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.

Diamond Dust: The All Star Edition

The MLB All Star Game is the best of its kind with the Pro Bowl being the most insufferable. There are two major problems with the Summer Classic, first is the fan voting and second is the fact that the winning team gets home field advantage in the World Series. The second is so inane and irritating that I cannot devote anymore space to it here. The fan voting is irritating when the entire infield is made up of Yankees and Red Sox in the AL and the NL outfield is littered with undeserving Cubs. It is the job of the managers to fix what the fans do and for the most part a good job was done this year with two glaring exceptions. Brian Wilson is not an All Star. A certain amount of credit is due to the man for leading the NL in saves, but his ERA is 4.37. The conversation on Mr. Wilson ends there. But the biggest offense is Jason Varitek. His selection is embarrassing. He is not the second, third, fourth, or fifth best player at his position in his league. Varitek is hitting .215. You read that right, .215. It is not clear to me when .215, even for a catcher (one who is not a great defensive catcher mind you) was relegted to All Star level. I will argue that it is not.

The Not-So Crappy Cardinals continue to play at a level no one thought possible. Currently, this crop of overachievers has the second best record in the NL, only .5 game up on the hard charging Brew Crew. While the Cubs and Brewers have made news in acquiring C.C. Sabathia and Dan Haren this week, the Cardinals will look to some old arms to give them a boost. Mark Mulder returns to the rotation tonight in Philadelphia and the Double C continues his rehab and should be ready in August. I am weary of Mulder's chances of getting back to where he was when the Cardinals acquired him in 2005 (his only healthy season in a Cardinals uniform), but am willing to give Dave "the Miracle Worker" Duncan the benefit of the doubt. The Cardinals have showed up as a potential suitor for the red-hot Matt Holiday. Probably will not happen, but stay tuned. Ryan Ludwick's selection after a career thus far ravaged by injury was certainly deserved and would get more attention if not for Josh Hamilton's amazing story.

Other random mutterings:

• The Devil Rays continue to be the story in the first half. The Washington Nationals were the story in 2005 when they led at the break, so let's slow down on projecting this bunch into the World Series. While it is legitimate to point out that the 2008 Devil Rays are much more talented than the 2005 Nationals, the latter did not have have the Red Sox and Yankees behind them in the standings.
• The Tigers have put themselves into the conversation in the AL Central, but the White Sox and Twins have been sensational as of late.
• Remember when the Mets were finished? They currently reside 1.5 games behind the overrated Phillies.
• The NL West is a disaster.
• Ian Kinsler is as Pato Banton would say "bubbling hot," Josh Hamilton might drive in 150 runs, Justin Duchscherer (try spelling that correctly without looking) is currently the best pitcher in baseball, Joe Saunders will not win 20 games, Brandon Webb might win 25 games, Ryan Howard has 137 more career strikeouts than Albert Pujols in 2,470 fewer at-bats and might strikeout 250 times this season, and I do not care if A-Rod is f^cking Madonna.

Go see what the old man's got cooking here.

Diamond Dust: The ??? Edition

The big story upon waking up this morning was that the Mets fired manager Willie Randolph. This should have surprised no one, as there have been hints of this taking place since Memorial Day. It is not clear what the Mets were doing with this situation over the past several weeks. Why let the man fly to Anaheim and win for a third time in four outings and then fire him? Is it amateur hour in the Big Apple? Now, to be fair to the Mets brass, Randolph has disappointed as a manger. This team should have won the World Series in 2006 but lost in dramatic fashion to you know who in the NLCS (go here for a refresher). Then last season's record collapse did not do much for confidence. Many of the smartest baseball minds thought the Mets were a shoo-in to win the NL this year (like here), but this team has not played anywhere close to its potential.

At 6.5 games behind the Phillies, who are about to cool off after a torrid stretch, with 90 to play it is not time to throw people overboard. Especially when Plan B is Jerry Manual, who makes Randolph seem animated and excitable. The season isn't over for the Mets, but they need to get it together fast. Buster Olney's take is worth a look here.

_

It is June 17 and the Not-So Crappy Cardinals have the second best record in the NL. As much as I would love to say I saw this coming, I didn't. This team has been resilient, overcoming pitching injuries to continue winning. Without Pujols and Wainwright, the Cards managed to take a weekend series from the aforementioned Phillies. The keys to this teams success not named Albert Pujols has been the All-Star level play of Ryan Ludwick (.310/16/54), the solid hitting of Yadier Molina (.295/only 9 K), the emergence of Skip Schumaker in the lead-off spot (.310/4/25), and the surprising performances of guys who were once thought to be worthless as big league pitchers. This list includes Kyle Lohse (8-2/3.77), Todd Wellemeyer (7-2/3.67), and Braden Looper (8-5/4.34). Add Carpenter and Mulder (I do not believe Mark Mulder will ever be an effective big league starter again) after the All Star game and the Not-So Crappy Cardinals start to resemble contenders.

