a Latin American teenager and the largest given to a position player. Dominican right-hander Michel Inoa received $4.25 million from the A's last year.

It was reported by ESPN last week that Wagner had recently underwent several eye examinations to determine if he had a degenerative condition that could jeopardize his future. The results weren't released, but the assumption is that the Cardinals tried to negotiate a lower bonus for Mateo, failed and then opted to void the deal.

The move could have quite an effect on the Cardinals' efforts in Latin America for years to come. The Mateo signing was a huge step for an organization that had been quiet in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela of late. Voiding the deal three months after coming to terms will likely make prospects and, more importantly, their handlers wary in the future.

This is part four in a series of columns looking at this winter's free agent class. I'm listing each player along with his age, as of next April 1, and his place in the previous edition of these rankings from May.

Nos. 111-91
Nos. 90-71
Nos. 70-51

50. Noel Arguelles (20) - Prev. NR - With fellow Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman getting all of the attention, Arguelles could fly under the radar and prove to be a bargain. The southpaw reportedly throws in the low-90s consistently, and while he's going to need at least one year and probably two in the minors, he's probably more polished than Chapman.

49. Brandon Lyon (30) - Prev. #89 - Signed with the idea that he'd close over Fernando Rodney, Lyon was a big disappointment this spring and for the first two months of the season. Fortunately, he's bounced back to post a 1.48 ERA and a 43/12 K/BB ratio in 48 2/3 innings since the beginning of June. While he's far from an ideal option as a closer, his durability and his ability to go multiple innings make him particularly valuable. He should command at least a two-year deal and a three-year, $15 million pact isn't beyond the realm of possibility.

48. Brad Penny (32) - Prev. #54 - The results haven't been there, but Penny has demonstrated that he's healthy by staying off the disabled list and averaging 94 mph with his fastball. If he rediscovers his curve, he's still capable of being one of the league's best starters, for three months at a time anyway. While it's obvious now that he needs to stay in the NL, he'll be a fine investment on another one-year contract.

47. Jack Wilson* (32) - Prev. #47 - Speculation at the time of the deal was that the Mariners insisted on getting some cash back from the Pirates in the Wilson deal so that they'd be able to pick up the shortstop's $8.4 million option for 2010. It seemed like an unnecessary step, though, particularly since there's just a $600,000 buyout attached to the option. A two-year deal worth around $10 million would work for the Mariners and should be pretty appealing to Wilson after season in which he's battled injuries and hasn't hit. He's currently batting .255/.292/.362, giving him an OPS in the 650s for the second straight year.

46. Marlon Byrd (32) - Prev. #70 - The numbers from his three-year Texas tenure make Byrd look like a consistent and competent starting outfielder, even if this is the first year he's truly played regularly. He was, however, essentially worthless in his age 26-28 season before joining the Rangers, and it needs to be noted that he hasn't been much more than a 760-OPS guy away from Arlington. Also, while his OPS has stayed relatively steady, his OBP has been bouncing all over the place, from .355 in 2006 to an exceptional .380 in 2008 to a subpar .325 this year. It's very possible that Byrd will get a multiyear deal to start for some team, but he'll probably disappoint.

45. Troy Glaus (33) - Prev. #43 - Glaus managed to play in 151 games and hit .270/.372/.483 in 2008, but his 2009 has been a complete loss following shoulder surgery and the steroid reports that arose in April certainly won't help his hunt for work this winter. If Glaus can still play third base adequately, then he's a $10 million player. As a first baseman or DH, he wouldn't necessarily be much better of a bet than Russell Branyan or Hank Blalock. The one advantage he would have there is that he's right-handed, setting him apart from almost all of the rest of the first base/DH options.

44. Rick Ankiel (30) - Prev. #9 - Ankiel finished with an 863 OPS in 172 at-bats in 2007 and an 843 mark in 413 at-bats last year, but he got off to a slow start this season and not long after it appeared that he had turned it around, he injured his shoulder in a collision with the wall. He returned after just three weeks, but it doesn't seem like he's been 100 percent at any time since and he's currently sitting at .234/.286/.390 in 351 at-bats. The perception is that Ankiel should still have some upside left after so recently making the full-time switch to the outfield, but he does have holes in his swing and durability is an obvious issue. He'll probably need to take a one-year deal in order to rebuild his value.

43. Trevor Hoffman (42) - Prev. #71 - Even though his WHIP and strikeout rate were strong, Hoffman's inflated 3.77 ERA in his final year in San Diego made finding work somewhat difficult after last season. He ended up getting $6 million from the Brewers in January, and he's gone on to pick up 34 saves in 37 chances. He's currently on track to finish with a sub-2.00 ERA for just the second time in his illustrious career. The Brewers want him back and have no one to replace him, so they'll probably offer him another one-year deal with a modest raise.

42. Hank Blalock (29) - Prev. #29 - Blalock is such an incredibly frustrating player, but he's still young and even in such a lousy season, he was on pace for 30 homers before the Rangers finally got fed up with his low OBP and benched him. Part of the reason he's always been tantalizing as a fantasy property is because he's excelled at his home park, but this year he's somehow managed to post a 687 OPS in Arlington and a solid 818 mark elsewhere. Blalock hasn't been both healthy and productive since his age-23 season in 2004, so the Rangers are almost surely through with him. He'll probably end up with a one-year contract, but a high roller could offer him three years and hope for the best. How many other free agents here have the potential to be worth $45 million over the life of a $20 million deal?

41. Fernando Rodney (33) - Prev. #79 - With just one blown save in 34 chances, Rodney has done his job about as well as any closer this year. Still, his ERA stands at 3.82, his strikeout rate is down slightly and he's continued to walk a batter every other inning. It's going to make him a very interesting case this winter. Rodney isn't young and he has a career ERA of a 4.16, but he's always had very good stuff and it's quite reasonable to believe he'll be better in his 30s than he was in his 20s. It'll probably take a three-year deal to sign him, and the Tigers figure to make a strong bid to keep him around.

40. Carlos Delgado (37) - Prev. #21 - Delgado followed up an exceptional second half of 2008 by hitting .298/.393/.521 in 26 games to begin this season, but he was hobbled by a sore hip all along and he opted for surgery in mid-May. He was originally expected to return in July, but the timetable kept getting pushed back and now it appears that his season is over. Because of the injury, he can't expect more than a one-year contract this winter, which makes him a much better investment than he would have been coming off another 30-HR, 100-RBI season. The Mets figure to look into re-signing him for one year.

39. Felipe Lopez (29) - Prev. #36 - The Giants could have picked up a better performer at a less expensive price had they gone after Lopez instead of holding back and eventually landing Freddy Sanchez. Lopez was hitting a solid .301/.364/.412 before leaving Arizona, and he's come in at .329/.411/.468 in 216 at-bats as a Brewer. His teams would be better off if he never attempted another steal -- he's 14-for-28 the last three years -- but even though he's lost a step, he remains an above average defender at second base. He's in line for a multiyear deal, but it won't come from the Brewers, since they're expecting Rickie Weeks back next year.

38. Billy Wagner (38) - Prev. #50 - Wagner pulled off a return to the majors just 11 months following Tommy John surgery, and he's gone on to fan 19 batters in 11 1/3 innings. His status as a Type A free agent could hurt him this winter, since the Red Sox are nearly certain to offer him arbitration, but he may very well be the best one-year closing option on the market.

37. Jon Garland* (30) - Prev. #51 - The Diamondbacks didn't want to fuss with Garland's $10 million mutual option, so they passed it on to the Dodgers. L.A. will have the option for buying him out at $2.5 million. If they opt to pick it up, then Garland can void it, collect a $1 million payment and then become a free agent. If he can just continue his current run for two more weeks, then the latter scenario should be fulfilled. Garland is 3-0 with a 2.33 ERA for the Dodgers and 11-11 with a 4.02 ERA for the season. He's not a top-of-the-rotation starter by any means, but he's still young and he's proven exceptionally durable. This will be the eighth straight season in which he's made 32 starts.

36. Hideki Matsui (35) - Prev. #42 - Speculation has had Matsui returning home to Japan after the season, but his exceptional campaign in the DH role guarantees that he'll have options. He's currently hitting .279/.371/.523 with 27 homers in 426 at-bats, and Yankee Stadium has had nothing to do with it, as he's batted .293/.389/.576 in road games. It'd be for the best if he never sees the outfield again, but he'll probably be viewed as the best pure DH available this winter.

* Gary Sheffield wants to play next season and has shown that he's still a productive hitter, but the market for a 41-year-old, oft-injured, should-be platoon designated hitter doesn't figure to be especially strong.

* Cecil Cooper took the fall for the Astros' disappointing season, but as Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle points out the general manager who built a 70-80 team with a $107 million payroll also deserves plenty of blame.

* Edwin Jackson's recent struggles have some people suggesting that he's been tipping pitches, but a career-high workload for a pitcher who came into this season with a 5.15 lifetime ERA is probably an overlooked theory.

* Adam LaRoche has hit .350 with 12 homers in 45 games since returning to Atlanta and Chipper Jones wants the Braves to re-sign the impending free agent. LaRoche has played for three teams this season, so naturally he's looking for a multi-year deal.

* The man who once traded Pedro Martinez for Delino DeShields writes about the mistake that Billy Beane made trading Andre Ethier for Milton Bradley.

* Yovani Gallardo is now officially the Brewers' ace.

They're still headed for 90-plus losses in a disappointing season, but the Royals have quietly climbed out of last place in the AL Central by going 12-7 in September and Billy Butler has solidified his standing as one of baseball's best young hitters by going 24-for-70 (.343) with 12 extra-base hits, 18 RBIs, and a 12/12 K/BB ratio this month.

Butler destroyed minor-league pitching after the Royals made him the 14th pick in the 2004 draft, batting at least .300 at every level and .336/.416/.561 in 397 games overall. Now he's beating up big-league pitching at the age of 23, hitting .314/.381/.537 with 10 homers, 22 doubles, and 47 RBIs in 61 games since the All-Star break.

Plenty of young hitters find success in the majors, but what makes "Bam Bam" unique is that he combines a gaudy batting average with lots of power, solid plate discipline, and a low strikeout rate, all of which bode well for his continued growth as an offensive force. With two weeks remaining he's hitting an even .300 with 68 extra-base hits, 52 walks, and 93 strikeouts in 620 plate appearances spread over 147 games.

If he can maintain a .300 batting average for the next dozen games while smacking two extra-base hits and avoiding more than six strikeouts, Butler would join some pretty exclusive company. Here's a complete list of all the 23-year-old hitters in baseball history who've managed to bat .300 with at least 70 extra-base hits and 50 walks while striking out fewer than 100 times:

Ted Williams         Joe DiMaggio         Frank Robinson
Hank Aaron           Stan Musial          Cal Ripken Jr.
Lou Gehrig           Albert Pujols        Fred Lynn
Willie Mays          Mel Ott              Harlond Clift
Mickey Mantle        Hank Greenberg       Hanley Ramirez
Ken Griffey Jr.      Duke Snider

Not a bad set of names, huh? Butler trying to become the 18th member of that club and Zack Greinke going for the Cy Young award will at least give Royals fans something to root for down the stretch. General manager Dayton Moore and manager Trey Hillman haven't inspired a whole lot of confidence in Kansas City, but having the 23-year-old Butler and 25-year-old Greinke as long-term building blocks is a pretty nice start.

Pablo Sandoval is one of my favorite players because he has a body like David Wells, runs like Kung Fu Panda, and hits .330 despite swinging at everything, which is why I'm sort of sad to read that he's planning to spend the offseason doing "fitness and nutritional training designed to teach him how to keep his weight down":

At 22, he is putting up terrific numbers despite his weight, which is more than his listed 246 pounds. The team is concerned he will break down unless he learns to eat properly and stay trimmer.

Sandoval acknowledges he does not eat well, particularly on the road, and he understands why he must surrender three weeks of his winter vacation for this training. "I do want to get better," Sandoval said. "I want to get in good shape and get ready for next season. I don't want to get hurt. I don't want to play 120 games. I want to play 162 games."

On one hand not being in great shape would probably cost Sandoval any chance of sticking at third base long term and dropping a few pounds likely won't hurt his hitting. On the other hand if he's going to be a first baseman anyway the extra weight isn't a huge factor defensively and toting around a nice gut doesn't seem to hurt guys like Prince Fielder, Adam Dunn, David Ortiz, Carlos Lee, Kyle Blanks, Billy Butler, and Ryan Howard.

A thin Pablo Sandoval might be five percent more valuable, but he'd be about 50 percent less interesting.

* Freddy Sanchez has missed 23 of 48 games since being traded to San Francisco, managing a measly .619 OPS when his shoulder was healthy enough for him to be in the lineup, and had to be helped off the field last night after twisting his left knee. Suddenly the decision to exercise his $8.1 million option for 2010 isn't such a no-brainer for the Giants.

* Twins shortstop prospect Trevor Plouffe delivered a walk-off homer yesterday as the United States defeated Australia in the World Cup, giving them the top seed for the tournament's final round. Also advancing to the eight-team final round are Venezuela, Cuba, Australia, Chinese Taipei, Netherlands, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

* The bad news is that Brett Tomko has been shut down for the season in the midst of his best pitching in years. The good news is that he finishes with an ERA below 4.00 for the first time since he was a 24-year-old rookie in 1997.

* Josh Hamilton is hoping to return from his back injury by the end of this week, but Michael Young may struggle to play again this season after testing his injured hamstring with some light jogging yesterday.

* In the wake of Cecil Cooper being fired as Astros manager yesterday, Tony La Russa reflected on his 14 years at the helm in St. Louis and indicated that he plans to return in 2010. La Russa is the second-longest-tenured manager in baseball behind Bobby Cox's two decades in Atlanta.

If the Twins and Tigers are forced to have a one-game playoff, it will take place at the Metrodome, but they won't get in the way of "Monday Night Football." Nope. The Vikings are already scheduled to play the Packers there on Monday, Oct. 5. According to the Metrodome lease, the Vikings have precedence over the Twins in every situation outside of a World Series game.

"The NFL has no reason to reschedule the game and inconvenience its fans, many of whom travel long distances and planned these trips when the schedule was released in April," NFL spokesman Dan Masonson said in a statement.

If needed, the deciding game would likely be played on Tuesday, Oct. 6. While nobody blames the Vikings in this situation, it does have a potential impact on the ALDS. The American League team with the best record -- right now it's the Yankees -- can choose whether to begin the division series on Wednesday or Thursday.

Jason Marquis is probably more focused on helping the Rockies get to the World Series right now, but Jeff Francoeur told the New York Post that his close friend "desperately" wants to pitch for the Mets next season:

"He'd love to come here," Francoeur -- who indicated Marquis broached the subject to him and David Wright earlier this month when the Mets played at Colorado -- said before last night's 11-3 Atlanta win at Citi Field.

"He'd be a great fit. He's from Staten Island. He's a New York type of guy. He'll probably be coming off the best season he's ever had."

Exactly why the Mets shouldn't sign him. Marquis is quite the good luck charm -- his teams have reached the postseason in nine straight seasons -- but he has a 4.46 career ERA over ten seasons. And even in his "career year," Marquis has a 4.15 ERA since the All-Star break. This is the case of a back-end starting pitcher being severely overrated based on 15 wins. If there is a more likely candidate to be a free-agent bust, please let me know.

Kevin Millwood not only delivered his longest outing since June on Monday night against the Athletics, he also guaranteed himself $12 million for the 2010 season. He finally surpassed that elusive 180 innings mark with a fifth-inning double play.

"I knew what I had to get to. But I wanted to get deep in the game and win the ballgame. If I do that, everything else will take care of itself."

Millwood went 8-5 with a 2.64 ERA through the first three months of the season, but has really struggled since, going just 3-5 with a 5.66 ERA. After his last start was skipped, many were wondering if the Rangers would purposely trying to prevent the option from vesting, however it appears he just needed some extra time to work on mechanics with pitching coach Mike Maddux.

Now that Millwood is guaranteed $12 million for 2010, it likely limits general manager Jon Daniels' ability to upgrade the team in the free-agent market. Owner Tom Hicks has already borrowed millions from Major League Baseball, and in turn, the Rangers were reportedly forced to lowball first-round pick Matt Purke. It's a real shame for a team that clinched their first winning season since 2004 on Monday night.

"It's not been an easy road. Our goal is to hang close. We want to catch them. We've got some pretty tough guys out there in the clubhouse and we want to catch [the Tigers]. You have to grind it out and keep playing."

- Twins manager Ron Gardenhire after the Twins moved to within 2 1/2 games of the idle Tigers with a 7-0 victory over the White Sox on Monday night. The Twins hope to stick close with a four-game series against the AL Central leaders next week.

"I've got two more starts, and that's all I can concern myself with is one pitch, one inning at a time. I know that sounds cliche ... It's been a tough year, and I haven't been able to get anything going. ... I'm looking forward to have two more starts and if you want to use the word 'salvage,' then that probably fits well."

- Kyle Lohse would love to join his teammates on the postseason roster. He allowed three runs over six innings as the Cardinals moved their magic number to three with a 7-3 win over the Astros on Monday night.

