We also discuss:

• Billy Beane being extended until 2019
• Elvis Andrus and Nelson Cruz resigning in Texas
• The Jeremy Guthrie trade to Colorado
• AJ Burnett possibly being traded to the Pirates
• We spotlight the Detroit Tigers
• Ryan Rayburn (well the whole Tigers infield) is horrible on defense (as this video shows)
• Andy Dirks’ Dominican dominance
• Corey and I each give our 3 best and 3 worst off-season deals

Click play on the player below to listen:

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Two-Start Pitchers

Must Starts:

Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies:

Hamels just keeps going along posting consistently great starts. Keep him in this week.

Zach Greinke, Milwaukee Brewers:

Greinke has seemed to turn a corner, lowering his ERA to a much more manageable 4.50, while maintaining his strikeout numbers.

Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants:

This fearsome twosome has posted the kind of numbers you expect from perennial Cy Young contenders.

Ian Kennedy, Arizona Diamondbacks:

Kennedy needs more recognition.  He has been a fantasy owners dream in terms of consistency.  He should be in your lineup every week.

Other Must Starts: Trevor Cahill, Oakland Athletics; CC Sabathia, New York Yankees; Jair Jurrjens, Atlanta Braves; Chris Carpenter and Jaime Garcia, St. Louis Cardinals

Take a chance:

Corey Luebke, San Diego Padres:

Luebke gets two pretty bad offenses in the Dodgers and the Pirates in two great pitchers parks: Petco and PNC Parks.  Luebke puts up solid strikeout numbers as well as a sparkling 2.92 ERA.

In his 6 starts, he has only given up more than two runs once and that was in Arizona against a powerful D’backs lineup.  While that was his last start, neither the Dodgers nor Pirates have a lineup that can come close to matching the firepower Arizona has.  Look for Luebke to continue his successful season this week against the two weak opponents.

Spot Start Options:

Paul Maholm, Pittsburgh Pirates:

This week, Maholm gets the Padres, the best matchup in baseball for any pitcher.  The Pirates lefty gets these Pads at home in PNC Park, a pitcher’s haven, where he boasts a 2.37 ERA in 2011.  On top of this, the Padres have score only 92 runs against southpaws all season, which ranks last in the National League and only ahead of the White Sox in all of the MLB.  Maholm has been up and down over this season, but is coming off of a 7 inning, one run gem in Atlanta and his success should continue this week against San Diego.

We break it all down in this week’s pitching planner.

Two-Start Pitchers

Must Starts:

Wandy Rodriguez, Houston Astros

Rodriguez has been solid all year and is coming off a 7 shutout innings against a very strong Rangers offense.  He should be in your lineup this week and most other weeks.

Michael Pineda and Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners

Pineda has reached the point of must start every single week and we all should know that King Felix should never be benched.

Tommy Hanson, Atlanta Braves

Hanson is another guy who has reached the top tier of pitching this season.  There is no reason to even consider sitting him this week.

Jordan Zimmermann, Washington Nationals

Zimmermann has quietly recorded 11 straight quality starts and has not given up more than two runs since May 12^th.  Start him every week.

Other Must Starts: CC Sabathia, New York Yankees; Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers; Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, San Francisco Giants

Take a Chance:

Vance Worley, Philadelphia Phillies

Since Worley got back from a short stint in the minors he has been absolutely dominant.  Last week, he hurled a gem against the best offense in baseball, giving up just one run over seven innings to earn the win against the Red Sox.  This week, Worley gets the brutally struggling Marlins at home, as well as the Braves at Turner Field.  Both of these are great matchups for the rookie.

Aside from one really rough transition from bullpen back to the rotation, which resulted in poor efforts against the Reds and Mets, Worley has been unbelievable for the rest of the season.  This week is the time to take advantage of it.

