I love that the Beltway Series is meaningful

The last time either team on the Beltway finished at .500, it was 2005 which was the Nats first season in Washington.

The last time Baltimore and Washington both had winning teams at the same time?
That would be 1969. The Senators finished a surprising 86-76 under manager Ted Williams. That was 23 games behind the Orioles who went 109-53 and could only be beaten by a team of destiny (that would be the Mets.)

Here we sit on May 18 and the Orioles are the best team in the American League.
Let that fact sink in for a moment.

And the Nationals are hovering around first place but some recent stumbles pushed them off the top spot.

Yes, they are ahead of the Rangers and Rays. Yes they are in front of the inconsistent Yankees and the upstart Indians.

And yes, Adam Jones got another key hit tonight in the 11 inning 2-1 Orioles victory in Washington.
And yes, the Jake Arrieta vs. Edwin Jackson match up was outstanding, as is the Orioles bullpen.

And yes, the Wei-Yin Chen vs. Stephen Strasburg match up on Sunday should be must watch TV.

It's only May. I realize that. Last year the Indians and Pirates were in first place and various parts of the season and both finished under .500.

But savor this, Beltway fans. As recently as 2010, both teams were 90 loss clubs.
The Orioles haven't had a winner since 1997 and Washington has had one since the first landing on the moon.

And let the "Harper or Jones" debates last a decade.

  

OF COURSE Edwin Jackson threw a great game!

Get a pitcher of any level talent and put him in a Cardinals uniform under Dave Duncan's watchful eye and they will suddenly become a big time pitcher.

Watch, he is going to Jeff Weaver his way all the way to the World Series clincher.

If I am the agent for a pitcher, I am calling the Cardinals every day asking "Do you have a spot in the rotation? Let me know if ANY Cardinals pitcher needs a nap. My client will be a Cardinal at a moments notice."

So THIS is why the White Sox want Edwin Jackson

Remember when the White Sox picked up Edwin Jackson and people thought he was going to be flipped for Adam Dunn?

And when they COULDN'T pull off a deal with the Nationals, it was widely considered that they were hosed?

May YOUR team be hosed like this!

He's averaging 7 innings a start in his 4 starts (going 8 shutout innings with 10 strikeouts tonight) and posting a 0.96 ERA in the process.

If the White Sox catch the Twins, Edwin might be the key and been a bigger contributor than Adam Dunn.

Wow... it's a good thing they got hosed.

Edwin Jackson looked good for someone nobody wanted

I am hard pressed to think of a single writer who thought that Edwin Jackson was actually coveted by the White Sox. Everyone seemed to think he was going to be dealt to Washington and somehow the White Sox were TRULY lusting after Adam Duun.

I am equally unable to find many people who thought it was a good deal.

But 7 strong innings from Jackson today sunk the Tigers below .500 in August and putting them 8 games out.

More or less the Tigers are done.

And if Edwin continues to pitch well, the White Sox might have a stacked rotation going into October.

May EVERY bad trade work out like this!

10 starting pitchers to keep an eye on tonight

The beauty of baseball is that it is on every night and every night the match ups make the team totally different night to night.

Yankees are playing the last place Mariners in back to back to back nights? Sounds like a romp for the Yankess... until you realize Cliff Lee is pitching one night and Felix Hernandez throws the next. Mariners win 2 of 3.

So today, tonight and actually right now there are a ton of starts that I personally find intriguing.

START #1: A. J. BURNETT of the Yankees.

A.J.'s June was grotesque. He went 0-5 in 5 starts with a 11.35 ERA, a 2.261 WHIP and let up 9 homers.

Some blamed the absence of pitching coach Dave Eiland... but what is this? Cyrano DeBergerac? A.J. forgot how to pitch? As I type this, he has thrown the first 5 innings of the day game against Toronto and hasn't let up a run. July is indeed a new month.


START #2: JAMIE MOYER of the Phillies.

Moyer's improbable Hall of Fame run continues tonight against the lowly Pirates who seem to have already given up on 2011!

What started as a tongue in cheek question if he could reach 300 wins has transformed into an honest to goodness possibility.

If he beats the Pirates tonight, always a safe bet, he will have win number 268 and have reached double digits in wins for the 17th time in his career and for the 14th time in the last 15 seasons.


START #3: JOSH JOHNSON of the Marlins

Ubaldo Jimenez still is in the lead for the ERA title, but Johnson trails him by just .002.