"We have a lot of the base we need for a winning team, a playoff team, a World Series team. For years to come, we have great players and great camaraderie. I think this team is on an upswing."

- Barry Zito, as the Giants moved to within four games of the idle-Rockies in the Wild Card race with a 5-4 win over the Diamondbacks on Monday night. The playoffs are starting to long like a longshot, but at the very least, the Giants have clinched their first non-losing season since 2004.

"It seems like we've been on sort of a gradual downward spiral since we made it to the World Series (in 2005), and I think you can't just point to one thing. There are several factors involved in that. If there was ever an environment for sweeping reform or change, this would be it."

- Lance Berkman, who finds his team on the opposite end of the spectrum of the Giants. Third base coach Dave Clark was promoted to interim manager following the dismissal of Cecil Cooper on Monday.

Orlando Hudson has been a very nice pickup for the Dodgers, batting .288/.357/.417 in 139 games after inking an incentive-laden one-year contract this offseason, which is exactly the type of production that you'd expect from a career .283/.347/.431 hitter. However, the three-time Gold Glove winner's defense has slipped a bit on the wrong side of 30 and Ronnie Belliard's hot bat since joining the team has Hudson benched.

Belliard started at second base Sunday for the third time in four games and manager Joe Torre indicated that he'll stick with the midseason acquisition who's hit .304 with four homers and 14 RBIs in 18 games since arriving from Washington. Los Angeles has a postseason spot locked up, so who plays second base for the next two weeks is of little importance, but Hudson is a better player and should play in the playoffs.

Along with the on-field impact of benching Hudson for Belliard, the off-field impact is that the incentive-filled one-year pact pays Hudson $10,000 per plate appearance at this point. He stands to lose $100,000 or so down the stretch, but deserves credit for saying all the right things when asked about the situation. Hudson has earned about $4 million in incentives along with $3.4 million in guaranteed money so far.

While the Dodgers decide to shake things up with about eight percent of the season remaining, here are some other notes from around baseball ...

This is part three in a series of columns looking at this winter's free agent class. I'm listing each player along with his age, as of next April 1, and his place in the previous edition of these rankings from May.

Nos. 111-91
Nos. 90-71

70. Jason Varitek* (37) - Prev. #66 - He's struggled mightily as a part-timer, but before the Victor Martinez acquisition resulted in a reduced role, Varitek was hitting .236/.345/.453 through four months, making him one of the game's top 10 catchers. The bigger issue than his offense is his poor arm. Still, there's so much respect for his game-calling abilities that he'll likely be pursued as a starter if he opts to depart. The Red Sox figure to decline their $5 million, leaving Varitek with a $3 million player option to return as a part-timer.

69. LaTroy Hawkins (37) - Prev. #67 - There doesn't figure to be any demand from AL teams, but several NL teams will see about bringing in Hawkins as a setup man. He has a 2.31 ERA in 58 1/3 innings for Houston, and while he's failed miserably as a closer before, he was surprisingly effective while filling in for Jose Valverde earlier this season.

68. Pedro Feliz* (34) - Prev. #68 - By month, Feliz has posted OPSs of 872, 745, 712, 663, 631 and now 549. His $5 million option looked rather reasonable at the All-Star break, but the Phillies may want to look elsewhere if he turns in another poor postseason.

67. Andruw Jones (32) - Prev. #84 - It's anyone's guess what kind of season Jones would have had if he found a team willing to play him regularly. He had a 1304 OPS in 32 at-bats during April and he slammed eight homers in 67 at-bats during July, but he was never an everyday player at any point and, possibly as a result, he's been terribly inconsistent. Of course, with the way his body has let him down, he might not have managed more than one or two good months as a regular anyway. If Jones can still play an adequate center field or an above average left or right, then he might have another two or three years left as a solid regular. He figures to come rather cheap, so it should be worth finding out.

66. Justin Duchscherer (32) - Prev. #37 - Working as a starter for the first time, Duchscherer went 10-8 with a 2.54 ERA in two-thirds of a season in 2008. This year, he got shut down with elbow woes in spring training, underwent surgery and then halted his comeback in August because of depression. He's likely in line for an incentive-laden one-year deal.

65. Orlando Cabrera (35) - Prev. #39 - Cabrera's stock seemed to be on the way back up thanks to his performance in his last weeks with Oakland, but he's hit just .244/.277/.369 in 45 games for the Twins, leaving him at .269/.306/.366 for the year. His defensive numbers are also well off this year. He'll get a modest one-year deal and a starting job initially, but he can't expect his new team to be as patient with him as a the A's were this year.

64. John Smoltz (42) - Prev. #74 - Too many weren't willing to overlook the numbers, but it should have been clear that Smoltz had something left even while stinking up the joint for the Red Sox. He's posted a 3.21 ERA and a 32/4 K/BB ratio in five starts since joining the Cardinals, though it is worth noting that he did miss a turn because of his troublesome shoulder. The current guess is that Smoltz will return for another year in 2010, and if that happens, it will almost certainly be with an NL team. The Cards figure to invite him back.

63. Octavio Dotel (36) - Prev. #59 - Dotel hasn't been a dominant setup man in Chicago, but he has been a healthy one while striking out 165 batters in 126 2/3 innings over the last two years. That will make him a candidate for another multiyear deal this winter.

62. Braden Looper* (35) - Prev. #57 - Looper has given the Brewers their money's worth while going 13-6 this year, but he does have a 4.89 ERA that makes him quite a question mark at $6.5 million for 2010. Then again, he was never likely to play under the option anyway. If the Brewers exercise it, he'd sill be able to void the deal and become a free agent.

61. Jim Thome (39) - Prev. #46 - Thome hit .249/.372/.493 with 23 homers in 345 at-bats as a DH for the White Sox to match his 2008 production nearly exactly. Now he's serving as a pinch-hitter for the Dodgers, but that's strictly a short-term role. If Thome wants to play in 2010, he should be able to land another DH gig.

60. Kevin Gregg (31) - Prev. #53 - Gregg's WHIP is right at his career norm and his strikeout rate is a bit better than usual this year, but yielding 13 homers has pushed his ERA up to 4.72 and cost him his job as the Cubs' closer. He always made more sense as a setup man anyway, and since he's proven quite durable, he might be a nice investment after the off year.

59. Xavier Nady (31) - Prev. #41 - Could the elbow injury have been best for both the team and the player? If Nady didn't get hurt, it might have taken a couple of months for Joe Girardi to see that Nick Swisher was clearly the Yankees' best option in right field. And because Nady did get hurt, he'll head into free agency still largely being judged on his career-best 2008 season, rather than as a player who almost surely would have lost his job to Swisher. Nady should be ready to go in 2010 after Tommy John surgery. He's in line for a one-year deal, but he'll be looked at as a starter.

58. Akinori Iwamura* (31) - Prev. NR - Iwamura wasn't included in this list the first time around because his $4.25 million option seemed like a lock to be picked up. Of course, that was before he blew out his knee and watched as Ben Zobrist excelled in his place. Iwamura went on to pull off a surprisingly quick return, and he's back playing frequently now with Zobrist patrolling the outfield. He's hitting .295/.358/.391, putting him right at his career line. The Rays, though, are pinching pennies, so they still might trade or release him this winter.

57. John Grabow (32) - Prev. #62 - Besides Billy Wagner and Mike Gonzalez -- both of whom could be pursued as closers -- Grabow will be the top lefty reliever available. He's gone most of his career without much of a platoon split, but he's limited left-handed hitters to a .216 average and one homer this season. His ERA stands at 2.29 since the Cubs picked him up and 3.09 overall. The Cubs figure to make a strong bid to retain him.

56. Aubrey Huff (33) - Prev. #18 - Huff's usual pattern is to start slow and heat up -- April and May are easily his worst months -- but the opposite has happened this year. He hit .189 in July and .191 in August, collecting just three homers between the two months, and he's currently sitting at .245/.309/.393 for the year. Another three-year contract worth in excess of $20 million seemed reasonable when these rankings were originally compiled in May. Now he seems like a lock for a one-year deal.

55. Randy Winn (35) - Prev. #33 - Winn is going to regret not working out a contract extension with the Giants last winter. He's an elite defender in an outfield corner and an excellent baserunner, but he's hitting just .263/.320/.358 line in 509 at-bats and now that he's squarely in his mid-30s, he can't be counted on to bounce back. Ideally, he'd settle into a role as one of the game's best fourth outfielders for a couple of years. However, it's likely that someone out there will see him as a starter.

54. Pedro Martinez (38) - Prev. NR - There are a lot of teams looking foolish for not giving Martinez the $5 million or so that he demanded last winter. If he wants to come back in 2010, there should be much greater demand for his services. He could always choose to exit on a high note if the Phillies win another World Series.

53. Russell Branyan (34) - Prev. #86 - Branyan finally found a team that believed him, and he rewarded the Mariners in a big way by hitting .303/.400/.606 for three months. Unfortunately, he's come in at .193/.274/.414 since the All-Star break and back problems forced him to the DL at the end of August. In a way, he might have done the Mariners another favor. Now, he should be re-signable for something like $5 million-$6 million for a year. If he had carried on, Seattle still would have finished out of contention and probably would have had to offer up a multiyear deal to bring him back.

52. Freddy Sanchez* (32) - Prev. #40 - When the Giants picked him up from the Pirates at the trade deadline, expectations were that Sanchez's $8.5 million option for 2010 would vest based on plate appearances. However, he'll come up well short now after missing three weeks. The Giants figure to use the opportunity to negotiate to bring him back at a lesser price. Sanchez is a fine second baseman when healthy, but given his injury history and skill set, he probably doesn't have many quality years left.

51. Vicente Padilla (32) - Prev. #55 - Padilla's $12 million option is no longer in play since the Rangers released him. Now back in the NL, he's gone 3-0 with a 2.96 ERA in five starts for the Dodgers. Given his performance and age, Padilla deserves to be ranked at least 10 spots higher here. However, teams will be wary of offering him a multiyear deal because of his attitude and his, well, let's just call them conditioning issues.

Why Sept. 21? Cecil Cooper is no worse of a manager now than he was on June 21 or last Oct. 21. It's hard to imagine that he was any less popular with the players, given that, according to pretty much every report out of Houston, he lost the team months ago.

Still, the Astros made the curious decision Monday to fire Cooper and replace him with third-base coach Dave Clark on an interim basis. The team enters the final two weeks of the season having dropped seven straight games to fall to 70-79 for the season. If the Astros like Clark as a possible manager of the future, why throw him into such a messy situation now? Roy Oswalt has already been shut down due to back problems, the lineup has big holes at three positions and neither Lance Berkman nor Carlos Lee is close to firing on all cylinders. The record will likely just keep getting worse.

Clark, who, like Cooper, is African American, was in his first year on the coaching staff after three years managing the team's Double-A affiliate and one managing the Triple-A Round Rock club. It's been known for months that he'd be the choice to take over when Cooper was fired, assuming that it happened during the season. It's quite likely that he'll be stripped of the interim tag and handed the job in 2010. So why risk the blemish on his record before he even really gets started?

Cooper, though, did need to go. He still had the acceptable 171-170 record during his time with the team, but it was a tenure filled with baffling decisions. His players seemed to have little respect for him. According to a Houston Chronicle report from May, they had taken to calling him "Hugo Chavez."

Given that Cooper was presented with teams riddled with holes and overinflated expectations these last two years, he doesn't deserve a whole lot of blame for the Astros' place in the standings. However, nothing is more damning to his cause than the issue that his players simply didn't believe in him. It's hard to imagine him landing another major league managerial position.

Yunel Escobar is having a very good season, hitting .303/.380/.445 while rating slightly below average defensively according to Ultimate Zone Rating, which makes him one of the half-dozen most valuable shortstops in all of baseball as a 26-year-old.

However, he continues to frustrate manager Bobby Cox and the Braves with what Mark Bowman of MLB.com portrays as "a lackadaisical" attitude and "mental lapses." Over the weekend he was benched mid-game for the second time this season, and here's how Bowman described the scene:

Escobar moved gingerly out of the box when he grounded out to end the first inning. His slow approach might have prevented him from taking advantage of Chase Utley's errant throw, which slightly pulled Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard off the bag.

Cox inserted Omar Infante to play shortstop before the start of the third inning. He said his decision to wait an inning was based on his desire to allow Infante to get loose. "I didn't want to put anybody in just off the bench on the third out not loose," Cox said.

Escobar's name has been attached to various trade rumors for the past year or so, and if the Braves are truly tiring of his act there should be no shortage of teams lining up to take him off their hands. Among all big-league shortstops with at least 1,000 plate appearances during the past three seasons, here's how Escobar ranks in batting average, on-base percentage, and adjusted OPS+:

                   AVG                         OBP                        OPS+
Hanley Ramirez    .327      Hanley Ramirez    .400      Hanley Ramirez    148
Derek Jeter       .317      Derek Jeter       .383      Derek Jeter       117
Cristian Guzman   .306      YUNEL ESCOBAR     .376      YUNEL ESCOBAR     112
YUNEL ESCOBAR     .303      Jose Reyes        .356      Troy Tulowitzki   110
Miguel Tejada     .293      Troy Tulowitzki   .356      Jose Reyes        109

Couple things. First, Hanley Ramirez is really good. Second, since his 2007 debut Escobar has hit .303 with a .376 on-base percentage and .429 slugging percentage. During that same time Derek Jeter has hit .317 with a .383 on-base percentage and .442 slugging percentage. Escobar is also a decade younger than Jeter, won't even be eligible for salary arbitration until 2011, and is under team control for another four seasons.

He's a 26-year-old career .303 hitter with a .376 OBP who's averaged 12 homers and 31 doubles per 150 games, draws plenty of walks while rarely striking out, has sure hands and decent range at shortstop, and won't be a free agent until after 2013. All of which is why when it comes to long-term, team-building assets there aren't five more valuable shortstops in baseball, annoying but ultimately mild transgressions included.

Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria recently spoke to the New York Times about the team's new 37,000-seat, retractable-roof ballpark that opens in 2012 and it sounds like his background as an art dealer will play a big factor in the design:

The city of Miami is a new, electric city, so it called for something contemporary. I wanted the stadium in a place where it would be a piece of sculpture. I wanted people to go to a ballgame to use their eyes and be in a facility that's not just another retro stadium. Color is very important. The stadium will be bathed by light.

There's nothing wrong with retro, but it's time to move ahead into the 21st century. ... I'm interested in the sculptural experience, glass, marble, colored bricks, stones, wood. There's no stadium that's out there that approximates it because it will be so white and with primary colors all around. It sort of looks like a spaceship that just landed, something different, something people can call their own.

I'm in agreement with Loria that "retro" has now become this era's cookie-cutter ballpark design choice, but on the other hand I'm not sure that anyone really needs to watch baseball games in "a spaceship that just landed." Loria also noted that the team is preparing to change uniforms as they enter the new ballpark, because until now the Marlins' look has revolved around teal and "teal is a color for the '90s."

* After being burned on the international market when a 16-year-old given a $570,000 signing bonus turned out to be a 19-year-old, the Indians are considering using DNA testing on all players offered more than $50,000. "If a kid and his family decide to decline, we'll pull our offer and pass," assistant general manager John Mirabelli said.

* They'd already clinched a spot in the final round of the World Cup, but the United States still pounded out 12 runs on 17 hits in yesterday's win over Italy. Team USA is now 8-1 overall with one more preliminary game remaining until the quarterfinals begin.

* Charlie Manuel said last week that he didn't view Brett Myers as a closer option and now it's a non-issue, because Myers has joined the lengthy list of injured Phillies pitchers with a sore right shoulder.

* By going 1-for-4 with a homer and two walks yesterday Prince Fielder notched his 40th homer of the year, moved into a tie with Albert Pujols for the NL lead in RBIs, and broke the Brewers' single-season record for both RBIs and walks. Fielder became an everyday player in 2006 and since then only Ryan Howard, Albert Pujols, and Adam Dunn have more homers.

* In what is proof that Circling the Bases has no jinxing power, Howie Kendrick stayed on a roll this weekend and now has his batting average over .300. He was at just .231 when the Angels demoted him to Triple-A in June.

Quick, find Andorra on a map. Not so easy, is it? It's safe to say Aroldis Chapman didn't know it where it was either before he decided to defect from Cuba. However, the 21-year-old fireballer has now established residency in the country, clearing a major hurdle to become a major league free agent.

Chapman walked out of his hotel in Rotterdam, the Netherlands while Cuba was participating in a baseball tournament in July. His location was not immediately known, but it appears that he was savvy enough to take advantage of a major-league loophole which allows players from third-party countries -- no longer a product of the U.S. embargo with Cuba -- to enter the free-agent pool as opposed to the draft. Because Chapman had a passport, he was able to get the wheels in motion rather quickly. Another bonus, Andorra has no income tax, so he'll save a pretty penny in the end.

According to SI.com, Chapman may be available for free agency before the playoffs begin. While there's a wide range of opinion about his skills, one scouting director told SI.com that he projects more as a middle reliever than a front-end major league starter. Either way, don't expect the Yankees or Red Sox to shy away from his 101 MPH fastball.