Spot Start Options:

Colby Lewis, Texas Rangers

Lewis gets the Oakland A’s offense this week, which alone makes him an option as a spot start.  The Rangers’ righty has also been hot lately.  Since a terrible 1.1 inning beating at the hands of the Twins, Lewis has recovered with three straight great starts against the Braves and Astros.  He will provide solid strikeout numbers against an Athletics lineup that features no one that can threaten opposing pitching.

Carlos Carrasco, Cleveland Indians

Carrasco has been on an incredible run over the last month.  He gave up just 4 runs over 28.1 innings in June.  This week, he gets two starts, although I will not suggest starting him against the Yankees in the first game.  Take your chances with him against Toronto at home.  The Blue Jays have never seen Carrasco before, which is always an advantage for a pitcher.  That combined with Carrasco’s sudden development could provide for a great start for him against the Jays.

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* – Jordan Zimmerman photo credit: Denis Poroy/Getty Images via Yahoo

Oh wait, there is no established rivalry.

But with tickets selling at record pace with record prices, and die-hard fans quitting high-paying jobs to follow their teams, we do need some “themes,” no?

First off, a quick poll to see who everyone thinks will win. My prediction below.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

World Series Preview

I guess we can call it “the renewal” of the great football rivalry of the 90s between the cities of Dallas and San Francisco? Or if politics is your cup of tea, how about (former Rangers owner, 43rd president, and current Dallas resident who may “dare” to attend the games in SF) George W. Bush versus (SF congresswoman/speaker of the house — at least for a few more days) Nancy Pelosi? Or the “Bengie Molina series”? Or the two old codgers (Nolan Ryan and Ron Washington) leading their Texans against the trendy, elite folks in San Francisco? Choose your own, but give big congrats to these teams, who are apparently NOT really small-market, for dethroning the past two champs in convincing fashion.

The Rangers, 50 long years into their existence, arrive as the AL representative following their utter dominance of the defending champion Yankees, doubling New York 38-19 in the ALCS. Texas blew a lead during a game one meltdown, but won in convincing fashion in all four of their triumphs, outscoring NY 31-5 in those romps. Despite only needing stud starter Cliff Lee once in six games, they outplayed the Bronx Bombers in EVERY aspect of the game.

Now only the Washington/Montreal and Seattle franchises have yet to appear in the Fall Classic, as the Rangers exorcised some Yankee “demons” from 1996, 1998 and 1999, as well as decades of past futility. Texas had never even won a playoff series before this season; they’ve now won two, and look for a third — and the first professional sports title for the Dallas/Fort Worth area in over a decade — this coming week.

The Giants beat a Phillies team many thought was invincible in six games, holding on for dear life in Saturday night’s Game Six nail biter. Brian “Black Beard” Wilson made it dicey in the end, but MVP Cody Ross and SF really handled Philly confidently and well throughout the NLCS. Both series may have gone six, but neither, especially the ALCS, had a surprising end.

While others will somehow make excuses, one Yankee fan friend honestly noted “I’ll get over this loss pretty quickly. The silver lining is that the Rangers going to the Series is good for baseball.”

How true. But still, pompous Yankee announcer Michael Kay, when he wasn’t accusing Cliff Lee of cheating, was saying “this series is over” after New York’s lucky game one win. Joel Sherman of the NY Post called Yanks-Phils “inevitable” prior to the beginning of each series, while the “classy” Yankee fans were literally spitting on Cliff Lee.

I don’t recall any Philadelphia-based blowhard pontificating similarly, but some players were “shocked.” They apparently forgot that games are played on the field, not on talk radio or paper.

As it is, the two highest paid players in baseball (Alex Rodriguez of New York and Ryan Howard of Philadelphia) made the final outs of the season for their teams — both caught with bat on shoulder.

Rodriguez hit only .190 with two RBIs in 21 at-bats during the ALCS. For nine games in this post-season, he hit .219 with no homers and three RBIs in 32 at-bats. Surely New York City has forgotten his clutch hits in the 2009 playoffs already.