He is taking on the Braves, who have slowed down since their 5 game winning streak and young Kris Medlin, who is 5-1.

The Marlins are 8 games back of the Braves in the loss column but a solid series against Atlanta could help them climb back into contention. Tonight is a big game for the Fish and they have their big arm on the mound.


START #4: TIM LINCECUM of the Giants

The Giants have lost 6 straight and are in danger of playing themselves out of the race if they are not careful.

When the going gets tough, it is good to put a back to back Cy Young contender on the bump.

The Franchise's numbers might not be as eye popping as the last two seasons, but he still has the best strikeout per 9 innings ratio in the NL and can potentially stop the bleeding in Coors Field tonight against the Rockies.


START #5: MITCH TALBOT of the Indians

The Indians' unlikely Rookie of the Year candidate goes for his 9th win of the year against the Jekyll and Hyde Oakland A's.

The Indians are going nowhere, but the solid year from Talbot has allowed them to shop some pitchers. (If only they had another pair of Cy Young winners to deal.)


START #6: TIM WAKEFIELD of the Red Sox

Wakefield has not looked good this year and his quest to win 15 more games and tie Roger Clemens and Cy Young for most wins in a Red Sox uniform might fall short.

But the Orioles are coming to Fenway, which is always a recipe for a win or two. Perhaps he'll only be 14 away by the end of tonight.


START #7: DAVID PRICE of the Rays.

The can't miss stud of the 2007 draft isn't missing this year. In fact as of this writing, I think he is the front runner for the Cy Young Award.

He leads the league in wins and ERA and is providing an anchor for a now shaky Rays clubhouse.

If the Rays are going to leap frog the Red Sox and Yankees again, Price will lead the way... possibly starting tonight in Minnesota (who are trying to stop a slump of their own.)


START #8: MAT LATOS of the Padres

No team is more surprising in baseball than the Padres, who were expecting to be auctioning off Adrian Gonzalez at this point. Instead they are tied with the Braves for the best record in the National League.

Latos is a big reason for that as he just knows how to win. The next step for him? Pitch more than 6 innings a start.

With the Astros coming to town, he might be on line for win #9.




START #9: ROY OSWALT of the Astros

The ace of the Astros has a miserable win loss record (5-10) but all of his other numbers are respectable.

He basically is auditioning for the rest of baseball. A solid game in the terrific pitchers ballpark in San Diego could boost his worth in a trade that will have to happen in the next 30 days.

Essentially, one of the great pitchers in Astros history could be pitching his final game in an Astros uniform.

And of course...

START #10: EDWIN JACKSON of the Diamondbacks

Johnny Vander Meer is the only person to throw back to back no hitters. And if is required to mention him that whenever anyone throws a no hitter when they next take the mound.

Granted his no hitter wasn't exactly a work of beauty... but hey! I would LOVE to throw an ugly no hitter. It's the first game for Kirk Gibson the manager... why not give him a little history as the D'Backs welcome Gibson's old team, the Dodgers?


So let's hope something cool happens tonight... as long as it isn't a no hitter against the Red Sox!

Is this post steroids baseball?

ANOTHER no hitter.
And Jim Joyce couldn't F--- this one up.

Edwin Jackson came back to Tropicana Field and no hit his former team. And yes I know he walked 8 and hit a batter... but give the guy a break! He threw a no hitter.

Let's see you throw one.

Either way, a year FULL of pitching highlights just got another one.

I like this post steroids baseball. I'll take pitching dominance over 13-11 monstrocities.

Isn't baseball odd?

The Red Sox scored 2 runs in their last 33 innings against the Yankees.

And 2 batters into today's game against Detroit, they scored 2 runs.

There is no momentum in baseball.

And it's not like they are playing a lousy team. The Red Sox are playing the first place Tigers with an All Star pitcher (Edwin Jackson) starting. 

There's 52 games left, Sox fans. Play better than the Rangers and the Rays and the Red Sox will be in the playoffs with Lester and Beckett in the rotation.

Stay focused!

Hey Edwin Jackson

Next time you find yourself wondering "Why did I get left out of the post season rotation?" just remember this moment:

Joe Blanton homered off of you.
A guy who prior to that swing was 2 for 32.


And your job was to stop the runs.
The Phillies were up 5-1... Eric Hinske, a trusted 2007 Red Sox, homered.
Thoughts of coming back danced in Tampa's head... provided you kept them off the board.

2 outs, nobody on...
And you let a .063 homer off of you in the World Series.

Good job.