Post by Fish Troll on Apr 30, 2007 21:38:03 GMT -5
Peek at the Week: Tribe's Lee returns
Indians left-hander has spent six weeks on the disabled list
By Jim Molony / MLB.com
Cleveland left-hander Cliff Lee is expected to make his season debut this week after spending the last six weeks on the disabled list. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Brewers will be in first place on May 1, something that hasn't been seen since 1998.
The surprising Brewers open a 10-game homestand against the defending World Series champion Cardinals, then face another National League Central team on the rise lately, the Pittsburgh Pirates, in a four-game series at Miller Park next weekend.
Other notable division battles, like Phillies-Braves and Diamondbacks-Dodgers, are also on deck, as well as a few meetings of contenders from different divisions, including A's-Red Sox, Blue Jays-Indians, Red Sox-Twins, Dodgers-Braves and White Sox-Angels.
Here's a closer look at the week ahead:
Phillies at Braves, Monday-Wednesday: After an awful start, the Phillies won seven of 10 and are starting to look like the contending team many predicted they would be. Now they'll get a chance to take on one of the pacesetters in the NL East, the Braves, and the pitching pairings for this three-game set are intriguing: Jon Lieber vs. Tim Hudson on Monday, Cole Hamels vs. Mark Redman on Tuesday and Freddy Garcia vs. Chuck James in the finale.
Diamondbacks at Dodgers, Monday-Wednesday: Brandon Webb, last year's NL Cy Young Award winner, and the Diamondbacks start things off against Randy Wolf and the Dodgers in this three-game NL West Division battle at Dodger Stadium. It's Arizona's first visit of the season to Los Angeles and the first meeting between the two teams since the Dodgers swept a two-game series at Chase Field on April 16-17.
Cardinals at Brewers, Monday-Wednesday: The first-place Brewers open a 10-game homestand with a three-game set against the defending World Series champions, who might recognize Milwaukee's starting pitcher in the series opener: Jeff Suppan, one of the postseason heroes for St. Louis last year, who will face Braden Looper. Tuesday is expected to see Ben Sheets for the first time since a mild groin strain ended last Wednesday's start prematurely. Milwaukee lefty Chris Capuano tries to become a five-game winner in the final game on Wednesday.
Athletics at Red Sox, Tuesday-Wednesday: The Red Sox put their best record in baseball to the test against the surprising A's, who begin the week with the best team ERA in the American League. The two-game series begins with Oakland right-hander Joe Blanton taking on Boston's 5-0 Josh Beckett, who will be attempting to become baseball's first six-game winner. The projected matchup for the second game is Chad Gaudin against Curt Schilling.
Blue Jays at Indians, Tuesday-Thursday: This series begins with a marquee matchup -- Toronto's A.J. Burnett against Indians lefty C.C. Sabathia -- and ends with the return of Indians lefty Lee, who is scheduled to make his season debut on Thursday. Lee has been on the disabled list since March 23 because of a strained right abdominal muscle. This series also pairs two of the league's better offenses.
Mariners at Red Sox, Thursday: Seattle comes back to Fenway Park to make up one of several weather-postponed games. The Mariners' one-game stop gives them another look at Daisuke Matsuzaka, though this time the Red Sox won't face Felix Hernandez, who one-hit Boston and Matsuzaka on April 11. Hernandez is on the 15-day disabled list due to a strained muscle in his right forearm.
Pirates at Brewers, Thursday-Sunday: The Pirates won five in a row last week to move into second place in the NL Central, while the Brewers ended the week with the second-best record in the National League. These two teams may not be on a lot of people's radar yet, but the strong young pitching staffs on both sides should make this four-gamer one well worth watching.
Red Sox at Twins, Friday-Sunday: Another matchup of teams who have been at or near the top of their respective divisions, the AL East-leading Red Sox and the defending AL Central champion Twins.
Dodgers at Braves, Friday-Sunday: A nice series to usher in May as two of the better pitching staffs in the league face off at Turner Field. The Dodgers started the week atop the NL West, while the Braves were leading the NL East.
White Sox at Angels, Friday-Sunday: You might see these two teams face each other again in October, but for now, this is the next best thing, as the AL West-leading Angels host Ozzie Guillen's White Sox in one of the better matchups of the week.
Milestone of the week: With five more RBIs, San Francisco's Barry Bonds would have 1,952 for his career, which would pass Hall of Famer Stan Musial for fifth place on the all-time list.
Factoid of the week: Don't try this at home, or anywhere else for that matter. Milwaukee right-hander Claudio Vargas has faced bases-loaded situations with less than two outs three times in 22 innings this season, and came away unscathed each time as he retired five outs he needed via strikeout to strand the sacks full.
Observation of the week: More evidence that pitching rules -- as of Sunday, of the teams ranked in the top five in team ERA in either league, eight were either in first or second place in their respective divisions. The exceptions were the two Chicago teams, as the White Sox, with the fourth-best ERA in the AL, were in third place in the AL Central but only 1 1/2 games out of first place. The Cubs' 3.61 team ERA ranked fourth in the NL, but the team was in fourth place in the NL Central.
