Kuroda Throws His Cap Into the Cy Young Ring

If you look at the won/lost record of Detroit Tigers starter Max Scherzer, it's difficult not to imagine that he's the shoe-in for the American League Cy Young Award. It's difficult not to think that way when you see a gaudy 17-1 record.

Times have changed however, and there is a new way of looking at numbers in addition to a pitcher's won/lost record. Felix Hernandez won the award three years ago with a very ordinary 13-12 mark. He also led the league in ERA (2.27), games started, least hits per nine innings pitched, and struck out more than 200 hitters.

It takes nothing away to say that Hernandez had the benefit of pitching in a "pitcher's ballpark". He limited hitters to a .533 OPS at Safeco Field. Then again the Mariners inept offense hurt him as much as the home field advantage helped him. Seattle score two or less runs in 15 of Hernandez's 34 starts and 3-5 runs in 13 starts. Hernandez lost 10 of his 12 games when the M's scored two runs or less.

It also takes nothing away from Scherzer, but he also pitches in a "pitcher's ballpark". The difference between his season and Hernandez's is that, led by Miguel Cabrera, he has a devastating offense behind him as well. The Tigers have scored 3-5 runs in 10 of Scherzer's starts and 6 or more in 11 of them. Detroit has scored two or less runs in just two of Scherzer's start- a loss and a no decision.

To his credit Scherzer's been even better on the road (.500 OPS vs. .622 at home), but that was the wind up. Here comes the pitch.

Right-hander Hiroki Kuroda does his home pitching in a field made for left-handed hitters. Batters routinely deposit baseballs over the fence from right-center field over to the right field foul pole. Powerful right-handed hitters have no problem poking a long ball the opposite way either.

Kuroda is also in the AL East, a league chock full of big time hitting teams. That would normally include his team, the New York Yankees, but not this year. Due to injuries, age, and ineffectiveness, the Yankees look like a combination of the Bad News Bears (think of Rudi Stein in the original movie with Walter Matthau) and coach-pitch Little League.

It's led to an 11-7 record for Kuroda despite a 2.33 ERA and a league best 174 ERA+ (100 * (league ERA / ERA)). The Yankees have scored two or less runs in 11 of Kuroda's 24 starts (3-5 W/L) and 3-5 runs in 10 of them. (5-2 W/L). Just three times the Yankees went  wild and scored six or more runs with Kuroda on the mound. He's won all three of those starts.

The native of Osaka, Japan has pitched into the 7th inning or later 17 times. He's gone less than five innings just twice and once was because he tried to snare a Shane Victorino comebacker with his bare hand.

Quality starts is a nonsense statistic - 3 runs allowed in 6 innings is not anything of quality - but Kuroda has thrown 16 games where has allowed two runs or less and allowed three runs in a seven inning start to boot. He's 9-2 in those 17 starts with six no decisions . He's also pitched into the 7th inning or greater 18 times and left with the lead three times only to see the Yankees bullpen blow it. (The Yankees are 14-10 when Kuroda starts.)

Since Mother Nature cranked up the heat, Kuroda has been phenomenal. In five starts since the calendar turned to July 1, the 38-year old has allowed five earned runs in 48 innings pitched. (He's 4-1 with three no decisions.) That calculates out to a 0.94 ERA, which also matches his WHIP during that period. He’s walked just eight hitters and struck out 35, and has not allowed a home run.

Kuroda is not only the Yankees ace, he's their MVP as well. Without him, there is no way the Yankees could even see the AL wild card on the horizon. So, if he continues to pitch this way through the end of the regular season, will he have a legitimate shot at the AL Cy Young Award? That remains to be seen, because no matter how good Kuroda's year is, Scherzer's won/loss record could still distract voters like the neon lights along the Las Vegas strip pulls in gamblers.

Jayson Gets Big Hit Just in the Nix of Time

Nix's game winner - courtesy of greenwichtime.com

The Yankees were this close to a miserable 1-6 West Coast swing against the Oakland A's and Seattle Mariners, but Jayson Nix delivered a go ahead 3-run double in the 8th inning and the Yankees topped the Mariners 5-2 Wednesday afternoon.

Unless GM Brian Cashman pulls off a deal for another asset, Nix and Eric Chavez will be looked upon to provide production at third base in light of Alex Rodriguez's broken hand. Nix entered the game hitting just .235 with 7 RBI, and faced a bases loaded situation after Josh Kinney hit Derek Jeter to start the 8th and Lucas Luetge gave up back to back singles to Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira.

