Ah, November — when election results rule the land. No, I’m not referring to some inconsequential “presidential election.” I’m talking about MLB’s annual recognition of outstanding achievements in the field of excellence.  

Granted, I’m not a BBWWA member, and it’s too late to sway any votes. But is this not the Internet? And is not the Internet the domain of the disenfranchised and/or disproportionately self-important? With that in mind, here are my picks for this year’s awards*:

MONDAY

AL Rookie of the Year: Evan Longoria, Rays. Believe it or not, Royals shortstop Mike Aviles out-VORPed Longoria 35 to 34.8 for the AL rookie lead. Of course, a replacement SS has lower expectations than a replacement 3B. Longoria racked up a 14-point advantage in EqA (.302 to .288) and three more Win Shares** (20 to 17) than Aviles. I wouldn’t be appalled if Aviles took the honors, especially when you factor in his defense. Given Longoria’s participation in the Rays’ dream season, though, he’s a lock.

NL Rookie of the Year: Geovany Soto, Cubs. It’s hard to imagine the BBWWA jobbing a catcher who hit .285-23-86 for the best team in the league. Good thing, too: He led all rookies in VORP and Win Shares while compiling a .288 EqA. Joey Votto and Jair Jurrjens should get nice rounds of applause, but this is Soto’s party.  

TUESDAY

NL Cy Young: Tim Lincecum, Giants. I can see giving this to Johan Santana. He edged Timmay in VORP despite facing slightly tougher competition (737 opponent OPS vs. 730), led the league in innings, and, lest we forget, played for a contender. But his edge in VORP is less than one, and the other two factors are largely out of Lincecum’s control: It’s unlikely that he gave himself the hook in each of his starts (he trailed Santana by 7.3 IP), and his teammates were pretty bad at baseball. Despite a weak supporting cast, Lincecum compiled a .783 winning percentage. His 28 Win Shares led all pitchers, as did his 265 K’s. 

WEDNESDAY

AL Manager of the Year: Joe Maddon, Rays. Leave it to MLB to throw in a couple awards that I don’t care about to break up the excitement. Anyway, if you’re familiar with the 2008 season at all, you know that Maddon took a heretofore cruddy team and coached them to the AL East crown. Plus, he confused baseball fans worldwide with his 9=8 nonsense.

NL Manager of the Year: Pass? The first name that comes to mind is Tony LaRussa, who took a team predicted to finish fourth in the NL Central all the way to … oh yeah, fourth. But I had them pegged for 75 wins, and they ended up with 86. My guess is that Joe Torre walks away with the prize. Can we just give it to Lou Brown?

THURSDAY

AL Cy Young: Cliff Lee, Indians. On another website in March, I referred to Lee as a “proven mediocrity.” For that reason alone, I guarantee you that he’ll win the Cy Young. It doesn’t hurt that he led the league in wins, ERA (adjusted and otherwise), winning percentage, pitching Win Shares, and VORP. To have me refer to you as a “proven mediocrity,” simply e-mail me five dollars.

FRIDAY, SATURDAY, AND SUNDAY

Crickets. Tumbleweeds. Some football.

NEXT MONDAY

NL MVP: Albert Pujols, Cardinals. It’s been well established that I appreciate Albert, but this isn’t playing favorites. Albert simply wrecked stuff this year. Let’s do the list: first in adjusted OPS (190), VORP (96.8), EqA (.372), and runs created (160). And when I say “first,” I mean first in the majors. Lance Berkman tallied more Win Shares (38 to 35), but Albert is your NL MVP. That’s why it’ll be really annoying when it goes to Ryan Howard or C.C. Sabathia.

NEXT TUESDAY

AL MVP: Give me a minute ... This one is the real wild card, with no clear choice. The metrics are conflicted: Grady Sizemore led in VORP and Runs Created (62.7, 131), Win Shares liked Joe Mauer (31), and Milton Bradley took home the gold in +OPS and EqA (163, .341). As a scrappy middle infielder who contended for the batting crown on a playoff team, Dustin Pedroia has a lot of what baseball writers like. He’s the most likely candidate, but I would give it to Mauer. A catcher who gets on base 41% of the time deserves some love.  

*After making my picks, I went and looked at the Internet Baseball Awards results. Other than Pedroia as AL MVP and Lou Piniella as NL Manager of the Year, my picks match. On one hand, I’m disheartened in that I’m probably just preaching to the choir here. On the other hand, this is what happens when you base your decisions on what actually happened on the field rather than intangibles, clubhouse presence, clutch performance, etc.

**Rather than use any one metric as the “decider,” I tried to get a variety of statistical opinions to inform my decisions. I look forward to the creation of baseball’s Theory of Everything, which will make thinking darned near unnecessary.

The other night, my company softball team was drowning its sorrows at a local public house after another crushing defeat (we’ve gotten pretty good at this). Perhaps it was the PBR talking, but a teammate whom we shall call “Andy” made the bold proclamation that Manny Ramirez is the best hitter going today. This is an oft-repeated sentiment, given Manny’s standing as a “hitting savant.”

Even so, I couldn’t sit idly by and let this statement go unchallenged. I put in a word for Albert Pujols, who will likely be the godfather of my child, whether he knows it or not. Andy would have none of it.

The problem with smoke-filled bars is that, while most are equipped with Golden Tee, few have easy access to the intrawebs and the resources contained therein. So I had to wait a while to do the research necessary to form any meaningful conclusion that didn’t involve fisticuffs.

To get as much data as possible, let’s look at career numbers rather than 2008 or 2006-2008. Keep in mind that we’re talking about batting, pure and simple. Fielding, baserunning, baseball IQ, and “Manny being Manny” are not on the table in this particular debate.

Looking at bare-bones rate stats, Manny checks in at .314/.411/.593. That’s not too shabby. Albert, though, clocks a .344/.425/.624 line. If you want to level the playing field a bit, look at Adjusted OPS (using Baseball-Reference.com’s calculations). The advantage still goes to Albert, 163 to 155.

“Hey,” you might say, “Albert’s only 28. You’re counting Manny’s decline phase against him. Isn’t it possible that Manny was as awesome as Albert (if not more so) at that point in his career?”

Fair enough. Albert debuted as a 21-year-old and played a full season. Manny debuted as a 21-year-old but didn’t play a full season until he was 23. So let’s throw in Manny’s age 29 season. From 1993-2001, Manny’s line is .312/.406/.594. His highest adjusted OPS during this time was 186 in 2000. Albert has two seasons better than that: 190 in 2008 and 187 in 2003. Also, Albert’s lowest +OPS is 151 (his  “sophomore slump” in 2002). Manny had four full seasons lower than that by the time he turned 30.

Let’s take a look at a couple other toys: Bill James’ Black Ink and Gray Ink tests. Again, I’m using the numbers freely available on Baseball-Reference.com, which is quite possibly the best thing since “The Humpty Dance.” Albert already leads Manny in these career-based metrics, even though he’s been playing for half as long. Albert rates a 24 on the Black Ink test and a 163 on the Gray Ink test. Manny, meanwhile, checks in at 21 and 154, respectively. You can argue about differences in league, competition, etc., but I don’t think those factors outweigh Albert’s utter dominance at the plate.

