Category: Detroit Tigers

My favorite baseball team.

Baseball playoff update 9-28

Some of these teams have already played today so the standings may be jumbled. It was getaway day for a number of road teams.

American League:

1. New York (96-62, won A.L. East). Tonight they host Baltimore for the last of three games with Daniel Cabrera (8-10, 5.05) taking the mound for the O’s against Darrell Rasner (3-0, 2.50) for the Yanks. At the moment it looks like Cabrera and the O’s are in command, leading 5-0 in the 6th. The Yankees host Toronto over the weekend.

2. DETROIT (95-64, leads A.L. Central by 1/2 game over Minnesota). The Tigers lost a matinee affair to Toronto 8-6 so their magic number essentially stays at 3 (a tie for the division title is a win for the Tigers.) The Tigers wrap up the season with 3 at home against Kansas City.

3. Oakland (92-66, won A.L. West). I wrote down tonight’s pitching matchup (Zito vs. Lackey) last night as Oakland starts their final 4-game series of the season in Los Angeles. Can you tell I was tired?

4. Minnesota (94-64, assured of no worse than wild-card). They finish up the 4 game series with the Royals now trying to draw into a tie with Detroit. Luke Hudson (7-6, 5.49) gets the nod for Kansas City against Minnesota’s Brad Radke (12-9, 4.46). After tonight, the White Sox come to Minnesota to conclude the regular season.

National League:

1. New York (93-65, won N.L. East). Fans in Washington will get to see the Mets’ second-stringers and rookies get some playing time this weekend.

2. San Diego (85-73, leads N.L. West by 1/2 game over Los Angeles). The Padres took 2 of 3 from St. Louis, now they end the season with 4 games in Arizona. First on the list is Jake Peavy (10-14, 4.13) for San Diego against Arizona’s Miguel Batista (11-7, 4.36). Magic number for the Padres is 4 for a division title and 3 for a playoff berth. Los Angeles (see below) already won today.

3. St. Louis (81-76, leads N.L. Central by 1 game over Houston). The pressure is on as Houston already won today. Now the Cardinals are in danger of being 1/2 game up if they lose a game in progress with Milwaukee. Doug Davis (10-11, 5.02) got the start for Milwaukee while the Cards sent out Jason Marquis (14-15, 5.80) and Milwaukee leads early, 2-0. This is the first of 4 against the Brew Crew in St. Louis that the Cards play this weekend.

4. Los Angeles (85-74, leads wild card by 1 1/2 games over Philadelphia). The Dodgers played a football game in Denver today, or at least the score was football-like as the Dodgers rolled 19-11 over the Rockies. Colorado must have came up short in the red zone late. Anyway, now the Dodgers head to San Francisco for a weekend 3 game series against their old rivals, the Giants.

5. Philadelphia (83-75). The Phillies are getting their backs firmly placed against the wall and worse yet a rainstorm in Washington has delayed their getaway game, possibly washing the Phillies out for tonight. If they can get it going, it will be Jon Lieber (9-10, 4.92) for the Phillies against Washington’s Michael O’Connor (3-8, 5.04). What also needs to be kept in mind is that Philadelphia needs to catch a plane to Miami tonight so they can play at Florida to finish the year, so a long delay is not helping their cause nor did the Dodgers’ earlier win.

6. Houston (81-78). They shut out the Pirates 3-0 this afternoon in Pittsburgh, now the question is whether Roger Clemens will pitch his last game tomorrow night in Atlanta. They’ve won 9 straight to make the N.L. Central a race.

7. Cincinnati (78-80). Their loss last night put the Reds’ season on life support, but nevertheless they sent out Kyle Lohse (4-10, 6.04 between the Twins and Reds) against Florida’s Ricky Nolasco (11-10, 4.70) and thus far the results are encouraging as Cincinnati leads in the 6th inning 5-1. But if they blow that lead and St. Louis wins, the Reds’ faint playoff hopes are snuffed out. The Reds close up shop this season in Pittsburgh.

It’s starting to look like the National League will have all of the excitement this weekend, with the exception of the A.L. Central title race. But all that determines is who would get the Yankees in the first round.

Baseball playoff update 9-27

These get shorter each night. All of the playoff teams are decided in the American League and now it’s a matter of seeding. The National League has three separate races underway now, battles for the NL West, NL Central, and wild card involve 6 teams.

(Late edit: I have tonight’s scores but there’s a few afternoon contests tomorrow so I’ll have a partial update when I do this tomorrow evening.)

American League:

1. New York (95-62, A.L. East champion). The Yankees attempt to maintain the lead they hold in the home field race, their magic number for that is 2 for the first round and 5 for the overall since they won the season series against Detroit. Tonight Baltimore is in Yankee Stadium and sends out Kris Benson (11-11, 4.49) against Chien-Ming Wang (18-6, 3.57).

2. DETROIT (95-62, leads A.L. Central by 1 game over Minnesota). The Tigers’ magic number is actually 4 to clinch the Central because they won the season series against the Twins. Since both teams are assured a postseason berth, there will be no playoff in the event of a tie. Toronto continues their trip with Ted Lilly (14-13, 4.41) facing Nate Robertson (13-12, 3.66).

3. Oakland (91-66, A.L. West champion). Unless the Athletics get hot, they’re going to be the lowest seeded division champ and will be forced to play 3 games on the East Coast. But they finally made it after several tries and send out Barry Zito (16-9, 3.89) to take on Seattle’s Gil Meche (11-8, 4.48) up in Washington state.

4. Minnesota (94-63, clinched at least wild card). The Twins continue their series against Kansas City and hope for a Detroit stumble. Kansas City’s Mark Redman (10-10, 5.83) is pitted against Carlos Silva (10-14, 5.95) for the Twins in the Homerdome.

National League:

1. New York (93-64, N.L. East champion). No worries.

2. San Diego (85-72, leads N.L. West by 2 over Los Angeles). Little noticed in their NL West race is that the Padres are drawing closer to punching a playoff ticket regardless of position – their magic number to secure a spot in the postseason is down to 3, and 4 to win the NL West. The Pads finish up their series in St. Louis tonight – Chris Young (11-5, 3.55) goes for the sweep of the tumbling Cardinals, he draws Anthony Reyes (5-7, 4.92) as the Cards’ starter.

3. St. Louis (80-76, leads N.L. Central by 1 1/2 over Houston). Their slide has made a race of the N.L. Central and kept two teams who probably should be making tee times for next week in the hunt. See San Diego above. However, St. Louis still has a magic number of 5 and sooner or later they’ll knock it down. At least they hope so!

4. Los Angeles (83-74, leads wild card by 1 game over Philadelphia). The Dodgers have flipped back on top as Philadelphia’s stumbled the last couple nights. Derek Lowe (15-8, 3.57) gets the ball for LA against Colorado’s Aaron Cook (9-14, 4.11) on what looks to be a chilly evening in Denver.

5. Philadelphia (82-75). Usually it’s the Marlins who screw up the Phillies’ playoff hopes. While they’ll get their chance this coming weekend, right now it’s the Nats who are throwing the wrench in Philly’s postseason drive. But the Phillies will start Cole Hamels (9-8, 4.06) against Washington’s Pedro Astacio (5-5, 6.12).

6. Houston (79-78). The surging Astros have stayed alive moreso because of the St. Louis swoon than they’ve held serve in the wild card chase. Houston goes with another rookie starter, Jason Hirsh (3-4, 5.83) against Pittsburgh’s Shawn Chacon (7-6, 6.25 between the Yankees and Pirates).

7. Cincinnati (78-79). A Los Angeles win tonight eliminates the Reds from the wild card race, but should both the Cards continue in the tank and the Astros fall in, Cincinnati still could be the most shocked participant in the playoffs as N.L. Central champs. They’re down in Miami tonight, Chris Michalak (2-3, 4.50) sets up shop against Mister No-hitter, Anibal Sanchez (9-3, 2.80).

For the first time in a few days no team can be eliminated tonight, but some can help themselves quite a bit by winning.

And if I get back in time from a couple things, I might make a political post! Maybe people miss those?

Hang in there, the regular season ends Sunday. But then I’ll be sitting up at night watching the playoffs – oh well.

Baseball playoff update 9-26

I see I was linked on Duvafiles, the post in question is here.

This will be quick since it’s past 12:30 a.m.

American League:

And then there were five as Chicago bit the dust bigtime tonight, 14-1. If Oakland manages to come back after blowing a 9-3 lead in Seattle, the four AL playoff teams will be set and they’re jockeying for position from here on out. The order would be like this:

1. New York (94-62, won A.L. East). They hold the tiebreaker over Detroit because they won the season series. Tomorrow the Yankees host Baltimore, Hayden Penn (0-3, 15.43) for Baltimore against the Yankees’ Cory Lidle (11-10, 4,86 between the Phillies and Yankees).

