Braves, Giants can clinch today

[nyy26wc]

1) Yesterday's scores--

AL
Redsox 3, Devil Rays 2
Royals 12, Indians 8
BlueJays 9, Tigers 6
Yankees 6, Orioles 3
Rangers 10, Mariners 5
Twins 5, Whitesox 2
Angels 6, A's 5

NL
Phillies 14, Marlins 0
Reds 12, Pirates 4
Expos 5, Braves 4 (10)
Cubs 3, Mets 2
Cardinals 6, Brewers 5
Astros 14, Rockies 4
Diamondbacks 3, Dodgers 2
Giants 4, Padres 2

2) Standings--

AL EAST         WON  LOST  PCT  GB      HOME   ROAD   EAST  CENT  WEST STREAK
Yankees          94   57  .623   -     47-31  47-26  41-27 22-07 18-18 WON  2
Redsox           88   62  .587   5 1/2 49-26  39-36  36-31 22-11 19-13 WON  2
d--BlueJays      77   73  .513  16 1/2 36-38  41-35  32-37 18-13 17-15 WON  1
e--Orioles       67   83  .447  26 1/2 38-38  29-45  27-37 14-18 21-15 LOST 2
e--Devil Rays    59   91  .393  34 1/2 34-41  25-50  30-34 12-20 14-22 LOST 2

AL CENTRAL      WON  LOST  PCT  GB      HOME   ROAD   EAST  CENT  WEST STREAK
Twins            82   69  .543   -     41-33  41-36  17-15 35-30 20-16 WON  4
Whitesox         80   70  .533   1 1/2 48-27  32-43  19-14 38-29 13-19 LOST 1
Royals           78   72  .520   3 1/2 38-35  40-37  12-20 41-23 16-20 WON  4
e--Indians       65   87  .428  17 1/2 36-40  29-47  12-14 34-38 13-23 LOST 4
e--Tigers        38  112  .253  43 1/2 20-55  18-57  09-25 19-47 06-26 LOST 4

AL WEST         WON  LOST  PCT  GB      HOME   ROAD   EAST  CENT  WEST STREAK
A's              91   61  .599   -     53-22  38-39  28-13 25-20 29-19 LOST 1
Mariners         86   65  .570   4 1/2 47-31  39-34  18-23 32-13 26-21 LOST 3
e--Angels        72   80  .474  19     41-34  31-46  15-30 26-15 20-28 WON  1
e--Rangers       67   84  .444  23 1/2 40-36  27-48  22-23 21-20 20-27 WON  2

NL EAST         WON  LOST  PCT  GB      HOME   ROAD   EAST  CENT  WEST STREAK
y--Braves        94   58  .618   -     51-24  43-34  34-32 27-12 23-09 LOST 1
Marlins          83   67  .553  10     48-27  35-40  40-24 19-20 15-17 LOST 2
Phillies         83   68  .550  10 1/2 46-27  37-41  37-31 20-16 18-14 WON  2
d--Expos         77   75  .507  17     52-28  25-47  31-38 18-15 19-13 WON  1
e--Mets          63   87  .420  30     32-41  31-46  26-43 15-20 17-14 LOST 3

NL CENTRAL      WON  LOST  PCT  GB      HOME   ROAD   EAST  CENT  WEST STREAK
Astros           82   68  .547   -     45-29  37-39  13-17 46-31 12-13 WON  4
Cubs             81   70  .536   1 1/2 41-36  40-34  14-15 41-33 17-13 WON  2
Cardinals        78   74  .513   5     45-31  33-43  17-13 41-36 10-17 WON  2
e--Pirates       69   81  .460  13     35-40  34-41  14-16 34-41 16-17 LOST 1
e--Reds          65   86  .430  17 1/2 33-42  32-44  11-16 33-46 14-19 WON  1
e--Brewers       64   87  .424  18 1/2 30-46  34-41  14-22 34-42 11-16 LOST 3

