Homers down

Homers hit a 15-year low in MLB this year. Note to MLB: it was still entertaining. Steroid policy should've been in place years ago. If the olympics can get it right years and years ago, so should have you.

A.L. home run champ Miguel Cabrera thinks it's bigger stadiums, not 'roid testing.

"I think it's the bigger stadiums," Cabrera said.

Well, said. I think Miguel should go back and play in Forbes Field. Then he'll know what a big stadium looks like. And are stadiums really that much bigger today than they were in 1998? No.

Mirror images

By the way, the Sox and Twins not only have identical records at 88-74 heading into tonight's playoff, they also have identical home records (53-28) and road records (35-46). That's about as even as it gets.

Playoff number seven

Here are all of the one-game playoff capsules of the six previous one-off games in MLB history thanks to mlb.com. We're likely to have more and more of this with more teams making the postseason since MLB expanded its divisions.

Oct. 1, 2007, Rockies 9, Padres 8, 13 innings
The Padres lost on the final day of the regular season and the Rockies won to finish at 89-73, forcing the one-game Wild Card playoff game at Coors Field. The Rockies held the lead twice during regulation, only to see the Padres come back to tie. In the top of the 13th, Scott Hairston hit a two-run homer off Jorge Julio and San Diego took an 8-6 lead, its first of the game. In came all-time career saves leader Trevor Hoffman, who imploded. The first three batters belted two doubles and a triple, tying the score. Holliday stood on third 90 feet away with a chance to win the game. He didn't disappoint.

Oct. 4, 1999, Mets 5, Reds 0
Both teams won on the final day of the regular season to finish at 96-66, setting up a Wild Card playoff game at old Cinergy Field (Riverfront Stadium) in Cincinnati. It wasn't much of a battle. The Mets scored twice in the top of the first on Edgardo Alfonzo's two-run homer and never looked back. By the sixth inning they led, 5-0, with Al Leiter on his way to a two-hit shutout. Pokey Reese and Jeffrey Hammonds had the only hits, both singles. Steve Parris started for the Reds, didn't make it out of the third inning and took the loss.

Sept. 28, 1998, Cubs 5, Giants 3
Both teams lost on the final day of season to finish at 89-73, setting up the Wild Card playoff game at Wrigley Field. The Cubs built a 4-0 lead off Giants starter Mark Gardner. And when they scored a single run in the eighth to make it 5-0, their first postseason berth since 1989 seemed secure. But wait. These are the Cubs. This is the curse. In the ninth, the Giants started picking away, scoring a run and setting up a bases-loaded, no-out situation for Barry Bonds. With the crowd standing and in clear angst, Bonds lined a sacrifice fly to center, scoring the second run against left-hander Terry Mulholland. Rod Beck came in to get the final two outs: a Jeff Kent run-producing grounder and a Joe Carter pop fly to end the game. It was his 51st save of the season.

Oct. 2, 1995, Mariners 9, Angels 1
The Angels had an 11-game lead in the AL West as late as Aug. 9. By Sept. 20, the Mariners had caught them, but the Halos won six of their final seven games, including the finale at Oakland, to keep the two knotted on the final day of the season. Meanwhile, the Mariners lost three of their last five, including their finale at Texas, to set up the one-game playoff for the division title at the old Kingdome in Seattle. The first six innings matched left-handers Mark Langston of the Angels and Randy Johnson of the Mariners in a pitching duel. With the Mariners leading 1-0 heading into the seventh, the game got out of hand as they scored four times each in the seventh and eighth to win the first playoff berth in franchise history.

Oct. 6, 1980, Astros 7, Dodgers 1
The game at Dodger Stadium wasn't much, but the last weekend of the season certainly was. The Dodgers trailed the Astros by three games in the NL West with three games at Dodger Stadium between the two teams. The Dodgers had to win out and they did, swiping three one-run games in front of frenzied sellout crowds that Steve Garvey dubbed "the 10th man," setting up the one-game playoff as the teams finished at 92-70. Manager Tommy Lasorda had the option of using a 19-year-old left-hander named Fernando Valenzuela in the playoff game, but he chose the more experienced Dave Goltz. Bad choice. The Astros jumped all over Goltz, knocking him out after three innings. Meanwhile, Joe Niekro tossed a complete-game six-hitter for his 20th win of the season, giving the Astros their first postseason berth in franchise history.

Oct. 2, 1978, Yankees 5, Red Sox 4
It had been another year of turmoil in the Bronx. Manager Billy Martin was fired, replaced by Bob Lemon, and rehired effective for the 1980 season five days later. On July 16, the Yanks trailed the Red Sox by a full 13 games in the AL East. Under the calm hand of "Lem," they caught them on Sept 10 after the famous four-game sweep at Fenway forever known as the "Boston Massacre." It was then nip and tuck, with the Yanks holding a one-game lead from Sept. 13 until the final day of the season, when they lost and the Red Sox won, setting up the one-game division title playoff game between the two 99-63 teams at the Fens. The game was as good as the regular season.