Curtis Granderson fouled out before Joe Girardi sent Nix up to pinch-hit for Raul Ibanez. Seattle manager Eric Wedge countered with right-hander Shawn Kelley, but Nix ripped a ball up the alley in left-center field to clear the bases. Russell Martin added an RBI single later in the inning for some insurance, but Nix's hit was huge for a player who entered the game just 1-9 with runners in scoring position.

Yankees starter Ivan Nova struggled his way through five innings and walked a career high six hitters. The final two free passes started the 6th inning and ended Nova's day. The Yankees bullpen was outstanding once again though as Clay Rapada, David Phelps, and David Robertson combined for three scoreless innings as a bridge to Rafael Soriano.


The Yankees' closer allowed a 2-out single in the 9th, but struck out Ichiro's replacement, Carlos Peguero, to end the game.


Notes

Utility Infielder Ramiro Pena was recalled from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take A-Rod's spot on the roster.

Derek Jeter (twice), A-Rod, and Ichiro were all hit by pitches in the last two games, but no Yankees pitcher retaliated. Felix Hernandez, who through the pitch that broke A-Rod's hand, said after Tuesday night's game that he "felt bad" about what happened. Hernandez does not have a reputation of a hitting batters.

David Phelps picked up his second victory of the season and struck out two batters to give him 51 K's in 46.2 innings pitched.

With A-Rod out of the lineup, Girardi moved Ichiro in the lead off spot and slipped Jeter back into his old number 2 hole.

Jesus Montero had to feel pretty good about himself after throwing out Ichiro when his former teammate tried to steal second base in the 5th inning.

Yankees Overthrow The King

The Seattle Mariners have a promotion this season for the fans of star pitcher "King" Felix Hernandez. Those who join the King's Court get tickets, t-shirts, and other promotional items. Last night the Court was in full voice in support of their "monarch", but the Yankees dethroned the King in a 9-3 New York victory.

Mark Teixeira belted a solo home run (his 37th) and Chris Dickerson added a 2-run shot as the Yankees scored five runs in the 4th inning to take command of the ball game. Robinson Cano put the game on ice with a 3-run double in the 7th. The run support was more than enough for winning pitcher Phil Hughes to even his record up at 5-5. Hughes allowed one earned run and five hits over six innings as he outpitched last year's AL Cy Young Award winner.

Hernandez had dominated the Yankees in the past, posting a 6-3, 2.82 record in 10 career starts. It looked like it was going to be another long night for the Yankees against Hernandez when the right-hander retired the first six hitters he faced, but Brett Gardner and Chris Dickerson led off the 3rd inning with back to back singles to put runners on the corners. With one down, Dickerson stole second base and Derek Jeter brought Gardner home with a ground out. Seattle used some speed in the bottom of the 3rd to tie things up.

Brendan Ryan reached on a single and swiped second. With two outs and first base open the Yankees elected to pitch to Ichiro Suzuki instead of rookie Kyle Seager, and Suzuki made them pay with an RBI single. The Yankees took control immediately in the 4th when Teixeira went deep to right. Cano followed with a double and moved to third on Nick Swisher's bloop single.

Eric Chavez put the Yankees ahead for good with a sacrifice fly and Gardner followed with a ribbie double. Dickerson then blasted his 1st home run of the season for a 6-1 Yankees lead.

The Mariners tried to come right back by putting two aboard with two outs in the bottom of the inning, but Hughes got Trayvan Robinson to fly out to Gardner in left for the final out of the inning. The situation was repeated in the 6th and final inning for Hughes, with Robinson again flying out to strand two runners.

Notes

One day after making his Major League Debut, Austin Romine made his first Major League start, collected his first big league hit, and scored his first run. With Russell Martin probably out at least one more day and Francisco Cervelli suffering from a concussion, the Yankees lineup will include both Jesus Montero and/or Austin Romine for the foreseeable future.

Scott Proctor allowed a 2-run home run to Miguel Olivo in two innings of work and has a 6.75 ERA since rejoining the Yankees.

Alex Rodriguez is expected to sit out until the weekend due to his badly bruised thumb.

Nick Swisher returned to the lineup with his inflammed left elbow, but was used as the first baseman to cut down on throws he had to make. Mark Teixeira DH'ed.

