Two games were rained out yesterday. The Mets and Phillies did not play and the Angels and Yankees were rained out as well. Here is the fallout from those two postponed games as it relates to two-start pitchers.

1. Johan Santana will get two extra days of rest and won't pitch until Wednesday. He is out as a two-start pitcher for week five. John Maine, who was supposed to start on Sunday, will go on Monday, making him a two-start pitcher. He should be categorized as a "Risky Business" pitcher this week.

2. The rainout has given Cole Hamels some extra time to heal as he won't be pitching until Friday. He's only starting once this week. Joe Blanton will start tonight against the Cardinals and is now an extreme "Risky Business" type pitcher.

3. A.J. Burnett will no longer be pitching on Tuesday. That task belongs to Phil Hughes. He'll be going twice this week and should be considered a low-end "Solid Start".

4. Shane Loux will still be pitching twice this week for the Angels even though he got pushed back one day. Anthony Ortega will no longer be going twice, but Joe Saunders will be. He starts Monday and Saturday and is a pretty "Solid Start".

COMPLETE WEEK 5 TWO-TIME STARTERS

Fantasy Baseball mets, johan santana, phillies, cole hamels, yankees, aj burnett, phil hughes, angels, shane loux, anthony ortega, joe saunders

Remembering a legend...

MLB, NFL harry kalas, phillies

Curt Schilling announced his retirement from baseball on Monday on his blog, ending a remarkable career. We all remember the bloody sock and the fact he was one of the first in the game to call out some of the steroid users in the game. Schilling seemingly is never lost for words and was always ready to take the ball, even when he didn't have his best stuff.  His playoff performances alone are enough to stick out in voters' minds when it comes time to decide to put in him in the Hall of Fame, but does he belong there?

He has just 216 victories. Other pitchers that have struggled to get in the Hall have shown more. Bert Blyleven (287) and Jack Morris (254) and Tommy John (288) and Jim Kaat (283) can't get in and each of them won more game. Also, Schilling didn't win a single Cy Young Award, coming closest in 2001 when he was runnerup to teammate Randy Johnson. He was also second to Johnson in 2002 and to Johan Santana in 2004.

Still, if I had a vote I would put him in.  Larry Stone of the Seattle Times pointed out some great arguements to put the big right-hander into the HOF:

--He's been an ace, or co-ace, on three highly successful teams -- the 1993 Phillies, which lost in the World Series; the 2001 Diamondbacks, which won the World Series; and the 2004 Red Sox, which won the World Series. He also contributed three postseason wins to the 2007 Red Sox, which won another World Series.

--As Jayson Stark pointed out last year in making a case for Schilling, he led all right-handers of his era in complete games (83). Only Pedro Martinez had a better strikeout ratio (8.59 K/9). Only Pedro and Roger Clemens had more overall strikeouts than Schilling (3,116). Only Pedro and Greg Maddux had a better WHIP than Schilling (1.137). And Schilling's strikeout to walk ratio (4.38 strikeouts for every walk) is No. 1 among all pitchers of the modern era, left or right.

--Schilling won won 20 games three times, had three seasons of 300 or more strikeouts, pitched 20 shutouts, was a six-time All-Star and co-MVP of the 2001 World Series.

--What really puts Schilling over the top is his postseason performance. Two words: Bloody Sock. In 19 postseason games, covering 133 1/3 innings, Schilling went 11-2 with a 2.33 ERA. The only starter in history with over 100 IP with a lower career ERA is Christy Mathewson (Granted, not many pitchers have reached 100 ip in the postseason). The winning percentage is No. 1. If Hall of Fame cases can be made for Morris and John Smoltz based on postseason success -- and they have, and will -- then Schilling surpasses both.

--Tim Marchman of the New York Sun wrote last June: "What gets a bit overlooked is that had Schilling never pitched a playoff game, he'd still be a deserving Hall of Famer. His topline numbers are terrific - 216-146 with a 3.46 ERA, 3,116 strikeouts - and they get better the more you look at them. When adjusted for park and league effects, for instance, his ERA is as good as Gibson's or Tom Seaver's, and he has the highest strikeout-to-walk ratio in modern history. Only two eligible pitchers have won at least 200 games with a winning percentage exceeding Schilling's .597 and not eventually made the Hall, and one of them, Carl Mays, isn't in mainly because he killed someone with a pitch."

