The Doc Is In, And Throws A No-No!

What a way to make your postseason debut! Roy Halladay just became the second pitcher in MLB history to throw a no-hitter in the postseason.

He was one walk away from pitching his second perfect game of the year to add to that.

Halladay painted the corners the entire game and lead with a first-pitch strike most of the game.

The mind blowing statistics go on and on in this one. Halladay threw just 24 balls out of the 104 total pitches he threw. He also took the count to three balls just three times.

Want more? He also added an RBI to his credit in the second inning.

If Halladay continues to pitch like this then there's no way the Phillies go down to anyone out of the National League or the American League. He pitched that good today.

The Phillies will have the luxury of sending him out on short rest if things get sticky in any of their series as well.

Don't forget how good this pitching staff is either. They have Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt still to pitch in the next two games before Halladay takes the mound again on Friday presumably.

It's also important to know that the Reds numbers-wise are the best hitting team in the NL so Halladay didn't do this to just anybody.

As we all expected, the Phillies look to be in good shape at making their third straight trip to the World Series.

Padres, Giants, and Braves: Only Room For Two

Almost every season there is one or two good teams who don't make the playoffs.

It's going to happen this year in the National League for sure.

Padres

Currently the Padres are imploding by losing to teams like the Cubs and the Dodgers. They need to pretty much win out if they want to win the NL West.

They have a little bit more room for error in the wild card race with the Braves, but it's important to remember that the Braves end their season with a series against the Phillies.

That means bad news for the Padres because the Phillies will most likely rest the strong part of their lineup considering they've already clinched the division.

The Padres need to win out against the Cubs and win at least two of three if they want all that hard work they did over the regular season pay off.

Giants

The Giants sit in the best position to make the playoffs out of these three teams. They've done a great job at taking care of teams they're suppose to beat, like the Diamondbacks. The Giants are in the middle of a three-game series with the D'backs right now.

If the Giants sweep the D'backs then that will put a ton of pressure on the Padres going into their season ending series with the Giants.

Even if somehow the Giants do find a way to lose the division, they still have the wild card to most likely fall back on. They have Lincecum going tonight on short rest to make sure that doesn't happen.

Braves

This team gradually began to fall apart after losing Chipper Jones and now Martin Prado is also out for the season. That's a lot to overcome.

They got a huge win against the Marlins earlier today which puts them two games ahead in the NL wild card standings.

The Braves have to be hoping that the Giants sweep the Padres. If that happens then the Braves are in the playoffs regardless of what they do against the Phillies.

To top it all off the Phillies will most likely rest a good chunk of their star power in their finall series of the regular season.

NL West

1. Giants 89-68
2. Padres 87-70 (2 GB)

NL Wild Card

1. Braves 90-69
2. Padres 87-70 (2 GB)
   

NL West Race Heats Up This Weekend

The NL West over the past few seasons has been one of the most watered down divisions in baseball, but that hasn't been the case this season.

Every team in this division, with the exception of the Diamondbacks, could make a last second push for the playoffs.

Even though the Rockies and the Dodgers are within shouting distance, it will most likely come down to the Giants and the Padres.

Oh how fitting. The Giants and Padres have a three-game series this weekend in San Francisco.

If this series wasn't already heated up enough, Giants starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez guaranteed a three-game sweep of the division leading Padres. He also said that once the Giants get into first place there's no looking back.

I'm all for confidence, but I'm not so sure it's smart to get fired up the team with the best record in the NL.

If the Giants do indeed sweep this series then they'll be in first place for the first time since May 5.

There's no way the Giants will sweep this series. They don't even have the heart of their staff pitching this weekend, and Saturday's starter for the Padres is the nearly unstoppable Mat Latos.

Considering how close the wild card race is in the NL, whoever finishes second in this division has a good chance at going home early. That would obviously be crushing for the Padres. They've been in first place pretty much this entire season.

Usually it's the AL East that is getting everyone's attention, but the NL West is getting in on the act this season.

Phillips, Reds Brawl Their Way Out Of First Place

Cardinals centerfielder Colby Rasmus said it best after the three-game sweep of the Reds: "They might have woken up a sleeping giant".

Uh, you think?

I've been waiting on the Cardinals to wake up all season. The key here is they've always stayed within arm's reach of the Reds in the standing, and now they're in sole possession of first place.

I don't see the Cardinals turning back from here. Their next five series are against the Cubs, Brewers, Giants, Pirates, and Nationals. Not exactly would I would call a scary part of the schedule.