Jim Molony is a writer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Indians left-hander has spent six weeks on the disabled list
By Jim Molony / MLB.com
Cleveland left-hander Cliff Lee is expected to make his season debut this week after spending the last six weeks on the disabled list. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Brewers will be in first place on May 1, something that hasn't been seen since 1998.
The surprising Brewers open a 10-game homestand against the defending World Series champion Cardinals, then face another National League Central team on the rise lately, the Pittsburgh Pirates, in a four-game series at Miller Park next weekend.
Other notable division battles, like Phillies-Braves and Diamondbacks-Dodgers, are also on deck, as well as a few meetings of contenders from different divisions, including A's-Red Sox, Blue Jays-Indians, Red Sox-Twins, Dodgers-Braves and White Sox-Angels.
Here's a closer look at the week ahead:
Phillies at Braves, Monday-Wednesday: After an awful start, the Phillies won seven of 10 and are starting to look like the contending team many predicted they would be. Now they'll get a chance to take on one of the pacesetters in the NL East, the Braves, and the pitching pairings for this three-game set are intriguing: Jon Lieber vs. Tim Hudson on Monday, Cole Hamels vs. Mark Redman on Tuesday and Freddy Garcia vs. Chuck James in the finale.
Diamondbacks at Dodgers, Monday-Wednesday: Brandon Webb, last year's NL Cy Young Award winner, and the Diamondbacks start things off against Randy Wolf and the Dodgers in this three-game NL West Division battle at Dodger Stadium. It's Arizona's first visit of the season to Los Angeles and the first meeting between the two teams since the Dodgers swept a two-game series at Chase Field on April 16-17.
Cardinals at Brewers, Monday-Wednesday: The first-place Brewers open a 10-game homestand with a three-game set against the defending World Series champions, who might recognize Milwaukee's starting pitcher in the series opener: Jeff Suppan, one of the postseason heroes for St. Louis last year, who will face Braden Looper. Tuesday is expected to see Ben Sheets for the first time since a mild groin strain ended last Wednesday's start prematurely. Milwaukee lefty Chris Capuano tries to become a five-game winner in the final game on Wednesday.
Athletics at Red Sox, Tuesday-Wednesday: The Red Sox put their best record in baseball to the test against the surprising A's, who begin the week with the best team ERA in the American League. The two-game series begins with Oakland right-hander Joe Blanton taking on Boston's 5-0 Josh Beckett, who will be attempting to become baseball's first six-game winner. The projected matchup for the second game is Chad Gaudin against Curt Schilling.
Blue Jays at Indians, Tuesday-Thursday: This series begins with a marquee matchup -- Toronto's A.J. Burnett against Indians lefty C.C. Sabathia -- and ends with the return of Indians lefty Lee, who is scheduled to make his season debut on Thursday. Lee has been on the disabled list since March 23 because of a strained right abdominal muscle. This series also pairs two of the league's better offenses.
Mariners at Red Sox, Thursday: Seattle comes back to Fenway Park to make up one of several weather-postponed games. The Mariners' one-game stop gives them another look at Daisuke Matsuzaka, though this time the Red Sox won't face Felix Hernandez, who one-hit Boston and Matsuzaka on April 11. Hernandez is on the 15-day disabled list due to a strained muscle in his right forearm.
Pirates at Brewers, Thursday-Sunday: The Pirates won five in a row last week to move into second place in the NL Central, while the Brewers ended the week with the second-best record in the National League. These two teams may not be on a lot of people's radar yet, but the strong young pitching staffs on both sides should make this four-gamer one well worth watching.
Red Sox at Twins, Friday-Sunday: Another matchup of teams who have been at or near the top of their respective divisions, the AL East-leading Red Sox and the defending AL Central champion Twins.
Dodgers at Braves, Friday-Sunday: A nice series to usher in May as two of the better pitching staffs in the league face off at Turner Field. The Dodgers started the week atop the NL West, while the Braves were leading the NL East.
White Sox at Angels, Friday-Sunday: You might see these two teams face each other again in October, but for now, this is the next best thing, as the AL West-leading Angels host Ozzie Guillen's White Sox in one of the better matchups of the week.
Milestone of the week: With five more RBIs, San Francisco's Barry Bonds would have 1,952 for his career, which would pass Hall of Famer Stan Musial for fifth place on the all-time list.
Factoid of the week: Don't try this at home, or anywhere else for that matter. Milwaukee right-hander Claudio Vargas has faced bases-loaded situations with less than two outs three times in 22 innings this season, and came away unscathed each time as he retired five outs he needed via strikeout to strand the sacks full.
Observation of the week: More evidence that pitching rules -- as of Sunday, of the teams ranked in the top five in team ERA in either league, eight were either in first or second place in their respective divisions. The exceptions were the two Chicago teams, as the White Sox, with the fourth-best ERA in the AL, were in third place in the AL Central but only 1 1/2 games out of first place. The Cubs' 3.61 team ERA ranked fourth in the NL, but the team was in fourth place in the NL Central.
Jim Molony is a writer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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