The Chicago Cubs haven’t won the World Series in 100 years.  That’s fairly common knowledge by now in the sports community, but what’s even more remarkable is that over that century, they have had no consecutive playoff appearances.  That’s almost hard to believe, but true.  Everybody has a bad century every now and then, right?

The Milwaukee Brewers were an American League team the last time they made the playoffs just over a quarter-century ago (1982) and the MVP of the AL, Robin Yount, is now in the Hall of Fame.  Their only other playoff berth was the strike-shortened season the year before in 1981 when they played only 109 games.  In that odd 1981 season, Major League Baseball decided its playoff teams by first half and second half leaders, much like several minor leagues currently do. 

All that could change in 2008.  The Cubs have the best record in the National League and are the current favorite to win the NL Pennant.  It would also mark consecutive playoff appearances since they won the NL Central in 2007.  Meanwhile the Brewers are currently leading the chase for the NL Wild Card by 3.5 games and are 21 games over .500.  Clearly each of these teams had a quality roster coming into the 2008 campaign, but Cubs’ GM Jim Hendry and Brewers’ GM Doug Melvin are the first two names that come to mind for National League Executive of the Year.  The Brewers’ acquisition of C.C. Sabathia and the Cubs’ trade for Rich Harden have proven to be wildly successful for each club thus far. 

  Rich Harden has been dominant in his eight starts for the Chicago Cubs.  He’s recorded double digit strikeouts in five of those eight games.  His ERA and WHIP are nasty and hitters have hit .162/.229/.312 against him since the trade.  The Cubs were going to playoffs before they traded for Harden.  They were going to break the ugly mark of 100 years without consecutive playoff appearances.  That was pretty clear.  But what would it matter to go three games and out like in 2007?  After the Cubs lost game one at Arizona in the NLDS last year with Carlos Zambrano on the mound, things looked grim even before Ted Lilly was bashed to the tune of six earned runs in just 3.1 innings.  Eight Major League Baseball teams make the playoffs every year.  Only one of those eight will win the World Series.  The Cubs were going to be one of the four of 16 NL teams represented in this year’s playoffs, but the depth and talent to the rotation that Rich Harden adds dramatically increases their chances at their first World Series title since 1908.

  C.C. Sabathia is going to earn a gigantic new contract at the conclusion of the 2008 season.  He’s a 28-year-old, hard-throwing, talented, and durable starter coming off a Cy Young award in 2007 and a remarkably similar 2008 year.  It’s also highly likely that the Milwaukee Brewers will not be the team that signs him to the riches in his future.  If that’s the case, they’re getting their money’s worth on their half-season rental of the prized lefty.  They gave the Indians their top prospect, Matt LaPorta, but they are getting every bit of use out of Sabathia.  In his ten games in the National League, he’s thrown five complete games, including two shutouts.  He’s averaging 111.1 pitches per outing and 7.6 innings.  (Meanwhile, the Cubs have limited Rich Harden to an average of 98.5 pitches and 6.125 innings per start.  Injuries have always been Harden’s downfall, but the Cubs have hardly been conservative with him.) People have whispered Sabathia’s name for NL Cy Young, which he neither deserves nor has the numbers for, but take a look at his overall statistics for the 2008 season.  The Indians have been brutal in 2008 and while Sabathia got off to a slow start, he pitched well before the trade.  His undefeated streak for the Milwaukee Brewers have his overall 2008 numbers looking very similar to his 2007 numbers through 28 starts, except in this season his ERA is better in more innings pitched.

* 2007 AL Cy Young

Clearly each of these teams needed another big-time arm to go behind staff aces Carlos Zambrano and Ben Sheets.  Jim Hendry and Doug Melvin deserve much credit for rolling the dice and each move has shown instant success.  In fact, it’s quite likely that these two are matched against one another in Game 2 of the 2008 National League Championship Series. Now each squad has the 1-2 punch in the starting rotation to not only make the playoffs, but win in the playoffs and even beat the American League representative in the World Series.  

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  Brad Ziegler gave up the go-ahead run in the 9th inning versus Tampa Bay yesterday and received a standing ovation from the Oakland Athletics crowd.

In case you haven’t noticed, the fans cheered Ziegler’s failure because it was the first time so far in his Major League career that he’s given up an earned run.  He ran his Major League-record streak to 39 1/3 innings pitched before finally allowing an earned run.

Ziegler’s ERA has now skyrocketed to 0.23 in 40 career MLB innings.  He’s only given up 23 hits and allowed 18 walks as well.

Ziegler’s run has been impressive, but his success is also a tribute to the Oakland Athletics scouting and development team.  Ziegler was a 20th round draft choice by the Philadelphia Phillies out of Southwest Missouri State University.  He was released and signed by Oakland in June 2004, going 29-17 in three seasons as a starting pitcher.  Then in 2007, Oakland made him a reliever.  He went 12-3 and posted a 2.41 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP in 78.3 IP between Double-A and Triple-A.

The sidearm right-hander’s specialty is getting ground balls.  His ground out/air out rate is a whopping 3.13 in 2008.  That tendency leads to another impressive number, especially considering the pressure situations late-inning relievers pitch in:  Ziegler has induced 13 double-play groundouts in his 40 MLB innings.