The Sox took a 2-0 lead into the seventh off Yanks ace Ron Guidry when the tables turned. Dent took former teammate Mike Torrez just enough into the netting above the Green Monster for a three-run homer that gave the Yanks a 3-2 lead. Thurman Munson added an RBI double in the inning. And when Reggie Jackson homered to dead center in the eighth, the Yankees' 5-2 lead looked pretty complete. But it wasn't. Rich "Goose" Gossage bailed out Guidry in the bottom of the seventh. He pitched out of that jam, pitched out of his own self-generated jam as the Sox came back with a pair in the eighth, and induced Carl Yastrzemski to pop out in the ninth with runners on the corners to end one of the most thrilling games and races in baseball history.

Postseason Predictions

I got slammed somewhere for my picks to win divisions. I got 7 of 8 right with the Dodgers catching the Diamondbacks for my lone hiccup. Here goes for today's game and beyond:

AL one game playoff:
White Sox over Twins, 6-4; Sox advance to play Tampa in ALDS.

Divisional Series:
White Sox over Tampa, 3-1; Layoff hurts young Rays while Sox homer way to divisional win.

Red Sox over Angels, 3-2; A lack of meaningful games down the stretch hurts the Angels.

Cubs over Dodgers, 3-0; Chicago's pitching too much for the Dodgers to compete with.

Phillies over Brewers, 3-0; Milwaukee limped into the postseason and stands no chance.

Championship Series:
Red Sox over White Sox, 4-1; ChiSox don't stand a chance in this one.

Cubs over Phillies, 4-2; The Cubs are just a little bit better in most categories.

World Series:
Red Sox over Cubs, 4-2; I like how Boston's built. I don't see it in the Cubs' cards.

Numbers game

Game 163 between the Twins and White Sox tonight will have the stats count toward the regular season. I've never understood that, but that's how it works. Imagine if someone hit home run number 74 in game 163. Yikes.

That said, John Danks is happy that stats count. He's starting for the Sox tonight, and would love to improve his numbers against the Twins. Minnesota is hitting .349 against Danks this year, tagging him for a 7.91 ERA.

The again, the Twins stand just 2-7 in Chicago, so don't right off the Southsiders, who won just one game themselves in Minneapolis.

Alexei the hero

Alexei Ramirez's fourth grand slam, which sent the White Sox past Detroit, 8-2, set a rookie record for four-run homers in a season. He's hit 21 this year, and with his average well over .290, Ramirez is a solid rookie of the year candidate.

Carlos Quentin would have to be the front runner for the Sox team MVP, but Ramirez is near the top of that list as well. We called him Alfonso Soriano light earlier this year. He's living up to that billing.

Freddy in a tight spot

Watching Freddy Garcia pitch for the Tigers against the White Sox on Monday, I remembered the big starts he made for the Sox in 2005's run to a World Series title. Garcia almost finished off his former team except for shoulder tightness which ended his day early.

Here's hoping Garcia is OK. When he's right, he's still one of the better pitchers in the game.

Brewing up pure fiction

Ken Rosenthal says the Brewers' move to fire Ned Yost got them into the postseson. He says it was a "bold" move. Seriously? That's weak.

Last I checked, Milwaukee went just 7-5 over the last 12 games managed by interim manager Dale Sveum. The Brewers beat lowly Cincinnati once and pathetic Pittsburgh three times. They took two of three from the Cubs over the final weekend to clinch the Wild Card, but Chicago was preoccupied with setting its postseason pitching staff and resting its every day players as often as possible. The Cubs threw an all-staffer on Sunday and almost beat Brewers ace CC Sabathia.

The firing of Yost was a desperate move. It was the pushing of the proverbial "panic button." That it worked out is far less a bold stroke of genius and much more a shaky step turned miracle by an inept organization. Milwaukee hasn't been to the postseason since 1982, but buoyed by a midseason trade for Sabathia, whom Rosenthal says is destined (along with Ben Sheets) to seek a new home in the offseason, they somehow weathered another free-fall in September.

Milwaukee is made up of underachieving players like Rickie Weeks, Bill Hall, Mike Cameron and Eric Gagne. The bullpen almost has enough spare parts to build a clunker. Forget a postseason force; after Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, an occasionally helpful Corey Hart, Sabathia and Sheets, Milwaukee is a mess. The Brewers stumbled into the postseason only because the Mets stumbled more.

The one bold move we'll see from the Brew Crew the rest of the way is that they'll actually show up for their Philadelphia farewell. Milwaukee is the top candidate to be swept in the divisional series. Their 10-16 record in September should shake even die-hard Brewers fans enough to see the tunnel through Rosenthal's red herring of a light. The firing of Yost was shock therapy? Please. The Brewers proved nothing other than they can beat the league's worst.

You knew it was coming

How long will were hear this story during the MLB postseason? If there's any time that the history of seasons past matters less, it is right now. We just witnessed 162 games of baseball, giving us a recent history of one full season to determine which are the best four teams in each league. We don't need to know that the Cubs haven't won in 100 years, that the Brewers haven't been here since 1982, that the Phillies are the losing team you'll ever know, or that the Dodgers haven't done a thing since 1988.

The reason they're all here is they're better than everyone else right now (although Milwaukee's merits are debatable). Save the loser stories until each one is about to get eliminated or finally win.

Deal with it

What does a deal really mean? Well, CC Sabathia certainly worked out for the Brewers. Sabathia kept Milwaukee in the pennant race with a 10-2 record in the second half and then won his 11th game against the Cubs on the final day of the regular season, helping the Brewers clinch the National League Wild Card.

