The Big Unit hangs ‘em up posted by David

Big news from the Big Unit: 46-year-old Randy Johnson announced his retirement, concluding his career with a record of 303-166, a 3.29 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP.  His five Cy Young Awards – one with the Mariners and four in a row with the Diamondbacks – rank him behind only Roger Clemens, and his 4,875 career strikeouts are second only to Nolan Ryan.  He was a 10-time All-Star, starting the Midsummer Classic four times – twice for each league. Johnson made history in 2004 when he became the oldest player – at 40 – to throw a perfect game.

Johnson was a crucial member of his Diamondbacks team in the 2001 playoffs: after pitching well but losing his only start in the first round, he went 2-0 with 1.12 E.R.A. in the National League Championship Series against the Braves, including a 2-0 complete game shutout against Greg Maddux.  Then in the World Series, Johnson shut down the three-time defending champions from the Bronx with absolute dominance.  He picked up three wins, including a complete game shutout in Game 1 and back-to-back victories in Games 6 and 7, to end the Yankee Dynasty.  He surrendered only nine hits and three walks in 17.1 innings for a remarkable 0.692 WHIP to go along with a 1.04 E.R.A.  For his extraordinary performance, he was named co-MVP of the Series.  A fan attraction everywhere he went, Randy Johnson will surely be missed.

How ‘bout that?

How about Matt Holliday?  Christmas came late for the biggest name on the free agent market this offseason, as Holliday was rewarded for his huge numbers (.353/.419/.604) after his arrival in St. Louis with a very big payday – $120 million over the next seven years.  Though it was painful to watch as it happened, Holliday has been forgiven for his costly error in Game 2 of the NLDS against the Dodgers.  The slugging outfielder hopes to lead his team back to the playoffs in 2010, and with Albert Pujols, Chris Carpenter, and Adam Wainwright working together, expectations will be high once again for the Cardinals.

A vote for Alomar posted by David

Should Roberto Alomar be elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility?  The spitting incident with umpire John Hirschbeck does not help his case, but it really has nothing to do with his success on the field.  Fans may also remember that Alomar’s career ended with a couple of mediocre seasons, but when you look at his statistics, it’s a no-brainer.

Alomar won 10 Gold Gloves, compiled a .300 lifetime batting average, stole 474 bases, and was a 12-time All-Star.  He represented four different teams over 12 consecutive years in the Midsummer Classic and was named All-Star Game MVP in 1998.  Alomar was also the 1992 ALCS MVP and had a monster World Series in 1993 (.480/.519/.640, six RBI and four stolen bases).  He would have been named MVP of the ’93 Fall Classic had it not been for teammate Paul Molitor, who was even better (.500/.571/1.000, two home runs, eight RBI and 10 runs scored).  Roberto Alomar was the best second baseman – both offensively and defensively – of the nineties, and should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

How ‘bout that?

How about Albert Pujols’s dominance in the NL MVP balloting?  Not only did he win by a wide margin, but Pujols claimed the award by unanimous decision – 32 first-place votes.  His numbers speak for themselves: .327 batting average, 47 home runs, and 135 RBI’s, good for third, first, and third, respectively, in the National League.  As if he weren’t contributing enough with the bat, Pujols helped his team on the bases, stealing 16 while being caught just four times.  He led the majors in intentional walks (with 44) and had twice as many as the nearest competition, Adrian Gonzalez, who finished with 22.  Around the majors, Pujols is both feared and respected.

Twins-Tigers game was exactly what I wanted posted by David

The 12-inning thriller that was the last regular season game ever played at the Metrodome was exactly what I wanted to see.  When the Twins and Tigers played a four-game series in Detroit last week, I found myself rooting for the Twins to close the gap in order to create an exciting finish to the regular season – ideally a one-game playoff.  When that happened, I decided it would be great for the city of Detroit to send their team to the playoffs, but what I wanted most was to see a great game.  My wish came true when the two teams played a nail-biter that could have gone either way, but eventually sent Minnesota to the postseason.  Props to both teams for giving the fans what they deserved.

