Cole Hamels is one of the best starting pitchers in the game.  He ranks second in the Majors in strikeouts (133), innings pitched (150.7), and fourth in WHIP (1.01).  While Hamels should finish in the top-5 of the National League Cy Young Award vote, the other starters in Philadelphia’s rotation have not been good. 

Brett Myers, the Phillies’ Opening Day starter, has an ERA of 5.84 and had to be sent down to Triple-A.  Adam Eaton hasn’t been much better.  With the addition of Blanton, the Phillies are sending Eaton and his 5.71 ERA to the bullpen.  Second-year righty Kyle Kendrick is 8-4, but his ERA isn’t good either at 4.87.

45-year-old Jamie Moyer has been a solid sidekick to Hamels as he continues to get people out on very limited stuff.  He is 9-6 with a 3.90 ERA for the 2008 season.

Joe Blanton isn’t flashy.  He is a solid right-hander who throws just above 90 mph with an average breaking ball.  However, if Kyle Kendrick has won twice as many games as he’s lost in 2008, Blanton could be a great addition.  Blanton’s dependability could translate into several wins behind Philadelphia’s prolific offense.  He’s made at least 31 starts and logged at least 194 innings in each of his three Major League seasons.

Blanton is one of the original Moneyballers, drafted in the first round of out of the University of Kentucky in 2002.  He finished 6th in the 2004 AL Rookie of the Year vote by posting a 12-12 mark with a 3.53 ERA.  He won a career-high 16 games in 2005, though his ERA ballooned to 4.82.  Last season, Blanton took over duties as staff ace and logged a whopping 230 innings, but kept his ERA (3.95) under 4.00.  His career ERA is 4.25, just above the league average of 4.24. 

Joe Blanton is not yet arbitration eligible and made only $380,000 in 2007.  The Phillies will take no risk monetarily, and Blanton isn’t scheduled to become a free agent until after the 2010 season.  However, while Blanton’s durability almost guarantees that he is able to throw 200 inning annually, his rough 2008 season is concerning.  He is 27 years old and, although his MLB career is relatively short, his best years could already be behind him.  Plus, Oakland general manager Billy Beane seems to have a knack for trading away pitchers just as they begin the downside of their careers.  (See:  Barry Zito and Mark Mulder.)

Billy Beane is running laps around the rest of the general managers in Major League Baseball.  This trade is no blockbuster, but supply and demand ensured that Beane maximized Blanton’s value.  Adrian Cardenas was named the High School Player of the Year by Baseball America his senior season at a Miami, Florida high school and was the Phillies’ best position prospect.  Cardenas is a second baseman–obviously blocked at that position in Philadelphia by superstar Chase Utley–that will more than likely be a top-30 overall prospect going into 2009.  Since the Athletics drafted University of Miami second baseman Jemile Weeks last month in the first round, Cardenas may very well end up playing third base in the Major Leagues, but scouts believe his bat will be powerful enough to play at the hot corner.  The Athletics also received Josh Outman, a left-hander who ranked as the Phillies’ fourth-best prospect entering 2008.  He has moved to the bullpen and has a 3.20 ERA in Double-A.  Matt Spencer is a second-year outfielder who is struggling at Class High-A.

Cardenas is a prized hitting prospect, but Billy Beane was able to pry him away from the Phillies even though Joe Blanton is having the worst season of his MLB career.  Blanton is just 5-12 with 4.96 ERA in 2008.  While the National League will not be as strong as Blanton’s American League foes, Philadelphia’s park is grossly different than Oakland’s pitcher-friendly park.  Despite the poor numbers, Blanton was one of the best pitchers available in the trade market.  Beyond the supply and demand factor, the New York Mets have been on fire of late and are tied for the NL East lead, heightening Philadelphia’s urgency to acquire a starting pitcher.  Now Blanton is thrust in the midst of an exciting playoff race.  He will make his Philadelphia Phillies debut tomorrow in Shea Stadium versus Johan Santana and the New York Mets.

  Ten years from now, Justin Morneau will be the answer to a great trivia question.  He won the 2008 Homerun Derby, but it was Josh Hamilton who became the water cooler talk of the nation on Tuesday morning with his incredible first round performance.  Just over 24 hours later, Morneau would single to start the American League’s half of the 15th inning and later score the game-winning run of an epic All-Star Game.