Brad Ziegler has notched his name into Major League Baseball’s vast history and Billy Beane and his Oakland A’s have found another solid player at a discount price.

  No other National League teams with a worse record than the Arizona Diamondbacks wanted to claim Adam Dunn.  It’s understandable that these clubs would not want to add the last two months of the $13 million Dunn will earn in 2008, but what hasn’t been mentioned is that Arizona received a quality addition to counter the surging Dodgers’ acquisition of Manny Ramirez.

Dunn strikes out a lot.  He plays sub-par defense.  But Dunn gets on base and hits for power.  At the time of the trade, he was in the top-30 of all Major League hitters in both on-base percentage (.373) and slugging percentage (.528).  Who cares that his batting average was .234 at the time of the trade?  He is getting out less this season than Ichiro Suzuki, who is hitting .308 but whose on-base percentage is .363.

In fact, Dunn is close to achieving an impressive feat.  For four consecutive seasons, he has hit over 40 homeruns and walked over 100 times.  With a month and a half to play in 2008, he has 32 homers and 83 walks.  In three of the last four years, Dunn has eclipsed 100 RBIs and 100 runs scored.

The Diamondbacks are second in the National League in strikeouts and have added a player who has struck out 124 times in 2008 in only 117 games.  Dunn led the National League in strikeouts from 2004-2006.  But Dunn isn’t like his new teammates.  Dunn immediately becomes the team leader in slugging percentage, second in on-base percentage (to Conor Jackson’s .388 mark), and leads the team in OPS.

  The Reds receive:  Dallas Buck and two players to be named later.

Dallas Buck is a 23-year-old right-handed starting pitcher who only 1-5 in starts between Class Low-A and Class High-A, but has a 3.55 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP.

Oh, those elusive players to be named later.  They’re always the wild card of any player.  In these situations clubs give their counterparts options between a few players and those clubs will wait a few months longer to concluce the evaluation process on the minor league players.  Except this time, at least one of the two (and possibly both) players to be named later is reportedly not a minor leaguer.  Well, they may be in the minor leagues now, but they are part of the 40-man, Major League roster.  They must clear waivers like other Major Leaguers, meaning the trade may be completed after the conclusion of this season. 

So it seems as if the trade will be completed by one of the players on the 40-man roster, but not one of the 25-players currently on the actual Major League team.  This list includes Max Scherzer and Micah Owings.  It’s highly unlikely that the D-Backs part ways with Scherzer, but if the Reds can lure Owings away, it would be very beneficial for their franchise.  Owings struggled so badly in 2008 that Arizona had to send him back to Triple-A, but he’ll only be 26 next season and could still be a very useful piece to a Major League club. 

This trade, like most, is about money.  Adam Dunn is a free agent after the end of 2008 and should command a pretty hefty salary in the open market.  Cincinnati felt they had to get something in return other than a compensation pick in next June’s draft, so they made the deal.  They could end up receiving a Major League-experienced pitcher in Micah Owings, a piece they need badly.  Maybe the Diamondbacks can convince Dunn to stay in Phoenix beyond 2008.  If so, they win this trade easily because Dunn will hit 40 homeruns and draw 100 walks for several more years.  If not, they still have a guy with left-handed power and patience that could push them past the Los Angeles Dodgers and into the 2008 playoffs.

Sometimes a change of scenery makes all the difference in the world.  The early evaluations have been good for all sides so far in the major trades leading up to this year’s deadline.  Maybe the new environment and new opportunity for these players have been the catalyst for instant success.

  Yankees receive:  Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte. 

Xavier Nady was a second round pick of the San Diego Padres in 2000, who went straight to the Major Leagues upon signing as part of his contract and singled in his first MLB at bat.  Then the Padres immediately sent him to the minors to begin his development into a big leaguer.  Last season was Nady’s career high in OPS at just .806, but in 2008, as the 29-year-old Nady is enjoying a career year, hitting .330/.383/.535 with Pittsburgh.

Damaso Marte is a journeyman left-handed reliever.  He’s 33 now, but has had a solid career.  His career ERA (3.29) is over a run better than the league average of his career (4.52).  Only once in his eight MLB seasons has Marte failed to strike out less than a batter per inning.  He had 47 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings for Pittsburgh before the trade.

  Pirates receive:  Jose Tabata, Jeff Karstens, Ross Ohlendorf, and Dan McCutchen.  

Jose Tabata has been the Yankees’ best position prospect for at least two years–until this year.  He is still very young–only 19–but the projection of his talent has been hampered by injuries.  Last season, it was a hand injury.  In 2008, it’s been a hamstring problem.  The outfielder has always been pushed, playing with much older players, but he was probably a bit overwhelmed as a 19-year-old in Double-A this season where he hit only .248/.320/.310 for the the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate (Trenton).  Pittsburgh has put him in Double-A as well and he’s gone just 2 for 13 for Altoona. 