Remember, we’re just talking about hitting here. If we factored in baserunning and defense, I suspect (OK, I guaran-damn-tee) that Albert’s lead would be even bigger. But that’s not the point. I’m hesitant to call Albert Pujols under-rated, because that is often the first step toward over-rating a player. I just don’t think his greatness is fully comprehended.

Maybe it’s because he plays in St. Louis. Maybe it’s because he’s not a character. It doesn’t really matter, though. The numbers speak for themselves.

John Burnson’s Graphical Player 2009 is soon to be available from ACTA Sports.  From the ACTA website, here are some fo the great features of the sixth edition of the book:

• 800 players reviewed
• Daily game logs for three years — over three years
• Support for fantasty points leagues, including weekly and yearly trends
• The GRAPHICAL MINORS — profiles of the Minors’ top prospects
• Separate evaluations of a player’s skill and role
• Player commentary by team experts who’ve seen every at-bat, every play

The book charts and graphs of 800 players used to uncover trends and tendencies.  It also features writers from Baseball Digest Daily.  Craig Brown, Timm Davis, Rob McQuown, Michael Street and Brian Joseph were among the writers who helped Mr. Burnson with player commentary. 

The book is available for pre-order from ACTA Sports and their site can be found by clicking here.

Fellow BDD writer Craig Brown says there’s nothing “Cinderella” about Tampa.  Let’s get this out of the way:  the story of the Tampa Bay Rays is more “Cinderella” than any team forced to wear the tag along with their success in sports history.

I don’t have two daughters like Mr. Brown.  And maybe after seeing “Cinderella” for the 50 millionth time, Craig has dumbed down the “Cinderella” legend to “success is an accident.”  Heck, some women right now are seething at the suggestion that marriage equals success but that’s a discussion for the next A-Rod article, not this one.  Instead, “Cinderella” is a story of overcoming oppression and triumphant reward for persevering.  The pieces are all there in the Rays’ “Cinderella” season.

“Cinderella” had evil stepsisters to outdo, the Rays had the evil Empire and Red Sox Nation.  Even though “Cinderella” was beautiful, hard working, kind to animals and even sings well — if Walt Disney is to be believed — but was still not invited to the ball.  Isn’t that the same thing the ‘08 Rays are?  A tough team that never quits with all of the pieces of a winning team that no one even cared to notice at the beginning of the season.  Maybe they can’t sing but they are from Florida — same place as Disney World — their home field houses a live Ray exhibit and my bet is their fans are nowhere near as annoying as a Fenway Park “Sweet Caroline” sing-a-long.

Even with all these great qualities, “Cinderella” needed a little help and a confidence boost.  Enter her Fairy Godmother who hooked Cindy up with some hot threads and a regal entrance brigade.  The Rays had great qualities, too.  But it took a positive influence like manager Joe Maddon to revolutionize this cellar dweller — same place Cindy lived — into a team on the doorstep of a World Series berth.  Maybe Maddon didn’t turn mice into horses, a pumpkin into a carriage and tattered rags into a gown but he did turn a young, inexperienced squad into a formidable foe for all of the other playoff — baseball’s ball — “guests” to envy.

The clock even struck midnight for the Rays in Game 1 of the ALCS.  The defending champion Red Sox made them look like the young, inexperienced club everyone thought they were as late as August when some writers dared to say the Yankees still had a chance and the Red Sox were bound to knock the Rays out of the top spot in the East.  Even after the coach turned back into a pumpkin and the glass slipper fell off, this Rays’ team bounced back and won three consecutive games including two at Fenway Park and are now just one win away from knocking off their evil stepsister from the East for the American League tiara.

Mr. Brown adds that calling the Rays a “Cinderella” story is an insult to the efforts to the men who put together this winner.  Instead, what Craig fails to realize is that the Fairy Godmother didn’t chose some overweight, lazy, single chick who spent her days at home watching Judge Judy and eating Bon Bons to make over, either.  You see, Cinderella always had it in her.  The moral of the story is that sometimes beauty is hidden and it takes a little nudge to get people to notice.  But beyond her beauty, Cinderella was gracious and special and more than just your average girl that got all the right breaks thanks to a little magic.

Comparing the Rays to Cinderella isn’t an insult.  Comparing a 14-seed with a losing record with no business at a shot at a title is.  The Rays journey was, indeed, magical.  It looks like it isn’t going to end at the ALCS, either.  They broke through the deep freeze of the East, climbed out of the cellar and gave hope to every other ordinary small market team in the country.  Not much different than Cinderella has done for every young girl who dreams of living happily ever after.  There is no insult in the comparison between the Rays and Cinderella.  Both were good, few knew it and it took some special circumstances — a Fairy Godmother and a ball in one and Joe Maddon, a talented roster and an amazing playoff — for people to take notice.  Once they did and all the dust settled and smoke cleared, even in the face of adversity, those who took notice realized that not only were the Rays good, they were special.  And so was Cinderella.

After a quick sprint through the Division Series, four teams moved on to the Championship Series and the longer Best-of-Seven format.  Action kicks off in Philadelphia between the Dodgers and Phillies on Thursday and in Tampa Bay between the Red Sox and Rays on Friday. 

In 1985, Major League Baseball switched the Championship Series from a Best-of-Five series to the current Best-of-Seven format.  Since the format change, there have been 44 Championship Series.  Before the Phillies and Dodgers go under the national spotlight at Citizens Bank Park, it’s a great time to look at the importance of Game One and home field advantage through the history of the LCS and how the format change to a Best-of-Seven series has affected both.

HOW IMPORTANT IS GAME ONE?

From 1985 to 2007, the winning team in Game One has gone on to win the LCS 27 times or 61.3% of the time.  The home team is 24-20 in Game One but winning Game One is a bigger boost for the road team.  In the 20 LCS where Game One was won by the road team, that team has won 13 times or 65% of the time.  The home team, on the other hand, has won the LCS 14 of the 24 times when they jump out on top or 58.3%.

Before 1985, the Championship Series played under the old Best-of-Five format where the team with home field advantage started on the road for two games and owned home field advantage for the third, fourth and fifth games.  Winning Game One was more important during the shorter set with the winner of Game One taking the LCS 22 of 32 times or 68.8% of the time.  The effect of home field was actually neutralized due to the Best-of-Five format based on the numbers.  The home team won 19 of 32 times and winning Game One sparked that team to victory 13 of 19 times or 68.4% of the time.  The road team only won 13 of 32 times and moved on to the World Series after winning Game One 9 of 13 times or 69.2% of the time. 

OVERALL, HOW IMPORTANT IS HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE?

Like the Division Series, it is important to refer to the regular season reward to be referred to as home field “advantage”.  Teams were not rewarded with home field advantage based on regular season record until 1998.  Before 1998, home field advantage alternated which led to the team with the advantage winning just 26 of 56 match-ups.  Since advantage became a reward in 1998, the LCS have split with the home field advantage team winning 10 of 20 Series.

Overall, home field advantage has meant victory in just 36 of 76 LCS match-ups.  That’s only 47.4% of the time.  In the Best-of-Seven format, it does play a role when the LCS goest seven games with the home team winning eight of 13 times (61.5%)

THE RAYS ARE IN THE LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES FOR THE FIRST TIME, HOW HAVE THE POST-LCS EXPANSION TEAMS FARED IN THEIR FIRST APPEARANCE?