How ‘bout that?

How about Jason Kubel?  The Twins slugger hit a pair of three-run home runs in his team’s must-win game against Kansas City just to force Game 163, and added a solo shot in the game against the Tigers that decided the AL Central.  For the season, Kubel hit .300 with 28 home runs, 103 RBI’s, and a .907 OPS – all career highs.  Additionally, since taking over in right field when Justin Morneau went on the disabled list and Michael Cuddyer moved to first base, Kubel has not made a single error, giving Manager Ron Gardenhire confidence in his team despite the loss of one of his best players.

How about John Lackey?  With history on their opponent’s side, the Angels were not expected to beat the Red Sox in their American League Division Series, but after Lackey’s performance last night the Halos have to be feeling good about their chances.  In the series opener, Lackey threw 7.1 innings of scoreless baseball, giving up only four hits and walking just one, leading the team to a 5-0 victory over the Sox, who had beaten the Angels in their last three postseason series (2004, 2007, 2008) while losing a single game out of 10.  If the Angels send the Sox packing early, it will be news to the remaining teams that there’s a new player on the block.

Bobby Cox has one more season in him posted by David

Braves manager Bobby Cox announced this week his plans to retire after the 2010 season and to immediately take on a consulting role with the team.  Cox has won 2,409 games as a manager and is fourth all-time in the category, behind only Connie Mack (3,731), John McGraw (2,763) and current Cardinals manager Tony La Russa (2,550).  Cox has five pennants and one World Series title to his name, and won the Manager of the Year award four times.  Under his leadership, the Braves have won 100 games six times.  The next manager of the Atlanta Braves will have big shoes to fill.

How ‘bout that?

How about Adam Laroche?  Since being traded back to the Braves mid-season, Laroche has slugged .622 to go with his .355 batting average and .426 on-base percentage.  In 126 fewer at-bats, Laroche has hit twice as many home runs (12) as did his predecessor, Casey Kotchman.  To top it off, Laroche has made just one error in 47 games with Atlanta and boasts a .998 fielding percentage.

How about Joel Piñeiro?  The Cardinals have a mighty pitching duo in Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright, but their third starter has been pitching like an ace this year too.  Celebrating his 31st birthday today, Piñeiro is 15-11 with a 3.24 E.R.A. and a 1.128 WHIP.  He leads the pitching staff with two shutouts and is tied with Carpenter for the team lead in complete games, with three.  If their pitchers perform in the playoffs anything near their regular season stats, St. Louis will be the toughest club to beat.

Have the Rockies locked up the NL Wild Card? posted by John Frascella

As it stands right now, the Colorado Rockies are 4.5 games ahead of the San Francisco Giants in the National League Wild Card race. The Rockies have been a bit of a surprise team this season, after an unimpressive '08 campaign and the loss of Matt Holliday during the offseason. They've thrived after the firing of Clint Hurdle, as Jim Tracy has pushed the right buttons, rarely ever taking a misstep.

Considering the way they've played in recent months, is a 4.5 game cushion plenty for the Rockies? Can the Giants, Marlins, and Braves kiss their playoff hopes goodbye?

Well, I've never quite been a believer in the Giants. Sure they have Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain at the top of their rotation, but it's difficult to gather momentum with an offense as impotent as theirs. They'd be tough in a short series because of their starting pitching, but I doubt they'll get to that point. 

I thought the Braves would put up more of a fight than they have, but Chipper Jones is clearly spiraling toward the end of his spectacular career. Like the Giants, the Braves don't score enough to rattle off consecutive victories at the right juncture in time. 

The Marlins are hungry -- I feel like we've all been saying that for years -- but I don't trust their starting pitching outside of stud Josh Johnson. All things considered, it looks like relatively smooth sailing for the Rockies the rest of the way out. 

