Kuzul

How many people realize the San Diego Padres have the third-best record in baseball at 54-37? I don’t think too many people realize how good the Padres have been this year, and the guy leading the way is manager Bud Black.

Due to the team’s success, the Padres front office has rewarded their manager with a three-year extension. The extension will run through 2013, with club options for 2014 and 2015.

In three-and-a-half seasons as Padres manager, Black has compiled a 281-297 record. The record doesn’t do Black any justice. He has been dealt some pretty crappy cards in San Diego, and he has always held steady and brought a lot of leadership to a young Padres team.

Black, like his mentor Mike Scioscia, manages in a similar fashion. They both are extremely detailed, both surround themselves with solid coaches (Randy Ready, Glenn Hoffman, and Ted Simmons are a good group), and both like to play small ball when possible.

With Black and GM Jed Hoyer at the helm, the Padres should be competitive for years to come. Now, if people would actually watch them play, that would certainly help.

Come on people of San Diego—support your Padres!!! There is no reason that a team with the third-best record in baseball is ranked 20th in attendance.

You want to keep Adrian Gonzalez in San Diego? Show up.

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With the Houston Astros 14 games out of first place in the NL Central, everyone has been talking about Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman as the Astros’ most desirable trade chips.

However, nobody is talking about Brett Myers, who is having a pretty solid season in Houston.

Only on a one-year deal, Myers could be a good acquisition for a team looking for a No. 3 or 4 starter heading down the stretch.

Let’s look at the pros, the cons, and the teams that might be interested in the 29-year-old from Jacksonville, FL.

Pros

Myers has improved across the board from 2009 to 2010 for the Astros. Did you know Myers is the only pitcher in baseball to pitch at least six innings in every start this season? Not only is Myers pitching deep into games, but he is giving the Astros quality innings as well.

Myers has a 3.55 ERA and has lowered his WHIP (1.37 to 1.28), H/9 (9.4 to 8.8), and perhaps most importantly, his HR/9 (2.3 to 0.8). I think there are two reasons for his decreased HR rate.

1. Myers is inducing more ground balls than he did last year. Myers has a ground-ball rate of 49 percent this year.

2. Myers is getting hitters to hit the ball up the middle, which is the biggest area in all ballparks. Forty-eight percent of all balls hit against Myers this year have been up the middle.

Myers is also on a very affordable one-year, $3.1 million contract. He does have an option for 2011, but it is a mutual option with a $2 million buyout.

Cons

When you look at Myers’ home and road splits, you have to wonder if Myers has just fallen in love with the pitcher’s mound at Minute Maid Park. Myers is 5-0 with a 2.48 ERA at home and is 2-6 with a 4.14 ERA on the road.

How is Myers going to fare down the stretch when he won’t be pitching at Minute Maid Park? That is something for GMs to consider.

Something else for GMs to consider is that at the end of the day we are talking about Brett Myers. At best, he is a No. 3 or 4 starter on a contending team. Teams tend to overpay for starting pitching at the trade deadline, and overpaying for Myers could cost a GM in the future.

Now that we have looked at the pros and cons of acquiring Myers, let’s look at the teams who might be interested in the former Philadelphia Philly…

New York Mets

The Mets need someone they can slide in after Johan Santana and Mike Pelfrey, and Myers could be that guy. A big outfield like Citi Field has could suit Myers well.

San Diego Padres

The Padres just placed Mat Latos on the DL, and Kevin Correia is having a less than stellar season. Myers could be a solid fill-in down the stretch for the Padres. Like at Citi Field, Myers could benefit from pitching in spacious PETCO Park.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers could certainly use another starting pitcher, as Chad Billingsley and John Ely have struggled throughout the season. Of course, the question with the Dodgers is can they add payroll?

Detroit Tigers

The Tigers definitely need another starter, but I am not sure how well Myers would adjust to the American League. I would be hesitant to trade for a guy who has pitched in the NL his whole career if I was an AL GM.

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Despite winning two-out-of-three from the second place Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend, the New York Yankees had their wins come at a price.

On Saturday, starting pitcher AJ Burnett was pulled after two innings because he suffered lacerations on both of his palms after he slammed a set of double doors in frustration after giving up a HR to Reid Brignac. Burnett originally said he “fell,” but the truth came out later.