Brandon Phillips started yesterday's bench clearing brawl by talking trash like it was the WWE. Then he walked out like he was a future Hall of Famer and tapped Yadier Molina's feet while stepping into the batter's box to open the game.

This eventually led to the ejections of both Dusty Baker and Tony La Russa, which won't be going out for a beer anytime soon.

After that spanking that the Cardinals just handed to his team, Phillips has to be feeling a little foolish.

It's the middle of August and this is when teams either take the shape of a playoff team or fade away into a team struggling for a wild card spot.

All is not lost here for the Reds obviously. I wouldn't mind seeing these two teams meet later on in the playoffs. That would be good television.

NL Central Race

1. Cardinals 64-49
2. Reds 64-51 (1 GB)

NL Wild Card Race

1. Giants 64-50
2. Phillies 63-50 (1/2 GB)
3. Reds 64-51 ( 1/2 GB)

Can A-Rod Chase Down 762?

OK, so Alex Rodriguez finally reached career home run No.600 today after 46 at-bats since hitting No. 599.

It would be a nice accomplishment if not for his admittance of using performance enhancing drugs.

Now the real question is whether or not he can chase down the current record, which is also tainted by alleged PED use.

As of right now Rodriguez needs 162 homers to reach Barry Bonds. At age 35, Rodriguez probably has four or five years left in the tank of good baseball. After that it's anyone's guess as to how long he might play.

After 101 games Rodriguez has only managed 17 home runs, which is way behind the pace he would need to be at to reach 762 within the next four years.

Rodriguez needs to average about 35 to 40 home runs a season over the next four seasons to have any real chance of breaking that record. Now obviously the longer he plays the lower that average is going to be.

However, I just don't see Rodriguez being anything more than an average hitter after the next four years. His home run production has declined greatly this season, and he's only projected to finish with 26 home runs at his current pace.

He's obviously not getting any younger. Common logic would say that his home run production will gradually decline as he gets older. Therefore it is my belief that Rodriguez will come up a little short of whichever record you want to count.

In the end I see Rodriguez fizzling out somewhere around 700. I'm hoping that I'm right on my prediction because there's no way I want to see someone as egotistical as Alex Rodriguez be crowned the home run king.

If he does get the record, then there will be two asterisks at the top of the home run list in most people's minds.

Career Home Run Leaders

1. Barry Bonds- 762
2. Hank Aaron- 755
3. Babe Ruth-714
4. Willie Mays- 660
5. Ken Griffey Jr.- 630
6. Sammy Sosa- 606
7. Alex Rodriguez- 600
8. Frank Robinson- 586
9. Mark McGwire- 583
10. Jim Thome- 577
    

Time to Sniff Out the MLB's Current Frauds

There's plenty unusual suspects that are sitting at the top, or near the top of the standing right now. Most of the time these surprise teams get exposed for the frauds they are early in the playoffs, if not during August.

Here's a few surprise teams and whether they are frauds or legit.

1. Padres (58-39, 1st in NL West): The Padres have been playing good baseball all year long, but it's really hard to figure out why. They rank outside of the top 20 in all the major hitting categories, including 25th in batting average. But then again, their pitching has been spectacular as they lead the MLB in ERA at 3.27. Pitching is so important come playoff time and that will make them very dangerous in the wide open National League. Verdict: Legit
2. Reds (55-45, Tied for 1st in NL Central): It was just recently that the Reds lost 1st place to the Cardinals. This team has a lot of talent in the batter's box anchored by Joey Votto. However, this team has been streaky as of late losing to teams like the Astros and the Nationals. They're somewhat thin at the starting pitching rotation with Johnny Cueto being the most viable option. Verdict: Fraud
3. White Sox (53-44, 1st in AL Central): It's been a while since the White Sox have been relevant in the AL Central. The AL Central will go right down to the last day of the season just like last season with the Tigers and the Twins still in the picture behind the White Sox. One of the selling points of the White Sox is the fact that they're not horrible at anything, but then again they're not reall all that great at anything either. They rank somewhere in the middle in most of the major statisitical categories. In the end I see the Twins winning this division and the White Sox being nowhere near the top of the AL wildcard standing. Sorry sox fans, it was fun while it lasted. Verdict: Fraud
4. Giants (56-43, 2nd in NL West): Here's another team that at one time was relevant every year in the playoff race, but of recent time has been pretty much a cellar dwellar. The Giants finally have some hitting to back up that solid pitching rotation. Buster Posey has proven to be one of the best hitters on this team (he's hitting .479 in July and .371 overall). Aubrey Huff and Juan Uribe have also been dependable this season. No team will want to play them in the playoffs with their pitching rotation. With that said, they'll sneak in as the NL wildcard team. Verdict: Legit

George Steinbrenner: July 4, 1930-July 13, 2010

Known predominantly as the most powerful owner in all of sports, George Steinbrenner died of a massive heart attack earlier today.