2. DETROIT (94-62, leads A.L. Central by 1 game over Minnesota). The Tigers face Toronto, it’s Dustin McGowan (1-1, 8.34) for the Jays against the Tigers’ Jeremy Bonderman (13-8, 4.11).

3. Oakland (91-65 if they win in Seattle, won A.L. West). Oakland continues the series in Seattle, Rich Harden (3-0, 3.79) takes on Jake Woods (6-3, 3.88).

4. Minnesota (93-63, clinched at least a wild card tonight). They continue to feast on Kansas City, the Royals send out Odalis Perez (6-8, 6.06) to tangle with Minnesota’s Johan Santana (18-6, 2.79).

Just in case Seattle takes it and keeps the Angels (85-71) alive in the A.L. West, it’s Texas and Robinson Tejada (4-4, 4.50) against Los Angeles’s Kelvim Escobar (11-13, 3.40).

National League:

1. New York (93-63) is set as N.L. East champs and best record.

2. San Diego (84-75, leads N.L. West by 2 games over Los Angeles). They beat St. Louis tonight and send ex-Cardinal Woody Williams (10-5, 3.53) out to pitch against Chris Carpenter (15-7, 2.93) on Tuesday.

3. St. Louis (80-75, leads N.L. Central by 2 1/2 games over Houston). See San Diego above.

4 (tie). Philadelphia (82-74). They were knocked off by the Astros, now they move on to Washington, a team who won 3 of 4 from the Mets. It’s Brett Myers (12-6, 3.94) vs. the Nats’ Ramon Ortiz (10-15, 5.40).

4. (tie) Los Angeles (82-74). The Dodgers open up a set in Colorado, sending Greg Maddux (13-14, 4.25) out to square off with Jason Jennings (9-12, 3.65).

6. Houston (78-78). Don’t look now, but the Astros are knocking on the NL Central door. They’re now off to Pittsburgh, where they reestablish order in their rotation by sending out Andy Pettitte (13-13, 4.31) against the Pirates’ Ian Snell (14-10, 4.67).

7. Cincinnati (77-79). The Reds begin an elimination matchup with Florida tonight, first-game loser is out of the wildcard and winner has to sweep all three to stay in it. It will be Matt Belisle (2-0, 4.45) for Cincinnati against the D-Train, Dontrelle Willis (12-11, 3.77) for Florida.

8. Florida (76-80). See Cincinnati above.

I could lose one or possibly two teams tomorrow, so the list is starting to grow shorter. With the Cardinals swooning, it puts the Astros and Reds in better shape for the division title than the wild-card.

Baseball playoff update 9-25

I actually have the Election Calendar ready to go, it will be posted above this once the games are settled.

Some teams are idle on Monday, and Sunday’s results were the end of the playoff road for the two NL teams on the bubble, Arizona and Atlanta. Monday could be cruel to others.

American League:

In:

DETROIT (94-62, lead AL Central by 1 1/2 games over Minnesota). The black cloud hanging over the Tigers for the last 20 seasons is finally dissipating as they have assured themselves at least a wild-card berth! Even better, by beating the Royals today combined with another stumble by the Yankees in Tampa, they now are in the catbird seat for home field advantage, at least for one day. The Yankees won the season series against the Tigers so they win the tiebreaker if it comes to that. The Tigers are idle Monday, they begin a series with Toronto on Tuesday. Magic number for the division title is now 6, for home field throughout is 7.

New York (93-62, AL East champions). The Yankees still control their own playoff destiny, but they need to figure out how to beat the D-Rays. Jaret Wright (10-7, 4.52) will get the chance against Tampa Bay’s Jae Seo (3-10, 4.85 between the Mets and Rays). After this game the Yankees are home the remainder of the season.

Possibly in after today:

Oakland (90-65, leads AL West by 6 over Los Angeles). Now that chilled champagne needs to be flown north with the team as they couldn’t clinch the AL West against the Angels. On Monday the Athletics send Esteban Loaiza (11-8, 4.70) to the hill against Seattle’s Cha Seung Baek (4-1, 3.67).

Minnesota (92-63, leads wild card by 5 1/2 over Chicago). The Twins took 2 of 3 in Baltimore but lost ground on the Tigers, who swept the Royals by a combined 33-11 score. Now those same Royals pay a visit to Minnesota before once again facing Detroit next weekend. The games have to be played though and the Royals will soldier on with Jorge De La Rosa (5-5, 6.66 between Milwaukee and Kansas City) facing the Twins’ Boof Bonser (6-5, 4.36). A win combined with a White Sox loss ends the one-season reign of Chicago as world champions.

Could be gone today:

Chicago (87-69). The White Sox hit the road for their last chance needing a LOT of help from the Royals. Chicago’s in Cleveland to start their last road trip, it’s Jon Garland (17-6, 4.37) for the Pale Hose facing the Tribe’s Cliff Lee (12-11, 4.58).

Los Angeles (84-71). The Angels try to stay alive to face the Athletics again next weekend, but first things first. Texas arrives in town and the Rangers will start Edinson Volquez (1-5, 6.53) against Joe Saunders (6-3, 4.29) for the Halos.

National League:

In:

New York (93-62) is in and has home field throughout.

Possibly in after today:

Nobody. This may not happen until about Thursday.

Working on that magic number:

San Diego (83-72, leads NL West by 1 1/2 games over Los Angeles). A huge series between the NL West and NL Central leaders begins Monday night. If things break right, it’s a possible playoff preview and would be a rematch of 2005’s NLDS. San Diego will send the veteran David Wells (2-5, 4.80 between Boston and San Diego) to the mound while the Cardinals counter with Jeff Suppan (12-7, 4.07).

St. Louis (80-74), leads NL Central by 3 1/2 over Houston). See San Diego above. The Cards had a lost weekend in Houston but now get home cooking where they’re 46-27. The magic number stays at 5.

Philadelphia (82-73, leads wild card by 1/2 game over Los Angeles). A makeup game tonight as the contest scheduled against Houston was rained out earlier this month. Now the Phillies will get the opportunity to eliminate the Astros. Houston is slated to send out rookie Matt Albers (0-2, 6.00) to face Randy Wolf (4-0, 5.47) but that’s subject to change.

Falling away:

Los Angeles (82-74). The Dodgers are idle on this Monday, Tuesday they start a series in Colorado.

Houston (77-78). See Philadephia above.

Could be gone today:

Cincinnati (76-79). Finishing their home season with an afternoon contest against the Cubs, they’ll face the slants of Chicago’s Wade Miller (0-2, 4.97) and counter with Bronson Arroyo (14-10, 3.38). The season’s on the line for the once-hot Reds in this one.

Florida (76-80). They can only watch and root for the Astros because the Marlins are idle.

San Francisco (75-80). It could be over playoff-wise before they begin, but San Francisco is slated to face the Arizona Diamondbacks on the banks of McCovey Cove. Arizona will toss out Edgar Gonzalez (2-3, 4.41) while the Giants place their hopes on Jason Schmidt (11-8, 3.50).

The update might be a lot shorter for Tuesday’s action as there’s now 3 teams on the bubble. With 3 late games and me not necessarily wanting to stay up half the night to find out how they came out, there’s going to be a partial update for Tuesday.

Baseball playoff update 9-24

Now 8 days to play until the end of the season next Sunday. We lost Boston but the Angels and Arizona stayed alive. Many of these teams are either finishing their road or home schedules today, which may be an advantage to those who will have home cooking the remainder of the season.

American League:

In:

New York (93-61, AL East champions). Their magic number to clinch home field remained 8 after losing yesterday, magic number for first round stayed at 7. Today the Yankees continue their series at Tampa Bay, Mike Mussina (14-6, 3.57) faces rookie Brian Stokes (0-0, 6.94).

Possibly in after today:

DETROIT (93-62, leads AL Central by 1 1/2 over Minnesota). A win today at Kansas City assures the Tigers at least a wild card. Justin Verlander (16-6, 3.74) goes for the Tiger sweep against the Royals’ Runelvys Hernandez (6-9, 6.40). For the division title, the Tigers’ magic number is now 7. They conclude the season at home after an off day tomorrow.

Oakland (90-64, leads AL West by 7 over Los Angeles). The champagne stayed on ice yesterday, but they again host the Angels in the series finale. Pitching matchup is Ervin Santana (14-8, 4.57) for Los Angeles against Danny Haren (14-12, 4.01) on the hill for Oakland. The Athletics would love to clinch the division in their home regular season finale.

