SoCal Sports Hub: Hardball Weekly (6/1/09)

Wanted: Season-Saving Rally Monkey

Ervin Santana’s much anticipated return to the Angels has not gone as the team hoped. He is 0-2 with a 9.50 ERA (31 runs allowed in four games), but he isn’t much worse than the rest of the Angels right now. Hovering just one game over .500, the injury-riddled Angels just stumbled through a 2-4 home stand that left them 4.5 games behind the red-hot Rangers, and staring a 9-game road trip in the face.

But if there is such a thing as a turning point, the Angels may have had one Sunday when they overcame a seven-run deficit in the 6th inning, capped off with a 3-run ninth for the walk-off. Torii Hunter continues to lead the Halos in nearly every offensive category, hitting .313 with 12 homers and nearly an RBI per game. If the Angels can keep riding Hunter until Vlad Guerrero, John Lackey, and Santana get back to form, they are still the favorites in the AL West despite the Rangers’ start.

Odd Man Out

With just 32 calendar days left, the Dodgers are nearly halfway through Manny Ramirez’ steroid-suspension. A few weeks ago, it seemed that the Dodgers might be in deep trouble when their saw they Division lead dwindle and their hitting stop. Now it seems the biggest problem they will deal with in the West is where to put Manny when he is eligible.

Andre Ethier’s batting average has fallen 60-points in Manny’s absence, and Juan Pierre has hit over .400 for most of that span (.374 on the season), but Pierre cannot be played in right field because of his weak throwing arm. Matt Kemp would be tough to move from center field with his solid defense and impressive hitting. But you can’t take Manny’s bat out of the lineup either. So Pierre will likely be relegated to the bench again despite his torrid hitting.

Maybe They Should Threaten To Trade Other Guys Too

The Padres completed a trade with the White Sox to send ace Jake Peavy to Chicago, but Peavy vetoed the deal. Since then, Peavy is 3-0 and the Padres have done what they needed to do to get back into the race in the NL West, going 12-3 (including a 10-game win streak). Unfortunately, the Dodgers regained their form just before that stretch and have surrendered only 1.5 games during that span, and the Padres still sit in third place, 9-games back.

Adrian Gonzalez continues to put up MVP numbers, even though he is a long shot for the All-Star game. Gonzalez leads baseball with 20 homers, and has 40 RBI through 50 games. But Scott Hairston and Gonzalez are the only two Padre regulars hitting over .250, and despite Peavy’s renewed success, they simply cannot compete with the Dodgers over the long haul. The clock is ticking louder and louder on the Padres’ stars careers at Petco.

The Lineup (9 Things To Watch This Week)

Dodgers vs. Phillies in battle of Division Leaders (Thursday-Sunday at Dodger Stadium)
Angels start 9-game road trip (Toronto, Detroit, Tampa Bay)
Jake Peavy vs. Phillies Offense (2nd in NL in runs scored) (Wednesday at Petco Park)
Juan Pierre: 1-13 in last three games (Dodgers went 1-2), 12-24 in previous five (Dodgers were 4-1)
Rangers take West division lead to New York and Boston
Baltimore’s Luke Scott hit .533 with six homers and 14 RBI over a four-game stretch last week
Carlos Zambrano returns to the mound after suspension (Thursday at Atlanta)
Washington (on pace for 43 wins) has lost 6 straight (host San Francisco and New York Mets)
Mets (7-2) and Phillies (12-4) red hot and separated by .5
Phillies (5.02) and Yankees (4.94) have the 4th and 5th worst ERAs in baseball despite leading their divisions

This post is a copy of a weekly feature I write for SoCal Sports Hub. Check out their site for great info., articles, interviews and comments on all Southern California pro and college sports.

SoCal Sports Hub: Hardball Weekly (5/18/09)

On Pace For 64 Homers (That'd Be The Record, Right?)

