MLB September Thread - And down the stretch they come....

[CMJ]

Figured I'd start the new month off with a new thread.

[Jedieb]

Tigers
Yanks
Chicago
Twins
Oakland
Angels

Those are the teams battling for the 4 AL playoff spots. I doubt the Angels have much of a shot, but you never know, Oakland may confuse September for October and implode early this year. I hope they make it, I want no part o the Angels in the playoffs. The Tigers have come back to the pack a bit. Chicago still has a chance to catch them. The Yanks, after taking 2 out of 3 in the Bronx from them, have a shot at catching the Tigers for best record in the AL. They won the season series against Detroit so they'd only have to tie them. Chicago and Minnesota are neck and neck for the wildcard. Loriano is due back soon, but now Radke is battling injuries.

The Red Sox? Trading Wells was pretty much the white flag. Unless every team they play in September has Rios playing in the outfield and knocking balls into the stands for HR's they have no realistic shot whatsoever.

I don't care about the NL. :smokin

[CMJ]

The Angels are 2 games behind us. and we beat them 2 of 3 just over a week ago. If we're dead, so are they.

[Jedieb]

The Angels are 2 games behind us. and we beat them 2 of 3 just over a week ago. If we're dead, so are they.

The Angels are probably dead. Like I said, the only thing that could save them would be an Oakland collapse. That's who they're battling and they still have 7games left to play against each other. But Boston has to get past Chicago, Minnesota, and the Yanks to get a playoff spot. The Angels have a better chance of sneaking into the playoffs than the Red Sox. Speaking of the walking wounded, Lester is done, he has Lymphoma. I hope the kid is alright. And tonight Papelbon had to be taken out of the game because of a shoulder strain. The hits just keep coming for Boston.

The Yanks may see Matsui in the DH next weekend and Shef may be back a week after that. Man, I hope the boy and I get to see Matsui hit when we go to Camden Yards next weekend. :cool

[sirdizzy]

ARod has been hot, he broke a 1-24 stint by going 9-17 with 4 homers in the last 4 games, perfect time to warm up, I mean the stretch run is a foregone conclusion now since boston dropped another game and now trails by 9 and any hopes of catching the yanks is gone but to have him playing good for the playoffs would be awesome plus jeter has been on a tear too

[CMJ]

We've played better lately. Tek coming back has been huge, even though we prolly can't catch the Twins at this point.

[Jedieb]

Run Boston, RUN!!! THE ROYALS ARE COMING!!!!!!!!!!!!! :evil

Took the boy to Camden Yards today to see the Yankees beat the O's 3-2. Wang was great and Jeter was... well, he was Jeter. Up 2-1 Jeter comes up to the plate with Damon on 2nd and hits a clutch double scoring what would end up being the winning run. Behind us you could hear an O's fan screaming; "DON'T PITCH TO HIM! WALK HIM! WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU!" It was a pretty sad afternoon for Baltimore. I'm not exaggerating when I say that 2/3 of the fans there were Yankees fans. Hell, I had almost as many Red Sox hats near me as I did O's jerseys, it was kind of pathetic. The Magic Number boys and girls is now 12. To add insult to injury, it looks like the Yankees will probably clinch the AL East when the Red Sox visit the Yanks next weekend. It's been a SWEET season so far, yes it has. :evil

[JMK]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14791298/

A good article about the MVP race, and specifically about Ortiz vs Jeter.

As we come closer to the end, here's how I rank the MVP candidates:

1- Jeter
2- Morneau (could be replaced by Mauer)
3- Ortiz
4- Dye
5- Thomas

As the White Sox and A's continue to push and the Red Sox continue to fade, players like Dye, Morneau and Frank Thomas will rise while Papi falls in my book, unless all 2 of those 3 teams crap out, leaving one standing. That said, I still think it's Jeter's award to lose. Unfortunately, being in Minnesota and having teammates like Mauer and Santana will hurt Morneau, and being way out west will all but eliminate Thomas, but he's been unbelievable since the all star break.

[Jedieb]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14791298/

A good article about the MVP race, and specifically about Ortiz vs Jeter.

