In case you weren’t tuned into the Diamondbacks Cardinals game or the Mariners Rangers game (which makes complete sense, unless theres an undying affiliation to any of those teams there’s absolutely no reason to watch either slugfest) history was made in the form of one of the more rare feats in baseball.  The cycle.  But it didn’t just happen once when Diamondback Stephen Drew went 5-5 and accomplished it, it also happened in Arlington when Adrian Beltre made the improbable occur in a win over the Rangers.  This was the first time two players had hit for the cycle on the same day since 1920.  To put this into perspective, the San Diego Padres have never had someone hit for the cycle in their team history.

Lets first talk about Stephen Drew.  In the midst of a pennant race race to see who sucks less the D-backs sent a message to their young shortstop by acquiring David Eckstein, a versatile utility man who actually sucks at baseball but tries really hard and continues to earn starting jobs because of it.  I think Drew got the message.

Over to Arlington where the Mariners and Rangers were playing to see who had to buy the other team slurpees after the game.  The first thing that came to me after looking at the box score (and fist pumping because Josh Hamilton had done some more van dammage for my fantasy team) was Beltre legging out a triple.  How?  He’s slow as hell.  And you mean to tell me that Adrian Beltre actually tried?  There must be some sort of incentive in his contract.

If the Major League Baseball season continues to shake up like it has we could be in for a very special treat. Many Major League teams are adding to the excitement that we see night in and night out, but it remains to be seen what teams will have enough to withstand the tough month of September and stay alive. Let’s take a look at this year’s pretenders and contenders for the upcoming dramatic playoff race.

A.L. Pretenders:
Tampa Bay Rays- I feel really bad for putting the Rays in this spot, but I don’t see them making it out alive in the A.L. East. The Red Sox will find some way to make this thing close before September comes. If stud third baseman Evan Longoria and closer Troy Percival can get off the DL sooner rather than later the Rays could have a chance, but putting everything on Carlos Pena and Australian Grant Balfour is a tough thing to ask.

Minnesota Twins- Tip your hat to the Twins for staying in it this long. Losing Santana and Hunter gave the image of a losing year back in Spring Training, however the emergence of young pitchers such as Nick Blackburn and Kevin Slowey have kept the Twins floating. The main problem with the Twins lies with the lineup outside of All-Stars Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer. The Twins will take on the Mariners and Oakland this week in a 7 game west coast swing; games in which they need to play well in to stay on top of the division.

N.L. Pretenders:
Philadelphia Phillies- The Phillies leader in wins is Jamie Moyer. Ouch. This squad has no pitching outside Cole Hamels and Moyer. And please don’t sit here and tell me that fat ass Joe Blanton was the answer to the Phillies pitching problems. They made a weak push for Rich Harden and are quickly learning that Blanton’s cheese curd fastball can’t hold much to Harden’s dominance. Their lineup is stacked, but their rotation isn’t. Balanced teams make the playoffs. The blue collar working class of Philadelphia will once again have to hope the Mets collapse in a New York minute (or seven games in seventeen days like last year).

Read the rest of this entry »

It wasn’t so long ago, folks, that the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies were facing each other in the NLCS for the right to play the Boston Red Sox in the World Series.  In fact, just seven months ago, these two teams (along with the Phillies) were being hailed the prizes of the National League, full of youth, talent, and excitement.  As the 2008 season has unfolded, however, both these teams have stumbled.  But the struggles haven’t remained within the two organizations; the Dodgers and Padres have both played well below expectations and the San Francisco Giants are, by my considerations, the only team exceeding expectations.  So why is this?

Arizona Diamondbacks. Lets start with the division leaders (barely), the Diamondbacks.  Floating at an even .500 mark of 40-40, the Diamondbacks lead the piss-poor division despite winning just 9 of their last 24 games in the month of June.  Brandon Webb and Dan Haren have both been fantastic, leading 11-4 and 8-4 records respectively and captaining the rotation ahead of the Big Unit, Micah Owings, and Doug Davis.  Everyone has been on Micah Owings jock for his ability to hit…but I’m on his ass for his lackluster pitching performance this year.  Owings ERA is north of five and you have to go back to May 25th for a start in which he allowed less than three runs, May 14th for a start in which he didn’t allow a run.