NL WEST         WON  LOST  PCT  GB      HOME   ROAD   EAST  CENT  WEST STREAK
Giants           92   57  .617   -     53-22  39-35  14-17 21-12 47-20 WON  3
Dodgers          80   69  .537  12     44-32  36-37  16-16 23-13 30-33 LOST 1
d--Diamondbacks  78   73  .517  15     44-34  34-39  16-16 20-13 31-40 WON  3
e--Rockies       68   83  .450  25     45-28  23-55  11-21 18-19 30-37 LOST 3
e--Padres        59   91  .393  33 1/2 32-42  27-49  10-22 13-23 28-36 LOST 5

y--clinched a postseason berth
d--mathematically eliminated from winning the division title
e--mathematically eliminated from winning the division title and from the postseason

3) Wild card standings--

AL             WON  LOST  PCT  GB
Redsox           88   62  .587   -    
Mariners         86   65  .570   2 1/2
Whitesox         80   70  .533   8    
Royals           78   72  .520  10    

NL              WON  LOST  PCT  GB
Marlins          83   67  .553   -    
Phillies         83   68  .550     1/2
Dodgers          80   69  .537   2 1/2
Cubs             81   70  .536   2 1/2
Diamondbacks     78   73  .517   5 1/2
Cardinals        78   74  .513   6    
Expos            77   75  .507   7    

4) The Braves will clinch the division title if they beat the Expos and the Marlins lose to the Phillies.

The Braves clinched a spot in the playoffs. Looking at the standings at face value, it looks like it's mathematically possible for the Marlins to pass the Braves and win the division, with the Braves then falling into a tie with the Phillies for the wild card. However, given the remaining games between the Marlins and Phillies, that possibility is eliminated.

5) The Giants will clinch the division title if they beat the Padres and the Dodgers lose to the Diamondbacks.

6) The Mets clinched last place in the NL East for the 2nd consecutive year.

7) The Pirates were mathematically eliminated from winning the division title and from the postseason.

8) The Phillies will be mathematically eliminated from winning the division title if they lose to the Marlins or the Braves beat the Expos.

9) The BlueJays will be mathematically eliminated from the postseason if they lose to the Tigers and the Redsox beat the Devil Rays.

10) The Reds passed the Brewers into 5th place in the NL Central.

11) The Twins clinched a winning season for the 3rd consecutive year. It was their 1st 3 year streak since 1965-67.

12) Magic numbers--

AL East--Yankees, 7
AL Central--Twins, 11
AL West--A's, 7
AL wild card--Redsox, 10

NL East--Braves, 2
NL Central--Astros, 11
NL West--Giants, 2
NL wild card--Marlins, 12

13) The race for the postseason seeds--

AL--The Yankees have a 3 1/2 game lead over the A's for the #1 seed. The A's have a 8 1/2 game lead over the Twins for the #2 seed.

NL--The Braves have a 1 1/2 game lead over the Giants for the #1 seed. The Giants have a 9 1/2 game lead over the Astros for the #2 seed.

14) Tigers watch--

To lose 118 games (to set an AL record): 6-6
To lose 121 games (to set a modern major league record): 3-9

Current pace: 121 losses

15) Today's schedule--

AL
A's (Barry Zito) at Angels (Scot Shields), 4:05
Royals (Paul Abbott) at Indians (Jake Westbrook), 7:05
Yankees (David Wells) at Orioles (Eric DuBose), 7:05
Devil Rays (Victor Zambrano) at Redsox (Jeff Suppan), 7:05
BlueJays (Roy Halladay) at Tigers (Shane Loux), 7:05
Whitesox (Jon Garland) at Twins (Kenny Rogers), 8:05
Mariners (Jamie Moyer) at Rangers (Ryan Drese), 8:05

NL
Mets (Al Leiter) at Cubs (Kerry Wood), 2:20
Braves (Mike Hampton) at Expos (T.J. Tucker), 5:05
Reds (Seth Etherton) at Pirates (Jeff D'Amico), 7:05
Marlins (Mark Redman) at Phillies (Brett Myers), 7:05
Brewers (Ben Sheets) at Cardinals (Garrett Stephenson), 8:10
Astros (Ron Villone) at Rockies (Darren Oliver), 9:05
Diamondbacks (Brandon Webb) at Dodgers (Edwin Jackson), 10:10
Padres (Mike Bynum) at Giants (Jason Schmidt), 10:15

