Milwaukee Brewers' Nyjer Morgan winning reaction during the 10th inning of Game 5 of baseball's National League division series

The first two games were taken by Milwaukee, they’ve won almost every game played at home this regular season, though. Arizona took two in Phoenix, and took the lead in the third inning. Milwaukee answered in the fourth with a run and tied it. They took their own one-run lead in the sixth.

The typical Brewer formula was followed. Francsico Rodriguez, K Rod, took the eighth inning and although he got himself into trouble, he didn’t surrender a run. John Axford, a breakout star this season for the Brewers, took the ninth inning and had the series in his hands.

Gerardo Parra doubled to lead off the top of the ninth for Arizona. Sean Burroughs singled on a floating line drive to Ryan Braun and Parra went to third. The series was slipping from Axford’s fingers.

Willie Bloomquist singled on a bunt to Prince Fielder at first, Parra scored and tied the game at two. Axford struck out Aaron Hill for the first out of the inning, but the damage had been done. Arizona had stolen the win from the Brewers in Milwaukee. For the moment.

Justin Upton and Henry Blanco were forced into outs by Axford and the Diamondbacks were retired in the top of the ninth. In the bottom half the Brewers had Jerry Hairston, Yuniesky Betancourt and Jonathan Lucroy. Needless to say the bottom of the ninth was quick.

The top of the tenth went by almost as quick as the bottom of the ninth and the Brewers had another chance to win the game in the bottom of the tenth. The crown=d at Miller Park in Milwaukee buzzed with anticipation and roared when Carlos Gomez singled on a line drive to left field.

Nyjer Morgan was next.

Morgan hit .304 during the regular season for Milwaukee and has hit just .188 in October, 2011. Two hits in 15 at-bats walking to the plate with one out in the bottom of tenth.

Carlos Gomez stole second base, and almost took third when the ball got past Diamondbacks catcher, Miguel Montero. Morgan worked the count and waited for a good pitch from reliever J.J. Putz.

Morgan squared up a 1-2 fastball that slipped through the Arizona infield and on to Chris Young in center. He wound up and threw a bullet to home plate. Gomez, who was on second, was barreling around third now, trying to score the winning run for the Brewers.

A run meant a division title that hadn’t been sen in Milwaukee since 1982. Miguel Montero jumped to catch Chris Young’s throw from center. Carlos Gomez had 10 feet to win a division title. He slid through home plate, Montero’s tag just late.

Milwaukee moved on in a 10 inning masterpiece. A fantastic display of postseason baseball where a team wins the game rather than a team losing the game for themselves. Arizona played well and made few mistakes in this series. One thing they could have done was not pitch to Prince Fielder in game one and two in Milwaukee. Kirk Gibson learned his lesson when Fielder hit a home run to deep right field propelling the Brewers to a win.

The Brewers will move on to the National League Championship Series, where they hope to continue their dominance at home and their competitiveness on the road. If the Brewers can steal a win on the road in the NLCS, they will win and move on to the World Series.

Alex Rodriguez

How fitting it is that the New York Yankees’ season came to an end at the hands of Alex Rodriguez.

Just one more yankee “star” not performing in the playoffs. He has never produced in the postseason as a Yankee, and he continued to struggle at the plate last night when he struck out to end the ALDS in an elimination game five. In New York.

A Rod shares the blame with Mark Teixeira. The four and five hitters in the Yankee lineup were awful in the 2011 ALDS against the Detroit Tigers, but they have been this bad in the playoffs since they became Yankees. With a stacked lineup, a CY Young ace, an above average bullpen and the highest payroll in the majors, there’s no reason the Yankees were bounced in the division series.

Their pitching was their downfall. Ultimately C.C. was their ace, but not their best pitcher. He gave up an early lead to the Tigers in game one, and then again in game three when he got an opportunity to pitch a full game. C.C was not himself in this series.

Sabathia has an option to return to New York next year to pitch, or he can opt out of his contract. With many analysts and baseball brains thinking he is going to opt out and move on, it’s easy to criticize of C.C’s performance in the series.

Some will say he gave up. He let his team down.

He could have pitched better, but after carrying the Yankees’ staff the entire regular season, C.C. looked out of gas during his start in game three, and looked absolutely drained in game five. Joe Girardi, New York Yankees manager, brought C.C. in to relieve Phil Hughes in game five. Hughes relieved Ivan Nova, who came out after two innings due to forearm stiffness.

Sabathia did everything he could for his drowning club. But the real blame falls on the “superstar sluggers” Rodriguez and Teixeira.

Teixeira had a ground-ruled-double in game five, but it didn’t amount to any runs. He didn’t have any key hits in the Division Series, and the Yankees needed him to.

The Yankees’ who consistently produced over the course of the five game series were Curtis Granderson, Robinson Cano, Jorge Posada and Brett Gardener. Gardener was the most reliable Yankeee in the series, but Girardi batted him ninth the entire series in a stubborn move. The Yankee manager kept his lineup the same from game one of the series, even though it wasn’t working.

Rodriguez and Teixeira weren’t hitting blimps, Swisher couldn’t hit the side of a barn, Russell Martin looked like he was already golfing, and the pitching staff let the lineup down.

Losing Ivan Nova in the second inning hurt the Yankees, and Girardi had to play his bullpen the entire game. He was put behind the eight-ball, and couldn’t put game five in the corner pocket.

The Yankees’ fans should be disappointed about the 2011 season. It ended too quick, and it all happened because of their fat-contracted stars.

Albert Pujolis

Albert Pujols could be playing his final game in St.Louis as a Cardinal.

While it’s hard to picture Albert Pujols in Dodger or Cub blue next season, it’s even harder to imagine which team has the money for the salary he is demanding. He’s 31 and wants a 10-year deal. If that’s not bad enough he wants a 10-year deal worth $300 million. The odds of a team paying $300 million for Albert Pujols until he’s 41 are worse than the odds of Terry Francona deciding to return as Red Sox manager in 2012. Albert Pujolis will most likely end up a Cardinal next year. No team has the money he wants, and he’s said he would like to remain in St. Louis. This offseason will be a window to the free agent market of the future, and Albert will land on a contending team. But with the Yankees and Red Sox locked in long-term contracts with a first baseman, there aren’t many big spenders in the market. Pujols would probably be better suited just staying in St. Louis.

Roy Oswalt has never lost a post season start.

While it sounds impressive, there’s bruises on his record. One glaring stat is Albert Pujols’ numbers against Oswalt. Pujols is 30 for 95 with seven home runs against him in the postseason. In 10 career postseason starts, Oswalt has five wins and a 3.25 ERA. His numbers against the Cardinals in the postseason are a little better. He’s 2-0 with a 3.15 ERA in three starts. The last time he faced the Cardinals in the postseason he was pitching his Houston Astros to the World Series. Oswalt didn’t need to dominate the Cardinals in game four, but he needed to keep the game close.

The Cardinals were 17-8 in September. The Phillies were just 15-14.

St. Louis certainly carried momentum into the playoffs by snatching the wild card from the Atlanta Braves on the last day of the season. But they also carried a tired roster. Pujols power walks on and off the field, though he swings his arms dramatically to give the illusion that he’s jogging. Matt Holliday was beat up, but he was in the game four lineup for the first time as a starter in the series.

Chris Carpenter pitched the final game of the season and Tony LaRussa, Cardinals manager, has lined him up for the potential game five start.

But hoping for a Chris Carpenter vs. Roy Halladay game five may have been too optimistic of the LaRussa. St. Louis needed to win game four at home against Roy Oswalt and the Philadelphia Phillies. LaRussa sent out his best lineup, had a full Busch Stadium crowd screaming for a Cardinals win, and threw his best trade acquisition.

Edwin Jackson had to start game four.

A tall task for the young right-hander, but he was called on. Saving the Cardinals’ season was his job, and a powerful, run producing Phillies lineup stood in their way. Surely the Cardinals lineup was ready to support their pitcher with early runs on Oswalt. And Jackson needed to avoid the long ball and Chase Utley.

An early start in St. Louis, five pm, cast a shadow over the infield and that just touched the outfield grass. Jackson’s first postseason start began with Jimmy Rollins.
Easily the best Phillies hitter in the postseason, Rollins had seven hits and a .583 average entering game four. He stepped in looking to set a tone for Philadelphia.

Rollins smashed a ground-ruled double over the head of John Jay who clearly had issues with the sun.

Jackson needed to avoid Chase Utley, and he didn’t in his first at-bat. Utley roped a triple down the right field line, scoring Jimmy Rollins. Utley scored on a Hunter Pence single.

2-0 Phillies after the top of the first.

Not the start Tony LaRussa or Busch Stadium wanted. But the Cardinals hadn’t even had a chance to see Roy Oswalt yet. Was it too early to give up on St. Louis?

Yes.
David Freese had a two-run double off Oswalt in the bottom of the fourth. 3-2 Cardinals (Skip Schumaker scored on a Lance Berkman single in the bottom of the first).

Now the pressure was on Oswalt and the Phillies.

Through five innings, Oswalt threw 62 pitches. 42 of those pitches were strikes. Four hits, three earned runs and five strikeouts under his belt, Oswalt started the sixth with a Berkman groundout. Holliday singled, and Molina flew out to left field.
David Freese up with two outs and a runner on first.

On an 0-1 pitch, Oswalt grooved a fastball that Freese blasted to center. Shane Victorino scaled the wall but the ball had already landed on the grass hill behind the center field wall. A two-run bomb that put the Cardinals up 5-2.

Arthur Rhodes replaced Edwin Jackson to start the seventh inning. Jackson ended his night surrendering just five hits and two earned runs. He walked one batter and struck out four. A performance that LaRussa expected from his young starter.

The Phillies weren’t done either, though. With a wild pitch from Cardinals reliever Fernando Salas, Michael Martinez scored from third and made it a 5-3 game. Mark Rzepczynski replaced Salas and had Ryan Howard representing the tying run at the plate.

With a sinker and two sliders put Ryan Howard, the heart of the Phillies lineup, and game four went down.

Jason Motte came in for the Cardinals to finish off the inning, and led the Cardinals to a 5-3 victory. He retired all three batters he faced and put the Phillies away for at least another day. Game five goes back to Philadelphia, where Roy Halladay will be waiting.

