MLB
Sunday, October 3
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Streaking and Slumping Pitchers
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Slumping
Anibal Sanchez, Florida Marlins (12-12, 3.62 ERA)
The Marlins right-hander has dropped three starts in a row posting an ERA north of 6.00 over 17 innings of work. Sanchez didn’t perform badly in his last start, allowing three runs on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings versus Atlanta. However, a lack of run support kept him in the loss column.
Ryan Rowland-Smith, Seattle Mariners (1-10, 6.90 ERA)
After struggling as a starter, Rowland-Smith was relegated to the bullpen. But after the team shut down ace Felix Hernandez, the lefty was given the ball in the season finale. I mean, what can go wrong? Rowland-Smith is 0-1 with a massive 13.19 ERA in his last three appearances as a starter. He didn’t allow a run in 1 2/3 innings of work out of the bullpen last Wednesday.
Mat Latos, San Diego Padres (14-9, 2.92 ERA)
The fate of the Padres is in Latos' shaky hands Sunday. The team’s ace has struggled in the second half of the season and hasn’t won a start since September 7. He’s 0-4 since but is coming off a solid start in which he gave up just two runs on seven hits in just under six innings of work versus the Cubs. Latos is 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA against the Giants for his career.
Debuting
Justin Germano, Cleveland Indians (0-2, 2.16 ERA)
While none of Sunday’s starters qualify as “streaking," the Tribe’s pitching move should get the attention of bettors. Cleveland will start righty Justin Germano, who has pitched in 22 games as a reliever, due to Wednesday’s double-header. Germano made 23 starts for the Padres in 2008, posting a 7-10 record, and has made seven Triple-A starts this season. He is only expected to go three innings versus the White Sox.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hot Lines: Today's best MLB bets
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chicago Cubs at Houston Astros (-138, NA)
The Cubs were so bad this year that Lou Piniella could not even make it through the season. But, surprisingly, they are not limping toward the finish line. Instead, they took three of four from San Diego earlier this week and all but eliminated the Padres from NL West title contention.
A big reason for the late success is an on-fire bullpen. After Friday’s 2-0 shutout win over Houston, Chicago’s relievers had pitched 10 scoreless innings for the week while giving up just two hits and striking out 14. The bullpen’s scoreless streak hit 22 1/3 innings over the last eight games.
“There's a lot that goes into their success, and most of it is due to their maturation and handling the roles we're putting them in,” interim manager Mike Quade told the Chicago Sun-Times. “There's nothing like having a good bullpen when you're managing a club.”
Starter Ryan Dempster imploded imploded against San Francisco on August 23, but in three of his past four starts he has pitched a combined 21 innings and given up just two runs. Another start like that and the Cubs’ ‘pen should be able to take care of business the rest of the way against the Astros, who are one of the coldest teams in baseball.
Pick: Cubs
Oakland Athletics at Seattle Mariners (143, 7.5)
Felix Hernandez’s resume for the American League Cy Young Award is complete. The Mariners have scratched the King for Sunday’s game against Oakland due to his innings count and Seattle’s obvious lack of having anything to play for.
“He leads the league in so many categories,” Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik told The Olympian. “Is one more start going to make that much of a difference? If you are a true baseball person, and you look at what he’s done this year, is that one extra outing going to mean that much?”
Well, it will mean a lot in terms of the outcome of Sunday’s game. Instead of the King, it will be none other than Ryan Rowland-Smith, who sports a 13.19 ERA in his last three starts. For the A’s, Dallas Braden is coming off two quality starts as he looks to cap off his perfect-game year in style.
Pick: Athletics
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This Day in Baseball
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On October 3 in Baseball History...
1897 - Cap Anson closed out a remarkable 27-year career that started in the National Association in 1871. He hit two home runs against St. Louis. At 46, he was the oldest player to homer in the majors.
1904 - Christy Mathewson strikes out 16 Cards in a 3-1 Giants victory. Big Six's 16 strikeouts establishes a new record as he finishes the game in one hour and 15 minutes.
1919 - Rookie lefty Dickie Kerr pitches a three-hitter as the White Sox win 3-0. Joe Jackson has two hits and Chick Gandil drives in two runs as the White Sox cut Cincinnati's World Series lead to 2-1. Cuban Dolf Luque becomes the first Latin American player to appear in a World Series game, pitching one inning of relief for the Reds.
1920 - In a 16-7 win over the White Sox, Browns first baseman George Sisler gets his 257th hit of the season to set a major league record. He also hurls a scoreless ninth inning in relief for St. Louis.
1926 - After the Yankees score twice in the second, Grover Alexander sets down the last 21 batters, striking out 10 in the second game of the World Series. Billy Southworth and shortstop Tommy Thevenow collect three hits each for a 6-2 St. Louis win.