King Ends Mariners Skid

Felix Hernandez is the big grand prize that every team in baseball wants, but Seattle put him under lock and key and said, "not happening". Hernandez has not matched his Cy Young season of a year ago, but he's still pitching well enough to win as he did in a 9-2 victory over the Yankees. The win snapped the Mariners 17 game losing streak and evened the King's record at 9-9.

Hernandez walked four batters in seven innings, but limited the Yankees to a single run. Yankees starter Phil Hughes scuffled through six, but departed trailing just 2-1. However, Cory Wade, Boone Logan and the Yankees defense let the game get out of hand with three unearned runs in the 7th inning.

Ichiro, who was 4-5 on the day, led off the inning with a double off of Wade and Brendan Ryan and his bad 'stache followed with an infield single. Logan produced a potential double play ball from Dustin Ackley, but Robinson Cano's flip to second base was wild for a run scoring error. Logan walked Justin Smoak to load the bases and one batter later Mike Carp unloaded them with a triple when Curtis Granderson couldn't hold onto his deep drive to center. The final run of the inning came in on Franklin Gutierrez's double off of Luis Ayala.

As for Hughes, it wasn't a pretty sight. The right-hander is still in search of his stuff that made him so succesful in the first half of 2010. He allowed nine hits, walked two and threw 101 pitches. (65 for strikes.) On the positive side he worked out of a lot of jams. On the negative side...he was in a lot of jams. What Hughes performance showed more than anything is that the Yankees really do need to acquire another solid starter if they are to truly compete in this year's playoffs.

Notes

Alex Rodriguez turned 36 on Wednesday.

Rafael Soriano is likely to be activated on Friday for the four game set with the Orioles. Steve Garrison is the most likely candidate to be sent down.

FullCountPitch - Total Domination

If you live in the metropolitan area you’ve seen the commercial hundreds of times. Two car rental agents sit around the break room talking about the prior night’s New York Yankees game. One refers to it as “Total domination”.

You can bet today there are plenty of workers sitting around their break room, standing by the vending machines or watercoolers, discussing last night’s Yankees game and using the phrase “Total dimination” with regularity.

That’s because last night CC Sabathia was about as good as you can be without throwing a perfect game. Granted, his opponent was the hapless Seattle Mariners, but that doesn’t make 27 up and 27 down any easier to do. From the 1st inning on though it appeared Sabathia might just have a date with “baseball immortality” as Yankees’ radio man John Sterling likes to put it.

Sabathia breezed through the first three innings and then the Mariners bats made a breeze as Sabathia struck out the side in the 4th and 5th innings. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans and you could tell by the 5th that a rain delay was imminent.

Lightning lit up the sky and it began to drizzle as the Mariners came to bat in the 6th inning. This was no Roy Hobbes story though. Sabathia struck out Mike Carp, for his seventh straight K, to start the frame. But then the skies opened up and rain came down in sheets. A 31 minute delay interrupted what appeared to be destiny calling.

There was no question Sabathia would come out after the relatively short delay. He kept loose throwing underneath the stands and re-took the mound to face rookie Greg Halman. Sabathia retired him…but on a pop up. Suddenly contact was made. The next batter, Chone Figgins, grounded out to Derek Jeter to end the inning.

18 up, 18 down, but Sabathia’s location was a little off and bat was meeting ball. Sabathia struck out Ichiro to start the 7th, but quickly fell behind 2-0 to Brendan Ryan and then let a 94 mph fastball get too much of the plate. Ryan slapped it in to left-center field for the Mariners first and only hit of the night. Sabathia bounced right back and blew away Dustin Ackley and Miguel Olivo for his 13th and 14th strikeouts (a new personal high) on the night.

Read more about Sabathia's game and the Mariners' July demise at FullCountPitch.com, where the content is always free.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat

"Don't Go West Young/Old Men"

I went over the flowchart scenario for failure in a recap of Friday night's game yesterday. Saturday's 5-4, 12 inning loss to the Seattle Mariners didn't vary much for the Yankees. They took the early lead, couldn't hold it, and lost it late. In fact the game would not have gone extra innings had Ichiro Suzuki made a rare misplay in right field to allow the Yankees to tie the game in the 7th inning. Of course, the Yankees then stranded the go ahead run at third base.

Both bullpens were solid until Mariano Rivera entered a tie game in the bottom of the 12th. Justin Smoak reached on a one out single (that resulted in Brett Gardner's grass facial above) and Jack Cust doubled to left center. The Yankees intentionally walked Franklin Gutierrez to set up the double play, but the strategy became moot when Adam Kennedy singled in the game winner.