Chris Carpenter will need to be electric to keep the Phillies at bay in game five. It will be a gripping pitching matchup. One worth watching and worth analyzing.

But for now, let’s remember a great game four.

Cleveland Indians

A few of the unlikely scenarios that build the parity case are the fact that Cleveland has the best record in Major League Baseball and that the Arizona Diamondbacks lead the National League West.

Two franchises with talent that are playing at subpar levels are the New York Mets, who are relying on the league to help make payroll since being swindled by Bernie Madoff and the Los Angeles Dodgers who have solid pitching and solid hitting but have been taken over by the league due to the divorce of the owners which left the team cash poor.

In the American League East, all five teams are in the mix but Baltimore and Toronto will have to play through the formidable trio of contenders, the Yanks, the Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yanks have received surprisingly strong outings from Roberto Colon and solid performances from the rest of their staff. The Yanks are on a four game win streak.

Boston and Tampa Bay started slowly but came on with a flurry. After grabbing the top spot, Boston has lost four straight and Tampa is only 5-5 in the last 10 games. Tampa’s young pitchers have kept them in the race.

In the AL Central, Cleveland’s rise to the top could not have been anticipated. Blending some recycled arms with some young talent, the Indians refuse to let go. At 33-20, the Indians are an impressive 19-6 at home and 14-14 on the road. The Indians just may pull off the from last to first scenario. The second place Tigers are getting solid pitching and have lifted themselves to 29-26. Disappointing preseason favorite Minnesota is 16.5 games behind Cleveland and has so many injuries that there year is already over.

The defending American League Champion, Texas Rangers, leads the AL West. The team staggered a bit when all-star Josh Hamilton went down but they have pulled themselves up with some good pitching and better hitting.

In the National League, the high profile Philadelphia Philly pitching staff is getting a run for their money from the talented young arms of the Florida Marlins. Philadelphia has a two-game lead but the Marlins are an impressive 17-11 on the road. Atlanta, New York and Washington look like also-rans in this division.

The St. Louis Cardinals have overcome an atypical start by Albert Pujols with a very hot start by Matt Holliday and some erratic pitching to take a 2.5 game lead over the talented Milwaukee Brewers. Whichever team gets the best pitching will win this division but Cincinnati must be considered in the mix.

The NL West is a mess. Only one team in the division has a winning road record and that is the last place San Diego Padres. Go figure! The World Champion Giants trail the surprising Arizona Diamondbacks by 0.5 games and the Colorado Rockies and LA Dodgers are hoping for a surge to get them to the top. This division is all about pitching. It is hard to see how Arizona can hold their lead and Colorado and LA have the talent to make some noise.

Great American Ball Park

The Cincinnati Reds, despite the injuries to their starting rotation, have started the season 5-1 and sit atop the National League Central standings. Despite Edinson Volquez’ struggles to start the season, the Reds offense has picked him up. He allowed four runs and five walks on Wednesday, but the Reds came back to beat the Houston Astros 12-4.

Bronson Arroyo, Travis Wood, and Mike Leake have been solid. Arroyo allowed three runs on six hits over seven innings while not walking a batter. Wood allowed just one run on four hits over seven innings while not walking a batter, but striking out seven. Leake allowed two runs on three hits over six innings. All three picked up wins. Sam LeCure followed them all up with a solid effort on Thursday, going five innings while allowing two runs on three hits (he struck out six).

The Reds bullpen has been just as stingy. The combined eight relievers have allowed just three runs over 17 innings of work (though they took the team’s first loss on Thursday). The bullpen has given up 15 hits and five walks while striking out 19 batters. Helping out the pitching staff has been the stellar defense, as they have committed just one error.

Offensively, the Reds are hitting. Catcher Ryan Hanigan is hitting .714 with two homeruns and four RBIs (though in just two games). The top of the Reds order (Drew Stubbs and Brandon Phillips) have a combined 17 hits, 15 runs scored, and eight RBIs. Shortstop Paul Janish is hitting .444, first baseman and reigning NL MVP Joey Votto is hitting .389 (with five walks and zero strikeouts), and catcher Ramon Hernandez is hitting .357. Despite only hitting .200, third baseman Scott Rolen is leading the team with seven RBIs.

The Houston Astros are sitting at the bottom of the NL Central, as they were 0-5 until they took the final game of their series in Cincinnati. The Astros have been struggling in all facets of the game. Their starting pitching has been awful, their bullpen has not been good, they have not been able to score runs consistently, and has not been stellar (six errors, with three going to shortstop Angel Sanchez).

Brett Myers pitched well in Philadelphia on Opening Day, as he allowed two runs (one earned) on just three hits in seven innings. He actually left with the win. Since then, the starters have had a hard time reaching the fifth inning. Wandy Rodriguez allowed seven runs on nine hits in just four innings. Bud Norris allowed five runs on six hits in four innings. JA Happ allowed seven runs on seven hits and five walks over four innings. On Wednesday against the Reds, they were staked to an early 4-0 lead, but starter Nelson Figueroa could not hold the lead. He allowed ten runs (six earned) on 11 hits over 5.1 innings.

The bullpen has not been much better. In Myers start, closer Brandon Lyon allowed three runs and six hits while only recording one out as the Phillies walked off. He has bounced back to not allow a run in his next inning of work. Overall, the bullpen has allowed ten runs, 25 hits, and seven walks over 16 innings. Mark Melancon has been a bright spot, going 3.1 shutout innings, while striking out four with no walks. Wilton Lopez and Fernando Abad have also been good in their 3.1 combined innings (no runs on three hit and no walks).

Offensively, the Astros have been stagnant. They have hit just two homeruns and only have five doubles. The Astros have also struck out a lot, 45 times (not counting pitchers) in 160 at-bats. Hunter Pence, Angel Sanchez, and Jason Bourgeois (though Bourgeois only has three at-bats) are hitting over .300.

However in their first win of the season, the Astros received great starting pitching from Myers and solid bullpen work from Melancon, Abad, and Lyon. With the score tied at 2-2 (pinch-hitter Scott Rolen hit a homerun to tie the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning ending Myers day), Matt Downs gave the Astros the lead in the 9^th inning with an RBI double with two outs off Reds reliever Nick Masset. For their first win, the Astros got good starting pitching, a solid bullpen effort, and clutch hitting.

The American League East so far is home to two disappointing starts and one somewhat surprising start. Both the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays are winless in five games. The Red Sox went out and spent a ton of money this offseason with the signings of outfielder Carl Crawford, first bseman Adrian Gonzalez, and relievers Bobby Jenks, Dan Wheeler, and Matt Albers. Many expect the Red Sox to win the division. However the Red Sox are struggling in all facets of the game. When the starting pitching is good, the bullpen blows the game. In others, the starters struggled from the first pitch.

Jon Lester

Their opening series against the Texas Rangers, they were absolutely clobbered. On Opening Day, Jon Lester allowed a career high three homeruns as he allowed five runs in just 5.1 innings (though he has always struggled at the start of the season). In game two, Clay Buchholz allowed four runs (all solo homeruns) in 6.1 innings. The final game of the series saw John Lackey allow nine runs on ten hits in just 3.2 innings.

Against the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday night, the Red Sox could not come up with the timely hits as they lost 8-4. Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka have pitched better against the Indians, but have also lost as their lack of command has only allowed them to pitch five innings (Beckett walked four, while Dice-K walked three).

Except for Jenks and Albers, the entire Red Sox bullpen has allowed runs so far this season. Wheeler, Dennis Reyes, and Daniel Bard have struggled the most, with Bard allowing four runs in just 1.2 innings.

Offensively, the Red Sox are striking out a lot (38 times in 163 at-bats) to just 17 walks. They have hit just four homeruns (two of which came off the bat of David Ortiz). Gonzalez is the only Red Sox hitting over .300 (.350). The lone bright spot so far is that they are playing good defense, as they have committed just two errors.

The Rays were expected to heavily rely on their starting rotation, especially with the loss of virtually the entire bullpen and offensive players in Carlos Pena, Crawford, and Jason Bartlett. They added veterans Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez to provide offense (especially in the homerun category). Damon is just 1-for-15, while Manny is just 1-for-17.

The Rays have scored just seven runs in their five games this season. That puts a lot of pressure on the pitching staff, especially with Evan Longoria on the DL. They have struck out 38 times in 154 at-bats. Outfielders BJ Upton and Sam Fuld are the only Rays hitting over .300. The Rays have just three stolen bases and just four homeruns (two off the bat of Upton).

Though ace David Price struggled a bit on Opening Day, he only allowed four runs over seven innings. James Shields pitched well the next game, but picked up the loss. Shields allowed just two runs on four hits in 7.1 innings. Wade Davis allowed four runs over 6.1 innings while Jeff Niemann allowed five runs over six innings, as both picked up losses. Rookie Jeremy Hellickson struck out ten on Wednesday against the LA Angels, but the Rays lost 5-1, as the Rays collected just four hits against Dan Haren and the Angels bullpen. None of the starters have walked more than two batters in an outing. The Rays bullpen has been decent, as they have allowed four runs (three earned) over 12.2 innings.

Nick Markakis

The somewhat surprising team in the AL East is the Baltimore Orioles. They lost their first game last night to the Detroit Tigers (4-1) and sit tied for first place with the Toronto Blue Jays. Until Wednesday, the Orioles have relied on their starting pitching. In their first four wins, the starters have logged 26 innings and have allowed just two runs. Opening Day starter Jeremy Guthrie went eight shutout innings against the Rays. Rookie Zach Britton allowed just one run over six innings, while Chris Tillman finished the sweep of the Rays by pitching six no-hit innings. Jake Arrieta pitched the home opener against the Tigers and allowed one run over six innings.

The bullpen has given up some runs, but Kevin Gregg, Jason Berken, Jeremy Accardo, and Koji Uehara have given up zero runs in 7.2 innings (seven hits).

Though the Orioles have struck out a lot (37 strikeouts in 161 at-bats), they have scored enough runs to win games. They have routinely come up with timely hits (something they could not do last season). The Orioles have hit just three homeruns (two from leadoff hitter Brian Roberts) and only Nick Markakis is hitting over .300 (.353). However the Orioles have scored 20 runs (five runs scored for Roberts) and only allowed 11. Roberts, who was slowed in spring training (and all of last season) due to injury, has been on fire, as he has eight RBIs. The Orioles have also been playing good defense, as they have committed just three errors.

