1st Half Cy Young Contenders

Every year, Major League Baseball gives out a Cy Young Award for the best pitcher in both the AL and NL, as voted on by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America. If a comparable award were given in fantasy baseball, the results likely would not match.

Many baseball pools focus primarily on wins, strikeouts and ERA, while others require the versatility and dominance of a flame-thrower who can pile up complete games and shutouts while eating innings.

Here's a look at the frontrunners for this year's Cy Young awards:

The NL contenders

Ubaldo Jimenez (COL - SP)

As discussed among baseball's first-half surprises, Ubaldo Jimenez has easily been the most improved pitcher from last season. He's gone from posting a 15-12 record in the 2008-09 campaign to having a 15-2 record this season through July 26. Jimenez has pitched three complete games, two shutouts and one no-hitter while striking out 120, but his ERA has dropped to 10th in the majors at 2.75 after two recent rough outings. Plus, he has walked 55 batters. Unlike the other NL Cy Young candidates, Jimenez isn't a perennial top draft choice, so he's brought some unexpected fantasy value to his owners as the current league-leader in wins.

Josh Johnson (FLA - SP)

Like Jimenez, Florida's Josh Johnson has been an all-around star pitcher this season, but has been exceptional in one particular category. Johnson leads the majors with a sparkling 1.61 ERA. The only other starter below 2.00 is St. Louis's Adam Wainwright at 1.94. At 10-3 with 141 strikeouts, which is good for second in the NL, just 29 walks allowed and a stellar 0.97 WHIP, Johnson likely has the edge over Jimenez at this point in the NL overall — and in terms of the best NL pitcher in fantasy baseball.

Roy Halladay (PHI - SP)

Roy Halladay doesn't seem to mind pitching in the National League. Although he spent his entire career up until this season in the AL with the Blue Jays, Halladay has shown little need for a learning curve and is still the same dominant pitcher. Case in point: he is first in complete games (seven), shutouts (three) and innings pitched (162). He's fourth in ERA (2.28), seventh in strikeouts (140) and tied for eighth in wins (11). What's even more impressive is that Halladay has allowed the second-fewest walks (20) of any of the top 70 strikeout leaders in the majors, behind Cliff Lee, although Doc also has eight losses.

Adam Wainwright (STL - SP)

You know that the crop of pitchers in the NL is phenomenal when we're talking about Adam Wainwright fourth on this list. He's actually been the best pitcher in the majors over the past month. He's gone 4-0 with a complete game, 29 K's and an unbelievable 0.25 ERA. On the season, Wainwright is second in wins with a record of 14-5, fourth with four complete games, fourth among pitchers with at least 100 innings pitched with a 1.00 WHIP and second with an enviable 1.94 ERA. He's also fifth in the NL with 136 strikeouts.

Chris Carpenter (STL - SP)

The other half of St. Louis's one-two punch is also having a stellar season, as usual. Chris Carpenter is 11-3 with 122 strikeouts and a 3.09 ERA in 22 starts. The 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner has pitched 148.2 innings, good for third in the majors, but he has no complete games through July 26.

Tim Lincecum (SF - SP)

This list wouldn't be complete without two-time reigning Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum. Lincecum has a ways to go if he's to catch the aforementioned contenders or even match his stats from the past two seasons. San Francisco's ace is 10-4 with a 3.12 ERA in 21 starts. He leads the NL with 143 strikeouts, but has already surrendered 53 walks. By comparison, in 2009 Lincecum was 15-7 with a 2.48 ERA and just 68 walks, while in 2008 he went 18-5 with a 2.62 ERA.

The AL contenders

Cliff Lee (TEX - SP)

If you haven't been paying attention to Cliff Lee's stats, you may think he was shipped out of Seattle because he's been underperforming. It's quite the opposite. The Texas Rangers acquired one of the best pitchers in baseball. Yes, he's only 9-4, but that's in just 16 starts. The 2008 Cy Young winner leads the American League with a 2.56 ERA and six complete games. He has also walked a measly seven batters all season, which is the fewest walks allowed among pitchers in the top 70 in strikeouts. Throw in the fact that Lee has the best WHIP among starters at 0.92 to go along with 101 strikeouts and you have yourself a frontrunner for the AL Cy Young Award.