Working on that magic number:

Minnesota (91-63, leads wild card by 5 1/2 over Chicago). The Twins square off against Baltimore in the finale at Camden Yards for 2006. Matt Garza (2-5, 5.40) is the Twins starter, the Orioles counter with Adam Loewen (6-5, 5.35). Their magic number to clinch at least a playoff berth dropped to 3 yesterday as they knocked off the O’s. Today’s ballgame is the last road game for Minnesota.

Falling away:

Chicago (86-69). The White Sox are still on the division title bubble today and a loss could drop their only hope to winning out and hoping the Twins lose all their games at Kansas City this week. Seattle’s rookie Ryan Feierabend (no record or ERA in 6 innings pitched) starts against onetime Mariner Freddy Garcia (15-9, 4.63), who shut down the Tigers for Chicago in his last outing. It’s the last home game for Chicago for the regular season and it’s looking likely to be the last for 2006.

Could be gone today:

Los Angeles (82-71). See Oakland above. A loss by the Angels and you can stick a fork in them. If they do win they will play home games the rest of the way.

National League:

In:

New York (93-61) is in and has home field throughout.

Possibly in after today:

Again, no team can clinch a playoff spot in the NL today.

Working on that magic number:

San Diego (82-72, leads NL West by 1 1/2 games over Los Angeles). San Diego got a little breathing room as they won last night while the Dodgers lost. Their home finale today against Pittsburgh sees Pirates’ minor league veteran Marty McLeary (1-0, 4.76) face the Padres’ Clay Hensley (10-11, 3.81). Magic number for the Padres is now 7 for the division title.

St. Louis (80-73, leads NL Central by 4 1/2 over Houston). The Cardinal swoon continues, they’ve dropped 5 in a row. Tonight they play on ESPN with Jeff Weaver (7-14, 5.84 between the Angels and Cards) against Houston’s future Hall-of-Famer (whenever he decides to retire!) Roger Clemens (7-5, 2.37). Their magic number to win yet another NL Central crown stayed at 5, but they do finish their season at home.

Philadelphia (81-73, leads wild card by 1/2 game over Los Angeles). They flipped places with Los Angeles as they won yesterday while LA lost. Today’s contest against the Marlins was supposed to be their last home game, but Philly fans get a bonus tomorrow night with a makeup game against Houston that now looms large. Youngster Scott Olsen (12-8, 3.87) goes for the Marlins against veteran lefty Jamie Moyer (9-14, 4.27 between Seattle and Philadelphia). Now they hold the magic number of 8 to secure the wild card.

Falling away:

Los Angeles (81-73). The Dodgers were blown out last night, so now they’ll sit and watch the scoreboard as the Phillies game should be concluding when they start. This will be the Dodgers’ last home game as they tangle with Arizona, it’s Livan Hernandez (12-13, 5.08) for the visitors and Hong-Chih Kuo (1-5, 4.72) on the mound in Dodger blue.

Houston (76-78). See St. Louis above. Could this be the final chance for Houston fans (and everyone else via national TV) to see the Rocket? He’s going on three days rest to pitch the Astros’ last scheduled home game.

Florida (76-79). See Philadelphia above. Florida finishes the season at home, but the question is now becoming if they’ll even draw 100,000 for their last 6 home games since they’re dropping from the race.

Cincinnati (75-79). The Reds continue a series with the Cubs today as they struggle to stay in the race. Rookie Juan Mateo (1-3, 4.38) gets the nod for the Cubs, he’ll square off with Aaron Harang (14-11, 3.91) for Cincinnati.

San Francisco (75-79). This Midwest trip has pretty much killed whatever chances the Giants had, but they’ll press on with Matt Cain (13-10, 3.99) as their starter against Milwaukee’s Ben Sheets (5-7, 4.21). After today San Francisco is home for what’s left of their season.

Could be gone today:

Atlanta (75-80). Another loss by the Braves last night has put them in an odd position, needing to win out to avoid a non-winning season for the first time in 15 years. That effort starts today in Colorado as the Braves go with Chuck James (10-4, 3.62) against the Rockies’ Juan Morillo (12-8, 4.62 at AA Tulsa) making his major league debut. Then the Braves come home for the last 6 games needing the miracle of all miracles to make the postseason.

Arizona (73-81). See Los Angeles above. Still seeking the .500 mark at least.

I’ll probably do tomorrow’s update during the St. Louis – Houston game tonight (since most games will be completed by then) so the standings may not quite be in perfect order unless one team’s getting blown out. A few teams have travel days tomorrow so the schedule will be lighter.

Baseball playoff update 9-23

9 days to play until the end of the season. Here’s how things shake out.

American League:

In:

New York (93-60, AL East champions). Their magic number to clinch home field throughout is 8, magic number for first round is 7. Tonight the Yankees are at Tampa Bay, Randy Johnson (17-10, 4.93) against J.P. Howell (0-3, 6.53).

Possibly in after today:

DETROIT (92-62, leads AL Central by 1 1/2 over Minnesota). A win today at Kansas City combined with a Chicago loss against the Mariners assures the Tigers at least a wild card. The game against the Royals has Kenny Rogers (16-6, 3.74) against Mark Redman (10-9, 5.33). For the division title, the Tigers’ magic number is 8.

Oakland (90-63, leads AL West by 8 over Los Angeles). Win today and they’re in, they host the Angels. Pitching matchup is John Lackey (11-11, 3.73) for Los Angeles against Joe Blanton (16-11, 4.74) for the Athletics.

Working on that magic number:

Minnesota (90-63, leads wild card by 5 1/2 over Chicago). They could by in by the end of the weekend, but can’t clinch today. The Twins square off against Baltimore at Camden Yards, Scott Baker (5-8, 6.33) takes the mound for Minnesota against the Orioles’ Eric Bedard (15-9, 3.62). Their magic number to clinch at least a playoff berth is 4.

Falling away:

Chicago (85-69). The White Sox could be eliminated from the division title today and a loss would all but doom their chances of a World Series repeat. Felix Hernandez (11-14, 4.68) takes the mound for visiting Seattle against Chicago’s Mark Buehrle (12-13, 4.79).

Could be gone today:

Boston (83-71). Last night they eliminated the Blue Jays, today the Jays could return the favor. Devern Hansack (8-7, 3.26 at AA Portland) makes his major league debut for Boston against the Blue Jays’ A.J. Burnett (8-8, 3.97).

Los Angeles (82-71). See Oakland above. A loss by the Angels and a Minnesota win would officially eliminate Los Angeles from the playoff picture.

National League:

In:

New York (92-61) is in and has home field throughout.

Possibly in after today:

No team can clinch a playoff spot in the NL today.

Working on that magic number:

San Diego (81-72, leads NL West by 1/2 game over Los Angeles). The Padres host Pittsburgh late tonight, Zach Duke (10-13, 4.49) goes for the Pirates against Jake Peavy (9-14, 4.25) for San Diego. Magic number for the Padres is 9 for both division title and wild card.

St. Louis (80-72, leads NL Central by 5 1/2 over Cincinnati and Houston). St. Louis continues a weekend series in Houston with Anthony Reyes (5-7, 4.92) on the hill for the Cards against the Astros’ Roy Oswalt (14-8, 3.05). St. Louis lost last night so their magic number to win yet another NL Central crown stayed at 5.

Los Angeles (81-73, leads wild card by 1/2 game over Philadelphia). In the final game of the evening, the Dodgers host Arizona. Pitching for the Diamondbacks will be Miguel Batista (10-7, 4.40) countered by the Dodgers’ Brad Penny (16-8, 4.13). Magic number to clinch a wild card is 9.

Falling away:

Philadelphia (80-73). Actually, they may be the team working on the magic number after tonight; certainly they’ll be scoreboard watching later. Hosting the Florida Marlins this afternoon, the Phillies will face Brian Moehler (7-9, 6.09) while they counter with Jon Lieber (8-10, 5.03).

Florida (76-78). See Philadelphia above. Two more losses to the Phillies this weekend and the Marlins’ improbable playoff run will be practically finished.

Cincinnati (75-78). The Reds host the lowly Cubs, but they also draw their best pitcher as Carlos Zambrano (15-6, 3.38) pitches for Chicago against Cincinnati’s Kyle Lohse (4-9, 5.81 overall between Minnesota and Cincinnati).

Houston (75-78). See St. Louis above. Tomorrow night the Astros could be driven to the brink of elimination on national TV.

San Francisco (75-78). The Giants lost a wild one in Milwaukee last night, tonight it’s Noah Lowry (7-10, 4.70) facing the Brewers’ Chris Capuano (11-11, 3.67).