16) Yesterday's HRs--

Alex Rodriguez--#44
Barry Bonds--#43
Jim Thome--#41
Sammy Sosa--#35
Andruw Jones--#35
Alfonso Soriano--#32
Jeromy Burnitz--#29
Carl Everett--#28
Richard Hidalgo--#25, #26 & #27
Hank Blalock--#27
Chipper Jones--#26
Jeff Kent--#22
Morgan Ensberg--#22
Wes Helms--#21
Erubiel Durazo--#20
Rondell White--#20
Joe Randa--#16
Scott Spiezio--#16
Mike Lieberthal--#11
Orlando Hudson--#9
Layne Nix--#7 & #8
Adam Everett--#8
Roger Cedeno--#7
Mark Kotsay--#6
Ron Belliard--#5
Greg Norton--#5
Alex Escobar--#4
Wily Mo Pena--#4
Ryan Freel--#4
Pedro Swann--#1
Khalil Greene--#1

17) HR leaders--

AL
1) Alex Rodriguez--44*
2) Frank Thomas--40
3) Jason Giambi--39
T4) Rafael Palmeiro--35
T4) Carlos Delgado--35
6) Manny Ramirez--34
7) Bret Boone--33
8) Alfonso Soriano--32*
T9) Aubrey Huff--31
T9) Vernon Wells--31

NL
1) Barry Bonds--43*
2) Albert Pujols--42
3) Jim Thome--41*
T4) Javier Lopez--40
T4) Richie Sexson--40
6) Jim Edmonds--37
7) Gary Sheffield--36
T8) Sammy Sosa--35*
T8) Jeff Bagwell--35
T7) Andruw Jones--35*

*--hit 1 yesterday

18) Barry Bonds watch--hit #656, is 4 behind Mays, is 58 behind Ruth, is 99 behind Aaron's record.

19) Sammy Sosa tied Jimmie Foxx for 11th place on the all time HR list, with 534.

Sosa tied the major league record with his 9th consecutive year of 35+ HR--

T1   Jimmie Foxx              1932-40    9   
T1   Rafael Palmeiro          1995-03    9   
T1   Sammy Sosa               1995-03    9   
T4   Babe Ruth                1926-32    7   
T4   Ralph Kiner              1947-53    7   
T6   Willie Mays              1961-66    6   
T6   Alex Rodriguez           1998-03    6   
T8   Babe Ruth                1920-24    5   
T8   Duke Snider              1953-57    5   
T8   Rocky Colavito           1958-62    5   
T8   Frank Thomas             1993-97    5   
T8   Mark McGwire             1995-99    5   
T8   Ken Griffey Jr.          1996-00    5   

20) Jim Thome passed Rocky Colavito into 54th place on the all time HR list, with 375.

21) Alex Rodriguez tied Ron Santo for 71st place on the all time HR list, with 342.

[nyy26wc]

1) Braves C Javier Lopez was the starting catcher, with Greg Maddux pitching, for the first time since 1998, and Braves MGR Bobby Cox says he plans on letting Lopez catch when Maddux pitches in the postseason.

After 3.05 ERA/35 RSAA and 2.62 ERA/33 RSAA seasons, Maddux has a 4.06 ERA/4 RSAA in 34 starts. He has a 2.89 career ERA, compared to his league average of 4.05, and 539 RSAA in 573 games.

2) The A's were originally hoping that they could get Mark Mulder back for the playoffs, but GM Billy Beane is now admitting that's not going to happen.

After 3.45 ERA/22 RSAA and 3.47 ERA/27 RSAA seasons, Mulder finished with a 3.13 ERA/23 RSAA in 26 starts. He has a 3.77 career ERA, compared to his league average of 4.58, and 59 RSAA in 117 games.

3) A MRI on Dodgers P Andy Ashby showed he has a partial tear of the medial collateral ligament in his elbow, plus a significant bone spur. He's going to need Tommy John.