The nearly five hour mid-summer classic had it all:  homers, strikeouts, diving catches, plays at the plate, and plenty of drama.

But the most impressive moment may have come before the game.  Major League Baseball has plenty of faults–most recently, taking 15 years before acknowledging there was a steroid problem–, but it sure knows how to celebrate itself.  MLB trotted out nearly every living Hall of Famer (Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench, and Sandy Koufax were nowhere to be found) by position with the All-Star starter from each league joining the legends.  Never before has the world seen such an accumulation of baseball talent.  The diversity of the players–from Juan Marichal, Cal Ripken, Jr., Ferguson Jenkins, Willie McCovey, George Brett, Bruce Sutter, Bob Feller, and Yogi Berra–was incredible because of their common bond as Hall of Famers.  The four living members who are in the Hall of Fame as New York Yankees–Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Reggie Jackson, and recently-elected Goose Gossage–threw out the first pitch.  The baseballs they threw were delivered by long-time Yankees owner George Steinbrenner who wept in emotion in his first public appearance in months and called the moment one of the greatest of his life.  Love him or hate him, Steinbrenner deserves to be in the Hall of Fame himself for his impact on and success in the game.

  Each starting pitcher–Ben Sheets for the NL and Cliff Lee for the AL–threw two innings and struck out three.

  After pitching dominated the first four innings (4 IP, 4 K for the NL; 4 IP, 3 K for the AL) Matt Holliday hit an opposite field homerun off Ervin Santana to open the scoring in the 5th inning.  J.D. Drew tied the game at two in the bottom of the 7th inning with a bomb off Edinson Volquez.  

Earlier in the week Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon claimed he should get the save opportunity in the All-Star Game, not Mariano Rivera.  Like a politician, Papelbon changed his tune a day later saying his true intentions were that Rivera should close all along and that his previous comments were misconstrued.  When Papelbon entered the All-Star Game in the 8th inning, Yankees fans in attendance booed him loudly.  When he gave up the go-ahead run (unearned), the fans razzed him as if it would be just fine if the American League took the loss, just so long as Papelbon was the game’s losing pitcher.

The fans voted rookie Evan Longoria into the final roster spot for the AL All-Stars and he delivered in the 9th inning off Mets closer Billy Wagner to tie the game at three.

It seemed everyone had planned a storybook ending of Mariano Rivera being on the mound to close the game, but he found himself in a first-and-third jam with only one out before Dan Uggla grounded into a double play.  It was Uggla’s only at bat that he didn’t strike out.  He also had three errors to go along with the hat trick and the double play in an RBI situation.

Rockies starter Aaron Cook worked out of a bases-loaded-with-no-outs jam following two of Uggla’s errors.

Nate McLouth threw out Dioner Navarro at home plate to save the game for the National League.

Ryan Ludwick made a diving catch.

Miguel Tejada made an incredible do-or-die play with two outs and a runner on third to extend the game.

For the American League, George Sherrill entered with the bases loaded and two outs, but struck out Ludwick to end the NL rally.

Ryan Dempster struck out the side in his inning of work, while Brandon Webb struck out two in an inning just two days after throwing 108 pitches.

The National League gave a valiant effort and had plenty of opportunities, but the American League prevailed once again as Michael Young delivered the game-winning RBI in the All-Star Game for the second time in the last three years.  The AL hasn’t lost an All-Star Game 1996, including the infamous tie in Milwaukee in the 2002 version of the mid-summer classic. 

J.D. Drew was named the 2008 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player, going 2-4 with a homer, 2 RBIs, a walk, and a run scored.  Scott Kazmir, who also threw over 100 pitches on Sunday, was the winning pitcher.  Brad Lidge was the losing pitcher.

This epic game ended just in time, as the pitchers of record were the last pitchers used by managers Terry Francona and Clint Hurdle.  If you stayed up to watch all 15 innings, you saw a classic. 

The 2008 All-Star break began with Josh Hamilton becoming a household name on the national level.  Then after a parade through the Bronx, nearly every living Hall of Famer took the field.  Major League Baseball’s pomp and circumstance was a sight to be seen, celebrating not only the All-Stars of 2008, but the game itself.  Yankee Stadium, in all its grandeur, was the perfect venue.  Then, the All-Stars delivered one of the most-memorable All-Star Games ever. 

