Top News:
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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Associated Press:
Phillies, Rockies make their pitch — PHILADELPHIA - All those big boppers and two hitter-friendly ballparks sure make the Phillies-Rockies series look like a slugfest. — Not so fast. — When Colorado swept Philadelphia in the 2007 NL Division Series, the teams combined for only 24 runs in three games.
Bob Nightengale / USA Today:
Format in playoffs' opening round can derail juggernauts — The New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers spent six grueling months posting the best records in their leagues and establishing themselves as the top teams in baseball. — When they step onto the field today to open the playoffs, it will mean virtually nothing.
Scott Lauber / Philled In:
Oct. 6 — THE ROSTER: WHO'S OUT, IN?
Oct. 6 — THE ROSTER: WHO'S OUT, IN?
Discussion:
Baseball Prospectus, Blogging Baseball, Phillies Nation, Balls, Sticks, & Stuff and The Fightins
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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Erik Boland / Newsday:
Joba makes ALDS roster; more decisions to come — out Tuesday afternoon at the Stadium, Joe Girardi said the team's final 25-man roster for the Division Series hadn't been determined, in large part because neither, at that point, had the AL Central. — “There's probably 23 guys that are fairly secure,” he said.
Discussion:
Sliding Into Home
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
Tyler Kepner / Bats:
Yanks Announce Rotation, Close in on Playoff Roster
Yanks Announce Rotation, Close in on Playoff Roster
Discussion:
The Bronx Block
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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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.
Discussion:
Balls, Sticks, & Stuff
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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
Ken Gurnick / MLB.com:
Padilla gets Game 3 nod for Dodgers — Torre to start Belliard at second base ahead of Hudson — LOS ANGELES — In-season additions Ronnie Belliard and Vicente Padilla will start for the Dodgers ahead of All-Stars Orlando Hudson and Chad Billingsley in the best-of-five National League Division Series …
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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
David Lennon / Newsday:
Actions, not words, will put real pressure on Minaya, Manuel — After yesterday's media blitz by the Mets' front office, which included a morning news conference at Citi Field followed by a 90-minute propaganda session on WFAN, did the team really provide any plan for how to fix its current mess?
Tim Dierkes / MLB Rumors:
Projected Type A Free Agents — Eddie will take a final pass-through before signing off on his projected Elias Rankings, but all 2008-09 regular season data is included in the latest update. Here's a list of the 31 free agents projected to have Type A status (an asterisk denotes an option):
Discussion:
Amazin' Stories
Adam Kilgore / Boston Globe:
Lowrie on, Velazquez here — Jed Lowrie will be the backup infielder on the Red Sox first round roster, manager Terry Francona said a short while ago. The move did not come as a surprise given the status of Nick Green and Chris Woodward, the other two candidates.
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Mike DiGiovanna / Angels Unplugged:
Bulger expects to pitch against Red Sox; Izturis back to full strength
Bulger expects to pitch against Red Sox; Izturis back to full strength
Discussion:
Red Sox Monster, Over the Monster, AZ Snakepit, Boston Globe, Red Reporter, Yahoo! Sports, The House That Dewey Built and USA Today
Brian McTaggart / MLB.com:
Moehler to return to Astros in '10 — Houston plans to pick up its half of mutual option — HOUSTON — Astros right-hander Brian Moehler said Tuesday that he plans to return next season after being informed by general manager Ed Wade earlier in the day that the club planned on picking up its half of the mutual option for 2010.
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)
Curt Schilling / 38 Pitches:
Breaking down Red Sox vs. Angels: Keys to the ALDS — RED SOX KEYS — 1) Lester/Beckett fastball command — Look at their first time through the lineup. If Josh is commanding the outside corner to right-handed hitters, and Jon is commanding the inside corner to right-handed hitters, they'll win.
Discussion:
Angels Unplugged
Dan Nilsen / MLive.com:
Former Detroit Tigers pitcher Brian Powell dies of self-inflicted gunshot — Brian Powell, who pitched for the Detroit Tigers in 1998 and again in 2002 as part of a six-year major-league career, died Monday of a self-inflicted gunshot. He was 35. — Powell, a resident of Bainbridge …