JEFF ERICKSON:
I’ve got “All I Need is a Miracle” by Mike and the Mechanics playing in my head, and that’s just not a good place to be.
It turns out, I have absolutely no upside in the pitching categories, only downside, and not even much of that. I’m up one win on Ron and two wins on Liss, but neither have a starting pitcher going for them today. The only way they end up with another start is if the O’s & Yanks tie and have to have a tiebreaker game for the AL East title, as both have Orioles pitchers on their roster.
So, I’m left to look elsewhere to try to find how to gain 2.5 points or more in the last full day of the season. Larry and Ron are tied in saves – so go Royals and M’s, let’s hope Greg Holland and Tom Wilhelmsen notch saves! And Larry should definitely root for his Red Sox to play spoilers against the Yankees, so Rafael Soriano doesn’t get a save and the Yankees don’t win the AL East. I call that a win-win.
Alas, the lack of starts for Ron and Chris hurt me, too, as they are behind Larry six and seven strikeouts respectively. Rick and Glenn are just two K’s behind Larry, but they also have no starters today. Hopefully their high-K relievers get plenty of action. Unfortunately, Larry has Jered Weaver going tonight, so that’s not looking so good. I can’t emphasize enough how much those starts from Jeremy Guthrie and Miguel Gonzalez meant for him last night. Without them, Larry is three points to the worse and needing a command performance from Weaver.
So … back to hitting. There’s still a path, but it’s difficult. I’m chasing Rob (not “Fawn“) Leibowitz by five runs and Andy Behrens by three. I’m trailing Jason Collette by two homers. Larry is leading Lawr Michaels by just one RBI (but trailing Rick/Glenn by just one RBI). Larry is leading Matthew Berry by two stolen bases.
So let’s start cheering for Lawr and Matthew. Kyle Seager, take Jered Weaver deep, please. Nick Swisher, now is your time to shine and clinch that AL East title against Larry’s Red Sox. Just make sure the Yankees win by 7 or 8, please. Alcides Escobar, 34 steals are great – but wouldn’t 35 look like a better number in arbitration? Oakland, you want that AL West title badly enough? Put in Jemile Weeks as a pinch-runner and get that go-ahead run from first-to-third in a snap! Let’s do this!
Finally, in regards to Larry’s Jamey Carroll comment – the world needs ditch-diggers, too. We’ve all got those sorts of guys on our roster. Even though I got way more mileage than one could possibly expect from Elliott Johnson, it sure would be nice if the Rays let him pinch-run and score a run today.
LARRY SCHECHTER:
“All I need is a miracle”….I love that song!
I think Jeff’s chances are much better than a “miracle.”
Soriano threw about 40 pitches last night, so I don’t know if he’s even available today.
My Red Sox are truly pathetic.
Ambrosius and Childs have Trout in LABR AL and look like they may not win. There are three teams within a point of each other with one day to go. Now that’s a race!!!
LABR has a tie-breaker rule. Does Tout? If Jeff and I finish with the same # points, is it a tie? Do they give us each a trophy or do we have to cut one in half?
Maybe Jeff and I will finish tied today, and so will Bal-NYY, and it will all come down to Soriano getting a save Thursday after taking today off?