Carl Pavano (MIN - SP)

More than any other pitcher on this list, Carl Pavano is an excellent example of a pitcher who likely won't win the Cy Young, but probably would have won a fantasy baseball version if there was one. He doesn't lead any pitching categories after 20 starts with the Twins, but he's near the top in several of them. More important, though, he went largely undrafted or was a very late steal in Yahoo fantasy leagues. Pavano is tied for fourth in the majors in wins (12-6), tied for third in complete games (five), tied for second in shutouts (two) and is seventh in innings pitched (143.2). He has a respectable 3.26 ERA, 81 strikeouts and just 19 walks. Additionally, Pavano is fifth among pitchers with at least 100 innings pitched with a minuscule 1.01 WHIP and has pitched complete games in his previous two starts.

CC Sabathia (NYY - SP)

Baseball fans have become accustomed to the consistent dominance of CC Sabathia and again this year he's not disappointing. He's tied for first in the AL in wins with 13 and is third with 144.1 innings pitched. Sabathia also has three complete games, two shutouts, a 3.18 ERA, 119 K's and just three losses on the season. More important, he is 9-0 in his last 10 starts for New York.

David Price (TB - SP)

The American League's starter at the 81st all-star game has had an up-and-down month, but David Price is still squarely in the race for the top pitcher award. The Tampa Bay starter is tied for first in the AL in wins with a career-high 13 (to go along with five losses) and, despite being higher up the list until recently, Price finds himself in fifth with a 2.90 ERA. The 2007 first overall pick has also obtained new personal benchmarks in strikeouts (108), complete games (two) and shutouts (one) and will add games started and innings pitched to that list shortly. You couldn't ask for much more from a late-round pick in your draft.

Felix Hernandez (SEA - SP)

With Cliff Lee now in Texas, Felix Hernandez has resumed his role as the Mariners' ace. He's third in the majors in strikeouts with 145, second in innings pitched with 160.2 and tied for third with five complete games. Hernandez is also third in the AL with a 2.86 ERA, but has a record of just 7-7 in 22 starts. Like last year, it seems Hernandez could possibly be on pace for a better second half of the season though. In the past month, he's 2-2 with a 1.88 ERA, 40 strikeouts, three complete games and a shutout.

Jon Lester (BOS - SP)

One fairly surprising candidate for the award this season is Jon Lester. In a stacked Red Sox rotation, which includes another potential contender in Clay Buchholz, Lester has a record of 11-5 with two complete games. He's tied for fourth in the majors with 143 strikeouts and has a 2.92 ERA, which is good for sixth in the AL.

Jered Weaver (LAA - SP)

Though his record and ERA are not leading the league through 21 starts (9-6, 3.22 ERA), Jered Weaver is one of the MLB's top flame-throwers in 2010. Weaver is second in the majors in strikeouts, just two behind his new teammate Dan Haren, with 147 and he has walked just 30 batters. Not bad for a guy who had a career-high 174 punch-outs last season in 33 starts.

Trivia: Who was the last Ranger pitcher to get a Cy Young award?

Rangers Acquire Jorge Cantu from Marlins

The Rangers acquired infielder Jorge Cantu and cash considerations from the Florida Marlins on Thursday in exchange for right-handed pitchers Omar Poveda and Evan Reed.

Cantu, 28, has batted .262 with 10 home runs, 25 doubles, and 54 RBIs in 97 games with Florida this season. Cantu has a pair of 20-homer seasons as well as two different 100-RBI campaigns. Cantu has played primarily first and third base the past several years after seeing action at second base and third base over his first three big league seasons from 2004-06.

7-29 Newberg Report TROT COFFEY* v.6

(* Trade Rumor Offerings To Chew On For Fun, Even Yuks)

Not to be confused with Brewers journeyman reliever Todd Coffey, the TROT COFFEY is a mailing list-only update on various trade and free agent rumblings unearthed, if not hatched, by the media:

• Jorge Cantu has been lifted in the 8^th inning of Florida's game against San Francisco, with Florida ahead, 5-0

Newberg Report Update: Kinsler injured?

Take this for what it’s worth, as there’s been no confirmation from the organization, but according to a local report, Texas will place second baseman Ian Kinsler on the 15-day disabled list today with a minor injury to his left leg, and will purchase the contract of Oklahoma City first baseman-outfielder Mitch Moreland.  To make room for Moreland on the 40-man roster, according to this story, righthander Mark Lowe could be shifted to the 60-day disabled list.