Poor behavior on and off the field is Bad for Ball posted by David

In the last week, baseball fans have been exposed to a number of unfortunate incidents that involved big-name, All-Star players.  My thoughts on each of them follow.

Kevin Youkilis charging the mound: Youk let his emotions get the best of him on Tuesday night after getting plunked in the back for the second consecutive night.  The Red Sox need Youk’s bat in the lineup and his glove in the field.  Now they have neither for five games.

Josh Hamilton’s relapse: A man’s personal struggle with alcohol is his business, but when a recovering alcoholic is a role model for young people, he needs to take responsibility for his actions before the public finds out from someone else.  In this case, Hamilton should have made a statement prior to the release of the photos taken at the bar this past January.

A Cubs fan throwing a cup of beer at Shane Victorino in left-center field as he was preparing to make a catch: That behavior is uncalled for; that fan should be banned from Wrigley Field for a minimum of one year.

How ‘bout that?

How about the Nationals?  Though they still hold the worst record in the majors, the Nats pulled off a string of eight wins in a row, including a three-game sweep of division rivals and Wild Card contenders the Marlins.  During the streak, Washington outscored its opponents 57-33 – an average of three runs per game.

How about Cliff Lee?  Since donning a Phillies uniform after being acquired just before the trade deadline, Lee has hurled 24 stellar innings over three starts, striking out 23 batters and surrendering just three earned runs – good for a 1.12 E.R.A.  To top it off, Lee collected two hits of his own in his debut with his new club.

Wren's Not So Bad After All posted by Daniel Doyle

You never want to be the man that follows The Man. It's a much safer situation to be the man that follows the man that followed The Man. To follow a legend, almost always leads to a predictable demise. That legend, whether a player, coach, or general manager, has obviously set such a high level of expectation, that his successor really has no choice but to fail. This was the thinking for Atlanta Braves fans when John Schuerholz left his position of General Manager and put Frank Wren in his former place.

You see, over the run of 14 consecutive division titles, Schuerholz became as much of a respected icon as the Braves manager, Bobby Cox, himself. From the worst-to-first season in 1991 to the "Baby Braves" divisional title in 2005, seemingly every move Schuerholz had a hand in turned to gold for Atlanta. So when Frank Wren was named the new General Manager of the Braves in October of 2007, skepticism flooded through the Atlanta faithful. Now that it is coming up on the completion of his second full season as General Manager, let's take a look at what he has been able to accomplish.

It didn't take Wren very long to make a splash, as only weeks after he was named GM, he dealt SS Edgar Renteria to the Detroit Tigers for SP Jair Jurrjens and OF Gorkys Hernandez. Wow. What a steal. Renteria struggled mightily for Detroit and has been on a downhill slide ever since his departure from the Braves. Jurrjens has emerged as a potential ace for a very deep Atlanta rotation and is only 23 years old. I will go into more detail about Hernandez later.

"Giants' Bullpen is Suddenly Stuggling" posted by Michael McGauley

  Yikes!  What happened to that sterling Giants' bullpen?  After dropping two of three to the Pirates, San Francisco made it three losses in four games to start the second half after getting clobbered by Atlanta 11-3 Monday.  Seven earned runs were allowed by three different Giant relievers -- a rarity this year. 

  Everyone wanted to see how Jonathan Sanchez would perform following his no-hitter July 10th.  Sanchez pitched fairly well:  allowing 3 earned runs on 4 hits, 8 strikeouts and just one walk over 8-innings of work.  Home runs off the bats of Chipper Jones and Garret Anderson were the only real blemishes in an otherwise solid effort.  The uncertainly of Randy Johnson's health status, and the inexperience of Ryan Sadowski in general might lead one to believe that Sanchez is just too valuable to trade at this point.

