From the monthly archives:
By Thom Henninger Colorado moved closer to a return to the playoffs Tuesday night, defeating Milwaukee in 11 innings to move three games up on Atlanta in the NL wild-card chase. When Chris Iannetta hit a two-run homer off David Weathers, Rockies manager Jim Tracy improved to 71-40 (.640) since replacing Clint Hurdle in late [...]
{ 1 comment }
By James Bailey Before the Angels celebrated their AL West-clinching victory Monday night, they took some time to remember—and honor—rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart, who was killed in a car accident the first week of the season. Adenhart threw six shutout innings in his only appearance for Los Angeles this year and looked to be a [...]
By Thom Henninger It’s déjà vu all over again, with the Tigers and Twins squaring off in a critical series for the American League Central crown and the final AL playoff berth. A week ago it was in Minnesota. Now the two teams meet for the final four times in Detroit, beginning Monday night.
By James Bailey On July 4, the surprising Cincinnati Reds were 40-39, two games behind the Brewers and Cardinals in the tightly packed NL Central. The following night Bronson Arroyo, once the most reliable starter on the team, took the mound for the rubber game of a three-game set with St. Louis. Two batters into [...]
By Thom Henninger Javier Vazquez, Atlanta’s starter in Washington tonight, is 14-9 with 20 quality starts and a 2.91 ERA that would be a career low. He might be a favorite for NL Cy Young honors if only for a little more run support in June.
By Pete Sabatini The Yankees have clinched their spot in the playoffs but still have to get their act together if they want to make a serious run at championship number 27.
Heart of the Game: Life, Death and Mercy in Minor League America, by S.L. Price Ecco/HarperCollins, 2009 Rating: 10 (out of 10) By James Bailey It’s a clichéd ambition to pass out of this life doing what one loves: the fisherman with his fly rod, the golfer in the tee box, the baseball lifer on [...]
By Thom Henninger On Friday night, Milwaukee rookie Casey McGehee provided another highlight to a fine rookie season. The Brewers were tied with Houston, 2-2 in the eighth inning, with Prince Fielder on second base and one out. Astros manager Cecil Cooper brought in LaTroy Hawkins, his top setup man, to face McGehee, who laced [...]
{ 1 comment }
By Bill Begley A chance to end a decade-long postseason drought was there for the taking, and for the first time this season the Texas Rangers lost a series to the AL West leaders, the Los Angeles Angels. In a nutshell, that means – not officially, but for all intents and purposes – the Rangers [...]
By Elizabeth Finn Last week, I highlighted a few of the pleasant surprises that this baseball season has revealed to us as it steamrolls into October. Always entertaining and frequently inspiring, the previously-examined eye-openers are only a fragment of what makes baseball so enjoyable.