The Yankees got off to a good start once again; Robinson Cano belted a solo home run and Mark Teixeira hit a two run shot off of Felix Hernandez for a 3-0 lead. It was Teixeira's sixth home run in the last nine games. Unfortunately for the Yankees, it was not a good night for starter Ivan Nova.

The 24-yr old struggled with his command, as he has done in three of his last four starts, and lasted just 3.2 innings pitched. The Mariners scored a single run in the second inning on a ground out - the fifth straight RBI via a ground ball for the M's in the series - and took the lead with a three run fourth inning.

Gutierrez reached on an infield single, that was originally scored an error on Derek Jeter (and should have remained that way), to start the inning and Kennedy followed with a double. Both runners came home when Miguel Olivo's deep drive to right-center took one hop and bounced over the fence for a ground rule double to tie the game. Nova struck out Carlos Peguero for the first out, but after a wild pitch moved Olivo to third, he allowed a go ahead single to Brendan Ryan.

Jeter drew a two out walk in the 7th and came home to tie the game at four apiece when Ichiro mistimed his leap, if he had to leap at all, on Curtis Granderson deep drive to right. The ball fell in play and Granderson was credited with an RBI triple. But after Hernandez pitched around/walked Teixeira for the second time in the game, he struck out Alex Rodriguez to keep the score tied.

Notes

Apparently the Mariners fans were spiking their Starbucks last night. Several fans ran on to the field, some sans clothes, and were arrested.

The classless crew also changed "Overrated" when Derek Jeter batted in the 9th inning.

Kings, Princes, and Other Road Obstacles

The Yankees open a tough, nine game road trip tonight in pitcher friendly Safeco Field in Seattle. While most people point at Saturday's quest against Felix "The King" Hernandez as the toughest game on the road trip, things won't be much easier tonight for the Yankees when they face rookie Michael Pineda.

The native of the Dominican Republic, given the moniker "Prince", made the Mariners out of spring training this season after going 11-4, 3.36 (with 154 strikeouts in 139.1 innings pitched) between Double-A and Triple-A last season.

At 6'7", 255 lbs, Pineda is an opposing figure to deal with as is his mid to upper 90's fastball. Through nine starts, Pineda has compiled a 6-2 record, a 2.16 ERA (1.65 at home) and has struck out better than nine batters per nine innings (9.4). He's allowed just 41 hits hits and issued a mere 14 walks in 58.1 innings pitched, has allowed just three home runs, and limited opponents to a .194 average. For more on Pineda's outstanding control, check out this piece by ESPN's Lee Singer.

A.J. Burnett has the task of out dueling Pineda, while Ivan Nova must take on Hernandez tomorrow. The Yankees do, however, have several players with pretty good numbers against Hernandez.

Curtis Granderson, Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Russell Martin, Brett Gardner, and Jorge Posada are all near or over .300 against the reigning AL CY Young winner. On the flip side, Nick Swisher, struggling already this year, is just 8-34 against Hernandez and could very well have a seat on the pines come Saturday night.

The Yankees most favorable match up comes on Sunday when CC Sabathia squares off with Jason Vargas. After the Seattle series, the Yankees move on to Oakland to face a pitching staff that leads the Major Leagues with a 2.87 ERA. The series opens Monday with Bartolo Colon facing Trevor Cahill and his 2.02 ERA. Tuesday's Yankees starter has not yet been announced, but the A's go with sharp left-hander Brett Anderson (2.84). No starters have been announced for Wednesday's finale as of yet, but's likely Freddy Garcia will get one of the two games. Remarkably, the weak hitting A's have scored just one less run than the Yankees (413-412), though NY does have three games in hand.

The trip concludes in Anaheim, the site of many of the Yankees in-season and post-season horrors. Who'll take a 6-3 road trip right now? A lot of hands.

BD Hot Stove: The Phab Phour | Baseball Digest

BD Hot Stove: The Phab Phour | Baseball Digest

You could hear GMs around baseball shudder when they heard that Cliff Lee had signed a new free agent deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. Suddenly the team that gone to back to back World Series in 2008-2009 and had won four straight NL East titles had put together a new top of the line rotation. 2010 CY Young winner Roy Halladay, 2008 CY Young winner Lee, career 150 game winner Roy Oswalt, and the still on the rise Cole Hamels forn the “City of Brotherly Love” invastion. Number five for the moment is flabby, but not too shabby, Joe Blanton.