The Brewer

There were just six games on the schedule on Monday. The day started in Milwaukee for the Brewers homer opener. Atlanta Braves starter Brandon Beachy struggled at the start, but the Brewers could not capitalize. Rickie Weeks did hit a solo homerun in the third inning to give the Brewers a 1-0 lead. It was Weeks’ third homerun of the season. Brewers starter Chris Narveson was great, as he pitched six shutout innings and allowed jus three hits. Beachy allowed just that one run over six innings while striking out seven. However the Braves bats awoke in the eighth inning against Brewers reliever Takashi Saito. Martin Prado led off the inning with a solo homerun to tie the game at 1-1. With two outs, Dan Uggla hit a solo homerun to give the Braves a 2-1 lead. That was enough for rookie closer Craig Kimbrel, as he quickly dispatched the Brewers lineup in the bottom of the ninth. He struck out the side on 15 pitches to send the Brewers to 0-4 to start the season. The Braves are now 3-1 as Kimbrel picked up his second save.

The birds were circling in the Wrigley Field outfield in the top of the ninth inning. Closer Carlos Marmol was in the game for the Chicago Cubs with a 4-1 lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Marmol has struggled so far this season, but had his slider working on Monday. To make the final out, Cubs centerfielder Marlon Byrd had to catch a fly ball off the bat of Justin Upton through the sea gulls. It was a bit of an adventure, but he caught the ball to end the game. Alfonso Soriano homered for the Cubs and had two RBIs.

With the game tied at 1-1 in the fifth inning, Baltimore Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts hit a wind-blown three-run homerun off Detroit Tigers starter Rick Porcello to give the sold-out Orioles crowd at Camden Yards something to cheer about. The Orioles received their fourth straight quality start from their young starters as Jake Arrieta pitched six innings and allowed just that one run in their home opener. The Orioles have started the season 4-0.

Ivan Nova of the NY Yankees was on a roll Monday night until the second time through the Minnesota Twins order (which was something that hounded him last season). He had a no-hitter into the fourth inning when he got in trouble. After five innings, the Yankees held a 4-3 lead. All of the Yankees runs came courtesy of the long ball, as Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada each hit two-run homeruns. The bullpen for the Yankees (Joba Chamberlain, Rafael Soriano, and Mariano Rivera) pitched three shutout innings to help Nova earn the victory. The Yankees are now 3-1 while the Twins fell to 1-3.

Erik Bedard of the Seattle Mariners made his first start since 2009 (due to shoulder surgery) on Monday night in Arlington. Texas Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus quickly welcomed him back by hitting a homerun in the first inning. Andrus went 705 at-bats between homeruns. When he returned to the dugout to celebrate, all that was there to greet him was manager Ron Washington. Andrus got the silent treatment for a minute as he high-fived the air before his teammates joined in the celebration. After the Mariners scored two runs in the top of the fourth inning to get within 3-2, Nelson Cruz hit a solo homerun in the bottom of the inning to increase the Rangers lead to 4-2. Cruz became just the third player in Major League history to homer in the first four games of the season. He joins Willie Mays and Mark McGwire. The Rangers improved to 4-0 to start the season.

Charlie Morton of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Kyle Lohse of the St. Louis Cardinals were locked in a pitcher’s duel. Morton had allowed a run in the second inning, but looked strong. Lohse was pitching a shutout until the sixth inning. Neil Walker drove in two with a double and Andrew McCutchen followed him in the order with a two-run homerun to give the visiting Pirates a 4-1 lead. The Cardinals would come back with two runs in the eighth inning, but could do nothing against Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan. He threw just 16 pitches in 1.1 innings without allowing a hit to earn the save. Morton picked up his first road victory since 2009 as the Pirates improved to 3-1.

In Chicago, Cubs ace Ryan Dempster held a 2-0 lead until Neil Walker of the Pittsburgh Pirates blasted a grand slam to give the Pirates a 4-2 lead (the Pirates won the game 6-3). Andrew McCutchen would hit a two-run homerun off Dempster in the seventh inning. Dempster threw 114 pitches in his first start of the season.

Jon Lester

Boston Red Sox ace Jon Lester struggled in Arlington against the Texas Rangers. He allowed five runs on six hits in 5.1 innings. He was victimized by the homerun ball, as Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz, and Mike Napoli accounted for all of the Rangers runs against Lester. Lester also did not record a strikeout. The Rangers, behind ace CJ Wilson, won 9-5.

Colorado Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez allowed two homeruns on Opening Day, a three-run homerun to Justin Upton of the Arizona Diamondbacks and a two-run homerun to Miguel Montero. Jimenez allowed six runs (five earned) over six innings. He struck out just one batter. The Diamondbacks won the game 7-6 in extra innings.

Up in Toronto, the Blue Jays got to Minnesota Twins ace Carl Pavano early and often. The Blue Jays scored four runs in the first inning, two more in the fourth, and four more in the fifth against Pavano (and reliever Jeff Manship). Pavano allowed eight runs on six hits and two walks over four innings. Blue Jays catcher JP Arencibia hit two homeruns, while Jose Bautista and Adam Lind went back-to-back in the fifth inning. Blue Jays ace Ricky Romero fared much better, as he allowed three runs (just one earned) in 6.1 innings while striking out seven.

In Tampa, Rays ace David Price struggled against the visiting Baltimore Orioles. Price allowed four runs on five hits and a walk through seven innings (he threw 103 pitches). Price was outshined by Orioles ace Jeremy Guthrie, who pitched eight shutout innings while allowing just three hits (and only throwing 94 pitches). The bad news for the Orioles was that young lefty Brian Matusz is headed to the DL with back pain and will not make his scheduled Saturday start. Chris Tillman will move up to start Saturday and top prospect Zach Britton will make his Major League debut on Sunday.

While Josh Johnson of the Florida Marlins flirted with a no-hitter, NY Mets ace Mike Pelfrey was struggling. He allowed a grand slam to John Buck in the fourth inning. Pelfrey lasted just 4.1 innings while allowing five runs on four hits and four walks. He threw 97 pitches in his Opening Day outing. The Marlins won the game 6-2. The bad news for the Marlins was that right fielder Mike Stanton left the game with a tight hamstring and he missed most of spring training with a strained right quadriceps.

Out in Oakland, reigning CY Young award winner Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners struggled at the beginning of the game, allowing two runs in the first inning on a Josh Willingham two-run homerun. He settled in to pitch a complete game, allowing just those two runs on five hits, while striking out five (he did not walk a batter while throwing 108 pitches). Trevor Cahill of the A’s, however, struggled with his command and threw 105 pitches in just 4.1 innings. He walked four though he allowed just one run on four hits. The Mariners won the game 6-2.

Opening Day at MLB 2011

Jason Heyward of the Atlanta Braves hit a homerun in his first at-bat on Opening Day for the second straight season. The Braves-Washington Nationals game was a quick pitcher’s duel between Derek Lowe and Livan Hernandez. In the 2-0 Braves victory, the Braves showed off their young closing duo of Jonny Venters and Craig Kimbrel.

In a rainy New York City, CC Sabathia of the Yankees and Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers matched up, but the game was decided by the bullpens. Curtis Granderson of the Yankees homered off Phil Coke to lead off the 7^th inning to give the Yankees a 4-3 lead (G randerson was questionable for the game due to a right oblique strain). Mariano Rivera closed out the 6-3 Yankees win.

Balls were flying out of Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati from the very first hitter. Rickie Weeks and Carlos Gomez of the Milwaukee Brewers hit back-to-back homeruns to lead off the game against Reds starter Edinson Volquez. Weeks became the first Brewer ever to lead off the season with a homer. The Brewers held a 6-3 lead in the bottom of the 9^th inning with closer John Axford on the mound. However with two outs, Reds catcher Ramon Hernandez hit a three-run walk-off homerun. The Reds continued their late game heroics that they were famous for in 2010. There were six homeruns total hit in the game.

It took the San Diego Padres eleven innings to defeat the host St. Louis Cardinals. Cameron Maybin of the Padres hit a solo homerun on the first pitch he saw with two outs in the top of the 9^th inning off Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin to tie the game at 3-3. In the 11^th inning, Chase Headley scored all the way from first base when the Cardinals Ryan Theriot botched a relay throw. The Padres held on for the 5-3 victory as closer Heath Bell dispatched the Cardinals on just ten pitches. Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols went 0-for-5 and grounded into three double-plays (the most in his career for a single game).

Jered Weaver of the LA Angels stymied the KC Royals offense for 6.1 innings, as he allowed just two hits (both to Melky Cabrera) while striking out six. His bullpen escaped trouble following his exit, as they held on for a 4-2 victory. Torii Hunter and Jeff Mathis homered for the Angels, while solo homeruns from Jeff Francoeur and Mike Aviles accounted for the Royals runs. The Angels have won 27 of 34 games at Kauffman Stadium.

The final game of Opening Day was the World Series Champion SF Giants visiting their National League West rival LA Dodgers. Tim Lincecum of the Giants matched up against Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers. It was a pitcher’s duel as expected. The Dodgers cashed in on two throwing errors by the Giants in the sixth inning to take a 1-0 lead. The Dodgers would add another run off Giants reliever Santiago Casilla in the 8^th inning. Pat Burrell would hit a solo homerun in the ninth inning off Dodgers closer Jonathon Broxton, but Broxton came back to record the save as the Dodgers won 2-1.

The Cincinnati Reds

The Reds were quiet in the off-season using their money to extend contracts for their young talent.  Ace Johnny Cueto and Bronson Arroyo are settled in long-term contracts.  Edison Volquez will anchor the three slot.  Homer Bailey, Travis Wood and Mike Leake will vie for the fourth and fifth starter roles.  This rotation should improve their win count this season.

In the bullpen, the Reds will be hard-pressed to replace Arthur Rhodes who appeared in 49 games and had 2.29 ERA last year.  Francisco Cordero will be the closer and 100 mph dart thrower Aroldis Chapman will be the setup man.  Whether this is the best use of Chapman’s arm remains a question.