Atlanta (75-79). Atlanta may have 2 days left in the “official” playoff picture, the National League playoffs without the Tomahawk Chop will be a bit strange. But the Braves press on in Colorado, who was eliminated last night. Atlanta sends Kyle Davies (3-5, 7.18) out against Jeff Francis (12-11, 3.88) of the Rockies.

Could be gone today:

Arizona (72-81). See Los Angeles above. They lost to the Dodgers last night to place themselves on the brink of elimination, now they need a 9-0 run just to make .500 for the season.

Tomorrow’s “could be gone today” column in the NL looks to be a lot fatter. It’s almost ridiculous that 11 teams out of 16 still have a shot. What’s really bad is that a team just a few games over .500 will sneak in while teams like the White Sox, Angels, or Red Sox will be left out. Another reason to hate interleague play.

Standings report: 2 weeks to go

Baseball is getting down to the nitty gritty. With two weeks to go, there’s still nine AL teams and a whopping 14 NL teams who are still mathematically alive for the postseason; however, I’m going to ignore those who are likely going to be bounced this week. If their playoff elimination number is 6 or less, they ain’t gonna make it.

American League:

1. New York (90-58 pending tonight’s game with Boston, 10 1/2 game lead in AL East)

Magic number: 4 (or 2 if they win tonight) for division, 13 for home field

Remaining schedule: 3 at Tor, 4 at TB, 3 vs. Bal, 3 vs. Tor (composite 149 games under .500)

Because the Tigers have faded the Yankees will likely get home field throughout the playoffs. During the Toronto series they’ll likely punch their ticket to the playoffs in front of the Canadian fans. I think this will be something like 11 straight division titles?

2. DETROIT (89-60, 1 game lead in AL Central)

Magic number: 13 for division, 9 for playoffs

Remaining schedule: 3 at Chi, 1 at Bal, 3 at KC, 3 vs. Tor, 3 vs. KC (composite 141 games under .500)

While the schedule looks easy, it’s not like the White Sox are pushovers despite their recent fade and the Royals have played inspired ball the last month or so, passing Tampa Bay as far as overall record.

3. Minnesota (88-61, 4 game lead for wild card)

Magic number: 10 for wild card

Remaining schedule: 3 at Bos, 3 at Bal, 4 vs. KC, 3 vs. Chi (composite 109 games under .500)

The last series with the White Sox will probably eliminate one or the other, although I’ll take a heaping helping of inspired Royals ball against the Twins, please.

4. Oakland (86-62, 7 game lead in AL West)

Magic number: 7

Remaining schedule: 4 vs. Cle, 3 vs. LA, 3 at Sea, 4 at LA (composite 9 games over .500)

They lead LA by 7 games and play them 7 times. Enough said.

5. Chicago (84-65)

Remaining schedule: 3 vs. Det, 4 vs. Sea, 3 at Cle, 3 at Min (composite 110 games over .500)

None of their 13 remaining games are a bargain. While for the better part of the summer they remained close enough to Detroit to enable them to sweep a series with the Tigers and get to first, now that’s not possible. They have to keep the Twins in their sights now for that 3 game finale in the Metrodome.

Mathematically alive: Boston (80-69 pending tonight’s contest), Los Angeles (80-70), Toronto (79-70), Texas (76-74)

Also-rans: Seattle (71-78), Cleveland (69-79), Baltimore (64-85), Kansas City (58-92), Tampa Bay (57-92). The Royals in particular would love to avoid losing 100 games and be a spoiler at the same time.

National League:

1. New York (90-58, 13 1/2 game lead in NL East)

Magic number: 1 for division, 5 for home field

Remaining schedule: 4 vs. Fla, 4 vs. Was, 3 at Atl, 3 at Was (composite 103 games under .500)

I was shocked that they didn’t already clinch the East this weekend, instead they were swept by the lowly Pirates. Maybe they just wanted to do it at Shea, which they almost certainly will in the next day or two. By the end of the Florida series they might even gain home field throughout the NL playoffs.

2. St. Louis (79-68, 7 game lead in NL Central)

Magic number: 8

Remaining schedule: 3 at Mil, 4 at Hou, 3 vs. SD, 4 vs. Mil (composite 105 games under .500)

They have been the beneficiary of Cincinnati’s plummet from the race moreso than themselves playing good baseball. But they’re winning the “we don’t get to face the Mets until the NLCS” race for now.

3. San Diego (78-70, 1/2 game lead in NL West)

Magic number: 14 for division, 13 for playoffs

Remaining schedule: 1 vs. LA, 3 vs. Arz, 3 vs. Pit, 3 at StL, 4 at Arz (composite 81 games under .500)

That series with St. Louis looms large as far as number 2 seed goes but you can’t figure them to even make the playoffs yet with their close division and wild card races.

4. Los Angeles (78-71, 1 game lead for wild card)

Magic number: 13 for wild card

Remaining schedule: 1 vs. SD, 3 vs. Pit, 3 vs. Arz, 3 at Col, 3 at SF (composite 118 games under .500)

Obviously they have the easier schedule than San Diego does as the best team they have left is 74-74 San Francisco. But like Kansas City, the Pirates have looked a lot better in September and just swept the Mets. Could they damage another team?

5. Philadelphia (77-72)

Remaining schedule: 3 vs. Chi, 3 vs. Fla, 1 vs. Hou, 3 at Was, 3 at Fla (composite 153 games under .500)

The Marlins have done in the Phillies’ playoff chances a couple times in the last few years, and they’ll get another opportunity to do so this season. Playing the Cubs at home is almost a must-sweep situation.

6. San Francisco (74-74)

Remaining schedule: 3 at Col, 4 at Mil, 3 vs. Arz, 3 vs. LA (composite 93 games under .500)

Losing a game today at St. Louis due to rain may be the worst thing to happen to their hopes as they trail Los Angeles by 3 in the loss column and play them 3 times at the end. Since the Giants and Cards have no common off days left this may be a battle for October 2nd just to see if the Giants can get in the playoffs, but it’s doubtful they will anyhow.

Mathematically alive: Florida (74-75), Cincinnati (73-76), Atlanta (72-77), Houston (71-77), Arizona (71-78), Colorado (69-80)

Also-rans: Washington (65-84), Pittsburgh (63-87), Chicago (61-89). The Pirates have passed the Cubs for the NL basement, and they’ve got some talented young pitching there. The Cubs had talented young pitching about 3-4 years ago, now they have denizens of the DL.

If the playoffs started based on tonight’s standings, it would be:

AL – New York vs. Minnesota, Detroit vs. Oakland
NL – New York vs. Los Angeles, St. Louis vs. San Diego

Labor Day +1 standings report

I wanted to do this last night, but, number one I was dog-tired for reasons I’ll explain in a future post, and number two, the Mud Hens lost yesterday and set up a one-game playoff, winner take all, with Indianapolis for the IL West title.

Now, on Sunday night I was watching the Tigers play the Angels (who beat us, much to my chagrin) and the Tigers inserted a pinch-runner in the ninth just called up from Toledo by the name of Kevin Hooper. Seeing that, I assumed the Mud Hens were knocked out of the playoff picture but au contraire. Instead, they simply needed to beat the last-place Columbus Clippers at home on Monday to secure a playoff berth. Failing that, Indianapolis had to lose to Louisville. Neither happened.

So tonight in the friendly confines of Fifth Third Field there was a one game playoff for the IL West title, and a rematch of last season’s IL championship series. The great news is that Toledo won 4-0 and secured a second straight IL West title – their first back-to-back division titles (the IL has had a division format since the late 1980’s.) They finish with a 77-66 record and progress to meet South Division winner Charlotte in the IL playoffs. This season they will have to play 3 of 5 series games in Charlotte but get home field advantage should they get by the Knights. Now it’s time to defend that IL title we waited 38 years to secure!

Meanwhile the Tigers are hanging on to first place in the AL Central with an 85-54 record. Minnesota is now lurking 4 games back and Chicago has faded slightly to being 5 1/2 back. A HUGE series awaits the Tigers this weekend, 4 games in Minnesota.

Just for fun, I’ve jotted down the schedules of all 17 teams that are reasonably alive for the baseball postseason (7 in the AL, 10 in the NL.)

American League:

DETROIT (85-54) – 1 vs. Sea, 4 at Min, 2 vs. Tex, 3 vs. Bal, 3 at Chi, 1 at Bal (makeup game for an earlier rainout), 3 at KC, 3 vs. Tor, 3 vs. KC. (11 away, 12 home; 12 vs. teams over .500).

New York (82-55) – 1 at KC, 4 at Bal, 3 vs. TB, 4 vs. Bos, 3 at Tor, 4 at TB, 3 vs. Bal, 3 vs. Tor. (12 away, 13 home; 10 vs. teams over .500).

