A Very Different September For The Pirates

As we approach September the Pirates clearly will not repeat history this year. This team showed that they are still for real last night by shutting out the Cardinals 5-0. Francisco Liriano once again pitched as if there were never any questions about his health. Looking at the Pirates lineup you will see that this is a true National League team. This team would probably have 10 more wins if they had someone else on the team who produced like Andrew McCutchen. After seeing the Giants win two World Series in recent years with a similar lineup it would not surprise me if the Pirates continue this run deep into October. Looking at their schedule, the Pirates have 7 more games against the downtrodden Cubs and 4 versus the under .500 Padres. Those teams will try to play the role of spoiler, but the odds would favor the Pirates having a strong finish to the season. All this being said, its hard to imagine that the Pirates will not end up with a wild card spot as a consolation prize if the Cards end up taking the division.

Red Sox - Yankees Game Tonight

Tonight the Red Sox play the Yankee's in prime time. This may the last time for a while that this game is even relevant. Sure there is the daily circus called A-Rod, but this Yankees team is old and there are not many options for their future. They still have an outside shot at the playoffs, but that door seems to be shutting very fast. On the other hand, the Red Sox have invested in youth and look to finish strong and with another division title. I know this may be bad news for ESPN, but this match up may become a hard sell in the years to come as the Yankees rebuild. That being said, I will be watching the game tonight...

I'm On The Royals Bandwagon

Having watched most of the Royals games this year I have gained an appreciation for what they have built. Now having seen the team play in person I'm convinced this team has a bright bright future. Never mind the brilliant pitching by James Shields today, it was the Royals lineup that stole the show. You could feel the confidence of the hitters in the stands today. Alex Gordon looked as if he was taking batting practice today. His home run proved to be the game winner, but his 2 other hits were textbook. Now looking at the top 5 hitters in this line up I see nothing but trouble for teams in the stretch run of this pennant race. Yes, I said pennant race and Royals in the same sentence. A few weeks ago it looked as if they would have a decent season, maybe finish over .500, but now they have a great shot at the division or wild card. We have seen teams peak late in the season lately and I think this is the latest team to ride the tide into the playoffs. This team is hungry, young and they are having fun. That is a bad mix for the opposition in the stretch run to October. It was also great to see the fans once again pack Kaufman Stadium. It won't be the last time this season either.

A-Rod's Playing Days Are Numbered

Even when Alex Rodriguez comes back from whatever suspension he serves there will be little value left in his game. It is almost pathetic the fight that he is trying to make to continue his career. If the the players union was not the strongest union in the world he would be signing autographs with Pete Rose. As this plays out I will be trying to avoid the circus as much as possible.

Royals vs. Met's: Game 1

Having watched both of these teams very closely all year it was great to see how they matched up. Dillon Gee was at his very best, after starting out slow this year he has come into his own over the past 2 months. In true Met's fashion though, the bullpen spoiled a great start and gave up the lead in the 9th. Eric Young made up for it all with a two run homer in the 11th that could energize the Met's through the weekend. One stat that pops out is that the Royals top 4 hitters were a combined 1-19. Needless to say they will have to improve on that to even beat the under .500 Met's.