If you think this is a horse racing post, think again. It's a capsule preview of this weekend's series that affect the pennant chase.
AL EAST
New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox
This is a golden opportunity for the Yankees to tighten the AL East race. As of this post, the Red Sox are winning 7-2. Tonight's starting pitchers are Andy Pettitte for the Yankees and Daisuke Matsuzaka for the Red Sox. UPDATE: Yankees win, 8-7. Bruney gets the win, Papelbon gets the loss, Rivera notches his 27th save of the season. The probable matchups for the weekend:
Saturday: Josh Beckett vs. Chien-Ming WangWinner has the inside track for the Cy Young.
Sunday: Curt Schilling vs. Roger Clemens. Two old warriors who are going to leave it all out on the field. It's going to be interesting to see who comes out on top.
NL EAST
Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets
The Phillies drew first blood in the series, winning tonight's game 3-2 in 10 innings. Tom "Flash" Gordon got the win, while Aaron Heilman took the loss. The Phils are now 4 1/2 games behind the Mets and for now are 1 game behind San Diego in the NL wild card. Probable pitchers for the weekend:
Saturday: Pedro Martinez vs. Kyle Lohse. Martinez has been out most of the season. A healthy Martinez will be HUGE for the Mets, as he can still deal. Recently he notched his 3,000th strikeout, joining the elite pantheon of hurlers that have 3,000 strikeouts. Lohse has been up and down.
Sunday: Oliver Perez vs. Adam Eaton. Perez has pitched reasonably well and appears to be a late bloomer. I'm waiting for Eaton's potential to show up. Sometimes it does. For the Phillies' sake, Eaton needs to step up with a stellar outing.
NL CENTRAL
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals
The Cubs rose up for a HUGE win in St. Louis, further dimming the Cardinals' chances. Carlos Zambrano matched his career high in wins, winning his 16th. The final score: Cubs 5, Cardinals 3. The Cards are now six games behind the Cubs and fading fast. They can ill-afford to get swept. A Cubs' sweep will mean the Cardinals should start making tee times soon. A Cardinals win in the series and they are still alive for defending their championship. Probable starters:
Saturday: Braden Looper vs. Ted Lilly. Lilly has pitched very well in his first season in the National League. Looper is a converted reliever and for his first season as a starter has been serviceable.
Sunday: Mark Mulder vs. Jason Marquis. Mulder has spent most of the season on the disabled list, so this season is a wash. He's giving it his best shot. Marquis has pitched reasonably well this season. You think he wants to stick a fork in his old team that sent him to the scrap heap after the division playoffs?
NL WEST
Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers
This is one of the most pivotal series of the season for both teams. The Dodgers have to win this series in order to keep at least their wild card hopes alive. Brad Penny is on the bump tonight against Dodger-killer Doug Davis. Davis is #### against the rest of the league but always seems to get up for the Dodgers. As of tonight the Dodgers are 5 1/2 games behind the D-backs and for now a half game behind the Phillies. The probable starters for the weekend:
Saturday: Derek Lowe vs. Livan Hernandez. A key matchup of pressure pitchers that both own World Series rings, Lowe with the Red Sox and Hernandez with the Florida Marlins. Lowe is coming off an injured hand he sustained earlier in the week, causing him to miss a start.
Sunday: Esteban Loaiza vs. Edgar Gonzalez. Gonzalez is coming off a superb start against the Giants in which he was dealing. Not bad for his first start since late June. Loaiza had a bad outing after his first two outings went well. Loaiza has been on the DL most of the season and it's too soon to tell how effective he'll be. Let's hope the Loaiza of old emerges.
San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres
The Giants are officially eliminated from the divisional title race and are playing for pride (and a job next season). The Padres are leading in the wild card race by a game (for now) over the Phillies and a game and a half over the Dodgers. Let's hope the Giants don't mail it in and give a concerted effort to win (that's the Dodger cynic coming out of me). Tonight's starters are Barry Zito for the Giants and Chris Young for the Padres. The probable starters for the weekend:
Saturday: Brett Tomko (I'm snickering now) vs. Matt Cain. If the Padres are intent on going to the postseason, why did they pick up Tomko? Actually, I'm GLAD they picked him up!! He can burn down Petco Park like he did Dodger Stadium!! Cain is an up and coming stud that will be a mainstay of the Giants' rotation for the next few years at least.