The Reds picked up Orlando Cabrera to play shortstop and the rest of the infield is unchanged.  MVP Joey Votto is at first with Brandon Phillips, Scott Rolen and Ramon Hernandez all getting playing time around the horn.  The defense is solid.

In the outfield, Jay Bruce got a new contract.  Drew Stubbs and Johnny Gomes fill the outfield positions.  Stubbs is one of two players in the league to hit 20 homers, steal 30 bases and score 90 runs.

The Reds may not like to, but they are now the team to beat in the NL Central.

The St. Louis Cardinals

For a tightly run franchise, the Cards have been in the news and are likely to stay there most of the year.  Albert Pujols is unsigned after this season and is probably headed for free agency, which Cardinal fans do not like.  In the midst of this chatter, Adam Wainwright, a top starter, is sidelined with Tommy John surgery.  Needless to say, the Cards are not starting the season completely focused.

Without Wainwright, Chris Carpenter will continue to lead the staff. Dependable Jake Westbrook will fill Wainwright’s two slot, with Jaime Garcia moving up to number three.  Pitching coach Dave Duncan is grooming talent but the four and five slots, which will be a source of anxiety most of the season.

In the bullpen, Ryan Franklin will close.  He has plenty of arm support with Mitchell  Boggs, Jason Motte and Trevor Miller all back.  The Reds picked up versatile Miguel Batista for the bullpen but he may well end up as a starter.

Albert Pujols and three-time gold glover, Yadier Molina, anchor a solid infield. Ryan Theriot will be at short, Third base will be the responsibility of David Freese. Skip Schumaker has had a great spring and will see plenty of playing time.

Matt Holiday will be joined by Lance Berkman in right and either Jon Jay or Colby Rasmus in center.  This is solid group of run producers.

The starting pitching is a definite problem on a staff that just doesn’t have a lot of depth or talent in the farm system.  This could be a tough season for the Cards.

The Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers are shooting for the top spot in the NL Central.  Their active post-season moves have added some missing pieces to the Brewers puzzle.

The addition of former AL Cy Young Winner Zach Greinke may be the biggest news to hit Milwaukee in quite a while.  Greinke will be joined by Shaun Marcum (Blue Jays) to form a tough one-two combo.  Experienced Randy Wolf and Yovani Gallardo give the Brewers a solid 1-4 rotation.  The fifth slot is still unsettled but these four starters should pitch 800 innings.

John Axford will be the closer but Takshi Saito was acquired from Atlanta for backup.  Saito has been dependable and Axford averaged more than eleven strikeouts every nine innings.

Yuniesky Betancourt came from the Royals with Greinke and will anchor the shortstop position.  The key ingredient offensively is Cecil Fielder who becomes a free agent at the end of the season.  Fielder’s number were off last season and the Brewers need more than 30 home runs from their 1^st basemen. Rickie Weeks and Casey McGhee are consistent with Weeks also headed toward free agency.

When Fielder slumped outfielder Ryan Braun’s number also slipped.  For the Brewers, Braun is as important as Fielder.  Carlos Gomez will take over in center with power hitter but another strikeout target Corey Hart completing the outfield.

The Brewers have the ingredients for a playoff run this year.  Fielder’s free agency may help.

The Chicago Cubs

The biggest move the Cubs made was trading with Tampa Bay for starter Matt Garza.  Garza has good stuff and should win at least 15 games.  He also is used to being the number two guy.  Garza will follow Ryan Dempster in the Cub rotation.  Carlos Zambrano will pitch if he is so inclined.  Randy Wells and Carlos Sllva round out a stable rotation.

Carlos Marmel will close and looking to cut down on his control issues.  The leash will be short.  Kerry Wood was released by the Yankees and the Cubs brought the big guy home.  Wood showed good stuff in his setup role last year.

The Cubs picked up Carlos Pena from the Rays to replace Derrick Lee.  Pena was weak last year on both sides of the plate.  Aramis Ramirez, Blake Dewitt, Geovany Soto and Starlin Castro fill all the infield needs.

Alfonso Soriano will be back in left with Marion Byrd and Tykler Colvin will start the season.  Kosuke Fukudome will be relegated to 4^th outfielder but is a good man to have around.

The Cubs have improved but Pena at 1^st and Garza have to come through for the formula to work.

The Houston Astros

There’s trouble in River City and no quick fix is in sight.  WIth the loss of marquis players Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman, there is little of the old guard left.  Houston did not jump into the free agency market, choosing to work with what they have.  It isn’t much.

The starting rotation will be headed by Wandy Rodriquez.  Brett Myers had a solid year last year.  JS Happ, Bud Norris and Nelson Figueroa will round out the rotation.  Expect plenty of changes in this rotation.

The pickings are slim in the weakest bullpen in the league.  Brandon Lyon is the only experienced reliever.  He will do the closing and will most likely be well rested by mid season.

The infield has new faces and the outfield could change on a weekly basis.  There really is not much hope in Houston who will most likely sink below Pittsburgh into the cellar of the NL.

The Phyllis won their fifth consecutive title last season but was upset by the San Francisco Giants in the National League finals.  The fact is that the Giants did the unthinkable and out-pitched the Phillies.  For a nice fix, the Phillies signed another left-handed ace free agent, Cliff Lee.

Roy Halladay

What a rotation they have built!  If they stay healthy, the rotation will begin with Roy Halladay, followed by lefty Lee, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton.  This is a rotation that may be the best ever assembled.

In the bullpen, Brad Lidge will start the season on injured reserve.  Young Ryan Madson is a capable closer and the rest of the bullpen is like last year’s version.

Pitching is not the problem for the Phillies who were quiet in the off season.  The Phillies are aging and injuries are likely.  The biggest loss the Phillies encumbered was the loss of right fielder and right-handed hitter Jayson Werth.  Rightfield will now be managed by committee.

If baseball is 90 percent pitching, nobody, not even the Giants, is out pitching this group.

The Atlanta Braves

The biggest change in Atlanta will be at the helm.  After 25 years as manager, Bobby Cox has stepped aside.  Former Marlin coach Fredie Gonzalez has big shoes to fill.  Gonzalez takes the reins of a team in transition.

The Braves do boast a strong pitching staff.  Tim Hudson is the ace but Derek Lowe logs a lot of innings and racks up wins.  Tommy Hanson and Jair Jurrgens are set in the third and fourth slots.  Gonzalez will decide on his fifth starter.  In most divisions, the Braves starters are strong.

The Braves let Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito go and have turned the closing role to George Sherrill or Scott Linebrink or young lefty Jonny Venters.  The bottom line is that the bullpen is solid.

The pickup of 2B Dan Ugla from Florida fills a nice whole in the lineup.  The return of Chipper Jones will keep the Braves in contention.  Martin Prado will be moving to the outfield.  His bat is worth the risk.

The Braves will be in contention and at worst could capture the wildcard berth once again.

The New York Mets

Sandy Alderson takes over as GM.  Alderson retained JP Ricciardi and Paul DePodesta to help save the team.  The threesome has work to do.  The team is strapped for funds thanks to Bernie Madoff and will have a difficult time contending this season.

Ace Johan Santana will return around mid-season so Mike Pelfry will lead the staff.  Knuckleballer RA Dickey will put his stuff to work and hope to match last season’s 2.84 ERA.  John Niese has a year under his belt but will have to step up this season.  Chris Young, Chris Capuano and Dillon Gee are battling for the open spots.

Francisco Rodriquez will be back in the closing role and his setup guys look good. Bobby Parnell is a flamethrower and DJ Carrasco will add stability to the pen.

In the infield, the ss Reyes, 3b David Wright, 1b Ike Davis are set.  Louis Castillo and Daniel Murphy will alternate at second base.  The outfield is set with Beltran moving to right to make room for speedy Angel Pagan in center and Jayson Bay in left.  The Mets are solid in the field and have a relatively strong lineup.  Davis, Reyes and Beltran must stay healthy to reap the rewards.

The Florida Marlins

The Florida Marlins have talent.  If they could get a synchronized effort, this team could surprise.  Their ace is strapping Josh Johnson who is as good as there is.  Despite tiring toward the end of the season, Johnson pitched 229 innings and surrendered less than one hit per inning.  He also has 2.30 ERA and fanned more than nine batters per game.  The addition of Javier Vasquez may help stabilize the rotation.  Ricky Nolasco, Chris Volstaad and Anibel Sanchez will round out the rotation.  The threesome racked up 39 wins last season.

The biggest loss the Marlins had was 2b Dan Uggla.  His spot will be manned by Omar Infante.  All-word shortstop Hanley Ramirez must stop sulking and display some leadership.  Gaby Sanchex will anchor 1b and John Buck will be behind the plate.  Wes Hems and Emilio Bonifacio will contend for the 3rd base job.

The outfield is young.  Led by Mike Stanton (22 hrs), Chris Coghlan and Logan Morrison will cover plenty of turf.  The threesome are all under 25 years of age.  Coghlan and Morrison were moved to the outfield to keep their bats in the lineup.

This is a young team that will improve as the season goes on.  If Ramirez is stable, this team can make a move.

The Washington Nationals

When you think Washington, you have to think Stephen Strassburg.  Alas, the Nationals’ biggest stud is in the pasture undergoing rehab for his arm trouble.  The Nationals went after Jayson Werth with purpose and signed the outfielder to a $126 million multi-year contract.

The Nats also added Tom Gorzelanny from Chicago to bolster the staff.  Livan Hernandez, John Lannan and John Marquis round out the first four starters.  Jordan Zimmerman may get the nod for the fifth spot.  Drew Storen and Tyler Clippard (11 wins in 2010) are the only reliable bullpen fixtures.

Ivan Rodriquez, Wilson Ramos and Jesus Flores are contending for the catching role.  Adam LaRoche replaces Adam Dunn  at first base.  Ryan Zimmerman is a bona fide All-star at third.

Joining Werth in the outfield will be Rick Ankiel (Braves) and speedy Nyjer Morgan in center.  This is the most solid outfield the Nats have ever put on the field.

The Nats are better this year than last and if Strasburg makes it back good things can happen, especially for the gate.  Strasburg has star power and this improved team may even score some runs for him.