Tomorrow, the White Sox send Gavin Floyd to the hill in a makeup game with Detroit where they'll face the guy they traded for Floyd, Freddy Garcia. The Garcia for Floyd deal originally sent Garcia to Philadelphia less than two years ago, but he was scooped up from the free agent scrap heap late in the year by the Tigers. Floyd is certainly the better pitcher at this point of the two players' careers, but all that matters is the one game tomorrow. If the White Sox beat the Tigers at U.S. Cellular Field, they get Minnesota in Chicago one day later for a one-off division title playoff.

Beckett bumped to game three

Josh Beckett will be pushed back to game three of the ALDS with an oblique strain. Jon Lester gets to start game one, and that might play right into Anaheim's righty-heavy lineup.

Angeles ALDS roster

Here's the Angels' division series roster. They took rookie relielver Kevin Jepsen over Justin Speier, which many expected.

Fox wants Cubs-Sox fall classic

Fox wants an all-Chicago World Series? No. They just want lovable losers.

Angels = God's number

Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune says the Angels are the seventh best team in baseball. Last I checked, the Angels are the only team that won 100 games. I understand they're in arguably the weakest division in baseball, but they're not worse than the Brewers, Phillies or the Dodgers.

What might have been

It looks like the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (99 wins) will be the only team to win 100 games this season. You know, we forget how much more fun this final week of baseball would be if the Cubs (96 wins) and Angels both had home-field advantage on the line for the World Series.

All you need to know about tiebreakers

A major tiebreaker logjam is the potential result of this weekend's games. Here are the details from MLB.com. Somehow, I don't see it all happening.

Another Bud dud on drugs

Everything MLB does regarding drug policing, etc. is just baffling. Always too little, too late.

The latest case-in-point comes with the announcement of an HGH summit this fall in Beverly Hills, CA. You can read the details here. It seems baseball might have been a bit more timely with this particular summit after the 2006 season when this story and this story came to light.

Maybe baseball could have looked into HGH after the 2004 season, when this story popped up. There have been many chances. What took so long?

Dempster is Cubs' ace

The Cubs have selected Ryan Dempster as their game one starter for the postseason, regardless of the opponent. I'm not surprised by this, but I don't think Dempster is the Cubs' best or second best starter. I think the pecking order goes Harden, Zambrano, Dempster, Lilly.

Truly Twin billing

ESPN writes a nice enough piece on Giants' owner Peter Magowan stepping down. This quote from Magowan struck me most in the article:

"I've always had the philosophy that a ballpark belongs to the community, not to the owner or set of owners. I think the community wants the team to be run in a way that if they were in charge, how would they want it to be run?" Magowan said. "They want to see a good product on the field and they want to have a good environment at the ballpark where everything works -- clean ballpark, courteous employees, good food, take care of children, all of these things. And they want the team to behave in a way they would be proud of."

While the Giants haven't had a very good product on the field in recent years, their park isn't really the community's, either. It's the first park since Dodger Stadium in 1962 to be built without public funds. That's quiet a feat, considering the Twins new park is getting built with 2/3 public funding. No wonder that thing took so long to get done.

You must rally

Did you know that these playoff rallies are mandatory per Major League Baseball? As if they needed any more buzz.

Wet weekend

With big storm systems threatening the Northeast, an interesting scenario can occur with the Mets and Phillies trying to win the NL East/Wild Card while making up games through double headers.

I can't remember the last time weather was such a culprit on the final weekend of the regular season.

If the Cubs are smart...

...they'll continue to rest players in earnest against the Mets. If New York and Philadelphia make the postseason, the two NL East rivals cannot play each other in the first round of the playoffs. The division winner, which would more likely be Philadelphia, gets the Dodgers in the division series. The Cubs would get the Wild Card.

Playing the Mets in the first round is a much better situation for Chicago than playing the red hot Dodgers. If Chicago gets its way, Philly and LA will beat up on each other for the right to go to the Windy City.

Then again, the Cubs have to watch what the Phillies are doing tonight. If Philadelphia loses, the Cubs might want to go ahead and win. I don't think they want New York to catch them and force the Phils to visit Chicago.

Yankees on elimination, MLB playoff fairness

The Yankees elimination from the postseason race was met with general disappointment from the players. Disappointment, according to Mike Mussina, that goes back further than this year.

"We've been disappointed for a little longer than just today," Mussina said. "Yeah, mathematically [the team was alive], but realistically ... for us to win them all and [the Red Sox] to lose them all ..."

Hank Steinbrenner, however, was not willing to blame the Yankees, but instead the system that governs postseason selection. This is an excerpt from The Sporting News

"The biggest problem is the divisional setup in Major League Baseball. I didn't like it in the 1970s, and I hate it now. Baseball went to a multidivision setup to create more races, rivalries and excitement. But it isn't fair."

I actually understand what he's saying. In the past, the winner of the National League played the winner of the American League. The best teams made the world series, regardless of geography. Now there's a team selected from the East, the Midwest and the West, plus one Wild Card. It makes no sense for an average team from a weak division to make the postseason. It makes sense for a good team from a strong division, whether than finish second or third, to make the postseason. The NFL has similar problems with its structure. There's no way that a team like the Dodgers had as difficult a time making the playoffs as the Yankees did.