1934 - Dizzy Dean wins the opening game of the World Series 8-3. Detroit manager Mickey Cochrane holds back his ace, Schoolboy Rowe, and veteran Alvin Crowder is ineffective as Joe Medwick homers in a 4-for-4 day. The Tigers make five errors.
1940 - Jimmy Ripple's two-run home run in the third inning of Game Two provides the winning margin as the Reds end the NL's 10-game Series losing streak with a 5-3 win over the Tigers.
1945 - The Tigers and Cubs meet in the World Series for the fourth time. Hank Borowy pitches a six-hitter and Hal Newhouser is roughed up for eight runs in three innings as the Cubs win, 9-0.
1946 - The St. Louis Cardinals won the National League pennant by beating the Brooklyn Dodgers 8-4 and sweeping the best-of-three playoff.
1947 - Bill Bevens of the Yankees held the Dodgers hitless until two were out in the ninth, then pinch-hitter Cookie Lavagetto doubled in two runs for a 3-2 Brooklyn victory in the fourth game of the World Series.
1951 - Bobby Thomson hit a three-run homer off Ralph Branca of the Brooklyn Dodgers with one out in the bottom of the ninth to give the New York Giants a dramatic 5-4 playoff victory and the National League pennant.
1956 - Sal Maglie and the Dodgers defeat the Yankees 6-3 in the opening game of the World Series.
1957 - In Game Three of the World Series, Lew Burdette wins the first of his three decisions against the Yankees. Burdette and the Braves beat Bobby Shantz 4-2.
1962 - The San Francisco Giants rallied for four runs in the ninth inning to win the third game of the tie-breaking playoffs, 6-4, over the Los Angeles Dodgers and move on to the World Series.
1968 - Detroit's Mickey Lolich evens the World Series in Game Two with a six-hitter and his first major-league home run to defeat St. Louis, 8-1.
1971 - Bob Robertson's three home runs led the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 9-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants, tying the National League playoffs at 1-1.
1972 - Roric Harrison homers as Baltimore beats Cleveland 4-3 in the second game of a doubleheader. With the DH rule on the horizon, it will be the last home run hit by an AL pitcher until interleague play 25 years later.
1974 - Frank Robinson becomes the first black manager in the major leagues, as the Indians name him to replace Ken Aspromonte for the 1975 season.
1976 - Hank Aaron singles in his last major-league at bat and drives in his 2,297th run as the sixth-place Brewers lose to the Tigers, 5-2.
1981 - The Brewers and Expos clinch their first-ever postseason appearances. Milwaukee beats Detroit 2-1 to wrap up the second-half title in the AL East, while Montreal edges the Mets 5-4 to win the NL East's second playoff spot.
1982 - Robin Yount smacks two home runs and a triple as Milwaukee whips Baltimore 10-2 to win the AL East championship. Don Sutton, 4-1 since being acquired by the Brewers in late August, is the winning pitcher. Milwaukee lost three in a row to Baltimore to make this last game of the season a do-or-die affair.
1986 - Baltimore loses to Detroit 6-3, assuring the Orioles of their first last-place finish since moving from St. Louis in 1954.
1987 - Benito Santiago's 34-game hitting streak, an all-time rookie record, ended as the San Diego Padres snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
1990 - George Brett became the first player to win a batting title in three different decades. Brett went 1-for-1 in Kansas City's 5-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians to win the American League title with a .329 average. Brett also won AL batting titles in 1976 and 1980.
1990 - Willie McGee became the first player to win a batting title in a league he didn't finish the season in. McGee, who had a .335 average when St. Louis traded him to Oakland on Aug. 28, won his second National League crown when Dave Magadan of the New York Mets failed to catch him on the season's final day.
1993 - The Toronto Blue Jays became the first team in American League history to have teammates finish 1-2-3 in the batting race. John Olerud led the league with a .363 batting average. Paul Molitor finished at .332 and Roberto Alomar closed the year at .326.
1993 - The Giants need to beat the Dodgers on the final day of the season to force a one-game playoff with the Braves for the NL West title, but the Dodgers have other plans. LA rips the Giants, 12-1. At 103-59, San Francisco becomes the first team since the 1954 Yankees to win that many games and not play in the postseason.
1995 - Tony Pena homers to left field in the 13th inning to give the Indians a 5-4 win over the Red Sox in the first game of the Division Series. It is Cleveland's first postseason victory since 1948.
1997 - The Braves and Marlins both sweep the Division Series. The Braves, behind a three-hitter by John Smoltz, complete the sweep of Houston with a 4-1 win. The Marlins ride a grand slam by Devon White to a 6-2 win and sweep of San Francisco.