Ashby's a 36 year old in the final year of his contract. While he admits his career could be over, he also says he intends to try to make a comeback.

4) Former P Lary Sorensen was sentenced to 30 days in jail and 3 years of probation, after he was convicted of drunk driving for the 5th time.

Sorensen had a 4.15 career ERA, compared to his league average of 3.96, and -30 RSAA in 346 games with 7 teams from 1977-88.

5) Phillies P Terry Adams is expected to need elbow surgery. The team doctor recommended it after Adams had X-rays and a MRI yesterday, and he'll see Dr. James Andrews next week.

6) Diamondbacks owner Jerry Colangelo says he hopes to get next year's payroll down to $80 million (it's $94 million for 2003) and expects the 2005 payroll to be about $55 million.

7) The Rockies activated P Chin-hui Tsao from the DL.

Tsao has a 6.69 ERA/-8 RSAA in his first 7 career starts.

8) Rangers owner Tom Hicks says that the team may be interested in re-signing Rafael Palmeiro during the offseason. Also, Palmeiro's indicated he may be interested in returning.

Meanwhile, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports the Rangers are probably going to reduce the payroll to $70-75 million for 2004, down from about $99 million in 2003.

9) Giants 1B J.T. Snow is expected to miss the next 3 or 4 games, due to a strained right groin.

Snow was on the DL twice this year, due to a strained groin, but those were injuries to the left side. After 5 RCAA/.750 OPS and -4 RCAA/.704 OPS seasons, Snow is hitting .425 SLG, .385 OBA, .810 OPS, 8 RCAA in 98 games. He has a .780 career OPS, compared to his league average of .776, and 25 RCAA in 1448 games.

10) Devil Rays MGR Lou Piniella says the team is going to look for power and relief pitching during the offseason.

The Tampa Tribune speculates that the team could be interested in free agents Gary Sheffield, Reggie Sanders, Mike Cameron, Carl Everett, Arthur Rhodes and Tom Gordon. Meanwhile, the St. Petersburg Times speculates that the targets could be Sheffield, Everett, Jose Cruz Jr. and Tony Batista, while that paper agrees that Gordon and Rhodes are potential pitching targets.

11) A's P Keith Foulke wasn't available yesterday, due to a sore back, and may be able to pitch today.

After 2.33 ERA/21 RSAA and 2.90 ERA/15 RSAA seasons, Foulke has a 2.07 ERA/20 RSAA in 69 games. He has a 3.17 career ERA, compared to his league average of 4.63, and 94 RSAA in 426 games.

Foulke could become the first pitcher in baseball history to have 4 years with 20+ RSAA/0 GS.

[Boys of Summer]

Congratulations to both the Giants and the Braves.

Hope this doesn't start a discussion on whether or not this is the Braves' 12th or 9th consecutive division title. Regardless, that's quite a feat, even if they've only got one ring to show for all that.

One interesting note - in 1994, the Montreal Expos were 6 games ahead of the Braves when the strike ended the season. The Expos were 74-40 (.649) while the Braves were 68-46 (.596). The year before, at the end of 8/10/93, both the Giants and the Braves had played 114 games. At that point in the season, the Giants were 76-38 (.667) while the Braves were 67-47 (.588). This means that the Giants were 9 games ahead of the Braves. As we all know, the Braves beat the Giants by 1 game that year for the division title. The Giants went 27-21 (.563) down the stretch, which doesn't appear that they choked. However, the Braves caught fire and went 37-11 (.771) down the stretch. Sure would have been interesting to see if 1994 would have played out that same way or if the Expos would have maintained their lead over the Braves.

[nyy26wc]

Originally Posted by Boys of Summer

Hope this doesn't start a discussion on whether or not this is the Braves' 12th or 9th consecutive division title. Regardless, that's quite a feat, even if they've only got one ring to show for all that.

We've already been down that road.

If anyone wishes to revisit the topic, please do so at http://www.netshrine.com/vbulletin2/...ad.php?t=10701