Now that the trade deadline has passed, the final two months of the season begin to take their course. Now that the All-Star break has passed, it’s interesting to see if any frontrunners have fallen or any new faces have made shocking gains.
Except for Ubaldo Jimenez, this is not really the case. The NL frontrunners remain the same top four as it has been all season, though the rankings of the AL may be a surprise. Who finishes below Lee as the obvious frontrunner?
Poor Mat Latos. Right in the middle of a breakout season in his second year with the Padres, the baseball gods have dealt him a blow with a truly bizarre injury.
Latos landed on the DL Friday with a strained left side. He suffered the injury a week ago after a win over Colorado when he tried to hold in a sneeze while going down the dugout steps.
Welcome to the storied list of ridiculous baseball injuries. You have plenty of company, Mr. Latos.
Latos’ snuffed sniffle has got to be up there with Mike Matheny and Clint Barmes cutting themselves with hunting knives or Joel Zumaya’s failure as a video game guitarist.
Of course, Sammy Sosa had similar problems with his schnoz when he went down with back spasms after an all-out achoo fit.
Here is a list of some of the other more bizarre baseball injuries.
Of course, my fantasy team has been hit twice by the peculiar injury bug. I wrote previously about Kendry Morales ’ fight with home base which cost him his leg and his season.
Lucky me, I also have Latos.
And folks wonder why people in baseball are so superstitious. I mean do you remember Turk Wendell? The eccentric reliever wore a necklace decorated with the sharp teeth of beasts he had hunted and killed, brushed his teeth between innings and regularly chewed black licorice while pitching.
Turk is certainly not the norm, but I’m sure every Major Leaguer has their fair share of superstitions.
The superstitious nature is clearly more prevalent in baseball than in any other sport. The anxiousness probably comes from the sheer length of the 162-game season. When you’re playing damn near every day from March through October, something’s bound to happen.
Still, landing on the DL because of a botched sneeze, you can’t make this kind of stuff up.
The injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Padres’ 22-year-old hurler.
Latos would be the front-runner for the Rookie of the Year if the NL wasn’t so stacked with young talent this season. Jason Heyward, Stephen Strasburg, Mike Stanton and Jamie Garcia have certainly raised the bar for young talent in the NL.
But Latos is having just as big of an impact as any of those guys and –more importantly – he has led his team to the lead in the NL West – really out of nowhere. I think it’s safe to say no one – even most Padres fans – saw their resurgence coming this season.
The Pads success has definitely not been a product of their bats. They rank 14th in BA (.250), OBP (.319), SLG (.372) and HR (67), 12th in runs (376) and 13th in RBI (357).
Guess that’s what happens when your GM throws out a lineup that features Adrian Gonzalez and next to nothing else. David Eckstein, yes that David Eckstein, is the only other Pad regular to be sniffing .300 at .279.
It’s also what has made the Padres’ run to the top of the NL West so incredible.
Their pitching ranks first in ERA (3.25), second in wins (51) and fourth in strikeouts (698).
A lot of that success is thanks to Latos.
The 6-foot-6 righty is 10-4 this season with a 2.45 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 99 strikeouts. He’s tossed 12 quality starts out of his 17 this season. He’s second in WHIP, tied for third in wins, and ranks seventh in ERA amongst NL pitchers.
Once again he could have been a candidate for the Cy Young Award if the NL didn’t have guys like Ubaldo Jimenez, Roy Halladay, Adam Wainwright, Josh Johnson and Tim Lincecum. But such is life during the year of the pitcher.
So what do you think, can the Padres maintain their two-game lead over the Rockies in the NL West without their top young pitcher?
The Pads haven’t had to go outside of their starting five rotation much this season. Only Tim Stauffer and Chris Young have made starts outside of the starting five of Clayton Richard, Jon Garland, Wade LeBlanc, Kevin Correia and Latos.
My guess is Latos’ injury shouldn’t be too bad of a blow considering he’s eligible to return on July 24.
Actually, it might be a blessing in disguise that Latos gets some more rest for the stretch run. He’s still got a young arm and the Pads need him to be a sharp as possible if they’re going to hold off the Rockies and Dodgers with little offensive support.
Still, it hurts as a fantasy owner and as a fan to see one of your favorite players lose time in a season to this kind of nonsense.
As far as fantasy replacement options, I dug Cleveland’s Fausto Carmona out of the trash heap. He’s got 14 quality starts, eight wins, a 3.64 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP.
The Mets’ Jonathan Niese, the Tribe’s Mitch Talbot or the Rockies’ Jason Hammel also could be good short term options.