The Kinsler injury isn’t considered serious but the club reportedly wants to take this opportunity to get him right physically before the stretch run.

The article goes on to suggest that this development could vault Baltimore’s Ty Wigginton over Florida’s Jorge Cantu as a trade target over the next three days, as Wigginton is capable of playing not only on the infield corners but at second baseball as well.

Also, Tim Kurkjian said on ESPN SportsCenter this morning that he didn’t expect Milwaukee to trade Prince Fielder this week unless Texas were to bowl them over with an offer.

More as details develop.

-Jamey

7-29 Newberg Report TROT COFFEY*

(* Trade Rumor Offerings To Chew On For Fun, Even Yuks)

Not to be confused with Brewers journeyman reliever Todd Coffey, the TROT COFFEY is a mailing list-only update on various trade and free agent rumblings unearthed, if not hatched, by the media:

But first, real quick: The Rangers’ Stretch Drive promotion closes at the end of the day tomorrow.  You can reserve seats for the final 24 home games of the season, which includes five with the Yankees, three with the Red Sox, three with the A’s, and the regular-season-ending four with the Angels – and guarantees you the option of purchasing the same seats for all playoff games.  It also includes significant savings off gate prices.  Basically, you get to be a season ticket holder now, just in time for the post-season. 

More details are contained in the attached PDF and on texasrangers.com.  You can also email Troy King at TKing@texasrangers.com with questions, or call 972-RANGERS.

·         The Rangers were “inching closer to a first base acquisition” on Wednesday (Jim Bowden, MLB Network Radio/Fox Sports Radio)

·         According to local reports and the identified national outlets, Texas is said to be in the mix, to one degree or another, for Prince Fielder (Jon Heyman, Sports Illustrated; Will Carroll, Baseball Prospectus), Adam Dunn (Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal, Fox Sports), Jorge Cantu (Jayson Stark, ESPN; Rosenthal), Ty Wigginton (Rosenthal), Mike Lowell (Rob Bradford, WEEI, noting that Lowell is 11 for 22 with four doubles and four home runs in five rehab appearances over the last week), and Wes Helms

·         We talked about the Fielder idea during a radio segment I did on 105.3 The Fan yesterday; I just don’t think it makes sense to part with, say, Martin Perez or Tanner Scheppers, plus Chris Davis (who would be the 2010 version of the Nelson Cruz piece that was included when the same two teams made the Carlos Lee deal in 2006), plus an arm like Scott Feldman or Matt Harrison, plus another blue-chip prospect like Engel Beltre since the Rangers would need Milwaukee to dump a bunch of cash into the deal – if we’re going to load up with a package that looks anything like that (and I do expect the Brewers to demand something along those lines since they’d be giving up a year and a half of Fielder), I’m going hard after Josh Johnson or Zack Greinke or someone like that

·         According to a local report, Texas refused to discuss Beltre with Seattle in the Cliff Lee trade talks

·         I suspect it would take less to get Dunn than to get Fielder, but it’s still probably a prohibitive demand (Washington reportedly asked either for second baseman Gordon Beckham straight up or a package including righthander Dan Hudson plus either catcher Tyler Flowers or outfielder Jordan Danks or third baseman Brent Morel from the White Sox); don’t hold your breath

·         Shoehorning this in: Baseball America’s Jim Callis issued a Prospect Dream Team earlier this week, including Perez in his starting rotation and making Scheppers his closer

·         The Rangers haven’t ruled out waiting until August to address first base (Rosenthal)

·         According to a local report, Florida is interested in Frisco reliever Evan Reed as part of any Cantu trade

·         The Marlins are “believed to be looking for [a] young” lefthander for Cantu (Rosenthal) (for Texas, Derek Holland and Perez and Robbie Erlin are obviously not up for discussion, which could put Harrison or Michael Kirkman or Robbie Ross in play, though I doubt Texas would move Harrison for a bench bat; Kasey Kiker likely has no trade value at the moment)

·         The hangup between Texas and Florida on Cantu is that “the Marlins are balking at [taking on virtually all of the $2 million remaining on Cantu’s 2010 contract] unless the Rangers are willing to dramatically upgrade the player return” (Stark)

