8.5 on September 5.
It’s somewhat trivial news in the grand scheme, but Kerry Wood is done for the rest of the season and will need surgery. He may be retiring as a result.
Woody might be my favorite Cub of all time. I really hope there’s a spot for him on the roster next season as a reliever. I think he’s still got something left in the tank and money shouldn’t be an issue, the Cubs can afford him and he’s not looking for a lot of money. The real question will be what the organization decides to do in what looks to be a tumultuous offseason. I think a case can be made to keep a leader like Wood, even if the team begins a youth movement but there’ll be a new GM running the show and the new ownership doesn’t have a long history with him. Worst case he’s as good an ambassador as you could hope for.
Shhhhhh. You want this getting around and everyone making some kind of fuss about it?
Well, the Orioles and the Red Sox split the double-header today, so Boston still leads Tampa by two games, although the Rays are only one back in the loss column. I wouldn’t bet on the Orioles to spoil Boston’s party, though.
In other news, i’m having a lot of fun keeping up with Albert Pujols’ season, and not just because he’s on my fantasy team.
Despite his rather slow (for Albert, anyway) first half, he’s been on fire since the All-Star Break, and he’s steadily brought his batting average up far enough that he has a good chance at finishing his 11th consecutive season with a .300 average. His average in early August was .275, but he reached .300 on Sunday, and currently sits at .299 after going 1/5 on Monday.
He’s also looking good for his 11th season with an OPS+ above 150. His numbers since the All-Star Break (which basically coincides with his time back from the DL) are .326/.389/.614. He needs 4 more RBI and 3 more runs scored to reach 100 in each category, which would give him 11 straight seasons with 100 RBI and 10 out of 11 with 100 runs (he scored 99 in 2007). He leads the NL (and is 4th overall) with 36 home runs.
He’s also in the thick of the Cardinals’ run at the Wild Card, hitting .410/.457/.656 with 4 HR since the beginning of September. During that stretch, the Cards have gone 11-5 and have gained 6 games on the Braves.
The starting pitchers in that second game now have ERAs of 10.68 and 6.49. Both those figures were a little lower when the game began, but still–anyone surprised that the game ended up 18 to 9??
If Brian Matusz can just get in another 5.1 innings he could set the new record for the worst ERA in history by a guy with at least 50 innings pitched.
The record is held - incredibly - by none other than Roy Halladay.
I was reading Roy Halladay’s Wiki page yesterday, and came across that statistic. I actually hope Matusz doesn’t get another 5.1 innings, because i think there’s something pretty cool about that record being held by an all-time great pitcher.
Clayton Kershaw has gone up against Tim Lincecum 4 times this season, and won all four.
2-1
2-1
1-0
2-1
Lincecum has given up a total of 4 earned runs in these 4 losses.
It’s almost funny. But not, because Kershaw essentially eliminated the Giants from the playoffs.
Kershaw pretty much has to be the Cy Young at this point. Best ERA in the majors, and he leads the NL in both strikeouts and wins.
In terms of worst collapses, how about the 1964 Philadelphia Phillies who were 6.5 games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals on September 20th and managed to lose the lead.
The Cardinals are coming tra la tra la…
Well, the Orioles just took 3 of 4 from the Red Sox. Unfortunately, the Rays also managed to get swept by the Yankees, so they’re actually a half-game further back than they were a couple of days ago, despite Boston’s losses.
I don’t know if this has been mentioned but paramedic Bryan Stow, the Giants fan beaten to unconsciousness and then in a coma since opening day had a recent surgery, was able to make facial movements and now has asked to see his children.
Anyone is to be forgiven for thinking this day might never come.
What’s remarkable is that Halladay’s transition from “unbelievably awful” to “unhittable” happened more or less instantly. He went to single A at the start of 2001, changed his delivery a little, and was one of the best pitchers in baseball essentially the day he arrived back in Toronto. There was no ramp-up; from the moment he came back he was a totally different pitcher. He was awesome down the stretch in 2001, the best pitcher in the league in 2002, and the best pitcher in the league in 2003. Just by changing his delivery.
Tommy Lasorda returns to managing duties tonight against the Giants. Should be good for a laugh at the stadium tonight.
Really? Outstanding!
Tommy Lasorda is by far my favorite manager to hate…I remember when the Dodgers would come into Candlestick, Tommy would walk out to deliver the lineup card to the umpire before the game accompanied by a chorus of boos from the fans, then on his way back to the dugout he’d doff his hat and wave. He loved every second of it.
He’s awesome.
That being said, I hope the Giants ruin his birthday celebration. We’re still in the race (mathematically speaking, anyway)!
That’s great news.
I will be in the stands tonight hoping for some antics. And, also, hoping for a Dodger victory. Arizona doesn’t play tonight, so we can’t actually eliminate you, but we can put you on the brink!
And Tommy has absolutely copped to enjoying the…er…attention he receives in San Franciso. 
I was at the first Yankees Rays game yesterday. Madden really helped give the game away in my opinion. It was a great day for the Yanks overall clinching the playoff berth at 4:30 and the division by 11:10pm.
Posada getting the winning hit was a thing of beauty for any Yankee fan.
His children? He didn’t want to know the score?
So Tampa is now 2 behind Boston, with 6 to go. Boston has to play the Yankees now, while Tampa plays the decent but much less frightening Blue Jays.
The math is prety harsh at this point, though. Tampa Bay has no room for error.
The Angels lost a hard one today, and so now are in pretty dire shape, as they would have to pass both Tampa Bay and Boston from a long way back. They’re on the brink of being eliminated in the division.
Meanwhile, the Cards are in the same boat as the Rays; two back, six to go. The schedules:
Atlanta:
3 vs. Washington
3 vs. Philadelphia
St. Louis:
3 vs. Cubs
3 vs. Astros
Even granting that the Phillies might not be pulling out all the stops for three games that don’t matter to them, you have to admit that’s a nice looking schedule for the Cardinals, who will be playing all six games against truly hapless opposition.
As good as the Giants have been lately, they’re in the same position as the Angels; just a bit too far back to hope to pass two teams.