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Old 01-07-2013, 11:30 PM   #14
BradC
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Seamheads Laundry League - NL Report, 1/7/13

Seamheads Laundry League - NL Report, 1/7/13

As real world baseball begins gearing up for pitchers and catchers to report, the Seamheads Laundry League (SLL) has headed into the final month of the season. The Cubs' momentum from the last report has continued: they're now tied with the Pirates for first place in the NL Central.

"We gotta play 'em one day at a time," said cautiously optimistic Cubs GM Eric Beato. "We're just happy to be here and hope guys can help the ball club. We just wanna give it our best shot, and the good Lord willing, things will work out."

The Cubs have been relatively healthy, but injuries have wracked the Pirates, who find themselves knotted up with the Cubs after leading the NL Central for much of the season. Starting pitcher Chief Bender remains on the DL, and closer Eric Gagne was just lost for the rest of the season, taking his 31 saves and 2.72 ERA with him. Meanwhile, Tris Speaker and Tony Fernandez are both sidelined, likely until the playoffs start. Speaker was hitting .343, Fernandez .357.

"Having Speaker out until likely the playoffs, and losing Bender for the season have hurt. Our team is still playing well, but we have to make adjustments to make up for those losses," said Pirates GM John Farris. "The Cubs are a good team; it's going to be a battle to the end. However, the Cubs aren't all we have to worry about - we have good teams in the Mets and Reds right on our heels in the Wild Card race."

He added: "This is going to the wire, and we hope to get back on top in the Central and avoid that one game playoff for the Wild Card. Hopefully, a few adjustments in the batting order will complement the adjustments in the rotation that are working well in the short term."

While the Padres have maintained a healthy margin, with a seven-game lead over the Dodgers in the NL West, the NL East has also turned into a dead heat as the Mets and Marlins find themselves tied. The Marlins led the division for much of the season, but they recently lost two of three against the Mets, including a 13-5 drubbing in the second game.

"There's not a lot to do, really," Marlins GM Caley Roark replied when asked what he plans to do about his struggling pitching staff. "My minor league pitchers aren't faring much better. LaMarr Hoyt has been struggling, so it's probably time to demote him for Otto Hess." Hoyt gave up a pair of runs in relief during that 13-5 loss, seeing his ERA balloon to 8.21 in 68 innings pitched this year.

"Other than that," Roark continued, "I have to hope that my offense continues to produce, especially guys like Brian Roberts and Ichiro. With six guys hitting over 15 home runs, I need to rely on those guys who can simply get on base." Right fielder Stan Musial has done both so far this year, leading the team with 26 home runs while hitting .337 and earning himself the NL Batter of the Month Award for August. Meanwhile, first baseman Cecil Cooper recently had his 28-game hitting streak stopped -- he's hitting .373 this season.

Other NL News of Note:

The SLL NL President has kept his hardline stance against fighting, suspending Nationals pitcher Ed Walsh and and Giants first baseman Johnny Mize five games each for their part in an August 14 brawl. The game was tied 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh when Nationals starter Johan Santana was pulled for reliever Ed Walsh after intentionally walking Chipper Jones to load the bases.

Walsh plunked Mize with his first pitch, a move that seemed accidental given the situation, but Mize tossed his bat toward Walsh as he trotted to first and the two exchanged words. Walsh refused to back down and Mize charged. After order was restored, both players were ejected and Troy Glaus came home with what proved to be the winning run.

In addition to Musial winning the NL Batter of the Month Award for August, the Padres' Nolan Ryan earned the NL Pitcher of the Month Award, thanks to his 5-1 record with a 2.54 ERA. Ryan had a couple tough months and is 13-10 this year, with a 4.90 ERA, but he has struck out 218 batters in 181.2 innings pitched while allowing just 168 hits.
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