One day before September, which means that tomorrow we will be seeing plenty of fresh faces up with the big clubs. Today was headlined by Aroldis Chapman's debut with the Reds. He came in in the 8th inning. 8 pitches later he was walking off the mound getting an ovation from the hometown crowd after pitching a flawless frame, striking out one and reaching 103 with his fastball. Highlights of his debut and of the game can be found in the following link:
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2010_08_31_milmlb_cinmlb_1&mode=wrap
Check out Votto's unnatural play at first base and Rolen's spectatular backhand flip to second to end the game. The Reds were victorious 8-4. Sam Lecure picked up the win after Harang left the game the inning after getting hit by a line drive in the foot.
Manny Ramirez to the White Sox: Manny strolled into his new clubhouse today in "Manny-like" fashion.
http://www.mercurynews.com/sports/ci_15957236?nclick_check=1
I am personally not a big Manny Ramirez, but I thought it was funny that he held his press conference in Spanish. Whenever a guy gets an ovation for just being in the on deck circle, you know he is a baseball great. I think Manny will be exactly what the White Sox need in order give Minnesota a run for a spot in the postseason.
Bautista Hits Number 43: When is this guy gonna stop? It looks like he will eclipse the 50 home run mark this year, and seemingly out of nowhere. Here is the statistical journey of Bautista: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bautijo02.shtml
Now, Bautista is 30 years old, so this is unquestionably a wonder season for him. But what are the odds that he can do it again next year? My opinion is absolutely not. This will be the season people remember him for, otherwise he will be just another forgettable average MLB player with a little bit of pop. Just for kicks, here is baseballhq.com with projections for the rest of the season: http://www.baseballhq.com/members/tools/playerlink/batterlink.php?id=897
Crazy Finish at Sun Life Stadium: Despite Jarrod Zimmerman pitching an outstanding 6 innings of baseball (1 hit, 9 k, 0 bb), the Nats fall to the Marlins in exciting fashion. Chad Tracy knocked in Hanley Ramirez in the bottom of the 10th inning to seel the victory in dramatic fashion. Hanley made an incredible slide into home, just under Ivan Rodriguez's tag. Pudge argued the call avidly after the umpire had declared him safe. The right call was made by umpire Jim Wolf.
http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100831&content_id=14142870&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=was
NL Division and Wildcard Races: With what looks like it is going to be a win tonight (up 8-4 Bot 9), the Phillies will continue to be 3 games back of the Braves in the East. This has been a fun race to watch over the past couple of years, and it looks like this year won't disappoint. In the Central it has been all bad news for the Cardinals in the past week as they have watched the rival Reds take a 7 game lead. The Reds beat the Brewers 8-4, and the Cardinals fell to the Astros 0-3 to give them a 4 game skid. Who else to speak for the Cards other than the great Albert Pujols, "We're picking a bad time to play some bad baseball. How many games do we have left? Try to win 30 games in a row. That's it." The division that everyone should have their eyes on is the NL West. Essentially everyone but the Diamondbacks are in the running. With the Padres on a 6 game losing streak, they have seen their lead slip to just 4 games over the Giants. The Rockies and the Dodgers will continue to try and maintain a decent position as well. Buster Posey will be the key for the Giants to continue their late season push for the postseason.
Pirates 14, Cubs 7: Don't worry, everyone was surprised when they saw the score. It's an unnatural phenomenon for the Pirates to win, and winning by 7 runs is almost unheard of this year. Neil Walker and Jose Tabata continue to dazzle and provide the Bucs with hope for next season. Walker went 4-5 with a homer, a double, and 4 RBIs. Tabata went 3-5 with a triple and 2 RBIs. Andrew McCutcheon went 3-5 with a double, a stolen base, 2 RBIs, and 2 runs scored. And finally, Garrett Jones blasted a 3-run homer, his 20th of the year. Jeff Karstens looked solid over 6 quality innings of work, improving his record to a fantastic 3-10.
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