NL East Update: The one where Jurrjens takes a risk
Tomahawk Take gives us the latest on some issues concerning the Braves pitching staff.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and for the Atlanta Braves, that means sending Jair Jurrjens out to the mound with a slight meniscus tear in his knee. I don't necessarily disagree with the move, but I would hate to see Jurrjens leave the game early due to reinjuring himself. This season was a wash for Jurrjens because of this injury. I am confident he will come back next season with a chip on his shoulder, proving to be one of the better pitchers in the NL.
With a ten game win streak and arguably the best rotation in the game, the Phillies have emerged as the flat out favorite not just in the National League, but maybe all of baseball.
The Philadelphia Phillies continue to prove us why they have always been the team to beat. They hold a commanding six game lead over the Atlanta Braves and have all but wrapped up the NL East race, as they vie for their fourth consecutive title. Acquiring Roy Oswalt has turned out to be the best move at the deadline, seriously, who knows what would have happened if he stayed in Houston. Philadelphia is peaking at the perfect time, which is a scary thought, it is hard seeing them not breeze through the NLDS and NLCS as they wait for either the Yankees or Rays.
The Florida Marlins are spending their late September reflecting on the long season and how their catching situation panned out.
The catching platoon clearly did not work for Florida this year, but I don't think that means they should totally scrap the idea. John Baker was hurt early in the year forcing Ronny Paulino to inherit more playing time, its as simple as that, the platoon could prove to be successful if both players are healthy. I don't see Florida going after Victor Martinez during the off-season, and quite honestly I don't think the Red Sox catcher has any interest in them either. Personally, I think the Marlins should give the platoon another shot, what do they have to lose.
Citi Field has been the blame for several of the Mets power struggles, most notably David Wright and Jason Bay, but the team has no plans on changing the dimensions anytime soon.
These days, all the new baseball stadiums outfield walls have some sort of oddness about them. You will never find a ballpark that has perfectly symmetrical walls wrapped around the outfield. I couldn't help but notice that several of the comments made a point at how "fair" the dimensions were at Shea Stadium. Here are the numbers, 338 down the lines, 378 in the gaps, and 410 to center. This way it gave all hitters an equal shot on all sides of the field. We have heard it over and over with the Mets, they are trying to build a team to the stadiums strengths and they don't have any intentions of backing out of that philosophy.
Washington Nationals President, Stan Kasten, has given several fans a reason to believe by setting the groundwork for a winner, but will he be around to see it all come together?
The thing I like about Kasten is that he makes his voice hears and he gets things done, which is also a reason why he turns some people off. The thought of Kasten not being with the Nationals for next year and beyond sounds crazy because of how much of an influence he's had on this current team. He was there with the Atlanta Braves during their glory years in the nineties so he has the experience to back him up. Sure, Kasten may be difficult to get along with but how can you argue with his results?