Minnesota (80-57) – 1 at TB, 4 vs. Det, 3 vs. Oak, 4 at Cle, 3 at Bos, 3 at Bal, 4 vs. KC, 3 vs. Chi. (11 away, 14 home; 13 vs. teams over .500).

Oakland (79-58) – 2 vs. Tex (counting game in progress), 3 at TB, 3 at Min, 3 vs. Chi, 4 vs. Cle, 3 vs. LA, 3 at Sea, 4 at LA. (13 away, 12 home; 15 vs. teams over .500).

Chicago (79-59) – 1 at Bos, 4 vs. Cle, 3 at LA, 3 at Oak, 3 vs. Det, 4 vs. Sea, 3 at Cle, 3 at Min. (13 away, 11 home; 13 vs. teams over .500).

Boston (75-64) – 1 vs. Chi, 3 vs. KC, 3 at Bal, 4 at NY, 3 vs. Min, 4 at Tor, 2 vs. TB, 3 vs. Bal. (11 away, 12 home; 12 vs. teams over .500).

Los Angeles (73-65) – 2 vs. Bal (counting game in progress), 3 vs. Tor, 3 vs. Chi, 4 at Tex, 2 at KC, 3 at Oak, 3 vs. Tex, 4 vs. Oak. (9 away, 15 home; 20 vs. teams over .500).

I think it’s going to come down to the final weekend whether Detroit hangs on to its AL leadership record-wise; either way the playoffs are beginning to shape up as New York vs. either Minnesota or Chicago and Detroit vs. Oakland. The reason it doesn’t matter is that the team with the best record plays the wild card UNLESS they’re in the same division. Barring an utter collapse by 2 of the 3 AL Central contenders, the wild card will come out of the Central; I believe that would be the first time it’s happened in the 12 seasons this playoff format’s been in existence. Thus, that places the Yankees against the wild card whether they finish first or second in the league – it only becomes important in a Tigers-Yankees championship series.

Meanwhile the National League is an absolute scrum – really there’s 10 teams with some shot at the playoffs. In order of standings (for the moment anyway):

New York (84-52) – 2 vs. Atl (doubleheader tomorrow), 4 vs. LA, 3 at Fla, 3 at Pit, 4 vs. Fla, 4 vs. Was, 3 at Atl, 3 at Was. (12 away, 14 home; 11 vs. teams .500 or above).

St. Louis (74-63) – 1 at Was, 4 at Arz, 3 vs. Hou, 3 vs. SF, 3 at Mil, 4 at Hou, 3 vs. SD, 4 vs. Mil. (12 away, 13 home; 3 vs. teams over .500).

Los Angeles (73-65) – 1 at Mil, 4 at NY, 3 at Chi, 4 vs. SD, 3 vs. Pit, 3 vs. Arz, 3 at Col, 3 at SF. (14 away, 10 home; 8 vs. teams over .500).

San Diego (71-66) – 2 vs. Col (counting game in progress), 3 at SF, 3 at Cin, 4 at LA, 3 vs. Arz, 3 vs. Pit, 3 at StL, 4 at Arz. (17 away, 8 home; 7 vs. teams over .500).

Philadelphia (70-68) – 1 vs. Hou, 4 at Fla, 3 at Atl, 3 at Hou, 3 vs. Chi, 3 vs. Fla, 1 vs. Hou (makeup game), 3 at Was, 3 at Fla. (16 away, 8 home; 10 vs. teams .500 or above). Florida is the only break-even team they play.

Florida (69-69) – 1 vs. Arz, 4 vs. Pha, 3 vs. NY, 3 at Atl, 4 at NY, 3 at Pha, 3 vs. Cin, 3 vs. Pha. (10 away, 14 home; 17 vs. teams over .500).

Cincinnati (69-70) – 1 vs. SF, 3 vs. Pit, 3 vs. SD, 3 at Chi, 3 at Hou, 4 vs. Chi, 3 at Fla, 3 at Pit. (12 away, 11 home; 6 vs. teams .500 or above).

San Francisco (69-70) – 1 at Cin, 3 vs. SD, 3 vs. Col, 3 at StL, 3 at Col, 4 at Mil, 3 vs. Arz, 3 vs. LA. (11 away, 12 home; 9 vs. teams over .500).

Houston (67-71) – 1 at Pha, 3 at Mil, 3 at StL, 3 vs. Pha, 3 vs. Cin, 4 vs. StL, 1 at Pha (makeup game), 3 at Pit, 3 at Atl. (14 away, 10 home; 12 vs. teams over .500).

Atlanta (66-71) – 2 at NY (doubleheader tomorrow), 4 vs. Chi, 3 vs. Pha, 3 vs. Fla, 3 at Was, 4 at Col, 3 vs. NY, 3 vs. Hou. (9 away, 16 home; 11 vs. teams .500 and above.)

As you can see, even Atlanta has a shot if they somehow get on a 12-1 tear and beat up on some of the teams they’re chasing. Almost every NL team is going to make an impact on the race as either contender or spoiler.

My guess is that the order of finish amongst the three NL division titlists will be New York, St. Louis, and Los Angeles. San Diego will likely fade at the end and miss the wild card, right now I’d have to say Philadelphia is the favorite. If an NL East team gets the wild card it will be bad news for whoever has the worse record between the other two division winners, since they’ll get the Mets. Let’s say Philadelphia does make the playoffs, it would be (under my scenario) St. Louis vs. Philadelphia and Los Angeles drawing the Mets. But if a team like San Francisco, San Diego, Cincinnati, or Houston gets the wild card then they get the Mets first.

Obviously this was the intent when the powers-that-be in Major League Baseball thought up the three division + wild card system. There’s even the possibilty (probably slim though) that the NL wild card could finish with only 80 wins. No team with a losing record has ever made the playoffs in baseball, the closest was last year’s 82-80 San Diego club.

On Thursday I’ll wrap up Delmarva’s season as I announce my pick as Shorebird of the Year.

Oh, and by the way, I do have some choice words for Ron Alessi, but I wanted to get this post out of the way first. Don’t worry, I didn’t miss his comments this morning.

The streak is over!!

I thought 2006 would be the season this happened but I was expecting it along about the middle of September, not on August 27th. Today’s 7-1 win by the Detroit Tigers in Cleveland officially ends an accursed 13 year streak of losing campaigns for the Tigers – they’re now 82-49 with 31 games left on the season. An 85-77 record in 1993 was the last winning mark for the Tigers until this year’s club. The last time the Tigers achieved assuring a winning season in August was their last World Champion team in 1984.

Next on the agenda for the Tigers is getting their first playoff berth since winning the AL East in 1987 and placing the Olde English D back to its rightful place among baseball’s elite teams.

Something else related about quality baseball teams…

This year turnabout didn’t get to be fair play. Last year I went on a roadtrip at the end of the season to First Energy Park, home of the Shorebirds’ SAL rival Lakewood BlueClaws. This was in the midst of the thrilling second half title chase that the Shorebirds won, outlasting the Lexington Legends. With Lakewood out of the race, they simply were playing for pride and in the park was hoisted a sign reading “No Clinching In Our House!” Luckily for us, Delmarva did anyway.

With the BlueClaws coming to town tomorrow to wrap up Delmarva’s home season, there was the possibility of the Phillies affiliate clinching the second half title in front of our faithful. Fortunately, we will not need to borrow Lakewood’s sign from last season as the BlueClaws eliminated the second place Lake County Captains this afternoon by beating them 8-3 at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio (a park I visited on my recent vacation.) So congrats to the BlueClaws, who have an overall 80-51 record despite an 0-9 start to the season.

Now it’s time for the Shorebirds to beat up the BlueClaws anyway and finish the home season on a positive note.

July standings report

Tonight it’s not just about the standings, there’s commentary below. Bear with me.

But first, it’s time to take a look at how my teams are doing.

The Shorebirds have one piece of good news. While they are last in the league in batting, they’re not last in the SAL North standings anymore as Lexington (the first half champion) has slipped below the 13-23 Delmarva mark (the Legends are 13-25.) But as it stands, the Lakewood BlueClaws are taking advantage of a relatively easy second half schedule to reach just past the midpoint of the second half with a 26-12 record. This puts Delmarva 12 games in arrears with only about 32 games to go. The BlueClaws are 5 clear of Lake County, who’s second at 20-16. In the middle, the remaining SAL North teams are tightly bunched 2 1/2 games apart – in order it’s Hickory, Greensboro, Hagerstown, and West Virginia. (The latter two are actually tied at 17-20.) On the south side, recent departee Augusta took 3 of 4 from us and is blowing away that division with a 30-8 record. With just over a month to go, it’s starting to look like a Lakewood-Lexington showdown for the North title while an all-Georgia South tilt would feature Rome and Augusta.