--As Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer pointed out last June, Schilling also had the intangibles that define a Hall of Fame player.

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The National League house the defending World Champions, but that doesn’t mean it’s a one-horse race. While the Phillies will be tough once again, the rest of the division got better in the off-season. The NL East is going to be one of the most highly contested divisions in baseball.

ORDER OF FINISH
Phillies – Until it’s proven otherwise, Philly is still the team to beat. They still have most of the pieces from last year’s championship team. I love the Raul Ibanez signing and see him as upgrade of Pat Burrell and think their top five in the batting order (Rollins, Victorino, Utley, Howard, and Ibanez) is amongst the best in baseball. Cole Hamels showed what he is capable of during the postseason and the rest of the rotation is adequate enough to compete. Brad Lidge was nearly perfect last season as the closer.

Mets – The Mets will move into a new stadium this season, but some of the same old problems exist. They fixed their biggest area of need in the offseason by bringing in Francisco Rodriguez and JJ Putz to complete the backend of their bullpen. The lineup is more than capable of producing runs too. I still have my concerns about the rotation though, particularly if Johan Santana’s arm problems persist. If they can stay healthy look for them to give the Phillies a tough battle and compete for the NL Wildcard.

Braves – I like what Atlanta has done to rebuild their rotation with Derek Lowe and Javier Vazquez on top of a couple of young arms (Jair Jurrjens and Kenshin Kawakami). Tim Hudson is not going to be much of a factor though as he is on the 60-day DL. Offensively there is upside, but Chipper Jones will need to stay healthy to anchor the batting order. Look for improvement in Atlanta this season, but I am not banking on the Braves to leapfrog the division’s elite just yet.

Marlins – Florida seems to be in constant rebuilding mode, but they also always seem to have the young talent to do so. Hanley Ramirez is a MVP-type of player and many other young pieces appear to be in place to make some noise. Still, their rotation is patchwork at best and their bullpen is once again in transition. They will hang around for most of the summer, but once again fade late in this tough race.

Nationals – OK, they have signed Adam Dunn. That gives them some much needed power in the lineup, but expect 200 strikeouts too. If Ryan Zimmerman can finally develop into what many projected him too and their pitching holds up they may actually finish closer than 20 games out this season. Still, they will struggle to see .500 again this year. There is hope for the future in DC though now that GM Jim Bowden is no longer in the picture.


AWARDS
MVP – Ryan Howard, Phillies

Cy Young Candidate – Cole Hammels, Phillies

Biggest Bust – Garrett Anderson, Braves

Biggest Breakout – Yunel Escobar, Braves

Comeback Player – Freddy Garcia, Mets

Rookie of Year – Gaby Sanchez, Marlins

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Let's check out some of the latest headlines from around MLB...

HOWARD, PHILLIES REACH AGREEMENT (Philadelphia Inquirer)
The Philadelphia Phillies locked up slugger Ryan Howard, avoiding arbritation. Howard passed a physical examination in Clearwater, Fla., and signed a three-year, $54 million contract that will take him through the 2011 season, when he will be eligible for free agency. He led the majors in homers (48) and RBIs (146) while helping the Philly win the 2008 World Series...MORE

A-ROD ADMITS, REGRETS STEROIDS (ESPN.com)
On the heels of a story that broke this weekend which revealed that he tested positive for steroids in 2003, Yankees' 3B Alex Rodriguez broke his silence on the matter on Monday saying that he did take performance-enhancing drugs while playing for the Texas Rangers during a three-year period beginning in 2001. "When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure. I needed to perform, and perform at a high level every day," Rodriguez told ESPN's Peter Gammons in an interview in Miami Beach, Fla. "Back then, [baseball] was a different culture. It was very loose. I was young, I was stupid, I was naïve. I wanted to prove to everyone I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time. I did take a banned substance. For that, I'm very sorry and deeply regretful." ...MORE