The whole thing sounds like a bad Lifetime movie.

Burnett is scheduled to throw a bullpen session in a couple of days and should make his next start this week. Unfortunately for the Yankees, they don’t seem to be as fortunate with Andy Pettitte, who started Sunday’s game.

Pettitte was removed at the top of the third when he strained his left groin delivering a pitch to home plate. It’s expected that Pettitte will land on the DL and will miss anywhere from four to five weeks.

With the Rays just three games behind, this could be a big blow to the Yankees. Pettitte is 11-2 with a 2.88 ERA for the Yankees and to be without him for a month, if not more, definitely will hurt.

The Yankees will replace Pettitte in the rotation with Sergio Mitre. I will call that a downgrade.

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Since starting the season with a 37-20 record in April and May and looking like they would run away with the AL Central, the Minnesota Twins have gone 15-23 in June and July and now find themselves 4.5 games back of the unbelievably hot Chicago White Sox.

I think the Twins desperately need to trade for an ace in order to turn things around. Let’s see what has been going on with the Twins…

Morneau is headed to the DL

Justin Morneau hits the DL

The Twins placed Morneau on the 15-day DL today because Morneau is suffering from the side effects of a concussion he suffered last week. Morneau tried to work out yesterday and afterwards felt dizzy and woozy. Not good Jerry, not good.

Concussions are a serious issue—just ask former New York Jets WR Al Toon. There is no telling when Morneau will feel better or if he will ever feel better. I am not comparing Ryan Church to Morneau as a player, but Church’s career went down the tubes after he suffered a concussion with the New York Mets.

Morneau was hitting .345/.437/.618 with 18 home runs this season and was certainly an MVP candidate before the injury. The Twins will play it safe with Morneau, but they do need him back sooner rather than later.

Pitching is not getting it done

The biggest reason for the Twins 3-8 record in July? The Twins pitching has been terrible.

As a staff, they have a 5.81 ERA for the month of July. That is last in the American League. Matt Guerrier is certainly not helping matters as he has a 14.73 ERA in 3.2 IP in July. Ouch.

Other July pitching disasters have been Nick Blackburn (9.58 ERA), Francisco Liriano (8.31 ERA), and Kevin Slowey (7.94 ERA).

I’ll take Dan Haren for $1,000 Alex.

Kyle Gibson on fast track

The Twins’ first round pick (22nd overall) in the 2009 Draft looks to be on the fast track to the major leagues. Gibson rolled through High Single-A, going 4-1 with a 1.87 ERA in seven starts.

He was promoted to Double-A in May and has struggled somewhat, going 5-4 with a 4.15 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. He has seen his K/9 decrease from 8.3 to 7.3 going from High Single-A to Double-A, but that is to be expected in his first time around.

I am guessing Gibson starts next season in Double-A and depending how he does, he could find himself on the Twins’ roster in September of 2011.

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After I was done making a Staples run (no, I didn’t scream “WOW THAT’S A LOW PRICE!!!”), I ran into my friend Tom walking on Park Ave. South.

One of the things we were talking about other than how awkward the pre-All Star Game mingle between the People All Stars and the MLB All Stars was, was the fact that not only is 2010 “The Year of the Pitcher,” but “The Year of the Rookie” as well.

He suggested that I look at the first half All-Rookie Team. Like Casey Kasem, I do take requests, so I will follow through with the first half All-Rookie Team.

This also reminds me of back in the day when I used to collect baseball cards and the top rookies from the previous year had gold cups at the bottom of their cards. Those were the good ole days when I could buy a pack of baseball cards for 50 cents. Now they are $3 a pack.

Posey made my All Rookie team

Here are the guys that would get a gold cup for the first half of the season.

C – Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants. .350/.389/.569 with five HR’s.

1B – Gaby Sanchez, Florida Marlins. .302/.365/.467 with nine HR’s.

2B – Reid Brignac, Tampa Bay Rays. .265/.329/.365 with two HR’s.

SS – Starlin Castro, Chicago Cubs. .270/.333/.383 with two HR’s & three triples.

3B – David Freese, St. Louis Cardinals. .296/.361/.404 with four HR’s.

OF – Brennan Boesch, Detroit Tigers. .342/.397/.593 with 12 HR’s.

