By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer
The Washington Nationals don’t have a single starting pitcher on pace to win 10 games this season. However, middle reliever Jon Rauch has seven victories, giving his team the best chance to have one hurler reach double-digits.
Francisco Cordero is seemingly having a fine season in 2007. However, his home/road splits are positively outrageous. He has a 0.33 ERA, 0.70 WHIP and .090 BAA while at home this year. Comparatively, Cordero has posted an 8.62 ERA, 1.98 WHIP and .400 BAA on the road. The Brewers’ team has experienced similar problems, going just 21-32 away from home this year.
Not only would I be shocked if Michael Vick played a down in the NFL this season, at this point, I’d be pretty surprised if he took another snap in the league ever again.
The Braves are in the enviable and unique position of having two of the 5-6 most valuable commodities at catcher in major league baseball. A trade makes more sense than moving one to first base, but I was at first hesitant regarding the Mark Teixeira proposed deal. After all, Teixeira does have a career .848 OPS away from friendly Ameriquest Field, and with Scott Boras as his agent, he’ll be searching for a massive deal at the end of next season (think 10 years). However, I’m starting to change my tune a bit and can see the Braves’ point of view. Teixeira’s actually hit better on the road over the last two seasons, so he’s not necessarily just a product of his hitting environment. He’s also developed into an above average defensive player and immediately makes the Braves legit contenders in the National League. Jarrod Saltalamacchia may have more long-term value in a vacuum, but Atlanta can’t play two catchers at once, and when moved to first base, Teixeira becomes the better option of the two. That said, Salty would be well worth adding in all fantasy leagues if the rumored trade is consummated.
Octavio Dotel is probably the most likely player in all of baseball to be wearing a different uniform next week, so make sure Zack Greinke and/or Joakim Soria are owned in your league. Soria probably gets first crack, but both are very capable of getting the job done.
Hope none of you had Jason Jennings in your lineup Sunday. 11 earnies in 0.2 innings?!! Ouch. That won’t help the old ERA too much. That’s the most runs allowed with the fewest outs recorded in the modern era.
Adam Wainwright’s next two starts come in Pittsburgh and Washington, so he makes a solid play this week.
Don’t look now, but the Chicago Cubs look likely to make the postseason. If the Brewers hadn’t been (smartly) aggressive in calling up youngsters Yovani Gallardo and Ryan Braun, Chicago would already be comfortably in first. As is, Milwaukee still looks to be in some trouble, while the Cubs are surging. Their bullpen’s underrated, and Carlos Zambrano/Ted Lilly form a terrific front end to the rotation. They still have some holes, and I’m not counting the Brew Crew out, but right now, the Cubs look like the favorites to come out of the NL Central.
Top-5 Bill Murray Comedies
1. Kingpin
2. Groundhog Day
3. Caddyshack
4. What About Bob?
5. Scrooged
Top-5 Bill Murray Non-Traditional Comedies
1. Lost in Translation
2. Rushmore
3. The Royal Tenenbaums
4. Broken Flowers
5. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
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