If baseball were smart, they'd end the divisional format and make a single division in the AL and the NL. A balance schedule would make this very possible. The top four teams make the postseason. First place would play fourth place in the first divisional series. Second place would play third place. It makes more sense to open the race up to everybody, especially when you have a division as tough as the AL East.

Cabrera helps the BoSox?

Asdrubal Cabrera began serving his suspension Tuesday. He'll miss the entire Indians-Red Sox series, which can't hurt Boston's chase for Tampa.

Piniella to play starters

If you were wondering about the Cubs cashing it in for the final week of the season after clinching the NL Central, think again. Lou Piniella will be resting players, but it looks like he's got his team's best interests in mind by getting the regulars their at bats.

"I can't let these guys all sit," Piniella said. "We have to use them to keep them as sharp as possible. We'll play our regular lineup in these games [against New York]. The worst thing that can happen is Major League Baseball calls us and tells us, 'Hey, you people have a responsibility,' and we're going to honor that.

"At the same time, if I need to rest a player here or a player there, that we can do," Piniella said. "I can't play a lineup like we're playing [Sunday] the rest of the week. It wouldn't be fair to the rest of the teams."

The article talks about players like Micah Hoffpauir, Chad Gaudin, Jeff Samardzija, Randy Wells and Bob Howry as potential bubble players for the playoff roster.

Everyone's a Yankees fan

Just a note on my only experience at Yankee Stadium. It was in the late 90's. 1999, I think. I cannot remember. I don't recall the final score of that lone Yankees game I had the opportunity to travel to with my college buddy Adam, but I know they won. We drove down from Syracuse through tiny upstate New York towns, taking 3 1/2 hours to reach the Bronx. It was worth every minute of a 15-hour day.

In the deepest recesses of my mind, I remember looping through the final portion of the interstate alongside the biggest baseball park I'd ever seen. Some parks may be bigger, but in sure stature with those concrete walls, Yankee Stadium seems the biggest.

Once inside we didn't tour monument park. There was a 45-minute line, and we wanted to take in batting practice, instead. I wasn't into nostalgia, and I'm not into it in general, but Yankee Stadium overtakes you. It is big, heavy, homey and magical. It is old and dark. It is still beautiful.

I cannot recall for you a single play from that lone game I attended in the Bronx. I think Juan Encarnacion was patrolling left for the visiting Tigers. We might have visited a souvenir shop on the way out. It's not in my memory banks. It was deleted due to the overwhelming nature of what was around me. I only remember the dark hallways underneath the park, the eyehole passageways to the grandstand and the incredible view from right behind home plate in the upper deck. It was spellbinding, and seeing it for the final time tonight was altogether a disappointment and a thrill. What a way to go out. Thanks for the vague memories, as well.

I sent Adam a text tonight thanking him for taking me to my one Yankee game at Yankee Stadium. "Glad you could make it there," he said in reply. Me too. Anyone who's ever been to that ballpark and seen what a testimonial it is to baseball would instantly find a place in their heart for the Yankees. Even if you denied it you'd know it was true. Yankee Stadium was magic, is magic and forever will be a magical place where baseball really lived. If the new stadium is only half as successful as a monument to the world's greatest game, it will still be a great success.

Dodger blues? No.

A Rich Aurillia RBI single in the 11th was all that separated the Giants from the Dodgers in a 1-0 triumph in Los Angeles.

LA needs to be careful. With the loss and the Diamondbacks 13-4 pounding of the Rockies, the Dodgers NL West lead is down to 2 1/2 games. Then again, the D'backs have the tougher schedule over the final week of the regular season. They're at St. Louis and home to Colorado while the Dodgers have home games with San Diego before paying a visit to San Francisco. This is certainly the Dodgers' division to lose.

Phillies Phirst

With a 5-2 win over the Marlins, the Phillies pull ahead of the Mets to 1 1/2 games. With their remaining schedule consisting of visits from the Braves and Nationals, forget New York catching them.

Bye-bye from the Bronx

The Yankees certainly know how to send their ballpark out in style. Derek Jeter's speech to the fans can be read here. If you didn't have goosebumps, you're a Red Sox fan.

Red Machine fueling up

The young Reds claim they're learning to win, and if they carry over a nice win binge from this September into the spring, watch out. With an 11-5 record over their last 16 games against all winning teams, Cincinnati holds some competitive cards for next year.

Players like Jay Bruce and Joey Votto are pacing the late surge offensively. Edinson Volquez pitched in this year's All-Star game, and Johnny Cueto should be that much better after one year of experience. Even Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo showed some flashes late in the year.

We can't forecast Cincinnati as a playoff team next year, but the Reds should make some waves in 2009.

Saito to close this week

Takashi Saito is close to working back-to-back days for the Dodgers, which means he could return to the closer role by the middle of the coming week. That's what Joe Torre wants, even if Jonathan Broxton has filled in with remarkable ability.

"I think [Saito's] more emotionally equipped for that because he's done it," Torre said. "That's been his primarily role. I'm comfortable with Brox, but again, once Saito gets there, we have a little more length. Brox, I think, has done a fine job in the closer's spot."

Unless Saito gives them false confidence and then relapses after his right elbow problem, the Dodgers really can't go wrong here. Two closers cannot be a bad thing, especially with the consistency these two have shown.

Fantasy Impact: For Broxton owners, this couldn't happen at a worse time. It's championship week, and Saito might take a few saves away from a guy that's closed 14 of 16 opportunities. Hopefully you own them both and pick the right guy on the right day.