OF – Austin Jackson, Detroit Tigers. .300/.354/.403 with one HR & 14 SB’s.

OF – Jason Heyward, Atlanta Braves. .251/.366/.455 with 11 HR’s.

DH – Tyler Colvin, Chicago Cubs. .263/.313/.531 with 12 HR’s.

SP – Mike Leake, Cincinnati Reds. 6-1, 1.40 WHIP and a 3.53 ERA.

SP – Jaime Garcia, St. Louis Cardinals. 8-4, 1.25 WHIP and a 2.17 ERA.

SP – Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals. 3-2, 1.01 WHIP and a 2.32 ERA.

RP – Jonny Venters, Atlanta Braves. Nine Holds, 1.10 WHIP and a 1.30 ERA.

RP – Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers. 23 Saves, 1.06 WHIP and a 3.82 ERA.

Honorable Mentions – Ike Davis, Carlos Santana (tough call with him and Posey), John Jaso, Roger Bernadina, Mitch Talbot, Brian Matusz, Jonathan Niese, Wade Davis, Ryan Webb.

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A little over a year removed from having Tommy John surgery, Cincinnati Reds RHP Edinson Volquez is set to make his season debut tomorrow night at home against the Colorado Rockies.

It’s like the Reds are getting a pitcher back without giving up anything.

But what type of pitcher are the Reds getting? Tommy John surgery is pretty common these days, but how do pitchers fare when they first come back from the surgery?

Let’s take a look at five pitchers who have recently come back from Tommy John surgery and how they fared in their first stint back in the big leagues. We will look at the win-loss record, ERA, WHIP, number of starts, IP/start, K/9, and the age when the pitcher had the surgery.

A.J. Burnett: 3.68 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 20 starts, 6.2 IP/S, 8.3 K/9, 26 years old

Tim Hudson: 3.61 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, seven starts, 6.0 IP/S, 6.4 K/9, 33 years old

Chris Carpenter: 1.76 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, three starts, 4.7 IP/S, 3.8 K/9, 32 years old

Francisco Liriano: 3.91 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 14 starts, 5.4 IP/S, 7.9 K/9, 24 years old

Josh Johnson: 3.61 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 14 starts, 6.2 IP/S, 7.9 K/9, 23 years old

As you can see, those are some pretty respectable numbers. But let’s see how they compare to the last year that particular pitcher was healthy.

Burnett: 12-9, 3.12 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 29 starts, 6.9 IP/S, 8.7 K/9

Hudson: 11-7, 3.19 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 22 starts. 6.4 IP/S, 5.4 K/9

Carpenter: 3.09, 1.07 WHIP, 32 starts, 6.9 IP/S, 7.5 K/9

Liriano: 11-3, 1.92 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 16 starts, 6.1 IP/S, 10.2 K/9

Johnson: 3.03 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 24 starts, 6.0 IP/S, 7.6 K/9

Outside of Carpenter, who had an extremely small sample size, every pitcher’s ERA and WHIP increased in his first half-season back in the majors. Outside of Johnson, every pitcher on this list also saw his IP/S decrease.

Volquez is 27 years old, so he would be right in the middle of the pack in this group. There is no reason to expect that Volquez can’t make a full recovery from the surgery.

So looking at Volquez’s last full year in the majors, in which he had a 3.24 ERA, a 1.33 WHIP, and averaged six IP/S and 9.5 K/9, I think we can expect an ERA around 3.70 with a 1.43 WHIP, about 5.1 IP/S, and 8.2 K/9.

Those are still some pretty good numbers, and numbers the Reds will take as they make their run in the second half.

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Stop me if this sounds familiar. A mid-20s middle infielder loses the faith of the Atlanta Braves organization and is sent packing, making him a classic change of scenery guy.

Yup, I will call this Yunel Escobar trade “Kelly Johnson Part 2.” Now of course the biggest difference between Escobar and Johnson is that Johnson left as a free agent after he wasn’t tendered a contract. With Escobar, the Braves got something in return.

Escobar is headed north of the border.

