Philly is now the favorite to win the NL East I feel.  Their hitting was always better than the Braves but their pitching didn’t quite match up 1-5 with the Braves but now the Phillies have the best 1-2 punch in baseball.

Oswalt was just 6-12 this season with an very good 3.35 ERA.  For Oswalt’s career he has a .780+ winning percentage after August 1st so Philly fans should be excited to received Oswalt.

Note:  The Astros traded Gose to the Blue Jays for 1B Brett Wallace.

Tampa Bay Rays SP Matt Garza has thrown the first no-hitter in Rays history against the Detroit Tigers. He faced the minimum amount of batters following a walk in the second inning and a subsequent double play. Garza totaled six strikeouts, but his ability to pound the strike zone led to many easy in the 5-0 victory.

The ninth inning consisted of a dribbler to second base by Don Kelly, a Gerald Laird strikeout looking, and finally Ramon Santiago pinch hit a lazy fly ball to right fielder Ben Zobrist (who made a heck of a catch earlier in the game). It was another historic night in Tampa (Edwin Jackson no-hitter for the D’Backs on June 25 against the Rays) and Garza’s name is etched in history.

Tigers SP Max Scherzer had a no-hitter of his own into the sixth inning, but that was broken up with a grand slam of all things! Matt Joyce collected the first hit of the game with a grand salami into the right field bleachers. That left the final fireworks for Garza to provide. What a way to lose a no-hitter.

Seriously though, how bad are the Tigers? I’ve been wondering when the bottom would fall out for them – and this must be it. Or at least, they better hope this is it. I’m sure Tigers fans are hoping this wakes this team up, because at this rate they’ll be out of the race by the end of the month.

Garza’s no hitter is the fifth of the season in the majors. It is the first time since 1991 that there has been five no-hitters in a season (there were seven that season). Also, there are only two teams that still have never had a no-hitter. The Rays were the third team, but now it’s down to the Padres and the Mets. My bet is that the Padres will do it, not because I hate the Mets, but because that’s the luck the Mets have.

Anywho, congrats to Matt Garza! I just hope that at this pace the no-hitter doesn’t go out of style, haha.

-Chris

1. Yankees (62-35) – Why does Alex Rodriguez get media coverage of every at bat while he attempts to hit homerun #600? He is a self-proclaimed cheater.
2. Rays (59-38) – The Rays have done it, they’ve gotten over the hump. That hump was snapping an 18-game losing streak in Cleveland.
3. Padres (58-39) – Every time I look at the NL West standings I check to see what the lead for the Padres currently is. Well, every time I look, they have at least a three game lead.
4. Braves (57-41) – I would be surprised if the Braves make any more moves before the trade deadline. Right now I would say they are pretty set (long story short, that doesn’t mean a division title is in the bag).
5. Rangers (58-41) – Cliff Lee is in the win column, which should scare the other teams in the division. I think he is ready to rock and roll the rest of the season.
6. Reds (55-45) – The Reds will certainly look to make a move if they can. This team is a couple moves away from being one of the best in the league.
7. Giants (56-43) – Don’t look too fast, but the Giants are currently atop the NL wild card standings. I’m curious to see if this is a fluke or if their starting pitching will keep them rolling.
8. Cardinals (55-44) – If the Cardinals don’t make a move for a fourth and/or fifth starter, then they MUST get Brad Penny back soon. They won’t survive automatically losing every fourth and fifth day.
9. Red Sox (55-44) – The Red Sox do not need to make a trade; they need two things: 1) health and 2) go back to the east coast.
10. White Sox (53-44) – The ChiSox survived their west coast trip to stay in first place in the AL Central. You know they will make some sort of move before Saturday’s trade deadline.
11. Twins (53-46) – Minnesota needs to have a really good series in KC this week because the first place White Sox play the Mariners at home.
12. Dodgers (53-46) – Ready to make that move towards first place LA? Well you play the Padres starting Tuesday night.
13. Angels (52-49) – I still don’t think this Dan Haren trade will improve this team enough this season. But that could really help them next year, starting from scratch.
14. Phillies (52-46) – Now that Jimmy Rollins is back maybe the Phils can get some of their swagger back. Then again, that might not happen until Chase Utley returns – whenever that is.
15. Rockies (51-47) – The Rox are quickly dropping after a very bad road trip. Ubaldo has stopped winning too, which means they gotta start picking up his slack.
16. Tigers (51-46) – It’s a good thing they came back in the second game of the doubleheader on Sunday. They are a sinking ship, and a move is definitely going to made to help the team this week.
17. Mets (50-49) – I get the feeling Jerry Manual could be fired on Monday. This 2-9 road trip to start the second half was scary bad.
18. Athletics (50-48) – Dallas Braden won his first start since the perfect game on Mother’s Day. That’s over two months!
19. Marlins (49-49) – It’s been a wild week of walkoffs in Miami. They truly have no shot of making the playoffs, but this past week could keep them from being sellers this deadline.
20. Blue Jays (50-49) – I’ll give the Jays credit for trying this year, despite not having Roy Halladay. I wonder who they can dump at the trade deadline.
21. Brewers (47-53) – The Brewers are thinking of trading Corey Hart at the deadline, but he’s currently hurt. They may as well hold on to him, especially if his injured wrist hurts his value.
22. Cubs (45-54) – The Cubs are now doing what they should have been doing from the start of the season. I think it’s too late for them though.
23. Nationals (42-57) – The Nats have gotten worse and worse since Stephen Strasburg came up. I recall people thinking they could make a playoff push.
24. Royals (42-56) – After the series he had in New York this weekend, the Royals should trade Scott Podsednik for ultimate value. I’m sure their phones are ringing as we speak.
25. Astros (40-58) – I’ll bet you 10:1 odds that Roy Oswalt does not get traded.
26. Indians (41-57) – Who do the Indians have to trade at the deadline? Shelly Duncan? Haha.
27. Mariners (39-60) – I truly feel bad for the people of Seattle. There is not much to go to the games for other than to see Ichiro and hope that King Felix is pitching.
28. Diamondbacks (37-62) – First they trade Dan Haren, now who? I could see Adam LaRoche and Edwin Jackson leaving for prospects and/or cash.
29. Pirates (37-62) – Do the Pirates have any trade chips in 2010? Honestly, who could they trade? Octavio Dotel? They just don’t have much value in anything in Pittsburgh.
30. Orioles (31-67) – Remember back in Spring Training when people said the Orioles could be a shocking/improved team this year?