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We were entertained by the rockets’ red glare as these pitchers were having their own pyrotechnic shows from the hill.
1. Felix Hernandez, Seattle
Hernandez tossed the ball hard for nine innings only gave up two hits with 11 strike outs. He earned a .000 ERA and the deserved victory.
In week 13, he was dominated, and the Monday that followed Independence Day, he was equally good. However, his bullpen gave up the win he deserved.
The popular Seattle ace is 6-5 with 122 strikeouts and a .301 ERA for the season.
2. Adam Wainwright, St. Louis
Wright threw for 16 innings from the mound last week and had 16 strikeouts with only three walks. His appearances gave him two wins and a .059 ERA.
Last Sunday, he threw a complete game and picked up the victory.
The Cardinals’ starting pitcher is one of the best right now and doesn’t show signs of slowing down.
He is currently sitting pretty with a 12-5 record and a 2.24 ERA with 123 strikeouts for the season.
3. Jered Weaver, Los Angeles (Angels)
Weaver sat down six and allowed only two hits, which gave him a .000 ERA and the win.
The box score looks great, but he did hiccup when he had trouble retiring the last few batters he faced.
He is 8-4 with 130 strikeouts and a .2.97 ERA for the season.
4. Matt Capps, Washington
Capps picked up two wins in three innings of relief. He garnered a .000 ERA and only gave up two hits.
Capps has had five straight scoreless appearances.
His season has been decent with a 3-3 record, 23 saves, 32 strikeouts, 3.26 ERA.
5. Huston Street, Colorado
Street spent six innings on the hill last week and struck out six with no walks and only two hits. His performance gave him two saves and a .000 ERA.
The Colorado hurler’s fantasy ownership increased about five percent with his recent outings.
He is 1-1 with two saves and eight strikeouts for the season.
6. Matt Latos, San Diego
Latos worked eight innings to get the win. He struck out eight and only walked two which gave him a .000 ERA.
Latos and Jimenez are tied for the most shutout innings this season thus far.
He is 9-4 with a 2.62 ERA with 91 strikeouts for the season.
7. Tommy Hanson, Atlanta
Hanson played some catch with McCann and earned a victory with a .000 ERA after six innings on the mound. He sent eight back to the dugout with strikeouts and only gave up two walks.
He is 8-5 with a 4.19 ERA with 98 strikeouts for the season.
8. Roy Oswalt, Houston
Oswalt threw for seven innings on the mound and struck out seven with two walks and only three hits. His performance gave him the win and a .000 ERA.
The Houston starting pitcher may be wearing a different uniform after the All-Star break. If Texas picks him up, he won’t need to travel far for his new assignment.
The Astros haven’t helped Oswalt’s record of 5-10 despite his ERA of 3.32 with 104 strikeouts this season.
9. Brad Lincoln, Pittsburgh
Lincoln had a nice outing with six strikeouts and one walk in seven innings. He earned the win and a .000 ERA.
He did very well in week 13 but he followed it up with his worst outing this past Tuesday.
The Pirates starting pitcher is a huge risk. Fantasy owners should stay clear until he provides more consistent performances.
He is 1-3 with a 5.25 ERA for the season.
10. Bronson Arroyo, Cincinnati
Arroyo had six solid innings with three strikeouts and two walks, giving him a .000 ERA and the win.
The Reds hurler gained some fantasy ownership as a result of this performance. He is up five percent in most leagues.
Arroyo is available around 50 percent in most leagues. He would be a nice pick up if your fantasy staff has fallen by the wayside.
He is 9-4 with a 3.04 ERA with only 54 strikeouts this season.
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We were entertained by the rockets’ red glare as these pitchers were having their own pyrotechnic shows from the hill.
1) Felix Hernandez Sea
Hernandez tossed the ball hard for nine innings, only gave up two hits, and recorded 11 strikeouts on route to picking up the deserved victory.
In Week 13, he was dominating, and the Monday that followed Independence Day he was equally good. However, his bullpen gave up the win he deserved.
The popular Seattle ace is 6-5 with 122 strikeouts and a 3.01 ERA for the season
2) Adam Wainwright StL
Wainwright threw 16 innings from the mound last week and had 16 strikeouts with only three walks. His starts gave him two wins and a 0.59 ERA.
Last Sunday, he threw a complete game and picked up the victory.
The Cardinals starting pitcher is one of the best right now and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.
He is currently sitting pretty with a 12-5 record and a 2.24 ERA with 123 strikeouts for the season.
3) Jered Weaver LAA
Weaver sat down six and allowed only two hits, giving him the win.
