Tigers' edge is on the road
Posted: Friday, August 17, 2007 4:07 PM
On this Friday in August Detroit is showing signs of life after a dormant stretch that had Tigers manager Jim Leyland puzzled and fuming. The Tigers split two games in Cleveland to begin this week and won Thursday night in the Bronx in the opener of a four-game set with the Yankees. Why are the Tigers favored to win the AL Central? Road wins. They have 37 of them, the most in the majors.
And that same measure hurts Milwaukee in the suddenly-fierce-if-not-strong NL Central race. Actually, it’s the worst division of the six, but may provide fans with the best race now that the Cardinals have joined the Cubs in pursuit of the front-running Brewers. The young team from Milwaukee has played poorly on the road and that doesn’t figure to improve down the stretch.
When Oakland traded catcher Jason Kendall to the Cubs the A’s pitchers unanimously lamented his departure. We were told how valuable Kendall was to the development of Dan Haren. Now, raw numbers indicate that the Cubs’ staff ERA has ballooned since Kendall arrived. Some whispers suggest the Cubs should go back to Koyie Hill. What are we to make of this?
Or what are we to make of St. Louis? Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa taught me long ago that no team is in a race unless its record is .500 or better. Well, all statements are subject to revision and the Cardinals began play today only 2 and a half games back of the Brewers despite their sub-.500 record. Rick Ankiel has drawn the limelight this week, but lost in all the publicity given Ankiel has been another reclamation project -- this one by Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan. Joel Piniero, waived by Boston after a failed bullpen stint, is dealing for the Cardinals as a starter.
Also Kip Wells is showing signs of life after a horrid first half. Without major payroll investment by St. Louis ownership and with the loss of Chris Carpenter to injury, LaRussa and Duncan are forced to make the most of every player every day. And while Duncan isn't perfect (see Sidney Ponson), he has supplanted Leo Mazzone as the master of remaking pitchers. A big question is whether LaRussa has had enough of seeing sellout crowds in a new ballpark without a major payroll bump for players.
Did you see the recent edition of Baseball America. In its annual Best Tools issue, the NL managers voted as best hitter Matt Holliday of the Rockies. C’mon, admit it, would you have thought that? Not Albert Pujols, Carlos Beltran, Ryan Howard, Miguel Cabrera, Chipper Jones or any other number of standouts? It was the anonymous Colorado left fielder who has simply become one of the best players in the game while playing for the team with the best record in the NL since July 1. Next week, I’ll have more on the NL West, which is fueled by two of the game’s best stories in 2007: The Diamondbacks and the Rockies.