JONES FINDS A HOME IN TEXAS (Dallas Morning News)
Free agent outfielder Andruw Jones has agreed to a minor-league contract with the Texas Rangers, according to the Dallas Morning News. The 32-year old struggled during his one season as a Dodger as he batted just .158 in an injury-riddled and disappointing campaign. Los Angeles ate $21 million to cut him, making him a cheap low-risk, high-reward signing for the Rangers. Jones, a five-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner, can opt out of his contract March 20. But he could give the Rangers another big, right-handed bat to throw into a lefty-heavy lineup...MORE

GRIFFEY LIKELY TO SIGN SOON (1530Homer.com)
It appears that free agent outfielder Ken Griffey Jr could have a new home soon. C Trent Rosecrans reported on his blog on Monday that Griffey's agent Brian Cashman is optimistic his client will participate fully in someone's spring training camp. "We're still talking to a few teams, there are two that are more serious than the others," Goldberg said on Monday. "I really do expect Junior to have something this time next week." ...MORE

ASTROS NOT IN DUNN MARKET (ESPN.com)
Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reports that the Astros are not interested in signing Adam Dunn despite a story in Sunday's Chicago Tribune that stated otherwise. "It was never an item of discussion for us," the team's GM Ed Wade told the website. "And even if we had greater resources available, we would have continued to be working the starting pitching market. We have MVP-caliber players in left field and at first base, and we think Michael Bourn deserves the opportunity to play on an everyday basis [in center field]." ...MORE

BREWERS SET TO SIGN LOOPER (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
Brewers GM Doug Melvin told beat writer Tom Haudricourt that a deal with free agent right-hander Braden Looper was done but said he was "optimistic" that it would be. Melvin said it probably wouldn't be announced until later in the week. Looper has posted a 24-26 record and a 4.52 ERA in over the past two years since transitioning from a reliever to a starter. He would join Yovani Gallardo, Manny Parra, Jeff Suppan and Dave Bush in the Brewers' rotation...MORE

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Albert Pujols claimed 18 of the 32 first placed votes and was named the National League's Most Valuable Player on Monday.  The Cardinals' first baseman had a year worthy of recogintion - .357 BA, .462 OBP, .653 SLG, 37 HR, 116 RBI, and 100 runs scored in 148 games. Still, can the player be that valuable when their team doesn't even make the playoffs? In fact, the Cardinals finished in fourth place in their own division. 

Pujos was still the RIGHT choice and the MVP to be named that did not make the playoffs since Andre Dawson did so as a Cub in 1987.

Ryan Howard finished second with 12 first-place votes, but when you consider that Pujols is a better fielder and runner and get down the core statistics it's not even close...

            AVG    OBP    SLG
Pujols     .357   .462   .653
Howard     .251   .339   .543     

Where Pujols' ranked:

• 1st in NL in SLG (.653)
• 1st in NL in OPS (1.114)
• 2nd in NL in AVG (.357)
• 2nd in NL in OBP (.462)
• 2nd in NL in BB (104)
• 4th in NL in RBI (116)
• 4th in NL in HR (37)

Where Howard ranked:

• 1st in NL in HR (48)
• 1st in NL in RBI (146)
• 6th in NL in SLG (.543)
• 9th in NL in R (105)

--Pujols was clearly a better all-around player. Howard was huge in leading his team to the playoffs, but where was he at in April and May?

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The World Series didn't lack its fair share of storylines, but now it's over. The Phillies made sure they didn't have to travel back to Florida as they took care of business as Game 5 was continued on Wednesday night, beating the upstart Rays 4-3 and laying claim to their second title in franchise history.

It was something never before experienced in World Series' history, a game suspended after 5.5 innings and tied at 2-2.

It was odd last night watching the Rays warm-up both Grant Balfour, who pitched a scoreless inning of relief in Monday's monsoon and was in the game when it was suspended, and lefty J.P. Howell. The Phillies had Cole Hamels due up when the game resumed, forcing Charlie Manuel to start the game with a pinch hitter.