Mets mess one up

The Mets 7-6 loss at Atlanta leaves them a full game behind Philadelphia with the Phillies still playing and now just 1 1/2 games ahead of Milwaukee in the NL Wild Card. David Wright did hit his 32nd home run while Carlos Delgado hit number 37. Those two can't do this alone.

The bullpen really killed them in this one, giving up four runs in three combined innings. Scott Schoeneweis picks up the blown save as he gives up two of the runs.

AL Central showdown

The White Sox-Twins series this week likely decides whether the last regular season series means anything. With a 2 1/2 game lead going in, the White Sox need a sweep to clinch, while a Twins sweep steals first away from Chicago.

Both teams won on Sunday, and both will treat this like a mini playoff series. Buckle up! The first meeting comes Tuesday night.

It's not in the Cards

The Chicago Cubs' "B" team beat St. Louis handily at Wrigley Field, 5-1. Only one regular starter, Kosuke Fukudome (who recently lost his spot in right field), was in the lineup. The Cubs did throw Ryan Dempster, but he only worked five innings in picking up his 17th win.

The hapless Cardinals produced just one run on seven hits. They can be eliminated from the postseason as early as Tuesday.

One more note: I understand Tony La Russa likes to tinker with lineup ideas, but Ryan Ludwick batting second and Jose Lopez hitting cleanup makes no sense to me.

Lewis wins third start

Cleveland's 10-5 win over Detroit is a study of pitchers headed in opposite directions. On Cleveland's side, the young Scott Lewis finally gets touched up, yielding three runs in five innings after two scoreless starts to start his career. Lewis only went five, meaning this is his first non-quality start, but thanks to a shaky outing from Dontrelle Willis, he's a perfect 3-0.

Willis, making his first start since September 9th, when he, too, threw five innings and gave up three runs, never had a chance. He gives up three in the first and three more in the third, never finishing the inning as his ERA balloons to 10.61.

Fantasy Impact: Keep an eye on Lewis. He's young enough with enough pedigree for a good future at the major league level. Willis is on the forgotten heap, but could always be comeback player of the year with what he's offered in the past. Don't lose sight of him in spring training 2009.

Brewers holding hope

Desperately needing wins after falling 2 1/2 games back in the National League Wild Card race, Milwaukee finally rights the ship against Cincinnati. Prince Fielder opened the game with a home run off of Bronson Arroyo, and the Brewers cruise, 8-1. They've won just five times in 20 times in the month of September.

Now they wait to see if they can earn another half game with a Mets loss. The Mets's magic number is six.

Rays of nope

A day after they partied over a playoff berth, the Tampa Bay Rays come right back with a loss to Minnesota, 4-1. Meanwhile, the second place Red Sox were busy beating Toronto, 3-0. That leaves Boston 1 1/2 games back with a magic number of seven.

Boston's got a great chance to catch the Rays, and winning the East is huge. The winner likely faces the White Sox in the first round of the playoffs. The loser gets the Angels. Nobody wants to see them.

Moores wants more

Padres owner John Moores says he's not going anywhere anytime soon. He'll retain the Padres for the foreseeable future.

“The goal has always been to play meaningful games in September,” Moores said. “We clearly have not met that target this year, but I want to do it again next year. That's the priority. Last year, we got within an out of postseason play. And I thought potentially we had at least as good a team coming back. Everybody thought the West was going to be whole lot stronger than it has been. I don't really understand why it hasn't. We're going to try and take it apart and figure it all out.”

I'm surprised the West wasn't better myself. It's been a big disappointment as a division.

Marcum out for next year

Shaun Marcum is out for the rest of the year and will require Tommy John surgery, meaning he'll likely miss all of 2009. Tough blow for Toronto, as Marcum was really looking to come into his own in 2008.

Fantasy Impact: While the website says franchise leagues should consider keeping him, we suggest to drop him in all leagues. Even if you can stash Marcum away there's no guarantee he returns to form in 2010. You can find something comparable as a mid-level starter.

Minnesota feeling the Pena

Carlos Pena became the first beneficiary of replay as his three-run sixth-inning shot was only award after a four-minute, ten second delay for umpires to review a hit that was originally ruled a double for fan interference.

Tampa toppled Minnesota, 11-1, leaving the twins two games behind the White Sox before the Sox result Friday night in Kansas City.

Cubs can clinch Saturday

Milwaukee's 11-1 loss at Cincinnati leaves the Cubs' magic number at one heading into Saturday play. Both Chicago and Milwaukee play at 3:55 p.m. EST, meaning the Cubs can clinch before they even finish their game with St. Louis. Here are the pitchign matchups.

Milwaukee - Sabathia (15-9, 2.88)
vs. Cincinnati - Cueto (8-13, 4.68)

St. Louis - Pineiro (6-6, 5.24)
vs. Chicago Cubs - (15-9, 4.13)

The Brewers have to be heavy favorites against Cincinnati, but the Cubs have a very favorable pitching matchup at Wrigley. While most of St. Louis' power comes from the right side, the left-handed Lilly is actually tougher on righties than lefties.

Big Zzzzzzzzz...

