So there was this guy once, and he pitched so well they named an award after him.

So let’s talk about the Cy Young Award in the American League for a bit here.

The three nominees on the junior circuit this season are people whose names are frequently bandied about when it comes to this award – although only one of them has won it before. Whether that man, Justin Verlander, will win the award again this season remains to be seen, as he’s got some awfully good competition.

That being said, however, let’s look at Verlander first, as he’s the reigning champion.

Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers: Verlander is a perennial Cy Young candidate due to being insanely good at baseball. The man seriously knows how to pitch. This year was no different – he went 17-8 with a 2.64 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. He started 33 games and finished 6 of them, with one of those being a shutout. He walked 239 whilst only walking 60 over his 238.1 innings pitched.

Basically, Justin Verlander is a good pitcher. We know this, so the BBWAA decided that he should be a finalist, which happens nearly every year anyway. Somehow, he’s only won once, which was last year. This is because he’s often up against competition like this…

David Price, Tampa Bay Rays: Price is stiff competition. Over 211 innings he racked up 205 strikeouts whilst walking 59 batters and ended the year with a 2.56 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. He started 31 games, completing two of them (with one shutout), pitching his way to a 20-5 record over 211 innings.

This may surprise you, but Price has never won the Cy Young before even though he’s now been around for a few years and has pitched well for pretty much all of them. He has a pretty good chance of winning this season, however, since he measures up well enough to Verlander. (Really, that’s how to win the Cy Young if Verlander is nominated – you have to basically equal him or beat him. There’s no option for not being as good.)

Jered Weaver, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: The dark horse candidate of sorts, namely because not too many people pay attention to the Angels on the East Coast and there’s this apocryphal thing called East Coast Bias which might actually be real. Weaver, too, went 20-5 this season, notching an ERA of 2.81, a WHIP of 1.02, and 142 strikeouts. He walked 45 batters over the 30 games he started, completing 3 of those games (2 shutouts). He totaled 188.1 innings pitched, which is the smallest amount out of the three nominees this season – but it puts his numbers in perspective, making him a strong candidate as well.

This race is pretty tight – there’s no clear winner yet. You’ll just have to wait and see when the Cy Young Awards are announced at 6 pm tonight!

The current NL standings via MLB.com

As of Friday, the MLB Playoffs officially begin! Last time, I went over what some of the Playoff terminology meant and how to actually get to the playoffs, but what about what’s happening right now this season? Well, here’s where we stand:

With the exception of the 2nd Wild Card team, the National League teams are all set.  We have the Washington Nationals representing the NL East (FYI…this is their very first division title as the “Nationals”).  Then we have the Cincinnati Reds in the NL Central (who are tied with the Nationals for the best record in all of baseball) and the San Francisco Giants in the NL West.

» Continue reading “Baseball For Beginners: So, Who’s Going To The Playoffs?”

Standings via MLB.com

Holy first place tie in the AL East, Batman! That’s right… it’s coming down to the wire, we’re on the home stretch and already into October, but two teams with impressive records are holding ground in first place.

Guess who has two thumbs, just clinched a post-season berth, and is sitting in first place in the AL East right now? Hint: you have a two-in-five chance of getting it right.

What did you do this weekend? The Orioles swept the Red Sox, bringing them back into first place and with the potential to win the pennant, and a playoff berth secured with the Angels loss to Texas Sunday night. This is Baltimore’s first playoff berth since 1997. For those of you who can’t do math, well, that was a long time ago, especially if you’re a dog.

The fate of the Orioles and the Tampa Bay Rays is very much intertwined at this point. The two teams begin a three-game series Monday night to round out their season. The Rays need to win all three games in order to secure one of the league’s two wild card spots. Currently, the Rays’ elimination number is set at 1, and the team trails Oakland for the wild card.

» Continue reading “AL East Recap: Holy First Place Tie, Batman!”

American League East Standings via MLB.com

New York Yankees

The Yankees fought for a crucial series win over the Rays this weekend  in order to maintain their straddle atop the division, where they currently sit only 1.5 games up over the Orioles.

Veteran ace Andy Pettitte is making his way back to the mound in the Bronx for a start on Tuesday against the Toronto Blue Jays. Manager Joe Girardi expects to see about 70 pitches out of the 40-year-old southpaw. Pettitte was out of the rotation this season due to a fractured ankle.

Curtis Granderson is on track to join Mickey Mantle for consecutive seasons with 40 homers. Granderson is at number 39 as of Sunday afternoon. Derek Jeter continues to climb in the all-time hits list, and is currently three hits over the great Willie Mays at 3,286.