As we come closer to the end, here's how I rank the MVP candidates:

1- Jeter
2- Morneau (could be replaced by Mauer)
3- Ortiz
4- Dye
5- Thomas

As the White Sox and A's continue to push and the Red Sox continue to fade, players like Dye, Morneau and Frank Thomas will rise while Papi falls in my book, unless all 2 of those 3 teams crap out, leaving one standing. That said, I still think it's Jeter's award to lose. Unfortunately, being in Minnesota and having teammates like Mauer and Santana will hurt Morneau, and being way out west will all but eliminate Thomas, but he's been unbelievable since the all star break.

That's how I'd rank them, although I'd put Mauer ahead of Thomas. Mauer and Morneau are going to cost each other votes, which will benefit Jeter. If not for Boston's implosion I think the MVP would have been Ortiz's. I'm starting to think Jeter could win it even without the batting title. Especially if this hitting streak gets into the 30's.

Matsui returned last night to a standing ovation and went 4-4. The only place Torre could find for him was the 8th spot! Shef could be back this week. Here's the potential playoff lineup boys and girls:

1. Damon – L .297/22HR/77 RBI
2. Jeter – R .346/13HR/92 RBI
3. Abreu – L .298/11HR/96 RBI
4. A-Rod – R .286/32HR/108 RBI
5. Giambi – L .249/36HR/107 RBI
6. Shef – R .298/33HR/109 RBI (career avg.)
7. Matsui – L .296/23HR/109RBI (career avg.)
8. Posada – L/R .278/19HR/80 RBI
9. Cano – L .335/9HR/59 RBI

Un-friggin-belivable!!!!!!!!!!!! And you'd have Cabrera and Bernie on the bench. That's just sick. To show it's not all about bats, the team ERA is first in the division, 6th in the AL, and 12 in the MLB. (4.39) To top it off, the Sandman should be rested and waiting in the pen. :evil

[JMK]

The Yankees solidy their standing as the favorite with each day. But if they face the Twins - look out! You know what Santana and Liriano could do to them in a short series.

[Jedieb]

The Angels scare me even more than the Twins because they always play the Yankees so well. Speaking of the Twins, I don't know how serious it is, but Loriano hurt his arm again yesterday and had to leave the game after 3 innings.

[JMK]

Supposedly he's done for the year. We wrote the Twins off the first time he went down, and they only came on stronger. I won't write them off again.

And how about the Dodgers the other day? I forgot to bring this up...they were leading the Cubs (the CUBS for the love of god!) 7-0, with their ace on the mound, and they managed to lose the game! I’m not saying you have to win every single game down the stretch, but you do have to win every single game where you have a 7run lead, against one of the worst teams in the league, that committed six errors in the game and you have your ace on the mound. That was truly awful.

And Barry looks like he's going to break Aaron's record. He's only 24 away from breaking it, and he's hit 23 ding dongs this year. He'll probably hit between 25-27, leaving him anywhere from 20-22 from the record. If he gets moved the AL so that he can DH, it's pretty much a lock. He'll break it, and the sad part is he'll probably only surpass it by about 5. All this hand-wringing and hair pulling so Barry can crawl past Aaron and then call it quits. Horrendous. The only hope left is that he hurts himself badly in the next 2 weeks, guys simply stop pitching to him next season (but they won't because they don't fear him anymore), or no one signs him in the off season (his contract is up). And I think all of those is unlikely. Someone will want to have the record broken while wearing their uniform. The biggest hope we have is that his knee gives out again sometime between now and 360 days from now.

[Jedieb]

If the scores hold, the Yanks magic number will be down to 5, at worst 6. The Yanks could clinch their 9th consecutive AL East title at the Stadium against the Red Sox this week. Sweeeeeeeeet. :evil

[sirdizzy]

Its a foregone conclusion that the yanks are taking the division and I think it slowly becoming a foregone conclusion that Jeter will win MVP. He has now hit in safely in 23 straight games and could stretch that into the 30's, the yanks are hot and look to win 100 games and he may win the batting title. The thing is Jeter contributes more that big papi does, he is an excellent fielder, and a huge team leader, he is the yankees.