The Pittsburgh Pirates

The worst team in the majors in 2010, the Pirates had a busy ad productive off-season.  This team is far superior to last year’s squad and with a few breaks could make some noise this season.

Starters Kevin Correia and Scott Olsen were signed this winter and will lead the rotation.  Four players are battling for the remaining three slots.  Paul Mauholm, Ross Ohlendorf, James McDonald and Charlie Morton are all in the mix.  McDonald has a live arm and plenty of stuff but could not crack the Dodger rotation.  He is a budding star.

The bullpen will be led by strikeout artist Joel Hanrahan.  Evan Meek and Chris Resop will add support.  The Pirates unloaded Octavio Dotel and this looks like a more inspired group.

Andrew McCutchen, Garrett Jones and Matt Diaz hold down the outfield. They will also be asked to increase the run tally.  All three have power.  Pedro Alvarez is solid at third.  Second basemen Neil Walker nearly hit .300 last season and Lyle Overbay will add stability to first base.  The catching position is up for grabs between Chris Snyder and Ryan Doumit.

These Pirates should realize there is nowhere to go but up.  Play hard in Pittsburgh and the turnstiles might be more active.

This year in the NL West, one thing is certain.  The team that pitches the best will win and once again be a threat for the World Series.

The San Francisco Giants

In baseball, timing is everything and the San Francisco Giants timed their stretch run just right last season.  Known for their weak bats, the Giants did not lack for live arms that showed their best when the money was on the line.

From their championship team, the Giants lost infielders Juan Uribe and Edgar Renteria who played big roles in the stretch run.  Also gone are outfielders Jose Guillen and Eugenio Velez along with reliever Chris Ray.  The Giants added just one veteran Miguel Tejada who will fill the hole at shortstop.

Although the Giant names are familiar, many of them were not on the opening day roster last season, including catcher Buster Posey and right fielder Cody Ross, who has a bout a shot a post season as could be had.

The starting pitching is the best in the division and will challenge the Phillies with youth against experience in the playoffs.

The starting lineup looks like this:

1. Andres Torres CF
2. Freddy Sanchez 2B
3. Buster Posey C
4. Aubrey Huff 1B
5. Miguel Tejada SS
6. Mark DeRosa LF
7. Pablo Sandoval 3B
8. Cody Ross RF

The weakness of this team is not in the bullpen or in the starting rotation.  The team’s ability to score runs is the only question mark.  Linecum, Cain and Baumgartner will all have strong seasons in 2011.  Success breeds success.

The Colorado Rockies

The Rockies were busy in the off-season.  These are their 2011 additions:  P Felipe Paulino, C Matt Pagnozzi (MIN), 2B/INF Jose Lopez, 1B/INF Ty Wigginton, 1B Eric Duncan (MIN), C Jose Morales, 1B Mike Jacobs (MIN), P Billy Buckner (MIN), 3B Matt Macri (MIN), OF Jeff Salazar (MIN), 2B Tug Hulett (MIN), P Matt Lindstrom, IF Hernan Iribarren (MIN), P Sean White (MIN), Claudio Vargas (MIN), P Josh Muecke (MIN), P Jim Miller (MIN), 3B Joe Crede (MIN), P Clayton Mortenson, OF Wily Taveras (MIN), 1B Kala Ka’aihue (MIN) and UT Alfredo Amezaga (MIN).

The Rockies gave up on these players: Joe Beimel, 2B Clint Barmes, SP Jeff Francis, P Octavio Dotel, OF Jay Payton, OF Chris Frey (Rule V), SP Ethan Hollingsworth, SP Wes Musick, P Jonnathan Aristil, P Paul Bargas, 3B Melvin Mora and SP Chaz Roe, RP Manny Corpas, OF Brade Hawpe, RP Manny Declarmen, P Samuel Deduno, C Miquel Olivo.

Any team with that much activity is making changes in philosophy.  The Rockies were 52-29 at home and want to do better.  They won just 31 road games.

The Rocky lineup looks solid in the middle with question marks at both ends.

1.Dexter Fowler CF
2. Eric Young Jr 2B
3. Carlos Gonzalez, RF
4. Troy Tulowitszki, SS
5. Todd Helton, 1B
6. Seth Smith, LF
7. Ian Stewart, 3B
8. Chris Iannetta, C

The pitching rotation is set. Ubaldo Jimenez is the ace of the staff and gets support from fellow starters Jhoulys Chacin, Aaaron Cook, Jorge De La Rosa and Jason Hammel.  This staff got it done early in the year but ran out of gas after mid season.

The Los Angeles Dodgers

The high profile Dodgers have a change at the helm as Don Mattingly takes the reins from Joe Torre.  Torre ran into Manny troubles and the locker room problems that have plagued the Dodgers for years.  Mattingly will have his hands full capitalizing on the talent that the Dodgers have.  When this team is hitting on all cylinders, they are hard to beat.

Some changes were inevitable.  Gone are Ryan Theriot, Reed Johnson, Scott Podsednik, Jeff Weaver, Chin-lung Hu, Russell Martin, George Sherrill, Trent Oeltjen, Brent Leach. Martin, Sherill and Jeff Weaver will be missed although Sherill was a disappointment after coming over from the Orioles.

The Dodgers had holes to fill and they added some well-traveled veterans.  Jon Garland, Blake Hawksworth, Juan Uribe, Tony Gwynn Jr, Dioner Navarro, Matt Guerrier, Eugenio Velez, Oscar Villareal, Gabe Kapler, Roman Colon and Marcus Thames will put a veteran feel in the clubhouse.  Thames, Garland and Tony Gwynn, jr. will all contend for jobs.  Juan Uribe may add some pep to 2nd base but at third, Casey Blake’s offense slipped last season.

Left-hander Clayton Kershaw is the established ace and should have a breakout season.  His stuff is overpowering.  Chad Billingsley got off to a good start last season and is a strong number two pitcher.  Hiroki Kuroda has a great repertoire but it is time to win some games. Former Cub Ted Lily and former Padre Garland will hold the four and five slots to start the season.

The Dodgers have talent in the bullpen but coordinating it is a full-time job.  Closer John Broxton was hit hard at the end of the season while Hong-Chi Cho was virtually unhittable.  Now, throw Matt Guerrier in the mix and there is plenty of power in the pen.

The Dodger lineup features seasoned players with good numbers.

1.Rafael Furcal
2. 1B James Loney
3. CF Matt Kemp
4. RF Andre Ethier
5. 3B Casey Blake
6. 2B Juan Uribe
7. LF Jay Gibbons
8. C Rod Barajas

The Dodgers need to get production from Uribe and Gibbons.  Always known for strength behind the plate, catcher Rod Barajas will surely be tested early in the year.  If the Dodgers do not beat themselves, Mattingly will keep them in position to win.

The San Diego Padres

The Padres’ 10 game skid at the end of 2010 is still burning bright at Petco Park.  The team made some changes to better suit their park but the young starting rotation remains inconsistent.

Gone are a host of players including 1B Adrian Gonzalez, C Yorvit Torrealba , 2B David Eckstein, SP Jon Garland, IF Jerry Hairston Jr, SS Miguel Tejada, SP Kevin Correia, OF Scott Hairston, OF Tony Gwynn Jr, RP Ryan Webb, RP Edward Mujica, RP Adam Russell, SP/RP Cesar Ramos, PH Matt Stairs, and SP Chris Young.

That roster changes left plenty of room for newcomers OF/1B Brad Hawpe, 2B Orlando Hudson, SS Jason Bartlett, OF Cameron Maybin, IF Jorge Cantu, SP Aaron Harang, RP Samuel Deduno, SP/RP Dustin Moseley, RP Chad Qualls, C Rob Johnson, RP Pat Neshek, OF Eric Patterson IF Kevin Frandsen, RP Randy Flores.  The pickups of veteran 2b Orlando Hudson and ss Jason Bartlett will solidify the infield and the Padres can use some of Brad Hawpe’s clout.  Flores may surprise.

The staring lineup will look like this:

RF Will Venable

SS Jason Bartlett

2B Orlando Hudson

Lf Ryan Ludwick

1b Brad Hawpe

3b Chas Headley

CF Cameron Maybin

C Nick Hundley

The Padres only generated 655 runs last season and that will be the benchmark,  This lineup may have difficulty equalling that mark.

The Pardes are proud of the hard-throwing and young starting rotation.  Matt Latos will lead the way for fellow starters Clayton Richard, Tim Stauffer, Aarion Harang and Wade LeBlanc.  The Padres have good depth if a starter goes down.

Their bullpen is also strong with closer Heath Bell back as closer.  The setup guys will be Mike Adams, Luke Graderson, Chad Quallis and Ernesto Frieri.

The Padres seem to feel they have straigthened out their problems.  From here, it does not look like enough. A bigger bat and a fifth starter might have improved the Padre chances.

The Arizona Diamondbacks

After finishing in the NL West for the second straight year, change was in the Arizona air.  Kevin Towers was brought in to be the General Manager and Tower, who won four titles with San Diego, retained last season’s Manager Kirk Gibson.  Gibson was promoted half way through the 2010 season.

Tower’s first mission has been to imprvoe the worst bullpen in the major leagues (5.74 ERA) and add strength to a weakend starting pitching rotation.  For the rotation, Tower will rely on ace Ian Kennedy and number 2 Daniel Hudson.  Joe Saunders (LAA) will anchor the third spot with Barry Enright who showed good struff at the end of 2010.  Zack Duke was acquired from Pittsburgh as the fifth starter.

The Diamondbacks will lineup will be young and prone to strikeouts.  Gibson will have his hands full with these hit or miss lineup.

1. 2b – Stephen Kelly
2. SS- Steven Drew
3. RF – Justin Upton
4. CF – Chris Young
5. LF Xavier Nady
6. 1b – Russell Branyan
7. 3b – Melvin Mora
8. c – Miguel Montero

There is improvement here but not enough to mount a threat.

NL West Projections

1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. San Francisco Giants
3. San Diego Padres
4. Colorado Rockies
5. Arizona Diamondbacks

The Minnesota Twins

The Twins lost their infield combo of Orlando Hudson and JJ Hardy as well as Brendan Harris, Jon Rauch, Matt Guerrier, Jesse Cain and Brian Fuentes.  To fill these gaps, the Twins are relying heavily on the return of their all-star catcher Joe Mauer and newcomers Jim Hoey and Tysuyoshi Nishioka.  The Twins have shown confidence in their farm system and that may well decide their fate this season.