-Chris

Whitey was not your run of the mill manager. He showed the importance of managing in baseball, and surely inspired coaches in other sports as well. It was about doing exactly what it took to win, whether the team had to change their style of play or just play harder in order to live up to potential.

Herzog will join 18 other managers who have been elected into the Hall of Fame. He has a career 1,281-1,125 record (.532 winning percentage) managing with four teams over 18 years. He won a World Series in 1982 and two NL pennants with the Cardinals, but the way he turned the Royals fortunes around was something amazing. Herzog knew exactly how to be a ML manager during that period of time.

Best Season: 1982 St. Louis Cardinals. Herzog’s world championship escalated him into immortality in St. Louis. They were only a 92 win team, but he led them to a Game 7 victory in the World Series.

Most Notable Stat: 314 team stolen bases in 1985. With players like Vince Coleman, Willie McGee, Ozzie Smith, Tommy Herr and Andy Van Slyke, the Cardinals stole at least 200 bases for seven straight seasons. He knew what kind of style of play would work best playing on turf in Busch Stadium.

Remembered Most For: Whitey Ball. Herzog knew exactly what he had to do with the roster that he was given and the ball park that they played in. I couldn’t see any manager today take a team of .300 hitters and tell them they are going to stop swinging for the fences and focus on stealing bases. Not only that, but it was about pitching and defense on the other end of the inning. It was all about the fundamentals.

I used to think that managers and coaches in all sports were extremely overrated. I never really thought that players didn’t control the game, but once I realized that managers really do matter, I came to appreciate what they do. They can control the mood of a team and prevent situations that can prevent winning. Whitey exemplified the importance of managing in baseball, and now he will be immortalized in the Hall of Fame.

-Chris

Much to Ryan Sandberg’s anticipation, based on his own Hall of Fame speech in 2005, The Hawk is now a Hall of Famer too. Dawson played for a lot of pretty bad teams, but he had a knack for playing the game hard regardless. Starting in 1977, Dawson won the NL Rookie of the Year with the Montreal Expos. He won eight gold gloves over his career and an MVP award in 1987.