I will be the first to to tell you “that’s why the games are played”, “it doesn’t matter how a team looks on paper” and so on. But that’s a pretty intimidating rotation to go up against. With a very productive lineup and a bullpen that has the potential to be capable, the Phillies could go far in 2011. But that’s not why we’re gathered here today. It’s time to take a look at what each team’s rotation will look like entering spring training.

AL East

Baltimore – Since the departure of Mike Mussina after the 2000 season, the Orioles have been searching for a new number one. They thought possibly they had found one in Erik Bedard, Adam Loewen, Matt Riley…all prospects that did not pan out for one reason or another. But the O’s do have some bright spots in their current set of prospects. Left-hander Brian Matusz will be joined by veteran Jeremy Guthrie, and fellow youngsters Jake Arrieta, Brad Bergesen, and Chris Tillman. Top prospect Zach Britton could battle for the number five spot in the rotation.

Boston – The Red Sox have a formidable group of pitchers. The question will be whether or not some of them remain healthy and/or bounce back from a sub-par 2010. Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, John Lackey, Clay Buchholz, and Daisuke Matsuzaka are the five for now with knuckleballer Tim Wakefield plugging in here and there. If they’re on, this could be one of the nastiest rotations in baseball.

New York – The Yankees are in a bit of a quandary right now as they await Andy Pettitte’s decision to retire or continue playing baseball. CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, and A.J. Burnett are set. The final two spots are completely up in the air, with Sergio Mitre and prospect Ivan Nova pencilled in for now. If Pettitte returns and no other pitchers are brought in, the final spit will come down to Mitre, Nova, and any prospect who steps up.

Tampa Bay – With the departure of Matt Garza, the Rays have one less reliable starter they can count on. But this is still a highly competitive rotation anchored by stud David Price, who is in the midst of a meteoric rise in stature. James Shields, Jeff Niemann, Wade Davis, and rookie Jeremy Hellickson round out the starting staff.

Toronto – The Blue Jays dealt their most reliable starter, Shaun Marcum, but have one of the top prospects in all of baseball in Kyle Drabek. With limited time spent in Triple-A though, Drabek may not yet be ready for prime time. He’ll have a chance to win a spot in a rotation that has Ricky Romero, Brandon Morrow, and Brett Cecil as the only sure things to start the season. Jesse Litsch, coming back from hip surgery and Mike Rzepcynski will fight for spots as well.

AL Central

Cleveland – Fausto Carmona trade rumors have been heard often during this hot stove, but for now he’ll open as the number one man in the Indians rotation. He’ll be joined by fellow veteran Justin Masterson and kid Carlos Carrasco. The final two spots will between Mitch Talbot, Jeanmar Gomez, Josh Tomlin, and anyone else who will toss their hat in the ring.

Chicago – Mark Buehrle, John Danks, Gavin Floyd, Edwin Jackson. Manager Ozzie Guillen has a solid four he can count on in 2011. Then there’s Jake Peavy coming back from a detatched latissmus dorsi muscle that cost him the second half of the season. It’s unsure when he’ll be ready to go, so for now highly touted Chris Sale will probably get a look in the staff’s final opening.

Detroit – When you’ve got a stud like Justin Verlander at the top of your rotation it can set the tone for the rest of the staff. Manager Jim Leyland is counting on continued growth from youngsters Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello, and they’ll benefit from some words of wisdom from recently signed veteran Brad Penny. One time starter, Phil Coke gets a chance to leave the bullpen and pitch every fifth day again.

Kansas City – It wasn’t that long ago that the Royals looked like they were building a nice starting staff. Now, Zack Greinke has been dealt away and Gil Meche suffered shoulder injuries and retired. That leaves one time prospects Luke Hochevar, Kyle Davies, and Jeff Francis to bolster the rotation. Recently re-signed Bruce Chen has a spot locked up, which leaves Sean O’Sullivan and Vin Mazzaro to vie for the final spot.

Minnesota – The Twins brought back Carl Pavano, who along with Francisco Liriano, and Scott Baker form a nice triumvirate. Nick Blackburn, Kevin Slowey, and Brian Duensing will pitch for the final two spots. No matter how it shakes out you know that this Ron Gardenhire led team will compete for the division crown.

AL West

Los Angeles – The Angels should be highly competitve in the west again now they have Dan Haren for a full season. He struggled for the Diamondbacks last year, but looked like his old self once he was sent northwest at the trade deadline. Jeff Weaver, Ervin Santana, and Joel Pineiro give the Halos a solid four to start the season. The Angels need to do something about the fifth spot though as Scott Kazmir has become unreliable. Hasinori Takahashi could be the guy to step up and take Kamzir’s spot in the rotation.