The box score looks great, but he did encounter a minor hiccup when he had trouble retiring the last few batters he faced.
He is 8-4 with 130 strike outs and a 2.97 ERA for the season.
4) Matt Capps Was
Capps picked up two wins in three innings of relief. He garnered a 0.00 ERA and only gave up two hits.
Capps has had five straight scoreless appearances.
His season has been decent, with a 3-3 record, 23 saves, 32 strikeouts, and a 3.26 ERA.
5) Huston Street Col
Street spent six innings on the hill last week and struck out six with no walks and only two hits. His performance gave him two saves and a 0.00 ERA.
The Colorado hurler’s fantasy ownership increased about five percent with his recent outings.
He is 1-1 with two saves and 8 strikeouts for the season.
6) Matt Latos SD
Latos worked eight innings to get the win. He struck out eight and only walked two.
Latos and Jimenez are tied for the most shutout innings thus far.
He is 9-4 with a 2.62 ERA with 91 strikeouts for the season.
7) Tommy Hanson Atl
Hanson played some catch with McCann and earned a victory after six innings on the mound. He sent eight back to the dugout on strikes and only gave up two walks.
He is 8-5 with a 4.19 ERA and 98 strikeouts for the season.
8) Roy Oswalt Hou
Oswalt threw for seven innings on the mound and struck out seven with two walks and only three hits. His performance gave him the win.
The Houston starting pitcher may be wearing a different uniform after the all-star break. If Texas picks him up, he won’t need to travel far for his new assignment.
The Astros haven’t helped Oswalt’s record of 5-10 despite his ERA of 3.32 with 104 strikeouts.
9) Brad Lincoln Pit
Lincoln had a nice outing with six strikeouts and one walk in seven innings. He gave up no earned runs and picked up the win.
He did very well in week 13, but he followed it up with his worst outing of the season this past Tuesday.
The Pirates starting pitcher is a huge risk. Fantasy owners should stay clear until he provides more consistent performances.
He is 1-3 with a 5.25 ERA for the season.
10) Bronson Arroyo Cin
Arroyo had six solid innings with three strike outs and two walks, giving him a 0.00 ERA and the win.
The Reds hurler gained some fantasy ownership as a result of this performance. He is up five percent in most leagues.
Arroyo is available around 50 percent in most leagues. He would be a nice pickup if your fantasy staff has fallen by the wayside.
He is 9-4 with a 3.04 ERA with only 54 strikeouts this season.
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It’s the same conversation, just a different year.
Every season, virtually every Major League roster has players deserving of All-Star selections that get left on their sofas for the weekend.
This year, the Padres pitching staff may be the most distinguished of the All-Star snubs.
The Padres have the best record (49-34) in the National League and boast the best team ERA (3.05) in the NL by a long shot (St. Louis is next at 3.28), yet couldn’t command enough respect to land a pitcher on the roster.
The Padres have as many All-Stars as the Pittsburgh Pirates, the worst team in the NL at 30-52.
Their one All-Star this year is Adrian Gonzalez, certainly deserving of his third invite as a reserve. He’s batting .291 with 16 home runs and 51 RBI.
Gonzalez was one of eight reserves selected by the players, coaches, and managers.
“It means a lot more than any other way to get in,” Gonzalez said. “They’re the ones that pay attention and really see what you can do on the field.”
Commissioner Bud Selig has vastly improved the dynamics since the infamous tie game in 2002 in Milwaukee. Selig gave the midsummer classic a facelift and decided the game would determine home-field advantage in the World Series—rather than the previous alternative of merely rotating home fields on a yearly basis.
An outdated component of the player selection process is the rule that each team has to have at least one representative on its league’s roster. In a game that is supposed to spotlight MLB’s best players, some superior players are left off the roster in favor of less deserving players from weaker teams.
This argument is strengthened by the greater urgency of winning the game, due to the home field advantage in the World Series at stake.
Players that are producing better first halves statistically, and helping propel their team to the top of their divisions, are not being commended for their efforts. With the All-Star game now in its eighth year of “meaning something”—it’s time to dismiss the one-player-per-team rule.
The 33-man rosters for each team are selected through the following process: Baseball fans vote on the starting position players (eight). The players, coaches, and managers vote 16 players; eight pitchers (five starters and three relievers) and one back-up player for each position. The manager selects nine players, followed by a final vote by the fans (via Internet) chosen from a list of five players.
It no surprise that the fans didn’t vote in a player from the often overlooked Padres roster.