[JMK]

I read an article today from the Boston Globe that said that Jeter and Papi were both tied for post-all star break RBI with 40. Jeter is most likely going to win the MVP, and he'll deserve it. Big Papi will hopefully win one some day because his numbers merit some recognition as well, he's just up against too much competition.

[CMJ]

Mets become the first team to clinch.

[JMK]

Yeah, that was a foregone conclusion literally months ago. The fact that they ran amock over the NL East without Pedro & Glavine for a significant period really speaks volumes about the team Minaya has put together. To think that just a few short years ago they had a washed up Mo Vaughn and Robbie Alomar out there....I'm happy for them, especially for guys like Delgado, Floyd and Wright. Of course, I'd like to see Glavine win another ring, but I don't think that's what's going to happen.

I'll be pulling for the Twinkies this post season. After that I won't really care. I guess I'll root for Detroit to finish off a great storybook season if the Twins can't get through.

[Jedieb]

The Yanks Magic Number is down to 1. EAT IT HATERS!!!!!!! :shootin

[JMK]

Another 5-5 night for Morneau. He's over 120RBI now, and the Twins are only a 1/2 game back of the Tigers. He's making a case that he should be the MVP, even over Jeter. Look, he's playing in a much tougher division (Boston and Toronto were out of it over a month ago realistically, and Baltimore and Tampa were never in it), and they're poised to steal the division from the team that has been the #1 team from day 1. And they're doing it without Liriano and Radke. Now THAT's value. Of course, Mauer will eat up some of his votes so Jeter will probably still get it but that doesn't necessarily mean he should anymore. Dye should be up there, but the White Sox won't even make the post season with a great line up so he's out, and Ortiz probably talked his way out of the MVP. If the Twins end up winning the division then I truly believe that Morneau will deserve the MVP as much, if not more than Jeter.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Yeah, that was a foregone conclusion literally months ago. The fact that they ran amock over the NL East without Pedro & Glavine for a significant period really speaks volumes about the team Minaya has put together. To think that just a few short years ago they had a washed up Mo Vaughn and Robbie Alomar out there....I'm happy for them, especially for guys like Delgado, Floyd and Wright. Of course, I'd like to see Glavine win another ring, but I don't think that's what's going to happen.

I'll be pulling for the Twinkies this post season. After that I won't really care. I guess I'll root for Detroit to finish off a great storybook season if the Twins can't get through.

That is who I am rooting for. In the NL maybe the Dodgers, the rest of the teams don't really interest me.

[CMJ]

Yankees clinch tonight. Six spots left.

[Jedieb]

VICTORY IS OURS!!!!!! :crack
And don't look now, the Blue Jays are only 1 game behind the Red Sox. Looks like $120M may only get you 3rd place this year. :evil

The White appear to be DONE. The Twins, who we keep writing off everytime Loriano feels a twinge, are now TIED for 1st in the AL central. That's pretty damn impressive, even if Detroit's strumbling has helped them get there.

[CMJ]

Ortiz gets #51! Season record holder for Boston. :D

[Jedi Master Carr]

VICTORY IS OURS!!!!!! :crack
And don't look now, the Blue Jays are only 1 game behind the Red Sox. Looks like $120M may only get you 3rd place this year. :evil

The White appear to be DONE. The Twins, who we keep writing off everytime Loriano feels a twinge, are now TIED for 1st in the AL central. That's pretty damn impressive, even if Detroit's strumbling has helped them get there.

And watch out the Twins aren't far behind in passing your Yankees for best record. I hope they get it, they are hard to beat in the MetroDome.

[Jedieb]

The two SF Chronicle reporters who busted Bonds and Giambi have been sentenced to up to 18 months in prison for not revealing their source. Over 30 states have shield laws to protect journalists. Unless I'm missing something, California isn't one of them. This is a disgrace. Here's the really balsy part; the GOVERNMENT leaked the testimony because it was having trouble nailing Bonds, now the same GOVERNMENT is going after the reporters that it fed the story to. Yes, we're talking about two different individuals, someone with access to the grand jury testimony and a prosecutor, but they both work for the same entity. This is just pathetic. And without a shield law, there's really not a damn thing the judge handling the case can do.