The lineup has cf Denard Span leading off and followed by 2b Tsuyoshi Nishioka, C Mauer, 1b Justin Morneau, rf Micheal Cuddyer, DH Jason Kubel, lf Delmon Young, 3b Danny Valencia and ss Alexi Casilla.  From slots 3 – 6, the Twins can hold their own with any other lineup in the game.

Lefthander Francisco Liriano returned to form in 2010 and veteran Carl Pavano had a big year.  The rest of the starting staff must show improvement.  Lefty Brian Duensing, Scott Baker and Nick Blackburn will be the keys to the Twins season.  Joe Nathan is back to close but there is a lack of depth in the bullpen.

Chicago White Sox

The White Sox hung in the race until the end of 2010 and the have reasons to think they can improve this season.  Gone are Manny Ramirez, a late season pickup, JJ Putz, Bobby Jenks, Scott Linebrink, Andruw Jones and Freddy Garcia.  Those losses left some holes.

The Chisox added Adam Dunn, Jesse Crain, Will Ohman and Lastings Milledge.  While the White Sox boast the strongest starting rotation in the league, they will need some help from the bullpen.  The return of Jake Peavy from shoulder surgery gives the White Sox a very solid fifth starter who has pitched two no hitters.  Ahead of Peavy will be ace Mark Buerhle, Gavin Floyd, John Danks and Edwin Jackson on the four slot.  There are no more live arms in the league than on the White Sox.  Closer Matt Thornton has earned his stripes.

Speedy left fielder Juan Pierre leads off with 2b Gordon Beckham, DH Dunn, 1b Paul Konerko, Cf Alexis Rios and C AJ Pierzynski composing a solid heart of the order.  Rf Carlos Quentin, ss Alex Ramirez and 3b Brent Morel complete the lineup.

The addition of Dunn  should add 40-45 homeruns to the lineup and will make Konerko and Rios that much more dangerous.  If Dunn wields a quick bat and Peavy returns to form, the White Sox may well be the team to beat in the AL Central.

The Detroit Tigers

Johnny Damon is gone along with Armando Galarraga but the 81- 81 Tigers made some good off-season moves.  Those moves include picking up slugger, catcher or DH Victor Martinez, crack reliever Joaquin Benoit and journeyman starter Brad Penny.

The starting rotation is impressive.  Justin Verlander is a five star pitcher and Max Scherzer may achieve that status this year. If starters Rick Porello, Brad Penny and Phil Coke can finish over .500, the Tigers have a good shot at contending for the division title.

Some of that may depend on the outcome of 1b Manuel Cabrera’s legal issues.  As of now, the lineup looks like cf Austin Jackson leading off followed by 2b Will Rhymes.  The meat of the order has rf  Magglio Ordonez hitting ahead of 1b Miguel Cabrera, DH Ryan Rabourn, ss Jhonny Peralta, 3b Brandon Inge and C Alex Avila.  Martinez will certainly be in the lineup, but it is unclear where at this time.

The closer Jose Valverde will get plenty of help from the very capable Joaquin Benoit.  This is a veteran team whose time may have come.

The Cleveland Indians

The Indians only won 69 games last season and have a long way to go to make up any ground.  The club added Orlando Cabrera at shortstop, Chad Durbin and Austin Kearns.

If leadoff hitter Grady Sizemore returns to form after surgery, the Indians will be improved, but the team needs everyone to raise their game.  After Sizemore 2b Asdrubal Cabrera bats second with rf Shin Choo-Choo, C Carlos Santana, Dh Travis Hafner filling the 3 – 5 slots.  1b Matt LaPorta, 3b Jayson Nix, ss Cabrera and lf Michael Brantley.  They have experience but that experience has not converted to success.

Fausto Carmona will lead the starters and be followed in the rotation by hot prospect Justin Masterson, Carlos Carrasco, Mitch Talbot and Josh Tomlin.  Closer Chris Perez will hope the mid relievers can get him the ball a bit more than last season.

The Kansas City Royals

The Royals took a look at their roster and saw no way to advance so they began to deal.  Their ace starter Zack Greinke and Yuniesky Betancourt were traded to the Brewers for a host of prospects.  David DeJesus has moved on.

To help fill the roster, Jeff Francoeur, Melky Cabrera, Alcides Escobar, Jeff Francis, Vin Mazzaro and Brett Carloo were added.  These are not players that will lift the Royals into contention.  In fact, the Royals may have trouble winning 67 games as they did in 2010.

The lineup looks like 2b Chris Getz leads off with 3b Mike Aviles batting second and Billy Butler hitting third.  RG Francouer will bat fourth with Cabrera in center batting fifth.  Left fielder Alex Gordon bats sixth, 1b Kila Ka’aihue seventh, Bryan Pena eighth and ss Alcides Escobar.

Lefty Bruce Chen will head the starters.  Luke Hochever, Jeff Francis, Kyle Davies and Vin Mazzaro fill the rotation. Joakim Soria is a trusty closer.  This is a team that makes Charlie Sheen’s Major League team look good.

Projected Finish

1. 1. Chicago White Sox – Looks like a good year for the Chisox.  Hard to beat the pitching and hitting.

1. Detroit Tigers – May press the White Sox if all the pieces come together.

1. Minnesota Twins – Still questions about Mauer’s ability to play the full season and the bullpen situation is tenuous.

1. Cleveland Indians – Will improve upon last year but still have work to do.

1. Kansas City Royals – A building year in KC.

Josh Hamilton

The reigning American League Champion Texas Rangers did everything they could to hold on to star pitcher Cliff Lee, but in the end players with Lee’s talents play when and where they want.  The loss of the dominant lefty leaves a hole in the pitching staff that the Rangers will try to fill with strong hitting and run production.  In their favor, the American League East teams, Los Angeles, Oakland and Seattle, did little to improve during the off-season.

Texas Rangers

In addition to the loss of Lee, the Rangers lost Rich Harden, Brandon McCarthy, dh Vladimir Geurrero and Frank Francisco.  Key additions to the lineup will be Adrian Beltre, who had a big year in Boston at 3^rd base. Mike Napoli, who will share 1^st base duties with Mitch Moreland and Brandon Webb, a pitcher with talent but a history of arm trouble.

Shortstop Elvis Young returns to leadoff and will benefit from ex 3^rd baseman now dh Michael Young and then some real power with Josh Hamilton, Beltre and Nelson Cruz anchoring the 3,4,5 slots.  Ian Kinsler will bat 6^th and play 2^nd base while Moreland or Napoli will hit 7^th and be followed by Yorvit Torrealba doing most of the catching and fleet Julio Borbon in centerfield.

The pitching rotation is set but may be changed if Webb’s arm comes around.  Lefty CJ Wilson will be the ace followed by Colby Lewis, Derek Holland, Tommy Hunter and Matt Harrison who will anchor the rotation.  Closer Neftali Feliz has plenty of power and will close for the Rangers.

The Rangers have enough to get it done in the AL West but without roster changes do not look like the AL Champion.

The Oakland Athletics

Oakland finished 81-81 last season and did little to improve the team during the winter.  The A’s are relying on the increased  maturity of their top two starters Trevor Cahill and lefty Brett Anderson.  The rest of the rotation will have Dallas Braden, Gio Gonzalez and Brandon McCarthy.  All three have .500 plus credentials and in this league that may be enough.  The A’s closer is Andrew Bailey but newcomer Balfour has a live arm.

The A’s lost Rajai Davis, Jack Cust and Justin Duchscherern but picked up some talent in David DeJesus, Josh Willingham, Hideki Matsui, Brian Fuentes, Grant Balfour and Rich Harden.  Balfour will be a key in the bullpen and if Harden finds his arm strength he can log innings.

This lineup lacks power. CF Coco Crisp leads of with Rf David DeJesus in the 2 slot and Josh Willingham batting third.  Hideki Matsui or Chris Carter will cleanup followed by Kevin Kouzmanoff. 1b Daric Barton, C Kurt Suzuki, 2b Mark Ellis and ss Cliff Pennington.

On the whole the A’s look better on paper, but lack proven run producers.  The biggest improvement may be in the bullpen and this alone could get the A’s above .500.

The Los Angeles Angels

The Angels are a puzzlement.  Mike Napoli, Juan Rivera and Hidecki Matsui are gone.  But, Vernon Wells will add some bite to the lineup and Scott Downs and Hisanori Takahashi are welcome newcomers.  The strength of this team is their pitching rotation.

Veteran Jared Weaver leads the rotation with the very capable Dan Haren, Ervin Santana, Joel Pineiro and left Scott Kazmir complete the starting staff.  Kazmir has been a disappointment but Ervin Santana has plenty of potential.

3b Maicer Izturis will lead off and be followed by ss Erick Aybar, DH Bobby Abreu, 1B Kendry Morales, RF Torii Hunter, LF Vernon Wells, 2b Howie Kendrick, C Jeff Mathis and cf Peter Bourjous.

The closing duties are shared by Fernando Rodney and Scott Downs.  For the Angels to improve and possibly contend, the keys are Kazmir’s development and Santana’s progress.

The Seattle Mariners

The Mariners had two of the game’s greatest pitchers in Cliff Lee and Felix Hernandez for most of the season.  The team still managed to win a mere 60 games and just edged ahead of  Pittsburgh to avoid the MLB cellar.

The Mariners can only be described as inactive during the winter.  Gone is Jose Lopez.  The two newcomers are Jack Cust and Miguel Olivo, both of whom will step into the starting lineup.

Rf Ichiro Suzuki will lead off, collect his 200 hits and see who can bring him around.  2b Chone Figgins bats second, cf Franklin Gutierrez will bat third with DH Jack Cust in the cleanup slot followed by 1B John Smoak, catcher Miguel Olivo, LF Milton Bradley, 2b Jack Wilson and ss Brendan Ryan.

Bad boy Milton Bradley just might become a divisive locker room problem for the Mariners, but if he can keep his mind on the task at hand, Bradley could help Seattle.

Projected Order of Finish – 2011

1^st place – Texas. Lost of working parts and very few weaknesses.