_

Random utterances:

• Teams to watch out for: The Tigers have won 8 out of 10; the Padres have won 7 out of 10 and almost pulled even with the lowly Dodgers for second in a terrible NL West; the super annoying Yankees have won 7 out of 10 and are slowly poaching the Devil Rays.
• Biggest disappointments to date: 1. Tigers, 2. Mets, 3. Padres, 4. Dodgers, 5. Mariners
• Most surprising to date: 1. Devil Rays, 2. Marlins, 3. White Sox, 4. Oakland, 5. Pittsburgh/Baltimore
• Best players no one had heard of before the start of the season: Edinson Volquez, Shaun Marcum, George Sherill

For the older generation's take, go here.

Jon Lester Beat Cancer, Won the World Series, Then No-Hit the Royals

It must be an amazing feeling when at the age of 24, throwing a no-hitter at the big league level ranks third in a list of life accomplishments. The story of Jon Lester's triumphant return to the super annoying Red Sox last season after being diagnosed with a treatable form of lymphoma was well-documented. Just pitching last season was not enough for young Lester, as he went on to pitch 5.2 innings of shutout baseball in Boston's Game 4 win over the Rockies in last year's World Series. With that being said, pitching a no-hitter last night against the Royals pales in comparison to being the winning pitcher in a World Series clincher, and more importantly, kicking cancer's ass. I would list all of the things I had accomplished by the age of 24, but I do not want to embarrass any who read this.

Diamond Dust: Version 8.00

Jason Isringhausen's season is spinning out of control. After being relieved of his closing duties, Tony LaRussa has inexplicably continued to use him in close games. This has not worked out. In his last five outings, the much maligned veteran is 0-3 with 3 blown saves. During this time, he has allowed 6 earned runs in 4 innings pitched. For the year, he has an ERA of 8.00 and 6 blown saves. Paging Tony LaRussa: Stop putting this guy in the game unless you are up by 10!! The Not-So Crappy Cardinals are playing a very crappy brand of baseball recently, losers of 7 of 9 and falling to third behind the Cubs and the surging Astros. Pitching has been a struggle as of late, which is not surprising considering the excellent start. All teams will struggle, the key is how does a team weather the struggling. This might require LaRussa's best coaching job yet, which begins with the immediate cessation of putting Izzy into close games. Some random thoughts from around baseball:

• The top pitchers from last week's power players continue to excel. Volquez pitched 6 innings, allowing one run in picking up his sixth win of the season on Tuesday. Brandon Webb got his ninth win in as many starts last night. Cliff pitched 9 scoreless innings on Monday in a no-decsion, lowering his ERA to an obscene 0.67.
• As for the hitters, Pujols was left off of last week's list to avoid claims of bias, but he currently ranks fourth in the league with a .357 average , first with an OBP of .503, and first in walks with 41. Experience tells us that the power numbers will come. The two biggest sticks are still Jones-Hornsby and Lance Berkman-Ruth. Chipper's season has been well-chronicled here, but Berkman-Ruth has been sensational. He ranks second in average at .391 (Chipper leads at .418), and is first in home runs and RBIs with 15 and 43 respectively (Nady is second in RBIs, nine behind).
• A quick look at the standings shows the Devil Rays as the story of the year thus far with the A's a close second, and the Marlins a distant third. New York baseball is not good right now, the Yankees are in the cellar and the Mets are in the middle. Cleveland is where most thought they would be, while LWAL's prediction for World Series champ, the Terrible Tigers, continue to inexplicably struggle. The two worst records in baseball belong to Seattle and San Diego, no one had this.

+Go here and consider the best players of this generation and here for thoughts on the sad state of veteran players from my childhood.

Diamond Dust: The Tigers and Mets are Making Me Look Like an Idiot

What do Baltimore, Kansas City, Oakland, Florida, St. Louis, and Arizona have in common? No, they are not all stops on George Michael's comeback tour this summer (anyone who pays for that is an idiot). These are the teams that currently reside at the top of their respective divisions two weeks into the long baseball season. Of course it is too early, who can forget the Nationals magical run in the first half of the 2005 season. On July 25 the Nationals were tied with the Braves for first place (after leading for several weeks) in a weak NL East, before going on to finish in the cellar, nine games back. In that same season, the Baltimore Orioles were in first place in the always tough AL East, four games ahead of the utterly irritating Boston Red Sox on June 1. By season's end, they were in fourth, 22 games behind the super annoying Yankees. The point is, things will change. The Royals will not continue to pitch lights out (a league best 2.46 ERA, almost a run better than the Diamondbacks and Cardinals). The Tigers will start hitting (a pitiful, league low 33 runs scored thus far). And the Mets will start winning (the health of the rotation is question mark). The Not-So Crappy Cardinals continue to pitch well and hit well enough to win, making their 9-4 start a truly pleasant surprise to yours truly.