The essence of their success last year, timely hitting, has been lacking this season.  Super-talent Justin Upton has struggled since his incredible start to the year.  Eric Byrnes, the catalyst for much of the Diamondbacks offense, has struggled this year, having his average dip to .210 since coming off an injury in which he tore both of his quad muscles.  How is that even possible?  Anyways, Byrnes was hitting a whopping 100 points higher last season at this point.  Don’t get too caught up in Chris Young’s power numbers; he’s hitting a dismal .230 and his OBP of .300 is concerning, especially for a leadoff hitter. Read the rest of this entry »

Young Diamondbacks look to continue on success of last year. The Arizona Diamondbacks surprised a great number of people last year as they struck out of nowhere to claim the National League West division title. The Diamondbacks return most of their young prospects and added big names in order to take that next step in the playoffs.

Bats. This Diamondbacks team is simply loaded with young offensive talent. There really isn’t any other way to put it. The offense will rely on the young bats the likes of Conor Jackson, Stephen Drew, Justin Upton, and Chris Young. All four of these guys proved that they belong in the bigs, and all of them are destined for great careers. The fact that they are all starting out in the same place at the same time is a testament to how well this organization has been run. In addition the Diamondbacks have Eric Byrnes, who will look to repeat his career year form last year, and hopefully avoid any announcing booths this fall. Mark Reynolds at third base is another young stud who had a good year in somewhat limited duties last year. Besides Byrnes the only real veteran of note is Orlando Hudson who will be about as consistent as you could ask for at second base hitting a solid .280 and hitting anywhere between 10-15 home runs and being solid defensively. This line is filled with talent, and the scariest part for the rest of the National League is that they’re all so very young, and that could be a concern for the Diamondbacks as well. What happens if all of these guys hit a sophomore slump? Fortunately for them it doesn’t appear as if that will happen, and really there isn’t a weak spot in this lineup. Read the rest of this entry »

Hosts: Sonny, Ryan and Rich: This episode focused entirely on the National League West. With the hiring of former Yankees skipper Joe Torre, are the Dodgers ready for their youth movement to finally make a playoff run? Or will Brandon Webb’s Arizona Diamondbacks repeat? Can the Colorado Rockies continue their magical run of 2007? And can Jake Peavy and Chris Young carry the Padres back into the postseason? All of this and more on the Sportable Spot.

Note: We’ve recorded our podcasts for the AL Central and AL East. They will be posted in a few days after we complete the NL West team previews.

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Call the National League what you want.  It may not be as loaded as the American League is but at least there’s a little bit of parody.  Who honestly didn’t expect the Red Sox to be in the ALCS?  Who honestly didn’t believe the Yankees would make the playoffs…again.  Now i pose a new set of questions to you.  Who would have thought the Rockies would essentially run the table and find themselves in the NLCS?  Who would have given the Diamondbacks a chance over teams like the Mets, Phillies, and Cubs?  Not many.

As we embark on this NLCS, many of us have no idea what to expect.  It’s hard to make judgements on two teams that most of the country didn’t know existed or could hardly name a player from.  The Rockies?  People along the eastern seaboard thought they were contracted a few years back with the Expos.  Now they’re four wins from being in the World Series and boast one of the best offenses you’ve never heard about.  Matt Holliday, Troy Tulowitzki, and crew are bashing their way through opponents the old fashioned way with timely hitting and decent pitching.

On the flip side are the Snakes out in the desert.  The Diamondbacks have been here before, though it was with a completely different roster and coaching staff.  They’re only three years removed from a season in which they lost 111 games.  Now they, like the Rockies, are knocking on the door of the World Series.  Many people wonder how they get it done.  The answer seems to be relatively simple.  It’s a youth movement and everyone’s invited! Guys like Justin Upton, Stephen Drew, Mark Reynolds, and Chris Young have emerged from the farm system to become the catalyst for this team.

I’ll be honest when I say that I have absolutely no idea who’s going to win this series.  While pitching matchups such as Ubaldo Jimenez vs Doug Davis may be tough to get excited about, we know that the games will be exciting.  Funny how the NL West went from the NL Worst to the apparent NL Best.