Good and bad news for Braves; no advantage for Giants, Padres
The lead in the National League West has changed hands four times in 5 days. So with a week left to play, the Phillies still don't know whether they'll be facing the Padres, Giants or Reds in the first round of the playoffs.
The lead in the National League West has changed hands four times in 5 days. So with a week left to play, the Phillies still don't know whether they'll be facing the Padres, Giants or Reds in the first round of the playoffs.
The wild card also remains up for grabs among San Diego, San Francisco and Cincinnati.
About the only certainty seems to be that another late charge by the Rockies will come up short. Colorado is four games behind in the wild-card standings with just a week left to play.
Braves manager Bobby Cox tasted champagne over the weekend for his 2,500th career win, but it remains a question whether he'll have another opportunity before he retires at the end of the season, ending his storied career. The good news is that the Braves will close out the year at Turner Field, where they're 52-23.
On the other hand, Jair Jurrjens was unable to pitch yesterday because of continuing knee problems and rookie Mike Minor is admittedly fatigued. That left Cox scrambling, with the possibility that ace Tim Hudson could start on short rest tomorrow.
That will have an impact on the Phillies. If the Braves end up as the wild card, they'll play the other division winner with the lesser record, which could be Cincinnati. If they don't, they'll play the loser of the Padres-Giants tussle for the NL West.
The Giants close out the season at AT & T Park, including the final three games of the season against the Padres. But that might not be quite the advantage it seems. Both teams left standing in that division have been equally successful at home and on the road.
TODAY'S MATCHUPS
Marlins RHP Alex Sanabia (5-3, 3.99) vs. Braves RHP Tommy Hanson (10-11, 3.51)
Cubs RHP Carlos Zambrano (9-6, 3.56) vs. Padres RHP Tim Stauffer (5-4, 1.95)
TOMORROW'S MATCHUPS
Marlins RHP Anibal Sanchez (12-11, 3.60) vs. Braves RHP Tim Hudson (16-9, 2.80)
Cubs RHP Ryan Dempster (14-11, 3.87) vs. Padres RHP Mat Latos (14-8, 2.91)
Diamondbacks RHP Rodrigo Lopez (7-14, 5.04) vs. Giants LHP Jonathan Sanchez (11-9, 3.16)
WEDNESDAY'S MATCHUPS
Marlins LHP Andrew Miller (1-4, 8.19) vs. Braves RHP Derek Lowe (15-12, 4.07)
Cubs RHP Randy Wells (8-13, 4.28) vs. Padres RHP Chris Young (1-0, 1.20)
Diamondbacks RHP Ian Kennedy (9-9, 3.76) vs. Giants LHP Madison Bumgarner (6-6, 3.06)
THURSDAY'S MATCHUPS
Cubs LHP Tom Gorzelanny (7-9, 4.28) vs. Padres RHP Jon Garland (14-12, 3.58)
Diamondbacks RHP Barry Enright (6-6, 3.73) vs. Giants RHP Tim Lincecum (15-10, 3.51)
THE STAT
The Giants' 10-9, 10-inning loss to the Rockies on Saturday ended a remarkable streak of 18 straight games in which San Francisco had allowed three or fewer runs. That's just two short of the record, set by the 1917 Chicago White Sox.
REMAINING SCHEDULES
Braves: MARLINS (3), PHILLIES (3)
Giants: DIAMONDBACKS (3), PADRES (3)
Padres: CUBS (4), at Giants (3)
Rockies: DODGERS (3), at Cardinals (4)