Jeff Karstens is an average right-handed starting pitcher.  He’s 25 years old and threw well in Triple-A for the Yankees in 2008.  A Triple-A pitcher for the Yankees is good enough to be a starter for Pittsburgh, though, and Karstens is 2-0 in two starts since joining the Pirates’ rotation, including the game of his life on August 6 when he threw a complete game shutout, allowing only two hits and one walk.

Many in the organization thought Ross Ohlendorf would be the guy to take Joba Chamberlain’s 8th inning slot when Chamberlain moved to the rotation.  However, Ohlendorf has given up 50 hits in 40 innings pitched and had an ERA of 6.53 with New York.

Dan McCutchen is a solid starting pitching prospect and will get a shot in Pittsburgh.  He has a 3.33 ERA in 148.2 IP with 127 strikeouts and 35 walks allowed.

Verdict:  It seems the Pirates traded Nady at his highest value for Tabata at his lowest value.  The Pirates received usable parts and lost Nady’s salary, but they should have asked for Ian Kennedy as well, even though he’s been terrible at the Major League level in 2008.  Also, Nady’s 2008 salary is only $3.35 million and he’ll be eligible for free agency after the 2009 year.  He has raked for the Yankees, hitting .339/.403/.679 with 5 homeruns in 16 games.  Nady’s .942 OPS in 2008 is tied for 11th best in all of Major League Baseball.  A right-handed power hitting outfielder is just what the Yankees needed and they haven’t had a viable lefty bullpen option since Mike Stanton.  Advantage: New York Yankees.

  Dodgers receive:  Manuel Aristides Ramirez.

   Pirates receive:  Andy LaRoche, Bryan Morris, Brandon Moss, and Craig Hansen.

  Red Sox receive:  Jason Bay.

Manny Ramirez didn’t play hard for his last ten games in a Boston Red Sox uniform to the tune of .351/.467/.622 including two bombs, eight walks (three intentional), eight runs scored, and an OPS of 1.089.  He’s the best right-handed hitter in the 50-year gap between Joe DiMaggio and Albert Pujols.  At the time of the trade, Ramirez’s OPS was .927  That would be his second-lowest for a full season in his illustrious career, yet still good enough for 7th in the American League at the time. 

Jason Bay has already put together a pretty solid MLB career.  A terrible 2007 season in which he still hit 21 homeruns is the aberration in a career that Bay has displayed both plate discipline and power.  His career line is .282/.375/.515 in five full seasons.  Bay is signed through 2009 and is due to make $7.5 million next year, much less than half of the $20 million option for Ramirez.

Brandon Moss hit his first MLB homerun in the opening series of 2008 in Japan.  He is underrated as a player and should have a solid career, but he’s yet to have regular playing time.  He’ll get just that in Pittsburgh.

Andy LaRoche should have been playing third base for the Los Angeles Dodgers all along.  He injured a ligament in his thumb during spring training and found his spot occupied when he returned to action.  He has yet to receive regular MLB at bats, but his minor league numbers show the potential for an exceptional hitter.  In three and a half minor league seasons, LaRoche has hit .294/.380/.517 with 95 homeruns.  The 86-point difference between his batting average and on-base percentage shows that he’s quite selective at the plate along with a .223 isolated power number proving his pop.

Craig Hansen was a first rounder in 2005 St. John’s University and signed to a Major League contract.  He was going to be the Red Sox closer until command issues hampered him and Jonathan Papelbon emerged.  He’s a right-hander who throws 95 mph, but recorded only 25 strikeouts to 23 walks in 30.7 innings for Boston before the trade.  His periphreal ratios in Pittsburgh has been even worse.  He’s yet to record a strikeout, but walked six in four appearances.  He does have a save and a 3.86 ERA for the Pirates.

Bryan Morris could be the wild card in this trade for Pittsburgh.  The Dodgers took him in the first round in 2006 and he did well in rookie ball.  Then he had to have Tommy John surgery and missed all of 2007.  In 2008 in the Class-Low A Midwest League, Morris has shown flashed his potential.  He is still gaining arm strength, but had a 3.20 ERA in 81.7 IP (17 starts) before the trade.

Verdict:  Manny Ramirez could be the difference in the Dodgers winning the NL West.  He’s torched the NL for a line of .475/.543/.850 including four homeruns in just 10 games.  Jason Bay has hit a solid .326/.383/.488 in his first 10 games with Boston.  Andy LaRoche already has his first homerun as a Pirate and Jeff Karstens flirted with a no-hitter in his second start with Pittsburgh.  All of these teams should be pleased with the preliminary results of this blockbuster trade.  Boston did give up three players for one not as good as Manny Ramirez, though.  The Pirates gave up the second of their trio of outfielders who had an OPS over .900 in the 2008 season, leaving only Nate McLouth for 2009.  The Dodgers gave up too soon on Andy LaRoche, who only needs a chance at the MLB level to succeed.  That and a clean bill of health.  The Dodgers win this trade because the acquisition of the much-needed power bat in Manny Ramirez makes them a completely different team offensively.  It would be an interesting twist in irony if the Red Sox, who felt they had to deal Manny, end up missing the playoffs while his new team is catapulted to a playoff berth.

   Angels receive:  Mark Teixeira.