» Continue reading “AL East Recap: Heating Up & Winding Down”

American League East division standings via MLB.com

New York Yankees

The Yanks are still clinging to the top of the peak in the AL East, but the Orioles are rabidly nipping at the heals of their cleats, only two games below. Meanwhile, the Rays are only 3.5 games back from first.

Third baseman and everyone’s favourite, Alex Rodriguez, who fractured his left hand on July 24th, should rejoin the ‘Bombers on Monday for the series opener in Tampa. Another slugger missing from the lineup is first baseman Mark Teixeira, out with a calf strain, who is taking recovery slow in order to prevent a setback that could cause him to miss the rest of the season. Old Andy Pettitte is meanwhile making progress in his rehab from a fractured ankle.

Roster expansion for the Yankees meant catcher Francisco Cervelli, DH Eduardo Nunez, outfielder Chris Dickerson and pitchers Cory Wade, Adam Warren, and Justin Thomas made the 40-man, while infielder Ramiro Pena was designated for assignment.

» Continue reading “AL East Recap: The Great Divide”

American League East standings as of Sunday. via MLB.com

New York Yankees

The Yankees are sitting atop the AL East with the Tampa Bay Rays and the Baltimore Orioles nipping at their heels. Their record is .592, ridiculous, but what’s more, in the National League, both the Nationals (.617) and the Reds (.607) are higher still.

Friendly giant C.C. Sabathia should return to the rotation as soon as Friday’s game against the Indians. Sabathia was assigned to the DL for a second time this season just earlier in the month for elbow tightness, but has begun thrown bullpen sessions.

Switch-hitting first baseman Mark Teixeira is still day-to-day with a wrist injury he sustained at the end of July. Manager Joe Girardi is hesitant to move Tex to the DL, but will if it move seems critical to full recovery.

For more on the Yankees, visit Second Place Is Not An Option.

» Continue reading “AL East Recap: Off To The Races”

AL East Standings as of August 5, via MLB.com

Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays are showing suffering signs of their injuries. Toronto has been without the help of slugger Jose Bautista as well as starters J.P. Arencibia and Adam Lind. But even more devastating is that this weekend also lost both Brett Lawrie and Colby Rasmus to injury. Third baseman Lawrie is day-to-day with a nagging ribcage injury left over from a series in July against the Yankees, and Rasmus strained his groin catching a fly on Friday night’s game in Oakland.

Pitcher J.A. Happ, who was acquired in the 10-man trade with the Astros in late July, should start for the Blue Jays on Thursday against the Rays.

» Continue reading “AL East Recap: More Injuries, More Mending”

Standings via MLB.com

New York Yankees
Despite a streak of four losses in Oakland, the Yanks are sitting in first place with an average at a high .600, second in the majors only to the Texas Rangers who currently boast .602. The Yankees will face the Mariners in Seattle, and their goofy guy Nick Swisher will be missed, as he rests a hip flexor strain sustained last Friday against the Athletics.
Superstar-All-Star-Call-Him-What-You-Will Robinson Cano’s impressive 23-game hitting streak came to a close on an oh-fer-4 night in Oakland, and though some may blame “shadows” for some poor moves by both teams, Cano claims no excuses. Honesty is always the best policy.

For more on the Yankees, visit Second Place Is Not An Option.

» Continue reading “AL East Recap: Sweepin’ Around”

Updated! AL East standings via MLB.com

New York Yankees

Good news! I saw a dog today. Also, if you’re a Yankees fan, then you might wanna know that big guy CC Sabathia, who was on the 15-day DL due to a groin strain, should return to the Yanks’ pitching rotation after the All-Star Break.

Also looking up is catcher Russell Martin, who bid adieu to his oh-fer-thirty slump on Saturday. Here’s to his better (second) half of the season. Another Bomber who is looking forward and not looking back on the first half of the season is mighty A-Rod himself, who is only batting .270 with 13 homers thus far.

For more on the Yankees, visit Second Place Is Not An Option.

» Continue reading “AL East Recap: So Long, Farewell, First Half”

Everyone is above .500 in the American League East. The only division in baseball that can boast that, as well as a spread of only 6.5 games between first and fifth place. Snaps for you!

American League East standings via MLB.com

New York Yankees

The Yankees are hot off a series win against their borough-next-door neighbors the name-calling Mets, not to mention a whole spread of interleague dominance over the NL. The Yankees lead the majors in home runs this season with 110. Russell Martin missed the game Sunday to rest stiffness in his back, and always-lucky Joba Chamberlain was in a minor car accident, but was uninjured. On the offensive side of things, Nick Swisher, Robbie Cano and Mark Teixeira are going wild with big bats, and no doubt swinging their way into All-Star jerseys.

For more on the Yankees, visit Second Place Is Not An Option.

» Continue reading “AL East Recap: Hot! Hot! Hot!”