Since the addition of the League Championship Series in 1969, Major League Baseball has added 10 expansion teams to the mix.  There is still a ray of hope that Tampa Bay advances to their first World Series appearance beating the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers and Washington Nationals to the punch.  All season those surprised by the Rays’ success have been waiting for the wheels to fall off or at least for the Rays to show a sign that they are in their first postseason.  Based on past history, those surprised might still be waiting because the other nine post-LCS expansion teams are 5-4 in their first LCS games and 5-4 overall in their first LCS.  It’s not a dominating number but don’t expect the Rays to suddenly be overwhelmed by the additional pressure of their first second-round appearance.

Even more telling is the length of those nine team’s first LCS appearance.  Eight Of the nine Series have either ended in a deciding game or with the first timers winning.  Five have gone the full number of games with the first timers going 2-3.  If the LCS lasted less than the full slate, the team making the first time appearance is 3-1 with only the 1995 Seattle Mariners making an exit before the seventh game — they lost to the Yankees in six.

It is important to note that the four expansion teams from 1961 and 1962 all made their first postseason appearance after the LCS was introduces.  Those teams went 2-1 in Game One and 1-2 in their first LCS.  The Rays have already gone farther in the postseason than the Texas Rangers who took 36 years to make their first postseason appearance and have never made it beyond the Division Series round.

THE OTHER THREE TEAMS IN THE LCS HAVE BEEN THERE BEFORE, HOW HAVE THEY FARED?

Since 1969, the three other teams have combined for 20 LCS appearances.  Of the three, the Phillies are the least experienced with five LCS appearances, followed by the Dodgers with seven LCS appearances and the Red Sox with eight LCS appearances.  The Phillies are 4-1 in the first game of the LCS, the Dodgers are 4-3 and the Red Sox are only 3-5.  The Phillies have gone on to the World Series three times and won the first game in all three successful LCS campaigns.  The Dodgers have moved on to the World Series five times since the introduction of the LCS and are 3-2 in the first game of their successful LCS appearances.  Finally, the Red Sox have four World Series appearances since 1969 and are 2-2 in the first game of the LCS leading to those appearances.

SO, WHAT’S IT ALL MEAN?

Game One is more important than home field “advantage” but dropping Game One does not mean the Series is over.  On the flip side, home field “advantage” historically can be tossed out the window.  Winning Game One is more likely to benefit the road team and that makes sense as a win in either of the first two games guarantees three consecutive home games.Expecting the Rays to collapse under the “pressure” of their first League Championship Series is also a mistake with teams making their first LCS appearance.  But that’s not surprising, the Rays haven’t looked flustered all year.Beyond the Rays, it doesn’t get any clearer.  The Phillies and Dodgers are no strangers to LCS play.  They met in 1977, 1978 and 1983.  The Phillies won the first game twice but the Dodgers won the series in 1977 and 1978.  The Red Sox have been known to dig a hole in their LCS appearances including their famous comeback in 2004 over the Yankees after a 3-0 deficit.In the end, it’s October and baseball’s second season is usually unpredictable.  The two best regular season teams are already gone so why would 2008 stick to any trends anyway?

The players to watch and what to watch for this weekend:

JOE MAUER, Minnesota Twins vs. Kansas City Royals (9/26-28)

No Johan Santana.  No Torii Hunter.  Even without either Santana or Hunter, the Twins head into the weekend an improbably half game on top of the Chicago White Sox for the American League Central and the last playoff spot in the AL.  How did they do it without Santana or Hunter?  Try Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau.  Add in Mauer’s premium status because he is a catcher and he becomes the Most Irreplaceable Player in the American League even if he’s not the MVP (he is!).  With three games remaining, Mauer needs to score three times to register 100 runs and he holds a five point lead in the race for the American League batting title and guaranteed to hit over .300 with an on-base percentage over .400.  In the history of the game, only four catchers — Mickey Cochrane (’29, ‘30, ‘33), Carlton Fisk (’77), Mike Piazza (’97) and Jason Kendall (’00) — have ever scored 100 times, hit .300 or better and had an on-base percentage over .400.  Surely, Mauer would trade being part of the exclusive group for a second shot at postseason glory.  Who knows, maybe he’ll get both.

KEN GRIFFEY JR., Chicago White Sox vs. Cleveland Indians (9/26-28)

Was the trade deadline acquisition of Ken Griffey Jr.a success or a failure?  Is it fair to judge it based on whether the White Sox make the postseason or not?  Leave the pending collapse of the White Sox out of it, the ‘97 American League MVP and fifth All-Time home run hitter is not delivering statistically for Chicago.  Behind by a half game to the Twins, this weekend would be a great time for Griffey to add to his .244 average, three home runs and 18 RBI he’s contributed in 37 games with the White Sox.  The Sox are just 19-18 in games where Griffey has played.  Traditionally, September has been Griffey’s worst month and after an 0-for-3 in Thursday’s devastating walk-off loss to the Twins which dropped the White Sox out of first place in the Central, Ozzie Guillen needs Griffey to step up and deliver a Hall of Fame-caliber performance this weekend to help Chicago at least force a Monday make-up game with the Tigers.

DUSTIN PEDROIA, Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees (9/26-28)

The Starting Lineup featured Dustin Pedroia before.  To avoid being thrown into baseball writer prison — located somewhere in Nebraska where it is college football season all year — the Red Sox-Yankees series must be mentioned, even the most meaningless Red Sox-Yankees series in years.  Pedroia is five points behind Joe Mauer for the American League batting title, working hard to cancel out any support Kevin Youkilis had for MVP and hoping this weekend is the weekend the Tampa Bay Rays fall apart for his Sox to come in and steal the division to avoid an ALDS clash with the Los Angeles Angels.  The ‘07 Rookie of the Year leads the American League in hits with 210, doubles with 54 and runs with 118.  He’s also getting a ground-swell of support for the Most Valuable Player spot especially with the injury to Carlos Quentin and a muddled American League MVP race.

ALBERT PUJOLS, St. Louis Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Reds (9/26-28)

Unofficially, the BBWAA began awarding the Most Valuable Player Award in both leagues in 1931.  Since then, 11 players have hit at least .350 with at least 40 doubles, at least 30 homers and at least 100 RBI in a season but only four of them — Larry Walker (’97), Stan Musial (’48), Joe DiMaggio (’41) and Joe Medwick (’37) — have won the MVP.  If Albert Pujols can keep his average above .350, he will be the 12th.  If Pujols fails to win the National League MVP, it will be the second time Pujols put up those numbers and fell short — he lost out to Barry Bonds in ‘03 — and join Todd Helton (’00, ‘03), Alex Rodriguez (’96), Don Mattingly (’86), Hank Aaron (’59) and Lou Gehrig (’34).  Statistically, Pujols is the best player in the National League but a number of other candidates who are having great years on better teams are also going to give Pujols a run for his money.  It is doubtful Pujols adds “NL Batting Title” to his resume trailing the banged up Chipper Jones by 12 points in the race for the title of the National League’s best hitter.  Then again, he did go 3-for-3 as the Cardinals played spoiler to the Diamondbacks’ playoff hopes on Thursday.