  Braves receive:  Casey Kotchman and Stephen Marek.

Mark Teixeira looks like he’ll hit right under .300 with around 35 bombs and post an OPS just under .950 for several more years.  He’s done pretty much that every year since coming into the league in 2003.  He’ll turn 29 in the second week of the 2009 season.  Agent Scott Boras knows all this and is sure to garner the switch-hitting first baseman a huge contract. 

Casey Kotchman was a rare first round first baseman taken in 2001.  He simply never developed the power the Angels thought he would.  His 12 homeruns so far in 2008 are a career high.  Kotchman is only 25 years old, so there is hope that he develop more power, but so far in 1,317 MLB plate appearances he’s only got on base at a .336 career clip.

Stephen Marek is a minor league reliever.  He is a right-hander in Double-A.  The 24-year-old put up solid numbers in the Texas League before the trade, striking out 57 and allowing only 39 hits in 46.7 innings pitched.  He will help out in Atlanta’s bullpen within two years.

Analysis:  Trading for Mark Teixeira makes the Anaheim Angels a very different team.  In 2006, they finished second in the AL West.  Last season, they won the West but were swept in the first round by Boston.  It was Vladimir Guerrero’s worst power season in the Major Leagues.  This season, Guerrero’s numbers have slipped even more.  Teixeira’s power will help this National League-style team–that is clearly good enough to win the West–compete with the powerful teams from the AL East for the American League pennant.  In fact, the addition of Teixeira may the piece that makes Anaheim the team to beat in 2008.  Atlanta was not going to sign Mark Teixeira.  They would’ve received a Type A compensation for losing Teixeira in next June’s amateur draft, but instead they sold him for pennies and acquired Kotchman and Marek.  Kotchman will be in Atlanta the next two seasons, but will also be arbitration elgibile.  While this move is adequate by Atlanta to get something (rather than just a draft choice) for the premium Major League talent in Teixeira, it’s a shame they gave up so much to Texas in acquiring Teixeira in the first place.  They gave up Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Elvis Andrus, and Neftali Feliz for a year’s rental of Teixeira.  The future of this deal is, of course, contingent on whether or not the Angels can secure Teixeira to a long-term contract.  Apparently Torii Hunter has already began to lobby Teixeira on behalf of the Angels organization.  They Angels clearly play in a market that could afford a player of his talent.  If they aren’t able to keep him after this season, the cost was still minimal and the return is a powerful, switch-hitting first baseman that gives the Angels a chance to win the 2008 World Series.

  Cole Hamels is one of the best starting pitchers in the game.  He ranks second in the Majors in strikeouts (133), innings pitched (150.7), and fourth in WHIP (1.01).  While Hamels should finish in the top-5 of the National League Cy Young Award vote, the other starters in Philadelphia’s rotation have not been good. 

Brett Myers, the Phillies’ Opening Day starter, has an ERA of 5.84 and had to be sent down to Triple-A.  Adam Eaton hasn’t been much better.  With the addition of Blanton, the Phillies are sending Eaton and his 5.71 ERA to the bullpen.  Second-year righty Kyle Kendrick is 8-4, but his ERA isn’t good either at 4.87.

45-year-old Jamie Moyer has been a solid sidekick to Hamels as he continues to get people out on very limited stuff.  He is 9-6 with a 3.90 ERA for the 2008 season.

Joe Blanton isn’t flashy.  He is a solid right-hander who throws just above 90 mph with an average breaking ball.  However, if Kyle Kendrick has won twice as many games as he’s lost in 2008, Blanton could be a great addition.  Blanton’s dependability could translate into several wins behind Philadelphia’s prolific offense.  He’s made at least 31 starts and logged at least 194 innings in each of his three Major League seasons.

Blanton is one of the original Moneyballers, drafted in the first round of out of the University of Kentucky in 2002.  He finished 6th in the 2004 AL Rookie of the Year vote by posting a 12-12 mark with a 3.53 ERA.  He won a career-high 16 games in 2005, though his ERA ballooned to 4.82.  Last season, Blanton took over duties as staff ace and logged a whopping 230 innings, but kept his ERA (3.95) under 4.00.  His career ERA is 4.25, just above the league average of 4.24. 

Joe Blanton is not yet arbitration eligible and made only $380,000 in 2007.  The Phillies will take no risk monetarily, and Blanton isn’t scheduled to become a free agent until after the 2010 season.  However, while Blanton’s durability almost guarantees that he is able to throw 200 inning annually, his rough 2008 season is concerning.  He is 27 years old and, although his MLB career is relatively short, his best years could already be behind him.  Plus, Oakland general manager Billy Beane seems to have a knack for trading away pitchers just as they begin the downside of their careers.  (See:  Barry Zito and Mark Mulder.)

