I'm rooting for anyone but SD/LA. I still think they are the two teams I would least like to play in the playoffs because of their strong pitching and pitchers parks. If only one of those teams get in, I would be very happy.
If Hall is in the lineup tonight, I hope we have seen the last of Graffy in left. He is playing pretty well, but with Hart resting yesterday, I see no reason for the OF to be anything other than Hall, Hart, and Jenkins.
Bush wasn't that good in the pen last year. I think he is more valuable to the team as a starter. I think Vargas gets dealt and the rotation is Sheets Yo Cappy Bush Suppan With Villy, TBow, and Parra as the 3 best relievers. They may trade another guy and put Villy in the rotation as well, if they can make the team better.
If Sheets is out 5 weeks and misses 7 starts they really might not miss much because Gallardo wasn't going to get back in the rotation until mid-August anyway, and he very well might pitch as well as Sheets can. Where it really will hurt them, though, is when he comes back and they have to sit Gallardo for a few weeks because he will still need to rest if they want him for the playoffs. Hopefully they can shut him down for 2-3 weeks, then bring him back mid September.
Couple of thoughts ... Bill Simmons is very good. He's not afraid to say something in a chat if he doesn't like what the company is doing. I can't stand it when people complain about Gammons. The guy still gets a ton of info. I remember a thread last June on the trade board where a bunch of people were tearing on Peter for mentioning the Rangers using Mench as a piece to land Carlos Lee. We all know how that turned out.
I think Bowen sees a start or two a week. Oakland is 10 games out and those aren't easy teams to catch. I think Suzuki gets a lot of playing time and they get ready for next year.
The Cubs' acquisition of Jason Kendall is no reason for DM to panic. Bowen had an OPS around .650, Kendall's is currently .542 and he hasn't been above his career norms in 3 years. We can only hope Kendall gets 2/3 of the starts on the North side.
I loved how Sutcliffe exclaimed "They just got better in a hurry!!" Yeah, a guy who has been below his career levels for the past 3 years, with an OPS of .542 this season. If this pitcher can tie his shoes the A's probably got the better of the deal.
Link Here is the WebMD definition of a sprain. Once they announced it was a sprain, they announced it was at least a noticeable stretch or slight tear. The fact that today's MRI showed no further damage means the MRI showed what they thought it would.
Cappy didn't make any rehab starts, did he? If he really is only down 2-3 weeks, he might be fine with the same routine they used for Cappy. The only way Vargas gets dealt now is if they use Villy for the time being, as they will still need a few weeks of Vargas in August if Yo takes all of Ben's starts.
Yes it is the winner of a coin toss. Usually sometime in early-mid September representatives from all the teams that have a chance at being tied get together and have coin tosses to determine a home field in the event there is a tie.
Pretty sure you only have to wait something like 6 months to trade a pick. Jeffress could go now, but since he hasn't had much time to build up a history of success you probably are selling pretty low.
I wouldn't be too surprised to see Vargas go at the deadline. The question is, what does he get in return? The offense should be fine, and I don't see a team trading pitching for pitching. Does he net a prospect that makes a deal worthwhile?