CLICK HERE FOR WEEK 15 POWER RANKINGS

AL EAST

(57-40)  The Red Sox don’t need to trade for bullpen help because of their organization’s depth.  They have sent down Justin Masterson (who was 4-3, 3.67 ERA as a starter) to prepare the sinkerballer for a relief role in the second half.

(55-39)  The Rays’ number five overall prospect, shortstop Reid Brignac, has made his MLB debut, but has yet to collect his first MLB hit in 10 at bats.

(50-45)  Alex Rodriguez’s time on the disabled list earlier in the year has hurt his overall numbers as well as the attention he normally receives, but he is still having a good year, hitting .312/.392/.581.  Expect a monster second half from the reigning AL MVP.

(47-48)  Roy Halladay looks poised to win his second AL Cy Young.  He is top five in the American League in wins (11), ERA (2.71), strikeouts (121), WHIP (0.998), innings (146.3), complete games (7), and shutouts (2).

(45-48)  24-year-old Nick Markakis‘ plate discipline is pretty impressive for a third-year player:  he is fourth in the AL in on-base percentage (.401) and third in walks (59).  He only drew 61 walks in 2007.

 AL CENTRAL

(54-40)  Paul Konerko had a bad 2007 and is having a worse 2008, hitting .217/.320/.368.  He signed a 5-year, $60 million contract before the 2006 season.

(53-42) Denard Span was supposed to play in the Futures Game this year, but it didn’t happen because he got called up to the Show.  He’s hitting .324 in 25 games and is an incredibly good defensive outfielder.

(47-47)  Miguel Cabrera is on fire, finally showing the form that had many predicting he would win the 2008 AL MVP.  His OPS is 1.029 in July, including 5 homeruns in the month.

(43-53)  David DeJesus had trouble early in his career dealing with the expectations that he was the next Carlos Beltran, but DeJesus made himself into a solid regular in his own right.

(41-53) Masahide Kobayashi is the new closer in Cleveland as the Indians have released Joe Borowski.  The native of Japan has 5 saves on the year.

AL WEST

(57-38)  Francisco Rodriguez’s 38 saves at the All-Star break is remarkable.  In a season without a marquee seson by the marquee players for the division leaders, K-Rod has a legitamite shot at the 2008 American League Most Valuable Player Award.

(51-44)  A blown save denied Justin Duchscherer his 11th win on Sunday, but at the All-Star break he continues to lead the American League in ERA (1.82) and WHIP (0.865).

(50-46)  Ian Kinsler (.337/.397/.548, 23 stolen bases) is a lock to win the Silver Slugger for AL second basemen in 2008.

(37-58)  Only 17 of Ichiro Suzuki’s 119 hits are for extra bases.  However, he has earned 34 extra bases via steals.

CLICK HERE FOR WEEK 15 POWER RANKINGS

NL EAST

(52-44) The Phillies need to deal for some starting pitching help because Cole Hamels (9-6, 142.7 IP, 126 K/34 BB, 3.15 ERA, 1.023 WHIP) can only pitch every fifth game.

(51-44)  Earlier in the season, Mike Pelfrey lost six straight starts.  Now he has won six straight and on the year he is 8-6 with a 3.64 ERA.

(50-45) Ricky Nolasco is on fire.  The 25-year-old right-hander went 11-11 in 2006, was hurt last season, and has come back in the first half of 2008 to post a 10-4 with a 3.70 ERA, including winning five straight decisions.

(45-50)  The Braves sent down Jeff Francoeur to Doube-A, but have since recalled him.  He called it a slap in the face by the organization, but his numbers are not encouraging.  He’s hitting .234/.285/.375 on the year.  His lack of plate discipline will mean his 2006 will be his best MLB season.

(36-60)  Odalis Perez hasn’t won since May 28, but he’s having a solid year.  His record is only 2-7, but his ERA is 3.71.

NL CENTRAL

(57-38)  It was a great move by Cubs’ management to allow (or force, probably) Carlos Zambrano to miss two starts with a sore shoulder while the team remained in first place.  He’s won each of his two starts since returning from the DL and his start on Wednesday was the highest game score he has logged this season (81).