  Listen...all players go through slumps, but as solid as Sergio Romo performed in the first half, it has been slightly alarming to watch him fail to record a SINGLE OUT over his last two appearances.  Romo is a perfect six-for-six; that is, six consecutive hitters allowed to reach base (and all six scored by the way).  That's six runs added to the old ERA.  Justin Miller appeared very rusty in relief of Romo Monday, and promptly surrendered a three-run home run to Ryan Church.  Bobby Howry, who has been buried on the bullpen depth chart, didn't do much to improve his status, allowing a couple of late runs - one of which was earned. 

What Might Have Been posted by Daniel Doyle

Try not to think about what might have been, cause that was then. And we have taken different roads. Those are lyrics from the song What Might Have Been, by the country band Little Texas. Please excuse me, as I have listened to this piece of music several times since I heard news of the Atlanta Braves trade of Jeff Francoeur.

Several weeks ago, I actually wrote an article claiming that it was time for the Braves and Francoeur to go their seperate ways, in hope that each party could find true happiness and success apart. That was my head talking. The part of me that wants what is best for the Atlanta Braves and their playoff chances. I never thought about the bond that had been formed between Frenchy and the Atlanta area.

Francoeur had lofty expectations placed upon his shoulders when he debuted for his hometown team in the summer of 2005. That season was supposed to be the year that the Atlanta Braves string of division titles came to an end. It was a transition year of sorts, with Atlanta integrating several rookies into prominent roles with their club. However, with instant contributions from the likes of Brian McCann, Kelly Johnson, Ryan Langerhans, Wilson Betemit, Pete Orr, Kyle Davies, and Francoeur, the team took the National League East crown for the 14th consecutive year. The group of youngsters were labeled the Baby Braves.

McCann and Francoeur were the two that became instant fan favorites, Jeff even more so than Brian. The two had played traveling ball all over Georgia together since they were 12 years old. They played against each other a few times a year in high school, and remained close friends. When the 2002 MLB draft rolled around, both were highly regarded and Atlanta targeted both local products. The more celebrated player was clearly Francoeur, by some scouts estimation a 5 tool player, and the Braves snatched him up with their first round selection, 23rd overall. When their second round pick rolled around, they were pleased, if not astonished, that McCann was still on the board. Without hesitation, Atlanta took the catcher from nearby Athens, Georgia. Jeff Francoeur and Brian McCann were teammates once again.

The Braves are Back..... Maybe. posted by Daniel Doyle

With Atlanta's three game sweep of the division leading Philadelphia Phillies, the Braves find themselves only two games out of first place in the National League East.

I just got back home from Turner Field, and was fortunate enough to see the Braves break out the brooms against the first place Phills. To say Atlanta needed those three games, would be a huge understatement. After losing 6 out of 9 against the Yankees and Red Sox, the Braves were desperate to turn things around and at least give themselves a shot in the race for the N.L. East. There was no better time to get three wins than against a Philly ball club that beat them every time the two teams met at Turner Field in 2008.

Incredibly, the offense that has been so miserable all season, figured it out. Who knows, maybe it will be their most potent output of the year, and the bats will come back down to earth. Make that below the earth, because they have not been good enough to be called mediocre until this Phillies series. Martin Prado became a catalyst for a club that has had only three solid hitters this year( Chipper Jones, Brian McCann, Yunel Escobar). Prado nearly won the first game of the series by himself. He went 4-5 and drove in four runs, including the game-tying and game-winning RBI's.

Although Prado had the single best series of any Atlanta hitter, Gregor Blanco and Matt Diaz were just as valuable. Blanco, replacing an injured Nate McLouth, set the table all three games. His slap hitting mixed with great speed, reminded me of Otis Nixon. Even his outs tended to be productive and at the very least, put pressure on the defense. Matt Diaz, a guy who has been a streaky hitter his entire career, decided to become red hot. He went 7-11 in the series, scoring 4 runs and driving in 3, including a homerun. Diaz also enjoyed a clutch moment like Prado did in game one, by driving in the winning run in the series finale.

Houston capture series advantage

Houston Astros beat Atlanta Braves 7-3 to take a 2-1 lead in the series. [read full article]

From BBC Sport