VLADIMIR GUERRERO, Los Angeles Angels vs. Texas Rangers (9/26-28)

One player in the history of Major League Baseball has compiled 11 consecutive seasons with an average of over .300 and at least 25 home runs:  Lou Gehrig.  After Sunday, there might be a second player in that very exclusive group.  As the weekend’s action heats up, Vladimir Guerrero is hitting .304 and already on the books for 27 homers after a 2-for-4 and two home run performance on Thursday.  Not Babe Ruth or Ted Williams or Hank Aaron or Alex Rodriguez have accomplished what Gehrig did with 11 consecutive seasons of over .300 and at least 25 homer play but Guerrero is just three games away from doing what none of them except Gehrig did.  Rarely in the muddled American League MVP race is Guerrero mentioned since Francisco Rodriguez’s record-breaking 62 save performance overshadows the rest of the Angels’ performance in MVP discussions.  There’s also that little addition of Mark Teixeira at the deadline that seemingly catapulted the Angels from a great team to the best team in baseball.  But Guerrero’s .304 average, team-high 27 home runs and 90 RBI should not be ignored as one of the main reasons the Angels are just one win away from a 100-win season.

ANDY SONNANSTINE, Tampa Bay Rays at Detroit Tigers (Friday, 9/26)

This weekend’s storylines belong to the races for the American League Central, National League East and National League Wild Card.  However, a great side story is the Tampa Bay Rays and their pending clinching of the American League East.  Sure, no matter what happens this weekend, the Rays are on their way to their franchise’s first postseason but it’s doubtful they want that first postseason match-up to be the Los Angeles Angels.  Andy Sonnanstine gets first crack at delivering the Rays their first American League East title.  Sonnanstine is 13-8 with a 4.27 ERA but he has not earned a win in his last six starts with his last win coming over the Angels on August 18.  The team is 3-3 in Sonnanstine’s last six starts and 20-11 overall when the sophomore takes his turn in the rotation.  No one would have been shocked by a champagne celebration in Detroit over a division title just shocked it will involve the Rays and not the Tigers.

DAVE BUSH / BEN SHEETS, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Chicago Cubs (Saturday, 9/27)

Interim manager Dale Sveum said Dave Bush is probably going to start on Saturday but did not rule out Ben Sheets as a possibility.  Sheets’ last start ended early and the fragile Sheets revealed he’d been battling arm troubles for some time.  It’s hard to read what the Cubs want after they defeated the Mets on Wednesday and sent them into a tie for the Wild Card with the Brewers then benched their starters and coughed up Thursday’s game to the Mets.  The loss thwarted the Brewers’ attempt to take sole possession of the National League Wild Card and now all of their hope lies on their series with the Cubs.  Is Bush and his 9-10 record and 4.25 ERA better than a banged up Sheets and his 13-8 record and 2.98 ERA?  The Brewers are 0-3 against the Cubs when Bush starts and 3-1 against the Cubs when Sheets takes the mound including his injury shortened last outing.  They won’t go on record and say they’ll miss Sheets if he can’t go but it’s a safe bet the Mets and Phillies aren’t complaining.

JOHAN SANTANA, New York Mets vs. Florida Marlins (Sunday, 9/28)

Last year, with the Mets’ season on the line, future Hall of Famer Tom Glavine lasted just 1/3 of an inning and completed the demise of their ‘07 season.  Now, it’s Johan Santana who the New York Mets are relying on to deliver them to the postseason land.  Santana needs help from his teammates on Friday and Saturday to put him in a position to deliver them there and helping Santana has not been the Mets’ bag this year.  The Mets are 21-12 when Santana pitches but he is only 15-7 and left the game with the lead in four of the five no decisions that turned badly for the Mets.  Thanks to one of the most unreliable bullpens, Santana’s first season in New York is not receiving the Cy Young attention it deserves despite his National League-best 2.64 ERA, second-best 225-1/3 innings pitched, fourth-best 197 strikeouts and seventh-best 1.17 WHIP.  The Mets don’t want a repeat of ‘07 so it does not help the Marlins are their opponents again but it also gives them a chance to erase those demons.  And who better to send out there than the man they franchised their future for in Santana?

BRAD LIDGE, Philadelphia Phillies vs. Washington Nationals (9/26-28)

Define “Most Valuable Player” any way you want but if you look at the Phillies’ season from beginning to end and come up with anyone other than Brad Lidge as the team’s MVP, look again.  Some say Chase Utley.  Utley ripped the cover off the ball in April but delivered mediocre numbers in May and June and above-average numbers from July on.  There’s also his .221 average in late and close games.  Others say Ryan Howard.  Howard is having another amazing September and is flirting with another 50-plus home run season and is flirting with a second 50-plus home run season and is just eight RBI short of 150.  It took Howard a long time to get going this year and his .248 average is a big detractor.  Run through the rest of the team and there are times when they have disappeared.  Well, except for Lidge who is 40-for-40 in converting save opportunities and also 2-0 with a 1.87 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 67-1/3 innings of work.  If the Phillies went with any other closer this year, there is no argument the Phillies’ weekend series with the Nationals begins with them looking up at the Mets and Brewers instead of in control of their own destiny.

The players to watch and what to watch for this weekend:

JAYSON WERTH, Philadelphia Phillies at Florida Marlins (9/19-9/21)

In the offseason, the Phillies went out and collected Geoff Jenkins and So Taguchi to help add depth to the outfield.  Both Jenkins and Taguchi struggled but ‘07 addition Jayson Werth has delivered.  Werth is having a career year in his second with the Phillies especially over the last few weeks.  Werth is hitting .283 with a career-high 23 home runs and 65 RBI and moved from a platoon to mostly everyday role.  Werth has started the last 25 games and extended his hitting streak to 12 straight with an RBI double in Thursday’s 4-3 win over the Braves that kept the Phils a half game ahead of the Mets.  The Phils head to the road for the last time this regular season for three games with the Marlins.  With the Mets not far in their rear-view mirror and the Brewers not far behind them, the current seven-game winning streak they are on is only one game better than the eight-game winning streak their opponents are on.  Werth and the Phillies have not done well against Florida with Werth hitting just .207 and the Phillies 6-9 against the division rivals.  Now would be a good time for both to buck that trend.

MANNY RAMIREZ, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Francisco Giants (9/19-9/21)

Even though Curt Schilling can’t seem to let it go, the Dodgers and their fans don’t care much about why Manny Ramirez was exiled from Boston or even if what Schilling said about him is true… they are just glad it happened.  Since joining the Dodgers, the numbers put up by ManRam have been impressive.  He’s reached base in 43 out of 45 games and hit safely in 36 of those 45 games.  After an 0-for-4 on Thursday, Manny’s Dodger average dipped below .400 to .390 but he still has 14 homers and 44 RBI and is a big reason why the Dodgers have catapulted past the Diamondbacks and into first place in the National League West.  Nursing a 2-1/2 game lead, the Giants head home for a three-game set with the Giants and draw a favorable match-up as they avoid Tim Lincecum’s spot in San Francisco’s rotation.  Expect Ramirez to do something on Friday — he has only turned in consecutive hitless games once in a Dodger uniform — and expect Manny to do something on Saturday and Sunday while we’re at it because that would be just Manny being Manny.