(53-43)  Remember the Cardinals traded Dan Haren to get Mark Mulder.  In his first start (third appearance) of 2008, he lasted just one third of an inning before leaving with a hurting shoulder.  He’s pitched 12.7 innings since the beginning of 2007.

(52-43) C.C. Sabathia is giving the Brewers instant results since being traded, winning both of his starts.  In yesterday’s win, Sabathia threw all nine innings and hit a homerun.

(46-50)  It just goes to show you never can tell.  Homer Bailey was recalled to start yesterday and didn’t throw badly (5.7 IP, 2 ER), but he was a can’t-miss prospect who now is 4-5 with a 6.11 ERA in his short MLB career.  There is still time for Bailey to figure out how to pitch, though, since he is only 22, but the early trial does not look great.

(44-50) Paul Maholm’s claim to fame may be that he struck out Billy Crystal in spring training this year, but the lefty is 4-0 in last 8 starts with a 2.67 ERA.

(44-51)  After a hot start in the National League, Miguel Tejada is hitting only .206/.268/.326 since June 1.

NL WEST

(47-48)  At the All-Star break, the Diamondbacks cling to the NL West lead even though they are under .500.  Their lineup is not very good and they have three players at the break who have more than 95 strikeouts:  Mark Reynolds (111), Chris Young (95), and Justin Upton (97).

(46-49)  Andruw Jones is off the disabled list, but his swing isn’t any healthier.  On Saturday, he went 0-5 with 5 strikeouts.

(40-55)  An organization might need more pop in its lineup when rookie John Bowker leads the team in homeruns (9) and slugging percentage (.449).

(39-57)  Clint Barmes has played at second base, shortstop, and third base this season for Colorado.  Injuries forced his versatility, but his bat has kept him in the lineup.  He’s hitting .295/.337/.477 on the year.

(37-58)  The end could be near for Padres closer Trevor Hoffman.  The all-time saves leader (541) is just 1-5 with a 5.08 ERA in 2008 with three blown saves.

   The National League Central just got a lot better this week.  Remember in 2007 when the Chicago Cubs won this division with only 85 wins?  Now it looks pretty certain that the NL Wild Card will come from the Central.  In fact, the three best records in the National League come from this same division. 

Within hours of the Milwaukee Brewers trading for last year’s AL Cy Young winner C.C. Sabathia, the Cubs traded for the talented, but often-injured Rich Harden. 

Chicago Cubs receive:

Rich Harden:  5-1, 77 IP, 92 K/31 BB, 2.34 ERA, 1.143 WHIP.

Chad Gaudin:  5-3, 62.7 IP, 44 K/17 BB, 3.59 ERA, 1.277 WHIP.

Oakland Athletics receive:

Sean Gallagher:  3-4, 58.7 IP, 49 K/22 BB, 4.45 ERA, 1.364 WHIP.

Matt Murton:  .250/.286/.300 in 40 at bats.

Eric Patterson:  .237/.318/.342 in 38 at bats.

Josh Donaldson:  .223/.282/.385 in Midwest League (Low A).

Rich Harden’s 2.34 ERA is good enough for 2nd in the American League.  There’s just one problem.  He hasn’t thrown enough innings to qualify in the discussion.  (A pitcher must have at least one inning pitched per team game to qualify for the ERA title.)  What a perfect microcosm for Rich Harden’s career.  The hard-throwing right-hander is incredibly talented, but cannot seem to stay healthy.  He has never broken the 200 innings pitched barrier, only once throwing an inning per team game (189.7 IP in 2004).  But Harden’s talent is unmistakable:  he’s struck out nearly a batter per inning in his career while allowing much less than one hit per inning (541.7 innings, 523 strikeouts, 442 hits allowed).  Currently Rich Harden ranks 11th in the American League with 92 strikeouts in only 77 innings.  All of the 10 pitchers ahead of Harden are over the 100-inning mark.  In 10th place, Felix Hernandez has one more strikeout than Harden (93), but has thrown 31 more innings (108).

Chad Gaudin is a solid swingman and is only 25-years old.  The Cubs will use him in relief and he is one hell of an extra player in this trade.