We lost a great owner whether you loved him or hated him. In fact, most of us loved to hate him just like his beloved Yankees.

Many, including myself, criticized the way Steinbrenner threw his millions of dollars around to stack his teams which gave him unfair advantages over other owners.

However an interesting point was made on ESPN radio and I can't deny how valid it actually is. Other owners and fans alike can be upset about how much more money Steinbrenner had than their own ball clubs, but his teams that he built filled up the stands in opposing ball parks.

Ever seen a Royals game sold out? Not for a regular game you haven't, but if the Yankees are in town then that ballpark is getting the highest attendance it will see all season.

I remember back when the Rays were the Devil Rays and better yet the worst team in baseball. They barely had a higher attendance than some high school programs probably get. But when those Yankees came to town that ballpark filled up like the Devil Rays were a dynasty.

Those owners get that extra money for all those Yankee fans filling up their seats.

Yes, he was the villain but sometimes the villain is the most important character in the movie, or in this case the sport. He rebuilt a Yankee organization that had fallen behind the Mets when he took them over in 1973.

The best thing about Steinbrenner was that he cared so much about winning. He was actually passionate about his team and wasn't just in it for the money. I respect that so much after growing up in a world where sports is becoming more and more about the dollar sign and less and less about the actual game itself.

You can't hate the man for using his money wisely. What was he suppose to do? Equally share his money? I wouldn't do that if I was in his situation, and neither would you.

He bougth the team for around $10 million and now the team is worth over $1.5 billion. I'd say that was a good investment Mr. Steinbrenner.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the Steinbrenner family tonight.

The Yankees Under Steinbrenner

• 7 World Series championships
• 11 AL pennants
• 16 division titles
• Worth jumped from $10 million in 73' to $1.65 billion today
  

Did Strasburg Deserve Spot on All-Star Roster?

Despite the boat loads of hype Stephen Strasburg has received throughout the season, he was denied his first bid at becoming an All-Star.

He'll get plenty of All-Star selections throughout his career.

The question here is whether Strasburg would have deserved the All-Star selection if he had gotten it? He's only appeared in five games this year and no matter how impressive you are, there are other guys that have put in the work during the first part of the season.

National League manager Charlie Manuel cited that as the reasoning behind not selecting Strasburg.

The pitchers he did pick were right on the money in my book. Ubaldo Jimenez of the Rockies was a no-brainer. Jimenez just recently had his ERA creep above one. It sits at 2.27 no, and he has 14 wins.

I'm not as crazy about the Roy Halladay selection, but you can't blame Manuel for making a pick from his team. Halladay is only 9-7, but some of those losses can be attributed to the Phillies' horrible hitting slump they went through for a month or so. You also can't forget about the perfect game he threw.

Some of the other notable NL pitchers will be Tim Lincecum, Tim Hudson, and Adam Wainwright.

We'll have to wait one more year to see Strasburg light guys up in the batter's box during the mid-summer classic.

Baseball's Newest Pitching Sensation

There's a new force to be reckoned with on the mound in the National League, and it's not Tim Lincecum or Roy Halladay. It's Ubaldo Jimenez of the Rockies.

Just in case you don't keep up with baseball, Jimenez currently has an ERA of 0.78. In fact, he hasn't given up an earned run since May 15.

This is the kind of pitcher that can carry you to the World Series. We saw it last season with Cliff Lee and C.C. Sabathia, and we could very well see it again this season with Jimenez.

The most surprising thing about this is the fact that Jimenez is no stranger to baseball. He's been around since 2006 but has never pitched anywhere close to how he's pitching now. His career ERA is a modest 3.39.

He's also never won more than 15 games in a season and he's already won ten this season. Let's also not forget that no-hitter he threw towards the beginning of the season.

Barring some kind of meltdown, he'll easily win the NL Cy Young and help the Rockies at least get a Wild Card berth.