DENARD SPAN, MINNESOTA TWINS at Tampa Bay Rays (9/18-9/21)

It is possible the Tampa Bay Rays finally succumb to the Boston Red Sox in the American League East.  At that point, they’d have to settle for the consolation prize of their first postseason berth in franchise history via Wild Card.  If the Minnesota Twins fail to catch the Chicago White Sox in the American League Central — they trail by 1-1/2 games — their consolation prize is likely to be October off since they trail Boston by 6-1/2 games in the Wild Card race.  Is it a stretch to say as Denard Span goes so go the Twins?  Recently, the Twins dropped four games in a row and Span went 1-for-17 during the losing streak.  Span snapped out of his mini-slump on Thursday with a 2-for-4 performance and scored three times in their 11-8 win over the Rays in their first of four.  As the lead-off hitter, Span has provided a big spark since returning from an early trip to the Minors after starting the year on the Major League roster and currently is hitting .298 with 64 runs scored in 83 games in his rookie season.  Span and the Twins need a big week and a half to catch the White Sox in the Central.

PRINCE FIELDER, Milwaukee Brewers at Cincinnati Reds (9/19-9/21)

The Brewers have been slapped around recently.  They were swept by the Phillies last weekend, fired their manager on Monday and then dropped two of three to the National League Central-leading Cubs including a devastating ninth inning blow-up and extra inning loss on Thursday.  Milwaukee is just 4-12 in September and one of the only players delivering for them is Prince Fielder.  Fielder extended his hitting streak to nine games in Thursday’s loss and is hitting .455 with four homers and 11 RBI during the streak.  With just nine games remaining, the Brewers need to find their mojo if they are going to catch the Mets or Phillies in the Wild Card race and Fielder staying hot can’t hurt their cause.

JACOBY ELLSBURY, Boston Red Sox at Toronto Blue Jays (9/19-9/21)

Last week, the Starting Lineup highlighted Rookie of the Year candidate Armando Galarraga.  In addition to Galarraga, Oakland’s Brad Ziegler and Tampa Bay’s Evan Longoria are also on many people’s short list.  But let us not forget Boston’s Jacoby Ellsbury who is hitting .270 with 89 runs scored and 48 steals in his “rookie” season — he did collect 116 at-bats in ‘07 — and is definitely a viable Rookie of the Year candidate.  Ellsbury is on a seven-game hitting streak and is hitting .302 with 26 runs scored and 13 steals in the last 34 games.  Galarraga, Ziegler and Longoria are ahead on many lists but Ellsbury’s Boston connections should help pick him up a little bit of added support for the honor.  Ellsbury has not helped his case against Toronto with a .225 average and five runs scored in 11 games but can change that this weekend.

CARLOS ZAMBRANO, Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals (Friday, 9/19)

After an injury caused him to miss a start and had some speculating Carlos Zambrano’s season was over, Zambrano returned on Sunday to pitch the first no-hitter by a Chicago Cub in over 35 years.  Now, he takes the mound on Friday against the Cardinals with a shot at reducing his squad’s Magic Number to one.  The 14-5 Zambrano is 1-1 against the Cardinals this year and squares off with Adam Wainwright in the Cubs first attempt to clinch at least a tie in the National League Central.  If it does not happen on Friday, it is a likelihood that the Cubs will clinch a playoff spot this weekend.  What should be clinched is Zambrano’s claim to the Silver Slugger for a National League pitcher with his performance at the plate.  He is 28-for-79 with four home runs and 14 RBI including a homer against the Cardinals in one of his two appearances earlier this year.

PEDRO MARTINEZ, New York Mets at Atlanta Braves (Saturday, 9/20)

The Mets have not collapsed in ‘08 yet.  Part of the reason they are on the verge of collapsing is the performance of Pedro Martinez.  In his last four starts, Martinez is 1-2 with a 7.29 ERA and the Mets are 1-3.  Two of the losing starts came against the Phillies who have regained the division lead from the Mets by a half game heading into the weekend.  Not only do the Mets have to battle the division rival Braves and Martinez’s struggles, they also have to defeat the demons of their ‘07 collapse which has a striking resemblance to the results of the last week which saw the Mets lose a 3-1/2 game lead in four days.  Pedro gave up four runs in seven innings in his last start against the Braves on August 21 in a no decision before the four game stumble and the Mets need a strong performance from Martinez to help them finally win a game in Atlanta this year — the Mets are 0-6 at Turner Field in ‘08.

JOHN DANKS, Chicago White Sox at Kansas City Royals (Sunday, 9/21)

John Danks has not been on the winning side of a decision since August 16.  Since his win in Oakland, Danks is 0-3 with a 4.56 ERA in his last five starts but pitched well enough to win in his last two starts although the White Sox failed to accommodate his performance.  Both Danks and the White Sox offense need to come together in a big way on Sunday to keep the pesky Twins from catching them in the American League Central.  Danks has been very streaky this year and now is a good time for him to turn up the heat.  Twice, Danks started against the Royals this year and the team is 1-1 in his two no decisions including a four inning, six run outing on July 20 in his first start after the All-Star break which has been nowhere near as successful as his first half.

MARIANO RIVERA, New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles (9/19-9/21)

Normally, it is tacky for a team to orchestrate history the way the Yankees plan to on Sunday.  No matter the situation, Mariano Rivera will pitch the ninth inning at the last game at Yankee Stadium.  There’s no guarantee the ninth inning will be the last at the House That Ruth Built since the game might be tied but “Enter Sandman” will be played one last time on the stadium’s swan song.  If the way Terry Francona managed the Yankee players during this year’s All-Star game — also played at Yankee Stadium — made you queasy, you might want to take Sunday’s action in small doses.  Andy Pettite was selected to start for sentimental reasons and manager Joe Girardi hinted he might remove Pettite in the middle of an inning to give Pettite a standing ovation exit.  But expect Rivera’s ovation to be bigger and, if you miss it, there’s no doubt the moment will be shown over and over (and over) again on SportsCenter and on every news outlet in the country.

The players to watch and what to watch for this weekend:

TAYLOR TEAGARDEN, Texas Rangers at Oakland Athletics (9/11-9/14)

If the Rangers were only as good at finding suitable pitching as they are at finding suitable catching.  The latest addition to their choices behind the plate is Olympic bronze medalist Taylor Teagarden.  Before he headed to Beijing, Teagarden played in two Major League games and went 1-for-6 with four strikeouts although he did blast a home run in a 1-0 win over the Twins on July 20.  Teagarden received a September call-up and has hit safely in all six games.  He is 9-for-20 with three homers and 10 RBI and a 1.550 OPS.  The 25-year-old Texas native was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in ‘02 but opted for college and played at the University of Texas until he was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the third round of ‘05.  Now, Teagarden has the rest of the month to lay claim to a shot at the starting catcher spot next year. 

COCO CRISP, Boston Red Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays (9/12-9/14)

It seems like every week the Starting Lineup is highlighting a different Boston Red Sox hitter.  This week it is Coco Crisp.  Crisp is on fire as of late.  In his last 18 appearances, he is hitting .483 with an OPS of 1.127 along with 10 RBI and 11 runs scored.  Crisp has also picked up six steals and raised his season average from .246 to .290.  This weekend’s series against the Blue Jays is tough and pivotal in their quest to catch the elusive Tampa Bay Rays who roll into the weekend up two and a half game ahead of the defending champions.  Crisp turned in six consecutive multi-hit games from September 2 through September 8 in which he hit .682 with seven runs scored and five RBI but five of those six games came against the Orioles and Rangers — two of the worst pitching staffs in the American League.  The Blue Jays, on the other hand, own the best ERA in baseball which should challenge the Red Sox hitters a bit more.