The rest of the season for the ‘Birds has a shortage of home contests. They’re off tonight as they’re en route to North Carolina for sets with Asheville and Kannapolis, then it’s home to face the West Virginia Power. That brief homestand rolls into their final 8 games outside Maryland, a roadtrip to Lake County and Lakewood. They close out the home season with Hagerstown and Lakewood before the last series across the bay in Hagerstown ends the campaign. All of these are 4 game sets.

Meanwhile, it looks like things are back to normal for my Toledo Mud Hens. After leading the IL West at the All-Star break, they’ve slipped back into the pack, now residing in third place behind both Indianapolis and Louisville. Their 57-53 record places them 3 1/2 behind the Indy Indians (Pittsburgh’s AAA affiliate who’s 59-48) and 1 1/2 games behind the top Cincinnati farm club (the Bats are 58-51.) But look for the Hens to go in the tank as they’ve announced the sale of playoff tickets beginning Thursday.

Toledo does get some advantages the remainder of the way, however. The schedulemaker was somewhat friendly to the Hens as they face Louisville 6 more times, all at home. Meanwhile, they face Indianapolis just 4 more times (including tonight and tomorrow in Indiana) with the last two at home. The Hens will see Columbus 12 times in that stretch, along with 12 more games against the whole of the South Division (4 with Richmond and Durham, 2 with Norfolk and Charlotte. Except for Charlotte, the South teams are all under .500.) But Louisville and Indianapolis see more of the South than the Hens do, which may be a benefit – plus they square off just 8 more times against each other.

Of course, then you have the mack daddy, the Detroit Tigers. With a 70-35 record going into tonight’s game at Tampa Bay, the Tigers stand atop the AL Central with a 7 1/2 game bulge over Chicago and 8 1/2 over Minnesota. According to Baseball Prospectus, the Tigers have a 95.7% chance of making the playoffs. A win tonight and the Tigers will equal last season’s victory total with 56 games to play. (Yes they did, routing Tampa Bay 10-4.)

The stretch before Labor Day does have possible landmines though. After finishing with Tampa Bay, the Tigers face the bitter rival Indians at home before a critical three-gamer against Minnesota. Then a huge six-game road trip against both colors of Sox (White then Red) looms. Doesn’t get much easier at home either as Texas and the White Sox invade for four games apiece. The month ends with another tough six-game trip to Cleveland and New York. Finally, Labor Day weekend begins a six game homestand against Los Angeles and Seattle. But no real breathers until September is a few days old.

So that is your standings report about the teams that matter. Now I’m going to write about something that’s relatively near and dear to my heart.

People who know me and my passionate love of baseball probably know that I’m a frequent patron of Perdue Stadium. So far this year I’ve made it to 23 games, which is about on pace with last year (think I was at 27 last season.) Despite all of my seasons in Toledo, I doubt I made it to many more than 100 Mud Hens games, most of which I attended at the old Skeldon Stadium during the 1980’s (before I was married.) In some respects then, our humble stadium is my second home.

Last night’s power fiasco made it clear that Perdue Stadium is overdue for some renovations. If you weren’t there, you wouldn’t have seen anything about it in the Daily Times. But the game started with the first base side’s concession stands on the disabled list due to a mechanical problem. They finally did get them fixed about the third or fourth inning, but then the scoreboard began to malfunction around the seventh inning.

But the coup de grace was a subtle “pop” that I heard which made me look and realize the entire second and third levels had lost power. This included all of the concession stands, restrooms, luxury suites, and press box. The final 3 1/2 innings were played (it was an 11 inning game we lost 8-5) with the only noise coming from the crowd (a pretty sizeable one that was plenty loud and spirited enough). They did eventually restore power to the second level but the luxury suites, press box, and scoreboard didn’t function the rest of the way. In the last inning they were giving away hotdogs, likely as an alternative to them spoiling.

However, the problems with the electrical system didn’t begin last night, for pretty much the last month the fans have done without at least some of the scoreboard and video board elements. This started with the heavy Fourth of July storm.

It seems to me that stadiums come due for renovations every 10 to 15 years. Obviously I was not here in 1996 when the stadium opened, but I have it on pretty good authority that the scoreboard and video board are original with Perdue. Electronic equipment, particularly that which sits in the elements, does have a limited life span.

But another question occurs to me – is the team in a sort of limbo because of offers to buy the club from Comcast? I’m of the thought right now that the Shorebirds management will likely get whatever repairs need to be done to get the stadium through the final 12 games this season, but any long-term fixes will not occur unless and until ownership is settled. More worrisome is a persistent drop in attendance.

In 2002, the Shorebirds drew 253,171 fans for 68 home games, or an average of just over 3,700 patrons each night. The total fell to 228,344 in 2003, rebounded slightly to 230,536 in 2004 (I believe this was the first year Comcast owned the club) but again slipped last season to 219,361 despite having a playoff team. This season, if the current average is maintained for the final 12 home games, we’ll have just over 207,000 pass through the turnstiles. (The Shorebirds have had some bad luck weatherwise, though, they’ve lost 5 of their 70 home dates this season.) Through 53 games, the total attendance mark stands at 168,872 – a shade under 3,200 per game.

Now because they have 5 fireworks games scheduled in August plus an appearance by the mascot Reggy, they might get enough behinds in the seats to pass last year’s total by a few thousand. But I think the Shorebirds need to work on ways to create a little more buzz, and one method would be to invest in items that make the fans’ experience more comfortable.

I’ve been to a number of minor and major league parks over the last half-dozen years and there’s items I’ve seen in and about them that I think would be a good fit for Perdue Stadium (and not cost a whole lot.) But they enhance the enjoyment of the game moreso than the between-innings antics do.

To me, the first order of business is (preferably) replacing the scoreboard and videoboard or at least giving them a major overhaul so they work properly. It would also be nice to have a smaller auxiliary scoreboard installed on the first base side between the upper and lower deck, this board would simply have the score, balls/strikes, and outs. This way folks on the third base side (like me in my usual place) could glance up to see the count while being able to watch the pitch on the way, rather than turn my head. Toledo actually installed one after the first season in their new stadium because the third base side fans complained about the lack of a second scoreboard.

Another nice touch would be to expand the TV service that exists in the luxury box areas and do a closed circuit broadcast to the concession stands so those waiting in line can still follow the action without turning around. The new stadium in Cincinnati has this feature at their upper deck stands as the concourse is below the highest seats. In some parks, they instead place certain food and pop vendors on the side of the concourse facing the field so one can buy his or her items without losing sight of the game. Toledo is one park that features this (so do Detroit and Indianapolis, among others.) You still can’t do items requiring heavy cooking this way, but ice cream and pop can be done thusly. If they’re going to revamp the electrical system, why not add that capacity?

I’d like to see our hometown team stay that way. We got our team from another city that didn’t support it when they had the chance, so it’s up to the fans to support the one we have. But Comcast, or whoever may become the owner of the club, needs to meet the fans at least halfway and improve the facilities that the team calls home.

And as a final P.S. – tell Cheap Channel to bring back the local bands for Thirsty Thursday next season. Whiskey and Cowboy are a pretty damn lame substitute.

Standings report: All-Star break

Back once again, this report comes as the leagues above the AA level take their annual All-Star break. But we’ll start with our local Delmarva Shorebirds. I’m hoping placing them in this report works the same magic for them as it did my Mud Hens (see below.)

As of tonight, though, it’s been a REALLY tough start to the second half for the Shorebirds. They are in the basement of the SAL North with a 5-12 record, and the only team holding them out of the league basement is the woeful Kannapolis Intimidators. While the Pirates and Royals are tanking in the bigs, they have nothing on the 24-63 (combined record) train wreck that is Kannapolis. But this stretch of bad baseball has placed the Shorebirds at .500 for the season (42-42) and sank them 9 1/2 games behind division-leading Lakewood, who has shaken off an 0-9 start to the season and stands 3 games clear of 10-8 Lake County in the SAL North. In particular, Lake County has fattened their second half record at the Shorebirds’ expense. The Captains are 8-3 against Delmarva in the second half, which means that they are 2-5 against the rest of the SAL.

Now I thought that the second-half schedule looked really easy for the Shorebirds because they played Lake County so much. But the Captains turned the tables and, with Lakewood, have used Delmarva as a springboard to pace the division.

The saddest part about this season is that I’ve been to 17 Shorebird games so far, and 9 of those have been against the Captains. Fortunately, we play them just one more series away, and guess where I’m going on vacation? It’s my week off and my stepdaughter lives near Cleveland, what can I say.