But the fact that Phillies manager Charlie Manuel and other MLB players didn’t feel the need to include Heath Bell (MLB-best 23 saves, 1.77 ERA) or Mat Latos (9-4, 2.77 ERA) is an insult to the Friars.
“To be frank it’s kind of ridiculous I think,” Tony Gwynn Jr. said. “Every year somebody is going to get snubbed, and it doesn’t help that we’re on the West Coast where people don’t get to see our guys throw as much.
“Heath shouldn’t be having to get in on a fan vote, but that’s the way it works and hopefully we can get the fans behind him and get two guys in.”
The 22-year-old Latos (99.2 IP, 70 H, 91 Ks, 0.96 WHIP) yields the lowest opponents batting average (.193) among all starting pitchers, and most importantly, has been the most reliable pitcher on the team with league’s best record.
One could even make a case for Clayton Richard (6-4, 3.00 ERA), along with Mike Adams (2.25 ERA, MLB-best 21 holds) and Luke Gregerson (2.23 ERA, MLB-second best 19 holds).
The most deserving Friar flawed by the inept selection process is closer Heath Bell.
Yet, he isn’t shocked that Manuel left him off the NL roster.
“For the pitching staff I know there’s a lot of good National League pitchers out there,” Bell said. “From starters to relievers—he has to make hard decisions.”
Last year, when San Diego was in the cellar of the NL for the first half of the season, they received two All-Star selections: Gonzalez and Bell.
Bell (4-0) has struck out 49 in 36.2 innings, leads the league in saves, and already has two saves and a victory in the month of July, but does not have an invite to Anaheim July 13.
Unless, that is, Bell gets selected with the final vote for the last roster spot in the NL.
“At least I still have a chance,” Bell said. “It’s unfortunate that Luke (Gregerson) doesn’t have a chance anymore, or (Mat) Latos, because they’re well-deserving too.”
Bell is a candidate along with Carlos Gonzalez (Rockies), Joey Votto (Reds), Billy Wagner (Braves), and Ryan Zimmerman (Nationals).
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Every Summer there is a great deal of controversy surrounding who was left off the MLB All-Star rosters.
This year is no different, as the National League roster is littered with controversial selections. Players like Omar Infante, Yadier Molina, and Michael Bourn have all had fine seasons, but there are many analysts who believe they could be easily replaced by players who were left off of the roster.
Here are the top 10 snubs from the National League roster this year.
The San Diego Padres are not only in first place in the National League West at 31-20, but they also have the best record in the National League by a full game over the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals.
It’s not exactly where most people and experts thought they would be at this point in the season. Yet, the Padres have gone from potential cellar dwellers and “sellers” at the trade deadline to buyers and possibly being able to take on salary above their $38 million payroll.
They’ve gotten great pitching from young starters like Mat Latos and Clayton Richard, as well as solid veteran pitching from Jon Garland and Kevin Correia.
But what if you could add one more arm that might solidify the rotation and turn this team from a “contender” to outright favorite to win not only the division, but the National League?
I’m talking, of course, about Detroit Tigers’ left-hander Dontrelle Willis who was designated for assignment a few days ago. Signing Willis wouldn’t be expensive either. In fact, they could sign him to a minor league deal and not have to trade any of their players away to get him.
That is, if the Tigers don’t trade him to another team first.
The Arizona Diamondbacks already have interest in him, but I can’t see Willis going to a team that’s already 11.5 games back in the NL West. He has said that he would prefer to play in the National League and for a team out west.
Hearing that, I would narrow his choices to three teams: The Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and the aforementioned Padres.
At this point, I can’t see the Giants signing Willis on top of already having Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito, Matt Cain and Jonathan Sanchez.
The Dodgers might be a candidate to add Willis to a rotation that already boasts Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley and Hiroki Kuroda. The once-dominant left-hander could definitely give the Dodgers a boost.
What might keep the Padres from bringing Willis on board is already having a set rotation with Garland, Correia, Latos, Clayton Richard, and Wade LeBlanc. What do you do with Willis if, in fact, you do sign him, and who becomes the odd man out?
The other question becomes, what happens when Chris Young comes off the disabled list? If Dontrelle doesn’t mind coming out of the bullpen, I’d add him in a heartbeat. But I doubt he’d be open to that.
As it stands now, the only thing we do know is that Dontrelle wants to be back in the National League and he wants to play for a team on the west coast. That being said, we saw how things worked out for John Smoltz when he left Boston for St. Louis and when Brad Penny also left Boston for San Francisco.
Could Willis become the dominant pitcher he was in Florida by returning to the National League? He still has a lot left to offer a team, so whoever signs him is taking a risk that could pay off huge.