·         Nonetheless, “one [big league] source . . . believes that the Marlins, while still talking with other clubs, will get something done with Texas, as long as [the] Commissioner's Office signs off on [the] financials in the deal” (Gordon Edes, ESPN Boston)

·         The same local report that mentioned Reed adds that “clubs are inquiring” about Bakersfield reliever Fabio Castillo (the Reed and Castillo notes illustrate the importance of the Rangers’ prospect depth, as those two are probably on the third tier of the club’s prospect inventory but are still drawing July interest)

·         According to a local report, Texas has dispatched a scout to Washington to keep tabs on Josh Willingham and Cristian Guzman

·         Various reports indicated that the Rangers were in on Derrek Lee, who wielded his 10/5 rights and declined a trade to the Angels on Wednesday

·         The Angels may have “pulled back” from the trade market, deciding that, at 8.5 games back, the odds of extending their season past 162 don’t justify gutting the farm system for a short-term fix (Rosenthal) (see Sosa/Alvarez/Fletcher for Baines/Manrique, which went down 21 years ago today) (yesterday afternoon’s injury to scratched starter Joel Pineiro, who will miss 6-8 weeks with a strained oblique, surely sealed the Angels’ decision) (I sorta wish they did give up a legitimate prospect or two for Derrek Lee)

·         Los Angeles could even go so far as to becoming a seller this weekend rather than a buyer, potentially listening to overtures for veterans like Bobby Abreu, Brian Fuentes, Hideki Matsui, and Maicer Izturis (Mike DiGiovanna, Los Angeles Times)

·         Related note: Oakland righthander Ben Sheets is done for the year, needing flexor tendon surgery

·         The second-worst part about the Angels’ acquisition of Dan Haren, for me, is that the Yankees were said to be in on Haren, whose acquisition presumably would have taken them out of the Cliff Lee hunt this winter

·         At least one local report suggests that there are clubs showing some level of interest in Scott Feldman and Rich Harden (also reported by Rosenthal)

·         Texas maintained interest in Roy Oswalt, even after acquiring Cliff Lee (Rosenthal, Heyman), but this morning all indications are that the Astros and Phillies have agreed on players (reportedly including lefthander J.A. Happ, righthander Vance Worley, and maybe two more arms) and await only Oswalt’s approval of the deal, which could include a decision on whether his 2012 option would be exercised now

·         Sadly (if you’re a Phillies fan), any package headed by Happ probably means Philadelphia will give up more for Oswalt than they got for Lee

·         The Rangers asked Florida about righthander Chris Volstad but “were turned away” (Joe Capozzi, Palm Beach Post)

·         The Red Sox, Yankees, and Tigers are interested in Oakland reliever Michael Wuertz, but Oakland, “barring [a] knockout offer,” won’t trade the right-handed slider specialist (Rosenthal) (I’d love to add Wuertz here, but not for what the A’s would evidently want)

·         Get this: When Texas recently approached Pittsburgh about reliever Joel Hanrahan, the Pirates, “according to a scout with direct knowledge of teams’ dealings,” responded by asking for Neftali Feliz in return (Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) (umm, wow)

·         The $590,000 signing bonus that Texas gave this week to California high school righthander Cody Buckel, the club’s second-round selection in June, was more than $80,000 over slot – the second-highest over-slot deal announced so far across the league (Callis; Kevin Goldstein, Baseball Prospectus) (Buckel, who is forgoing a commitment to Pepperdine, will report to the Arizona League)

·         The Rangers have granted righthander Geoff Geary’s request for his release

·         The trade deadline arrives Saturday afternoon at 3:00 Central; stay tuned  

Postgame Alert for the Braves

Atlanta Braves Postgame Alert
July 25, 2010

Atlanta 4, Florida 5 at Sun Life Stadium
Atlanta Record: (57-41)
Florida Record: (49-49)

Winning pitcher - Jorge Sosa (2-2)
Losing pitcher - Jesse Chavez (2-2)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
ATL	1	0	1	0	0	1	0	1	0		4	11	0
FLA	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	0	0		5	11	0
	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18		R	H	E
ATL	0	0	X	X	X	X	X	X	X		4	11	0
FLA	0	1	X	X	X	X	X	X	X		5	11	0