Best Season: 1987. Dawson won his only MVP this season in his first season with the Cubs. He hit 49 homers and had 137 RBIs to lead the league. He did come in second place in the MVP voting twice with Montreal, but the 1987 season easily trumps the others. It’s as if the wind was blowing out of Wrigley Field every day!

Most Notable Stat: 49 homeruns in 1987. Why is this most notable? It’s one of the top HR totals in history and 17 more than his previous career high. What a year.

Remembered Most For: Winning the MVP in 1987 despite playing for the last place Cubs. It was one heck of a season, but where do you draw the line? Would the Cubs really have been any worse off without Dawson in the lineup?

I’ll be completely honest, I do not think Andre Dawson is a Hall of Famer. He never reached any of the elusive stats like 3,000 hits or 500 homers, and he is only a .279 lifetime hitter with a .323 on-base percentage. Nevertheless, he never did steroids and his knees were in horrendous shape due to playing on the Olympic Stadium turf for so long. Congrats Hawk.

-Chris

Roy on the Block

The hottest player on the market right now has got to be Roy Oswalt of the Houston Astros. However, he recently hurt his odds of being traded based on his wish for his $16 million option to be picked up for 2012. I don’t see any team willing to take that on for a pitcher that is past his prime. Don’t get me wrong though, Oswalt is still good, and he can still win big games. He just needs an offense better than Houston’s.

So who is in the market for Oswalt? It came out on Thursday through some insider sources that Oswalt would most like to play in Philadelphia and St. Louis. Although, that edge lies with the Cardinals – the only team Oswalt is rumored to waive his option required for. I don’t see the Astros trading Oswalt within the division, let alone to the Cards. Also, what are the Astros looking for and what can the Cardinals give up? So many questions… The Astros certainly would like a young pitcher in return. The Cardinals don’t have much to give up, since they made those moves to clear out their depleted farm system last year. However, they do have Shelby Miller, a young pitcher from Texas. I just don’t see Oswalt being traded though.

Sweet Lou, Sweet Job?

Even with the trade deadline approaching, I can’t ignore some managerial rumors too. Lou Piniella has decided to call it a career after this season as he plans on leaving the Chicago Cubs. For some reason this is being called such an incredible job. I can’t understand why anyone would want to manage the Cubs. They are a cursed franchise and have an overpriced, underachieving roster. But I digress…

Names that have been thrown into the mix include Ryan Sandberg, Fredi Gonzalez, Bobby Valentine, Tony LaRussa, and even Joe Girardi. Then again, these are mostly rumors, right? I could see Ryan Sandberg being hired, but the Cubs will definitely go for the big name here if they can get it. Sandberg will be their backup choice for sure.

Tidbits:

• Could the Boston Red Sox be sellers at the trade deadline? Things are fading fast in Beantown on their recent trip to the west coast trip. I don’t see them being able to catch the Rays, and certainly not the Yankees – so maybe they’ll try to save some dough. Eh, they’ll trade for someone instead.
• The second best pitcher on the market as of the moment is D’backs SP Dan Haren, but how about a no-hitter throwing pitcher? Edwin Jackson has a back heavy contract that could be hard to deal, but I’m sure Arizona would prefer to trade him than Haren.
• Pedro, Pedro, Pedro. Looks like Pedro Martinez will not be pitching in 2010 – so is there any chance of him pitching ever again?
• The White Sox are looking to make a move, and that move could be for Prince Fielder. The Brewers wouldn’t want to trade him in a perfect world, but in a perfect world he would only weight 210 pounds.

-Chris

For the first time since 1996 (13 years) the National League has beaten the American League.  The win goes to Matt Capps of the Nationals and the losing pitcher goes to Phil Hughes of the AL while the save went to Jonathan Broxton.  The MVP of the game was Brian McCann thanks to his bases loaded 3-run ROPE of a double off… Matt Thornton.

The All-Star Game is always fun to watch, all the talent on the field at once just blows my mind.  The NL has about 7 guys who pump 97-100 MPH at any given time which is just crazy and you can’t say that of any team other than the All-Star team.  Also, at the end of the game Bourne, Byrd and Young all met in center field and did a chest bump which pumped me up because the NL was actually excited to win the game and none of those guys had previously played together.

Now to the actual game.  The pitching in the first 4 innings was brilliant on both sides.  For the AL David Price pitched two scoreless innings and reached 100 MPH on the radar gun, clearly he was fired up to be the starter and represent the AL.  Jimenez and NL Cy Young front runner Josh Johnson pitched 4 scoreless innings and surrenedered just 2 hits during that span.  The lone American League run came on a Robinson Cano sac fly after an unearned run due to an error by Dodgers SP Kuo.