Thanks to Jimenez the Rockies are very worthy contenders for the NL pennant.

The Numbers

• 10-1 record (1st)
  
• 0.78 ERA (1st)
  
• 70 strikeouts (T-7th)

MLB Enters Interleague Play

There's not much going on this time year in sports, but the baseball season has entered interleauge play which always provides at least some excitement.

What we've come to know as the Subway Series between the Yankees and the Mets. The Yankees took the first game in a close one. Much like the Cubs in Chicago, the Yankees are the darlings of New York, but the Mets have a very loyal blue collar fanbase which makes this series so fun to watch.

It's always fun going out west to witness the Giants and the Athletics go at it. They're separated only by San Francisco Bay. The series opener was especially intriguing because reborn Barry Zito played against his old ball club that made him great at one time.

The Athletics took down Zito and the Giants in that series opener.

Other than those two series, the others really didn't jump out at me. However, there are plenty more interesting matchups left on the interleague slate.

Upcoming Interleague Matchups

• 6/11: White Sox @ Cubs
• 6/11: Phillies @ Red Sox
• 6/15: Phillies @ Yankees
• 6/18: Dodgers @ Red Sox
• 6/22: Tigers @ Mets
• 6/22: Dodgers @ Angels
• 6/25: Yankees @ Dodgers
• 6/25: Red Sox @ Giants

The one that sparks the most interest is the rematch of last year's World Series between the Yankees and the Phillies, and I'm sure those faithful Dodger fans can't wait to have the pin stripes come into Dodger Stadium.

Interleauge play is one of the few exciting moments in sports during the dog days of summer.

Four Reasons Today Was Craziest Sports Day I Can Remember

What a day in the world of sports! It started off so ordinary, but today was anything but that. Here's four reasons why:

1. Mets and Cardinals Go 20 Innings:

It's not often you see more than 10 innings of baseball, but the fans in St. Louis got their money's worth Saturday night. Technically they saw over two full games of baseball played. The Mets ended up winning 2-1, but sadly they'll only get credit for one win in the standings. If I was a player on either one of those teams I would be expecting a bonus.

2. Ubaldo Jimenez Throws No-Hitter For Rockies

A no-hitter is significant in itself, but the fact that Jimenez looked average for the first four innings makes this even more amazing. He had five walks to start the game but still managed the first no-hitter in Rockies history. To put the icing on the cake, his last pitch clocked at 97 miles per hour.

3. One-Seeded Capitals Come From Three Goals Down To Tie Series With Habs

Hard to believe that this is only third on the list of most impressive sports stories of the day. It still deserves a lot of attention. The Capitals were in danger of going down 2-0 to an eight-seeded Canadiens team that was given no chance to the President's Trophy winner. Despite trailing 4-1 with less than two minutes remaining in the 2nd period, the Capitals raillied to win 6-5 in overtime. They scored the winning goal just 31 seconds into overtime. Now that's playoff hockey!

You want to hear parity? Currently every series in the NHL playoffs is knotted at one game a piece except for the Predators-Blackhawks series which has yet to play the 2nd game of the series.

4. Dan Henderson Loses Strikeforce Debut, Brawl Breaks Out Afterwards

This could end up being costly for the sport of MMA. To catch everyone up, Strikeforce is basically the little brother of the UFC. It's featured on CBS instead of Pay-per-view and virtually the entire country has access to their events. Tonight was particularly special because MMA superstar Dan Henderson was featured in the main event. He lost in an unanimous decision to Jake Shields. Unfortunately the main storyline from this fight didn't occur during the scheduled fight time. The camptain of Shields and another fighter got into a physical confrontation in the middle of the ring shortly after the fight. This all occurred on national television and shines another negative light on the sport of MMA which is slowly trying to move into the national spotlight.




Honorable mention:

• Alex Rodriguez (584 home runs) moves into 8th all-time in home runs.
• Rookie Brandon Jennings (34 points) comes just two points short of tying Derrick Rose and Kareem Abdul-Jabarr for the most points scored by rookie in playoff game.

Maybe Pujols Really Is A Machine....

Albert Pujols, who is in my opinion the best all-around player in baseball right now, hasn't wasted any time getting his numbers up this season.

After just two games Pujols is already 5 for 8 with two home runs and four RBI's. He's still due for one more at-bat in tonight's game against the Reds so those numbers could easily go up.