GAME LINKS:
Recap | Full Box Score | Photo Gallery | Highlights

Visit braves.com for more information »
Standings »
Game Notes »

Next Atlanta Game: July 27, 2010 07:05 PM ET vs. Washington Nationals

Upcoming Atlanta Home Games:
vs. New York Mets, August 2, 2010 07:10 PM ET Purchase Tickets
vs. New York Mets, August 3, 2010 07:10 PM ET Purchase Tickets
vs. New York Mets, August 4, 2010 07:10 PM ET Purchase Tickets

Postgame Alert for the Braves

Atlanta Braves Postgame Alert
July 24, 2010

Atlanta 10, Florida 5 at Sun Life Stadium
Atlanta Record: (57-40)
Florida Record: (48-49)

Winning pitcher - Jesse Chavez (2-1)
Losing pitcher - Jhan Marinez (1-1)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
ATL	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	8	0		10	10	0
FLA	1	0	3	0	0	1	0	0	0		5	11	2

GAME LINKS:
Recap | Full Box Score | Photo Gallery | Highlights

Visit braves.com for more information »
Standings »
Game Notes »

Next Atlanta Game: July 25, 2010 01:10 PM ET vs. Florida Marlins

Upcoming Atlanta Home Games:
vs. New York Mets, August 2, 2010 07:10 PM ET Purchase Tickets
vs. New York Mets, August 3, 2010 07:10 PM ET Purchase Tickets
vs. New York Mets, August 4, 2010 07:10 PM ET Purchase Tickets

10 Decisions ESPN Should Show Next

By Lance Pauker

Last Thursday at 9 p.m. EST, the atmosphere suddenly and inexplicably exploded. It was later found that this cataclysmic event was caused by a little-known special held on ESPN about some guy named LeBron James. Apparently he's a big deal or something. Jim Gray was there, so it must have been pretty important.

The event had even higher ratings than Jim Rome Is Burning, something previously thought impossible by that German Octopus dude, who is apparently a more reliable prophet than Dan Gilbert. Because the LeBron reality show was a bigger hit than "Dream Job," ESPN's previous crack at reality TV, it has been rumored that the sports media giant is looking for new "decisions" to air.

These rumors can by no means be confirmed, but someone from somewhere tweeted something that seemed important, so I figured I may include it. Without further ado, here are the 10 decisions that ESPN should show next.

Texas Sets Beltre for Majors Debut vs. Angels

Texas Rangers right-hander Omar Beltre is scheduled to make his long-delayed major league debut against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night.

The Rangers announced Monday that Beltre will be added to the 25-man roster before the second game of the three-game series matching the AL West's top two teams.

Colby Lewis (7-5, 3.28 ERA) will be pushed back until Friday's home game against the Chicago White Sox to get extra rest.

"Beltre has been throwing well for (Triple-A) Oklahoma City, and we wanted to give him an opportunity when he's going good," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "Colby has been big for us and we want to keep him strong the whole year. Giving him a little extra rest now should pay off down the road."

Beltre and reliever Alexi Ogando were unable to get into the United States from the Dominican Republic for five years because of visa problems before finally getting to spring training with the Rangers in February.

Before the visa problems, the 29-year-old Beltre was considered one of the Rangers' top prospects.

Beltre was 0-2 with a 1.25 ERA in five starts this season for Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he allowed only three earned runs in 21 2-3 innings as a starter with 24 strikeouts and seven walks. He was 0-5 overall with two saves and a 2.39 ERA in 15 appearances.

Ogando made his major league debut with a win in relief for Texas at Florida on June 15, and went on to become the first pitcher to win in each of his first three relief appearances since Detroit's Jon Warden in 1968.

Ogando has made four scoreless appearances (7 1-3 innings) during which opposing teams have hit only .083 (2 for 24) against the right-hander.

The rest of the rotation for the Angels series is unchanged. Scott Feldman (5-6, 5.32) will still start the opener Tuesday and left-hander C.J. Wilson (6-3, 3.35) pitches the series finale Thursday.

After Lewis starts the opener against the White Sox, Tommy Hunter (4-0, 2.15) goes Saturday and Feldman is scheduled for the finale of that weekend series.

The Rangers Hitting King

By T.R. Sullivan / MLB.com

MIAMI -- Michael Young has long enjoyed a reputation as a "clutch" hitter.