Howard, he of ZERO RBIs in nine postseason games, failed in much more dramatic fashion, then condescended to the media. Though his average was .300 in the playoffs, he fanned a startling 17 times in 33 at bats. This followed his 13 punchouts in 25 World Series at bats in 2009. (That’s 30 in 58 for those honest types, like me, keeping score of the futility our media ignores.)

But enough of the losers. As for fans of “small market” success — or just the better teams winning — the 2010 World Series is truly going to be a treat. For northeasterners who only follow their teams, it’ll be “boring.” In fact, many have told me they will not even bother to watch. Fox’s Ken Rosenthanl tried his best to find a middle ground in a column last night.

As to the actual series, while Colby Lewis pitching the Rangers’ first World Series home game is a great story, having Cliff Lee (postseason career numbers: 7-0, 1.26 ERA) going in Game One – therefore nearly guaranteed to pitch twice (finally once at home), and perhaps three times if necessary — is a nice benefit Texas did not have in the ALCS.

The Giants rotation is also set as they wish, due to the three day layoff before we get going. San Francisco has the best starting pitching in the majors, but Texas has arguably the best hitting, especially in the playoffs where they’ve tattooed top hurlers like David Price, CC Sabathia and others. This World Series is, as many have noted, a “study in contrasts.”

These two squads, who no one, including yours truly, would’ve forecasted to play the final series of the baseball season, did their best work on the road in the playoffs. That is the sign of a good team.

Despite going just 39-42 away from the Metroplex during the regular season, Texas is 5-1 so far in the postseason, including three triumphs in Tampa and two dominating wins versus the overhyped Yankees in the Bronx. San Francisco was 4-1 away from the Bay Area, including taking two of three from a Phillies team most thought would roll into the World Series due to home field and pitching. Turned out SF was better at home and on the mound. Go figure.

Considering I’m 3-3 picking series this October — correct on three of four in the Division Series, but foolishly missed both LCS forecasts since I went with my “brain” in lieu of my gut — take this prediction with a grain of salt: {The beauty of baseball, as I often reiterate, is that it’s such a complex game that NO ONE can predict it (unlike the NBA, for example). Even a more intricate analysis — like this one for example – would be fruitless.}

World Series Prediction

I’m taking the Giants in a seven game classic. I think home field, secured by the NL for the first time in nine seasons, finally matters. While road teams are a brutal 10-17 in the 2010 postseason, ballclubs with home field have won seven of the past ten World Series, and San Francisco uses it to win Games 6 and 7 at home, especially by avoiding Cliff Lee in those crucial tilts. And additionally, if it matters, the Giants have won 11 of the past 12 contests with Texas, all during Interleague Play.

But who knows? 2010 has been a winning year for baseball all around. The best rookie crop in my lifetime as a fan; some shocking success stories from teams picked low, sub .500, or out of the playoffs (San Diego, Cincinnati, San Francisco, Texas, Oakland, Minnesota, Toronto); and of course, the best pitching in nearly two decades, which is what makes the game better:

Six no hitters (two of them perfect games), including one in the playoffs, and 15 hurlers with sub 3 ERAs in the era of small ballparks. Then, get this: NONE of those 15 were on the Giants nor the Rangers!

And as of this morning, rumors are we could finally get a longer MLB postseason ala the three other major sports.

Lastly, if it concerns you, aside from maybe Thursday night, weather should not be a factor, as it’s been nearly perfect all October in playoff cities, much to the chagrin of the anti-baseball “they cannot play into November” cliché-laden media.

Enjoy it!

UPDATE:  BLS Five Keys for Texas and San Francisco in this World Series.

“This guy is a classic pitcher – gets stronger as game goes on, which is rare these days.”