Carlos Zambrano rocked the Astros to sleep his last time out, no-hitting them in Milwaukee's Hurricane Ike makeup game. Zambrano's return to the mound did not go anywhere near as well. Zambrano gives up eight runs in 1 2/3 innings, including a first-inning grand slam to Adam Kennedy as the Cubs fall, 12-6.

Fanasy Impact: Zambrano raced home midweek to his native Venezuela to visit his dying grandmother. He looked like a tired pitcher on Friday. Expect him to bounce back.

Sacramento dynasty

Sacramento wins the Triple-A title, again. According to the article, it's tough to build a dynasty at the minor league level, but if anyone can do it, it's the Oakland A's organization. They're always in the process of building the farm teams.

I'm not sure if I'm surprised that the Yankees Triple-A team made it to the finals. On one hand, New York is not known for growing its own. On the other hand, Triple-A is often times where minor leaguers go to die, meaning a championship-caliber team at this level is not necessarily indicative of an organization's talent-level.

Hand it to Hill

Koyie Hill is one amazing story. If you haven't heard his yet, check this out. He's already succeeded in his career just making it back to the big leagues after the accident.

Makes me remember why I hated the jigsaw in shop class.

MLB postseason schedule

I've noticed a lot of people have been looking for the postseason schedule. Here it is again, so you don't have to search the whole blog.

Oct. 1 (on TBS): Game 1 of both NL series; game 1 of Al series between two division champions
Oct. 2 (on TBS): Game 2 of both NL series; game 1 of Al series between division champion and wild-card team
Oct. 3 (on TBS): Game 2 of both AL series
Oct. 4 (on TBS): Game 3 of both NL series
Oct. 5 (on TBS/TNT): Game 4 of both NL series; Game 3 of both AL series
Oct. 6 (on TBS): Game 4 of both AL series
Oct. 7 (on TBS): Game 5 of both NL series
Oct 8 (on TBS): Game 5 of both AL series

Oct. 9: NLCS game 1 (on Fox)
Oct. 10: NLCS game 2 (on Fox); ALCS Game 1 (on TBS)
Oct. 11: ALCS Game 2 (on TBS)
Oct. 12: NLCS game 3 (on Fox)
Oct. 13: NLCS game 4 (on Fox); ALCS Game 3 (on TBS)
Oct. 14: ALCS Game 4 (on TBS)
Oct. 15: NLCS game 5 (on Fox)
Oct. 16: ALCS Game 5 (on TBS)
Oct. 17: NLCS game 6 (on Fox)
Oct. 18: NLCS game 7 (on Fox); ALCS Game 6 (on TBS)
Oct. 19: ALCS Game 7 (on TBS)

Oct. 22: World Series Game 1 (on Fox)
Oct. 23: World Series Game 2 (on Fox)
Oct. 25: World Series Game 3 (on Fox)
Oct. 26: World Series Game 4 (on Fox)
Oct. 27: World Series Game 5 (on Fox)
Oct. 29: World Series Game 6 (on Fox)
Oct. 30: World Series Game 7 (on Fox)

Phils in first, Dodgers roll

With a one-run win in Atlanta and the Mets losing, 1-0 in DC, Philadelphia is all alone in first by a half-game in the NL East. The Phillies own five straight wins while New York appears to be choking down the stretch again, losers of three in a row.

Out West, the Dodgers appear poised to run away with the division. Behind a strong performance from Derek Lowe, Los Angeles beats the Pirates, 6-2 and clutches to a 4.5 game lead on the Diamondbacks with 11 to play.

Cubs sneak past Brew-Crew

Kerry Wood certainly has a flair for the dramatic. Wood gave up a run on Ray Durham's RBI double in the 9th that cut Chicago's lead over the visiting Brewers to 5-4. Wood then allowed Ryan Braun to reach on an infield single before striking out Prince Fielder to end it. Fielder had hit two home runs earlier in the game.

Chicago sure played well in the clutch. Reed Johnson's diving catch in the 6th kept a narrow 3-2 lead in tact for starter Ryan Dempster, and Alfonso Soriano's late solo homer coupled by an 8th-inning RBI single from Henry Blanco provided the difference.

The Cubs magic number over Milwaukee is four, and they can clinch the NL Central with a series sweep in three games. Chicago stands nine games ahead of the fading Brewers. Milwaukee falls behind the Mets for the NL Wild Card.

AL shaping up

A wild night in the American League as the Rays bounce back to beat the Red Sox, 2-1, and the Cleveland Indians enjoy a three-run homer from Victor Martinez in the 11th to best the Twins, 12-9. Tampa stands atop the AL East again, while the White Sox own a 2.5 game lead on the Twins in the AL Central with a dozen to play.

Departures

A slew of players were headed down the wrong path Monday night in terms of playing positive roles down the stretch.

Washington's Dmitri Young and Jesus Flores are likely out for the year after respective MRI exams on a bad hip and bad ankle.

Rangers injury-plagued pitcher Brandon McCarthy appears to be done thanks to a flexor tendon problem in his pitching hand.

Kenny Rogers is done with the Tigers. Don't ask why.

Jeremy Guthrie is on the DL, retroactive to September 6th. He could pitch again this season, but with nothing on the line, why wouldn't the O's just bench him for the remainder of the year?

That leaves us with Robinson Cano. Joe Girardi benched Cano for not hustling, but he did get in the game against the White Sox Monday night. That said, Cano never really got started this season, hitting .260 with modest run and RBI production for a starter with the Yankees. Don't expect a sudden resurgence from one of the bigger disappointments this season.

