Player of the week
Matt Kemp • Los Angeles Dodgers • OF
Recently upgraded in the batting order, the Los Angeles center fielder is seeing an upgrade in production. From Aug. 27 through Sept. 1, Kemp went 11-for-25 with five home runs and nine RBI as the Dodgers have righted the ship in the NL West. Kemp spearheaded an L.A. victory on Aug. 30 by hitting a homer and driving in the winning run on a sacrifice fly in extra innings to beat the Reds. Kemp then had two hits and his 23rd four-bagger of the year as the Dodgers topped the Diamondbacks, 4-3. In a fairly quiet manner — especially in Los Angeles — Kemp has the NL’s sixth-best batting average and is third in stolen bases.
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He said what?
“I feel like I’m stealing money from (team owner) Jerry (Reinsdorf), and that’s a shame. When you have more errors than hits, you better look yourself in the mirror and second-guess yourself.”
— White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen after his team’s 10-0 loss against the Yankees on Saturday afternoon.
Story Lines
1. No contests » If the playoffs started today … they’d look a lot like they will a month from now. That’s because just about all of the divisional races — barring epic collapses — have all but been decided. The smallest spread is 3 1/2 games, as the Angels lead the Rangers in the AL West. While that one can’t be set in stone, the rest can. St. Louis has established itself as the dominant team in the NL Central. The Phillies and Yankees have control in both Eastern divisions. It’s hard to imagine the Tigers faltering from their 4 1/2 game advantage on Minnesota — an improving but unspectacular club. Still, the NL Wild Card — between Colorado and three others — bears watching.
2. White flag for White Sox » Things looked pretty good for the Chicago White Sox after July 23. Mark Buehrle had just twirled a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays and the Southsiders were tied for the top spot in the AL Central. However, it’s been all downhill from there. Recently, Chicago has hit a tailspin, losing nine of its past 11 and falling six games back of the first place Detroit Tigers. In the middle of this swoon, general manager Ken Williams dealt away designated hitter Jim Thome and pitcher Jose Contreras — which effectively signifies surrender in terms of reaching this year’s playoffs. It’s a curious and possibly knee-jerk decision, considering they have six head-to-head match-ups with Detroit still remaining.
3. California dealin’ » Is the offense in the AL that good or is the offense in the NL that bad? That’s a question running through many peoples’ heads after seeing Brad Penny — who was consistently shelled with the Red Sox — throw eight shutout innings for the Giants in a win over the Phillies on Wednesday. Penny won’t perform like that all the time for his new team, but he is capable — in a weaker-hitting league — to be an effective pitcher at the back of the rotation. Other recent West Coast moves include Thome and Jon Garland moving to the Dodgers. Down the freeway, the Angles got Scott Kazmir. On Wednesday afternoon, the former Rays pitcher gave up one run and three hits in 6.1 innings in a tough-luck loss.
Key Series
Tigers at Rays (Friday — Sunday) » In terms of its schedule, Tampa Bay has had little time to breathe. However, the Rays may be making their last-gasp efforts to reach a second straight postseason. Tampa used a late rally to get by Boston and creep closer in the AL Wild Card race. As of Thursday afternoon, the Rays were five games back and sitting in third. Detroit is on top of the Central. Last weekend the Tigers took two of three from Tampa at Comerica Park. Miguel Cabrera continues to pace the offense, leading the club in home runs, RBI, average and runs scored.