2^nd Place – Los Angeles Angels – Look for the Angels to move up a notch and ahead of Oakland.

3^rd Place – Oakland Athletics – Needed to do more in off-season.

4^th place – Seattle Mariners – Some real stars but no consistency.

Mike Hampton

In 1999 (his best season), he finished second in the National League CY Young award voting. He was 22-4 with a 2.90 ERA for the Houston Astros. He was then traded to the NY Mets, where he had another solid season, going 15-10 with a 3.14 ERA in helping the Mets reach the World Series. In getting to the World Series, Hampton was named the NLCS MVP as he held the St. Louis Cardinals scoreless over two starts (16 innings).

Following the 2000 season, he was one of the most attractive free agents on the market and received a lucrative eight year, $121 million contract with the Colorado Rockies. At that time, it was the most lucrative contract in the game and served as a benchmark for upcoming free agent players (such as Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez). The contract also became one of the most criticized due to Hampton’s ineffectiveness and injury-plagued seasons during the contract.

The Rockies traded Hampton to the Atlanta Braves, where he seemed to revive his career from 2003 into 2005. However he succumbed to Tommy John surgery in September of 2005. While trying to return in early 2007, he suffered an oblique strain in March and then felt more discomfort in April, which led to another season-ending elbow surgery.

While warming up in the bullpen for his April 3, 2008 start, he strained his pectoral muscle. That would have been his first start in three years. He waited until July of 2008 to make that long-awaited start and stayed healthy the rest of the season. He returned to the Astros in 2009 and made 21 starts before shoulder pain ended his year (he had a fully torn rotator cuff).

Hampton endured a grueling rehab and last September, he returned as a lefty reliever for the Arizona Diamondbacks and signed a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks this December to try and win that same role in 2011. Hampton had a tough spring and realized that his career had come to an end. So on Saturday, Hampton announced his retirement. He said it was a tough decision, but ultimately the right one. Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson offered him a chance to stay within the organization in some capacity.

Hampton wants to be remembered as an athlete, not just a pitcher. He gave everything he had every night out. He came from a small town in Florida that no one had ever heard of and he made himself into a Major League pitcher. “I think with the talent and the body type, I think I pretty much got as much out of my body as I could,” Hampton told Mark Bowman of MLB.com.

Homer Bailey

The Cincinnati Reds already placed Johnny Cueto on the DL to start the season, but have a few more injuries to deal with. Fellow starter Homer Bailey will start yet another season on the DL, this time with a right should impingement. He will be shut down from throwing for a week and will miss at least two starts. They felt he could have pitched through the impingement, but it would have lingered throughout the season. This is a concern for the Reds as Bailey has dealt with numerous shoulder problems in the past. Sam LeCure, who was battling for a bullpen spot, will now take Bailey’s spot and move into the fifth starter’s role. The earliest that the Reds would need LeCure would be April 9^th against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Veteran Bronson Arroyo, though not injured, has been dealing with flu-like symptoms for over two weeks. Arroyo and the Reds just found out that he has mononucleosis. He does not expect to miss any starts, but has cut out all extracurricular activities until he feels better. Arroyo is expected to pitch in his final spring game on Tuesday (he did pitch in a minor league game this week, throwing 87 pitches).

The Reds have not locked up their exact rotation order behind Opening Day starter Edinson Volquez. It will be some combination of Arroyo, Mike Leake, Travis Wood, and LeCure.

Neftali Feliz

The Texas Rangers let the reigning American League Rookie of the Year Neftali Feliz attempt a return to the starting rotation, something he did throughout his minor league career. He excelled so much in 2010 as a closer and set the single season rookie record for saves. Feliz has three plus pitches, though he does not throw all of them when he is saving games. There were positives to return him to the starter’s role, along with positives to keep him as a closer. Many believe it is hard to find a young, dominating closer, so why would you want to change Feliz? So the Rangers decided to end the experiment and move him back into the bullpen after three starts this spring.

The Rangers named their rotation early this week. Left-hander CJ Wilson was named the Opening Day starter. He was to be joined in the rotation by Colby Lewis, Tommy Hunter, Matt Harrison, and Derek Holland. That meant that both Feliz and setup man Alexi Ogando were returning to the bullpen.

However the Rangers will now be without Hunter for around six weeks as he was diagnosed with a Grade 2 strain of his groin muscle. With the early days off, the Rangers could use just four starters early in April, but will most likely need a fifth starter before Hunter returns. The leading candidate to take Hunter’s place was left-hander Michael Kirkman, who pitched well for the Rangers out of the bullpen late last season, but was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock so he could start. Veteran David Bush is also an option.

There have been rumors that Ogando could be named the fifth starter and those who make the decisions were set to meet Saturday night to make a decision. Ogando has become the favorite and his move to the rotation would open a spot in the bullpen for Brett Tomko, Pedro Strop, or Rule V pick Mason Tobin.

Wilson also injured his hamstring in his final start of the spring on Saturday. He left after just two innings because of tightness in his left hamstring, but did throw 25 pitches in the bullpen and felt better. The Rangers expect Wilson to start Opening Day against the Boston Red Sox.

As usual, the Red Sox and Yankees made off-season moves with Boston looking like a much-improved team.  The Yankees added veterans but the team already looks tired.  The Orioles are improved and Toronto is weakened.

Here is how we see the American League East in 2011.

Tampa Bay Rays

David Price

Last year, this team benefited from outstanding pitching and timely hitting.  The low payroll Rays received little help from first baseman Carlos Pena and relied on role players to fill big holes.

Tampa Bay lost ten players from last year’s divisional championship team. Gone are all-star leftfielder Carl Crawford, pitcher Matt Garza, key reliever Rafael Soriano, ace relievers Grant Balfour, Joaquin Benoit, Randy Choate and Dan Wheeler.  Pena is gone as are Jason Bartlett and catcher Dionero Navarro.

The Rays were active in the free agency market and landed designated hitter-left fielder Manny Ramirez, left fielder Johnny Damon, closer Kyle Farnsworth along with Joel Peralta and Felipe Lopez.

The loss of valued stars Crawford and Garza will be difficult to overcome.  But, Tampa has a strong rotation and a 24-year old replacement for Garza.  Jeremy Hellickson will be the fifth pitcher in the rotation and just may be the best fifth starter in the game.  The rest of the rotation is solid with Cy Young Runner-up David Price, James Shields, Jeff Niemann and hard throwing Wade Davis.  This is as good a rotation as is in the American League.

The lineup will feature catcher John Jaso in the leadoff spot, followed by Damon, third baseman Evan Longoria, dh Manny Ramirez, Matt Joyce, Ben Zobrist, Dan Johnson, BJ Upton and shortstop Reid Brignac. Longoria will flourish hitting ahead of Ramirez.  One of the keys to the Rays season is whether the veterans can stay on the field and if Johnny Damon can play a solid left field.

New York Yankees

Alex Rodriguez

The AL East Runner-ups lost seven players but added five key components.  The most noticeable loss will be hulking Marcus Thames who proved to be a clutch performer.  Javier Vasquez had a down year and will be replaced as a starter.

Key additions to the roster include reliever Rafael Soriano, starter Freddy Garcia and Pedro Feliciano.  The biggest change will be in the catching position where former NL All-Star Russell Martin will be the everyday catcher replacing Jorge Posada, now a dh.

The Yankee  lineup is solid.  Derek Jeter will lead off, followed by Curtis Granderson, Mark Texiera, Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher, Jorge Posada, Russell Martin and Brett Gardner.  Texiera had a down year last season and will need to get his swing back to keep his sanity in New York.  There are no easy outs in this lineup but there are some tired swingers in the lineup.  These great hitters need some pep in their swings because the Yankee pitching staff looks unsettled.

CC Sabathia is the ace of the staff.  He was tired at the end of last year.  Phil Hughes moves up to the 2 slot followed by erratic AJ Burnett, Left handed fireballer Ivan Nova holds the fourth spot and either Sergio Mitre or Freddy Garcia will man the fifth slot.  Burnett and Nova are wildcards who probably hold the fate of the team in their strong arms.  Hughes may not matchup well with the league’s other number two’s.

The Yankee bullpen is anchored by all-world Mariano Rivera and a solid setup man in newly acquired Soriano.  The bullpen is a definite asset.  Regardless the retirement of Andy Pettite is a deep cut in the Yankee heart.

Boston Red Sox

Boston won 89 games and finished in third place in the AL East.  Key Red Sox losses were Adrian Beltre and Victor Martinez.  These losses were offset by the additions of left field phenom Carl Crawford, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and a host of pitchers including Dan Wheeler and Alfredo Aceves from the Yanks.

The lineup has plenty of speed and will be on the move at every opportunity.  Fleet footed Jacoby Ellsbury leads off ahead of Dustin Pedroia.  Crawford bats third, Gonzalez at cleanup, then Kevin Youkilis, dh David Oritz, JD Drew, catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia and shortstop Marco Scutaro.  The team is going to score lots of runs. Catching appear the only flaw in the everyday lineup.

The rotation will have a different look this year.  Jon Lester will lead the staff followed by John Lackey, Clay Bucholz, Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka.  Beckett missed much of last season and was ineffective in big games.  Matsuzaka is better placed as a fifth starter.

The bullpen is improved. Jonathan Papelbon will close but get more help from Wheeler and Aceves.  The Sox bullpen was hard hit last season.

The Toronto Blue Jayz

Shaun Marcum, Vernon Wells, John Buck, Lyle Overbay, Kevin Gregg, Scott Downs and Jeremy Accardo are gone.  The surprising Blue Jays picked up John Rauch, Frank Francisco, Octavio Dotel, Juan Rivera, Jajai Davs, Edwin Encarnacion and Carlos Villanueva.  The Jays will struggle to replace Marcum, Wells and Overbay.

The Jays are counting on the hot hitting of slugger Jose Bautista.  The lineup is not as strong as last season’s and the pitching rotation is also weaker.  The Jays always seem to exceed expectations but they are up against it in this division.

The starting lineup has CF Rajai Davis leading off then shortstop Yunel Escobar followed by Bautista, Adam Lind, Aaron Hill, Edwin Encarnacion at dh, Travis Snider. Juan Rivera in right field and catcher JP Arencibia.  This is a far cry from the lineup that won 85 games last year.