Pujols is by far the most consistent hitter in all of baseball. There's no hitter I want stepping up to make a big hit more than Pujols. He's not just a home run hitter like Mark McGwire was. He just knows how to put the ball in the field of play and score runs.

Most importantly, he's done it cleanly as far as we know.

I like the Cardinals to easily win the NL Central this season and Pujols is the main reason why. However, this team has a very solid starting rotation as well.

The National League overall will be a very strong league this year. Oh yeah, and don't be surprised if Pujols wins another NL MVP and makes a run at baseball's first triple crown in over 30 years.

Mauer Is Now a Rich, Rich Man

Only Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter, both products of the Yankees throwing their millions of dollars around, can say that they're making the kind money than Twins catcher Joe Mauer is going to make.

The Twins agreed to pay Mauer $184 million over the next eight years. For all you mathematically challenged individuals like myself, that means he's going to make $23 million a year.

Highest Paid Players in Baseball (Yearly Salaries)

1. Alex Rodriguez-$33 million/year
   
2. Manny Ramirez-$23.8 million/year
3. Joe Mauer-$23 million/year
4. Derek Jeter-$21.6 million/year
5. Mark Teixeira-$20.6 million/year
   

As sick as it makes me to my stomach to see someone who plays baseball for a living make this kind of money, I still think it's great for baseball. It's about time we saw a team other than the Yankees or Red Sox able to retain one of their stars of the league.

The most interesting part of this story is the possibility that Mauer likely could've made somewhere in the range of $250 million if he had become a free agent. However, Mauer had expressed his interest in remaining in Minnesota where he grew up.

In my opinion he's one of the best all-around players in the game and if anyone deserves that kind of money, it's Joe Mauer. He's never been in trouble (knock on wood) and he's always played consistently good baseball.

These kinds of contracts always make me wonder how much pressure is put on these players. Could you imagine having to live up to that kind of money that an organization is willing to pay you? Then again, that's why these guys are professionals.

Believe it or not the start of the regular season is just weeks away with spring training already well underway.

The 2010 MLB Preview is coming up soon so keep an eye out for that!

Big Mac Finally Admits What We Already Knew

Not sure why Mark McGwire is even bothering to admit his use of steroids back in the 90's. The confession isn't really all that admirable when it's already over ten years later.

Nonetheless, McGwire admitted today that he used steroids numerous times throughout his career including the 1998 season when he broke the single season home run record. He finished with 70 dingers that year.

McGwire went on to say that he had bad years while using steroids and good years while using steroids. Doesn't that just hurt your credibility even more as a baseball player if you still had bad years despite the aid of steroids?

To me McGwire is one of the most overrated baseball players of all time. Sure he could hit the crap out of a baseball. However, he reminded more of that gigantic guy that plays on the company softball team and just walks up and swings away at every pitch.

He was never a great hitter outside of the home run ball. He was very prone to flying out and to striking out. His fielding was nothing great either.

McGwire will be returning to baseball next season to be the hitting coach for the Cardinals. Instead of using a guy who cheated to teach guys how to hit, just make Albert Pujols the hitting coach. After all, he's a way better all-around player than McGwire ever dreamed of being. Plus he did it the legitimate way.

This World Series Has the Potential to Be One of the Best

After a long postseason that started almost a month ago we have finally reached the World Series, and it could not have been set up more perfectly.

No other team in baseball is built better than the Phillies to take the Yankees down. This Yankees team is the best it has been since the last time they won a World Series back in 2000, and the Phillies have talent to crash the party.

These two teams actually met in interleague action back in May and the Phillies won two of three in the Bronx. Take that series with a grain of salt because the Yankees were not playing their best ball at that point in the young season.

There isn't a break for the opposing pitcher in either one of these lineups. You've got Derek Jeter, I raise you Jimmy Rollins. You've got Ryan Howard, I raise you Alex Rodriguez. The list goes on and on. In other words, both teams virtually cancel each other out with their hitting lineups. So now it comes down to the pitching.

If the Phillies wouldn't have acquired Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez they wouldn't even be in this situation for the second straight year. But since they do, they have a decent chance at hanging with the Yankees pitching staff.

Lee is pitching Game 1 tonight which is a no-brainer, and Joe Girardi is countering with C.C. Sabathia, which has also been lights out this postseason with a 1.19 ERA.

Many are leaning towards whoever wins Game 1 will win the series, but I disagree with that. Both teams are too good to be counted out after just one game.

