Take note: Royals are no longer pushovers
Posted: Monday, July 23, 2007 4:34 PM
It was a weekend of interesting thoughts and happenings from around the majors.
HERE COMES KANSAS CITY! That’s right. The Royals just finished a road trip against the three best AL teams -- Cleveland, Boston, and Detroit. And they went 5-4.
Since June 23 they are 14-8. Kansas City's Buddy Bell and Washington’s Manny Acta are the most unsung managers this season. The young Royals are starting to come into their own, and Mike Sweeney’s ongoing injuries have turned out to be a blessing in disguise as Billy Butler is thriving in the DH role.
Closer Octavio Dotel is throwing lights out for Kansas City. Question: Can the Royals, a team that has suffered through horrendous bullpen pitching for years and is breaking in young talent, afford to move Dotel before the July 31 trade deadline, thereby subtracting from the team a pitcher who has become their long-sought stable closer?
Besides Dotel another interesting name who could be dealt is Mike Piazza, who returned over the weekend as the A’s DH, but it’s clear that Oakland would like to find Piazza a new team so Jack Cust can be the full-time DH.
DO DODGERS, PADRES HAVE ANYTHING COOKING ON TRADE FRONT? Remember when the Dodgers had a surplus of starting pitching? Now with Jason Schmidt out for the year, and Randy Wolf shelved (he's tentatively scheduled to return from the disabled list next week), the Dodgers have put aside their offensive concerns and are looking at adding arms. Compounding their concern is a stiff neck that kept closer Takashi Saito out of the series against the Mets over the weekend. Saito's 37 and at that age such injuries cannot be taken lightly.
The Padres recently made moves for Milton Bradley and Michael Barrett. With a stout bullpen, they may have their best team in place already. They may shop up to the trade dealine, but they might decide they don't need to buy.
NL EAST BESTS NL WEST: The Mets took three of four in Los Angeles and the Phillies matched that feat in San Diego. With the Braves unable to put together any kind of win streak, the Phillies’ staying power through a tough first half leaves them legitimate contenders -- and probably buyers in the next eight days before the trade deadline.
For the first time this year the Mets looked like their miracle selves of 2006. Various, anonymous heroes picked up the load for a team challenged by injuries. No general manager is more worthy of scrutiny in the next week than Omar Minaya of the Mets. Last July he knew his team was in the playoffs. There is no such assurance this year -- a season that is a disappointment for the Mets unless they make the World Series.
BONDS AND MORE: The national debate centering on Barry Bonds and his pursuit to break Hank Aaron's all-time home-run record of 755 had a hilarious moment Sunday night. Opinions were volleyed as to the fate of Bonds’ chase if he doesn’t hit the record-tying and record-breaking milestone home runs during this week’s seven-game Giants' homestand.
Crazy thoughts were bouncing around when the one moment of sanity was injected by Dusty Baker, a man who knows Bonds as well as anyone. Baker calmly asked the shouters if they thought Bonds had any say in this chase. Bingo! The magic answer…let’s repeat again, there is zero percent chance of Bonds hitting his milestone home runs in any ballpark other than AT & T Park. And it is all about Bonds. No manager, owner, commissioner or entity can affect that fact. Where the record is broken will be all Bonds’ doing.
By the way, two things lost amidst the Bonds watch in Milwaukee over the weekend: 1) A sterling pitching performance from future Giants' star Tim Lincecum (eight shutout innings Saturday, and a 0.99 ERA in his last five starts), and more offense from brilliant Brewers rookie third baseman Ryan Braun, who despite his late start may push Colorado’s Troy Tulowitski in the race for NL Rookie of the Year.