Oakland – The A’s have been about developing pitching under Billy Beane’s reign and the team has a nice collection of youngsters once again. Dallas Braden, Brett Anderson, Gio Gonzalez, and Trevor Cahill will be joined by veteran Rich Harden. With Harden’s propensity to be injured, the A’s could look to Brandon McCarthy and others to fill in.

Seattle – The Mariners have the “King” of all baseball. Well, Felix “The King” Hernandez will be the incumbent AL CY Young winner entering the 2011 season. Unfortunately, after Hernandez the rest of the Mariners starting staff is a crap shoot. Jason Vargos and Doug Fister had decent seasons in 2010. The Mariners hope to finally get something out of Erik Bedard other than medical bills. Top prospect Michael Pineda, and journeymen David Pauley and Luke French will all get a shot at a starting spot.

Texas – They Rangers gave up a top hitting prospect in Justin Smoak to get Cliff Lee at the trade deadline and now have neither. What they do have is a rotation that manager Ron Washington hopes can replicate or better their 2010 performance. C.J. Wilson steps up to the number one spot with Lee gone, followed by Colby Lewis, Tommy Hunter, and Derek Holland. Also in there? One time NL CY Young winner Brandon Webb, whom the Rangers hope is healthy and can recapture (most of) his glory.

NL East

You’ve heard enough about the Phillies already. Time to look at the competition.

Atlanta – The Braves are a team that have been developing top pitchers since the early 1990s. Times have changed and so have the Braves. Their top three – Tim Hudson, Derek Lowe, and Jair Jurrjens all came from other organizations. Youngster Tommy Hanson has a spot and top 10 prospects Julio Teheran, Mike Minor, and Bobby Beachy should all get a shot at the final opening.

Florida – The Marlins have a bonafide stud in Josh Johnson, but the rest of the staff is patchwork. The team brought back Ricky Nolasco and signed free agent Javier Vazquez to join Anabel Sanchez, who had a career high 13 wins last year. Chris Volstad is the number five guy.

New York – The Mets staff is in disarray with Johan Santana not ready for opening day and Oliver Perez’s career in near complete demise. Mike Pelfrey reached his potential last year and will be the ace of the staff on opening day. The Mets also have plenty of promise in Jon Niese and hope that R.A. Dickey can repeat his remarkable 2010 season. Newly signed Chris Young, if healthy will get a spot with Jenrry Mejia, Chris Capuano, and Dillon Gee all getting long looks for the final spot out of spring training.

Washington – The prospect’s prospect Stephen Strasburg will be spending 2011 recovering from Tommy John surgery. Until then the Nationals will count on Livan Hernandez, Jason Marquis, and Jordan Zimmerman to hold down the fort. The Nats hope Chien-Ming Wang has fully recovered from shoulder surgery that made him miss all of last year. Luis Atilano, John Lannan, and Yunesky Maya are among those who will vie for the back of the rotation.

NL Central

Chicago – The city of big shoulders needs to control the big shoulders of Carlos Zambrano. The man who may be certifiable settled down late in the season and the Cubbies need that trend to continue. Ryan Dempster and newly acquired Matt Garza are the two most consistent starters on the roster. Randy Wells and Carlos Silva will have the final spots for now with recently acquired prospect Chris Archer possibly having a second half impact.

Cincinnati – The Reds won’t surprise anyone this year, but with a staff of Bronson Arroyo, Johnny Cueto, Edinson Volquez, Homer Bailey, Travis Wood, and Mike Leake they’ll do just fine. The latter three will compete for the final two openings.

Houston – The days of Oswalt, Clemens, and Pettitte are now long gone. Wandy Rodriguez, Brett Myers, and J.A. Happ are a competitive top three on a team that won’t be too competitive. Bud Norris, Nelson Figueroa, Aneury Rodriguez, and Lance Pendleton will all get a look for the final two spots available.

Milwaukee - The Brewers have their best pitching rotation since CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets teamed for a short time in 2008. Holdover Yovani Gallardo is joined by trade acquisitions Shaun Marcum (TOR) and Zack Greinke (MIL) to form a super top three. Veteran Randy Wolf and journeyman Chris Narveson round things out. Top pitching prospect Mark Rogers could have an impact if his shoulder is healthy enough.