Arrivals

Lots of news to jam into one night of posting, so we'll pop a couple of positives in one.

First, a newcomer dazzled in his second straight start. Scott Lewis, Cleveland's 25-year-old left hander, making his first appearance since an eight-inning, three-hit gem, went six innings, giving up just three hits again, striking out five in another strong effort for his second win.

Then there's Paul Konerko. The White Sox veteran first baseman hit four home runs in four days, showing some late life in an injury-plagued season. Then he sprained his MCL in a rundown last week. Konerko is finally ready to get back into the lineup Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.

No-hit, one-hit

Ted Lilly took a no-hitter into the 7th inning this afternoon as the Chicago Cubs tried to make it back-to-back no-hitters, something that's only been done once in the history of the game. Instead, Lilly gave up a single to Mark Loretta, the second batter he faced in the 7th, and the no-hit bid came to an abrupt halt.

The Cubs' combined one-hitter marked the first time in MLB history that club tossed a one-hitter the day after a no-hitter. Back in 1917 two St. Louis Browns pitchers, Erine Koob and Bob Groom, fired no-hitters on May 5th and 6th. Oddly enough, the Browns were no-hit twice earlier that same season.

Daisuke reaches milestone

Can you name the record Daisuke Matsuzaka established Monday night? In what's fairly big news on the Asian side of the Pacific rim, Matsuzaka became the first Japanese-born pitcher to win 17 games in a MLB regular season.

I love Malay news.

Fantasy Impact: Matsuzaka pitched well enough to be an impact in fantasy last year. This season he's the Red Sox ace, and likely one of yours as well. He's got a ton of talent, and he's blossoming into something special for the next handful of years.

Yost fired

The AP reports Ned Yost has been fired. Dale Sveum takes over for the rest of the year in Milwaukee.

Big Z puts Astros to sleep

Carlos Zambrano completes the first Cubs no-hitter since Milt Pappas in 1972 as the Cubs go to Milwaukee and beat the Astros in front of 23-thousand screaming Chicagoans.

The Cubs win in Miller Park is actually help for the Brewers, who dropped a day-night double header to the Phillies, leaving those two teams tied for the Wild Card. Houston's loss leaves the Astros 1.5 games back in that race, while the Cubs move 7.5 games ahead of the Brewers. Chicago is a virtual lock for the NL Central crown.

Major players?

Three guys who spent extended periods in the minors this year helped the Royals rip the Indians, 13-3.

Kansas City shortstop Mike Aviles continues to hit for a high average, improving to .322 with a 3-5 effort. He scored three runs. Second baseman Alberto Callaspo went 2-3 with three runs scored and two RBI while first baseman Ryan Shealy powered out two home runs and knocked in five.

Fantasy Impact: Hard to say any of the three should make you salivate over their long term futures (Aviles and Shealy are not youngsters, and Callaspo owns little pop), but they got the job done today.

Maddux mad good, but Dodgers lose

Talk about efficiency; Greg Maddux threw just 68 pitches over seven innings of two-hit baseball. He allowed just two hits and no runs, leaving with his Dodgers in a 0-0 tie at Colorado.

Counterpart Aaron Cook threw 102 pitches over eight innings and also gave up no runs, as the Rockies required 10 innings to finally prevail, 1-0. Troy Tulowitzki knocked in the game's only run.

Fantasy Impact: Maddux mixes in the occasional gem and the occasional clunker. He's been remarkably efficient for his advanced age of 42 years old. Without much strikeout potential, however, he's no better than a fringe starter in fantasy, especially if the Dodgers aren't giving him run support.

Heavenly

Everything is setting up for the Angels to earn home-field advantage in the postseason and set their team up for a run to the World Series, where again the AL has home-field.

If Kevin Jepsen, a minor league flamethrower is called up, Anaheim's bullpen gets that much stronger.

One thing to watch closely is how Scioscia sets up his bullpen behind Rodriguez. There is growing speculation that call-up Kevin Jepsen, an Olympian who throws in the upper 90s, might make the playoff roster. Scioscia likes that Jepsen thrived in the pressure of the Olympics, and had to have been impressed when Jepsen made his major league debut against the Yankees last week and retired Derek Jeter, Bobby Abreu and Alex Rodriguez. And then did it again two days later, striking out A-Rod with a 95 mph heater.

Jepsen's debut brings to mind the saga of K-Rod in 2002, when Rodriguez made his major league debut on Sept. 18 and struck out 13 in his first 5 2/3 innings. The Angels put the rookie on their postseason roster, and he was a huge factor in their run to a World Series title.

Another K-Rod? Home-field advantage? Who doesn't like the Angels?

Price looks money in relief

The Rays debuted David Price, and the minor league player of the year looked strong in his relief role. He gave up just two runs on three hits in 5 1/3 innings and struck out four.

Fantasy Impact: Price would appear to be an injury away from stepping in for a spot start down the stretch. He's good enough to dominate, so consider stashing him. He's also worth picking up for long relief dominance that can help your pitching numbers. At the very least, consider grabbing him in keeper leagues as he should make an impact in 2009.