There are actually two key games to this series and it's games two and three. Pedro Martinez is going Game 2 and that is a smart move by Charlie Manuel. No other pitcher in the Phillies rotation is more suited to pitch against the Yankees in Yankee Stadium than Martinez is.

The x-factor for the Phillies in this series is whether the bullpen can hang with the Yankees' dominant bullpen. If the Phillies' bullpen plays like it did against the Dodgers in the NLCS, then this series will easily go seven game and the Phillies may even take this in six.

It's going to be a close series but in the end I think the Yankees bullpen contains the Phillies hitters enough to win this in seven games. Buckle up, because it's going to be one to remember no matter who comes out on top.

Team Advantges

1. Starting Pitching Advantage: Yankees
2. Bullpen Advantage: Yankees
3. Hitting Advantage: Phillies
4. Managing Advantage: Phillies

Prediction: Yankees in 7

AL Central Still Up for Grabs

Barring a huge comeback by the woeful Kansas City Royals this afternoon, the Tigers and the Twins will meet in a tiebreaker game to decide who will take the division title. The Twins would get the honor of hosting the tiebreaker game.

The Tigers have squandered opportunity after opportunity to lock this division up a long time ago, but instead they've lost games they should have won down the stretch.

On the flip side, the Twins have had a huge turnaround and have come out of nowhere to possibly make the playoffs. This tiebreaker game can't bring up good memories for the Twins. Last season the Twins lost to the White Sox in a tiebreaker game that forced them to miss the playoffs.

Whether it's the Tiger or the Twins the eventually advance to the postseason, I see neither one of them coming close to beating the Yankees in the first round. It would be surprising to see either one of them take the series to even five games.

The Tigers are reeling right now and I don't see them defeating the Twins in a pressure situation. The Twins are one of the hottest teams in baseball and I see them taking out the Tigers and making the postseason.

Giants Making One Last Push For the Postseason

Another win for the Giants against the wild-card leading Rockies came Tuesday night.

They now lead the season series ten games to seven with one game remaining against the Rockies this season. The bad part is they could still end up missing the postseason.

There's no question that the Giants unmatched pitching staff can be thanked for this surprising push towards the playoffs. No one saw the Giants doing anything this season many had them finishing among the worst in the NL. For crying out loud even Barry Zito is finally pitching like the ace that he once was!

If the Giants find a way to shock the baseball world and reach the playoffs they'll be the first team to ever have as bad of an on-base percentage that the Giants have and still make the playoffs. Right now their team on-base percentage is right around 30 percent.

The Giants have had a tough schedule as of late and still has managed to keep pace with the Rockies despite the Rockies having a fairly easy schedule as of late. Everyone is all over how great the Rockies. They may be a solid team but they have made this way harder on themselves then it had to be. They practically had this thing locked up just a week ago.

Now they're in danger of only being up a game and a half on the Giants if they lose tomorrow. It doesn't make it any easier that Matt Cain steps on the mound tomorrow.

The Giants have a fairly easy schedule left after their three-game set with the Dodgers this weekend. On the other hand the Rockies schedule gets a little tougher as they have three-game sets with the Cardinals and the Dodgers still remaining.

If the Giants take care of business and beat the teams they're suppose to beat then they still have a great chance at making the playoffs for the first time since 2003. I've said it time and time again, the Giants are extremely dangerous with their pitching staff if they make the postseason. They're built to win five-game series. I'm not saying they'll win it all, but they'll definitely raise some eyebrows.

Frankly this is the only story I'm interested in when it comes to baseball now that football has started so hopefully it will stay close till the end.

Giants Remaining Schedule: 3 @ Dodgers, 3 @ D'backs, 4 vs. Cubs, 3 vs. D'backs,
3 @ Padres

Rockies Remaining Schedule: 3 @ D'backs, 3 vs. Padres, 3 vs. Cardinals, 3 vs. Brewers,
3 @ Dodgers

Addition of Lee, Martinez Have Phillies As NL Favorite

Everyone can forget about the Dodgers being favorites in the National League like they have been for much of the season.

The only thing that was keeping the Phillies from possibly repeating as World Series champions was their weak starting rotation. Well, you can go ahead and toss that out the window.

The additions of Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez have completely transformed the Phillies from wild card hopefuls, to easily the NL favorites.