Sunday (I'm still laughing at the Padres' acquisition of Tomko): Jake Peavy vs. Tim Lincecum. Peavy has the inside track for the NL Cy Young Award. Another stellar performance like his last start could go a long way towards wrapping up the Award. Lincecum is a future Cy Young Award winner. He'll be the ace of the Giants' rotation perhaps as soon as next season.
I can feel the pressure of the pennant chase from here. Five series that directly impact postseason hopes, including two in the Wild, Wild West. GO DODGERS!!!!!
Jon..Jon, Jon its all coming down to the wire here and the Giants will not mail it in, Bochy for one wants to win this series more than any...and I too found alot of humor in the Padres picking up that bum Tomko, when he was with the Giants last year he was the worst and I laughed with my Dodger friend this year about the Dodgers picking that bum up...man not verymuch pitching eh, take care my friend and good luck and I mean it! Just kidding!!!!!!ha There is two out in the ninth and my Giants are hanging on by a thread!
How about them Yankees eh. Down 7-2 going into the 8th and then to come back and knock of the Red Sox 8-7, scoring 6 runs. In Boston no doubt. Sept is a great month!
Vern, the Giants should be able to win tomorrow when Tomko starts. The only way they lose is if they don't escape the inferno that will be Petco Park when Tomko burns it down.
Yankeehawk, HUGE win for the Yankees. Gotta give them their props. They will be dangerous in the postseason. A-Rod is a lock for MVP.
Looks like the Giants have a lot of gas cans in that bullpen. That was HORRIBLE!!! They're definitely going to need a closer and a couple of set up men next season.
Though the Phils best chance is the wild card... they are one mighty dangerous team to face in the playoffs. The WS might be another issue as of right now, I think the 5 best teams in baseball just happen to come from the AL. Either way, if the Phils can keep the pitchin staff from imploding, they are going to be tough. Which sucks for AZ since the mets would most likely get the cubs... or in other words a bye for the first round LOL
I don't think AZ is going to win the West this year. They are a very young team that hasn't faced the pressure of a pennant race yet. It's going to be either SD or LA. Very soon, AZ will be in the postseason and perhaps win a World Series or two. That team, like LA, is built for long-term success.
AZ is gonna win the West. They have handled Philly, and they have handled the Cubs. The Padres will win the WC and face the Mets while the backs will play the cubbies.
Yankees really stink this year, but Angels are really going to flame out soon. Cleveland is up and down. Detroit should take wildcard before long. Bosox will rock all.
Hay redsox fans,The Yankees are real,again You guys know it,You whole bean towns worried and really,You are too.We are gonna take the east,You just watch.Your boys from the east are choking and dredds is faking another back ach,you guys stink.Yankees beat You all Year,Ya 26 ha ha ha
Arizona closes the season with six games on the road, as does San Diego. LA closes with six at home (3 with Colorado and 3 with SF).
I think the Yankees will overtake the Red Sox. This smells like 1978 all over again when the Yankees overcame a 13 1/2 game deficit to win the AL East.
If the Mets and Phillies are within a game of each other in the last week, the Phillies will win the NL East.
I am from Central California. I am passionate about sports, particularly the NFL and NASCAR. My favorite teams are: Panthers (NFL), Lakers (NBA), Flyers (NHL), and Dodgers (MLB). I am also a Kevin Harvick fan in NASCAR. I am a Fresno State honk. (I'll admit it!) And I am also a fan of MMA. Jackie Robinson to this day represents what is right about baseball. I also enjoy discussing the relevant (and sometimes irrelevant) issues of the day pertaining to sports. I will never understand why televised poker is so popular. Who wants to see a bunch of people sitting around a table, muttering to themselves? I do my best to keep politics out of my sports discussions. That is why I recently created a nonsports blog, cencalscribe. blogspot.com. That is where I post my nonsports topics.
Winner has the inside track for the Cy Young. 
