Key players for each contender as the stretch nears

Their playoff hopes hanging by a thread, the Twins need '06 MVP Justin Morneau to start hitting down the stretch like he did last year. Tom Dahlin/SI

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Everybody needs a September hero. Remember Johan Santana of the Twins last year (or just about any year), or Albert Pujols of the Cards in 2006? The Yankees' Aaron Small and Houston's Andy Pettitte the year before that? The Angels' Vladimir Guerrero and the Braves' J.D. Drew -- yes, J.D. Drew -- back in '04? You can grab a hot swinger or a dominating pitcher from any September and point to his importance in securing his team a postseason spot.

Here's a pitcher or hitter from each playoff wannabe who will have to come through this September:

American League

Red Sox -- Boston has the best and deepest pitching staff in baseball, so even if a starter struggles or somebody in the bullpen has a bad week or two, the Sox should be OK. What they need is Drew -- who had a miserable July (.213) but seems to be coming around this month -- to do what he did for the Braves in '04, when he hit .293 with a 1.020 OPS after Sept. 1. Failing that, what about Kevin Youkilis (.225, .335 on-base after the break) doing something out of the No. 2 hole?

Indians -- There's no reason to think that C.C. Sabathia and the rest of the rotation can't keep up their good work for another month. The lineup, though, can definitely improve. It works better when designated hitter Travis Hafner -- who hit only .233 with a puny .406 slugging percentage in May, June and July -- is hitting like he did last August (.361, 13 homers, 1.340 OPS).

Angels -- The most well-balanced team in the bigs has shown all season that it can take a down couple of weeks from just about anyone. But if Guerrero isn't hitting -- and don't worry about him, considering he has a .986 career OPS after Sept. 1 -- they'll need someone else to provide some punch. That leaves Mr. Angel, Garret Anderson, who had eight homers and 23 RBIs in September of '02 to help the Halos on their way to the World Series.

Mariners -- The surprise team of the season plays good defense, has a shutdown bullpen and a better offense than anyone expected. The starting pitching? Well, it's there. Felix Hernandez, still just 21, is the team's unquestioned ace. But the Mariners need some steady work from at least one other starter. The most likely candidate would be lefty Jarrod Washburn, who went 3-1 in five September starts, with a 1.93 ERA, with the Angels in '02.

Yankees -- They'll hit. Everyone knows they'll hit. The key is getting good innings out of the starters to ease the load on the bullpen. Mike Mussina's problems aside, the Yanks desperately need Roger Clemens to pitch more like he did Wednesday night against the Red Sox, or like he did for the Astros in September '04 (4-0, 2.57 ERA in six starts, 46 strikeouts in 42 innings), than how he did in his previous starts this month (5.79 ERA, 27 hits in 18 2/3 innings).

Tigers -- Before Wednesday's game, the reeling Tigers had scored about 4.8 runs a game in August and still were just 10-16. That's a big ol' finger pointing right at the pitching -- specifically, the starters. Expecting a turnaround from Jeremy Bonderman (7.11 ERA in August) or youngster Andrew Miller (who lasted just 2/3 of an inning on Wednesday against the Royals) is asking too much. Justin Verlander can't do it all on his own. But he has to pitch better than he has in August (35 hits in 28 1/3 innings, a 5.08 ERA) for the Tigers to have any chance at all.

Twins -- Their hopes hanging by a rapidly fraying thread, the Twins don't have to worry about their pitching. That's solid, led by Mr. September, Santana. (He is 14-4, with a 2.38 ERA after Sept. 1 in his career.) What they need is more from 2006 AL MVP Justin Morneau, who is hitting .240, with just one home run, this month. After Sept. 1 last year, he hit .345 with an .884 OPS in leading Minnesota to the AL Central title.

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