Just as the Giants' continue to fade in the playoff race, Tim Lincecum's Cy Young chances took a severe hit on Sunday, as he was knocked around for five runs over four innings, his worst start since May. It was another pedestrian start on the road for Lincecum, who has some interesting splits in his 2009 campaign:

Home: 9-1 with a 1.79 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and zero home runs allowed in 15 starts spanning 110 1/3 innings.

Away: 5-5 with a 3.21 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 10 home runs allowed in 15 starts spanning 101 innings. Lincecum is 0-4 with a 5.90 ERA over his last four starts on the road.

With Sunday's poor outing, Lincecum (2.47) fell behind Chris Carpenter (2.34) for the National League ERA lead. He still leads the National League in strikeouts (247) and complete games (four), but 15 wins might not be enough when Adam Wainwright has 18. It's still an impressive season by any measure, but this year's Cy Young is likely coming out of St. Louis.

If Marty Noble's awkward "Open letter to Citi Field" wasn't enough to convince you that he needs this season to end as much as the rest of us, this might:

The Mets believe Francoeur will look sharp in their 2010 uni, so much so that they are inclined to approach him about signing him to a three-year contract that would allow him to become a big league Beau Brummel, if he so chose. They like what they have seen of him in and out of uniform -- from his spirited demeanor to his nuclear arm to the two doubles he produced Saturday afternoon in their victory against the Nationals.

And what's not to like from the Mets' perspective? Francoeur now has driven in 34 runs in his 255 plate appearances with the Mets, more than any Mets player in the same period -- Daniel Murphy is second with 31 -- and one less than he had driven in 324 plate appearances with the Braves. Moreover, he has batted .314, scored 30 runs, reduced his rate of strikeouts, played right field well, continued to intimidate third-base coaches and baserunners, played hurt and and hit into an unassisted triple play.

You saved yourself at the end there, Marty, but I think it's high time to come home. Anything looks good in comparison to Ramon Martinez. Francoeur has played well enough be offered arbitration, but inking him to a long-term deal would be just as reckless as the Oliver Perez signing.

According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates expect to be active in the free agent market, with potential targets including John Grabow, who they traded to the Cubs in July, and Cardinals outfielder Rick Ankiel.

This is a clear indicator that the Pirates are beginning to shuffle their cards. Garrett Jones has surprised with 19 home runs in 265 at-bats, however, he is 28 years old, so there is little hope for further progression. Jones has played 69 games this season, but 20 of them have come at first base, so there is a chance he could be used in more of a utility role in 2010, with Jeff Clement getting his feet wet at first base and 20-year-old top-prospect Jose Tabata potentially finding his way to the majors by early June.

Ankiel is an interesting target who may come on the cheap. Reason being, he is batting just .234/.286/.390 with 11 home runs and 37 RBI in 351 at-bats this season. With young Colby Rasmus carving out an everyday role, the Cardinals have little reason to bring him back. If Tabata proves himself to be a competent corner outfielder -- something that is still open to debate -- the Pirates could always trade Ankiel to a contender if he has a bounceback season.

Joba Chamberlain was pounded for seven runs over three innings against the Mariners on Sunday afternoon, prompting many to ask if he deserves to be in the Yankees rotation should they reach the ALCS. Joe Girardi still thinks so, at least for now:

"We expect Joba to be our fourth starter, we do. It is concerning, because we want him feeling really good about himself going into the postseason."

There's a real belief that this whole "Joba rules" thing has actually had a negative effect on his performance. Chamberlain is 1-4 with an 8.25 ERA and 1.97 WHIP over his last nine starts -- he has logged just 36 innings -- or an average of four innings per start -- in that time. He has two more chances to get it in gear, with the second-place Red Sox on the docket this weekend and the Rays on tap during the season's final week.

His first 12 appearances:

0.41 ERA (1 ER), 0.27 WHIP and 28/1 K/BB ratio in 22 IP

His last four appearances:

7.94 ERA (5 ER), 2.12 WHIP and 7/5 K/BB ratio in 5 2/3 IP.

What a bum. Jon Daniels should think about trading this guy why he still has some value.

"Sometimes you've just got to look in the mirror and realize that maybe the biggest part of the problem is yourself and (not) wanting to be here and play every day, and (not) wanting to have some fun. It didn't seem like he wanted to have some fun, even from spring training."

- Ryan Dempster tells it like it is after Milton Bradley was suspended for the rest of the season for conduct detrimental to the organization on Sunday.

"We knew this could make or break us, and that's what it was. We didn't play well. Everybody knows what happened the last nine games. We're not mathematically out of it, but our chances aren't very good."

- Ian Kinsler, after the Angels all but knocked the Rangers out of playoff contention by taking two out of three over the weekend.

"I don't want to sound like I'm a prophet, but I said early in the season that it would probably go down to the last week. Three games is better than one, but it still could go down to the wire."

- Oh, so the Tigers have sucked over the past two weeks just so Jim Leyland can be right. I got it now.

"You've just seen over this last week what can happen in the course of six games. We still have 13 to play. Obviously they're in the driver's seat right now, three games up. But anything can happen."

- Michael Cuddyer has played a big part in the Twins' recent surge in the standings. Even though the Twins six-game winning streak was snapped on Sunday, Cuddyer is batting .357 with four homers and 13 RBI since stepping in at first base for Justin Morneau.

At some point this week, the New York Yankees will officially be back.

Back in the postseason, back on top of the AL East and back on the throne as favorites to win the World Series.

It wasn't a long hiatus, at least by the standards of mere mortals. But things are different in the Bronx, where missing the playoffs after 13 straight entries, and going two straight seasons without winning the AL East, is simply unacceptable.

So they spent large - even by their standards - in the offseason, purchasing free agent studs Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. And what a payoff those three have turned out to be. Teixeira is at .289/.381/.566 with 37 HRs, 40 doubles and 118 RBIs. Sabathia is 18-7 with a 3.31 ERA, and Burnett is 11-9 with a 4.22 ERA.

They've survived the injuries and scandals of Alex Rodriguez, the up-and-down season of Joba Chamberlain, and the most brutal of divisions.

Sometime this week, as soon as they win a game (or the Texas Rangers lose one), the Yankees will clinch at least the AL wild card spot. And with a five-game lead with only 12 to play, the AL East crown isn't far behind. This week will also be a nice preview of the playoffs, as the Yankees travel to L.A. to face the Angels, then return home to host the Red Sox.

Yes, like them or not, the Evil Empire is back.

FIVE SERIES TO WATCH
Yankees at Angels, Sept. 21-23: These two teams have been the best in the AL for most of the season, and it looks like they will be the top two in the playoffs, making this a potential preview of the ALCS should everything play out to form.
Twins at White Sox, Sept. 21-23: The White Sox are just about finished as far as the playoffs go, but they can still play a big part in who wins the AL Central, playing host to first the Twins ...
Tigers at White Sox, Sept. 25-27:  ... then the Tigers this week. Detroit enters the week with a three-game lead over Minnesota.
Cardinals at Rockies, Sept. 25-27: Just as Colorado tightens its grip on the NL wild card spot, the Rockies get to host the powerful Cardinals at Coors Field. And though the Cardinals just about have their division sewed up, they're still in the running for best record in the NL.
Red Sox at Yankees, Sept. 25-27: It's the final installment of baseball's best rivalry this season, unless these two end up facing each other in the ALCS. Boston still has a remote chance at the AL East title, as well.

ON THE TUBE
Wednesday, 10:10 p.m.: Giants at Diamondbacks (ESPN)
*Saturday, 4:10 p.m.: Red Sox at Yankees (FOX)
*Saturday, 4:10 p.m.:  Phillies at Brewers (FOX)
Sunday, 1:05 p.m.: Red Sox at Yankees (ESPN)
Sunday, 3 p.m.: Cardinals at Rockies (TBS)
*Check local listings

******

If you Twitter, you can find me there at @Bharks.

- The Tigers avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of the surging Twins with a 6-2 win on Sunday afternoon. Nate Robertson allowed two runs over five innings, while Placido Polanco went 2-for-3 with three RBI. The Tigers now sit three games in front of the Twins with 13 games to go. They aren't quite out of the woods yet, as the clubs will meet for a three-game series Sept. 28-30.

- If the Twins are going to jump the Tigers in the standings, they are going to have to do it without the services of Joe Crede. Battling pain in his lower back since August, Crede will undergo surgery to clean up fluid from a herniated disk next week. It will be the third surgery Crede has had on his back in the past three years. Limited to just 90 games this season, Crede batted .225/.289/.414 with 15 homers and 48 RBI in 333 at-bats. Though there have been whispers about retirement, the 31-year-old third baseman and impending free-agent has no plans to hang it up.

- It looks like Michael Young may have jumped the gun when he unexpectedly returned to the lineup against the Athletics last Tuesday. His season is now in jeopardy after he re-aggravated his left hamstring during a second-inning at-bat. It's just the latest bad news for the Rangers, who now sit 7 1/2 games out of first-place after dropping two out of three to the Angels this weekend. With a .322/.375/.523 line to go along with 22 homers and 67 RBI, Young has been the Rangers' most valuable player this season.

- Shocking news, as Giants prospect Angel Villalona has been detained in connection to a murder in the Dominican Republic. Villalona, 19, is the prime suspect in the shooting death of a 25-year-old man. According a report by the Associated Press, he will appear in court on Monday and could face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty. Villalona batted .267 with nine home runs and 42 RBI in 74 games with Class A San Jose before being shut down with a quad injury in July. Villalona, who was ranked as the No. 33 prospect in baseball by Baseball America, was signed to a team record $2.1 million signing bonus in 2007.

- And finally, the Cubs have suspended Milton Bradley for the rest of the season. Yeah, he doesn't like Chicago very much. Got news for ya, the feeling is mutual.

Though there isn't much drama in the National League's divisional races, the field for the Rookie of the Year Award is more competitive than at any point this season. Last month, I favored southpaw J.A. Happ for the award with Randy Wells as his closest competition down the stretch.

Here's just a few of the notable performers since my last check-in:

J.A. Happ

Season: 10-4 with a 2.77 ERA and 1.19 WHIP):

Since August 23: 0-2 with a 4.23 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP over three starts.

Happ missed two starts with an oblique injury. He was pulled from Friday's start for precautionary reasons, but should be fine for his next start. Some individual hardware would be nice, but the Phillies clearly have the bigger picture in mind.

Randy Wells

Season: 10-9 with a 3.06 ERA and 1.28 WHIP

Since August 23: 1-3 with a 4.05 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP over five starts

Wells has been uncharacteristically wild of late, walking 14 batters over his last 26 2/3 innings, including a career-high five in a 7-4 loss to the Brewers last week.

Tommy Hanson

Season: 10-3 with a 2.65 ERA and 1.18 WHIP)

Since August 23: 1-1 with a 0.82 ERA and 0.86 WHIP over four starts

While the other favorites have faded, Hanson has pitched some his best baseball recently, having gone 17 innings without allowing a run, including back-to-back scoreless outings against the Astros and Mets.

Chris Coghlan

Season: .310/.380/.450 with nine homers, 42 RBI and 74 runs scored

Since August 23: .381/.431/.558 with two homers, eight RBI and 22 runs scored in 113 at-bats

Coghlan already created quite a buzz last month with a 12-game hitting streak, including eight straight mulit-hit games, but his recent success has vaulted him into serious ROY consideration. Coghlan leads the majors with 30 hits in September. Only Derrek Lee (19) has scored more runs than Coghlan (17) this month.

Here's the National League rookies ranked by VORP (batters and pitchers):

1) Happ (PHI) - 46.2
2) Hanson (ATL) - 33.5
3) Wells (CHC) - 30.2
4) Garrett Jones (PIT) - 28.5
5) Coghlan (FLA) - 27.9
6) Casey McGehee (MIL) - 26.0
7) Andrew McCutchen  (PIT) - 23.5
8) Ronald Belisario (LAD) - 22.4
9) Dexter Fowler (COL) - 20.4
10) Everth Cabrera (SD) - 20.1

Many people forget that Jones leads all major league rookies with 19 home runs. As you can see, Happ still looks like the heavy favorite, in large part because of the three complete games and his strong showing as a reliever (2.49 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 21 2/3 innings) before joining the rotation. While Coghlan is an intriguing spark plug at the top of the Marlins lineup, I view Hanson as the biggest threat to Happ at this point, especially if the Phillies continue to be cautious in preparation for the postseason. But with only a couple of starts left after Sunday, Hanson is running out of time to make his mark.

If you still think there's still a little room for some baseball talk on this football Sunday, feel free to follow me on Twitter.

Taken form MLB.com

Justin Verlander was absolutely bringing it during the decisive eighth inning of Saturday's loss to the Twins. It's safe to say he probably deserved better.

vs. Nick Punto:

96 MPH
95 MPH
98 MPH (strikeout)

vs. Denard Span:
 
97 MPH (single)

vs. Orlando Cabrera:

97 MPH
96 MPH
97 MPH
97 MPH
98 MPH
99 MPH
98 MPH
99 MPH
98 MPH (double)

(Intentional walk to Joe Mauer)

vs. Jason Kubel:

100 MPH
100 MPH
101 MPH (two-run single)

Win or loss, that's incredible.

"Once it went through the lights, I lost it. There's really nothing else you can do. I mean, it's not like I took my eye off of if. People were saying they've seen many, many balls lost here. It's not the first. It's not going to be the last."

- The Metrodome isn't going away without a fight, and neither are the Twins. Don Kelly lost an Orlando Cabrera flyball in the lights during the seventh inning of Saturday's game. Due to the misplay, Denard Span was able to advance to third base and Cabrera reached second. Both runners came in to score on a Jason Kubel single, as the Twins cut the Tigers lead to two games with a dramatic 6-2 win.

''I felt two hits. One was me catching it, and the second one was me hitting the fence. And I knew when I looked up after I hit the fence and didn't see the ball, it was going to be bad.''

- In a play that is sure to be included on blooper reels between innings at baseball stadiums from now until the end of time, Bobby Scales gave Brendan Ryan an assist on his fifth-inning home run on Saturday afternoon.

''I see why he won a Cy Young. I like the attitude he has. He'll help this club. The people playing behind him better be ready. Guys should learn from him. He prepares himself and expects his teammates to do it. You have to prepare and back him up.''

- Ozzie Guillen reflects on Jake Peavy's successful debut against the Royals on Saturday night. Peavy allowed three runs over five innings while walking two and striking out five in a 13-3 victory.

"That's just a number. If you didn't tell me today, I wouldn't realize. I would just go home, try to get some sleep and a muscle relaxer, and forget about it. To lose 100 games in the big leagues is a great honor, to be honest. Many people don't have the opportunity to lose three games, two games, or maybe none. I'm a very blessed man."

- Pedro Martinez, upon learning that he took his 100th career loss against the Braves on Saturday night. He gave the first-place Phillies a bit of a scare when he tweaked his neck during an at-bat in the second inning, leaving after just three innings, but he should be on track for his next start.

- We've seen plenty of stops and starts, but the time has finally come. Jake Peavy is moments away from making his White Sox debut against the Royals. Too bad the start doesn't mean anything, as the White Sox have lost three in a row, unable to take advantage of the Tigers' recent struggles. Of course, the White Sox acquired Peavy from the Padres in exchange for a boatload of prospects at the deadline. While general manager Ken Williams made quite a splash with the trade, this isn't a rental. The White Sox owe Peavy $52 million through 2012.

- There's a distinct possibility that Chad Billingsley just isn't very good. Either that, or he is hiding an injury. Billingsley pitched in relief for the first time this season on Friday night against the Giants and the results weren't very encouraging. He allowed two runs on four hits, including a home run, while walking two and failing to strike out a batter. Joe Torre came with the hook after he loaded the bases. It looks like Billingsley is still on track to start against the Nationals next Wednesday, but his recent collapse is nothing short of alarming. He is 3-6 with a 5.49 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and .302 BAA in 12 appearances (11 starts) since the All-Star break.

- The Athletics recalled a few reinforcements on Saturday, including outfielder Travis Buck, but top-prospect Chris Carter was not one of them. Nope, it looks like the Athletics will go with Daric Barton at first base the rest of the way. Carter has surprised by hitting .337/.435/.576 with 24 HR and 101 RBI for Double-A Midland this season. Acquired from Arizona in the Dan Haren trade, Carter was ranked as the No. 6 prospect in the Athletics organization by Baseball America. Don't be surprised to see him jump that list after his strong showing in 2009.

The following is the latest in a series profiling some of 2009's biggest disappointments:

Two weeks ago: Cleveland Indians

Last week: Cincinnati Reds

This Week: Kansas City Royals

Record: 60-87 (5th in AL Central)

How It Happened:

It seems like forever ago, but the Royals sat atop the AL Central on May 7 with an 18-11 record. In the midst of a six-game winning streak, ace Zack Greinke graced the cover of Sports Illustrated in an article by Joe Posnanski that proclaimed he was "The Best Pitcher in Baseball." That might be true, but it wasn't long before it all came crashing down for the Royals. They haven't seen the .500 mark since May 22 (21-21). In fact, since May 22, the Royals are 39-66.

