Tony DeMarco has covered Major League Baseball for 22 years, with stops at the Miami Herald, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Denver Post, MLB.com and NBC Sports.com. He also has authored five baseball-related books, including the just-published Tales From The Colorado Rockies. He now brings his expertise and pointed opinions here.

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AL remaining schedules: Red Sox easiest; Twins toughest

2 comments

August 21, 8:20 PM

by Tony DeMarco, MLB Examiner

With the very real possibility that both the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox could be idle this October, it's time to compare the remaining schedules in what amounts to a five-teams-for-three-spots race to join the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the American League playoffs:

Boston: When you're worried about how quickly your ace can regain feeling in two fingers on his pitching hand, and your bullpen has been leaky, you have some legitimate stretch-run concerns. At least the remaining schedule is OK: A 20 home game/16 road game split includes home-and-home series with Tampa, New York and Toronto, and there are three games with the White Sox. And mark this down: The Red Sox close the season in Fenway against the Yankees.

Tampa Bay: They have some wiggle room in the AL East race, and the league's best home record (47-18), so if you haven't already figured it out, the Rays are the closest thing to a playoffs certainty. The home game/road game split works against them a bit – 16 home and 19 road. The three September home series aren't easy – Boston, New York and Minnesota – and they finish on the road with series in Baltimore and Detroit.

Chicago: A +117 run differential -- built on the league's second-highest runs scored total and third-lowest team ERA -- says the White Sox should be going to the playoffs. But the remaining schedule is no cakewalk -- 16 at home (where they are 45-19) and 19 on the road -- and series against all five other AL contenders, in order -- the Rays, Red Sox, Angels, Yankees, Twins. The latter series, which could decide the AL Central, is set for Sept. 23-25 in the Metrodome.

New York: When you're down to plugging Carl Pavano into the rotation for the first time this season and only his third big-league appearance since 2005, the word desperation comes to mind. The schedule doesn't work for the Yankees, either: 16 home games and 20 on the road, including the last six at Toronto and Boston. And how about this brutal early-September trip: Makeup game in Detroit, three games in Tampa, three in Seattle, three in Los Angeles.

MInnesota: Nobody in this race added a bigger potential impact player than the Twins did by bringing back Francisco Liriano from the minors. But the schedule could do them in: Only 12 home and 24 on the road, beginning with a rare, four-city, 14-game trip with stops in Los Angeles, Seattle, Oakland and Toronto (blame it on the Republican National Convention), plus a four-game stay in Tampa. At least they have Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit and Kansas City (two series) left on the schedule.

For more info: We'll get to the National League contenders on Friday.

Topics: Tampa Bay Rays , Boston Red Sox , Chicago White Sox

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MLB: Making sense of the arbitration decisions

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December 2, 12:02 PM

Other than waivers rules and balk interpretations, the only thing about Major League Baseball that can be harder to understand than Ozzy Osbourne is the salary arbitration process.So in an effort to make this page more hit-friendly, we present... Read More
Topics: MLB , salary arbitration , Bobby Abreu

Rickey Henderson leads 2009 Hall of Fame ballot

1 comment

December 1, 11:58 AM

Rickey Henderson's time is coming -- finally.Henderson is the leading newcomer on the 2009 Hall of Fame ballot mailed out on Monday to 575 voters with 10 consecutive years of membership in the Baseball Writers Association of America.The 2009 class... Read More
Topics: MLB , Baseball Hall of Fame , Rickey Henderson

Baltimore Orioles: The third team in the Jake Peavy talks?

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November 30, 11:12 AM

The Baltimore Orioles are the new subplot in the continuing Jake Peavy-to-the-Chicago Cubs drama.Two reports (here's one) have the Cubs and Orioles talking about a deal that could send outfielder Felix Pie to the Orioles for left-hander Garrett... Read More
Topics: Chicago Cubs , MLB , Jake Peavy , Baltimore Orioles

Seattle Mariners: Now what? Five questions to ponder

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November 28, 1:30 PM

After a 101-loss season with a $117-million payroll, there's nowhere to go but up for the Seattle Mariners. But how do they get there, and how long will it take? They've changed general managers. They've changed managers. And now it's time to change... Read More
Topics: MLB , Seattle Mariners , Don Wakamatsu

Could the Los Angeles Angels get CC Sabathia and Jake Peavy?

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November 26, 5:58 PM

Could the Angels be the answer to two of the hottest of Hot Stove League questions: Who's going to sign CC Sabathia? And who's going to trade for Jake Peavy? It's at least a possibility laid out by MLB.com's Lyle Spencer, and the more you... Read More
Topics: CC Sabathia , MLB , Jake Peavy , Los Angeles Angels

Pittsburgh Pirates sign Indian reality show winners

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November 25, 9:49 AM

Baseball has met the reality show, and the result is this bizarre story. The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed two 19-year-old would-be pitchers (never mind that they never have pitched in an organized game before) who were training in the United States... Read More
Topics: Pittsburgh Pirates , Tom House

Los Angeles Dodgers need CC Sabathia or Jake Peavy more than Manny Ramirez

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November 24, 10:06 AM

Chad Billingsley's fractured left fibula has thrown the Los Angeles Dodgers' rotation further into disarray.Two weeks away from the annual winter meetings, here is what GM Ned Colletti is looking at:1) Billingsley's lower left leg will be in a cast for... Read More
Topics: Los Angeles Dodgers , MLB , Chad Billingsley

Arizona Diamondbacks: Going in reverse as veteran stars depart

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November 22, 1:48 PM

Does anybody in the National League West want to challenge the Los Angeles Dodgers next season?The Colorado Rockies traded away their best chance along with All-Star Matt Holliday. Coming off a 99-loss season, the San Diego Padres are in the process... Read More
Topics: Arizona Diamondbacks , Randy Johnson , MLB

Chicago Cubs: Looking for a left-handed bat

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November 21, 11:01 AM

Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry still isn't sure who his new bosses are going to be, but he is settling on his 2009 roster.Kerry Wood is gone and Ryan Dempster has been locked into a four-year, $52-million deal, leaving Hendry with the key element... Read More
Topics: Chicago Cubs , Raul Ibanez , MLB , Jim Hendry