A few other not-so bold predictions for this season, Jason Kendall (.405) and AJ Pierzynski (.421) will not win their respective league's batting titles. Justin Germano (0.00), Cliff Lee (0.61), Edwin Jackson (0.64), Ryan Dempster (0.69), Zack Greinke (0.75), Cole Hamels (0.82), Brian Bannister (0.86), and Kyle Lohse's (1.04) collective assault on Bob Gibson's 1.13 ERA will last about another five minutes. And Ryan Ludwick will neither finish the year hitting closer to .350 than .250 nor with a slugging percentage higher than Pujols (.800 to Pujols' .707). Random point that makes one's head spin-Justin Upton has yet to turn 21.

For more inane musings on baseball, see LWAL's resident baseball insider here.

AL Preview: Tiger Uppercut!!

The AL is almost as loaded as the NBA's Western Conference. There will be teams left out of the playoffs that could potentially win the World Series. There are two stories of note in the AL from the offseason. First, is the lack of action taken by the Yankees. They did not overpay for Santana or any other player, which is a rarity. They are betting that the young arms of Hughes, Kennedy, and Chamberlain and the bats of Cabrera and Cano are the future of this franchise. Like Bob Marley said, "Time will tell. Think you're in heaven, but ya living in hell." Where Yankee fans' experience ends up in the next decade rides on the decision to keep this young talent. Let us collectively hope that it doesn't work out for them. The big story was the upgrading of the Detroit Tigers. This was a good lineup before, but now it is the best in baseball, handsdown. The addition of Renteria, Cabrera, and even Jacque Jones makes this lineup potent top to bottom. They will score, but can they pitch? The addition of Dontrelle Willis is an underrated pick-up, as he, like Cabrera, will thrive with a change of scenery. It is amazing what being competitive does for an individual. And one last note on the AL, the Red Sox are still annoying. And now for more bad predictions:

AL East
1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. Tampa Bay Devil Rays
5. Baltimore Orioles

Despite being the most obnoxious brand name in sports outside of the super annoying Duke Blue Devils, the Red Sox are solid. A great lineup that will be even better this year Ellsbury getting a chance to play everyday and the deepest rotation in the AL (although, be concerned about the health of Josh Beckett, who has not been pillar of healthiness throughout his career). I made the mistake of picking the Yankees to miss out on the playoffs last season; I will not make that mistake again. This team still has the best lineup in the league with exception of the Tigers. Pitching, especially middle relief, is the big question mark for the Yankees. Can a collection of relatively untested young guns and aged veterans get to Rivera? Can Hughes stay healthy and live up to the hype? Will Pettitte be Pettitte considering the tumultuous offseason? A lot of questions, but this team is just annoying enough to sneak in. Regarding the Toronto Blue Jays, can we please stop saying this is their year? This might be their year, if they played in the NL Central. Vernon Wells peaked a few years back because of obvious steroid use. They added Rolen and Eckstein (both of whom I love for obvious reasons), who are the on the downward slope of their careers and their two best pitchers are liabilities because of injuries. The Devil Rays possess a collection of good young players who will be playing in New York and Boston in the coming years. And the Orioles will be terrible. Should Jay Gibbons' career make us question whether steroids really do anything for you as a hitter?

_

AL Central
1. Detroit Tigers
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Minnesota Twins
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Kansas City Royals

The race between the Tigers and Indians will be one to watch. This race comes down to the Tigers' bats versus the Indians' arms. Or whether the Tigers' pitching is better than the Indians hitting. The aforementioned addition of Willis as the Number 4 starter will help. Also, Zumaya and Rodney need to get healthy to setup this team's weakest part, Todd Jones. The Indians have similar concerns with their closer. Joe Borowski is not one that many would consider to be in the top 50% percentile when it comes to closers. The Twins traded away their two best players and will probably hover around .500 only because of all the games they get to enjoy against the lowly White Sox and Royals, who will both be terrible and are not worth anymore of my time.

_

AL West

1. Anaheim Angels

2. Seattle Mariners

3. Texas Rangers

4. Oakland Athletics

This is another intriguing race at the top. Both the Angels and Mariners made smart moves that have bettered each team respectively. In adding Erik Bedard, the Mariners have added a guy who, if healthy, could be the best pitcher in the AL (now that Santana has left). Torii Hunter is a great pickup for a young lineup that is packed with potential. The Angels could be the most exciting team to watch. The Mariners have an edge when it comes to pitching with Bedard, Felix Hernandez (who is could breakout this season), and MLB's best closer, JJ Putz. The Rangers cannot pitch. Having Kevin Millwood as your opening day starter 5 years ago would have been questionable. In 2008, it is a disservice to that team's hundreds of fans. Is Billy Beane still working in Oakland? How are those sabermetrics working out now?

_

For a different take, go here.