AL East Tightens Up

All of a sudden, with the All-Star Break on the horizon, the division is in a virtual tie. The Red Sox have used the inferior NL to gain ground and pile on the runs. They are 8-1 against the Phillies, Diamondbacks and Dodgers and averaged 6.9 runs per game while doing it. However, runs may be at a premium in the next couple of series. They have the Rockies and Giants up next. I wonder if they will manage to avoid Ubaldo Jimenez, Matt Cain, and Tim Lincecum... not bloody likely. Hopefully they will take it to the Rays like last time in their last two contests before the All-Fart game. After the break, it will be back to bludgeoning the O's.

The Rays on the other hand are getting handled by the likes of the Marlins while going 3-7 in their last ten. The Yankees have pretty much held their own, but the Sox blistering pace has closed the gap; although, the Yanks will have a cushy schedule coming up once they finish their interleague play. They face the Mariners, Blue Jays, A's, and Mariners again before finally having to face the Rays at home.

With any luck we'll have an entertaining three team race in the division that goes down to the last week in the season. It's what was anticipated. Let's see if it delivers.

Why?

Why am I watching the Sox play the Diamondbacks right now? My lack of posts is related directly to my disinterest in interleague play. I am realizing this just now. There are just far more compelling sports events happening during this travesty.

The NBA Finals are one. I know I've expressed my disinterest in basketball before, but this is Celtics v. Lakers. It takes me back to my childhood when Larry Bird was the hero, Magic Johnson the villain. Perhaps the game is a little sloppier, but with so much at stake, I can't look away. (These behemoths playing on the confines of a basketball court is like if my brothers and me tried to play in my kitchen.) In about 10 minutes, I'm switching stations.

Hell, I'm even more interested in the World Cup. Now, I'm always interested in the World Cup, even if I don't follow Soccer any other time. But this time I can't even watch the games, and I care more. Favorite, Spain, goes down to Switzerland! Where's my vuvuzela?!

Yanks Play in the Shadow of Strasburg and Get the Win

It was the first time that both the Orioles and Nationals were at home at the same time and the Nationals, with the aid of the second most hyped prospect ever, most definitely stole the show from the hapless O's.

Stephen Strasburg some how surpassed the expectations for his first start in the big leagues, which is ridiculous in itself. 14Ks? Could you tell he was pitching against the Pirates?

Not to say that he wouldn't have shut down a better lineup with that stuff, but sending him up against the Pirates is like bumping him up to AAAA, not the big leagues. Pittsburgh has maybe two or three hitters who should be getting at bats at the major league level and the rest of them are filler.

Still I'm interested to watch Strasburg and I hope he does well. I only hope that Washington changes their team name like Tampa Bay did before they got better. The Nats. Its just so stupid.

Anyway back to the Yanks. Phil Hughes pitched well enough to get the win last night, but that's it. Hughes has never really pitched well in Baltimore. He had his worst start of his career there last year when he gave up eight runs in just 1.2 IP and overall for his career he has an ERA of 7.65.

Even this season when Hughes has posted a 1-0 record and a 3.09 ERA in the tiny confines of Camden Yards, his performances there have not been good. In his first start there he couldn't find the strike zone and while he only gave up one run, he walked four and only struck out two.

Last night Hughes didn't walk anyone for the first time this season, but he gave up a season high nine hits and if you saw his body language, you could tell he wasn't putting the ball anywhere he wanted to.

It doesn't matter until Hughes goes back to Baltimore, but it is nice to see Hughes battle through starts where he doesn't have his best stuff.

And while Baltimore might be Hughes' krptonite, it certainly rejuvanates any hitters who walk in and get to face Oriole pitching.

Nick Swisher loves Camden yards and blasted a first pitch fastball over 400ft to dead center field for a two-run jack. Curtis Granderson added a grand slam and Mark Teixeira went 3 for 4 with a home run and two walks.

Granderson has been great since coming off the DL and its good to see him keep going. Teixeira is the one who hopefully uses this game to go on a hot streak. He hasn't been horrible since April, but he can definitely improve on his .267 average since May 1.

Next up is game two in Baltimore with CC Sabathia taking on Chris Tillman it what, on paper, should be another Yankee blow out.

Sox Bust It Open Late

After Jon Lester and Jeremy Guthrie locked horns in a pitchers' duel for the first seven innings, the Sox bats finally pounced. The six run ninth turned things from a tight 2-0 contest to a 8-0 rout. The Sox held on to win 8-2 after the scrubs gave up some garbage time runs. Guthrie must have been pissed. He pitched his ass off, and his teammates couldn't get him a single run. Then the bullpen gets bombed liked Guernica.

The O's (or should be zerO's) definitely had their chances, getting runners in scoring position several times. But they were turned away at each opportunity by a determined Jon Lester. Lester needed a bit of help from Daniel Bard when Lester left the game with one out in the eighth and the bases loaded. Lester had avoided walking anyone all game, but walked the bases loaded in the eighth. Bard was able to keep those runners right where they were by inducing two harmless pop-outs as to end the threat.

The Red Sox seemed to have found a rhythm the past few weeks. They're winning two out of three most series and have settled into the playoff hunt. (Facing the A's, Orioles, and Cleveland next sure helps.) I do have one criticism though. As good as David Ortiz has been playing, I can't see him staying in the three spot. That spot in the line up should be reserved for your best, most versatile hitter. For the Sox, that is Kevin Youkilis. He is batting .312 with a .400+ OBP. He is consistent and can hit to all fields. Ortiz has been reduced to a three result player (HR, BB, K). My ideal line up at this moment would be Scutaro, Pedroia, Youkilis, Martinez, then Ortiz.

The Call

Everyone is putting in their two cents about Armando Galarraga so I suppose I will. Now there is no disagreement that the call was terrible and destroyed what would have been a historical moment for the Tigers and Galarraga.

But what I will say is that I am against overturning the call. Is overturning the call really going to accomplish anything. The record book will read differently but the story will always be the same: Jim Joyce blew the call on the 27 batter. What ever Selig tries to tell us and no matter how many times Joyce apologizes, the image of Galarraga stepping on first shortly followed by Jason Donald and Joyce's emphatic safe call will forever be in baseball lore.

The game wasn't perfect. There was on error and though it wasn't from a player the game is forever tainted whether Selig steps in or not.

All this incident might do is bring about instant replay more rapidly, but nothing that happens now will change anything for Galarraga or Joyce. Their places in history are firmly set.

Beckett's Balky Back

So, this is why Josh Beckett has been stanktastic all season.

Griffey Hangs 'Em Up

As I am watching the Yankees attempt to take a big lead over the Orioles, word has come down that Ken Griffey Jr. is retiring from baseball. Griffey has struggled at the plate the last three years and he has yet to hit a homer in 2010.

Griffey always had one of the sweetest swings I have ever seen in my day, which I will admit isn't very long. Still he is one of the few slugger never to garner PED suspicions and while that doesn't preclude the possibility of him using, it is nice to think that one player did it the right way during the Steroid Era.

Griffey is a no doubt Hall of Famer and its said to see him go. Although most of my Griffey memories involve him tormenting the Yankees both at the plate and in centerfield during the mid-1990s so if I conjure images of those days then it softens the play. And at least the Kid got to spend his final days as a king in the city where he saved baseball.