Billy Beane is running laps around the rest of the general managers in Major League Baseball.  This trade is no blockbuster, but supply and demand ensured that Beane maximized Blanton’s value.  Adrian Cardenas was named the High School Player of the Year by Baseball America his senior season at a Miami, Florida high school and was the Phillies’ best position prospect.  Cardenas is a second baseman–obviously blocked at that position in Philadelphia by superstar Chase Utley–that will more than likely be a top-30 overall prospect going into 2009.  Since the Athletics drafted University of Miami second baseman Jemile Weeks last month in the first round, Cardenas may very well end up playing third base in the Major Leagues, but scouts believe his bat will be powerful enough to play at the hot corner.  The Athletics also received Josh Outman, a left-hander who ranked as the Phillies’ fourth-best prospect entering 2008.  He has moved to the bullpen and has a 3.20 ERA in Double-A.  Matt Spencer is a second-year outfielder who is struggling at Class High-A.

Cardenas is a prized hitting prospect, but Billy Beane was able to pry him away from the Phillies even though Joe Blanton is having the worst season of his MLB career.  Blanton is just 5-12 with 4.96 ERA in 2008.  While the National League will not be as strong as Blanton’s American League foes, Philadelphia’s park is grossly different than Oakland’s pitcher-friendly park.  Despite the poor numbers, Blanton was one of the best pitchers available in the trade market.  Beyond the supply and demand factor, the New York Mets have been on fire of late and are tied for the NL East lead, heightening Philadelphia’s urgency to acquire a starting pitcher.  Now Blanton is thrust in the midst of an exciting playoff race.  He will make his Philadelphia Phillies debut tomorrow in Shea Stadium versus Johan Santana and the New York Mets.

  Ten years from now, Justin Morneau will be the answer to a great trivia question.  He won the 2008 Homerun Derby, but it was Josh Hamilton who became the water cooler talk of the nation on Tuesday morning with his incredible first round performance.  Just over 24 hours later, Morneau would single to start the American League’s half of the 15th inning and later score the game-winning run of an epic All-Star Game.

The nearly five hour mid-summer classic had it all:  homers, strikeouts, diving catches, plays at the plate, and plenty of drama.

But the most impressive moment may have come before the game.  Major League Baseball has plenty of faults–most recently, taking 15 years before acknowledging there was a steroid problem–, but it sure knows how to celebrate itself.  MLB trotted out nearly every living Hall of Famer (Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench, and Sandy Koufax were nowhere to be found) by position with the All-Star starter from each league joining the legends.  Never before has the world seen such an accumulation of baseball talent.  The diversity of the players–from Juan Marichal, Cal Ripken, Jr., Ferguson Jenkins, Willie McCovey, George Brett, Bruce Sutter, Bob Feller, and Yogi Berra–was incredible because of their common bond as Hall of Famers.  The four living members who are in the Hall of Fame as New York Yankees–Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Reggie Jackson, and recently-elected Goose Gossage–threw out the first pitch.  The baseballs they threw were delivered by long-time Yankees owner George Steinbrenner who wept in emotion in his first public appearance in months and called the moment one of the greatest of his life.  Love him or hate him, Steinbrenner deserves to be in the Hall of Fame himself for his impact on and success in the game.

  Each starting pitcher–Ben Sheets for the NL and Cliff Lee for the AL–threw two innings and struck out three.

  After pitching dominated the first four innings (4 IP, 4 K for the NL; 4 IP, 3 K for the AL) Matt Holliday hit an opposite field homerun off Ervin Santana to open the scoring in the 5th inning.  J.D. Drew tied the game at two in the bottom of the 7th inning with a bomb off Edinson Volquez.  

Earlier in the week Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon claimed he should get the save opportunity in the All-Star Game, not Mariano Rivera.  Like a politician, Papelbon changed his tune a day later saying his true intentions were that Rivera should close all along and that his previous comments were misconstrued.  When Papelbon entered the All-Star Game in the 8th inning, Yankees fans in attendance booed him loudly.  When he gave up the go-ahead run (unearned), the fans razzed him as if it would be just fine if the American League took the loss, just so long as Papelbon was the game’s losing pitcher.

The fans voted rookie Evan Longoria into the final roster spot for the AL All-Stars and he delivered in the 9th inning off Mets closer Billy Wagner to tie the game at three.

It seemed everyone had planned a storybook ending of Mariano Rivera being on the mound to close the game, but he found himself in a first-and-third jam with only one out before Dan Uggla grounded into a double play.  It was Uggla’s only at bat that he didn’t strike out.  He also had three errors to go along with the hat trick and the double play in an RBI situation.

Rockies starter Aaron Cook worked out of a bases-loaded-with-no-outs jam following two of Uggla’s errors.

Nate McLouth threw out Dioner Navarro at home plate to save the game for the National League.

Ryan Ludwick made a diving catch.

Miguel Tejada made an incredible do-or-die play with two outs and a runner on third to extend the game.

For the American League, George Sherrill entered with the bases loaded and two outs, but struck out Ludwick to end the NL rally.

Ryan Dempster struck out the side in his inning of work, while Brandon Webb struck out two in an inning just two days after throwing 108 pitches.

The National League gave a valiant effort and had plenty of opportunities, but the American League prevailed once again as Michael Young delivered the game-winning RBI in the All-Star Game for the second time in the last three years.  The AL hasn’t lost an All-Star Game 1996, including the infamous tie in Milwaukee in the 2002 version of the mid-summer classic. 