Veteran Geoff Jenkins was summoned from the bench and he delivered with a double to open up the evening. Jayson Werth drove him in with a double, giving the Phills a 3-2 edge. The Rays would fight back though. Rocco Baldelli, who was hitless in the series, quickly tied the game at 3-3 when he took Ryan Madsen deep.

The Phillies would get the decisive run of the game and the series when Pat Burrell, who was 0-for-13 in the series, doubled to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning. Manuel opted to pinch run  Eric Bruntlett. He moved up to third when Shane Victorino grounded to second after failing to get down a bunt. The Rays had to bring their infield in once again, and Pedro Feliz was able to guide a Chad Bradford pitch back through the middle, making it 4-3.

Brad Lidge, who didn't blow a save the entire year, locked down the win in the ninth, but not before the Rays had the tying run in scoring position. Evan Longoria popped out before Dioner Navarro broke his bat on a base hit to right field. Pinch-runner Fernando Perez stole second base, but pinch-hitter Ben Zobrist lined out to right field. Pinch-hitter Eric Hinske swung through a low pitch to strike out, and the Phillies piled on top of each other near the mound in celebration. 

Hamels pulled off a rare feat Wednesday, becoming just the fifth player in history to win the Most Valuable Player award in both the World Series and in a League Championship Series.

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Some of the nation's top writers sound off the weather-plagued Game 5 of the World Series...

TAINTED BY TELEVISION - Phil Sheridan, Philadelphia Inquirer
"In April or May, in June or July, in August or September, the umpires would have stopped play at that moment - if they hadn't already. Pop-ups that drop toward unseeing eyes can seriously injure a player. It was pouring rain. Pools of water were forming in front of the infielders. Pitchers were cleaning their spikes after every pitch.

In October, the game went on. And Major League Baseball should be ashamed for allowing its most important game of the year to deteriorate into an embarrassing mess because of slavish obedience to its pimp, the Fox Television Network.

Simply put, Game 5 is hopelessly tainted by what transpired between the time the game should have been called and the middle of the sixth inning, when it was finally suspended.

Whatever happens when play resumes, whether the Phillies celebrate their first World Series championship or the Rays force a Game 6 in Florida, MLB can't justify its decision or its decision-making process."

ON RAINY NIGHT IN PHILLY, MLB DROPS THE BALL - Bill Conlin, Phildelphia Daily News
"Tell that to the used-car salesman running baseball and a Fox network paranoid over the prospect of being forced to play a Friday night makeup game, when America is off watching high school football in thousands of towns.

With two outs in the sixth, a trained seal named Hamels was pitching while surrounded by an infield closer to an Everglade than major league. And when

Pena splashed a single to left, B.J. Upton belly-surfed across the plate with the tying run.

The game had splashed totally out of control. A Perfect Storm has put Game 5 into the most bizarre hold since the 10-day earthquake postponement in 1989. Too bad the imperfect men running Major League Baseball performed like landlubbers trying to sail an America's Cup yacht in a hurricane."

MLB world series, phillies, rays

In a game they simply had to get the Tampa Rays did just that, winning Game 2 of the World Series, 4-2. The victory evens up the best-of-seven series at one game a piece. Right-hander James Shields rebounded from a rough ALCS showing by tossing nearly 6 innings of shutout baseball. Only three major pitchers had won a game in the Fall Classic after losing twice in an LCS: Atlanta's Tom Glavine (twice), Cleveland's Chad Ogea and the New York Yankees' Mike Mussina. Shield allowed 7 hits and 2 walks through 5 2/3 innings, but got huge plays from the young Rays' defense when he needed them.

From there, the Rays' bullpen did there job, including 2 1/3 tough innings by Dan Wheeler. However, it was the team's timely hitting and execution that would prove to be the deciding factor. 

Groundouts by Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria brought in runs in the first. Tampa Bay also scored on an out in the fourth, as Jason Bartlett dropped a bunt down the first-base line with Cliff Floyd on third, bringing home the big man on the sacrifice. Meanwhile, the Phillies continued to struggle at the plate. They managed to win Game 1 despite leaving 11 men on base and going 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position. The same offensive troubles showed up again, as the Phillies left 11 more runners on base and went 1-for-15 with them in scoring position, but this time Charlie Manuel's club could not overcome the poor hitting.