Yesterday, the Braves traded Escobar and LHP Jo-Jo Reyes to the Toronto Blue Jays for SS Alex Gonzalez, LHP Tim Collins, and INF Tyler Pastornicky. How fast do you think Blue Jays’ GM Alex Anthopoulos pulled the trigger on this trade? 15 seconds? 20 seconds?

I understand Escobar can be maddening for a manager and is having a down year (.238 with zero HR’s in 261 AB’s), but I can’t believe the Braves gave up on him this quickly. Did they learn nothing from letting Johnson go?

Escobar is under the Blue Jays’ control for another three years and will move right into the starting SS spot in Toronto. My gut tells me that Escobar will have a solid second half for the Jays and will have a 2011 that resembles his 2009 season (.299 with 14 HR and a .377 OBP).

The Jays also received Reyes in this deal. He is still only 25 and can be turned into a serviceable LHP at the major league level with the right coaching.

This trade represented the best case scenario for the Blue Jays in the offseason. Sign Gonzalez to a pretty affordable contract ($2.75 million), watch him have a career first half, and then trade him to get max value.

The Braves made this trade because they were clearly tired of Escobar and are in win now mode. Gonzalez hit 17 HR in the first half, which was four more than any other SS in baseball. The Braves are hoping he carries his hot first half over into the second half.

Defensively, the Braves don’t lose much on this deal, as Gonzalez has been, and continues to be, one of the better defensive shortstops in the game. I watched him on a pretty consistent basis last year with the Boston Red Sox and he is pretty slick with the glove.

The Braves also received INF Tyler Pastornicky in the trade. Pastornicky is 20 years old and was the Blue Jays’ fifth round pick in the 2008 draft. He was hitting .258 with six home runs in 287 AB for High-A Dunedin this year. He could be the Braves’ starting SS in four to five years.

Tim Collins is a 155 lbs. left-handed pitcher who has whiffed 73 in 43 innings for Double-A New Hampshire this season. He projects as a middle relief pitcher for the Braves.

For me, the Blue Jays got the better of this trade on paper. Even if the Braves are in win now mode, I just can’t see Gonzalez putting up anywhere close to the numbers he did in the first half.

Good trade for the Blue Jays.

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When it comes to the July 31st trading deadline, left-handed relievers are in fashion like white pants are for females during the summer. And I must say, the person who said it was fashionable for females to wear white pants during the summer, I would like to personally thank.

I always know it is going to be a good day when I am walking to work and see a bunch of good-looking girls in white pants. Okay, let me control myself here and get back to the topic at hand.

The topic at hand is left-handed relievers, and the left-handed reliever of the moment is the Toronto Blue Jays’ Scott Downs. With the Blue Jays falling from playoff contention once again in the American League, it looks like Downs will be one of the most sought-after relievers on the market.

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of the 34-year-old out of Louisville, and the teams that could potentially be interested in him.

Pros

Over the last three and a half years, Downs has been one of the most consistent left-handed relievers in the game. Over this time span, Downs has a 2.33 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP in 212.2 innings.

Downs is especially tough against lefties, which is obviously key for a left-handed reliever. Downs is holding lefties to a .208 BAA in 2010.

Downs also does his best when there are men on base, which is key for relievers. When entering the game with runners on base, or when he puts them there himself, Downs is holding batters to a .188 average.

The last pro for Downs is that his contract expires at the end of this year. If a team acquires him, they won’t have to worry about paying him past 2010.

Cons

I think the biggest issue teams will have when thinking about acquiring Downs is how is he going to react in a pennant race? Pitching in front of 10,000 people against the Baltimore Orioles is a lot different than pitching in Boston or New York come October.

How is he going to react when he gives up the game-tying home run in the bottom of the eighth at Yankee Stadium or in Texas? I guess there is only one way to find that out, but it is something to consider.

You also have to wonder about Downs’ decreased K/9 rate. His 6.9 K’s/9 is the lowest of his career. Pitchers who have a tough time striking people out usually have a rough go of it in the playoffs.

Now that we have looked at the pros and cons of Downs, lets take a look at what teams might be interested in the former Kentucky Wildcat.

Boston Red Sox

Hideki Okajima isn’t himself, and the Red Sox need another bridge to get to Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The Angels desperately need bullpen help, and Downs could be the lefty they have been missing since Darren Oliver left.

St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals need starting pitching depth, but Downs would be an upgrade over Dennys Reyes and Trevor Miller.

