Could pitching be Mets' Achilles' heel in September?

Could pitching be Mets' Achilles' heel in September?
The Nationals are struggling to keep pace in the National League East, but there's still a good chance they are going to win the division. The reason: The first-place New York Mets are facing pitching issues as the season goes into the final month. In a nutshell, the Mets' pitching has gone from a strength to a concern. The Mets' young starters are running out of gas, and the bullpen is thin and will be running near empty by mid-September. The Mets' bridge from rotation to bullpen is...

Nationals need strong September and collapse by Mets

Nationals need strong September and collapse by Mets
The Nationals, picked to win the World Series by virtually every prognosticator across the country, are in a bind: They are going to need a strong September and a collapse by the Mets to play in October. The situation is this: If the Mets, leaders in the National League East, go 20-17 in their final 37 games, they'll have 89 wins. That means the Nationals would have to win 26 of 38 to tie. Players prefer to talk about short-term rather than long-term. This is the time of year a team needs...

AL wild card race is far from a runaway, with multiple clubs vying for berths

AL wild card race is far from a runaway, with multiple clubs vying for berths
The American League wild card race is a mess. Texas has won three consecutive games to take a wild card spot for the first time since June 17. If they season ended today, they'd play the Yankees in New York in the one-game playoffs. The Twins, looking irrelevant after 1-6 trip through Toronto and Cleveland two weeks ago, are back in the hunt after a four-game sweep of the Orioles. And even with a .500 record, Tampa Bay is in the mix. Who knows? Maybe the Tigers, without Yeonis Cespedes and...

Stronger Schoop is primed for Orioles' postseason push

Stronger Schoop is primed for Orioles' postseason push
As a rookie in 2014, second baseman Jonathan Schoop's season ended with 16 home runs and a .209 average, including a .155 mark during the final month. Now, as September arrives and with his injured knee healthy, Schoop is ready to have a strong September and help the Orioles get into the postseason. He learned last year about what it takes to succeed in September. "I learned how to prepare myself better, how to stay in the moment and how to be stronger," Schoop says. "I learned a lot. I...

Tyler Clippard reflects on being traded as Mets make postseason push

Tyler Clippard reflects on being traded as Mets make postseason push
Mets relief pitcher Tyler Clippard remembers the first thought that ran through his mind July 27 when he was told that he had been traded from Oakland to New York. "My first thought was, 'OK, I'll have to figure out how to get all my stuff moved,'" Clippard said. "I was thinking, 'What time do I have to be there?' 'When should I go?'" His second thought was baseball. He knew he was going to be in a battle for the National League East with his former team, the Nationals, a team that...

Mets have concerns of their own as they try to hold on to division lead

Mets have concerns of their own as they try to hold on to division lead
The Nationals are struggling to end a six-game losing streak, and while they are 10-20 since the All-Star break, all is not lost. Not when you consider that the Mets, who have a 4 1/2 game lead in the National League East, have their own questions, likely more serious than those in Washington. The Mets got a reprieve. They were swept at home over the weekend by Pittsburgh, but given the Giants' sweep of the Nationals in San Francisco, they didn't lose any ground. The Mets have 44 games left...

Plenty of competition for Michael A. Taylor in NL Rookie of the Year race

Plenty of competition for Michael A. Taylor in NL Rookie of the Year race
Nationals manager Matt Williams says that outfielder Michael A. Taylor deserves to be in the running for the National League Rookie of the Year. He's right, but there's plenty of competition. The Dodgers' Joc Pederson was the clear winner at the All-Star break, but his power has faded and his strikeouts have soared in the second half. If it hadn't been for his defense, the Dodgers might have sent him to the minor leagues. Taylor has done a good job filling in while Jayson Werth and Denard...

Taking a look at other no-hitters after Hisashi Iwakuma no-hit Orioles

Taking a look at other no-hitters after Hisashi Iwakuma no-hit Orioles
Seattle pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma threw a 3-0 no-hitter in beating the Orioles on Wednesday at Safeco Field. It was the fourth no-hitter thrown in Safeco Park history, the others coming in 2012. The ballpark opened in 1999. The White Sox's Philip Humber threw a perfect-game, 4-0 win versus Seattle in April 2012. In June of that season, the Mariners' Kevin Millwood and five relievers threw a 1-0 no-hitter against the Dodgers, and then in August, the Mariners' King Felix Hernandez threw a...

Weekend sweeps alter division races in AL and NL

Weekend sweeps alter division races in AL and NL
Weekend sweeps have altered races in both the National and American leagues. Here are thoughts on the storylines of the week: * Before the trade deadline, the general consensus on the Blue Jays was that they didn't have enough pitching to contend. Now that's theory is out the window: David Price, acquired in a trade from Detroit, has pitched two brilliant games and he and Mark Buehrle are more than solid at the top. R.A. Dickey has fixed his walks issue and has a 0.99 ERA since the break....

How do moves made at deadline affect division races?

How do moves made at deadline affect division races?
The baseball landscape has changed dramatically. So, let's answer questions about the shifting: Q: Which team made the biggest improvement in the National League East, the Nationals or Mets? A: The Mets added three bats in Yoenis Cespedes, Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson, and an All-Star setup guy in Tyler Clippard, while the Nationals added closer Jonathan Papelbon. The Nationals are better, even though the Mets have re-energized the weakest run-producing lineup in the NL. The Nats' Drew Storen...

Jays finally land their pitcher, but at what cost to their farm system?