The loss of Marcum leaves Ricky Romero as the ace of the staff followed by Brandon Morrow, Brett Cecil, Kyle Drabek and Jo-Jo Reyes.  The bullpen is on par with last season with Frank Francisco and Jon Rauch sharing the closer role.

The Baltimore Orioles

The O’s are looking to climb out of the AL East cellar and make a move toward the top.  Finishing 66-96 last year, the O’s were aggressive in the off-season.  Vladimir Guerrero adds a proven and dangerous dh to a corps of solid veterans.  The Orioles also added 1b Derrick Lee, 3b Mark Reynolds and shortstop JJ Hardy.  With Brian Roberts leading off and Markakis moving him along, the table will be set for Lee and Guerrero.  Luke Scott will bat fifth followed by Reynolds, Jones, Wieters and Hardy.

The young pitching staff had some strong starts last season.  A bit more seasoned, the live arms of Jeremy Guthrie and Brain Matusz will anchor the starters.  If starters Justin Duchscherer, Jake Arrieta and Brad Bergeson can exceed .500, the O’s are on the move.  Closers Koji Uehara and Kevin Gregg will be counted on to help the young starters.

It looks like change is on the horizon in the high profile American League East.

The Rays are counting on Ramirez, which is always dangerous and Damon, who has deficiencies in left field.  Also, Shields and Hellickson must have successful seasons to stay in playoff position.  Projected finish 2nd.

Last year’s runner-ups, The New York Yankees, made some prudent moves, but is relying on an aging lineup and the heavy arm of CC Sabathia.  Martin behind the plate is a big improvement, but Hughes does not look like a number two starter and Burnett is a time bomb.  Projected finish – 3^rd

The Red Sox lost some talent but added more.  This team has fleet feet and not one easy out in the lineup.  David Ortiz needs to increase his bat speed but he has plenty of help with Crawford and Youkilis.  Projected finish –1^st

On paper, the Toronto Blue Jays seem to have lost ground.  The development of a young pitching staff will have to be rapid if the Jays are to contend.  Projected finish – 5^th

The Baltimore Orioles just might reach the .500 mark.  They could well be the spoilers in the division.  Lee ad Guerrero must hit for the O’s to have a chance.  Projected finish – 4^th.

Jake Peavy

Jake Peavy went from a lock to be part of the Chicago White Sox Opening Day roster (after recovering from experimental shoulder surgery in July) to possibly starting the year on the DL. He was shut down on Sunday due to discomfort following his 83-pitch outing on Saturday. He admits that the discomfort has been building since his first spring outing.

The White sox will now move cautiously with Peavy and he admits that he wants to be 100% healthy when he makes his first start for the White Sox in 2011 so he can be in the rotation for the rest of the season. He played light catch on Thursday and could get back on the mound sometime this weekend.

Now the White Sox will look at Phil Humber, Tony Pena, and Jeff Marquez to fill the final spot in the rotation. Humber has made six appearances this spring (two starts) while allowing 13 hits and ten runs (he has struck out ten). Humber was just lit up yesterday. Pena has made seven appearances (one start) and allowed 18 hits and six runs though he has struck out nine. Pena was the White Sox long reliever last season. Marquez has made six appearances (one start) and allowed 16 hits and four earned runs though he has struck out 13. He is also out of options, but will get one last start on Saturday (though he could become the long reliever). Manager Ozzie Guillen may also look at carrying seven relievers to protect the inexperienced fifth starter. Guillen is leaning toward Humber in the short-term.

Kendrys Morales

Kendrys Morales had a horrific and freak leg injury last season when he jumped on homeplate to celebrate his walk-off homerun for the LA Angels. He fractured his lower left leg on May 29^th and will start the season on the DL. He has been shut down due to soreness in his foot caused by running on consecutive days. Morales is the key power hitter in the Angels lineup and finished 5^th in the 2009 AL MVP voting when he had a breakout season, hitting .306 with 34 homeruns and 108 RBIs.

Morales has been hitting and fielding for several weeks and was hoping to return in some capacity for Opening Day on March 31^st. However he has yet to play in any games this spring, which has led to manager Mike Scioscia’s announcement that Morales will start the season on the DL. When the medical staff clears him to return to baseball activities, Morales will be back.

For now Mark Trumbo, who is dealing with his own injury (groin tightness), will fill in due to his great spring. Last season for Triple-A Salt Lake, Trumbo hit 36 homeruns, drove in 122, scored 103 runs, and batted .301. He only collected one hit in 15 at-bats during his September call-up, but is hitting .340 this spring. He also has collected five homeruns, five doubles, and 13 RBIs in 47 at-bats. Others who could fill in at first base are Howie Kendrick, Brandon Wood, Bobby Wilson, and Chris Pettit. However with Morales out of the lineup for any amount of time, the Angels will feel the loss of catcher/DH/first baseman Mike Napoli, who they traded this offseason to the Toronto Blue Jays (who then traded him to the Texas Rangers).

Derek Lee

When Derek Lee made his spring debut on Saturday, he fouled a ball off his foot, causing more concern. He had x-rays and an MRI, but things seem to be okay because Lee got into a spring game on Tuesday against the NY Yankees and then again on Wednesday night against the Minnesota Twins.  Derek Lee is progressing slowly and if he is unable to go on Opening Day (though they are cautiously optimistic he will be ready), the O’s have a few options. Luke Scott, who is expected to start in left field, will move to first base with either Felix Pie or Nolan Reimold taking over in left field. Jake Fox, who leads the majors in spring training homeruns, is fighting for a roster spot and could fill in at first base.

Leadoff hitter and second baseman Brian Roberts missed most of the 2010 season due to back problems. This spring, he has missed time with neck and back issues, though an MRI revealed no new damage. He has been back in the lineup as of late (and played back-to-back games for the first time Tuesday and Wednesday), but I expect manager Buck Showalter to give him repeated days off early in the season with the cold weather in the Northeast. Utility infielders Robert Andino and Brendan Harris are fighting for the backup job with Mark Reynolds starting at third base and JJ Hardy at shortstop, with Cesar Izturis off the bench. It is important for the O’s to have options in the infield with their injury-prone players (Hardy has also missed plenty of time the last two years).

With a young starting rotation, the O’s went out and signed free agent Justin Duchscherer to help Jeremy Guthrie anchor the staff. When healthy, Duchscherer is an All-Star and proved it with the Oakland A’s. However he has had trouble staying healthy. He had a second hip surgery this offseason and said he was healthy (and he must have proven he was healthy to have received a major league contract). This spring, Duchscherer has thrown just two innings in one start due to discomfort in his hip. With Duchscherer’s injury, that leaves the fifth starter’s spot wide open. The O’s would have liked to send both Chris Tillman and top prospect Zach Britton back to Triple-A Norfolk to refine their skills, but now one of them may be forced into the rotation. With the extra off-days early in the season, the O’s could carry an extra reliever and just go with Guthrie, Brian Matusz, Brad Bergesen, and Jake Arrieta. Duchscherer threw a bullpen session yesterday and said he felt great but Showalter said they would wait until today to determine the next step.

Koji Uehara

Last year, Koji Uehara filled in nicely as the closer when he recovered from his arm problems. In the second half of the 2010 season, Uehara converted 13 of 15 save opportunities. In 33 appearances, he held a 2.57 ERA with just one walk compared to 45 strikeouts. He was expected to battle with offseason acquisition Kevin Gregg for the closer’s job.

However Uehara has had soreness in his pitching elbow and has yet to pitch an inning this spring against big league hitters. He did face minor leaguers and Tuesday and felt good and is expected to face Triple-A hitters on Friday (Showalter said he should pitch more regularly now). Uehara could be ready for Opening Day against the Tampa Bay Rays. The bullpen has been an issue for the O’s and it will need lefty Mike Gonzalez and righties Jim Johnson and Jason Berken to step up late in games.

Johnny Cueto

Cueto was diagnosed with mild inflammation in his right shoulder in an exam in Cincinnati. The recommendation is a week or so of rest before he gets back to a throwing program. He will remain in Arizona when camp breaks but it could be a couple of weeks before he returns to the rotation. The Reds are downplaying the injury, but Bailey was diagnosed with minor shoulder inflammation last year and ended up missing three months.

Cueto has made just four starts this spring (nine innings total) and was only up to 40 pitches. His third start of the spring (March 11) lasted just two innings (he was scheduled for four innings) because he felt soreness in both his biceps and forearm when throwing breaking pitches. The exit was considered precautionary. In his fourth start eight days later, he lasted just one inning (he was scheduled to throw 50-60 pitches) due to biceps stiffness. Cueto signed a four year, $27 million contract this winter after going 12-7 with a 3.64 ERA in 31 starts in 2010.

The St. Louis Cardinals had to deal with the Albert Pujols pending free agent saga at the start of spring training (and the two sides did not reach an agreement). Things got worse quickly as second ace Adam Wainwright succumbed to Tommy John surgery. Wainwright will miss the entire 2011 season, but is back in Jupiter during spring training to begin his rehab. He has other TJ survivors to seek advice from, as three of the Cardinals starting pitchers have returned successfully (Chris Carpenter, Jaime Garcia, and Jake Westbrook).

The loss of Wainwright puts pressure on the rest of the Cardinals pitching staff, especially with the health histories of some of the pitchers (mainly Carpenter). However the injury early in spring allows the Cardinals time to audition pitchers for the final spot in the rotation.

The front runner for the final spot is Kyle McClellan, who has prepared the last two seasons to start (though he has been part of the bullpen). McClellan has pitched superbly this spring in four outings. Last Tuesday he allowed just one hit in five innings (40 of his 66 pitches were strikes). He has allowed just one run in 17 innings this spring. He has given up just nine hits and struck out 11 (though he has walked six).

McClellan has received the backing of pitching coach Dave Duncan. Though manager Tony LaRussa has been reluctant to officially name McClellan the fifth starter, he has said that no one else has stepped up and the Cardinals have more viable options to fill McClellan’s role in the bullpen.

The NL Central figures to be very competitive this season, but most of the teams are dealing with injuries to important members of their teams. The team that overcomes the injuries will win the division.