Author's Blog

The post season is here with some very intriguing match ups. Houston and New York has some drama with C.C. Sabbathia in rehab and the Yanks out of the playoffs for the past couple of seasons.

Houston will pitch Dallas Kuechel and that could be enough to win the one game there. He does not have a great record on the road, however he has more than enough skills to get the job done. The Astros hit a lot of home runs in September as they have done all year and I expect to see a few more  at the Yankees stadium

The other wild card is a great match up between the Pirates and Cubs. Can anybody beat Jake Arietta? The way he has been throwing it does not appear he can be beat, but Gerrit Cole has a good a chance as anybody to do it. It is not hard to expect a low scoring game but I think the Pirates will find a way to win.

It is too bad the wild card games are just that. These teams deserve more than just one game to see who moves on.

It is no surprise the Indians are on the sidelines again. Being a .500 team will not be enough to see the playoffs and the front office needs to do something big. Tinkering with the roster won't do much, they have to find a way to bring in a power hitter even it means giving up a starting pitcher.

Let me know what you think on who will win the wild card games!

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I have to give the Indians a lot of credit for hanging on in the chase for the second wild card spot. The team is playing well and the offense has really come around.

That being said I truly hope the Indians front office does not sit with this lineup and make no changes for next year. The team still needs a power hitting outfielder and a third baseman. It is a mistake to think that players like Almonte, Johnson, Rayburn and Sands can carry the load. The Tribe needs a proven veteran that can hit home runs and knock in ninety RBI's or more.

All trade avenues should be explored and I would be willing to part with a Carrasco or Salazar to bring in a first class power hitter. For once the Indians have a lot of pitching and could afford to trade one of their better starters.

The Astros look good to grab the final wild card spot. The Twins have a chance but need to take three out of four from the Indians starting tonight. The Angels are still alive but I don't believe they can overtake Houston.

There is no drama in the National League but I expect a very exciting post-season. I have liked the Pirates from early on and I believe they will make a strong run for a spot in the World Series. At any rate there is going to be some entertaining baseball very soon.

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I wrote in the blog last week about the possible MVP candidates. Looking at the Cy Young award I think n the National League Zack Greinke has already earned it.  After yesterday's performance Greinke has a record of 17-3 with an incredible ERA of 1.61 They used to have ERA's like that in the Dead Ball era. I can't imagine what his record would be if he was pitching in 1915.

Other pitchers in the National League are having great years like Gerrit Cole, Baumgartner and the rest but Greinke is having a fantastic year. The Dodgers are in great shape for the playoffs if Clayton Kershaw can finally have a good post season.

Suddenly there is a race in the N.L. Central. The Cardinals have fallen back and the Pirates are closing fast. The Cubs are not too far off as well. St. Louis is getting most of their injured players back which should help but the race is getting very interesting.

A big series in the A.L. West is underway with Houston taking on the Texas Rangers. The Astros have been holding on for most of the year, but this is the Rangers time to exert themselves. I would not be shocked to see Texas take over first place.

The second wild card spot is still up for grabs in the A.L and yes the Indians still have a chance. They have to catch the Twins and either Houston or Texas to do it. Stranger things have happened but I can't see the Tribe continue their hot streak. Half of the lineup is batting around .220 and Jason Kipnis has tailed off considerably. If they manage to grab a spot in the playoffs I will be the first to admit I gave them no chance.

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With the regular season coming to a close it is time to look at the MVP's. In the American League it has to be Josh Donaldson. He has given the Blue Jays a tremendous lift, leading them to a possible division championship. He will probably finish with forty plus home runs and over 120 RBI's. I don't see anybody else that is challenging him. Steve Trout is having a fine year, but the Angels are probably not going to make the playoffs. Same for Nelson Cruz.

In the National League I am leaning towards Bryce Harper. Sure the Nationals have been a big disappointment, but Harper's play has kept them in contention for most of the year. Early in the season I believed Washington would run away with the division but the Mets have come on strong and should finish on top.

I don't see another player winning the MVP. Nobody has the numbers Harper does.

One of the hottest teams in the American League is none other than the Cleveland Indians. The pitching has been terrific, the hitting not so much. Even with Corey Kluber out of the rotation with an injury the Tribe keeps on winning. Excellent pitching from Josh Tomlin and Cody Anderson have led the way.  Right now only three teams are ahead of the Indians in the race for the second wild card. Only Texas is playing good baseball. I think we will know in about a week if Cleveland really has a chance. Leave it to the Indians to play poorly for eighty per cent of the season then come on strong at the end!

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Team President Marc Shapiro has officially left the Indians to take the CEO job with Toronto. Shapiro spent twenty-five years in the Cleveland front office. He was here for the good years in the late 1990's and for all the bad of the last fifteen.

The comments I am reading on-line are mostly negative. It is hard to argue about the Indians lack of success going back as many years as you want. The bottom line is the current ownership does not spend the money needed to compete. It is not a secret that the money for free agents is not here. I was shocked and excited when the Tribe signed Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher. At the time I believed the team would be greatly improved with two big name players. As we all know it did not work out. Now it is fairly obvious the ownership is not going to go that route anytime soon.

Shapiro rarely had the money to spend to improve the ball club. Most of the time he acquired players coming off bad years or serious injuries. Case in point was Scott Kasmir. The irony was when Kasmir made his comeback the Indians were not willing to spend the money to keep him. That sums up the front office pretty well.

We will see over the next couple of years what Shapiro is capable of doing. He has money to spend and an excellent team to work with. There are no excuses anymore.

In the middle of all this The Indians are on a roll, sweeping the Angels and still having a chance for the second wild card. They are benefiting from the poor play of most of the teams in the American League. Other than the Blue Jays, Royals, Astros and Yankees the rest of the league is mediocre or worse. If the Tribe was in the National League they would have no chance.

If the Indians can take two of three from the Blue Jays they will get my complete attention. I am eager to see if the Indians pitching staff can hold down the big three - Donaldson, Bautista and Encarnacion. If they accomplish that I might be a believer.

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