J.D. Drew was named the 2008 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player, going 2-4 with a homer, 2 RBIs, a walk, and a run scored.  Scott Kazmir, who also threw over 100 pitches on Sunday, was the winning pitcher.  Brad Lidge was the losing pitcher.

This epic game ended just in time, as the pitchers of record were the last pitchers used by managers Terry Francona and Clint Hurdle.  If you stayed up to watch all 15 innings, you saw a classic. 

The 2008 All-Star break began with Josh Hamilton becoming a household name on the national level.  Then after a parade through the Bronx, nearly every living Hall of Famer took the field.  Major League Baseball’s pomp and circumstance was a sight to be seen, celebrating not only the All-Stars of 2008, but the game itself.  Yankee Stadium, in all its grandeur, was the perfect venue.  Then, the All-Stars delivered one of the most-memorable All-Star Games ever. 

CLICK HERE FOR WEEK 15 POWER RANKINGS

AL EAST

(57-40)  The Red Sox don’t need to trade for bullpen help because of their organization’s depth.  They have sent down Justin Masterson (who was 4-3, 3.67 ERA as a starter) to prepare the sinkerballer for a relief role in the second half.

(55-39)  The Rays’ number five overall prospect, shortstop Reid Brignac, has made his MLB debut, but has yet to collect his first MLB hit in 10 at bats.

(50-45)  Alex Rodriguez’s time on the disabled list earlier in the year has hurt his overall numbers as well as the attention he normally receives, but he is still having a good year, hitting .312/.392/.581.  Expect a monster second half from the reigning AL MVP.

(47-48)  Roy Halladay looks poised to win his second AL Cy Young.  He is top five in the American League in wins (11), ERA (2.71), strikeouts (121), WHIP (0.998), innings (146.3), complete games (7), and shutouts (2).

(45-48)  24-year-old Nick Markakis‘ plate discipline is pretty impressive for a third-year player:  he is fourth in the AL in on-base percentage (.401) and third in walks (59).  He only drew 61 walks in 2007.

 AL CENTRAL

(54-40)  Paul Konerko had a bad 2007 and is having a worse 2008, hitting .217/.320/.368.  He signed a 5-year, $60 million contract before the 2006 season.

(53-42) Denard Span was supposed to play in the Futures Game this year, but it didn’t happen because he got called up to the Show.  He’s hitting .324 in 25 games and is an incredibly good defensive outfielder.

(47-47)  Miguel Cabrera is on fire, finally showing the form that had many predicting he would win the 2008 AL MVP.  His OPS is 1.029 in July, including 5 homeruns in the month.

(43-53)  David DeJesus had trouble early in his career dealing with the expectations that he was the next Carlos Beltran, but DeJesus made himself into a solid regular in his own right.

(41-53) Masahide Kobayashi is the new closer in Cleveland as the Indians have released Joe Borowski.  The native of Japan has 5 saves on the year.

AL WEST

(57-38)  Francisco Rodriguez’s 38 saves at the All-Star break is remarkable.  In a season without a marquee seson by the marquee players for the division leaders, K-Rod has a legitamite shot at the 2008 American League Most Valuable Player Award.

(51-44)  A blown save denied Justin Duchscherer his 11th win on Sunday, but at the All-Star break he continues to lead the American League in ERA (1.82) and WHIP (0.865).

(50-46)  Ian Kinsler (.337/.397/.548, 23 stolen bases) is a lock to win the Silver Slugger for AL second basemen in 2008.

(37-58)  Only 17 of Ichiro Suzuki’s 119 hits are for extra bases.  However, he has earned 34 extra bases via steals.

CLICK HERE FOR WEEK 15 POWER RANKINGS

NL EAST

(52-44) The Phillies need to deal for some starting pitching help because Cole Hamels (9-6, 142.7 IP, 126 K/34 BB, 3.15 ERA, 1.023 WHIP) can only pitch every fifth game.

(51-44)  Earlier in the season, Mike Pelfrey lost six straight starts.  Now he has won six straight and on the year he is 8-6 with a 3.64 ERA.

(50-45) Ricky Nolasco is on fire.  The 25-year-old right-hander went 11-11 in 2006, was hurt last season, and has come back in the first half of 2008 to post a 10-4 with a 3.70 ERA, including winning five straight decisions.

(45-50)  The Braves sent down Jeff Francoeur to Doube-A, but have since recalled him.  He called it a slap in the face by the organization, but his numbers are not encouraging.  He’s hitting .234/.285/.375 on the year.  His lack of plate discipline will mean his 2006 will be his best MLB season.

(36-60)  Odalis Perez hasn’t won since May 28, but he’s having a solid year.  His record is only 2-7, but his ERA is 3.71.

NL CENTRAL

(57-38)  It was a great move by Cubs’ management to allow (or force, probably) Carlos Zambrano to miss two starts with a sore shoulder while the team remained in first place.  He’s won each of his two starts since returning from the DL and his start on Wednesday was the highest game score he has logged this season (81).

(53-43)  Remember the Cardinals traded Dan Haren to get Mark Mulder.  In his first start (third appearance) of 2008, he lasted just one third of an inning before leaving with a hurting shoulder.  He’s pitched 12.7 innings since the beginning of 2007.