Before the Phillies revamped their pitching rotation, they were still one of the best hitting teams in all of baseball. Not only has their offense gotten even better over the past month, but now even Cole Hamels and J.A. Happ are pitching lights out.

I never thought I would say this, but the Phillies rotation may be better than the loaded Giants rotation.

Speaking of the Giants, they witnessed first-hand tonight just how dangerous the Phillies are by being dominated by Pedro Martinez. Martinez is now 3-0 with a 3.52 ERA. Not bad for being out of the game for almost a year.

Cliff Lee, which won his first five starts before finally losing on August 29, gets the start tommorow against the Astros.

With the exception of the Cardinals, there is no team in the NL that will even come close to defeating the Phillies in the playoffs.

For all the Dodgers fans out there, you may be wondering why I have suddenly jumped ship on them. Well it's no mystery that they have cooled off dramatically since the All-Star break. They'll be lucky if the Rockies or the Giants don't catch them in the standings.

The Phillies are now the most balanced team in all of baseball and that is what wins championships in all sports, not just baseball. So brace yourself Phillies fans becasue it should be another great postseason.

Phillies NL Ranks

Home Runs 85 (1st)
Runs Scored 666 (2nd)
Doubles 255 (T-2nd)
Slug PCT .449 (1st)
ERA 4.12 (6th)

God Must Not Be a Mets Fan

For all the Mets fans out there, I really do feel for you. What a horrible year 2009 has been. Not to mention the horrific end to the 2008 season.

With all the injuries the Mets have endured, I'm not even sure the manager Jerry Manuel knows the names of half his roster anymore.

The latest disaster for the Mets happened after Johan Santana suffered a season ending elbow injury. The injury doesn't seem to be too serious, but the Mets are doing the right thing by getting Santana the surgery. This thing could get really nasty if Santana misses significant time next season.

There was a ton of buzz behind the Mets back in April, and some had them as a trendy World Series pick. Now the Nationals are the only team keeping them from being the laughing stock of the NL East. And quite frankly the Nationals have looked a whole lot better since the All-Star break.

The Mets hitting lineup has been impacted the most by injuries with at least six significant players currently on the disabled list.

Of course a lot of you probably can't forget the freak accident that happened to Luis Castillo a couple of weeks ago. Castillo couldn't even walk down the steps to dugout without injuring himself. He's back now and is one of the only Mets player that is doing anything good for that team.

Just hang in there Mets fans. You've definitely paid your dues the past couple of seasons while the NL East has gotten better and better ( except those poor Nationals).

Current Mets on the Disabled List

• Jose Reyes ( hamstring)
• Carlos Beltran ( knee)
• Carlos Delgado (hip, oblique)
• David Wright (concussion)
• Alex Cora (thumbs)
• Johan Santana (elbow)
• John Maine (shoulder)
• J.J. Putz (bone chips)
• Fernando Nieve (thigh)
  

Playoff Races Are Heating Up

It's getting to that time of year where the regular season turns into an all out sprint to the finish line in the MLB.

Every division is still very much up for the taking with the largest division lead being in the NL Central at eight games. The Cardinals will most likely continue to run away with that division because the Cubs and the Brewers just keep fading.

Perhaps one of the most exciting division race is the NL West, which everyone thought would be easily won by the Dodgers. The Giants and the Rockies beg to differ and they're currently in the midst of a four game series that concludes on Monday.

All three divisions in the AL are still very much up for grabs. The Rangers still have seven more games against the division leading Angels and they've had their number for most of the season.

It's still a mystery to me that the Tigers still have the division lead. They might be the most inconsistent team in baseball and it might come back to haunt them in the end. They only have a slim two and a half game lead over the White Sox. The Twins are also still within shouting distance.

And then you have the most stacked division in all of baseball; the AL East. The Yankees got deomolished last night by the Red Sox 14-1. Lucky for them they still have a six and a half game lead over their hated rivals.

Finally you got both wild card races, which are always close. Right now the Rockies lead the NL wild card race and the Red Sox lead the AL wild card race.

It's been a long, grueling, and boring summer in the sports world. That's putting it mildly. With football just weeks away and the baseball season heating up, I couldn't be happier to be a sports fan!

NL division leaders: Dodgers, Cardinals, and Phillies
NL Wild Card contenders: Rockies (leader), Giants, Braves, Marlins
AL division leaders: Yankees, Angels, and Tigers
AL Wild Card contenders: Red Sox (leader), Rangers, Rays, Mariners, White Sox