His .324 career batting average with runners in scoring position is the 10th best among all active Major League hitters with at least 600 at-bats. His .334 batting average in those situations with two outs is third best among active players.

So it would seem quite appropriate that Young's club record-breaking hit, the one that finally allowed him to pass Ivan Rodriguez, would come in a situation that he has been thriving upon all through his career.

Young's two-run single with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the eighth inning proved to be huge, as the Rangers held on to defeat the Marlins, 6-3, at Sun Life Stadium on Wednesday night.

The single was the 1,748th hit of Young's career, passing Rodriguez for the most in club history.

"Actually it means more" Young said. "I knew it would mean a lot, but now that it's finished, looking back at my career in Texas and the players I've passed, it means a lot. I have played my whole career in one uniform, and I hope I can finish that. But the most important thing tonight was getting a win."

The hit was big in that regard. Young's single gave the Rangers a three-run lead in the top of the eighth on a night when their bullpen was being pushed to the limit by the early departure of starter Tommy Hunter. The Rangers gave Hunter a 3-0 lead in the top of the third when he had to leave with a strained right hip flexor.

The Marlins had pulled to within 3-2 when Young delivered his record-breaking hit in the eighth off Marlins reliever Jay Buente.

"I'm certainly happy that it came in that situation," Young said. "I wasn't thinking about setting records. I was trying to drive in some runs and help the team win."

The Rangers held on for the 6-3 win. Josh Hamilton, who had four hits on the night, added a home run in the ninth, and Neftali Feliz struck out the side at the end for his 17th save. But Young's single was the decisive blow that allowed the Rangers to win their fourth straight and maintain their two-game lead in the American League West.

"Big hit," manager Ron Washington said. "They don't get any bigger. We certainly needed to put more cushion, and he delivered. Everybody knows what he's all about, and this is another notch to show the consistency that he has had in this game."

Young entered the game one hit behind Rodriguez, and he was starting to stumble to the finish line. Young was 0-for-3 off Marlins starter Anibal Sanchez, and that left him hitless in 10 straight at-bats. But he finally caught Rodriguez with a double off Jorge Sosa to lead off the seventh.

"I came in today with a better plan and mindset," Young said. "Yesterday, I was trying to get hits rather than going up there and hitting. Yesterday, I was thinking about results and not the process."

Texas was leading, 3-2, when Young found the right-center-field gap for his 21st double of the season. But the Rangers stranded him there, and Young's record-tying hit threatened to be nothing more than a footnote in the grand scheme of the game.

The record-breaker changed all that. The Rangers were still leading by one in the eighth when Justin Smoak walked and Matt Treanor singled off Buente. Julio Borbon's grounder to first moved them to second and third, and Vladimir Guerrero, pinch-hitting for the pitcher, was intentionally walked to load the bases.

Buente then struck out Elvis Andrus, giving him a chance to get out of the inning. But first he had to deal with Young. That has never been easy for any pitcher.

Young worked the count to 2-2, fouled off a curveball and then smacked a fastball on the ground back up the middle. The ball was beyond shortstop Hanley Ramirez's grasp and bounced into center.

"I was just trying to put the bat on the ball and push some runs across," Young said.

Two runs scored, the Rangers were up, 5-3, and Young was the club's all-time hits leader.

"It's a milestone," Hamilton said. "It let's you know what kind of player he is, how hard he has worked and how consistent he has been. That was a big at-bat and a big RBI. That was a good one: a clutch hit and a memorable occasion."

T.R. Sullivan is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

MLB Teams Take Scouting to New Level, Track Umpires

By BEN WALKER AP Baseball Writer

Ron Washington flips the pages of his three-ring notebook, filled with inside info on the other team's pitchers and hitters.

The Texas manager gets to the back of the black binder, reaches into the pocket and pulls out another scouting report — on that night's home plate umpire.

It's a color-coded computer printout showing his strike zone — how he tends to call balls and strikes — and whether he usually gives the pitcher a break if the ball sails just off the corner of the plate. In this ump's case, the calls on the edges are too inconsistent to be predictable.

"We do have their tendencies in the dugout on the wall. The name of the umpire and his tendencies, what they call and what part of the zone they call strikes," Washington said.

"When I was playing, we just knew he was a high-ball umpire or a low-ball umpire, whether he was a pitcher's umpire or a hitter's umpire," he said.