A lot went wrong with the Royals this season, but that shouldn't surprise you. Alex Gordon went down in mid-April with hip surgery. He struggled upon his return to the majors in July, and the club decided to demote him in August. Though they said the demotion was performance-based, the dirty little secret is that the move delayed his free agency until after the 2013 season. Managing just a lousy .215/.324/.347 line with four homers and 13 RBI, 2009 marked another lost season for the former first-round pick.

Limited to just 81 games, Jose Guillen hit just .242/.314/.367 with nine homers and 40 RBI. Counted on to be a mainstay of the Royals' offense, Guillen got off to a late start due to a sore right groin. Then he missed six weeks with a torn ligament in his right knee. And just recently, completing the trifecta, Guillen was grounded for the rest of the season with a strained right hamstring. Good thing the Royals still owe him $12 million for 2010.

If the above two examples didn't show it, the Royals have struggled for offense, ranking in the bottom three in the league in batting average, runs scored, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS and home runs. The pitching hasn't been much better, ranking third-worst with a 4.66 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP - and that's with Greinke. No other qualified starting pitcher on the Royals staff has more than eight wins (Kyle Davies) or an ERA under 4.00 (Brian Bannister - 4.73).

And then there was the trade. You know what I'm talking about. On July 3, the Royals acquired Yuniesky Betancourt from the Mariners in exchange for Derrick Saito and Dan Cortes (No. 3 prospect, according to Baseball America). The move brought on a firestorm of criticism for general manager Dayton Moore, who then committed a cardinal baseball sin by saying, "The defensive statistics - I still really don't understand how some of those statistics are evaluated, I really don't. When you watch baseball games every single day, its very apparent who can play defensively and who can't." Ugh.

Silver Linings:

Though Royals fans suffered through their sixth straight losing season, they were fortunate enough to witness one of the most dominant individual seasons in recent memory. Through his first 30 starts this season, Zach Greinke is 14-8 with a 2.14 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 224/44 K/BB ratio in 210 1/3 innings. Greinke is second in the league with 25 quality starts. There's been a lot of talk about if Greinke will lose out on the Cy Young because he has only 14 wins, but realize that he ranks 123^rd among American League starters in run support (4.71) - 100 IP mininum. Only two other starters (Tim Redding and Justin Masterson) have received less.

The Royals may not have gotten much return out of their 2005 first-round pick (Gordon), but Billy Butler has emerged as a legitimate middle-of-the-order threat. The 23-year-old first baseman is batting .301/.358/.482 with 17 homers and 82 RBI. Butler ranks ninth in the league with 65 extra-base hits.

Long known as a guy who couldn't find the strike zone, Robinson Tejada has surfaced as a candidate for the starting rotation in 2010. His overall line -- 3.09 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 11.42 K/9 -- is impressive enough, but he has allowed just one run over his first three starts since being moved to the rotation.

Looking Ahead:

The same cast of characters will be back for at least next season, with manager Trey Hillman assured of a job, and Moore given a contract extension through 2014.

The Royals have about $58 million in contract commitments for 2010 including $12 million for Guillen, $12 million for Gil Meche and $4.5 million for Kyle Farnsworth. They could elect to bring back Coco Crisp for $8 million or Miguel Olivo (leads the team with 22 home runs) for $3 million.

The Royals will not be a contender in 2010, and they shouldn't pretend to be, either. They need to stop jerking Gordon around. And as our own Matthew Pouliot suggested earlier this month, the Royals need to promote on-base machine Kila Ka'aihue to be the team's designated hitter.

Finally, if the Royals aren't going to consider moving Joakim Soria to the rotation, they should trade him. He's being wasted in the bullpen right now. If Soria could complement Greinke alongside a high-risk, high-reward guy like Ben Sheets or Erik Bedard and a fine rebound candidate in Meche, they could have the groundwork for a long-term competitive ballclub. And if they trade him, they would be able to plug a few holes in a roster that resembles small-market swiss cheese.

Taken from Stats, LLC

1) Albert Pujols - 285
2) Prince Fielder - 268
3) Chone Figgins - 264
4) Derek Jeter - 263
5) Chase Utley - 259
6) Marco Scutaro - 255
7) Hanley Ramirez - 252
8) Adam Dunn - 249
9) Adrian Gonzalez - 248
10) Shin-Soo Choo and Mark Teixeira - 247

"You can skew that any way you want. We've got a good pitching staff and they (hitters) seem to lock in on us. When we do leave a pitch up, they lick their chops. They go at it like a rabid dog."

- Brandon Inge explains how the Twins cut the Tigers lead in the American League Central to just three games on Friday night.

"No one likes to give in. We have a situation where some people start counting people out. Every time it seems like we get back in it, we fall back away and we get back in it. When you're this close in the pennant race, whichever team gets hot wins it."

- Jeremy Affeldt says the Giants aren't quite done. After Friday's 8-4 win over the Dodgers, the Giants sit 2 1/2 games behind the Rockies in the Wild Card race.

"We're not winning ballgames, and it's not a lot of fun right now. It just gets to the point where there's no use in moping around the clubhouse or getting overly angry. It's getting to us a little bit, but that's where we need to rebound and find that character we've had all year."

- David Murphy thinks losing isn't much fun. The Rangers have dropped five in a row and find themselves 7 1/2 games behind the first-place Angels and seven games behind the Red Sox for the Wild Card. The Rangers haven't scored a run in 23 innings.

"In this ballpark, you always feel like you've got a chance. This was a good win. And, we did it against one of the best closers in baseball. That doesn't happen very often."

- Fredi Gonzalez reacts to a stunning four-run ninth-inning rally against Francisco Cordero and the Reds on Friday night. The win moved the Marlins to within four games of the Rockies in the Wild Card race.

Rookie of the Year candidate Nolan Reimold was shut down by the Orioles on Friday, with the simultaneous announcement that he'd undergo surgery for an Achilles' tendon injury next Wednesday.  He's expected to need 3-4 months to recover, giving him plenty of time to get ready for spring training.

 

Reimold was the most productive hitter in the AL rookie class after an Adam Jones injury brought him to the majors in mid-May.  It originally figured to be a short-term assignment, but he took over as the everyday left fielder and hit .279/.365/.466 with 15 homers in 358 at-bats.  He also swiped eight bases in 10 attempts.

 

Realistically, Reimold needed a big final three weeks if he had any shot of winning any hardware.  Elvis Andrus has probably been at least as valuable as Reimold once defense is factored in.  Jeff Niemann has a 12-6 record and a 3.80 ERA as the AL's top rookie starter.  Also, Oakland's Andrew Bailey has been one of the circuit's very best relievers and deserves strong consideration.

 

Reimold, though, accomplished exactly what he needed to this year.  He entered spring training with no chance at all of making the Orioles, yet now he'll enter 2010 guaranteed of being the team's primary left fielder. 

This is part two in a series of columns looking at this winter's free agent class. I'm listing each player along with his age, as of next April 1, and his place in the previous edition of these rankings from May.

Nos 111-91

90. Chad Tracy (29) - Prev. #72 - Tracy, who posted a 901 OPS in 2005, probably hasn't lost his ability to hit, but knee problems have robbed him of the range to play third base and he's struggled to adapt to being used as a role player. That he seemingly has less upside than several other available left-handed-hitting first basemen/designated hitters could make things very difficult on him this winter.

89. Miguel Olivo* (31) - Prev. #91 - There's a $3.25 million mutual option on Olivo's contract that the Royals seem set to decline, even though a recent surge has elevated Olivo's numbers well above his career norms. He's hit a career-high 20 homers and amassed a .249/.283/.483 line in 358 at-bats.

88. Austin Kearns (29) - Prev. #56 - These last two seasons couldn't have gone much worse for Kearns. Even though he was a disappointment offensively early in his career, he was still an above average regular in 2006 and 2007 once defense was factored in. Now he's back looking like an injury-prone wreck, and many teams will probably view at him as being washed up at age 29. He may have to find a non-contender willing to let him play regularly if he's going to bounce back.

87. Jamey Carroll (36) - Prev. NR - The .225/.317/.300 line for the Rockies two years ago suggested that Carroll would be out of the league by now, but he's currently batting .294/.370/.368 and playing quality defense at second and third for the Indians. That Cleveland declined to move him at the trade deadline suggests that he'll be offered a modest raise to stick around for another year.

86. David Weathers* (40) - Prev. #75 - Weathers is sporting his usual ERA in the mid-3.00s, but the workhorse is going to finish this season at right around 60 innings. He had thrown at least 69 innings every year since 1998 and topped 80 five times in that span. The Brewers are likely to decline his $3.9 million option and instead pay the $400,000 buyout.

85. Craig Counsell (39) - Prev. NR - Following three years with OPSs in the mid-600s, Counsell has hit .283/.354/.414 in 374 at-bats this season. Incredibly, he's still an adequate shortstop and an above average second baseman at age 39. It's doubtful that he'll ever have another season like this offensively, but he remains a rather valuable property.

84. Randy Johnson (46) - Prev. #60 - It'd be foolish to count him out, but Johnson is probably at the end of the line. He just returned this week as a reliever after missing 10 weeks of a rotator cuff tear. Another full season would get him to 5,000 strikeouts, but given that he's already second place all-time in the category and that's not going to change for decades, it's not quite the milestone that 300 victories was.

83. Kiko Calero (35) - Prev. NR - Fully recovered from the torn rotator cuff that threatened to end his career, Calero has amassed a 1.96 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 55 innings this season. There's nothing fluky about the numbers, but the slider specialist could see his arm blow up again at any time. He should have his pick of fair one-year offers as a free agent, but any team that goes beyond that will be asking for trouble.

82. Rocco Baldelli (28) - Prev. #93 - Baldelli has served separate DL stints due to a strained hamstring and a bruised foot, but the latter especially was an injury of convenience for the Red Sox. He's handled his limited role well, hitting .255/.313/.453 with seven homers in 137 at-bats. Now it's to be seen whether he'll want to spend a second year on the Boston bench or look for an expanded role elsewhere. It's going to be all up to how he feels he's progressed as he battles mitochondrial myopathy.

81. Ivan Rodriguez (38) - Prev. NR - I don't see Rodriguez making his teams better, but the Rangers seem pleased with his play since picking him up for the Astros and could invite him back as a part-timer in 2010. With his heart set on 3,000 hits -- he's currently 296 away -- he may up with whatever team that promises him the most playing time.

80. Todd Wellemeyer (31) - Prev. #25 - Wellemeyer broke through by going 13-9 with a 3.71 ERA last year, but a loss of velocity and a bigger loss of confidence doomed him this season, and he's gone from looking like a good bet to get a three- or four-year deal to become someone who is going to have to compete to land a rotation spot next spring.

79. Alex Gonzalez* (33) - Prev. #83 - Even though he had a no-trade clause, Gonzalez wisely accepted a deal back to the Red Sox without hesitation last month, and he's probably looking at a substantially nicer payday as a result. He's hit .299/.306/.495 in 97 AB for Boston after coming in at .210/.258/.296 with Cincinnati. Just as important, he's demonstrated that he's still a fine defensive shortstop after losing 2008 to a broken knee. His $6 million option won't be exercised, but he should be looking at landing a starting job this winter.

78. Takashi Saito* (40) - Prev. NR - Saito technically doesn't have the service time for free agency, but it's in his contract that he'll be released if the Red Sox decline his option, which will likely be for $5.5 million or $6 million. While Saito has amassed a fine 2.54 ERA in 49 2/3 innings this season, he's never truly earned manager Terry Francona's trust. He figures to head elsewhere.

77. Darren Oliver (39) - Prev. NR - Oliver turned in a career-best ERA when he finished at 2.88 in 2008 at age 37. Now he appears set to do it again this year, as he's at 2.67 through 64 innings. The left-hander recently said he plans to pitch one more year and then call it a career, but if he remains this effective, it's not going to be easy for him to shut it down. Expect him to stay with the Angels for something close to the $3.665 million he's making right now.

76. Ramon Hernandez* (33) - Prev. #63 - Slower than expected to recover from what was supposed to be minor knee surgery, Hernandez hasn't played since mid-July. The Reds won't exercise his $8.5 million option, and he's probably not going to think much of the offers he receives when he enters free agency off a .249/.330/.355 season.

75. Coco Crisp* (30) - Prev. #24 - Shoulder surgery limited Crisp to 49 games this season, and he finished with a .228/.336/.378 line that won't impress potential suitors. He was, however, quite productive for five weeks before getting hurt, and he still has youth and his quality glove on his side. The Royals figure to decline his $8 million option and attempt to re-sign at a reduced price.

74. Rafael Betancourt* (34) - Prev. NR - Betancourt has rebounded from a rough 2008, but since the Indians knew they weren't going to exercise his $5.4 million option this winter, they went ahead and traded him to Colorado in July. His ERA stands at 1.40 since the deal, and he's at 2.70 with a 53/19 K/BB ratio in 50 innings for the season. Betancourt has always had the rep that he's too soft to function as a closer, but there should be plenty of teams interested in him as an eighth-inning guy.

73. Carl Pavano (34) - Prev. NR - After taking the ball 26 times in four years with the Yankees, Pavano has made 29 starts this season and gone 12-11 with a 4.91 ERA. That's not especially impressive, but both his WHIP and his strikeout rate are better than his career norms and he does have a 3.75 ERA in eight starts since joining the Twins. If he can be had on another one-year deal, he'd be a pretty good investment for 2010.

72. Rod Barajas (34) - Prev. #81 - Barajas has 18 homers and a career-high 66 RBI in the second busiest season of his career, but he is getting on base just 27 percent of the time. If the Blue Jays bring him back, it'd likely be for just one more year.

71. J.J. Putz* (33) - Prev. #32 - The Mets thought they'd have a tough decision at the end of the season when it came to Putz's $8.6 million option for 2010, but their "second closer" was a complete bust in compiling a 5.22 ERA before undergoing elbow surgery. Putz will either sign with a small-market team willing to give him a chance to close or a large-market team willing to guarantee him more money in the hopes that he'll rediscover his best stuff and contribute in the seventh and eighth innings.

Prior to Brad Lidge's arrival Brett Myers served as the Phillies' closer for most of 2007, converting 21-of-24 saves with a 2.87 ERA and 64/18 K/BB ratio in 53.1 innings as a reliever.

Myers has spent most of this season on the disabled list following hip surgery, but with four scoreless appearances in five tries since returning two weeks ago he's seemingly an alternative to Ryan Madson as the replacement closer now that Lidge has pitched himself out of ninth-inning duties.

However, manager Charlie Manuel said yesterday that Myers is not an option yet:

Watching him the three or four times we've run him out there, he's not quite ready. He still has some problems at times. It's kind of like he's back in spring training. He's not 100 percent. He has soreness, which is kind of normal because he missed so much time. Right now, he's not ready to be turned loose.

For the most part the Phillies look incredibly strong heading into the postseason. Offensively they lead the NL in homers, doubles, slugging percentage, and runs scored. Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez are a combined 12-2 with a 2.74 ERA since joining the team, Cole Hamels has gone 3-1 with a 1.43 ERA in his last five starts, and the presence of Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ makes for perhaps the deepest rotation in baseball.

Yet all the good hitting and all the strong starting pitching can go for naught in the postseason if relievers can't hold leads and Lidge's collapse combined with Chan Ho Park's hamstring injury and Myers' uncertain status has turned the Phillies' bullpen into a major question mark. Luckily they have a 7.5-game lead in the NL East and three more weeks to sort things out before embarking on their title defense.

Curt Schilling's first season in Boston was 2004, and he went 21-6 with a 3.29 ERA in the regular season and 3-1 with a 3.57 ERA (and one bloody sock) in the playoffs as the Red Sox won their first World Series since 1918.

Three seasons later a 40-year-old Schilling went 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA in the playoffs as the Red Sox won another title. Normally that type of performance from a Hall of Fame-caliber player in a baseball-obsessed, championship-starved place earns someone key-to-the-city status for life. But apparently politics outweigh baseball, even in Boston.

Schilling, who's a Republican, has made noise recently about possibly running for public office at some point, so a new poll in Democrat-heavy Massachusetts asked, "Is your opinion of Curt Schilling generally favorable or generally unfavorable?" As Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.com notes, 39 percent of respondents answered "unfavorable" and another 12 percent had never even heard of Schilling.

Meanwhile, just 29 percent replied "favorable." Now don't get me wrong, people caring about something more than fame when it comes to choosing politicians is a very positive thing. However, as someone who lives in a state where Jesse Ventura was elected governor more or less for being famous 20 years earlier in a fake sport the Schilling data shocks me.

Last night the Angels bounced back from Wednesday's umpire-aided loss to the Red Sox, picking up a one-run win at Fenway Park thanks in large part to Howie Kendrick.

Kendrick homered off Josh Beckett early and then delivered a go-ahead single off Billy Wagner late, with embattled closer Brian Fuentes getting the final two outs for his MLB-leading 42nd save.