 
Carpenter was strong again all Saturday night on San Diego — seven shutout innings on just three hits — prompting this Sunday afternoon email from a good friend who works in the Padres scouting department:

“When he’s healthy, he’s virtually unhittable.  Completely shut us down on Saturday.”

 
Carpenter’s continued success has enabled Tony Larussa to confidently “bump him up” to start this Thursday afternoon vs. Houston due to injuries in St. Louis’ back end of the rotation. There, ”Carp” will seek his seventh consecutive win. He has not lost a decision since July 22, and despite missing over a month, is now tied for the NL lead in wins at 14. 
 
Chris has the league’s lowest ERA as well, putting him, in my view, in the driver’s seat for Cy Young — though many believe Tim Lincecum is right there as well. Lincecum has struggled his last four starts and, even with four extra starts, has two fewer wins and a higher ERA than does the durable St. Louis righty. It’s therefore Carpenter’s to lose, though the media has been favoring Lincecum all season to this point.
 
Not bad for a 34 year old who basically missed the past two seasons entirely after a World Series winning season (2006) and Cy Young prior (2005).
 
I shall endeavor to personally watch the potential two-time Cy Young winner Labor Day weekend in Pittsburgh.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

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* – Chris Carpenter fist pump photo credit: Mike Shannon’s Cardinals Blog

* – Chris Carpenter cap wave photo credit: Arches and Ivey

2009 MLB All Star Game Schedule

• All Star Game Date: Tuesday, July 14th
• All Star Game Start Time: 8:00 ET
• All Star Game TV: FOX
• All Star Game Announcers: You don’t want to know…they’ll suck

And now, the starting pitchers and lineups, courtesy of ESPN.com:

American League Starting Pitcher and Lineup:

1. RF Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners
2. SS Derek Jeter, New York Yankees
3. C Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
4. 1B Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees
5. LF Jason Bay, Boston Red Sox
6. CF Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers
7. 3B Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
8. 2B Aaron Hill, Toronto Blue Jays
9. SP Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays (for now)

National League Starting Pitcher and Lineup:

1. SS Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins
2. 2B Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies
3. 1B Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
4. RF Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers
5. LF Raul Ibanez, Philadelphia Phillies
6. 3B David Wright, New York Mets
7. CF Shane Victorino, Philadelphia Phillies
8. C Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals
9. SP Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants

And here are a few of my own quick-hit predictions:

• The NL will dominate the Home Run Derby, but the AL will win the All Star game, running its record in the last 15 All Star games to 100-0-1.  I know that the math doesn’t match up exactly, but doesn’t it feel like that?
• Josh Hamilton will jack a home run in his second at-bat (once Lincecum is out) nd end up being named the MVP.  One of the tools I work with is crowing about how I have a “man crush” on Josh Hamilton…to which I reply, what baseball fan does not have a man crush on Josh Hamilton?
• If Nelson Cruz actually makes it into the game, I will throw my remote at the TV in disgust that he is there over the far more deserving Jermaine Dye.
• The announcers will not do anything to make the game more exciting.

And now, some links from around the sports blogosphere from some of my friends who do this blogging thing a hell of a lot better than me:

15 extremely painful looking PARKOUR accidents — (Hail Mary Jane)

Marisa Miller gets naked in GQ for real this time — (The World According to MoonDog)

Some comic relief: Archie and the whores — (GadJunk)

How To: Pick up a woman — (Straight Pinkie)

The Cowboys may actually have a chance this season (Romo-Jessica break up) — (Dallas Sports Fans)

A history of big white stiffs for the Mavericks — (Dallas Sports Fans)

Kobe: You ‘aint dunking on me at my camp — (You Been Blinded)

Do hitters decline after the Home Run Derby? — (Hardball Times)

The average All-Star makes less than the average Yankee — (Bugs and Cranks)

Matt Bush has seen better days (like when he wasn’t crying like a baby while being arrested) — (Josh Q. Public)

It’s on: Cliff Lee v Eric Wedge — (Waiting for Next Year)