Qualls gets the call

With both Brandon Lyon and Jon Rauch struggling, the Arizona Diamondbacks will go with Chad Qualls at closer the rest of the way. This makes the trade for Rauch seem less of an impact than originally considered, and it makes sense. Qualls outperformed Lyon in stretches this year, and his numbers are generally very good. Why he's never gotten a shot to close in the past is a head-scratcher.

Fantasy Impact: Get Qualls. He may never give up this gig.

Dodgers on a run

The Dodgers, winners of 12 of 13 games, look poised for the postseason. Not only has Los Angeles sprinted past Arizona to the top of the NL Central, making them one of the hottest teams in baseball.

The other three teams that are red hot, Houston and Toronto, are still on the outside looking in. The Blue Jays don't stand much of a chance, but if the Astros continue to win, they're just two behind Milwaukee for the wild card. Watch out, Ned Yost.

K-Rod sets record

Francisco Rodriguez is baseball's single-season saves record holder, notching his 58th save of the year. Bobby Thigpen previously held the record with 57. Spitting Seeds wondered if K-Rod could reach 60 earlier this year. It looks like he'll get it done.

Wedge stays put

After a dismal season, the Cleveland Indians will bring back manager Eric Wedge.

"Eric's strength and consistency are most apparent when we have adversity," Shapiro said, according to the report. "Those values don't always show themselves when we're going through that adversity, but those values are always apparent when we emerge from them."

Huh? That quote makes zero sense.
The Indians are young and need to mature. Wedge is a good manager for that type of team.

Disneyfi this

Baseball's cousin cricket finds itself a Jim Morris. Don't wait for the Disney movie starring Dennis Quaid.

Brewers could roast Yost

Ken Rosenthal reports that the Brewers may rid themselves of Ned Yost if Milwaukee fails to make the postseason.

How about Doug Melvin gets Yost a halfway decent bullpen and a few more guys that can hit better than .250.

Baseball is British

That is, according to these people. Who cares?

Rays for real? Please.

Is this the best ESPN can offer? The Rays beat the Red Sox in Fenway, so now they've arrived? Last I checked, Tampa's been right there all year. If ESPN is going to boring journalism on us now with Tampa made a statement, they're going to do it all over again in the postseason. Give us something to read, please!

Mets met with further challenges

With the Mets pulling out a wild one over the Nats, and the Phillies getting beat by the Marlins, New York builds a 3 1/2 game lead with only 17 to play. That sounds good, but New York led by seven with 17 to play last year, and the Phillies caught them.

Odd

This is odd.

Penny pushed to the 'pen

In what's become a trend this season with pitchers like Chris Carpenter and Joba Chamberlain, among others, returning from injury to throw in the pen, Brad Penny is next in line to do so.

It's a creative move by the Dodgers, who've gotten good pitching from a number of different sources. Using Penny in the 'pen makes Los Angeles that much tougher late in games.

Angels in the playoffs

Did you see the Angels celebration after they clinched the first playoff spot today? It will be hard to out-do that party if they win it all!

Red Sox socked

Tampa delivered another blow to the Red Sox, winning for the second straight night, this time 4-2 in 14 innings. The Rays pitching staff outperformed Boston, allowing just eight hits.

Boston now stands 2 1/2 back in the AL East.

Percival goes down again

Troy Percival exited tonight's marathon between Boston and Tampa in the 14th inning due to injury. He's already spent time on the DL this season, and this latest setback could mean opportunities for others to close down the stretch. Keep your eyes on Dan Wheeler and Grant Balfour. Manager Joe Maddon seems more likely to use Wheeler, but Balfour numbers jump out.

Too closer for comfort

Both the first-place Cubs and the first-place White Sox got scares late in their wins over wild card challengers. The Cubs, up 4-1 in the ninth, saw Kerry Wood serve up a two-run homer to Ryan Ludwick, cutting the lead to 4-3. Wood still got out of the jam.

The White Sox entered the nith with a 6-2 lead, but only prevailed by one thanks to a three-run frame from Bobby Jenks.

Both were close shaves, but Wood gets a save and Jenks preserves the win. Both teams remain in first place. It's nice to still come away with a win, even when your closer throws a clunker.

A dozen doesn't work

Scott Lewis becomes the Indians 12th different starter in 2008 when he makes his MLB debut tonight. Cleveland's used 26 pitchers this season. That's not a recipe for success, and the Indians are not going to the postseason.

Still swinging

Baseball's maple bat advisory committee continues to investigate the many shattered bats this season. I love this beauty of a quote from Bud Selig:

"They're analyzing all the bats," Selig said last month. "There's a lot of work going on right now. My concerns are the same. Every game I watch there's bats splintering. I'm sensitive about it."

I never thought of Bud as sensitive.

Konerko concerns

Paul Konerko's knee injury, originally diagnosed as a mildly sprained MCL, gets further attention today with an MRI. While Konerko hasn't hit well until recently, the Sox can't afford to lose their emotional leader along with a right-handed bat after Carlos Quentin is already lost for an extended period of time with his broken wrist.

Chicago can slide Nick Swisher to first, move Ken Griffey into Swisher's outfield spot and platoon several contributors in center until Konerko is back. Brian Anderson would appear most likely to make a fantasy impact in center if this is the case, although Jerry Owens is finally up and healthy. The Sox originally pegged Owens as their starting center fielder. He can make an impact with steals.

Back at it

After a short hiatus due to a busy August/early September, Spitting Seeds is back on the baseball beat.