After hitting just .231/.281/.355 through 51 games Kendrick was demoted to Triple-A in mid-June despite being four seasons into his big-league career. He went 27-for-78 (.346) in 20 games at Triple-A, which is no surprise given his lifetime .360 batting average in 399 games as a minor leaguer, and has stayed hot since rejoining the Angels in July.

Kendrick is 58-for-153 (.379) with five homers and 11 doubles in 44 games since returning to the majors, bringing his batting average all the way up to .298. And despite managing just 21 homers and 40 non-intentional walks in 347 career games, Kendrick has shown that his amazing batting averages in the minors were no fluke by hitting .304 in 1,359 plate appearances.

Here's the complete list of all the second basemen in baseball history with a higher batting average then Kendrick through the age of 25: Eddie Collins, Tony Lazzeri, Billy Herman, Dustin Pedroia, Rod Carew, Charlie Gehringer. That's it, six guys. Five of them are in the Hall of Fame and the only one who isn't was last season's AL MVP.

Problems staying healthy and a lack of power or plate discipline makes it unlikely that Kendrick truly belongs in that company, but he has an awfully unique skill set that makes him one of the most interesting hitters in baseball to watch and has come up very big for the Angels in the second half.

* Pirates prospect and 2008 first-round pick Pedro Alvarez smacked three homers yesterday as the United States blew out Chinese Taipei in the World Cup. Team USA is now 6-1 in the tournament, including 4-0 in the second round.

* Believe it or not the smallest gap in any division right now belongs to the AL Central, where the Tigers and their four-game lead begin a three-game series with the second-place Twins tonight.

* In addition to the Royals finally signing Aaron Crow another prominent holdout came to an end yesterday, as No. 44 overall pick Tanner Scheppers agreed to terms with the Rangers. He reportedly gets more than $1 million.

* Based on this data, Jerod Morris is probably sitting in his parents' basement somewhere, smiling.

* My favorite television writer, Alan Sepinwall, is trying to come up with "similarity scores" for actors and actresses like the ones Bill James invented for baseball players.

* If you're not following me on Twitter yet, you missed out on my mom's analysis of Justin Morneau's season-ending back injury.

The San Diego Union-Tribune has a fun article today about how their pitching staff has grown over the course of the season:

Remarkable as it is that he's not even the Padres' tallest pitcher -- that would still be 6-10 veteran Chris Young -- [Adam] Russell isn't that much taller than five others on the staff. Mat Latos, Ryan Webb and Aaron Poreda are listed as 6-6, one inch taller than Mike Adams and Clayton Richard. None of whom, Young excepted, was on the Padres roster on Opening Day. Young, Latos and Adams were the only ones among the aforementioned seven who were Padres property.

When the Padres traded Jake Peavy to the Chicago White Sox on July 31, all four of the pitchers who came to the San Diego organization were 6-5 or taller, and three of them are now with the Padres.

"We traded away a point guard," said Young, "and got four forwards in return."

There's the usual talk in there about how it's hard for a tall pitcher to get all of his parts moving in synch for purposes of his delivery.  I know tall guys have a hard time with this in practice, but I've never understood exactly why this is.  They're still proportional, right? Why can't they do what short guys do only, you know, bigger?  That aside, I'm surprised that more of them don't do the Randy Johnson thing and adopt a simple-as-simple-can-be windup, even if they have to come down low to do it. 

The other bit of bothersome conventional wisdom in the piece comes when Ryan Webb mentions that he wanted to be a shortstop, but when he tried out for the position in junior high school, his coach told him he couldn't because at 6'4" he was too tall.

I suppose things have worked out for Webb -- he's in the majors after all -- but why anyone thinks a 6'4" dude can't play short is seriously lacking a grasp of baseball history.

Almost exactly one year ago, MLB Trade Rumors wrote this:

The Rangers have the game's best catching surplus, with Laird, Teagarden, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Max Ramirez.

Today, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says that the Rangers are seriously thinking about signing Pudge to an extension.  And it makes sense, too.

People were throwing around names like Clay Buchholz and Rick Porcello in trade rumors involving the Rangers' catching surplus last year. What a difference a year makes.

Yesterday we debated whether or not umpires react to crowd noise and stuff like that. Today comes evidence that other subjective factors color their calls as well:

Umpire Rick Reed acknowledged Thursday that his ball-four call on a ninth-inning pitch by Angels closer Brian Fuentes to Nick Green on Wednesday night "very well could have been a strike" . . . Reed said that on that final pitch to Green, Mike Napoli's actions led him to call it a ball after the Angels catcher tried to frame the knee-high pitch . . . "The catcher did a nice job of bringing it up, and that was a telling blow. If a catcher moves his glove, it's to improve the pitch."

Anyone who has watched a lot of baseball knows this on some level, but it is odd to hear an umpire acknowledge that the catcher's framing of the pitch and body language actually influences the call so directly.  Here's some more evidence that the old conventional wisdom regarding umpires is true:

"I called a [strike] earlier in the game that I thought was low, and I said, 'I'm not going to let that happen again.' I wish they were all waist-high. They'd be a lot easier to judge."

The old makeup call. Something umps -- and football refs -- claim never occurs. Again, we all knew it, but it's quite a thing to hear an umpire admit it.

Despite winning 133 games, former Yankee pitcher Fritz Peterson will always be remembered as the guy who swapped wives with his teammate Mike Kekich. He has come out with a new book now, and it may prove memorable as well.  While it doesn't sound like a scandalous tell-all, he does describe Joe DiMaggio as "arrogant and stubborn" and talks about how Whitey Ford doctored the ball.  I find that shocking because everything I've read in the past five years has led me to believe that Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were the only jerks and cheaters in the history of baseball. Huh. Learn something new every day, I guess.

Beyond that, this kind of book sounds like fun simply because it Peterson's tenure with the Yankees: 1966-1976 almost perfectly covers the inter-championship Yankees wilderness years that sometimes seem to have been written out of history.

"Red Sox-Yankees, that's as crazy as it gets."

-- Dodgers manager Joe Torre, doing whatever he can to support the thesis of L.A. Time writer Kevin Baxter that the Dodgers-Giants rivalry ain't what it used to be.

Torre is damned if he does, damned if he doesn't here. West coasters probably aren't happy with him claiming that an east coast rivalry is the better one, but just imagine what east coasters would say if he didn't give Red-Sox-Yankees the props they believe it deserves.

Overall, though, I don't think that any modern rivalry can compare in tone and intensity to the rivalries of the pre-free agency period simply because the players come and go.  Back in the day, most of the intensity was driven by the participants in the rivalry.  These days, it's almost completely a media-driven thing.

After taking a year to play independent league ball and avoid becoming a Washington National, Aaron Crow has signed with the Royals.  The deal: a three-year Major League contract that guarantees $3 million and could be worth $4.5 million if he reaches the big leagues.

Last year he was picked ninth.  Without a slot to dictate these sorts of things it's hard to tell what he would have gotten, but it's worth noting that, generally speaking the guys picked in his neighborhood in 2008 received bonuses in the $2-2.6 million range.  The Nationals reportedly offered him $3.5 million.

Upshot: he moved from a bad organization to a worse one, and cost himself half a million bucks and a year's development time.  You're never sad when someone makes you a millionaire, but I have to think that the holdout wasn't worth it.

Royals 9, Tigers 2: Five shutout innings by Greinke lowers his ERA to 2.14. No starter has been that low to finish the season since Clemens in 2005. No non-jackass starter has had one that low since Pedro in 2000. Allow me to echo Aaron in asking for someone to please explain to me again the basis for not giving this man the Cy Young award.

Brewers 7, Cubs 4: Prince Fielder hit a triple to lead off the fifth. I'm as shocked as you are, but it's not like this sort of thing wasn't predicted. Note: scroll down to read the lefthand column before reading the portion that appears at the top of the page.

Reds 3, Marlins 2: A first inning Darnell McDonald homer and a bases loaded single by Jay Bruce held up all night. Random game story goodness: "Reds RHP Aaron Harang bought a souped-up golf cart as a gift to clubhouse attendants, to help them transport equipment and players around the ballpark." I'm not sure why Bob isn't impressed with this. Word on the street is that it's got a cop motor, a 440 cubic inch plant, it's got cop tires, cop suspensions, cop shocks and it's a model made before catalytic converters so it'll run good on regular gas.

Angels 4, Red Sox 3: Brian Fuentes bounces back and holds the lead in the ninth after his compadres break a tie in the top of the ninth. I guess the umps were timid or scared last night like they were on Wednesday.

Rays 3, Orioles 0: Wade Davis was destroyed by the Red Sox in his second career start, but dismantled Baltimore in his third (CG SHO 4 H 10K). He three 124 pitches, but struck out the side in the ninth, so either he wasn't tired of the Orioles gave the hell up.

Phillies 4, Nationals 2: Cole Hamels was perfect into the sixth inning and finished with ten strikeouts and one earned run over eight innings. Manuel allowed Lidge to pitch in a save situation. He got the save, but still gave up a run on a triple and a fielder's choice. If the Phillies bats are alive in the playoffs they're my choice to win the NL. If they play a lot of close games that are decided late, well, forget it.

Mariners 4, White Sox 3: Jon Danks only gave up one run over eight innings, but ended up getting hosed out of the win after this baby went 14. A 14 inning game, by the way, that was eight minutes shorter than Wednesday night's nine-inning Red Sox-Angels affair.

Braves 7, Mets 3: The Braves have won seven straight. The Mets have lost nine of their last 10. These are things that will keep me warm all winter even in the very likely event that the Braves fall short of the playoffs.

Athletics 5, Indians 2: "We're going through a tough stretch right now," Indians manager Eric Wedge said after the game. We know. It began in early April.

Zack Greinke got some rare run support from the Royals' lineup Thursday afternoon, picking up his 14th win to hopefully help Cy Young voters realize that he's clearly the best pitcher in the league in spite of awful teammates. The bad news is that Greinke left after five shutout innings because his right elbow was swollen thanks to a Miguel Cabrera line drive.

Greinke actually pitched another 1.2 innings after Cabrera's liner caused the Royals' training staff and manager Trey Hillman to convene on the mound to test him with a whole bunch of warm-ups pitches. He retired five of six batters with two strikeouts to seemingly indicate that the injury isn't significant, but that's often tough to tell with all the adrenaline still flowing.

While the abbreviated outing gives Greinke an MLB-best 2.14 ERA in 210.1 innings, here are some other notes from around baseball ...

Aaron Harang, the Reds' veteran pitcher, got some nice publicity on Thursday when news broke that he had purchased a golf cart for the Reds clubhouse attendants.

It's a souped-up, cherry-red model, with six seats, an operational horn, and even a roof.

Harang has been on the DL since Aug. 23 after undergoing an emergency appendectomy. He had noticed that the clubhouse attendants had to share smaller golf carts with other team staff, and thought he would show his appreciation.

"I've been here so long," Harang said. "They've got to hunt for carts to go get stuff and take guys out to the bullpen. These guys take care of me. They'll do anything for me. It's a way to show appreciation to them for all they have to deal with from us."

The cynical side of me might point out that Harang is simply making it easier for the clubhouse boys to cart him around, and maybe that is partly true. But it's still a nice gesture for a group of people who work hard for very little thanks.

No matter how nice the gesture, though, Aaron Harang is clearly no match for Barry Larkin.

It's not the first time that Stowe has received a vehicle from a player. Shortstop Barry Larkin bought him a silver Mercedes in 2003, the year that Great American Ball Park opened, as a sign of his appreciation.

As Lilly Von Schtupp might say: "Oh, a wed golf caht. How odinawy."

The sale of the Chicago Cubs has hit a road block.

Former Cubs shortstop Shawon Dunston, a two-time All-Star, has filed an objection to the sale of the team to the family of billionaire Joe Ricketts, claiming that the team still owes him college scholarship money.

In a handwritten, one-paragraph statement docketed by the court Thursday, Dunston said he was objecting to the sale because the Cubs owe him college scholarship funds, which he has not used.

Well obviously he never used it, as it's difficult to use something you don't have. The Tribune Co. was too busy using that money to not save the newspaper industry.

Baseballreference.com estimates that Dunston made more than $24 million in his 17-year career, so I'm pretty sure he can afford college. Maybe not one of those fancy private schools where they make you wear a jacket with a crest on it, but any state university ought to be within reach.

That being said, baseball owners tend to walk around in loafers with million-dollar bills stuffed inside for padding. So come on, give Dunston his money. Let the guy go to school. He just wants to learn.

It's not just the Angels that have issue with the umps after last night's game with the Red Sox. The umps have decided to fight back and file a complaint with MLB.

According to the Boston Herald, Rick Reed, the home plate umpire from last night's game, said that he and the rest of the umpiring crew were "verbally abused" by members of the Angels coaching staff at the conclusion of the game.

"Their deportment left a lot to be desired," Reed said.

Umpires at Fenway Park leave the playing field through the visiting dugout tunnel, which gave the Angels one more chance to voice their opinions about the ball-four call that allowed the Red Sox to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth last night.

The Herald goes on to report:

When the umpiring crew approached the dugout last night, Angels coaches could be seen jawing at them before manager Mike Scioscia could be seen waving them off.

"Mike made an attempt to calm his coaches down but I also thought he made comments that incited the situation," said Reed.

Of the coaches' behavior, Reed said it was "unprofessional and unbecoming of a professional team. I would think a coach or two will be regretting his actions."

Also in the article, Reed admitted that the ball four to Nick Green, which should have been a called third strike to end the game, "very well could have been a strike." However, he added to his explanation that catcher Mike Napoli moved his glove up after he caught it, a sales attempt that Reed interpreted as the ball was below the strike zone.

Editorial time: if Reed is really making judgments based on how the catcher catches the ball, he has no business being a umpire in major league baseball. That's just disgusting. The pitch is a strike based on where it crosses plate, not based on what the catcher does with it afterwards. If Reed isn't skilled enough to judge that, then he's hopeless and he needs to resign immediately.

Welcome to a revised and slightly expanded edition of the Top 100 Free Agents. Now it's 111 free agents-to-be. With four months more to go on, there have been a lot of changes that this article was first published in May. Along with each player's age, as of April 1, 2010, I'll be noting where they ranked in the previous edition.

Players who have options essentially guaranteed of being picked up aren't listed. That list of players includes Carl Crawford, Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez. Also absent are players such as Josh Beckett and Magglio Ordonez, who have already seen their options vest, and Kevin Millwood, whose option figures to vest when he makes his next start.

No Japanese players are included. There doesn't appear to be anyone the caliber of Kenshin Kawakami or Koji Uehara set to cross the Pacific this winter. The most interesting name being bandied about right now is that of Yusei Kikuchi, and he's a high school pitcher likely to need a few years of seasoning before he'll be ready for the majors. Some interesting relief options will probably emerge later, but expectations should be kept low for now.

The players below are ranked based more on how I believe teams perceive them than my own personal viewpoint.

Top 111 Free Agents

111. Jerry Hairston Jr. (33) - Prev. NR - After a fluke 2008 season, Hairston has fallen to .252/.313/.399 in 373 at-bats this season. It's his versatility that's his biggest asset, and he's a whole lot more useful to a team like the Yankees than he was playing everyday as a member of the Reds.

110. Bobby Crosby (30) - Prev. #87 - Sadly, Crosby's .225/.297/.367 line gives him his highest OPS since 2005, and what little he's gained there has been countered by his surprisingly poor play on defense. There will be teams interested in trying to turn his career around, but the former Rookie of the Year will have to compete for a starting job next spring.

109. Jason Kendall (35) - Prev. #97 - Incredibly, he's still starting five out of every six games for the Brewers even though he's slugging .290, he's throwing out just 19 percent of would-be basestealers and not one of the starting pitchers he's handled has exceeded expectations. He'll finish the season third or fourth in the majors in innings caught. The numbers say he should be a seldom-used backup. History suggests some team will settle for him as a starter.

108. Reed Johnson (33) - Prev. #88 - Fits in the useful-but-injury-prone category, right alongside near miss Endy Chavez. Johnson hit .306/.386/.452 in 62 at-bats against lefties before getting hurt this year, and he's scored 72 runs and driven in 70 in 480 at-bats for the Cubs over the last two seasons.

107. Gary Sheffield (41) - Prev. NR - Sheffield has showed he has something left by hitting .279/.371/.457 while playing half of his games in a pitcher's park. Still, his isn't the kind of veteran leadership that most teams crave. Plus, he thinks he's an everyday outfielder when he'd be of more use as a role player and part-time DH. Since he wants the 311 hits he needs to reach 3,000, his best bet would be to sign with a non-contender.

106. Brian Schneider (33) - Prev. #80 - Schneider deserved a Gold Glove or two when he was in his prime, but his defense has fallen off just as much as his offense and he should be viewed as a backup going forward. Perhaps he'll return to the Nationals with the team in need of protection for Jesus Flores.