JASON KUBEL, Minnesota Twins at Baltimore Orioles (9/12-9/14)

With the White Sox at home against the Detroit Tigers, the Twins need to take advantage of their three-game set against the Orioles who are in last place in the American League East.  Jason Kubel doesn’t have MVP numbers but he’s been an offensive spark for the Minnesota Twins.  The Twins’ outfielder/designated hitter is a .306 hitter with a .364 on-base percentage when he leads off an inning and is tied with Hunter Pence for team runs scored per inning when they reach base at 1.49.  In their last series against the Orioles, the Twins dropped two out of three and fell out of a first place tie with the Sox but Kubel delivered with a 3-for-7 series including an RBI triple and a run scored in their one win over the O’s.  

RYAN HOWARD, Philadelphia Phillies vs. Milwaukee Brewers (9/11-9/14)

The Phillies could make the National League Wild Card race very interesting this weekend against the Brewers.  They took the first of four games from Milwaukee on Thursday behind another big performance from Ryan Howard who went 2-for-3 and added his 43rd home run and 127th, 128th and 129th RBI of ‘08.  Howard has reached base for 20 straight games and over the last 15 games, he is hitting .386 with eight home runs and 19 RBI.  If he matches those numbers over the last 15 games of the year, Howard will top the 50 homer mark and fall just three RBI short of 150.  He is also just 11 strikeouts short of becoming the first player in Major League history to strikeout 200 times in a season which would break his own Major League record of 199 set just one year ago.  The Phillies are closer this year than they were last year to a playoff spot at this time and now have two teams in their sights as they try to make another September comeback.

HURRICANE IKE, Chicago Cubs at Houston Astros (9/12-9/14)

With the way the Houston Astros are playing, the cancellation of Friday and Saturday’s games against the Chicago Cubs is more than just a nuisance.  The ’stros are 13-1 since August 27 and just three games behind the Brewers for the National League Wild Card spot.  When Houston traded for Randy Wolf and LaTroy Hawkins at the trade deadline.  At the time, they were seven games under .500 and nine games behind St. Louis and Milwaukee for the Wild Card.  Since then, Houston owns the best record in baseball at 30-10 and have surprised everyone except for maybe manager Cecil Cooper and general manager Ed Wade with their resurgence.  Unfortunately, this weekend’s arrival of Hurrican Ike to the Gulf Coast will put a damper on that comeback.

BRANDON WEBB, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Cincinnati Reds (Friday, 9/12)

Not only is Brandon Webb’s claim to the National League Cy Young in jeopardy, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ playoff hopes are also on the ropes as Webb and the rest of the D-backs have been derailed.  When Webb took the mound for his first shot at 20 wins, the D-backs led the National League West by three games.  Webb lost that start and his next two starts against the Dodgers who surpassed Arizona by beating Webb last Saturday and have since increased that lead to three and a half games.  Now, Webb and the D-backs face Aaron Harang who is 4-15 but has put together a string of four strong starts.  Another loss by Webb and the door opens wider for both the Dodgers and his Cy Young competition and also would mark the first time since July ‘05 that the 2006 National League Cy Young winner lost four decisions in a row.

TIM LINCECUM, San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres (Saturday, 9/13)

If Webb leaves the door open on Friday, Tim Lincecum’s start on Saturday against the Padres is a perfect opportunity for the young Giants’ ace to walk through it and move ahead of Webb as the front-runner for the Cy Young.  Check Lincecum’s iPod and don’t be surprised if you hear Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again”.  He is 9-1 with a 2.32 ERA compared to 7-2 with a 2.76 ERA at home.  Overall, Lincecum is 16-3 with a remote shot at 20 wins should he win all of his remaining starts.  The Padres have to be tired of seeing Lincecum as they face off against the 24-year-old righty for the sixth time this season.  In their first five meetings, Lincecum went 2-0 with a minuscule 0.79 ERA.  The Giants also picked up the win in Lincecum’s three no decisions vs. San Diego and all five starts were quality starts.  Even if Webb finds a way to finally win his 20th game, Lincecum’s numbers being stronger in almost every statistical category and another strong start on Saturday might be enough to convince the BBWAA that he is the man not Brandon.

AARON COOK, Colorado Rockies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (Sunday, 9/14)

Unless the Rockies sweep the Dodgers this weekend, their quest to repeat the 2007 comeback and the media love affair that has gone along with it should be all but over.  One of the bright spots of the ‘08 Rockies has been Aaron Cook but he has not pitched past the sixth inning since July 30 and is 2-3 with a 6.94 in his last seven starts.  Cook is 2-0 against the Dodgers and draws the veteran Greg Maddux.  Maddux outpitched Cook when he was with the Padres on August 9 en route to his 353rd victory.  As Cook looks to extend his career-high season wins to 17, Maddux chases win number 355 which would slide him paste Roger Clemens and give him sole ownership of eighth place on the All-Time Wins list.  If Cook picks up his 53rd career win, he is still 10 wins short of cracking the Top 1000.

FRANCISCO RODRIGUEZ, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. Seattle Mariners (9/11-9/14)

Is there much left to say about Francisco Rodriguez’s ‘08 performance?  K-Rod picked up his 57th save on Thursday to put him into a tie with Bobby Thigpen for the Single Season record in Saves.  Although the Angels’ closer has six blown saves, he also has as many saves as the Angels’ opponent this weekend has wins.  It seems there is a backlash against K-Rod’s performance because he’s had more solid numbers in previous seasons but he still owns an impressive 2.42 ERA and 1.26 WHIP and, oh, there’s those 57 saves, too. 

The players to watch and what to watch for this weekend:

DUSTIN PEDROIA, Boston Red Sox at Texas Rangers (9/5-9/7)

Need a dark horse candidate for American League MVP?  For your consideration, this week’s Starting Lineup presents Dustin Pedroia.  Kevin Youkilis is usually the first name mentioned when talk turns to Boston’s most valuable but it’s hard to look past Pedroia’s contributions.  The Red Sox sophomore has surpassed his Rookie of the Year performance of 2007 with a .333 average, 17 home runs, 76 RBI, 110 runs scored, 17 steals and an .883 OPS.  Pedroia leads the American League in average, runs and hits and needs just nine more for his first 200-hit season.  The Sox are not in first place in the East but are in the driver’s seat for the AL Wild Card.  Pedroia has played in all but three games so far this year and leads the team in Win Shares with 23.  Over the last eight games, the Red Sox are 6-2 and Pedroia is 21-for-34 (.618) with a 1.641 OPS, 12 runs scored and 12 RBI.  Boston is 7-0 against Texas in 2008 and Pedroia hit .517 with eight RBI and 13 runs in those games.  This is a key weekend for the Red Sox to climb back into contention for the East and distance themselves from their opponents in the Wild Card race.