April 1st Tickets

To thank you for your loyal support to the Texas Rangers and for being a valued Inside Pitch subscriber, we would like to offer the first 2,000 subscribers who provide us their mailing address a pair of tickets to watch the Rangers take on the Florida Marlins at Ameriquest Field in Arlington on Saturday, April 1 at 7:05 p.m.

Plan to arrive at the game early for the KRLD Tailgate Party on the North Lawn and Party Patio featuring live music beginning at 4:00 p.m.

Requests must be made by Tuesday, March 21, 2006. The tickets will be mailed to the address given prior to the April 1 game.

Click here to reserve your tickets today »

Good News… I already signed up on it, and the game is on my anniversary! What a gift! If you want to join us at the game, click on the link above. Johnny Out.

Wildcard Race 9/24/05

Date: 9/24/05

American League Wild Card Race
Cleveland (91-63) with 8 games remaining
Boston (89-64) with 9 games remaining (1.5 games behind)
Oakland (84-69) with 9 games remaining (6.5 games behind)

National League Wild Card Race
Houston (84-70) with 8 games remaining
Philadelphia (83-71) with 8 games remaining (1 game behind)
Florida (80-74) with 8 games remaining (4 games behind)

Florida has a good chance. Houston continues to be my favorite. Remember, I picked them when they were not in first in the WC. Cleveland has won 10 million of there last 10 million and 1. They are my favorite still. Oakland has a better chance at their division title than a wildcard, although they only have a ghost of a chance. I think now they will not Cinderella it in and the Angels will be knocked right out of the playoffs. Can Boston retake the lead over the Yankees? I really don’t think so, but I do think they could easily tie with the Yanks to force a one game playoff. We shall see.

Home Plate

Thursday and Friday Picks

Today

Rangers vs. Mariners – Loe vs. Harris – I like Loe. I think he is going to be huge and not just in height. Harris has done decent this year; one of his two wins was against the Rangers who hit only .182 against him. Adrian Gonzalez is the only one who did any real damage against him and has the only RBI against him. Gonzalez, by the way, would have over 30 homeruns if he had played the entire season with the Rangers. I think the number would be 37 dingers. Impressive, I must say. Loe does some damage against the M’s too. He has a win against them, 6 strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings (WOW) and holds them to a .167 average. They have only 1 run against him as well. I like the Rangers in this one 3-1.

Braves vs. Phillies – Sosa vs. Myers – Sosa is hot, Myers is average. I go with the hot stuff. Braves over Phillies 4-2.

Astros vs. Marlins – Pettitte vs. Vargas – Pettitte is on fire (2.48 ERA season and 1.40 ERA over his last 3), Vargas is throwing a medicine ball (8.25 ERA in his last 3)… Astros dominate this one 7-2.

Brewers vs. D-Backs – Ohka vs. Estes – Fairly even on this overall, but Estes is a little colder than Ohka. Ohka notably is better on the road in comparison to Estes at home. I will go with the alcoholics and say the D-Backs bullpen will loose to the Brewers starter: 6-4.

Tomorrow

Rangers vs. Mariners – TBA vs. Hernandez – I have done some vast research and I have come up empty for the Rangers starter for 9/16. But I did dig up in one place and they said Rogers for this game. But the same resource also said Rogers for Saturday. Rogers is not Cy Young in that he can throw a doubleheader one day and then pitch again the next. So, when I find out for certain, I can make a better guess on this. I would like the match up of Rogers vs. Hernandez, Hernandez looks good. He has a 2.33 ERA this year and even though Rogers isn’t as hot as he was earlier this year, I think he would still be the best guy for the job. But it is not my call (but it should be).

Braves vs. Mets – Smoltz vs. Trachsel – Smoltz is just better than Trash-el, has better numbers and is very consistent. Probably the most consistent of any pitcher I have seen (and when I say consistent, I mean consistently good – there are plenty who are consistently bad). Braves with a win over the Mets, say 5-2.

Phillies vs. Marlins – Lieber vs. Moehler – Moehler hasn’t started since 8/20. Lieber is very hot right now. Everything points to the female horse and a good win for them. I do, however, think this isn’t going to be a cakewalk for the Phillies. The Big Fish loose to the female horses, going with 7-5.