(52-43) C.C. Sabathia is giving the Brewers instant results since being traded, winning both of his starts.  In yesterday’s win, Sabathia threw all nine innings and hit a homerun.

(46-50)  It just goes to show you never can tell.  Homer Bailey was recalled to start yesterday and didn’t throw badly (5.7 IP, 2 ER), but he was a can’t-miss prospect who now is 4-5 with a 6.11 ERA in his short MLB career.  There is still time for Bailey to figure out how to pitch, though, since he is only 22, but the early trial does not look great.

(44-50) Paul Maholm’s claim to fame may be that he struck out Billy Crystal in spring training this year, but the lefty is 4-0 in last 8 starts with a 2.67 ERA.

(44-51)  After a hot start in the National League, Miguel Tejada is hitting only .206/.268/.326 since June 1.

NL WEST

(47-48)  At the All-Star break, the Diamondbacks cling to the NL West lead even though they are under .500.  Their lineup is not very good and they have three players at the break who have more than 95 strikeouts:  Mark Reynolds (111), Chris Young (95), and Justin Upton (97).

(46-49)  Andruw Jones is off the disabled list, but his swing isn’t any healthier.  On Saturday, he went 0-5 with 5 strikeouts.

(40-55)  An organization might need more pop in its lineup when rookie John Bowker leads the team in homeruns (9) and slugging percentage (.449).

(39-57)  Clint Barmes has played at second base, shortstop, and third base this season for Colorado.  Injuries forced his versatility, but his bat has kept him in the lineup.  He’s hitting .295/.337/.477 on the year.

(37-58)  The end could be near for Padres closer Trevor Hoffman.  The all-time saves leader (541) is just 1-5 with a 5.08 ERA in 2008 with three blown saves.

   The National League Central just got a lot better this week.  Remember in 2007 when the Chicago Cubs won this division with only 85 wins?  Now it looks pretty certain that the NL Wild Card will come from the Central.  In fact, the three best records in the National League come from this same division. 

Within hours of the Milwaukee Brewers trading for last year’s AL Cy Young winner C.C. Sabathia, the Cubs traded for the talented, but often-injured Rich Harden. 

Chicago Cubs receive:

Rich Harden:  5-1, 77 IP, 92 K/31 BB, 2.34 ERA, 1.143 WHIP.

Chad Gaudin:  5-3, 62.7 IP, 44 K/17 BB, 3.59 ERA, 1.277 WHIP.

Oakland Athletics receive:

Sean Gallagher:  3-4, 58.7 IP, 49 K/22 BB, 4.45 ERA, 1.364 WHIP.

Matt Murton:  .250/.286/.300 in 40 at bats.

Eric Patterson:  .237/.318/.342 in 38 at bats.

Josh Donaldson:  .223/.282/.385 in Midwest League (Low A).

Rich Harden’s 2.34 ERA is good enough for 2nd in the American League.  There’s just one problem.  He hasn’t thrown enough innings to qualify in the discussion.  (A pitcher must have at least one inning pitched per team game to qualify for the ERA title.)  What a perfect microcosm for Rich Harden’s career.  The hard-throwing right-hander is incredibly talented, but cannot seem to stay healthy.  He has never broken the 200 innings pitched barrier, only once throwing an inning per team game (189.7 IP in 2004).  But Harden’s talent is unmistakable:  he’s struck out nearly a batter per inning in his career while allowing much less than one hit per inning (541.7 innings, 523 strikeouts, 442 hits allowed).  Currently Rich Harden ranks 11th in the American League with 92 strikeouts in only 77 innings.  All of the 10 pitchers ahead of Harden are over the 100-inning mark.  In 10th place, Felix Hernandez has one more strikeout than Harden (93), but has thrown 31 more innings (108).

Chad Gaudin is a solid swingman and is only 25-years old.  The Cubs will use him in relief and he is one hell of an extra player in this trade.

Matt Murton, a 2003 first rounder of the Boston Red Sox, came to the Cubs as part of the Nomar Garciaparra trade.  The Cubs mishandled Murton a bit by keeping him in the Majors as a fourth outfielder to platoon versus left-handed pitching.  However, he is only 26 and his career line is .294/.362/.448, certainly a serviceable–and cheap–outfielder for Oakland.

Eric Patterson is not the Moneyball player that Athletics GM Billy Beane usually profiles.  He is very athletic, much like Oakland’s first round draft choice last month, second baseman Jemile Weeks.  Patterson is a utility type of player defensively, but could be the wild card of this trade if the power in his offensive game develops.  In 49 games (189 at bats) in Triple-A this season, Patterson’s line was .323/.356/.519 with 10 stolen bases.

Josh Donaldson was selected by the Cubs in the sandwich round of the 2007 draft.  He is a catcher from Auburn University and had a great professional debut, compiling an OPS of 1.050 in 53 games in two short-season leagues last year. 