MIKE CAMERON, Milwaukee Brewers vs. San Diego Padres (9/4-9/7)

The Milwaukee Brewers were in a perfect position to pounce on the Chicago Cubs who are currently on a five-game losing streak but the Brew Crew have dropped four in a row themselves including the first of a four-game series with the Padres.  On the offensive side of the ball, the Brewers were relieved to see Mike Cameron bounce back in August.  In 25 games in August, Cameron hit .360 with nine home runs, 22 RBI and a 1.201 OPS and raised his average 34 points but in three September games, Cameron is just 1-for-12.  All three of those games have come at home where Cameron is hitting just .210 compared to his road average of .288.  In 55 away games, Cameron has belted 17 homers and knocked in 42 compared to seven home runs and 22 RBI in 44 home games.  The Brewers also could have distanced themselves from the struggling Phillies who are just four games behind Milwaukee for the Wild Card race.  With CC Sabathia, Ben Sheets and Manny Parra on the mound this weekend against one of the worst offenses in baseball, it should not take a huge effort from the Brewers to pick up some victories over San Diego and Cameron finding his swing at Miller Park would be huge.

CHRIS DICKERSON, Cincinnati Reds vs. Chicago Cubs (9/5-9/7)

The Reds were officially eliminated this week during their series with the Pirates but rookie Chris Dickerson remains hot.  He was 2-for-3 in their 8-6 win over Pittsburgh on Thursday and Dickerson is now hitting .333 in 20 games since his August call-up.  An astonishing 16 of his 26 hits have been extra-base hits including eight doubles, two triples and six home runs and has reached safely in 19 of 20 games including the last 13.  Dickerson jumped into the lead-off role for the Reds and remains there.  He has a .472 on-base percentage when leading off an inning.  Unlike Jay Bruce who exploded onto the Cincinnati scene with some impressive offense and then came back down to Earth, Dickerson’s second 10 games introduced power to an already impressive start.  The 26-year-old outfielder was rated as the best athlete and fastest baserunner in the Minor League system by Baseball America prior to the start of the season but not projected as a Top 10 Prospect or a future starter.  With a few departures and his impressive start, Dickerson might now be considered an outfielder of the future for the Reds.

CRISTIAN GUZMAN, Washington Nationals at Atlanta Braves (9/4-9/7)

Good news for Nationals’ fans came on Thursday when the club announced the majority of their ticket prices were set to drop in 2009.  One attraction in Washington often overlooked is Cristian Guzman.  Guzman did everything in his power to ensure people took notice in their recent three-game set with the Phillies as Guzman went 5-for-10 with four runs scored and four RBI in the two wins and was given the day off in their only loss to Philadelphia.  Guzman lost his eight-game hitting streak on Thursday but still leads the team with a .309 batting average.  The All-Star shortstop missed a week during their recent 12-game losing streak but since his return on August 21, the Nats are 10-4 and Guzman is hitting .436 in the 12 games he has played.  One place Guzman has never hit well is in Atlanta where he is a dismal 9-for-60 (.150) in 16 games.

SHIN-SOO CHOO, Cleveland Indians at Kansas City Royals (9/5-9/7)

Here’s something to “choo” on about Shin-Soo Choo:  The 26-year-old South Korean-born Choo bounced from Minors to Majors with the Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians from 2005 to 2007 before getting the call at the end of May to join the Indians in ‘08.  As late as July 18, Choo was hitting below .240 but since then Choo has resembled “Big League Choo” raising his season average to .288.  Over the last 13 games, he hit .386 with five homers, 13 RBI, 11 runs scored and a 1.312 OPS.  A team picked to win the American League Central will definitely look at ‘08 as a lost season but Choo’s second-half surge is a big plus.  The team was 16 games under .500 on July 9 but now just four games below .500 with 24 games to go.  With Cliff Lee and Fausto Carmona pitching every fifth day and Victor Martinez back, Choo’s recent boost could help propel the Indians to a .500 season.

ARMANDO GALARRAGA, Detroit Tigers at Minnesota Twins (Friday, 9/5) 

Another team suffering through a lost season is Detroit who now are stuck in the spoiler role this weekend at Minnesota.  The Twins return home after an extended stay on the road thanks to the Republican National Convention.  Their first test at home is Rookie of the Year candidate Armando Galarraga.  The 26-year-old Galarraga is the most consistent member of the struggling Tigers’ rotation this year.  He is 5-0 with a 2.72 ERA in his last eight starts and is 12-4 with a 3.17 ERA in 25 games including 24 starts.  Three of his four losses came against the Twins on May 2, May 23 and July 11 and he is 0-3 with a 4.56 ERA in four starts.  Against the rest of baseball, Galarraga is 12-1 with a 2.92 ERA.  With very few starts remaining this year, overcoming his Twins’ troubles is a potential huge step towards Rookie of the Year honors and much appreciated by the White Sox who are trying to hold off Minnesota in the standings.

BRANDON WEBB, Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers (Saturday, 9/6)

For the third time this season, Webb lost back-to-back starts.  The good news is that the 19-6 Webb is 2-0 in his last two starts following back-to-back losses.  So, will Webb’s third attempt at 20 wins be successful or will he drop three consecutive decisions for the first time since July 15, 2007.  Since last July 25, Webb is 29-8 with an ERA below 3.00.  He has also owned the Los Angeles Dodgers despite his worst start of the season against L.A. on Sunday.  Through his career, Webb is 10-4 in 17 starts against the Dodgers and 5-2 with a 2.72 ERA in eight starts at Dodger Stadium where he has not lost since 2004.  With the Dodgers on a five-game winning streak going into their weekend series and the D-backs just one and a half games ahead of Los Angeles, Arizona needs Webb to bounce back to stay ahead of the hard-charging Dodgers.

COLE HAMELS, Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets (Sunday, 9/7)

Be ready to hear about Cole Hamels‘ courage on Sunday Night Baseball.  The pivotal National League East showdown at Shea this weekend is as close to a must-win series as you can get on September 5 for the Phillies who trail the Mets by three games.  The Phillies were six games out with 22 to play in ‘07 and seven out with 17 to play so this is not new territory for the team.  However, it is hard to imagine the Mets rolling over and playing dead like they did down the stretch in ‘07.  Hamels has moved up in the rotation to square off with Johan Santana — a move made possible by a Thursday off, not Hamels pitching on short rest.  The Phillies have not been happy with Kyle Kendrick’s recent performance and feel Hamels gives the team a better chance to beat the red hot Santana.  The two squared off in Philadelphia on April 18 and Santana got the best of the match-up but the Phillies are hoping to reverse that result in New York in their last game at Shea (unless the two teams end up tied at the end of the season).

JASON MOTTE, St. Louis Cardinals vs. Florida Marlins (9/5-9/7)

Jason Motte used to be a catcher.  After three Minor League seasons and a .188 career average, Motte was offered a choice — convert to pitcher or risk being cut by the Cardinals.  What made the situation more unusual is that Motte had not pitched in baseball since he was in Little League at age 12.  After a successful 2007 and 2008 through every level of the Minors with St. Louis, Motte was one of the many September call-ups around the Majors and made an impressive debut on Wednesday with a one and a third inning outing against the Diamondbacks.  He was near perfect and showed off a 99 MPH fastball and notched two strikeouts and a hold.  Now, the 26-year-old Michigan native looks to build on his impressive debut and lay claim to a bullpen spot with the Cardinals in ‘09. 