105. Scott Podsednik (34) - Prev. NR - Podsednik's best OPS in the five years since he hit .314/.379/.443 for the Brewers in 2003 was a 700 mark in 2005. Right now, he's hitting .303/.352/.412 to put him at 764. He's just an average defender in left and a below average one in center, so he's not an adequate regular unless he's hitting around .300. Still, he'll probably be starting somewhere.

104. Kelvim Escobar (34) - Prev. #65 - Shoulder problems have limited Escobar to five innings in two seasons, so he's probably going to be in line for a minor league deal this winter. He'll be a better bet if he's willing to spend 2010 as a reliever. There just isn't much chance of him holding up as a starter.

103. Yorvit Torrealba* (31) - Prev. NR - While he recently won back his starting job from Chris Iannetta, Torrealba shouldn't be in the Rockies' plans for 2010. He has a $4 million mutual option that the Rockies can buy out for $500,000.

102. Geoff Blum (36) - Prev. NR - Injuries have held him back lately or he'd already be there, but Blum is still going to set a new personal high for starts at one position this year at age 36. He's made 86 at third base, five fewer than his current high of 91 from 2002 (also at third base and also with the Astros). Houston will probably want him back in 2010, but hopefully it will be as a utilityman.

101. Garret Anderson (37) - Prev. #99 - Anderson turned in a big July to momentarily get his OPS up to 800, but he's currently down to .275/.313/.415 and still fading. His lack of a platoon split, always a nice feature early in his career, is actually a problem now. He's just not good enough to start against righties or lefties.

100. Khalil Greene (30) - Prev. #45 - Getting out of Petco Park figured to be just the thing to change Greene's fortunes, but he got off to an awful start both offensively and defensively for the Cardinals and he's been shelved twice with anxiety issues. Where he goes from here is anyone's guess. Physically, he should still be able to play a capable shortstop and hit 20 homers per year.

99. Freddy Garcia* (33) - Prev. NR - With his velocity creeping back up, Garcia is again looking like a viable major league pitcher, and he has the 4.41 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in six starts for the White Sox to prove it. As it turns out, he likely miscalculated in giving the White Sox such an inexpensive option to bring him back for next year. He'll be guaranteed only $1 million.

98. Adam Kennedy (34) - Prev. NR - Kennedy couldn't find any team willing to give him a shot at a starting job this spring -- he ended up signing with a Rays team that was already set at second base -- but he's gone on to have maybe the second-best offensive season of his career. He's hit .287/.348/.402 and stolen 19 bases in 24 attempts, and he's proven playable at third after spending the first 10 years of his career at second. The A's will likely look to re-sign him as Eric Chavez insurance, but others may give him the opportunity to start at second.

97. Joe Crede (31) - Prev. #77 - Crede is again on the shelf with his chronic back troubles, and he didn't hit enough to justify regular playing time at third base while healthy this season. He shouldn't be handed another starting job.

96. Bob Howry (36) - Prev. NR - Howry's ERA has rebounded from 5.35 in his final season with the Cubs to 3.43 this year, but his strikeout rate has dipped three straight years. He'll almost certainly want to stay in the National League, and there's a good chance he'll re-up with the Giants for something close to the $2.75 million he's currently making.

95. Juan Uribe (31) - Prev. NR - It never made much sense that Edgar Renteria received $18.5 million and Uribe had to settle for a minor league deal last winter. Then again, the fact that he was properly motivated again probably has had a lot to do with Uribe busting out and hitting .290/.331/.500 in 338 at-bats for the Giants. He no longer has the range to be a starting shortstop in the majors, but he can serve as a backup there and he's a quality defender at second and third. He should be a fine utilityman for a few more years.

94. Melvin Mora* (38) - Prev. #64 - Mora definitely needed a late surge if he hoped to be viewed as a regular this winter, and he appears to be in the midst of one, as he's hitting .350/.381/.525 this month. That puts him at .266/.324/.362 for the year. The Orioles aren't going to pick up his $8 million option.

93. Jose Contreras (38) - Prev. #100 - Contreras compiled a 5.14 ERA for the White Sox, but his peripherals weren't bad and it looked like he might be the last of several starters this year to revive his career in the NL before suffering a quad strain in his second start with the Rockies. Of course, he's not really 38, but that hardly matters when he's still throwing in the low-90s consistently.

92. Guillermo Mota (36) - Prev. NR - He's a cheater, a coward and just about the last pitcher anyone should want working in a big situation in a big game, but Mota also has a 1.67 ERA in 43 innings since the beginning of June. That will probably earn him a raise from the $2.35 million the Dodgers gave him last winter.

91. Ronnie Belliard (34) - Prev. #90 - The subject of retirement came up when Belliard was stuck in a bit role with the Nationals during the first half, but he's rebounded to hit .321/.362/.527 in 131 at-bats during the second half. If the numbers are to be believed, he's still perfectly adequate at second base and an above average regular overall.

* Due a big raise this offseason via arbitration, Dan Uggla indicated yesterday that he expects the Marlins to trade him. Uggla isn't much of a defender at second base, but the former Rule 5 pick has posted an OPS above .800 in each of his four seasons in Florida while going deep 27, 31, 32, and now 29 times.

* Rich Harden lasted just three innings in yesterday's start and is now the latest big-name pitcher to be shut down, perhaps for the remainder of the season. Harden may end up hitting the open market if the Cubs decline to offer him arbitration this winter.

* Struggling for the first time this season, Padres closer Heath Bell decided to change his luck by shaving off the goatee that he's had for five years. His wife "loved the change," but as Bell explains his 7-year-old daughter had a slightly different reaction: "She took one look at me and said, 'Daddy, go put your beard back on, now.' Jordyn told me, 'Daddy, I'm mad at you this is going to make me cry.'"

* So Taguchi literally didn't pick up the phone when the Cubs called him up Wednesday night. "I don't have any friends in Chicago, so I thought it was a wrong number," Taguchi said. "So I just ignored it for maybe two hours."

* As usual, The Onion hits the nail on the head: "Derek Jeter Honored For Having Fewer Hits Than Harold Baines."

Part of the reason why the Giants find themselves 3.5 games behind the Rockies in the Wild Card race despite baseball's best pitching staff is that the midseason trades they made in an effort to upgrade a punchless lineup haven't worked out at all.

Prior to getting second baseman Freddy Sanchez from the Pirates and first baseman Ryan Garko from the Indians, the Giants averaged 4.0 runs per game. Since then San Francisco has scored 4.1 runs per game.

Basically zero change, which is what happens when Sanchez hits .278/.290/.322 while being sidelined half the time with a shoulder injury and Garko earns a seat on the bench by hitting .232/.291/.347.

Last month I wrote about how dangerous the Giants could be in the playoffs because of their Tim Lincecum-led pitching staff, but that premise assumed that Sanchez and Garko would at least give the lineup a couple decent bats to compliment Pablo Sandoval. Instead they've just joined the crowded club of Giants hitters providing below-average production.

In fact, among the 16 hitters who've had at least 100 plate appearances for the Giants this season only Sandoval, Juan Uribe, and little-used reserve outfielder Andres Torres have an adjusted OPS+ above average. And (with apologies to Rockies fans) it's a shame, because I'd love to see the league's best pitcher, the league's top-hitting Panda, and maybe even the best left-handed pitcher of the past 50 years in the playoffs.

Now that he's failed to live up to the immense hype and disappointed the people who misguidedly thought that he'd immediately be an MVP candidate as a 23-year-old rookie, Matt Wieters is quietly playing very well for the Orioles.

Wieters had the best game of his young career Tuesday night, going 3-for-5 with a three-run homer, a double, and five RBIs, and followed that up last night by twice gunning down Carl Crawford on steal attempts before delivering a walk-off homer.

Crawford had been 57-of-69 swiping bases prior to testing Wieters, who became the first catcher since April of 2007 to nail Crawford twice in the same game and has now thrown out 28 percent of steal attempts overall to rank solidly above the league average. Wieters has also pitch-called his way to a better catcher's ERA than veterans Gregg Zaun and Chad Moeller.

Of course, while playing solid defense behind the plate is nice and all, the focus will forever be on Wieters' bat. Since breaking the 4-for-28 (.143) slump that started his career, Wieters has hit .287 with a .340 on-base percentage and .411 slugging percentage in 282 plate appearances spread over 71 games. Obviously those aren't earth-shattering numbers, but they're significantly above average for a catcher.

His overall .273/.325/.395 line is modest, but an adjusted OPS+ of 86 ranks 15th among all catchers with at least 300 plate appearances and is pretty damn good for a 23-year-old rookie backstop. In fact, here's the complete list of 23-year-old catchers with a higher OPS+ during the past 20 seasons: Joe Mauer, Jason Kendall, Russell Martin, Brian McCann, Charles Johnson, Ivan Rodriguez, Dave Nilsson. Each of those guys was an All-Star at least once and Wieters will be too.

J.A. Happ is now slated to rejoin the Phillies' rotation tomorrow against the Braves after testing his oblique injury with a 20-pitch bullpen session yesterday. Happ, who came out of relative nowhere to go 8-4 with a 2.81 ERA in 19 starts as a 26-year-old rookie, has missed back-to-back turns in the rotation.

On the other hand, Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel speculated yesterday that Chan Ho Park "is probably going to be down a while" because of a hamstring injury. Park has been a key member of the bullpen since being dumped from the rotation in mid-May, logging 49 innings with a 2.57 ERA, 52/16 K/BB ratio, and .235 opponents' batting average as a reliever. His availability for the postseason may be in doubt.

And while we're on the subject of the Phillies' pitching staff, consider this stat: Since joining Philadelphia's rotation Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez have combined to go 12-2 with a 2.74 ERA and 94/15 K/BB ratio in 101.2 innings spread over in 16 starts.

* Brewers owner Mark Attanasio said yesterday that speculation about general manager Doug Melvin's job being in jeopardy is "ridiculous." On the other hand, manager Ken Macha's job seems far less secure.

* Buster Olney of ESPN.com reports that the Royals are close to signing first-round pick Aaron Crow, who was exempt from the normal August deadline because he left college and played in an independent league while holding out after being drafted in 2008.

* Gavin Floyd left yesterday's start after two innings and will miss his next turn in the rotation because of a lingering hip injury. Ozzie Guillen has indicated that the White Sox may simply shut Floyd down for the season.

* A double-digit losing streak putting the team in danger of finishing below .500 after going to the World Series the previous season tends to create some clubhouse tension.

* At this point, hopefully Tim McCarver sings better than he announces.

* In the wake of Bartolo Colon being released by the White Sox yesterday, Arlington Heights Daily Herald beat reporter Scot Gregor calls him "one of the stranger guys I've run across in Major League Baseball." Not mentioned, of course, is that he's also one of the sexiest.

Mike Scioscia's little quip was couched in enough respectful language and humor that he can probably avoid a fine for badmouthing the umps.  Brian Fuentes, however? Not so much:

"Especially here and some other places, they seem timid to make calls. I've heard it from other guys that come in here and say that. That's either because it's a mistake, or they're scared."

I think it's reasonable to assume that, on occasion, the umpires get caught up in the moment.  They're human, and it's understandable that thousands of screaming fans can disrupt one's judgment on occasion.  I don't think it's a situation where the umpires consciously alter their approach for fear of a hostile crowd.  It's just an environmental thing. I bet they make bad calls when it's too hot or too cold or the they're tired or whatever, just like you or I do whenever we're trying to exercise judgment in sub-optimal conditions.

I don't buy the "timid" charge, however. If anything, we have crop of umpires these days that err on the side of belligerence as opposed to timidity. There are a lot of guys who want to make themselves part of the game.  A lot of guys who stubbornly adhere to their interpretation of the rules instead of the rules themselves.  If anything, I could see an ump going out of his way to piss off a home crowd before I could see him caving to one.

Of course, you and I can talk about that kind of thing all day if we want.  Brian Fuentes can't, however, so Fuentes, can probably expect a call from Mr. Watson today.

I missed this yesterday, but Buster Olney heard a rumor (Insider only, alas):

Lou Piniella has told others that one way or the other, 2010 will be his last season managing. Now, keep in mind that Piniella is at the end of what has been an enormously disappointing season for the Cubs; Piniella saying he doesn't want to manage past 2010 to friends is a little like an exhausted parent saying he/she doesn't want to have any more kids after putting a rowdy toddler to bed at 9 p.m. Consider the context.

Beyond the shouting match he had with Milton Bradley back in June, we haven't really seen the Lou Piniella we've come to know and love this season.  With the kind of year the Cubs have had, a fully-invested Piniella would have acted more like, well, Lou Piniella.

Olney's note of context caution notwithstanding, I'm inclined to think that Piniella is done with managing, and all that is left is to determine whether the Cubs want him back for the final year of his contract or if, alternatively, they want to begin the Ryne Sandberg era in 2010 instead of 2011.

"What was the count in the end, 3-4 to Green?"

-- Angels Manager Mike Scioscia, voicing his displeasure at what he felt were two blown calls during the penultimate at bat in last night's Angels-Sox game.

I haven't seen it yet, but reasonable people are disagreeing on whether or not the check swing really was a check swing.  Scioscia is dead right about the pitch that was called ball four, however.

(thanks to Jason for the heads up) 

Preservationists in New York want to save Gate 2 of the old Yankee Stadium from the wrecking ball so that it may serve as a monument and/or gateway to the park that will be built on the site.  The Parks Department is inclined to just smash the thing, however, leading to a fundraising push:

With the Parks Department committed to demolishing the gate, preservation proponents insisted Wednesday that rescuing the towering remnant of the Bronx ballpark was a relatively cheap and easy task.

The total cost could run about $1 million, a 10th of the estimate city officials gave for saving the slice of original Stadium architecture.

Contractors already are volunteering time for the task, and fund-raising could cover the rest, according to a press release from the Save the Yankee Gate 2 Committee.

No one is obligated to do anything in this world no matter how rich they are, but if I were one of Alex Rodriguez's advisors, this is the sort of thing I'd be telling him to get behind if he was really interested in burnishing his image in Yankeeland.

I'm not saying he should just write a check, but even if the cost is closer to the higher, $10 million estimate by the Parks Department, one would think that A-Rod could raise that kind of money from friends with, like, a morning's worth of phone calls.

That business the Cubs do with having a celebrity sing "Take me out to the ballgame" and then sit in the booth to be interviewed afterwards?  Yeah, they should probably ditch that.  Ladies and gentlemen, Richard Dreyfuss:

The guy admitted he had not watched a game since 1988. He had no idea Bill Murray was a Cubs fan. And, he rambled on about how screwed up our country is. Just what we want to hear while watching America's Pastime.

If you missed it, here's some of the transcript:

...Dreyfuss: If you had asked me, I would have [played center field]. Absolutely. Better than Manny Rodriguez.

[Loud, hearty laughter from Kasper and Brenly]
Kasper: Who's Manny Rodriguez?

This was no boating accident.  It was a train wreck.

I'm sure the Cubs have a tape of Harry Caray singing the song somewhere.  Why don't they just play that and dispense with this nonsense already?

Remember Roger?

The former Yankee pitcher, whose career was defined by his refusal to give up in tough situations on the baseball field, has given notice that he will file an appeal in an attempt to revise his defamation lawsuit against Brian McNamee, the trainer who accused Clemens of using performance-enhancing drugs . . .

"The judge's decision is plainly correct," McNamee's lawyer, Ricard Emery of the Manhattan firm of Celli, Emery, Brinckerhoff & Abady, said Wednesday night. "It looks like a desperate maneuver to provide counsel with more fees. They're bleeding Clemens for money."

So then we're all in agreement that this appeal is a good idea?

In other news, Barry Bonds and the U.S. government are set to have oral arguments today before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. This is the government's appeal of the trial judge's decision to throw out most of its case against Bonds.  Legally speaking, that was a good decision, because almost all of the evidence they want to submit is hearsay.  Given how happy the Ninth Circuit has been with the government lately, I don't think Bonds should be all that worried.

The case against Bonds rises and falls with Greg Anderson. When he decided that he'd rather do hard time than testify, the case basically ended.

Tigers 4, Royals 3:

The crowd began to rise, and clap, waiting for Michigan's most iconic sports broadcaster to walk out to home plate to say good-bye. Slowly, the applause floated out onto the field, peaking as Harwell strode out from the tunnel behind home plate, walked past the gates and out onto the grass.

He thrust his arms into the sky as the noise washed over him. Standing before a solitary microphone with no one on the diamond but the umpires, the old voice of the Tigers raised his arms once more and quieted the crowd . . .

. . . "You Tiger fans are the greatest fans of them all," he finished. "Thank you for your support, your loyalty and your love."

Then he strolled back off the field. His ears filled with chanting:

"Ernie! Ernie! Ernie!"

Rockies 4, Giants 3: I'll leave this one to Neyer, who got to watch this one from the press box: ". . . in the Hierarchy of Horribles, if you're a Giants fan, losing to Jorge de la Rosa -- being practically shut out by Jorge de la Rosa, then coming oh so close in the ninth inning -- and having to play that schedule, and having a lineup full of struggling hitters ... well, that's gotta be pretty close to the top."