Pittsburgh – The Pirates have to get by on the cheap and 2011 is no different. James McDonald, Paul Maholm, Kevin Correia, Ross Ohlendorf, Charlie Morton, and Scott Olsen are the six pitchers for five spots.

St. Louis – Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter. Not a bad way to kick off a season. They’ll be joined by second year man Jaime Garcia and veterans Jake Westbrook and Kyle Lohse. It’s the rotation that will compete with the Brewers and Reds for the tops in the division.

NL West

Arizona – The Diamondbacks are in a rebuilding phase and it shows looking in their selection of starters. Their top pitcher is veteran Joe Saunders, acquired in last season’s Dan Haren deal. Youngsters Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson were both acquired over the past two seasons in deals for veterans as well. Barry Enright, who had a suprise rookie season, and one time Pirates prospect Zach Duke complete the party of five.

Colorado - Ubaldo Jiminez and Jorge de la Rosa gives the team a rocky mountain high to face opponents. After that things aren’t quite so clear. Aaron Cook hopes to recapture his 2008 form while Jhoulys Chacin, Jason Hammel, Felipe Paulino, and Esmil Rogers try to figure the rest out.

Los Angeles – The Dodgers have assembled a six man rotation that can compete with the majority of teams in baseball. Who will be the odd man out among Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Ted Lilly, John Garland, Hiroki Kuroda, and Vincente Padilla remains to be seen.

San Diego – The Padres pitching staff helped carry them for most of the season and they came oh so close to a division title. Mat Latos was the clear top gun last year, but can he repeat his success? Clayton Richard, Tim Stauffer, Wade LeBlanc, and newly acquired Aaron Harang fill out the rest of the squad.

San Francisco – Pitching wins and the Giants pitching won the World Series last year. Ace Tim Lincecum hit some bumps in the road, but Matt Cain was as steady as can be. Lefty Jonathan Sanchez still has plenty of potential to achieve and second year man Madison Bumgarner comes in with a rotation spot sewn up for the first time. Even Barry Zito, much maligned since signing with the Giants prior to the 2007 season, showed glimpses last year of his prior greatness.

So there you have it. With veterans Freddy Garcia, Kevin Millwood, Jeremy Bonderman, Justin Duchscherer, Mark Hendrickson, and Shawn Hill all still available things could still change. And every year one or two prospects busts out of spring training and heads north as a member of a 25-man squad. Who will it be this year? Stay tuned.

Rumors, News, and Transactions

The Reds and Johnny Cueto agreed to a four year, $27M extension. The team is said to be now discussing an extension with Edinson Volquez.

The Cardinals signed utility man Nick Punto to a one year deal.

Johnny Damon and the Rays are in talks, but the two sides are reportedly not close to a deal.

Texas Rangers beat man T.R. Sullivan hears the team is going after Manny Ramirez to be their new DH.

Dirk Hayhurst is popular on Twitter and has a best selling book. Now he’s employed again, signed by the Rays to a minor league deal.

The Mets signed pitcher Tim Byrdak to a minor league deal.

BD Hot Stove: The Not So Wild West | Baseball Digest

BD Hot Stove: The Not So Wild West | Baseball Digest

The American League western division was for the taking when camps broke out of Arizona and Florida in 2010 and the regular season began. But soon teams fell by the wayside. The Angels were riddled with injuries and players that couldn’t fill the shoes of those who had departed (John Lackey, Chone Figgins), and the Mariners were a woeful excuse of a baseball team. Texas emerged on top, but with Cliff Lee’s departure this off-season, the division is certainly up for grabs again in 2011.

Not as deep in the heart of Texas: Lee was the key to the Rangers sealing up the AL West and their run to the World Series. But with Lee gone, the Rangers don’t have a true number one in their rotation. They did make a low risk/high reward signing Sunday when they came to terms with former Diamondback, Brandon Webb ($3M base). It remains to be seen whether or not Webb will be able to regain his form. The Rangers signed Yorvit Torrealba to shore up the leaky boat situation they had at catcher and kept Matt Treanor to back him up. Jeff Francoeur (KC), Rich Harden (Oak), and Brandon McCarthy (Oak) all signed elsewhere.

In the arms of the Angels: With ace John Lackey’s departure prior to the 2010 season and Nick Adenhart’s tragic death in 2009, the Angels were lacking in quality starters last season. The Halos picked up Dan Haren at the trade deadline and hope someone else will emerge this year in the back end of the rotation. One player who might fit that bill is Hisanori Takahashi, the 35-yr old left-hander LA signed away from the Mets. The Angels did give themselves a shot in the arm, the left one to be exact, by signing stand out set up man/part-time closer Scott Downs to a three year deal. The team also parted company with long time reliever Scot Shields. The Angels will be employing a new DH as well after letting Hideki Matsui walk (to Oakland).