Now, speaking of Ohio teams, the last time I did a standings report my Toledo Mud Hens were tanking. Whether it was the excitement of hosting the AAA All-Star game, learning from their parent club Detroit, or just an early-season slump shaken, the Hens have surged into first place in the IL West at the break with a 50-41 record. It could be home cooking as well, as Toledo has crafted a league-best 30-16 record at Fifth Third Field. But their lead is tenuous as bitter rival Indianapolis lurks just a half-game back at 48-40 (and has 3 games in hand to the Mud Hens.) The Indians currently are positioned as the league wild-card, just as they did last season. Louisville sits just 1 1/2 back in third at 48-42, which means the IL West has all the makings of a late-season shootout. Only instate foe Columbus appears out with a 9 game hole (39-48); however, Toledo was 6 back at the first pole and the IL generally has all divisional games to round out the end of the schedule. Right now it appears that a wide open race is also going for that wild-card spot, as 9 of the league’s remaining 11 non-division leaders are within 9 games of the wild-card, four are within 4 1/2 games. Only the two Virginia teams (Norfolk and Richmond) appear out of the running.

And then you have those Tigers. Restore roar – check.

Last season I did an in-depth analysis of all the American League teams by remaining schedule and how easy or hard it was. This year it’s back, because it was so fun to do last year! Teams are listed in order of overall standing, which I like a lot better this year than I did in 2005! Schedule rank is easiest to hardest.

1. DETROIT (59-29), 1st in AL Central by 2 over Chicago.

Remaining games: 74 (33 away, 41 home).
Opponents: Chicago 13, Boston 3, New York 3, Toronto 3, Minnesota 10, Oakland 3, Texas 6, Los Angeles 3, Seattle 3, Cleveland 9, Baltimore 4, Tampa Bay 4, Kansas City 10.
Finished with: None.

Strength of schedule, all opponents: +164 (3rd)
September opponents: -53 (1st)
Last two weeks: (at Chi, at Bal for a makeup game, at KC, Tor, KC) -50 (2nd)

Critical stretch: All 13 games playing against the White Sox. The Tigers must do better than the 1-5 mark they’ve had thus far against the Pale Hose.

2. Chicago (57-31), 2nd in AL Central by 9 over Minnesota, lead wild card by 6 over New York.

Remaining games: 74 (40 away, 34 home).
Opponents: Detroit 13, Boston 3, New York 6, Toronto 3, Minnesota 12, Oakland 3, Texas 3, Los Angeles 4, Seattle 4, Cleveland 7, Baltimore 3, Tampa Bay 3, Kansas City 10.
Finished with: None.

Strength of schedule, all opponents: +296 (8th)
September opponents: +38 (5th)
Last two weeks: (Det, Sea, at Cle, at Min) +81 (10th)

Critical stretch: The White Sox come out of the break with 15 of 21 on the road, including a trip to New York and Detroit, and a longer trip to Baltimore, Kansas City, and Toronto.

3. Boston (53-33), 1st in AL East by 3 over New York.

Remaining games: 76 (32 away, 44 home).
Opponents: Detroit 3, Chicago 3, New York 9, Toronto 8, Minnesota 3, Oakland 10, Texas 1, Los Angeles 6, Seattle 6, Cleveland 4, Baltimore 9, Tampa Bay 5, Kansas City 9.
Finished with: None.

Strength of schedule, all opponents: +10 (1st)
September opponents: +83 (6th)
Last two weeks: (Min, at Tor, TB, Bal) +18 (7th)

Critical stretch: The 9 games with the Yankees are on 7 dates because of first half rainouts. The Boston nine also has two west coast trips in late July and late August, the August trip has no scheduled off days on either side of a 9 game trip to Los Angeles, Seattle, and Oakland.

4. New York (50-36), 2nd in AL East by 2 games over Toronto.

Remaining games: 76 (38 away, 38 home).
Opponents: Detroit 3, Chicago 6, Boston 9, Toronto 13, Minnesota 3, Texas 3, Los Angeles 7, Seattle 6, Baltimore 13, Tampa Bay 10, Kansas City 3.
Finished with: Oakland, Cleveland.

Strength of schedule, all opponents: +265 (6th)
September opponents: -44 (2nd)
Last two weeks: (at Tor, at TB, Bal, Tor) -8 (5th)

Critical stretch: The Yankees play their last 24 games against AL East foes, but just 4 against Boston – all in Yankee Stadium. The other three teams they play home-and-home.

5. Toronto (49-39), 3rd in AL East by 9 games over Baltimore.

Remaining games: 74 (39 away, 35 home).
Opponents: Detroit 3, Chicago 3, Boston 8, New York 13, Minnesota 4, Oakland 7, Texas 3, Los Angeles 3, Seattle 9, Cleveland 6, Baltimore 6, Tampa Bay 6, Kansas City 3.
Finished with: None.

Strength of schedule, all opponents: +298 (9th)
September opponents: +245 (12th)
Last two weeks: (NY, Bos, at Det, at NY) +254 (14th)

Critical stretch: The schedulemakers gave the Jays a sick last two weeks, didn’t they?

6. Minnesota (47-39), 3rd in AL Central by 7 1/2 over Cleveland.

Remaining games: 75 (34 away, 41 home).
Opponents: Detroit 10, Chicago 12, Boston 3, New York 3, Toronto 4, Oakland 3, Texas 3, Cleveland 14, Baltimore 6, Tampa Bay 7, Kansas City 10.
Finished with: Los Angeles, Seattle.

Strength of schedule, all opponents: +293 (7th)
September opponents: +113 (7th)
Last two weeks: (at Bos, at Bal, KC, Chi) +14 (6th)

Critical stretch: 46 of their last 75 games come against AL Central foes. The Twins were hot during June and particularly during interleague play, but could do no better than putting some daylight between themselves and the Indians.

7 (tie). Oakland (45-43), tied for 1st in AL West with Texas, 2 games ahead of 3rd place Los Angeles.

Remaining games: 74 (39 away, 35 home).
Opponents: Detroit 3, Chicago 3, Boston 10, Toronto 7, Minnesota 3, Texas 9, Los Angeles 10, Seattle 9, Cleveland 4, Baltimore 6, Tampa Bay 6, Kansas City 4.
Finished with: New York.

Strength of schedule, all opponents: +191 (5th)
September opponents: Even (4th)
Last two weeks: (Cle, LA, at Sea, at LA) -51 (1st)

Critical stretch: The Athletics can help themselves out immensely by doing well on an East Coast trip to Boston, Baltimore, and Detroit coming out of the All-Star break. They end with 17 games in 17 days, but the last 14 are against teams currently under break-even.

7 (tie). Texas (45-43), tied for 1st in AL West with Oakland, 2 games ahead of 3rd place Los Angeles.

Remaining games: 74 (43 away, 31 home).
Opponents: Detroit 6, Chicago 3, Boston 1, New York 3, Toronto 3, Minnesota 3, Oakland 9, Los Angeles 13, Seattle 13, Cleveland 6, Baltimore 7, Tampa Bay 4, Kansas City 3.
Finished with: None.

Strength of schedule, all opponents: +110 (2nd)
September opponents: -17 (3rd)
Last two weeks: (Sea, Cle, at LA, at Sea) -45 (3rd)

Critical stretch: Eerily similar to Oakland, the Rangers can help themselves out immensely by doing well on an East Coast trip to Baltimore, Toronto, Boston (for a makeup game) and Chicago coming out of the All-Star break. While their last 4 opponents are common with Oakland’s, they do have the advantage of two off-days in that stretch.

9. Los Angeles (43-45), 3rd in AL West by 1/2 game over Seattle.

Remaining games: 74 (35 away, 39 home).
Opponents: Detroit 3, Chicago 4, Boston 6, New York 7, Toronto 3, Oakland 10, Texas 13, Seattle 7, Cleveland 6, Baltimore 3, Tampa Bay 6, Kansas City 6.
Finished with: Minnesota.

Strength of schedule, all opponents: +185 (4th)
September opponents: +152 (10th)
Last two weeks: (at KC, at Oak, Tex, Oak) -30 (4th)

Critical stretch: Los Angeles has a huge early September homestand where they host Baltimore, Toronto, and Chicago. They can gain quite a bit on teams ahead in the standings should they get hot in August. Their last two weeks are rather easy schedulewise.

10. Seattle (43-46), 4th in AL West, 1/2 game behind Los Angeles.

Remaining games: 73 (40 away, 33 home).
Opponents: Detroit 3, Chicago 4, Boston 6, New York 6, Toronto 9, Oakland 9, Texas 13, Los Angeles 7, Cleveland 3, Baltimore 3, Tampa Bay 6, Kansas City 4.
Finished with: Minnesota.

