Off to the Races

After having appeared on the Andy $am$ 30 & 30 in 30 show for 91.3 WTSR last night, I've been antsy to discuss the Wild Card Races. It's been another few weeks since I've posted, so again I've missed a lot of baseball action. However, it appears as though the real excitement just began recently as the Wild Card spots were thought all but determined a few weeks ago. Not so anymore, as the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves have lost their stranglehold on the final playoff golden ticket. Who is making a play for entrance into October baseball? Read on, and we shall see.

Let's start in the American League, where the Boston Red Sox have been absolutely abysmal of late. In the month of September the Sawks have gone 5-14, and have sputtered to only a 2 game lead in the Wild Card over the Tampa Bay Rays. The reason that gap closed so quickly was due to the Rays taking two of three from the Sox in the weekend series, forcing Boston to light a fire under their collective butts in order to make it to October. That light came yesterday in the second game of a double-header versus the Baltimore Orioles, when they outscored the O's 18-9. While that seems like a good sign, the offensive output was necessary in order to get pitcher John Lackey out of yet another terrible start, of which he's had many this year. With Lackey being effectively ineffective, the Red Sox are relying on Josh Beckett and Jon Lester to carry the rotation. Erik Bedard has been serviceable, and Tim Wakefield has been losing his knuckleball all season, so if for any reason Lester and Becket can't get it done, look for New England natives to bemoan a season that should-have-been.

The team directly in the rear-view mirror is the division rival Rays. They've gone 11-6 during September and before taking two of three from the Red Sox this past weekend, they swept Beantown at home the weekend before. The key to the Rays success is again good pitching. All five starters have at least 10 wins and only Wade Davis has an ERA north of four. Kyle Farnsworth and Joel Peralta have been the real workhorses of the bullpen, but it's been enough to put the Rays in contention. The offense, amazingly has been able to compete even while lacking for a star hitter to carry everyone else. For sure Evan Longoria is a stellar player, but he was hurt early on, and his production has been hindered since. A .244 average is well below what he is capable of. However, Johnny Damon has provided a spark at times; Ben Zobrist has been driving in a ton of runs; B.J. Upton, for his terrible average, still knows how to hit homers and steal bases, and Casey Kotchman and Matt Joyce have produced as well. Most importantly, the team is playing well when it really counts, in late September.

The other team making a run at not only the Wild Card, but a Division Championship is the Los Angeles Angels. The Halos owe a lot of this season to rookie Mark Trumbo who leads the team in homeruns, RBI, and slugging percentage. Without Trumbo taking over for the injured Kendrys Morales this season, the Angels would have been floating up to Heaven a long time ago. As the offense has held on, the pitching staff is what really makes this team go, as Jered Weaver is having a Cy Young caliber season, Dan Haren has been fantastic as well, and even Ervin Santana, despite the win-loss record, has been very solid for the Angels this year. The hopes of a post-season rely heavily on these three pitchers, and other offensive players besides Trumbo need to step up. Torii Hunter has been good, and the infield has been contributors, but unless this team starts clicking on all cylinders soon, the post-season may just be out of reach.

Meanwhile, over in the National League, the Atlanta Braves have been falling apart, quite literally. Tommy Hanson hasn't pitched since early August, Jair Jurrjens since late August, Tim Hudson was on a bad streak until he ran into the Mets who gave him a tremendous start, Derek Lowe has given up 15 runs in his last three starts, and Brandon Beachy has pitched more than 6 innings only once in the past two months, making the bullpen work even harder to finish off games. The bullpen, for their part, has been extraordinary. However, the workload is starting to accumulate, and in the past few games Craig Kimbrel and Johnny Venters have been giving up homeruns like they were lottery tickets. Perhaps it's because those two, plus Eric O'Flaherty have pitched a collective 230.2 innings. That is a tremendous amount for three relievers to pitch, especially young guys who aren't exactly used to that sort of workload. This has been necessary because the Braves have played many close games due to a anemic lineup. The Braves have the 12th worst team average in the NL, 12th worst OBP, and are 5th in strikeouts. Dan Uggla caught fire late, and Freddie Freeman has had a very good rookie campaign, but if not for Chipper Jones staying healthy, I don't know if the Braves would be where they are now.