[JMK]

Yeah, they're going to go in the slam, and that's a shame. I have trouble with this big time, because they don't deserve it, but technically they did break the law, and I don't think you can pick and choose when its ok to break the law.

I'm sure that even though the gov't is throwing these guys under the bus, they will be pampered in prison and may find their bank accounts nicely padded when they get out.

Besides, they KNEW the risks when this information came across their desks. They could have passed on it, or they could have acted on it, and profit. They chose to earn money off it. They must have known this was a real possibility...but I do feel bad for them. As the millionnaire cheaters in MLB and NFL continue to cash HUGE paychecks, the guys who really did do some good are going to the can.

[sirdizzy]

wow the yanks have a new murder's row and it may be better than the original. Did anyone see tonights game against the orioles, the first time they have had their complete lineup, each starter got a hit and scored a run and they routed the orioles.

I don't care who they play in the playoffs, that hitting lineup is going to be hard to stop.

[JMK]

Yeah, they're just a beastly lineup. It's literally an all star team - heck, it's almost a hall of fame team at every position. On days where Johnson starts and Rivera closes, even the pitchers are HOF-bound. It's an embarassment of riches...but as we've seen in the past, good pitching can neutralize ALL of that. A little bit of luck towards an underdog - in a short series and the Yankees may not win afterall.

BTW, Bonds' agent says that Barry will play in 2007 and he does expect to be a Giant. I'm not sure how that will work, but with Barry only 21 HRs away from Aaron, it's probably inevitable that Bonds will catch him, and just barely pass him, then call it quits. I think that's the biggest shame. If he were to pass him with 765+, I'd have a much easier time digesting it than if he crawled past at 758 and then retired. At the rate Barry is going at, it looks as though that's exactly where he will stop...unless he either gets hurt - or gets hot.

[Jedieb]

Last night was the first time since early May the Yankees had their complete lineup healthy and in the game and it was the first complete lineup with Abreu in the mix. Holy crap, Cano is now 2nd in the AL with a .343 average and he was hitting ninth, NINTH!!!! I'm glad to see Torre is going with a sensible rotation for the playoffs. Wang, Mussina, Johnson. Who knows who the 4th starter will be, but I think having Johnson start the first road game is perfect. Wang is clearly the best starter the Yankees have and he's much stronger at home than on the road. Having him go first is a smart move and I'm glad Torre didn't worry about egos and salaries in making his decisions.

This lineup is going to be a blast to watch. There's simply NO break. A starter can always count on some kind of relief in a lineup, a weakness in the order. Where the hell can you find it in this lineup? It's actually kind of sad that you can make an argument that A-Rod is the weak part of the lineup. Imagine if he gets his head straight and has a decent post season, not a monster one, just a DECENT one.

Last night's lineup.
1. Damon
*Cabrera PH
2. Jeter
3. Abreu
*Bernie Williams PH
4. A-Rod
5. Giambi
6. Shefield
7. Matsui
8. Posada
9. Cano

Cano is basically another leadoff hitter and the Shef, Matsui, Posada portion of the lineup is like going through a 3-5 order for a second time. If Mussina and Johnson get on any kind of roll this could be a huge run. :evil

[JMK]

Posada is probably the weak link in the order, but he doesn't give away at-bats either. He's just not as good as his teammates.

[CMJ]

Anyone think the Cardinals are gonna blow that entire lead? Houston would be more formidable if they can get past them, but there's so few games left, I'm just not sure.

[JMK]

It's so close now, and this collapse by the Cardinals is just amazing. They're like the '64 Phillies. I still can't believe they've lost 7 games in 7 days. That's incredible. And it's not like Houston is a great team or anything. In fact I'd bet that once the playoffs roll around and they play tougher opposition, the offense will dry up as it always does.

[CMJ]

Well Houston HAS won 8 straight. I actually think with their staff they'd be a hard out for anyone.

[JMK]

Yeah they've won 8 straight - and that's hard for anyone to do, but they're still just barely above .500. If you take away this streak they're several games below .500 and well out of the picture. Personally I think they more closely resemble the team that played sub-500 over 150 games than the team that got hot over the course of a week. I agree though...with Clemens/Oswalt/Pettitte they could be tough for anyone, but their offense blows when it counts.