Orioles 4, Rays 2: Losing all of these games isn't ugly enough for you Rays fans? How about a nice shouting match between your left fielder and DH in the clubhouse before the game? And lo, Matt Wieters hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to win the game, making it clear now that the last four months have merely been a test of our faith. I never doubted you, Matt! And I'd like to remind you, that as a trusted Internet personality, I can be helpful in rounding up others to toil in your underground sugar caves.

Athletics 4, Rangers 0: This is the way the Rangers' playoff hopes end. This is the way the Rangers' playoff hopes end. This is the way the Rangers' playoff hopes end. Not with a bang but a whimper (sorry, T.S.).

Yankees 5, Blue Jays 4: One HBP -- Shawn Camp on Melky Cano -- but everyone kept their powder dry. Francisco Cervelli -- who probably isn't in this game if Posada didn't get suspended -- hit the game winning RBI in the ninth.

Phillies 6, Nationals 1: Ryan Howard stole second base on the front end of a double steal in which Chase Utley stole home. As for Howard: Whoa. Nice wheels, big guy. As for Utley: There should probably be some sort of fielder's choice kind of scoring decision for that kind of thing, because that's just really not a steal of home as far as I'm concerned. Jayson Werth hit a grand slam. The Phillies actually allowed a run.

Dodgers 3, Pirates 1: Man, Pittsburgh will cure what ailes you, won't they? Ronnie Belliard was 3 for 3 with a homer and two runs scored for cryin' out loud. A Wednesday day-game sellout for L.A. FYI: it wasn't the Pirates that spiked the fan interest.

Red Sox 9, Angels 8: The Angels led by one entering the ninth. Boston loads the bases and Nick Green comes in to pinch hit for Casey Kotchman. Fuentes gets two strikes on him, and then Green checks his swing on what would have been strike three. At least the umps say he did -- Mike Scioscia disagreed. Fuentes and Green battle until the count is full. The payoff: low, ball four, tying run walks in. Adam Kilgore at the Globe said "If it really was low, it was low by half a millimeter. Scioscia is enraged." Alex Gonzalez comes up, hits a bloop single to win the game.

Reds 6, Astros 5: How on Earth can you give up eleven hits, five of which were home runs, and not lose the game? Ask Justin Lehr. I imagine he'd start by telling you to only walk one dude. His next idea would be to tell you to make sure you've got a good bullpen like the Reds have so they can bail your tater givin' up butt with four innings of shutout relief. Hal McCoy was honored before the game, which was a nice move by the Reds.

Padres 6, Diamondbacks 5: Luis Durango, who was making his first big league start, hit an infield single to lead off the 10th inning, then stole second, and then beat the throw home on a single to win it. In other news, "Luis Durango" is a fabulous ballplayer name.

Brewers 9, Cubs 5: Alcides Escobar went 4 for 5 with three RBI. Brewers fans may want to turn their attention to the Packers these days, but watching this guy come up and work to figure it out is the kind of thing that they should really take the time to savor in the waning days of 2009.

Marlins 5, Cardinals 2: Josh Johnson gave up nine hits but allowed just one run and struck out nine in six innings. The Marlins somehow continue to hang around, sitting four back of Colorado.

Twins 7, Indians 3: The Twins win, they're four and a half back, and they face a Tigers team this weekend that can be had. Really early in the season I talked about how the Twins always seem to hang around. This is what I meant.

Mariners 4, White Sox 1: Mike Carp hit his first major league home run. Then: "When the game ended, Carp was given a beer shower and had an ice cream pie shoved in his face by a couple of the veterans." Ice cream? Original, I guess. Question: why is that there are always pie plates hanging around major league clubhouses? Are they seriously making pie part of the standard post game spread? These are the kind of things that keep me up all night obsessing.

Braves 6, Mets 5: The Braves come from behind and win the game on a Daniel "I have no business playing any defensive position" Murphy error in the ninth.  That's six straight.  Derek Lowe left the game with a blister on his finger after playing the 18th take of "Helter Skelter." 

Roy Oswalt's back problems haven't improved, so after back-to-back rough starts the Astros have decided to shut him down for the season. "It's not getting any better and it's kind of lingering a bit," Oswalt said. "If we were in contention and fighting for the playoffs, I would try to get an epidural block and ride it as long as I could. But I don't want it to linger for next year."

Oswalt had a 3.66 ERA and 104/33 K/BB ratio in 135.1 innings through 21 starts, but has a 5.48 ERA in nine outings since then and finishes the season with an ERA over 4.00 for the first time in his nine-year career. Toss in a team-record 16 no-decisions leading to just eight wins and it has definitely been a very disappointing campaign, but his secondary numbers suggest a 2010 bounce back if he can get healthy.

While the Astros remain on the hook to the 32-year-old Oswalt for at least two more seasons and at least $33 million, here are some other notes from around baseball ...

The Los Angeles Angels look like a solid championship contender this season.

They've got a good offense (1st in AL in hitting, 2nd in runs), speed on the bases (2nd in steals), a decent defense (6th in UZR) and a solid starting rotation that has improved with the addition of Scott Kazmir.

The weakness, if they have one, seems to be at closer, where the Angels replaced the record-setting (and expensive) Francisco Rodriguez with the crafty (and less expensive) journeyman Brian Fuentes.

Fuentes hasn't been a disaster, saving 41 games. But he has blown seven save opportunities and been shaky enough at times to prompt manager Mike Scioscia to give rookie Kevin Jepsen some time in the ninth inning.

So, should the Angels replace Fuentes?

(Note: We're not going to pin Wednesday night's loss entirely on Fuentes, as he did have Nick Green struck out twice, only to be foiled by bad calls)

Eno Sarris breaks down the problem nicely over at Fangraphs, pointing out that Fuentes has pretty much given up on his curveball, and has lost velocity - and perhaps most alarmingly, a ton of movement - on his slider.

A case could certainly be made that Jepsen would make a better closer than Fuentes.

Jepsen does own the blazing fastball of a traditional closer (96.4 MPH this year), and with his two primary pitches coming down the pipe over 90 MPH (he owns a 90 MPH cutter that's been worth 2.5 runs this year) he is a decent change of pace from Fuentes.

In fact, Jepsen profiles very differently from Fuentes in other ways. Fuentes is more of a fly-baller (46.9% fly balls), while Jepsen is inducing ground balls in bunches this year (58.6% ground balls). Jepsen is doing a great job supressing line drives (13.6%), and batters are centering Fuentes better (17.5%).

The big question is if Jepsen can continue to keep his walk rate down, as it was a bit of an issue in the minor leagues, and how well he can adjust to playoff pressure as a closer. For his part, he says he's ready.

"Everybody has to have their first playoff experience -- you've got to start somewhere," said Jepsen, the setup man who has emerged as the team's top reliever in the second half. "I can't wait. I feel like I will feed off the energy, whether we're home or away."

I think it would be wise for Scioscia to take a long look at Jepsen down the stretch this month, and if he continues to look good, at least consider using both pitchers in save situations. Can't hurt to have some insurance.

******

If you Twitter, and are think you might get kicked off Facebook, follow me at @Bharks.

Top 10 OPS

1. Carlos Santana (Indians) - 943
2. Neil Sellers (Phillies) - 869
3. Brock Bond (Giants) - 838
4. Brian Stavisky (Phillies) - 831
5. Brett Pill (Giants) - 828
6. Brennan Boesch (Tigers) - 828
7. Brian Dinkelman (Twins) - 824
8. Deik Scram (Tigers) - 819
9. Josh Thole (Mets) - 816
10. Kevin Mahar (Phillies) - 815

- Obviously, many of the more interesting players didn't qualify. Pedro Alvarez, the second overall pick in the 2008 draft, came in at 1009 in 60 games. Phillies outfielder Michael Taylor was at 977 in 86 games. The Orioles' Brandon Snyder was promoted after posting a 1018 mark in 58 games.

- Santana never received a promotion, though he clearly deserved one for the work he did offensively. The problem is that the 23-year-old is still rather raw defensively behind the plate after beginning his pro career as an outfielder. He has the tools to make it as a starting catcher, but he's likely going to need another full year in the minors in 2010.

- Bond's 838 OPS was very impressive for a guy who played half of his games in one of the best parks for pitchers in the minors. Still, his league-leading 429 OBP would have counted for more if he wasn't caught stealing on 15 of his 28 attempts.

- Other notables: Alex Avila (Tigers) - 814, Nick Weglarz (Indians) - 808, Ryan Kalish (Red Sox) - 781, Ruben Tejada (Mets) - 732, David Cooper (Blue Jays) - 729, Beau Mills (Indians) - 724, Brad Emaus (Blue Jays) - 712, Lars Anderson (Red Sox) - 673, Cale Iorg (Tigers) - 610

Top 10 ERA

1. Zach McAllister (Yankees) - 2.23
2. Felix Doubront (Red Sox) - 3.35
3. Jeanmar Gomez (Indians) - 3.43
4. Luis Perez (Blue Jays) - 3.55
5. Matt Fox (Twins) - 3.58
6. Randy Boone (Blue Jays) - 3.70
7. Danny Moskos (Pirates) - 3.74
8. Erik Arnesen (Nationals) - 3.87
9. Ryan Mullins (Twins) - 4.03
10. Jon Kibler (Tigers) - 4.06

- Non-qualifiers included Madison Bumgarner (1.93 ERA in 107 IP), Brad Lincoln (2.28 EREA in 75 IP), Ryan Edell (2.32 ERA in 89 1/3 IP), Brandon Erbe (2.34 ERA in 73 IP) and Junichi Tazawa (2.57 ERA in 98 IP).

- Also clearly deserving of mention was Yankees prospect Josh Schmidt, who had a 1.61 ERA in five starts and 41 relief appearances.

- McAllister was the league's best pitcher, and he had the 1.08 WHIP to back up his ERA. Still, his season wasn't quite as encouraging as the numbers suggest, if only because his previously strong groundball rate dwindled. He ended up as a modest flyball pitcher, and given that he's probably not going to be a big strikeout guy in the majors, he's going to have to induce grounders to thrive.

- Doubront's ERA was more of a fluke, as he allowed 14 unearned runs and finished with a 1.41 WHIP, thanks to the 52 walks he surrendered in 121 innings. The 21-year-old lefty is a fine prospect without much of a platoon split, but he shouldn't be counted on to be so effective in Triple-A next year.

According to the New York Daily News, both Jorge Posada and Blue Jays reliever Jesse Carlson have received four-game suspensions for their actions that started a brawl Tuesday.

Posada's penalty is clearly the harsher of the two, even if the time off is the same. Position players, starting pitchers and relievers are all treated differently when it comes to handing out suspensions, and if the league office had thought Carlson was as much at fault as Posada, he would have faced a longer ban.

As is, the penalties seem fair. Posada didn't set off the brawl directly, so he doesn't get quite the five- or six-game penalty that's usually handed out to players who charge the mound. Still, he practically forced Carlson to respond when he delivered the quick shove after crossing home plate.

6:30 pm update - It now appears as though both Posada and Carlson will serve three-game suspensions, with the condition being that neither will appeal. That follows a common trend that's developed these last couple of years: if the players decline to contend suspensions in a hearing, they'll usually get a game knocked off, which is the best they can typically hope for in a hearing anyway. Both players will be begin serving their suspensions tonight.

- Last night's brawl will probably go down as an isolated incident, but there is the chance that some bad blood will spill over when the Blue Jays and Yankees face off again tonight. The pitching change makes it a little more likely. This was supposed to be a matchup of lefties Brian Tallet and Andy Pettitte, but Pettitte was scratched due to a shoulder issue and will be replaced by wild righty Chad Gaudin. Starting against the Jays 13 days ago, Gaudin hit two batters and walked three in 3 2/3 innings.

- Maybe it's time for the Rangers to start rooting for Boston? If the Red Sox can beat the Angels again, they'd have the better record of the two clubs, and the Rangers still have six games left against the Angels that they could potentially use to make up ground. The Red Sox will be going for their seventh straight win tonight with Paul Byrd on the mound. He's 1-1 with a 6.08 ERA in three starts since joining the rotation. The Angels will turn to Joe Saunders, who has won four straight since coming off the DL. He's 4-1 with a 3.25 ERA in seven career starts against Boston.

Game of the Night

Colorado vs. San Francisco - One more time, it's Rockies vs. Giants for the game of the night. The Giants won the first two games of the series by a combined 19-3 score to pull within 2 1/2 games in the wild-card chase. Now the pressure is on Colorado to avoid the sweep with 14-game winner Jorge De La Rosa on the mound. De La Rosa has won both of his starts against the Giants this season, even though he allowed six runs in one of them, and is 5-0 with a 3.35 ERA against San Francisco in his career. Giants starter Matt Cain is 2-1 with a 3.60 ERA against the Rockies this season. Due to poor run support, he's picked up a victory in just one of his last nine starts.

* Bartolo Colon has been reasonably effective when healthy enough to pitch this season, posting a 4.19 ERA in 12 starts, but has been sidelined since late July with an elbow injury and went AWOL on multiple occasions while rehabbing in the minors.

This afternoon the White Sox released the 36-year-old former Cy Young winner after signing him to a one-year, $1 million deal this offseason.

* Andre Ethier's homer in the 13th inning last night was his sixth walk-off hit of the season. Ethier is now batting .333/.472/.649 with four homers, six doubles, 13 walks, and 17 RBIs in 72 plate appearances from the ninth inning on. Not surprisingly he trails only Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder in Win Probability Added.

* With last night's long ball David Ortiz moved past Frank Thomas for the all-time lead in homers at designated hitter with 270. Edgar Martinez is third on the list with 243, followed by Harold Baines at 236 and Don Baylor at 216. Ortiz has just 43 homers as a non-DH, while Thomas has 252.

* After having season-ending elbow surgery last week Grady Sizemore went under the knife again this morning "to reinforce an unstable abdominal wall."

* Kevin Youkilis' back spasms and Victor Martinez's undisclosed personal issue will keep them both out of the Red Sox's lineup again tonight.

Thanks to playing in baseball's worst division the Tigers look headed to the postseason despite Jarrod Washburn posting a 7.33 ERA in eight starts since arriving via trade with the Mariners, but now his status for the playoffs is in doubt. That is, if the Tigers even wanted him stepping on the mound in October.

Washburn allowed four runs in the first inning of yesterday before exiting with pain in the left knee that has bothered him for much of the season. As manager Jim Leyland put it after an ugly 11-1 loss: "Right now, it doesn't appear he's pitchable." No structural damage has been found via multiple MRI exams, but Washburn made it clear that something significant is wrong:

It's just as bad, or maybe a little worse, than it's been. The pain has been pretty bad, but it's never swelled up. And today after just one inning, it swelled up pretty bad. I don't know if something else got hurt in there or what. It's definitely not getting better. I've tried to pitch through it, and I'm not helping the team at all.

We've tried everything. I don't know if there's anything more that we can try from a treatment standpoint or medication or shots or things like that. We've tried everything we can to try to get the pain out of there and put it at a tolerable level. Just nothing's worked right now.

Detroit's rotation is a mess right now and the Tigers have lost six of their last eight games despite playing the lowly Royals and Blue Jays, but ultimately they'll probably limp into the playoffs with or without Washburn. And once there the Tigers can take advantage of the drawn-out postseason schedule to lean heavily on Justin Verlander, Edwin Jackson, and Rick Porcello in the rotation and Fernando Rodney, Brandon Lyon, and Ryan Perry in the bullpen.

Washburn has been a complete bust and Detroit has just the 10th-best record in baseball at 77-67, but barring a total collapse they're headed to the playoffs and have the top-end talent to make a deep run once their lack of rotation depth is no longer a major factor.

Carlos Zambrano, in response to a question about whether he'd seen yesterday's report that the Cubs plan to shop him this offseason:

Why, are you guys the general manager now? I don't care. If the Cubs want to trade me, it's because they don't like me anymore. I have to move on. What else can I do? Just move on.

Zambrano understandably wasn't in great mood after a poor outing against the Brewers, but those are seemingly the words of someone willing to waive his no-trade clause. However, when asked specifically about potentially doing that he responded: "No, I don't want to. What kind of question is that? That's enough."

He then left the interview room, which as Carrie Muskat of MLB.com notes was in stark contrast to the "person who was singing in the clubhouse before his start against the Brewers."

Jesus Flores got off to a great start this season, as the 24-year-old catcher was handed the starting job in Washington and hit .301/.371/.505 through 106 plate appearances while nearly matching his walk total from all of 2008.

Everything changed when he took a foul ball off his right shoulder on May 9. Initially diagnosed as a bruise, Flores was later found to have a stress fracture in the shoulder and ended up missing four months of action.

He finally rejoined the Nationals last week, serving strictly as a pinch-hitter to protect his shoulder, but began complaining of pain in the area anyway and underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum today.

Labrum injuries are basically the worst-case scenario for pitchers, so naturally they aren't great for catchers either. Flores is expected to be sidelined for 3-6 months, putting his status for next season in some doubt. "He should be ready for the middle of spring training, worst-case scenario," general manager Mike Rizzo said, adding that the Nationals are unlikely to pursue another starting-caliber catcher this offseason.