The bad news for the Padres is that they are second-to-last in the National League in runs scored and batting average. The good news is that division rival Arizona is last in both, and Rockies are equally inept. The Padres had lost six straight going into their weekend series with the Reds, and came away with a sweep, thanks in part to some 16th innings heroics on Saturday.

Adrian Gonzalez homered in five straight games last week, and considering that his protection in the lineup is coming from Chase Headley, who is batting .246, you have to wonder how long it will be before the Major League home run lead is taken away from him, and when he will start running away with the walks-lead.

Manny Who?

The Mets come to Los Angeles looking to continue their hot streak, but they may have already saved the Dodgers' season for them. When Manny Ramirez first went out on his drug-suspension, the Dodgers scuffled; the Giants got hot, and it looked like San Francisco might sneak back up in the race. They closed from 6.5 games back to 3 games back in the blink of an eye and you could feel the Dodgers imploding.

Then the Mets went in and won three straight in San Francisco, pushing the Dodgers' lead back to 6 games and probably ending anyone's hopes of running down the Dodgers in the West. It isn't that a 6 game lead is insurmountable in May; it is that the Dodgers were on the ropes, likely feeling that nothing they could do would be enough without Manny (they're actually out-hitting and out-scoring their own numbers when he was playing). Now they've won four straight, are back to .500 since Manny left, and after 1/5 of the suspension, they're exactly where they were when they started...in front by a mile.

Now the question is whether they can slow the Mets down in Chavez Ravine this week.

Lackey Is Back, Sorta

John Lackey made his 2009 debut over the weekend, taking a no-decision, and sending his ERA to infinity after getting tossed two pitches into the game for throwing behind and then into the chest of the leadoff hitter. It was a questionable ejection and might have cost the Angels the game given that they were essentially forced to have someone start a game on the spot. Lackey is scheduled to throw anywhere from 3-100 pitches Monday night, going up against former Angel great, Jarrod Washburn in Seattle.

Lackey's abridged start on Saturday was in Texas, where the Angels suffered a sweep at the hands of the Rangers, who have won seven in-a-row and suddenly have the 2nd best record in the league. The Angels did take two-of-three from Boston earlier in the week, but the Texas sweep leaves them at .500 and in desperate need of pitching help (allowing over 5 runs per game this season).

Around the League

Unlikely leaders continue to shine in the American League, with Toronto and Texas holding firm in the East and West, and Kansas City only a game back in the Central. The Royals are 2-7 in their last 9 however, and it appears the bloom may be off the rose. The Phillies and Mets have both caught fire and are looking like they will be making the NL East a two-horse race. The Mets are 11-3 in their last 14, and the Phillies are 5-2 in their last seven (though four wins came against the Nationals). Hells Bells are ringing in Milwaukee where Trevor Hoffman has converted four saves in the Brewers' 5-game winning streak. The Yankees are also riding a 5-game streak, thanks to three consecutive walk-off wins at Yankee Stadium over the Twins last weekend.

The Lineup - 9 Things To Watch This Week

Dodgers vs. Mets at Dodger Stadium (Monday-Wednesday)
Angels vs. Mariners at Safeco Field (Monday-Thursday)
Zack Greinke (7-1, .60 ERA) vs. Victor Martinez (.401 BA) (Thursday)
Red Sox/Josh Beckett vs. Mets/Johan Santana (Friday)
Phillies' Lineup (most runs in NL) vs. Yankee Stadium (Friday-Sunday)
Dodgers vs. Angels at Dodger Stadium (Friday-Sunday)
Dodgers/Clayton Kershaw vs. Angels/John Lackey (Saturday)
Adrian Gonzalez (most HR hit) vs. Rich Harden (8th most HR allowed) (Saturday)
Streaks: Rangers - 7 wins, Nationals - 4 losses

This post is a copy of a weekly feature I write for SoCal Sports Hub. Check out their site for great info., articles, interviews and comments on all Southern California pro and college sports.