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Growing up in New York City, there were certain figures that were always identified with The Big Apple. Woody Allen, Donald Trump, Regis Philbin, and George Steinbrenner were iconic figures in New York, and names that I grew up with.

Sadly for New York and baseball, one of its iconic figures passed away yesterday. George Steinbrenner, the owner of the New York Yankees since 1973, passed away at the age of 80 due to a heart attack. He passed away at Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa.

Everyone who reads my posts and knows me knows that I am not even remotely close to being a Yankee fan. I haven’t liked the Yankees since my childhood friend David and I used to argue who was a better player, Dave Winfield or George Brett. As you could imagine, I was on the Brett side.

But despite not liking certain teams, it doesn’t mean that I can’t respect the players on that team or the owner of the franchise. In this case, I have always had the utmost respect for Steinbrenner.

I am not going to get into whether or not he is the greatest owner in the history of sports, or whether or not he was good or bad for baseball. That is a debate which I choose not to get into.

What is not up for debate is that when it came to the business aspect of baseball, Steinbrenner was ahead of his time by at least 15 years. He bought the Yankees for $8.8 million in 1973, and between his marketing efforts, cable deal with the Madison Square Garden TV station, and creating the YES Network, Steinbrenner turned the Yankees into a $1.6 billion empire.

That is a business plan that any executive would follow.

Steinbrenner and the Yankees were even ahead of their time when they joined forces with the Dallas Cowboys and Goldman Sachs to form Legends Hospitality Management. The only thing that could make this partnership more obnoxious is if the Cowboys and Yankees included Notre Dame and the Lakers into the mix.

But in all seriousness, this idea should have been created years ago. Why pay a third party for food and catering when you just do it yourself and generate and, more importantly, keep the revenues? It’s a brilliant business decision and Steinbrenner was at the forefront of it.

Whether you love or hate the Yankees, there is one thing that you have to admit—Steinbrenner changed the landscape of baseball and the game will never be the same again.

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The last stop on our trade deadline needs tour is in the American League West. The West has two teams that will be buyers and those teams are the Texas Rangers and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

We have already seen how serious the Rangers are this trade season as they acquired Cliff Lee from division rival Seattle earlier in the week. Here are the deadline needs for the Rangers and Angels.

Texas Rangers

Record: 50-37, first place in AL West

Needs: Starting Pitching, Backup Infielder

The Rangers fired the first shot of the trading season when they acquired LHP Cliff Lee from the Seattle Mariners for 1B Justin Smoak and three minor leaguers. Lee gives the Rangers something they haven’t had in about 25 years — a legit ace.

Acquiring Lee solves the Rangers biggest need, so what else could the Rangers use? I feel they could still use a veteran backup corner or middle infielder. Getting someone who is capable of filling in for Ian Kinsler or Michael Young would allow Ron Washington to keep those guys fresh and more importantly, healthy.

Potential Targets: Adam Kennedy, Craig Counsell, Bobby Crosby, Jeff Keppinger, John McDonald

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Record: 47-43, second place in AL West. Fourth in Wild Card

Needs: Third Base, First Base, Bullpen

The Angels need a lot at the trade deadline and I am not sure they can get everything they need. The Angels used to be a team built on depth, but thanks to recent free agent departures and injuries, the Angels are really thin this year.

The injury to Kendry Morales might have been the death blow to the Angels this year. Trying to replace his production has been a very hard task. Anaheim could make a splash and go after Lance Berkman or Prince Fielder or they could after a serviceable guy like Lyle Overbay. The Angels could also use a third baseman as Maicer Izturis and Brandon Wood have not been the answer this year.

The Angels keep bringing in mediocre closers to help their bullpen and it really hasn’t worked out. The Angels rank 11th in the AL in bullpen ERA and Scot Shields, Kevin Jepsen, and Brian Fuentes are having down years. No Angel reliever has an ERA under 3.50 — that is not good.

Potential Targets: Derrek Lee, Prince Fielder, Lance Berkman, Lyle Overbay, Adam Dunn, Miguel Tejada, Jorge Cantu, Adam LaRoche, Kyle Farnsworth, Will Ohman, Scott Downs, Jason Frasor, Octavio Dotel

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