Matt Murton, a 2003 first rounder of the Boston Red Sox, came to the Cubs as part of the Nomar Garciaparra trade.  The Cubs mishandled Murton a bit by keeping him in the Majors as a fourth outfielder to platoon versus left-handed pitching.  However, he is only 26 and his career line is .294/.362/.448, certainly a serviceable–and cheap–outfielder for Oakland.

Eric Patterson is not the Moneyball player that Athletics GM Billy Beane usually profiles.  He is very athletic, much like Oakland’s first round draft choice last month, second baseman Jemile Weeks.  Patterson is a utility type of player defensively, but could be the wild card of this trade if the power in his offensive game develops.  In 49 games (189 at bats) in Triple-A this season, Patterson’s line was .323/.356/.519 with 10 stolen bases.

Josh Donaldson was selected by the Cubs in the sandwich round of the 2007 draft.  He is a catcher from Auburn University and had a great professional debut, compiling an OPS of 1.050 in 53 games in two short-season leagues last year. 

The Cubs received a top-flight arm in Rich Harden’s, but will he be a reincarnation of Mark Prior for Cubs’ fans?  It’s definitely worth the risk since Chicago gave up four players who will probably end up being either reserves or decent regulars.  Also, Harden is due to make $4.5 million this season and now his new club–the Cubs–hold an option for the 2009 season worth $9 million. 

In a very short time, the NL Central has become very formidible.  Are the St. Louis Cardinals next in hiring a gun for a postseason run or will they continue to rely on Dave Duncan’s magic?  Right now, it does not look like St. Louis will make any major move, but they do have the second-most wins in the National League with their rag tag pitching staff.  The Brewers surely believe they can earn a playoff spot with the acquisition of C.C. Sabathia.  The Chicago Cubs want to make sure that if the Brewers make the playoffs, it is via the Wild Card.  They now have Rich Harden–who makes his NL debut on Saturday–and their sights set on back-to-back National League Central titles.

  This season the American League won more games than the National League for the fifth consecutive year in Interleague play.  In fact, 2008 saw the 2nd-highest winning percentage of any league in the 12 years Major League Baseball has held Interleague play.  Only the 2006 American Leaguers, who beat the NL at a .611 clip, were better than this year’s American League winning percentage of .594. 

In the history of Interleague play, six of the 16 National League teams are above .500 while nine of the 14 American League teams are over .500.  Of the nine winning AL teams, five own winning percentages above .550 in Interleague play.  To put that number into perspective, a .550 winning percentage would equal between 89 and 90 wins over a 162-game regular season. 

But why has the American League been so dominant?

Baseball is an intriguing game where a team’s best hitting talent may perform only four times per contest.  That being said, it is the collection of these individual hitters–the lineup–that must beat the pitcher.  The American League has an obvious advantage with the designated hitter in their lineups, and since the National League teams aren’t designed by their general managers in power to add extra hitters to the roster, the AL is hurt less by taking away their DH in a National League park than the NL is by adding a reserve to be the DH in an American League park.

For instance in the American League, the regular designated hitters are Cliff Floyd, David Ortiz, Hideki Matsui, Aubrey Huff, Matt Stairs, Jim Thome, Jason Kubel, Gary Sheffield, Jose Guillen, Travis Hafner, Gary Matthews, Jr., Frank Thomas, Milton Bradley, and Jose Vidro.

Thome has hit over 500 homeruns.  Ortiz has finished in the Top-5 of the AL MVP vote for five consecutive years.  Gary Sheffield is one of the great hitting talents of his generation.  The others have been All-Stars and have long been considered, quite simply, damned good hitters.  Milton Bradley has led the American League in OPS for the majority of 2008.

The NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs used the designated hitter to give their stars Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Kosuke Fukudome, and Geovany Soto rest while keeping each bat in the lineup.  However, the addition to the lineup was either Ronny Cedeno, Henry Blanco, or Micah Hoffpair.

American League teams have long used the DH to give rest star players while keeping their coveted bats in the lineup.  The Yankees do it to keep Alex Rodriguez fresh.  The Angels with Vladimir Guerrero.  The practice is especially useful for catchers who can hit like Joe Mauer, Victor Martinez, and Jeff Clement.  However, the extra National hitter isn’t as valuable since their teams aren’t built accordingly.  Consider when the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies used Ryan Howard as their designated hitter, they inserted utility infielder Eric Bruntlett into the lineup as the first baseman.  Twice the Phillies used backup third baseman Greg Dobbs as their designated hitter, who is hardly the household name many American League designate hitters are.