Astros vs. Brewers – Oswalt vs. Helling – Helling is an alcoholic, hard to swallow. But it is good to see him out there again. Dude is on fire, too. He has a 0.98 ERA over his last 3. Oswalt is a good match up for him. This could hand him his first loss this year. But, I honestly think this will go to the bullpen and some extra time on the diamond. Astros with a walk off run in the 11th, 4-3.

D-Backs vs. Rockies – Nippert vs. Day – Battle of the bottom, is what I call these types of games. Oh, how I can remember the days of the 13 win seasons for the Mavs, battling the lowly Timberwolves (I would call them the Feather Wolves, he he he). I looked over the goods, Nippert looks better than Day, although that isn’t saying too much. But the numbers don’t lie, Day has an ERA of almost 7, and Nippert is in the mid 5’s. Day also has been throwing in low 8’s over his last 3 games. Nippert has only one appearance. I think in this game he will shine. D-Backs 10-6.

Home Plate

Friday and Saturday Picks (9/9 and 9/10)

Friday, Sept. 9th

Rangers vs. A’s – Dominguez vs. Zito – well, logic would naturally say Zito. But Dominguez just gets better and better with each start. In his last start, he went into the eighth inning with a no hitter. Granted, that was KC, but still a no-no is a no-no. He has a 1.69 ERA in his last three starts. Zito has a 3.44 in his last three, including a clobbering against New York. The A’s are cold right now. Zito really does own the Rangers. The Rangers as a team hit .204 in 224 at bats. Of the 46 hits, 12 are extra bases. No long ball tonight, 4 homers against Zito. Hard call to make. Rangers don’t do well against Zito, A’s are cold, Dominguez is hot… A shot in the dark, but I will go with Texas 4-3.

Braves vs. Nats – Ramirez vs. Loaiza – I have always liked Loaiza, when he was with the Rangers and after that. He is a good pitcher, not on a good team, though. He is 10-10 with a 3.62 ERA this year, 3.26 in his last 3. Ramirez is 3.32 in his last 3, and has a 11-8 mark. He doesn’t do well on the road, though (3-7, 5.61 ERA). I am going with the Nats on this 6-4.

Astros vs. Alcoholics – Clemens vs. Davis – Clemens has a 6-2 mark on the road and a 0.52 ERA. Astros 5-1.

Big Fish vs. Female Horse – Burnett vs. Lidle – Both have been throwing grapefruit over their last 3 (6.75 and 6.43 ERA’s respectively). Burnett has had better success this season. Marlins over Phillies 5-2.

D-Backs vs. the Other Alcoholic Team – Estes vs. Kim – Kim is hot, Estes is not. Kim has a 0.92 ERA in his last 3. Estes has an 8.40 over his last 3. Granted, Colorado is not a good team; D-Backs are nothing to brag about, either. Upset, D-Backs over Rockies in a squeaker 5-4.

Saturday, Sept 10th

Rangers vs. A’s – Blanton vs. Loe – Kameron Loe is quickly becoming one of top Rangers players of all time. I just like the guy. 6 foot 8, strong pitcher, great command, and his numbers prove me right. 3.22 ERA for the season, 0.95 ERA over his last three. Blanton stinks on the road. 3-7 mark tells all. Rangers take this one as I get my Tex statue, 4-2.

Braves vs. Nats – Sosa vs. Hernandez – Sosa is undefeated on the road. Braves 5-3.

Astros vs. Alcoholics – Pettitte vs. Ohka – Never heard of Ohka. Pettitte will take this one just on principal (Plus Pettitte has a 0.44 ERA in his last 3). Astros 4-2.

Big Fish vs. Female Horse – Vargas vs. Myers – Big Fish is a really good movie, by the way. Pretty even on the surface, but Myers is by far better upon closer review. Philly 6-3.

D-Backs vs. the Other Alcoholic Team – Vargas vs. Day – These guys should go back to the grapefruit league for real. It’s a beautiful day… good for a song, not for this pitcher. However, he does throw an even 3 at home, and that is what I will have to make my call on. Rockies 7-2.

FC Dallas vs. DC United – Soccer… well, FC Dallas has lost quite a bit of late… I will say they end that streak against DC. Why not, right? Besides, what do I know soccer anyway… FC Dallas 3-1.

Home Plate