By Bill Begley
Next to New York (and in a neck-and-neck race with Philadelphia), maybe the hottest spotlight with the most learned and committed audience in the major leagues is in Boston.
Up there, the “Sawks” aren’t merely a baseball team, they’re a religion.
And right now, there are lots and lots of prayers being offered in Red Sox nation.
The Yankees have become, well, the Yankees again, leaving little room for error – or distraction – in Boston.
Now chasing the Rangers in the wildcard race and 12-17 since the All-Star break, failed bids to land needed pitching help (think Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee wouldn’t look good to the faithful in a Sox uniform right now?) coupled with David Ortiz fall from grace and the spectre of Manny Ramirez and his sins complicating matters could wind up keeping the most successful MLB franchise of the past decade from reaching the postseason.
And that could make for a long, cold winter.
3 Up
Adam Wainwright (Cardinals): The big right-hander has been the stopper as St. Louis pulls away in the NL Central race. He tossed seven shutout innings in a 9-2 win over San Diego on Friday – and smacked a home run at the plate, to boot. The win upped his record to 14-7 overall and dropped his ERA to 2.62. In his last five starts, Wainwright was 4-1 and allowed just four earned runs in 34 2/3 innings over that span. He struck out 26 while giving up just two walks in those five starts. Since July 1, Wainwright is 6-2 and has allowed just nine earned runs in the 67 innings he’s worked since then.
Josh Hamilton (Rangers): Confession might be good for the soul, but it also apparently has been good for the Texas outfielder’s swing. Not long after revealing a relapse in his recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, Hamilton – who also has had to deal with a nagging abdominal muscle injury this season – has been on a roll. In his last 11 games, he’s raised his batting average nearly 40 points, up to a more respectable .267. He’s had 20 hits in his last 44 at-bats, and seven of those hits went for extra bases. Not surprisingly, the Rangers have won eight of those 11 games.
Florida Marlins: About the time it looked like the “fish” were finished, Florida got hot and got back in not just one race, but two. The Marlins were, not so long ago, seven games in back of the Phillies in the NL East race, and five games in back of the Rockies in the wildcard race. Then Florida proceeded to win eight of 10 games, including a split of a doubleheader with Colorado on Sunday, and now are just 4½ games back in the East standings and just two games in back of the Rockies in the wildcard race. Hitting has spurred the surge – the Marlins had 13 straight games with 10 or more hits.
3 Down
Brad Lidge (Phillies): If the defending World Series champs hope to hold off the Marlins – or, more importantly, hope to make more than a token appearance in the postseason – then they’ll need a little better effort out of their closer. Lidge has blown eight save opportunities this season, and stands at 0-5 with just 23 saves and a butt-ugly 7.21 ERA. At home, he is salvageable, converting 11 of 12 save chances despite a scary 6.85 ERA. On the road? Ugh. Seven blown saves and a 7.65 ERA. Lidge has given up 10 home runs in 43 2/3 innings of work, and opposing hitters are batting .312 against him with runners on base and .304 with runners in scoring position.
Nick Punto (Twins): OK, he’s NEVER been Derek Jeter. Heck, he’s hardly been Khalil Greene. But the Minnesota shortstop has been better than this. A career .247 hitter, he hit an all-or-nothing (mostly nothing) .194 in July, with four of his 13 hits for the month going for extra bases. Punto actually has improved in August – he’s 8-for-36, but has more strikeouts (11) than hits. A switch-hitter, he is batting .202 against right-handers, and has struck out 35 times while managing just six extra-base hits from the left side of the plate.
Chicago Cubs: There is a good chance, if this keeps up, it could lead to an end to the Lou Piniella era in Chicago. Heading into Monday’s game in San Diego, the Cubs had won just three times in their last 10 games, a fast fade that gave St. Louis a solid hold on the NL Central lead. Before that 10-game skid, the Cubs were tied with the Cardinals for first in the division. Now, Chicago is five games behind the Cards and 3½ games behind Colorado in the wildcard standings. The Cubs offense has struggled, with Alfonso Soriano going 2-for-20 in the last homestand.