The difference between adding Dobbs to the lineup in an American League game versus substracting Hideki Matsui from the Yankees’ lineup in a National League contest is apparent. 

In the 2008 version of Interleague play, only two American League teams had a winning percentage under .500 while only three National League teams finished above .500.  Within the AL’s dominance of this year’s Interleague play, the lowly Kansas Royals went 13-5, the Detroit Tigers–who didn’t win their first game until the second week of the season–went 13-5, and the Minnesota Twins won ten consective games versus the NL.  Also, all three current National League division leaders were swept by an American League squad:  Arizona by the Twins, the Chicago Cubs by Tampa Bay and the White Sox, and Philadelphia by the Angels.  The current National League Wild Card leader, St. Louis, was swept as well, by their in-state rivals Kansas City.

Two great moments in the 2008 Interleague play were C.C. Sabathia’s mammoth 440-foot homerun and Felix Hernandez’s grand slam off two-time AL Cy Young award winner Johan Santana.

The American League also has a clear advantage over the NL in regards to bullpens.  The National League has Billy Wagner, Brad Lidge, Takashi Saito, and Trevor Hoffman among others who are very good at closing out games, but it’s really no match compared to the American League’s closers.  Francisco Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera, Jonathan Papelbon, and Joe Nathan are as good as they come.

The designated hitter rule may be sacrilegious to Abner Doubleday, but it’s obviously here to stay.  The effect it’s had on the game since its institution in 1973 has been profound.  It’s clearly made American League teams more offensive oriented.  The American League’s recent and sustained success in Interleague play versus its National League counterpart shows that the style in which each league’s teams are constructed plays a huge role how that team can adapt to the rules of the other league’s parks.  Don’t expect the American League to let up anytime soon.

  The Milwaukee Brewers haven’t made the playoffs since 1982 when they were in the American League and Hall of Famer Robin Yount won the AL MVP.  Brewers General Manager Doug Melvin apparently thinks a quarter century without playoff baseball is long enough for the people of Milwaukee.  Melvin and the Brewers have traded for the 2007 American League Cy Young Award winner, C.C. Sabathia.  The Brewers are currently tied with their division rival the St. Louis Cardinals to be the National League Wild Card, but the big hard-throwing lefty Sabathia now makes them the favorite to win the NL’s fourth playoff spot.

THE DEAL

Milwaukee receives:  Carston Charles Sabathia.  He’s 6-8, 122.3 IP, 123 K, 34 BB, 3.83 ERA this season.

Cleveland receives:  Matt LaPorta: Brewers’ number one prospect entering 2007.  He’s an outfielder hitting .291/.404/.584 with 20 homers in Double-A.  Zach Jackson:  A struggling left-handed swingman.  He’s 1-5 with a 7.83 ERA in Triple-A.  Robert Bryson has worked as a starter and closer in Class Low A.  He’s 3-2 with 5 saves and a 4.25 ERA in 55 innings.  The player to be named later is said to be Taylor Green, a third baseman in Class High A hitting .297/.381/.452 with 10 homers with more walks (40) than strikeouts (39).

Matt LaPorta played at the University of Florida and was the SEC Player of the Year and an All-American his sophomore season.  After a disappointing junior season, he returned to school and was drafted by the Brewers seventh overall in 2007.  Milwaukee quickly converted LaPorta from a first baseman into a corner outfielder, but it was his conversion to the wooden bat that opened people’s eyes.  He dropped 12 bombs and slugged .696 in just 30 professional games after signing. 

Much like the Brewers’ first round choice in 2005, Ryan Braun, LaPorta will never be good defensively but his offensive production will more than compensate.

Brewers GM Doug Melvin has stacked his organization’s minor league system with quality talent.  In last month’s draft, the Brewers had five picks before the third round.  Third baseman Mat Gamel, LaPorta’s teammate in Double-A, is putting up monster numbers.  His .381/.443/.637 line could garner him Minor League Player of the Year honors.  He is terribly defensively himself and will more than likely move to the corner outfield spot that LaPorta had played.  With Gamel and the rest of Brewers’ loaded system, LaPorta could be used as the key piece to get Sabathia. 