Jays finally land their pitcher, but at what cost to their farm system?
After an off-the-charts trade that brought them shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, the Toronto Blue Jays are at it again. This time, they've added lefty pitcher David Price, giving the Detroit Tigers three pitching prospects, including their best prospect, lefty Daniel Norris. Price, 29, will get 11 or 12 starts for the Blue Jays. He'll make their rotation better and with a lineup that has a 95-plus run differential, the Blue Jays are going to be a force. He will join Mark Buehrle, knuckleballer R.A....

Jays' blockbuster adds offense, but doesn't address pitching problems

Jays' blockbuster adds offense, but doesn't address pitching problems
Leave it to the Toronto Blue Jays to make an unconventional, off-the-charts trade before Friday's 4 p.m. non-waiver trading deadline. The Blue Jays have acquired shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and 42-year-old relief pitcher LaTroy Hawkins from the Colorado Rockies for shortstop Jose Reyes and pitching prospects. What's going on? The Blue Jays need pitching, especially in the rotation. Everyone knows about their high-octane offense. But this is a team that has a 50-50 record with a plus-95 run...

Will Mets' moves help close gap in tight NL East race?

Will Mets' moves help close gap in tight NL East race?
The debate at the start of the season in the National League East focused on one question: Which team - the Mets or the Marlins - would be the biggest challenger to the Nationals in the division? The Marlins had a strong case, but they wilted under expectations, and it is the Mets who have the best chance of making it a race. In the last five days, the Mets have added four players. They went into Tuesday night two games behind the Nationals. The two teams have nine games left, including six in...

Harper, Williams have similar goals, but a rivaled past

Harper, Williams have similar goals, but a rivaled past
As a kid growing up in Las Vegas, Bryce Harper knew about Matt Williams' All-Star baseball career. But Harper had reasons not to follow it too closely. Apparently, in-state rivalries never die in Nevada. Harper grew up in southern Nevada and Williams was from the north. "Being from Las Vegas, you hated the schools up north,'' Harper said. "It's a rivalry. You don't really like those teams up north. Las Vegas didn't like Reno.'' Williams can relate because he said northern schools...

With non-waiver trading deadline approaching, a look at possible buyers and sellers

With non-waiver trading deadline approaching, a look at possible buyers and sellers
The July 31 non-waiver trading deadline is approaching and speculation is flying about players moving to contenders. Soon it will be out of control. The Nationals might be looking for an outfield bat off the bench - how about Boston's Shane Victorino or Philadelphia's Jeff Francoeur? - and bullpen help to boost the bridge from rotation to closer. The Orioles could be looking for a corner outfielder. The Dodgers need starting pitching. The Mets need another bat and are shopping for a third...

Will Nationals be able to shake off injuries to maintain control of NL East?

Will Nationals be able to shake off injuries to maintain control of NL East?
The National League East is playing out as expected, except for a minor detail. The pitching-rich Nationals are the first-place team, but the general consensus at the start was that their lead would be bigger than the two-game margin they have over the New York Mets. The Nationals and Mets are similar. Both have strong rotations, reliable closers and questions about the relievers that connect the two. Also, each team is dealing with injuries to key players. The Mets' overall ERA is 3.23,...

Different feel in AL East, where no one is dominating, everyone is flawed

Different feel in AL East, where no one is dominating, everyone is flawed
This isn't the American League East we are used to seeing. The division has gone from baseball's best to mediocre. But at least it is competitive. This year, every team in the division has flaws. Every team is trying to stay above .500. In an earlier time, a team two wins above .500 was buried. Not this year. No AL East champion has won fewer than 95 games in a season going back to 2001. Last year, the Orioles won 96 games to win the title. This year, the AL East champ could have the fewest...

Reworked Home Run Derby showed it was time for a change in annual competition

Reworked Home Run Derby showed it was time for a change in annual competition
Baseball's intrigue is supposed to be all about being timelessness, so who would have though that a time clock could have been so valuable to a baseball event? The Home Run Derby, created in 1985 at Minnesota's Metrodome, was reborn with energy, excitement and drama Monday night in Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park. The best thing that ever happened to the derby was the buzzer-beating home runs by Todd Frazier and Albert Pujols. Frazier, the hometown hero for the Reds, won the event when...

O's All-Stars hoping to return from Cincinnati with memories aplenty

O's All-Stars hoping to return from Cincinnati with memories aplenty
Manny Machado spent part of Sunday preparing for his All-Star trip to Cincinnati. He was folding his No. 13 gray Orioles uniform, trying on his orange glove and packing his Orioles duffle. The 2015 All-Star bag was going to Cincinnati empty, but the plan is to return with it full of memorabilia. At 23, Machado, the Orioles' youngest leadoff batter since Paul Blair in 1965, will be one of four Orioles representatives in Tuesday's All-Star Game. Machado was 21 when he played in his first...

Handicapping the major awards at the midpoint of the season

Handicapping the major awards at the midpoint of the season
As the All-Star Game approaches, here are candidates for baseball's major awards based on the the first half of play: * AL Manager of the Year: A.J. Hinch, Houston; Joe Girardi, New York, Paul Molitor, Minnesota. ... Any of these could win the award, but Hinch is leading Houston's turnaround with two starters, Dallas Keuchel and Collin McHugh, and a lineup that doesn't have a .300 hitter. Jose Altuve was hitting .298 going into Friday. ... Girardi has a dominating bullpen, but there are...