Strength of schedule, all opponents: +307 (10th)
September opponents: +115 (8th)
Last two weeks: (at Tex, at Chi, Oak, Tex) +122 (11th)

Critical stretch: Seattle embarks on a 11 game road trip in as many days to all three of their division rivals August 10th through 20th.

11. Cleveland (40-47), 4th in AL Central by 9 games over Kansas City.

Remaining games: 75 (40 away, 35 home).
Opponents: Detroit 9, Chicago 7, Boston 4, Toronto 6, Minnesota 14, Oakland 4, Texas 6, Los Angeles 6, Seattle 3, Tampa Bay 7, Kansas City 9.
Finished with: New York, Baltimore.

Strength of schedule, all opponents: +401 (11th)
September opponents: +170 (11th)
Last two weeks: (at Oak, at Tex, Chi, TB) +48 (9th)

Critical stretch: The Indians probably need to be at .500 by the end of July to have a chance. They face Minnesota 7 times, the Angels, Detroit, and Seattle 3 games each, and finish the month with a game against Boston. Tall order. Last year they had the easiest second half schedule, what goes around comes around.

12. Baltimore (41-49), 4th in AL East by 1 1/2 games over Tampa Bay.

Remaining games: 72 (36 away, 36 home).
Opponents: Detroit 4, Chicago 3, Boston 9, New York 13, Toronto 6, Minnesota 6, Oakland 6, Texas 7, Los Angeles 3, Seattle 3, Tampa Bay 9, Kansas City 3.
Finished with: Cleveland.

Strength of schedule, all opponents: +505 (13th)
September opponents: +329 (13th)
Last two weeks: (at TB, makeup game vs. Det, Min, at NY, at Bos) +123 (12th)

Critical stretch: Baltimore only plays 18 more games against teams currently under breakeven. Nine of these come prior to August 2nd, along with seven against Texas and Oakland, who are each over .500 by just two games. To have any chance, they need to win about 14 or 15 in that stretch before the schedule hammer comes down.

13. Tampa Bay (39-50), 5th in AL East by 1 1/2 games behind Baltimore.

Remaining games: 73 (34 away, 39 home).
Opponents: Detroit 4, Chicago 3, Boston 5, New York 10, Toronto 6, Minnesota 7, Oakland 6, Texas 4, Los Angeles 6, Seattle 6, Cleveland 7, Baltimore 9.
Finished with: Kansas City.

Strength of schedule, all opponents: +423 (12th)
September opponents: +137 (9th)
Last two weeks: (Bal, NY, at Bos, at Cle) +44 (8th)

Critical stretch: Between September 22 and 27 they play New York four times in Tampa and the Red Sox twice in Boston. That will likely be their only impact on the division race.

14. Kansas City (31-56), 5th in AL Central by 9 games behind Cleveland.

Remaining games: 74 (38 away, 36 home).
Opponents: Detroit 10, Chicago 10, Boston 9, New York 3, Toronto 3, Minnesota 10, Oakland 4, Texas 3, Los Angeles 6, Seattle 4, Cleveland 9, Baltimore 3.
Finished with: Tampa Bay.

Strength of schedule, all opponents: +505 (14th)
September opponents: +362 (14th)
Last two weeks: (LA, Det, at Min, at Det) +208 (13th)

Critical stretch: The stretch could begin as early as July 31 if there’s any viable veteran trade options, but certainly the 27 games in September against some stiff competition will prove to be a test for the Royals’ top prospects, who will have a lengthy audition.

I was going to do the National League, but after interleague play it’s apparent the AL is dominant, and the Nats are pretty much out of it anyway. And by the way, since all this numbercrunching took so long, I went to the Shorebirds game tonight and they won 7-6 in 11, so make the ‘Birds 6-12 on the half.

May standings report

A day late, but not a dollar short. Here’s the standings report for my teams through tonight’s contests.

With tonight’s loss to Greensboro, the Delmarva Shorebirds are dead even with the Lexington Legends for first place in the South Atlantic League’s North Division. Lexington was rained out tonight, so they’ve at least temporarily lost their standings advantage over the Shorebirds (the Legends had played one more game than Delmarva, so being even in the loss column was to Lexington’s benefit.) But both teams are 31-20, and I’ve found out that Hagerstown is making up tonight’s rainout. So Delmarva has just 17 games left in the half compared to Lexington’s 18. Additionally, Lexington will get a “ringer” in the rotation for at least one start as Roger Clemens will work himself back into shape with his son Kody, already a member of the Legends. (Unfortunately, the elder Clemens will likely be long back in Houston before the Legends return to Perdue Stadium in July.)

So both teams stand at 31-20, but you can’t count out Greensboro or West Virginia, 29-23 and 28-23 respectively. They lurk just a few games back, with 26-26 Lakewood being the dark horse. Hickory, Lake County (who faded from being first at the start of the month), and Hagerstown round out the North field. Meanwhile, the Rome Braves are punishing the South Division.

This month will be a month of transition for Delmarva’s roster. After the amateur draft is held next week, the rookie leagues start up, and it’s likely a few Shorebirds will be sent down to those teams in Bluefield, WV and Aberdeen, MD while our club is possibly receiving some of the higher draft picks deemed ready for A ball. So some guys you’ve come to know over 50 games won’t be here much longer. It just may be the end of the road for a few.

June’s schedule finds Delmarva starting with 4 games here against third-place Greensboro (the first was the 2-0 loss tonight), then taking a brief trip north to face Lakewood for 4 contests. Coming back home, it’s 3 with last-place Hagerstown before 4 home games once again facing Lakewood. The final series before the SAL All-Star break will find the Shorebirds squaring off with the Hagerstown nine over in western Maryland, quite possibly with a playoff berth at stake.

The rest of June has us playing home and away with both Hagerstown and Lake County. Remember, the standings are refreshed at the All-Star break, so these two second-division clubs will have new life in the second half.

By the way, Lexington will have the 4 games with Hagerstown before spending the rest of the half battling Greensboro 6 times and Lake County for 8 games. So don’t count out the Greensboro Grasshoppers.

Moving to the International League and my former hometown, the Toledo Mud Hens continue to scuffle along with a 25-27 record, 6 games and counting behind Indianapolis in the IL North. It’s back to the reality of Toledo baseball after the dream 2005 season, or so it appears. The Indy club has won 5 in a row to open up that lead over the second-place Mud Hens. Louisville and Columbus bring up the rear of that four-team division, but they’re just 2 and 3 games in back of the Hens now. Toledo has one of the better home records in the IL at 17-12 but they have been dreadful on the road.

Coming into June, they began a 32 game stretch against the IL’s East Division. This month they’ll have 4 game sets at Ottawa (current series) and the three New York teams (Buffalo first, then Rochester and Syracuse on the later trip) split up by a pair of 4 game home sets against Ottawa and Syracuse. On the 26th they start a long homestand against Norfolk, Charlotte, and Indianapolis that concludes their home schedule prior to the AAA All-Star Game being held at Fifth Third Field this year. They go into the All-Star break with a trip to Louisville and Indianapolis.

However, the Hens’ parent club is still kicking ass. The Detroit Tigers came back tonight from 5-0 and 6-5 deficits to beat the Yankees and snap a 4-game losing streak. This win puts them right at the 1/3 mark of the season with a 36-18 record, best in the big leagues. (It’s about freakin’ time.)

With the White Sox losing again at Cleveland, the Tigers regain the 2 1/2 game cushion over the Chicago squad, with the Indians sticking 8 1/2 back. The Twins are 11 back at the moment (playing late in Oakland) and the Royals are 21 1/2 games out in early June. The only Achilles’ heel the Tigers seem to have at the moment is their struggles against other good teams. They’re killing the bottom-feeders but are just 1-6 against the Yankees and White Sox (all at home.)

June will see the Tigers playing more good teams, starting with this weekend’s series at home to Boston. then it’s off for a critical three-game set in Chicago with the White Sox before they play their ’80’s archrivals in Toronto for a 3 game series. (I sort of miss them being in our division.) They return home for 4 with Tampa Bay before heading back out on the road to begin a 15 game stretch of interleague play. They’ll tangle for 3 games at Wrigley against the Cubs and up in Milwaukee, return to face the Cardinals and Astros, then end the month by starting a long roadtrip in Pittsburgh. That trip will also send them back out to the west coast (Oakland and Seattle) to wrap up the pre-All Star part of the schedule.

The next standings report will be a wrapup of the Shorebirds’ first half on June 19th. I’ll save the other two clubs for the major league All-Star break in July.