C.C. Sabathia’s contract expires at the end of this season, creating obvious baggage for Milwaukee.  He turned down a 4-year, $72 million offer from Cleveland earlier this season, and it seems unlikely that the Brewers could make a better offer.  Disregard his record and Sabathia’s 2008 numbers are very good.  The 2007 AL Cy Young turns 28 on July 21, so get ready this offseason when this frontline left-handed starter hits the open market of free agency.  That means the Brewers will probably give up an elite power hitting prospect in LaPorta for a three-month rental for C.C. Sabathia.  They would receive a sandwich round draft choice if they prove unable or unwilling to sign the lefty. 

But the Brewers think it’s worth it.  Their first playoff berth since 1982 is theirs to lose.

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CLICK HERE FOR WEEK 14 POWER RANKINGS

AL EAST

(55-32) Could Troy Percival’s latest hamstring injury be a blessing in disguise?  Grant Balfour will get the save opportunities now and the credit he deserves.  He has thrown 13 consecutive scoreless innings in nine outings, striking out 22 in the process.

(52-39)  Jacoby Ellsbury has struggled over the last month of play, hitting just .238, but the rookie outfielder has contributed to his club by leading the American League with 35 stolen bases and superlatively better left field defense than Manny Ramirez.

(47-42)  Hideki Matsui (.323) and Johnny Damon (.319) are each in the top-10 in the American League in batting average, but due to injuries, recent call-up Brett Gardner is filling in.  Gardner hit the game-winning single off Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon last night.
(44-43)  For teams looking for a left-handed power bat down the stretch, designated hitter Aubrey Huff can still swing it.  He’s hitting .281/.344/.523 with 17 homers on the season.

(42-47)  It’s a shame that Shaun Marcum’s breakout year has been cut short by a sore elbow.  His rehab is going well, though, and should be back after the All-Star break.

AL CENTRAL

(51-37)  White Sox received Carlos Quentin, who would finish top-10 in the AL MVP vote if it were decided today, for a minor league first baseman.  Advantage, Chicago General Manager Ken Williams.

(50-38)  Saturday’s start was Kevin Slowey’s worst in his last five (6 IP, 5 hits, 5 runs, 2 BB, 5 SO), but he won his fourth straight decision anyway.

(44-44)  Jim Leyland says Carlos Guillen is the reason for the recent surge by Detroit.  The Tigers broke the .500 mark for the first time in 2008 in the 83rd game of the season.

(39-50)  Closer Joakim Soria should be an All-Star even if he weren’t the Royals’ one required selection.

(37-51) Last year the Indians had the Red Sox down 3 games to 1 in the ALCS.  It looked like the beginning of a AL Central dynasty for the Tribe, but Cleveland is currently in last place in the division and have traded 2007 AL Cy Young winner, C.C. Sabathia, who had been in the organization for a decade.

 AL WEST

(53-35)  After a career year in 2006 with the Texas Rangers, the Angels signed Gary Matthews, Jr. to a five-year, $50 million contract.  He’s hitting .239/.315/.360 in 2008.  Bad sign by the Angels.

(47-41)  Eric Chavez back on the disabled list for the Athletics.  He’s played in over 140 games just once in the last five seasons.

(46-43)  Why did the Rangers–who have always been short on starting pitching–release Sidney Ponson?  He was 4-1 with a 3.88 ERA with Texas and now 1-0 with the Yankees.

(35-53)  The Mariners have used Willie Bloomquist at centerfield 12 times this season, a terrible option at an important defensive position.  Think they wish they had Adam Jones back?

CLICK HERE FOR WEEK 14 POWER RANKINGS

NL EAST

(48-41)  The Phillies called up 25-year-old left-hander J.A. Happ from Triple-A to take Brett Myers‘ spot in the rotation.  Happ threw 4.7 innings and allowed 2 runs in his 2008 debut.

(45-43)  Starting National League shortstop Hanley Ramirez has 21 homers and 21 stolen bases through 87 team games.  30/30 looks inevitable, but can he go 40/40? 

(44-44)  The Mets were worried that John Maine might have dead arm, but he appears to be ok.  His 8-6 record with a 3.91 ERA is solid, but it’s not the breakout year that many expected.