The AL only had 6 hits all night and the dominance of National League pitching finally proved to work in an All Star Game.  In the top of the 7th, with Phil Hughes on the mound Scott Rolen got a single and reached 3rd after a single by Cardinals OF Matt Holiday.  After Hughes gave up the two hits Matt Thorton came in for relief (who has been pretty dominant this season) and walked Byrd in a great AB.  The AL had the lefty on lefty advantage but McCann roped the ball down the line to a stand up double which scored all three runners.  From the point on the game was basically over.

In the 9th Big Papi (HR Derby champ) led off the inning with a single but was wiped away after John Buck hit a bloop single to RF and Byrd made a great play on the ball where he spun and gunned out Ortiz at second base.  On the replay I noticed how BAD of a runner Ortiz is, it’s not even funny!  His stride is almost non-existant and it makes me wonder if he was ever taught how to run because that was embarassing!  Ian Kinsler made the final out with a pop out to Chris Young in center field.

Game Tidbits:

• Joe Girardi is the worst AL manager of the All-Star Game in the last 13 years for two reasons; 1. He lost.  2. Why did he rob a deserving All-Star like Michael Young a chance to make the team to select his own player A-Roid who didn’t even play?  That’s a joke!  He should have pinched run A-Roid for David Ortiz.
• Will anyone now respect Adam Wainwright after seeing him on a national stage (since no one knew who he was in 2006 when he closed for the WS Champion Cardinals)?  Wainwright has the best curve in baseball and is an absolute beast on the mound, give this guy more props (like the Cy Young in 2009, oh, wait).
• Brian Wilson and Jon Broxton may be the two scariest pitchers in baseball to look at and to face.  Brian Wilson throws 100 MPH, wears skinny jean baseball pants and has a mohawk.  Jon Broxton is about 6’7″ 320 lbs and throws 100 MPH, that gives me the chills.
• Thank God the National League won.  I’ve come to the conclusion that even if the Twins make the playoffs they won’t be the Yankees so at least if the Braves take the NL East and the pennant they have a shot to beat the Yankees.  The Braves are an astonishing 30-10 at home this year which is largely the best home record in baseball.

-Jason

Longtime Yankees owner George Steinbrenner has passed away in Tampa, Florida at the age of 80.  Steinbrenner, who has been in bad health for the last few years, suffered a heart attack this morning.  In an official statement the Steinbrenner family has this to say…”He was an incredible and charitable man. First and foremost he was devoted to his entire family — his beloved wife, Joan; his sisters, Susan Norpell and Judy Kamm, his children, Hank, Jennifer Jessica and Hal; and all of his grandchildren.”

Love the Yankees or hate the Yankees, you have to respect what George Steinbrenner has accomplished.  He became owner of the team in 1973 when he bought the team for $10 million and turned them into over a billion dollar franchise.  Although some of his antics were wild, like having 22 different managers since 1973, he did whatever it took to win and as a Yankee fan, I cannot thank him enough.  It’s a sad day for the New York Yankees and Major League Baseball.  RIP George Steinbrenner.

-Matt

David Ortiz won his first home run derby by beating Hanley Ramirez.  This was Ortiz’s first win in the derby after failing to take it down in 2005 and 2006.  Ortiz beat some good hitters, but far from the leagues best.  Pujols, A-Rod, Adam Dunn, and Joey Votto were all not in the compettition.  Ortiz beat Corey Hart, Miguel Cabrera, Nick Swisher, Matt Holliday, Chris Young, Vernon Wells, and Ramirez.

The home run derby is so difficult for me to get excited about.  In fact, make that the whole All Star break.  But lets start with the derby.  It’s nice for young kids to see their idols swing as hard as they can and launch the ball 500 feet, but personally, it hasn’t really done anything for me in recent years.  I know Major Leaguers can bomb the ball, I expect them to.  All this event is is batting practice, and that happens before almost every Major League game and people don’t make a deal about that.  The fact that every year its the same thing kind of ruins it for me.  Nothing has changed about it in the past 20 years and there isn’t much that can be changed to make it better.  Sorry for all the fans of the derby out there, but seeing players take batting practice while listening to Chris Berman’s “Back, Back, Back, Back, GONE!!!” call gets more boring to me every year.  My thoughts on the All Star game is similar, but you’ll have to wait till tomorrow night to read up.

