Top News:
Bryan Hoch / MLB.com:
Yanks stock up on arms in 11th hour — ALDS roster includes 11 pitchers; Gaudin, Joba make cut — NEW YORK — The Yankees finalized their 25-man roster for the American League Division Series on Wednesday, reversing course and opting to take an 11-man pitching staff to face the Minnesota Twins.
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Kevin Baxter / Angels Unplugged:
Paul Byrd's heart is still in Anaheim — Paul Byrd will find out soon whether he'll be on the Red Sox roster for the American League Division Series. And if he makes it, it figures to be a bittersweet accomplishment because if Byrd was watching the series from home, he'd probably be cheering for the Angels.
Discussion:
Boston Globe
Tyler Kepner / Bats:
Division Series Matchups and Predictions — Can You Say Mismatch? The Yankees Sure Can — The Yankees won all seven games against the Twins this season, and have lost the season series to Minnesota just once since 1993. Since 2002, the Twins are 3-22 in the Bronx in the regular season (and 2-2 in the postseason).
Keith Law / ESPN:
Insider Intel: Phillies-Rockies — Philadelphia's patient pitchers do battle with Colorado's count-workers — STAY AHEAD OF THE GAME Become an Insider Today — Pack a lunch. Two good offensive teams playing in two good hitters' parks may mean some long games, even with big arms …
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Rick Hummel / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Dodgers' Wolf finally has playoff start — LOS ANGELES — After 275 regular-season starts, the second most among active pitchers in the major leagues without starting a postseason game, 33-year-old lefthander Randy Wolf will make his mark tonight when he faces the Cardinals.
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Sam Borden / The LoHud Yankees Blog:
ALDS Game 1: Twins at Yankees — YANKEES — Pitching: LHP CC Sabathia (19-8, 3.37 regular season) — TWINS — Pitching: LHP Brian Duensing (5-2, 3.64 ERA regular season) — WEATHER: October-ish. Cloudy and cool. Forecast calls for temps in the 50s tonight and windy conditions.
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Marc Carig / New Jersey Online:
NY Yankees manager Joe Girardi breaks down matchup with Twins
NY Yankees manager Joe Girardi breaks down matchup with Twins
Discussion:
Bronx Baseball Daily
Kelly Thesier / MLB.com:
Never-give-up Twins win Central title — Casilla delivers walk-off hit; Minnesota to face Yanks in ALDS — MINNEAPOLIS — Over the past two weeks of the season, the Twins and Tigers battled each other so many times, every contest felt like a playoff game.
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Jon Heyman / Sports Illustrated:
AL dominates my 2009 playoff-team seedings (cont.) — 7. Rockies — Plusses: That it's hard to name a weakness may be their biggest plus. They were easily the best team in the NL in the second half and are 74-42 under manager Jim Tracy. Troy Tulowitzki (1.042 second-half OPS was third-best …
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Dave Cameron / FanGraphs Baseball:
WAR: It Works — We use Wins Above Replacement around here a lot, as one of the focuses of the site is to accurately quantify the value each player produces, and WAR is the best tool we have to do that. However, it faces a decent amount of skepticism from people who don't trust various components …
J.J. Cooper / Baseball America:
Florida State League Top 20 Prospects — Stanton-Montero debate leads off the FSL list … The teams may play in front of smaller crowds and in bigger parks than most minor leaguers. But the combination of good weather and proximity to team's training bases means that the high Class …
forecast.weather.gov:
2 Miles NE Harlem NY — Enter Your “City, ST” or zip code — This — Afternoon — Tonight — Thursday — Thursday — Night — Friday — Friday — Night — Saturday — Saturday — Night — Sunday — This Afternoon: Mostly sunny, with a high near 73.
Discussion:
Bronx Baseball Daily
Debbi Baker / San Diego Union-Tribune:
Ex-Padre Marcus Giles arrested on domestic battery charges — EL CAJON — Former Padres player and All-Star second baseman Marcus Giles was arrested early Wednesday morning on charges of domestic battery involving his wife, police said. — El Cajon Police Acting Lt. Fenton Sue said officers …
Discussion:
Hardball Times
Amy K. Nelson / ESPN:
Alex's ordeal — Red Sox shortstop keeps his eye on the ball, his heart with his ailing son — BOSTON — Minutes before each game, the ritual begins. First, a prayer. Then, the visualization of nine imagined innings: balls hit to him, time spent inside the batter's box, swings at fastballs …
Discussion:
Red Reporter
Joe Strauss / St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Hawksworth, Boggs get roster spots in 1st round — Friday July 31, 2009 - Cardinal's starting pitcher Mitchell Boggs throws out Astro's Kazuo Matsui in the first inning during a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Houston Astros at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo. (Emily Rasinski/P-D)