Here's the latest and
greatest from around the league:
East
Division
New
York Mets (58-49) - Here come the Mets! They jumped
into first place in the NL East and are gaining strength. They did suffer a bit
of bad news this past week, though, as John Maine was forced to leave the
game early Monday night with what has been diagnosed as a mild strain to his
rotator cuff. The injury doesn't sound too bad, and he might just be able to
make his next scheduled start. Meanwhile, Pedro Martinez was reinstated after
going on bereavement leave for his father's funeral and is expected to start
Friday's game.
Philadelphia Phillies (57-49) – On Tuesday night, Chase Utley hit his first home run
since July 7 and accounted for both Phillies runs with the blast. The Phils beat
the Nationals 2-1 and Brett Myers earned his first win since May 30th. Oh, and Ryan Howard may have 30 home runs
and 94 RBI, but are they really worth his league-leading 138
strikeouts?
Florida Marlins (56-51) - Closer Kevin Gregg has found new life.
Just before the All-Star break he blew two save opportunities in Colorado, but has
rebounded nicely, converting seven straight and posting a 0.00 ERA over 10.0
innings. Gregg now has 22 saves on the season, on pace to surpass his mark of 32
last year. And his six wins out of the pen aren't too shabby
either.
Atlanta Braves (49-57) - The Braves have raised the
white flag. Or have they? Chipper Jones finally landed on the DL with his sore hamstring, as did
Tim Hudson with his
ailing elbow. And the Atlanta front office sent slugger Mark Teixeira packing to the Angels
for first baseman Casey Kotchman and a minor league pitcher. Still Atlanta remains just 8.5
games back in the standings.
Washington Nationals (38-68) - By the time you read this,
Washington
will likely be 20+ games back in the NL East standings. Unfortunately, the only
thing really worth taking note from the Nationals these days has to do with whom
they are playing.
Central
Division
Chicago Cubs (63-44) - After a post All-Star slide
locked the Cubs in a mere one-game lead over Milwaukee, the NL Central leaders went a few
miles north to take on the Brewers. And they took the first two games of the
series. Alfonso Soriano made his comeback, giving the team new life. One of the
unsung heroes of late, though, has been utility infielder Mike Fontenot, who had a pinch-hit,
base-clearing double Sunday in the Cubs 9-6 comeback win over Florida. Meanwhile,
Kerry Wood continues
to be plagued by that blister on his throwing hand and landed on the DL, which
means the trio of Bob Howry, Carlos Marmol, and newcomer
Jeff Samardzija will share
responsibilities.
Milwaukee Brewers (60-47) - Milwaukee had to feel good about their chances
to leapfrog the Cubs. They swept a four-game series in St. Louis and pulled
within one game of the Cubs heading into the start of their four game series
with the division leaders. With C.C. Sabathia throwing Monday and Ben Sheets on Tuesday, who wouldn't
like their chances? Ah, but defense cost them in the first game as a costly
throwing error by Rickie Weeks gave the Cubs two runs. In game two, Sheets just didn't
have his best stuff as he gave up 11 hits and six runs over just 5.1 innings of
work.
St.
Louis Cardinals (60-49) - The Cardinals have scored 31
runs in their last four games, including 20 in their last two at Turner Field.
Thanks to their offensive barrage, returning closer Jason Isringhausen hasn't been
needed or tested. That time will come, and we'll get a chance to see if Izzy can
get back to form and provide the bullpen some life. In their 14-inning marathon
against the Mets on Saturday, the Cards hammered out 21 hits, and Albert Pujols went 5-for-8. Pujols
is now batting .355 and is once again in contention for the batting
title.
Houston Astros (50-56) - Despite the trade rumors, the
Astros front office is saying that Miguel Tejada is staying in Houston. The Astros have
won four of their last five. Though they are out of the cellar, they still have
a bit of climbing to do if they want to get back into the playoff hunt. On a
side note, Brandon Backe has been plagued with injuries ever since the Astros 2005
season. After two years with on 13 total starts, Backe has taken the mound 25
times this season and leads the Astros with 123.2 innings
pitched.
Pittsburgh Pirates (50-57) - Xavier Nady, who was having a
career year batting .330, was traded to the Yankees, sending yet another quality
NL bat to the American League. And if you didn't catch it, Nate McLouth made a ridiculous line
drive snag on Tuesday night running in full stride towards the center field
wall. Maybe Ben Roethlisberger could use another wide receiver option.
Cincinnati Reds (50-58) - Perhaps shaken by his rocky
All-Star appearance, Edinson Volquez is 0-1 in two starts since the break. The Reds lost both
games, and Volquez didn't last more than 5.0 innings in either contest. If you
haven't noticed, since that embarrassing 1.0-inning, 11-hit, 10-run outing in
Toronto,
Bronson Arroyo is
5-1. He won five straight before suffering the loss in Tuesday's game against
Houston.
West
Division
Arizona Diamondbacks
(54-52) -
Arizona got
back on track a bit this week sweeping the Giants in a three-game series.
Conor Jackson tallied
up five consecutive multi-hit games this past week and has boosted his batting
average to .320.
Los
Angeles Dodgers (53-53) - Matt Kemp has hit safely in all but
one game this July and currently has a 16-game hitting streak going, which has
lifted his batting average to .294. And no big surprises here. Much like his
former teammate in Chicago, Kerry Wood, Nomar Garciaparra looks like he's
headed back to the DL. He was injured in Sunday's game against Washington and is dealing
with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his knee.
Colorado Rockies (48-60) - The Rockies caught fire after the All-Star Game. Then they ran
into... the Pirates? Pittsburgh rained on the
Colorado
winning streak and took the first two of a three game set. Though many a
Colorado hitter are finding their groove, a lesser known name is that of
Jeff Baker, who has
three home runs and six RBI in the past week.
San
Francisco Giants (44-62) - Tim Lincecum struck out 13 D'Backs
Saturday in 7.0 innings of work, but his bullpen couldn't hold the lead for him
and he got a no-decision. The Barry Bonds-less Giants still don't have a batter on their roster with
double digits in home runs.
San
Diego Padres (42-66) - Greg Maddux finally notched a win
on Monday against Arizona after going winless since May 10th.
He's one of many Padres speculated to be in trade discussions. Keep
watch.
Got
questions or comments? Sound off to pete@petekhazen.com.