(42-47)  He’s no longer hitting over .400 and the guy can barely walk, but Chipper Jones can still rake.  He’s leading Major League Baseball with a 1.125 on-base plus slugging percentage.

(34-56)  Collin Balester, the number three prospect in the Nationals’ organization, made his MLB debut last week, losing one start and winning the other.

NL CENTRAL

(53-36)  In Ted Lilly’s  first four starts, he was 0-3 with a 9.16 ERA and barely throwing 85 mph with his fastball.  In 15 games since then, his velocity is back and so are the numbers Cubs fans expected:  he’s 9-2 with a 3.52 ERA.

(50-40)  It looks as if Rick Ankiel will someday win a Gold Glove award, but this middle-of-the-field defender may hit 30 homeruns this year as well.  He has 18 right now, and has hit 3 so far in July.

(49-39) J.J. Hardy is probably the hottest hitter on the planet.  Since the beginning of June, he’s hitting .385 with 22 extra-base hits.

(43-47)  The Reds were supposed to have one of the better starting rotations in the NL Central, but only newcomer Edinson Volquez (11-3) has a winning record.

(41-48)  Roy Oswalt will miss a few starts because of a hurting hip.  Maybe that’s why the pitcher who had more victories than anyone from 2001-2007 is only 7-8 with a 4.60 ERA in 2008.

(40-47)  Jason Bay is having a good year after a bit of a disappointing 2007.  He’s hitting .285/.389/.526 in 2008 with 17 homeruns.  Teams needing a right-handed power bat will be asking the Pirates about him soon.

NL WEST

(44-45)  Yesterday Randy Johnson dominated by throwing 6.1 innings, striking out 10 and walking no one.  The win break an ugly streak for Johnson.  He had lost six consecutive starts before yesterday.

(43-45)  Chan Ho Park’s contract with the Texas Rangers (5 years, $65 million) was a terrible one, but he has resurfaced where he began his MLB career and provided very good relief for the Dodgers, owning a 2.36 ERA in 61 innings.

(39-50)  Tim Lincecum (10-1, 115.7 IP, 122 strikeouts) should be the National League’s starting pitcher in this year’s All-Star Game.

(37-52)  Last year’s NL MVP Runner-up Matt Holliday hit .429 with 3 homers in the last week, while last year’s NL Rookie of the Year Runner-up Troy Tulowitzki went back on the disabled list.

(35-54)  Scott Hairston is showing some power in 2008.  He’s second on the Padres in homeruns (12) and slugging percentage (.470).

  How often does a division leader send its Opening Day starter down to the minors?  The Philadelphia Phillies have done just that, sending down Brett Myers to Triple-A.

Of course the Phillies will recall Myers sometime in the second half of the season, but it was a mistake by manager Charlie Manuel to choose the veteran Myers to start the club’s first game of the season over rising star Cole Hamels.  The Phillies lost that first game of the year and have not fared much better in Myers’ starts since, compiling just a 4-13 record when he pitches.  But this team leads the National League East, meaning Philly is 41-26 when their supposed ace does not pitch.

Myers has been terrible in 2008.  He is 3-9 with a 5.84 ERA.  His WHIP is a whopping 1.564 and he leads the National League in homeruns allowed (24) as well as earned runs (66).  Batters are hitting .284 off Myers this season–which is not outrageous–but these hits aren’t only singles.  Hitters are slugging a powerful .551 off Myers.

After early struggles as a starter in 2007, Myers became the Phillies’ closer and notched 21 saves for the NL East winners.  However, that is not an option this season as offseason acquisition Brad Lidge has thrived in the closer’s role.  Lidge has already saved 19 games in the first half of 2008 and owns a 0.82 ERA.

The Phillies say that Brett Myers simply needs to work on the mechanics of delivery.  Triple-A will give him more time to play practical jokes and beat his wife.  It’s interesting that the Phillies don’t necessarily need Myers to win the division.  They won it in 2007 with Myers pitching in relief.  His production has been so bad this year that whoever replaces him could do no worse.  Besides, they are in first place right now.  So who will Myers’ replacement in the Phillies’ rotation be?  One option is Philadelphia’s number one prospect Carlos Carrasco, who is in Double-A.   While the 21-year-old Carrasco is known to be pretty inconsistent, scouts believe his stuff is adaquate for the Major Leagues right now.