[Jedi Master Carr]

The NL is up for grabs right now though. I have no idea who is going to get to the WS from there. Although the AL looks about the same to me. To me only Oakland has no prayer of making it to the WS. You could make an argument for the other three teams.

[JMK]

Obviously the Mets were the only serious contender in the NL, but now with Pedro done for the year, they will have a seriously problem in just getting to the WS.

What a performance by Daniel Cabrera last night. He serves notice to the Yankees that simply having an all-star lineup doesn't ensure victory. It's either a late-season wake up call to the Yanks, or a reason for whoever will play them to believe they can knock them off.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Obviously the Mets were the only serious contender in the NL, but now with Pedro done for the year, they will have a seriously problem in just getting to the WS.

What a performance by Daniel Cabrera last night. He serves notice to the Yankees that simply having an all-star lineup doesn't ensure victory. It's either a late-season wake up call to the Yanks, or a reason for whoever will play them to believe they can knock them off.

I think the Twins pitching give them the best chance of beating them. In the NL I like the Dodgers, if they win the Wild Card. I think they could make a run towards the WS.

[JMK]

Yeah, the Dodgers are the only other team that I would consider dangerous. The Cardinals have the potential, but they're a wreck right now.

Beyond Santana the Twins pitching staff isn't great, and I'm pretty sure that the Yankees would have their way with them. Aside from Nathan, nobody really stands out. If the series went 5 games maybe you could get Santana to pitch in a 5th game, but then he'd be in a tight spot for the ALCS and the WS if they get there. Let's face it - they can't get far without Liriano AND an energized Santana.

And if the Twins manage to edge out the Tigers this weekend and win the AL central title, I'm giving the MVP to Morneau. I saw some stats on sportscenter this morning that are eye popping. Up until June 9th, Morneau was only hitting about .240 with 11 homers, and accordingly, the Twins were waaaaay out of the picture. Since a June
9th game vs Baltimore, Morneau has ridiculous numbers and the Twins have played nearly .700 ball since then. Not a coincidence. To boot, every Twins game this past month, if not more, has been an important game, whereas the Yankees haven't played an important game since the massacre, and Morneau has been incredible throughout. Sorry Derek, you're going to the hall, but you should live without the MVP for another year.

[CMJ]

If the Astros win the division, I think they're going to the WS again. But I'd like to see the Dodgers do well, simply because the city would go bananas.

[JMK]

I'd like to see Maddux get a ring, and I'd also like to see Nomar get a ring and actually be on the team that wins it. ;)

[Jedieb]

I think the Twins pitching give them the best chance of beating them. In the NL I like the Dodgers, if they win the Wild Card. I think they could make a run towards the WS.

Great game by Cabrera the other night, but the Yanks were still on autopilot to an extent. A-Rod and Jeter didn't even start the game and with Detroit losing earlier in the day the AL lead in wins was secure.

The Yanks will face the WC winner and the A's will get the AL Central champs. I'd rather face Detroit, but I like our chances against Santana with Wang on the mound at The Stadium. Remember, as good as Santana is, Wang is no slouch either. They BOTH have 19 wins and Wang is much better at home than on the road. Mussina and Johnson are much better 2 and 3 starters than the Twins have. Yes, Johnson is just as likely to pitch 7 shutout innings as he is to give up 7 runs, but I like him on the road against a team's #3 starter. The playoffs begin Tues. Let the run to 27 begin! :evil

[Jedi Master Carr]

Is Johnson even going to pitch? I was under the impression he was hurt.

[Jedieb]

He threw a session on the side today and he looked pretty good. If he were our #1 starter I'd be sweating bullets, but he's our #3 so whatever we can get out of him is gravy.

I almost forgot, CONGRATULATIONS to the Boston Red Sox for spending over $120 MILLION DOLLARS to finish in THIRD place! The most expensive team to ever miss the playoffs. At least when the Yankees spend over $100M they win the division and make some kind of run in the playoffs. Way to go beantown. EAT IT HATERS!!!!!! :shootin