Where the Braves are, is on the hot seat, because here comes the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cards have been listed as clinically dead multiple times this season. First when Adam Wainwright was lost during Spring Training, then when Albert Pujols was sputtering in the early part of the season, and then finally when Milwaukee ran away with the Central a few weeks back. The Cardinals have kept plugging away, though, and now sit only 2.5 games back of the Braves. Thanks in large part to the offensive output of Lance Berkman early in the season, the Cardinals have managed to remain competitive even when all aspects of the team weren't clicking. Now that Pujols has returned to normal, Matt Holliday and Berkman are still hitting the ball around the park, and Jon Jay has taken over centerfield from the now-gone Colby Rasmus, the lineup is humming along quite nicely. The addition of Edwin Jackson has helped that rotation, and while it doesn't match up with the division leading teams heading to the playoffs, it's very serviceable, and could surprise folks.

Don't forget about the defending World Series Champions, the San Francisco Giants. They have won 8 straight games and sit just 1 game back from the Cardinals in the Wild Card hunt. Their offense has been atrocious this season, but with Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner, and Comeback Player of the Year candidate Ryan Vogelsong leading the rotation, anything is possible. With Barry Zito being oft hurt this season, and now Jonathan Sanchez being out, the emergence of Bumgarner and Vogelsong has been crucial. Over in the dugout, not much has been going right. Kung Fu Panda Pablo Sandoval has comeback to have a great 2011, and is leading the team is just about every offensive category, which is remarkable seeing as how he missed some time with a wrist injury. The loss of Buster Posey this season was huge, and the lineup has struggled mightily to overcome his loss. Carlos Beltran came in and has provided some help, but one man cannot make a team go. The Giants seemed to win by miracles last year as guys came out of the woodwork to win games at the last minute. This year is different. If the rotation can carry the hitters for just a little while longer, than anything can happen in the playoffs. Getting there will still be a struggle, though.

So who is going to make it in the end? I have no idea. If I had to wager a guess, I would say the Red Sox and Cardinals would make it in. They look as though they have the depth enough to make it in. But you never can tell with so few games left. Every pitch counts, and one blooper here, or one error there can make or break a season. It looked as though the playoff run was going to be a snooze-fest, but it has turned into something excited to watch. I hope you're as interested as I am.

I would be extremely remiss if I did not mention the incredible feat that was accomplished by Mr. Mariano Rivera yesterday versus the Minnesota Twins. As he had done 601 times before, The Sandman came into the game in the ninth inning and gave his team an exceptional performance. He worked a clean inning with no hits or walks allowed, as he has done for a large part of his career 1209 regular season innings. He collected his record-breaking 602 save with a big grin and humble enthusiasm. His teammates surrounded him, and then pushed him onto the mound for the standing ovation he well deserved.

Mariano is without a doubt the greatest closer the game has ever seen. Since 1996 when he became a relief pitcher, Mo has had an ERA above three just once. His career 2.22 ERA is simply incredible, especially for being age 41 and still throwing enough heat on that famous cutter of his to break guys bats, as he did again on Monday night. What sets Mariano apart from his competitors is not so much the phenomenal regular season stats, as it is his post-season numbers. Mo has played in a ridiculous 31 playoffs series in his career, and is an outstanding 8-1 with 42 saves and a 0.71 ERA. Over the course of his October career, he has struck out 109 hitters and walked just 25. He is the epitome of calm, cool and collected, and has closed out more playoff series wins than any other pitcher in history. Whether in the regular season, or with the World Series on the line, Mo knows how to get it done. I can't say enough about Mariano, as he is one of those players that defies the logic of time and pressure. He is the "beast under your bed. In your closet, in your head." He is, in short, the greatest.