The Cubs received a top-flight arm in Rich Harden’s, but will he be a reincarnation of Mark Prior for Cubs’ fans?  It’s definitely worth the risk since Chicago gave up four players who will probably end up being either reserves or decent regulars.  Also, Harden is due to make $4.5 million this season and now his new club–the Cubs–hold an option for the 2009 season worth $9 million. 

In a very short time, the NL Central has become very formidible.  Are the St. Louis Cardinals next in hiring a gun for a postseason run or will they continue to rely on Dave Duncan’s magic?  Right now, it does not look like St. Louis will make any major move, but they do have the second-most wins in the National League with their rag tag pitching staff.  The Brewers surely believe they can earn a playoff spot with the acquisition of C.C. Sabathia.  The Chicago Cubs want to make sure that if the Brewers make the playoffs, it is via the Wild Card.  They now have Rich Harden–who makes his NL debut on Saturday–and their sights set on back-to-back National League Central titles.

  This season the American League won more games than the National League for the fifth consecutive year in Interleague play.  In fact, 2008 saw the 2nd-highest winning percentage of any league in the 12 years Major League Baseball has held Interleague play.  Only the 2006 American Leaguers, who beat the NL at a .611 clip, were better than this year’s American League winning percentage of .594. 

In the history of Interleague play, six of the 16 National League teams are above .500 while nine of the 14 American League teams are over .500.  Of the nine winning AL teams, five own winning percentages above .550 in Interleague play.  To put that number into perspective, a .550 winning percentage would equal between 89 and 90 wins over a 162-game regular season. 

But why has the American League been so dominant?

Baseball is an intriguing game where a team’s best hitting talent may perform only four times per contest.  That being said, it is the collection of these individual hitters–the lineup–that must beat the pitcher.  The American League has an obvious advantage with the designated hitter in their lineups, and since the National League teams aren’t designed by their general managers in power to add extra hitters to the roster, the AL is hurt less by taking away their DH in a National League park than the NL is by adding a reserve to be the DH in an American League park.

For instance in the American League, the regular designated hitters are Cliff Floyd, David Ortiz, Hideki Matsui, Aubrey Huff, Matt Stairs, Jim Thome, Jason Kubel, Gary Sheffield, Jose Guillen, Travis Hafner, Gary Matthews, Jr., Frank Thomas, Milton Bradley, and Jose Vidro.

Thome has hit over 500 homeruns.  Ortiz has finished in the Top-5 of the AL MVP vote for five consecutive years.  Gary Sheffield is one of the great hitting talents of his generation.  The others have been All-Stars and have long been considered, quite simply, damned good hitters.  Milton Bradley has led the American League in OPS for the majority of 2008.

The NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs used the designated hitter to give their stars Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Kosuke Fukudome, and Geovany Soto rest while keeping each bat in the lineup.  However, the addition to the lineup was either Ronny Cedeno, Henry Blanco, or Micah Hoffpair.

American League teams have long used the DH to give rest star players while keeping their coveted bats in the lineup.  The Yankees do it to keep Alex Rodriguez fresh.  The Angels with Vladimir Guerrero.  The practice is especially useful for catchers who can hit like Joe Mauer, Victor Martinez, and Jeff Clement.  However, the extra National hitter isn’t as valuable since their teams aren’t built accordingly.  Consider when the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies used Ryan Howard as their designated hitter, they inserted utility infielder Eric Bruntlett into the lineup as the first baseman.  Twice the Phillies used backup third baseman Greg Dobbs as their designated hitter, who is hardly the household name many American League designate hitters are.

The difference between adding Dobbs to the lineup in an American League game versus substracting Hideki Matsui from the Yankees’ lineup in a National League contest is apparent. 

In the 2008 version of Interleague play, only two American League teams had a winning percentage under .500 while only three National League teams finished above .500.  Within the AL’s dominance of this year’s Interleague play, the lowly Kansas Royals went 13-5, the Detroit Tigers–who didn’t win their first game until the second week of the season–went 13-5, and the Minnesota Twins won ten consective games versus the NL.  Also, all three current National League division leaders were swept by an American League squad:  Arizona by the Twins, the Chicago Cubs by Tampa Bay and the White Sox, and Philadelphia by the Angels.  The current National League Wild Card leader, St. Louis, was swept as well, by their in-state rivals Kansas City.

Two great moments in the 2008 Interleague play were C.C. Sabathia’s mammoth 440-foot homerun and Felix Hernandez’s grand slam off two-time AL Cy Young award winner Johan Santana.

The American League also has a clear advantage over the NL in regards to bullpens.  The National League has Billy Wagner, Brad Lidge, Takashi Saito, and Trevor Hoffman among others who are very good at closing out games, but it’s really no match compared to the American League’s closers.  Francisco Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera, Jonathan Papelbon, and Joe Nathan are as good as they come.

The designated hitter rule may be sacrilegious to Abner Doubleday, but it’s obviously here to stay.  The effect it’s had on the game since its institution in 1973 has been profound.  It’s clearly made American League teams more offensive oriented.  The American League’s recent and sustained success in Interleague play versus its National League counterpart shows that the style in which each league’s teams are constructed plays a huge role how that team can adapt to the rules of the other league’s parks.  Don’t expect the American League to let up anytime soon.