The Phillies are struggling, but nobody more so than shortstop Jimmy Rollins. He enters Game 3 of the World Series an 0-for-10 hitter in the series, 9-for-47 (.192) this postseason, 11-for-58 (.190) in his playoff career, including last year's 2-for-11 exhibition in the National League Division Series sweep by the Rockies.

The teams take Friday off to travel as they head to Citizen's Bank Park in the City of Brotherly Love. Tampa Bay's Matt Garza and Philadelphia's Jamie Moyer are scheduled to pitch in Game 3 Saturday night and it appears that Sunday night's Game 4 will shape up to be Andy Sonnastine against Joe Blanton.

SCHEDULE
Game One - Philadelphia 3, Tampa Bay 2
Game Two - Tampa Bay 4, Philadelphia 2
Game Three - Saturday, October 25th - Tampa Bay at Philadelphia, 8:35 p.m.
Game Four - Sunday, October 26th - Tampa Bay at Philadelphia, 8:29 p.m.
Game Five - Monday, October 27th - Tampa Bay at Philadelphia, 8:29 p.m.
*Game Six - Wednesday, October 29th - Philadelphia at Tampa Bay, 8:35 p.m.
*Game Seven - Thursday, October 30th - Philadelphia at Tampa Bay, 8:29 p.m.

(Best-of-seven series tied, 1-1)

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Relive some of the best World Series memories ever with GETSPORTSRADIO.COM: WIRE TO WIRE

The team that has won the first game of the World Series has went on to be crowned champions in 10 of their last 11 years. The Phillies hope to make it 11 of the last 12. Philadelphia took Game 1 on Wednesday, beating Tampa 3-2. It was a game they needed to win. For starters, in order to win the best-of-seven-series they had to take at least one in Tampa. Secondly, with a questionable rotation it doesn't appear as if the Phils could affrod to lose with ace Cole Hamels on the mound.

The Rays produced 22 homers in their first 11 postseason games, but Wednesday, the heart of their lineup —B.J. Upton, Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria— went hitless in 12 at-bats without a ball leaving the infield.  

Hamels has been amazing. We all knew he was good, but after winning his fourth straight playoff start in dominating fashion he is now a superstar. In Philadelphia they are comparing him to another great Phillies' lefty, Steve Carlton. While he has a bit more to go before I can put in that Hall of Fame company you can't deny the fact that his 1.55 ERA effort this October has been outstanding.  

Scott Kazmir, who was drafted two spots ahead of Hamels in the first round of the 2002 Amateur Draft, struggled through is six innings allowing three runs on six hits and four walks. 

Chase Utley and Carl Crawford both went yard, but for the most part the offenses both struggled in the clutch all night long.

Both bullpens did great, yet the Phillies still possess the edge with Brad Lidge closing out games. He made the Rays look silly with his nasty slider working a perfect 1-2-3 ninth inning. 

The drop off starts now though for the Phillies as after Hamels it gets a bit rough. Brett Myers will to go to the hill in Game 2 and he'll be opposed by right-hander James Shields for the Rays. It is a must-win game for the Rays as they can ill afford to leave town down 0-2.

SCHEDULE
Game One- Philadelphia 3, Tampa Bay 2
Game Two - Thursday, October 23rd - Philadelphia at Tampa Bay, 8:29 p.m.
Game Three - Saturday, October 25th - Tampa Bay at Philadelphia, 8:35 p.m.
Game Four - Sunday, October 26th - Tampa Bay at Philadelphia, 8:29 p.m.
*Game Five - Monday, October 27th - Tampa Bay at Philadelphia, 8:29 p.m.
*Game Six - Wednesday, October 29th - Philadelphia at Tampa Bay, 8:35 p.m.
*Game Seven - Thursday, October 30th - Philadelphia at Tampa Bay, 8:29 p.m.
(Philadelphia leads best-of-seven series, 1-0)

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