An A for Effort: Oakland hung tough for quite a while in the west last year and has been very busy this off-season. In addition to signing Matsui, Harden, and McCarthy, the A’s also dealt for outfielders David DeJesus (KC) and Josh Willingham (FLA), brought back 2nd baseman Mark Ellis, and signed reliever Fernando Cabrera to a minor league deal. Gone are Jack Cust, Vin Mazzaro, Edwin Encarncion, Eric Chavez, and Ben Sheets.

The Rhyme of the Mediocre Mariner: Seattle has had high expectations the last couple of years and very poor results. Outside of Felix Hernandez, Ichiro, and Franklin Gutierrez, there aren’t many holdovers on the roster to get excited about. Bringing in Jack Cust as the new bat isn’t going to change that. Seattle is reportedly shopping closer David Aardsma and already dealt away infielder Jose Lopez. Starter Ryan Rowland-Smith (Hou), like much of the team, had a disappointing 2010 and left via free agency. The only other notable signing for Seattle was the retention of Erik Bedard. Yes, it will be another rough year to be a Mariners fan.

Rumors, News, and Transactions

The Blue Jays are reportedly close to inking reliever Octavio Dotel to a one year deal. Dotel could either serve as a set up man or closer.

The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo hears that Carl Pavano is holding out for a three year deal.

The Phillies re-upped with reliever J.C. Romero; terms are reportedly one year at $1.1M.

The Brewers have come to terms with reliever Takashi Saito on a one year, $3M deal.

Time to Catch Up On Some Yankees Business

You know by now that Joe Girardi and his infamous binder will be back for the next 3 years at $3 million a pop. The people have also spoken when I asked if you though GI Joe would be back in 2011. Keeping in mind that the poll was started well before the Cubs named Mike Quade as their permanent manager.

As you can see more than 2/3 of you thought that Girardi would be back. And you were right. Girardi and Brian Cashman will now be looking for a pitching coach to join the staff. Dave Eiland, btw, recently rebuked rumors that he and Girardi did not get along and that is what led to his dismissal.

The Yankees recently asked for permission to talk to former Yankees farmhand and Blue Jays pitching (and Jim Bouton look alike) Gil Patterson, who is currently an employee of the Oakland A's. Patterson was very highly thought of during his time in Toronto.

Free agents - As expected, options for Kerry Wood, Lance Berkman, and Nick Johnson were not exercised, allowing the three to be free agents. Only Wood has a shot at returning.

Derek Jeter - Hal Steinbrenner recently spoke on WFAN and ESPNradio and said he did not expect things to go smoothly. Here's what some others have had to say on the topic.

Dave D'Alessandro (Star Ledger)

Mike Vaccaro (NY Post)

Mark Feinsand (NY Daily News)

Andrew Marchand (ESPN New York)

Sweeny Murti (WFAN)

The Yankees top target on the free agent market is of course Cliff Lee. The lefty dominated the Yankees in both the 2009 and 2010 post-seasons, but wasn't up to his usual game in this year's World Series. His game 5 performance was good, but not good enough. And his game 1 showing was horrendous. It's put some doubt in the minds of fans and pundits, especially since Lee will be 33 next year and as Michael Kay pointed out on his radio show, he's only two years removed from a trip to the minors. Lee will want CC money, but will the Yankees be willing to give it to a player who will 40 when the contract expires.

That's also the subject of the new poll that we ask you to contribute to.

Rumors have it that the Yankees will not be spending money on outfielders Carl Crawford or Jayson Werth, preferring to stick with what they have or go a cheaper route if they want a change.

And if Lee goes elsewhere the Yankees will look into deals for younger pitchers such as Felix Hernandez or Zack Greinke, though the latter questioned his own ability to pitch in the Big Apple.

Brandon Laird (Eastern League) and Melky Mesa (Florida St. League) were named the top players in each of their leagues by Topps (boy do I miss buying packs of baseball cards). Mesa was also added to the 40-man roster to keep him from becoming a free agent.

Chad Gaudin, who never should have been brought back, was shown the door for a second time.

That's it for now...be back with more later...and be sure to check out my Hot Stove column Monday thru Friday on BaseballDigest.com beginning this Monday.