Diamond Dust: The Welcome Back Edition

The Double C returned from a long, long, long stint on the DL to pitch effectively on Wednesday night. He only went 4 innings and threw 67 pitches, but he also only gave up one earned run. Needless to say, this was a much better return than the Mark Mulder experience. A healthy Chris Carpenter will add stability to a pitching rotation that has survived despite countless injuries. As of late, the bullpen has been obnoxiously bad. Rookie Kyle McClellan seems overworked, Ryan Franklin has shown he is better suited for the set-up role, and Ron Villone has been awful. A sweep at the hands of the Cubs has put the Brew Crew in a tie with the Cardinals in the Wild Card, but the resurgent Mets and insurgent Marlins are close behind. The Cards can hit (more runs scored than the Brewers), the question is, can they pitch?

Senseless mutterings:

• The Dodgers add Manny Ramirez with the Red Sox giving up a lot financially and in talent to get rid of one of the best hitters of this era. For the woeful Dodgers, this is the type of player they desparately need. A guy who can actually hit the ball over the fence. Of course, Andruw was supposed to be that guy, but his supplier stopped getting him the inspiration he needed, thus he has been rendered ineffective. Furcal's continued absence will be what ultimatley sinks this ship in a bad division.
  
• The addition of Jason Bay was a nice one for the super annoying Red Sox, as they replace an older, disgruntled player with a much younger, happier one. Bay is no Manny and has zero playoff experience, but this guy has not peaked yet and could be a stalwart in that lineup for years to come.
• It must be nice to be the Yankees. You lose your catcher, no problem, just go out and acquire one for $12.5 million. The acquisition of Nady and Marte was a great move.
  
• The rich get richer, as the Angels get Mark Texieria from the disappointing Braves. Now, instead of winning every game 4-2, they will win 7-2. Somewhere, Boby Thigpen is smiling. This team is in a class by itself at the moment.
• The standings seem to be taking on a more recognizable appearance, with a few exceptions. The Devil Rays, Marlins, White Sox, and Not-So Crappy Cardinals continue to defy expectations. The Cubs seem to be pulling away in the NL Central, the Angels might clinch the NL West tomorrow, the Mets have managed to get to the top of a very competitive NL East, and the Tigers are very slowly moving in on the White Sox.

Go see what LWAL's favorite old man thinks here.