Flores' injury is just another tough break for the Nationals, who had already lost fellow long-term building block Jordan Zimmermann for 2010 thanks to Tommy John elbow surgery. Obviously they weren't going to compete for a playoff spot next season anyway, but the Nationals need guys like Flores and Zimmermann to develop into impact players and the injuries diminish those odds significantly.

* Randy Johnson is officially off the disabled list and in the Giants' bullpen, with San Francisco creating a spot for him by shutting down reliever Justin Miller for the season.

Prior to an elbow injury the 31-year-old Miller had the best season of his career, logging 56.2 innings with a 3.18 ERA and .236 opponents' batting average.

* Rangers prospect and 2008 first-round pick Justin Smoak homered yesterday for the sixth time in five World Cup games as the United States defeated Japan.

* Alyson Footer of MLB.com reports that Astros reliever Tim Byrdak has a man-crush on, of all people, Nick Lachey. Despite that, the 35-year-old Byrdak has a 2.87 ERA and 50/28 K/BB ratio in 53.1 innings this season.

* Peter Abraham of the New York Journal News notes that Nick Swisher is dating actress Joanna Garcia from Gossip Girls, adding: "That's not good news for you ladies out there who like bad haircuts and a high on-base percentage."

Red Sox 4, Angels 1: Say what you want about the guy, but Dice-K has always done well on 89 days rest (6 IP 3 H, 0 ER). I'm not sold yet. Even Dontrelle Willis had a good game his first time back this year.

Blue Jays 10, Yankees 4: Fisticuffsmanship! Jorge Posada and Jesse Carlson threw down in front of the Yankee dugout in the eighth. Unlike most baseball fights, however, someone connected. Girardi got popped once too. Even an umpire was taken out, with crew chief Derryl Cousins leaving the game after the fight. Either Cousins got a case of the vapors or else someone is going to be suspended for about a decade for roughing up an ump. UPDATE: according to the game story he was hit in the knee with a bottle of soda thrown from the stands. So basically everyone was misbehaving.

Giants 10, Rockies 2: Barry Zito struck out nine and the Giants pull to two and a half back. Nervous Jim Tracy?

"Here's the deal. Here's our situation. It's very simple. It's black and white. There's no gray. There's no middle area. We've got an opportunity to win a game in this series, which is something that we're obviously striving for, and you move on and you're 3½ ahead. Or you lose and you're 1½ ahead and then everything's up for grabs. I'm not sitting here saying to anybody that we're trailing. We're not going to trail. We've still got a lead. But the opportunity of having a cushion versus giving it back -- that's what tomorrow is all about."

With quotes like that, I give it greater than even odds that that man is sitting in a broadcast studio someday.

Dodgers 5, Pirates 4: Andre Eithier gets his fourth walkoff home run of the year. He's the first Dodger to hit 30 home runs since 2004.

Braves 6, Mets 0: The Mets had absolutely no answers for Tommy Hanson. Couldn't even get a man past second base on him during his seven innings of shutout ball (his second straight start without allowing a run). Adam LaRoche homered twice and drove in three, doing nothing to harm his second-half-stud reputation. Too little too late for Atlanta, but it's nice to see them play out the schedule on a high note.

Phillies 5, Nationals 0: After three lackluster starts, Cliff Lee returns to being Superman (CG SHO 6 H, 9 K). Lee is an Adam LaRoche All-Star himself, improving to 20-3 after the break over the past two seasons.

Royals 11, Tigers 1: Good thing Detroit doesn't have to play Kansas City in the playoffs, because KC has their number, taking their fifth straight from the Tigers. Magglio hit an $18 million groundout in the fifth. Play was delayed briefly in the top of the seventh when a shirtless fan ran onto the field. I have some nogoodnik kin up in Detroit who don't do much all summer besides drink beer with their shirts off, so I'm expecting the call for help with bail any moment now.

Orioles 10, Rays 5: After lulling the American League into a false sense of security, Matt Weiters finally decides to strike: 3-5, 5 RBI. It begins.

Marlins 2, Cardinals 1: Wainwright pitched well, but got the loss because Sean West and the Marlins' bullpen pitched better. Wainwright stays at 18 wins. Unless La Russa decides to give him extra rest heading into the playoffs, he probably has three starts to go. I'm going to assume at this point that if he wins 20, he's a lock for the Cy Young.

Reds 5, Astros 4: I'm not going to say that it's hard to find something interesting to talk about in a late-season, no-hope Astros-Reds series, but here are two of the "game notes" from the game story: "Janish became the first Reds batter with three doubles in one game since Jorge Cantu on Sept. 21, 2007, at San Francisco" and "ESPN college basketball announcer Dick Vitale watched the game with Reds owner Bob Castellini." Feel the magic.

Cubs 13, Brewers 7: The Brewers walked 12 guys and hit three more, so this wasn't exactly a crisp one. Carlos Zambrano kind of melted down after four good innings. I'm sure this has absolutely nothing to do with him being rattled at the "we're gonna trade you" talk from earlier in the day, because Carlos is totally composed and cool when he's out there and let's no emotions intrude on the task at hand. Total iceman.

Athletics 6, Rangers 1: That sound you hear is the Rangers' playoff hopes being stuffed into a burlap sack and thrown into a river. The sack's technically still floating, but it's about to go under any minute now. Michael Young came back as a DH after missing two weeks, but he pulled himself from the lineup because he tweaked the hamstring again. It's been a nice season for the Rangers and the future is bright, but it's just not happening.

Twins 5, Indians 4: The game stories still talk about the Twins having a chance to make a run at Detroit, but then you read something like this: "Along with Morneau, third-baseman Joe Crede is likely out for the season with back problems, and recent call-up Justin Huber is day to day with a strained oblique. But Gardenhire said his desire to call up reinforcements was "squelched" by the front office." Has the front office thrown in the towel, or is Gardenhire asking for unrealistic things? And why is he telling reporters about that kind of family business? Stange.

Diamondbacks 4, Padres 2: Mark Reynolds hit what proved to be the game winning homer in the 9th. Nick Hundley made a pretty spiffy defensive play, acrobatically pursuing an overthrown ball into the dugout (he went in, not the ball) and throwing out Eric Byrnes at the plate, who was tagged out by Ardian Gonzalez, who was sliding/diving for the throw. I'm guessing video does that play better justice than that description did.

White Sox 6, Mariners 3: The White Sox have gone back and fourth between wins and losses for nine games. One more and they have a Dutch 200, right?

Take your base Jorge. Just take your base.

That's what you do when a pitcher throws a pitch behind you. A pitcher on a team that is not going to come anywhere near sniffing the playoffs.

Yes, Jesse Carlson threw that ball near your backside on purpose (somehow he missed). He was trying to hit you. He was trying to defend the honor of Edwin Encarnacion and Aaron Hill, who were nailed by pitches thrown by Yankee pitchers.

It doesn't matter if Encarnacion and Hill were hit on purpose or on accident. When a couple guys on one team get hit, a guy on your team is probably going to get hit (or at least thrown at) in response. That's how it works in baseball.

And after more than 1,500 games played at the big league level, I'm surprised you didn't know that. If you need a refresher course on how these things work, read this. I promise you it's gold.

Instead of taking your base after drawing that walk, you had words with Carlson. That's fine. But when you came around to score a meaningless run in this Toronto blowout, you decided to toss a wayward elbow Carlson's direction as he covered home. You're lucky no one was injured in the wild melee that ensued. A concussion for Jeter? A strained muscle for Teixeira? A bruised rib for Sabathia? It wouldn't take much.

I'm not terribly worried about the possible suspension you're facing. It would take an incredible run for the Red Sox to catch your Yankees now. But still, next time? Just take your base. Or at least listen to Cito Gaston:

"I don't know if that was too smart. They have a lot more to lose than we do."

Amen.

******

If you Twitter, and are in a fighting mood, follow me at @Bharks.

No one seemed to know quite what to expect from Daisuke Matsuzaka's return to the rotation Tuesday night, but he looked like the effectively wild 2008 version instead of the totally ineffective 2009 version. Starting for the first time since June 19 he took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, struck out six, worked primarily in the low-90s, and held the Angels scoreless for six frames for just his second victory of the season.

Matsuzaka was far from perfect, throwing just 52 of 93 pitches for strikes and issuing three walks, but even while going 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA last year control was always an issue. Prior to coming off the disabled list Matsuzaka had a 3.86 ERA and 23/9 K/BB ratio in 21 innings while rehabbing his strained shoulder in the minors, so there is some reason for optimism even beyond Tuesday night's impressive return.

While the Red Sox give Matsuzaka a three-week audition for October here are some other notes from around baseball ...

The news couldn't have been much worse for Mike Hampton on Tuesday, as the free-agent-to-be was diagnosed with a completely torn rotator cuff during surgery. He also needed work done on his labrum, and he's expected to miss all of 2010.

Before going down in mid-August, Hampton had made 21 starts this year, his highest total since 2004. Still, he wasn't very impressive in compiling a 7-10 record with a 5.30 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP. The Astros figured to have only limited interest in re-signing him for 2010. He probably would have had to compete for a rotation spot wherever he ended up.

Now he'll miss what would have been his age-37 season, putting him in the unenviable position of attempting a comeback at 38. He was still getting pretty good movement this season on his sinking and cutting fastballs, but his velocity has declined with age and his once formidable slider has disappeared from his arsenal.

This could well be the end of the line for the one-time 22-game winner. Unfortunately, he will likely be remembered less for his status as one of the game's best left-handers in the second half of the '90s than for the hideous return he provided the Rockies on the eight-year, $121 million contract he agreed to after the 2000 season. It still ranks as the 13th-biggest contract ever signed by a major leaguer and fourth-biggest for a pitcher.

International League top 10

1. Carlos Torres (White Sox) - 2.39
2. Matt Maloney (Reds) - 3.08
3. Michael Bowden (Red Sox) - 3.13
4. Justin Lehr (Reds) - 3.31
5. Kyle Kendrick (Phillies) - 3.34
6. Drew Carpenter (Phillies) - 3.35
7. Wade Davis (Rays) - 3.40
8. Daniel McCutchen (Pirates) - 3.46
9. Marco Estrada (Nationals) - 3.63
10. Chris Lambert (Tigers-Mets) - 3.84

- Of course, most of the International League's most talented pitchers didn't qualify for the list. Tommy Hanson had a 1.49 ERA in 11 starts, Clay Buchholz had a 2.36 ERA in 16 starts and Chris Tillman had a 2.70 ERA in 18 starts.

- The league strikeout leader was Carlos Carrasco at 148. He also had just a 1.24 WHIP, but he finished with a 4.64 ERA. It's becoming easier to see why since the Indians added him to their rotation at the beginning of the month.

- Making Bowden's season remarkable was that he finished 4-6 with a whopping 14 no-decisions in his 24 starts. He did average just 5.3 innings per start, but that's still pretty incredible.

- It will be interesting to see if anyone wants to take a chance on Kendrick after the season he had. To go along with his 3.34 ERA, he had a fine 1.17 WHIP and he allowed only nine homers in 143 innings. However, he also struck out just 68 batters. The Phillies will probably opt to keep him around as insurance unless they get offered a quality prospect for his services.

PCL top 10

1. Bud Norris (Astros) - 2.63
2. Ramon Ortiz (Giants) - 3.05
3. Yorman Bazardo (Astros) - 3.20
4. Lenny DiNardo (Royals) - 3.32
5. Josh Banks (Padres) - 3.46
6. Giancarlo Alvarado (Dodgers) - 3.49
7. Charlie Haeger (Dodgers) - 3.55
8. Clay Hensley (Astros-Marlins) - 3.56
9. J.R. Mathes (Cubs) - 3.62
10. Willie Collazo (Marlins) - 3.70

- Brandon Hynick, the pitcher the White Sox got from the Rockies for Jose Contreras earlier this month, also deserves mention. He finished 11th at 3.83, but given that he was pitching at Colorado Springs, his performance was more impressive than that of a few guys ahead of him on the list.

- Hensley came in at 3.24 in his 19 starts with New Orleans after a failed stint at the Astros organization at the beginning of the year.

- Now up five games over the Rangers in the loss column, the Red Sox have some margin for error in the wild-card chase. However, making tonight's game particularly important is that Daisuke Matsuzaka will be rejoining the rotation and facing likely ALDS opponent Los Angeles. Matsuzaka last pitched in the majors on June 19, when he lost to the Braves to fall to 1-5 with an 8.23 ERA. Dice-K is expected to make four starts as he auditions for a spot in the postseason rotation, which is currently slated to include Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz. The Red Sox would also surely like to stay in John Lackey's head. The Angels ace is 3-6 with a 5.54 ERA against Boston in the regular season and 0-2 with a 3.66 ERA in three postseason starts.

- Adam Wainwright can take another step forward in his Cy Young bid by beating the Marlins. If he can notch his 19th win, he'd go three ahead of teammate Chris Carpenter for the NL lead. He's gone 6-0 in his last seven starts. Trying to put up a fight for the Marlins will be big left-hander Sean West. The Marlins have won the 23-year-old's last four starts, though all came against second-division teams. He's 6-5 with a 4.81 ERA in 17 starts this season. His only win over a postseason contender came on June 8, when he shut out the Giants for eight innings.

Game of the Night

Colorado vs. San Francisco - Tim Lincecum's impressive outing Monday allowed the Giants to pick up their second game on the Rockies in two days, but tonight's matchup would seem to favor Colorado, assuming that Ubaldo Jimenez's hamstring is sound. Jimenez, who was pushed back three days because of the injury, is turning in perhaps the strongest season ever for a Rockies starter. He's 6-1 in his last eight starts and 13-10 with a 3.32 ERA for the season. Against the Giants this year, he's gone 2-2 with a 2.48 ERA. Starting for San Francisco will be Barry Zito, who allowed two runs -- one earned -- over 14 1/3 innings in back-to-back starts against Colorado on Aug 24 and 29. Unfortunately, he hasn't been as sharp since. In two starts this month, he's allowed five runs and walked seven in nine innings.

Just because Ken Tremendous and company have hung up their keyboards, I'll give this a shot. During his weekly chat session on ESPN.com this morning Joe Morgan responded to a question asking, "What do the Oakland A's need to do be competitive again?"

Become more athletic. Sometimes, when I look at the A's players, I think they're playing softball. They have some big guys who try to hit the ball out of the ballpark. They strike out a lot. They just are not in position to make things happen on the basepaths. They've never really been a team to run or steal bases, bunt guys over or hit and run. They've always tried to hit the big home run.

Oakland stinks, there's no doubt about that, but the A's have hit the fewest home runs in the entire league while stealing the fourth-most bases. They also rank in the middle of the pack in strikeouts and sacrifice bunts. There are all kinds of legitimate criticisms that can be lobbed at Billy Beane and the A's, but the notion that they're still "playing softball" isn't really one of them. If anything, getting so far away from that approach has probably hurt them.

Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports that the Cubs "plan on shopping" Carlos Zambrano this offseason, but the odds of a trade seem fairly slim.

The most obvious hurdle is that Zambrano has a full no-trade clause as part of the five-year extension that he signed in August of 2007, but even assuming that he's willing to accept a deal how many teams will be interested in paying him $18 million per season for 2010, 2011, and 2012?

Perhaps that price tag would have been palatable to some high-payroll teams a few years ago, when Zambrano was an ace and money was flowing more freely, but things have changed. Zambrano will throw under 200 innings for the second straight year after topping the 200-inning mark annually from 2003 to 2007, and while his stints on the disabled list this season have been for hamstring and back injuries there's an awful lot of mileage on his 28-year-old right arm.

Plus, he's simply no longer a No. 1 starter. During his first four full seasons in the Cubs' rotation Zambrano went 59-32 with a 3.14 ERA, but over the past three seasons he has ERAs of 3.95, 3.91, and 3.77. His strikeout rate has declined, his walk rate hasn't improved, and he's no longer an extreme ground-ball pitcher. He's just not an $18 million pitcher at this point, let alone an $18 million pitcher worth giving up legitimate prospects to acquire.

Ozzie Guillen, on what he's seen from Alex Rios since the White Sox claimed him off waivers last month:

What have I seen from Rios? A lot of outs. The only batting ninth guy making $5 million was me. This mother [bleeper] is making $10, $12, $14 million, he ain't going to be batting ninth [in 2010]. I'm going to make sure he earns his money. But right now I have to put him there because he's struggling. Next year, if we have Rios batting ninth we're in deep [bleep] once again.

Many people criticized the White Sox for assuming the remaining $60 million on Rios' contract because his offensive production has never been great and he was slumping at the time of the move, but my take was that his excellent defense combined with solid offense made him an underrated all-around player in his prime who could definitely be worth $12 million per season going forward.

Of course, since the waiver claim Rios has gone 13-for-93 (.140) with a ghastly 23/2 K/BB ratio and no amount of great defense makes up for that type of "hitting." White Sox hitting coach Greg Walker said recently that Rios "has now become overwhelmed with mechanical problems" in an effort to snap out of his funk and Rios noted that he's hoping "to just wipe things away and get a fresh start next year, just simplify things."