As it stands now, and if you’re asking me, I believe the Padres could be the biggest benefactor by adding Dontrelle, especially for a fly ball pitcher in a ballpark where fly balls go to die.
He could definitely help them pull away from the rest of the pack and be a contender come playoff time.
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By now, everyone knows the 2010 Padres are very well so far in 2010. Currently at 26-18 and in first place in the NL West, they are this author’s biggest surprise of the first two months of the 2010 season, second to only the AL East’s amazing Blue Jays.
The Padres’ five-man rotation has been phenomal, and is making a COMBINED $9.5 million salaries for the 2010 season. Three of its five members are making under $500,000. By comparison, the Chicago White Sox are paying former Padre Jack Peavy $15 million this year.
Here’s a synopsis of the Padres 2010 rotation, complete with their salaries and also their individual statistics at pitcher-friendly Petco Park.
Can these Padres continue to compete?
In the sad-sack national league, anything is possible.
Not only is Mat Latos living up to high expectations, he is also quickly becoming the Padres’ most efficient and effective starting pitcher.
Latos outdueled Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez, whose solid outing wasn’t enough to derail Latos and the Padres’ belated bats.
Latos (4-3) allowed a run and four hits over six innings while striking out six as the Padres beat the Seattle Mariners 8-1 on Sunday before a crowd of 33,315.
The 22-year-old Latos, with just 19 career starts under his belt, has won three of his last four starts and allowed a total of three earned runs over his last four starts, covering a 29-inning span.
He has also lasted at least six innings and allowed two runs or fewer in five consecutive starts.
Hernandez (2-4) allowed just three runs, two earned, and seven hits in seven innings of work. He also struck out six.
Once Hernandez departed, trailing 3-1, things got ugly in a hurry.
Reliever Jesus Colome loaded the bases on two singles and a walk to start the eighth inning and then was replaced by Kanekoa Texeira—who promptly yielded back-to-back doubles to Chris Denorfia and Nick Hundley to drive in four runs. Will Venable drove in the fifth run with a sacrifice fly to left field to give the Padres an 8-1 lead.
Latos turned over his product to the bullpen, as Luke Gregerson, Ryan Webb, and Joe Thatcher combined for three scoreless innings.
San Diego (26-18) features the lowest ERA in the National League at 3.03 despite the 15 runs surrendered Friday. So far in 2010, the Padres have proven capable of providing just enough offense to go with that pitching to make things work.
The Friars split two games against the red-hot Dodgers and then won the last two games in Seattle (16-28) after dropping Friday’s 15-8 rout. They came to Seattle in first place in the National League West and left in first place.
The Padres return to San Diego for a nine-game home stand, starting Tuesday against Albert Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals (26-19).
San Diego will look to send a message—and get a little revenge—against the NL Central-leading Cardinals.
St. Louis has sent the Padres packing in San Diego’s last two playoff appearances.
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Less than a week ago Mat Latos was three outs away from his first career shutout in Houston. It did not take long for him to get another shot at it.
Latos came within one hit of a perfect game Thursday, yielding only an infield single in the sixth inning to Eli Whiteside while overshadowing Jonathan Sanchez yet again as the first-place Padres won 1-0 to complete a three-game sweep at AT&T Park.
Latos, who was perfect through five innings, faced 28 batters—one over the minimum—struck out five and did not issue a walk. The 22-year-old has thrown 16 scoreless innings against San Francisco this year, both times outshining Sanchez. In two starts, Sanchez has allowed two runs and four hits to the Padres in 15 innings. Yet, thanks to Latos, he has two losses on his record.
And guess what? Sanchez and Latos are slated as probable starters yet again Tuesday at Petco Park.
San Diego (22-12) has won all six contests against the Giants this season. Four of those decisions have been by one run.
It is difficult to point to anything more significant than the Padres pitching this season, with a major league-best 2.66 ERA. But one could make the case for their hitting—the Padres pitchers’ hitting.
Latos accounted for the Padres only run Thursday, with a single in the fifth inning that scored Lance Zawadzki.
In eight shutout innings against the Astros in his last start, Latos—now batting .308 at the plate—knocked two doubles in the 7-0 rout. In the series finale, despite the Friars falling 4-3 in extra innings, Tim Stauffer got the party started with a two-run double.
One can also not discount Clayton Richard’s 3 RBI’s in clutch situations this season.
In football, players who can “go both ways” refer to their versatility and ability to play on both offense and defense.
If the trend continues, Padres manager Bud Black may want to consider a few pinch-hit cameos from his pitching staff.
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