-Matt

1. Yankees (56-32) – Umm, east coast teams aren’t supposed to go out west and win 5 of 6 games; it’s just not supposed to work that way.
2. Braves (52-36) – I know the Rays have a better record, but what the Braves have done in the first half cannot go unlooked. This team has learned how to win, home or away – and I’m impressed.
3. Rays (54-34) – If it wasn’t for the Yankees the Rays would have the best record in the majors. But you know what, the Yankees aren’t going anywhere.
4. Red Sox (51-37) – To fight through the injuries like this team has in the first half, that takes some guts. I wonder how the team will react once they get those guys back.
5. Padres (51-37) – Big ups to the Padres! They went into Colorado at risk of losing first place before the break, but they held serve and won one game to keep first all alone.
6. Rangers (50-38) – Swept by the O’s going into the break is not good. But getting Cliff Lee is going to be huge. Once he gets settled in they have automatic wins every five days.
7. White Sox (49-38) – The hottest team in baseball is in Chicago – the south side that is. The ChiSox have won 25 of 30, which makes the All-Star break the worst thing possible. But they are in first in the AL Central!
8. Rockies (49-39) – This week proved that the Rockies have the magic that they had just a few years ago that brought them to the World Series.
9. Reds (49-41) – Despite losing four straight in Philly, the Reds are still in first place in the NL Central at the break. That’s a great jump for this young team that is looking to make the playoffs for the first time in forever.
10. Dodgers (49-39) – I’m still waiting for the Dodgers to start running away with the division. Oh wait,now with the Rockies there I’m not sure that can happen.
11. Tigers (48-38) – Joel Zumaya is out for the year so their bullpen is going to need to step it up in the second half – maybe a trade will happen?
12. Mets (48-40) – The Mets had a chance to take first place by the break but they choked at home against the first place Reds and Braves. Typical.
13. Cardinals (47-41) – The week from hell for St. Louis ended with a winning series in Houston. The break came at a perfect time for them – that’s for sure.
14. Angels (47-44) – Before hosting the All-Star Game, the Angels really struggled going into the break. They get to stay home afterwards so maybe that’ll get them going again.
15. Phillies (47-40) – Good thing they swept the Reds because they were fading fast in the NL East standings.
16. Twins (46-42) – Third place at the All-Star break? Who would have guessed that after they started the season?
17. Giants (47-41) – After beating up the Brewers in a four-game series in Milwaukee, the Giants won 2 of 3 over the Nats in DC. That helps make up for their terrible week before last.
18. Blue Jays (44-45) – Roller coaster first half for the Jays. It looked like they might have had the pieces to hang around earlier this season, but they are just too far back at this point.
19. Athletics (43-46) – I’m pretty glad that Trevor Cahill’s All-Star spot was replaced by teammate Andrew Bailey. Gotta make sure the team is represented for the fans.
20. Marlins (42-46) – I wonder what team Dan Uggla will go to before the trade deadline. Then again, he’s always rumored to be traded before the deadline.
21. Brewers (40-49) – The Brewers need to trade Prince Fielder for whatever they can get. He has only 39 RBIs at the break. That’s unacceptable.
22. Nationals (39-50) – What an intense first half for the Nats. They were in first, then not. Then Stephen Strasburg came up and the wheels fell off.
23. Cubs (39-50) – This team has one of the highest payrolls in baseball and they have one all-star. Ouch.
24. Royals (39-49) – I have nothing to say about the Royals. I don’t even remember who they played this week, or if they played at all.
25. Astros (36-53) – The Astros hired Jeff Bagwell to be their hitting coach. Next they’ll hire Craig Biggio to be their baserunning coach.
26. Mariners (35-53) – Well, without Cliff Lee on the roster the bullpen better be ready for some more innings – a lot more.
27. Indians (34-54) – I feel so bad for Cleveland sports fans.
28. Diamondbacks (34-55) – I wonder if putting the entire D’Backs roster in the Home Run Derby would actually help their swings…?
29. Pirates (30-58) – How long until football season for Pittsburgh sports fans?
30. Orioles (29-59) – The O’s won 4 of 7 games this week. BAM! Also, they could be signing Buck Showalter to be their next manager any day now.

-Chris