The players to watch and what to watch for this weekend:

J.J. HARDY, Milwaukee Brewers at Pittsburgh Pirates (8/29-8/31)

At the moment, J.J. Hardy is one of the hottest players in the game.  He’s on a 12-game hitting streak which includes three consecutive and five of the last six multi-hit games.  During the streak, Hardy is hitting .404 with a 1.148 OPS, three homers and 12 RBI.  The team has won eight of the last 12 and 16 of the last 21.  The Pirates have been a favorite target of Hardy’s power — 10 of his 60 career homers have come against the Bucs.  In nine games against the Pirates in 2008, Hardy is hitting .472 with four home runs, 10 RBI and a staggering 1.409 OPS.  Trailing the Cubs by 6 1/2 games, Hardy and the Brew Crew need to capitalize on their much easier schedule to put themselves in position to catch Chicago for the National League Central.  They also get six games against the Cubs in September.  Once September begins, if history is an indicator, Hardy should provide more pop — he is a career .303 hitter in September and October.

TORII HUNTER, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. Texas Rangers (8/28-8/31)

The American League West clash started on Thursday with the Angels and Rangers in a four-game set.  Torii Hunter went 3-for-3 and added a double, a steal and two runs scored in their 7-5 win over the Rangers.  With a 16 game lead over the Rangers in the West, a miracle needs to occur for the Angels to blow the division.  However, it is important to see how the Angels play down the stretch as they head into the postseason.  One player key to their success is Hunter who hit just .196 with no home runs and two RBI over the last 14 games and the Angels are just 5-9 in those games.  This year, the Angels are 29 games over .500 and 61-23 when Hunter gets a hit.  Also, the seven-time Gold Glove winner is error-free tracking down fly balls in center field for the Angels. 

VERNON WELLS, Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees (8/29-8/31)

One visiting player who will miss Yankee Stadium is Toronto’s Vernon Wells.  Wells has a lifetime .306 average at “The House That Ruth Built” along with six home runs, 26 RBI and 33 runs scored in 58 games.  Wells has been hot since he returned from his second stint on the DL this year with a .318 average, five home runs and 18 RBI in 16 games.  The Jays are 9-7 in those games and are within striking distance of third place in the American League East as the Yankees continue to leak oil down the stretch.  Wells is the top offensive contributor this year even with his two trips to the sidelines and with him back in the lineup, he gives the Blue Jays a better shot to take the lead in the season series with the Bronx Bombers.  The two teams have split the first 12 games of the season and with six games remaining, the Jays need to take four of the six to win the season series over the Yankees for the first time since 2000.

MARK KOTSAY, Boston Red Sox vs. Chicago White Sox (8/29-8/31)

With J.D. Drew on the mend, the Red Sox went out and nabbed outfielder Mark Kotsay from Atlanta to help provide depth in the outfield and was inserted into the lineup on Thursday’s series finale with the Yankees.  The Sox lost 3-2 and Kotsay went 1-for-4.  Kotsay experienced a career renaissance in Atlanta this year after his lackluster performance in Oakland in 2007.  In 88 games with the Braves, Kotsay hit .289 with six homers, 37 RBI and 39 runs scored.  Like the previously mentioned Torii Hunter, Kotsay is error-free in 84 games in center field in 2008.  There is not a definite date for Drew’s return and with the growing concern over Josh Beckett’s elbow injury that has him on the sidelines, the Red Sox need all the help they can get.  To add to their challenges, they face a red-hot White Sox squad who are 11-4 in their last 15 games.

ROY HOBBS, New York Knights (Saturday, 8/30)

If you are going to have the worst record in baseball, you better deliver on the promotions to get your fans to the game.  At 49-85, the Washington Nationals are struggling through their first season at Nationals Park.  Attendance is up from last season but nowhere near capacity.  This weekend, the club will pass last year’s attendance and will do it on “70s Night/Saturday Night Movie” promotion night.  The game featuring 10-game losers Jo-Jo Reyes and Jason Bergmann.  The fans who show up will be treated to 70’s music, trivia, giveaways and players with some retro looks on the big scoreboard.  The reward for making it through a game featuring the bottom of the National League East will be a showing of “The Natural” on the 4,500 square foot high high-definition scoreboard and my guess is no one in the game will “knock the cover off the ball” like Roy Hobbs for the Knights.  I’m sure Teddy loses the President’s Race, too!

Rich Harden, Chicago Cubs vs. Philadelphia Phillies (Friday, 8/29)

Everyone talks about the trade that sent CC Sabathia to Milwaukee but Rich Harden’s performance since joining the Cubs via a trade with Oakland is also worthy of notice.  Harden is 4-1 with a 1.47 ERA in eight starts and the team is 6-2 when he takes the hill.  One knock on Harden is the fact that he rarely goes past the sixth inning but in 49 innings of work since landing in Chicago, he has struck out 70 including five double-digit strikeout games.  Harden faces the Phillies for the second time this season.  He faced them in Interleague Play as a member of the Athletics and enjoyed his longest outing of the season — eight innings of two-hit, shutout ball.  Opposite Harden is former teammate Joe Blanton who was also traded from Oakland to the National League.  Blanton is 1-0 in seven starts but with a more ordinary 4.03 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 38 innings.  Both Blanton and Harden were teammates for the past five seasons and now face off against each other in a crucial game for both teams in their quest for a postseason berth.

UBALDO JIMENEZ, Colorado Rockies at San Diego Padres (Saturday, 8/30)

The Rockies are coming!  The Rockies are coming!  OK, it’s more accurate to say the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers refuse to run away with the National League West.  The Rockies are just six games out in the West thanks to a solid post-All-Star break performance.  Since May 1, they are the best team in the West and with the way the D-backs and Dodgers are playing, the Rockies are again a dark horse to spoil the party for someone in the West.  One reason for their “surge” (it’s hard to call it a surge when the team is nine games below .500) is the performance of Ubaldo Jimenez.  Jimenez started off the season 2-8 but is 7-3 with a 2.94 ERA in 11 games since July 2.  The 24-year-old righty draws San Diego’s Jake Peavy on Saturday and a win guarantees they pick up ground on either the Diamondbacks or Dodgers since those two teams are scheduled to beat up on each other this weekend.

BRANDON WEBB, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (Sunday, 8/31)

Attempt to win #20, take two for Brandon Webb.  His first attempt went poorly as Webb was clubbed in San Diego for his fifth loss of the season.  It is also Webb’s third start against the Dodgers in 2008.  He is 1-0 and went eight innings and gave up one run on six hits in both outings.  Sunday’s match-up with the Dodgers will see Webb pitch to Manny Ramirez for the first time in his career.  Webb faces Derek Lowe for the third time this year.  Webb outpitched Lowe on July 20 but the D-backs bullpen failed to hold the lead and Webb outdueled Lowe again on July 31 in a game won by the D-backs, 2-1.  Oddly enough, Webb has lost two in a row twice this year and is looking to avoid back-to-back losses for the third time. 

LaTROY HAWKINS, Houston Astros vs. St. Louis Cardinals (8/29-8/31)

Knock Ed Wade’s trade deadline deals all you want but so far the move to bring in LaTroy Hawkins has been beneficial.  In 12 appearances, Hawkins is 2-0 with five holds.  He also hasn’t given up a run.  In nine innings, Hawkins has allowed just three hits and struck out 15.  Since the deadline, the Astros are 17-9 but are two games further out because the Cubs are on fire.  The Astros are an even longer shot than the Rockies but battled back to two games above .500 and are closing in on the Cardinals for third place.  In their first meeting since after the trade deadline, the Astros have a great opportunity to play spoiler to their division rivals.  Unfortunately for Houston, St. Louis has owned the season series, winning eight of 12 meetings.