Expanding horizons
Week at a Glance: D'backs, Rays power into respectability
Posted: Wednesday May 05, 1999 11:36 PM
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Raising Arizona: Jay Bell has provided seven of the Diamondbacks' major league-leading 36 home runs. AP |
By James Quintong, CNN/SI
The Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL showed expansion
teams can contend in the playoffs right away. Thus, some fans of the Tampa Bay Devil
Rays and Arizona
Diamondbacks are expecting very big things from their teams this year.
Right now, neither team has disappointed.
The Devil Rays and Diamondbacks are two of the hottest teams in the
majors, each just coming off six-game winning streaks to propel them above
the .500 mark and within striking distance of the division lead.
Both teams have caught the home run fever left over from last season,
helping them emerge from the cellar, where both spent most of their time in
'98. The Diamondbacks lead the majors with 36 homers, paced by veterans Jay Bell and Matt Williams, tied for
the NL lead with seven each.
Tampa Bay is led by Jose Canseco, who tops
the majors with 10 dingers, a personal best for April. Fresh off a 46-homer
campaign with Toronto last year, Canseco seems to have rediscovered the
stroke that made him one of baseball's most feared power hitters early in
his career.
Of course, teams can't win consistently without decent pitching. The
Diamondbacks obviously believe that, shelling out big bucks over the
offseason for Randy
Johnson, Todd
Stottlemyre and Armando Reynoso. All
three have lived up to their billing so far, especially the Big Unit, who
has struck out 55 through five starts. However, Gregg Olson blew his
first three save opportunities to start the season before picking up two
saves last week to regain some confidence.
The Devil Rays' staff has taken the opposite track to pitching excellence.
The starting rotation has struggled with a 5.42 ERA, despite Tony Saunders' near
no-hitter against Baltimore last week. Instead, it's the bullpen, led by AL
saves leader Roberto
Hernandez, that has shined. The Rays' pen, which had the second-best
ERA in the AL last year, has a 3.30 ERA this year.
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New York Yankees at Texas Rangers, April
27-29
After a slight slump in Detroit, the Yankees returned to
normal by stifling the Rangers in a two-game series last week at Yankee
Stadium. Now, the Bronx Bombers take a five-game winning streak into the
Ballpark against the streaking Rangers, who have won four straight, in a
battle of division leaders. The Rangers lead the underachieving AL West
despite Juan
Gonzalez hitting just one homer this season. Texas' pitching is also
rounding into shape after the starters put up abysmal numbers to start the
season. Roger
Clemens has a chance at breaking the AL record for consecutive wins -
in his home state, no less.
If you only watch one:
Roger Clemens (2-0,
4.07 ERA) vs. Aaron
Sele (3-1, 3.22 ERA), April 27 |
San Francisco
Giants at New York
Mets, April 30-May 2
The two wild-card wannabes from last
season have started strong in 1999, but both are dealing with injuries. Barry Bonds is out of
the lineup for the next two months after elbow surgery, but the Giants
still took three in a row from the Rockies over the weekend. The Mets
welcomed back Mike
Piazza on Sunday but now have lost Bobby Bonilla for about
a week with knee problems. The bullpens may be the key factor here as the
Giants' Robb Nen
chases John Franco
for the league lead in saves.
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Baltimore blues
The
Orioles have the second-highest payroll in the majors as well as the worst
record. Ray Miller ripped into his team Sunday after Baltimore pitchers
issued 14 walks in a wild 11-10 loss to the A's that saw the O's rally from
a 6-0 deficit, only to give up five runs over the final two innings.
Miller's job may be in jeopardy, considering the awful play of his team. Albert Belle and Mike Mussina are the
only consistent performers, and the injured Cal Ripken has even hinted at
retirement. Fans still pack Camden Yards, but for how long? |
Chicago hopeless
Dr.
Greene, Dr. Carter and the folks at "er" could be kept busy throughout the
summer after seeing the Cubs' injury-riddled pitching staff. Kerry Wood's injury was
just the tip of the iceberg. Kevin Tapani became the
fifth Cubs pitcher on the disabled list after being sidelined with a
shoulder injury. Then another starter, Jon Lieber, missed a
start after getting hit in the face with a ball during batting practice.
Finally, reliever Matt
Karchner left Sunday's game with a groin injury. At this point, the
Cubs may need to suit up announcer Steve Stone, a former Cy Young winner.
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Joy
Fernando Tatis, STL,
2-5, 2 HRs, 8 RBIs vs. LA on April 23 First player in history to hit two
grand slams in one inning |
Coy
Juan Gonzalez, TEX, 1
HR, 13 RBIs Finally hit first homer of season last week against
Minnesota |
Oy!
Tom Glavine, ATL, 0-3,
5.61 ERA NL hitting .300 against reigning Cy Young winner |
For the money
Mike Morgan, TEX, 4-0,
3.42 ERA, 0.95 WHIP Leads AL with four wins, has one walk in 26 1/3
IP |
To the show
Mo Vaughn,
ANA, .222 (1-for-7), 1 HR, 2 RBIs Hits SkyDome restaurant window in
first at-bat off DL |
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| Hideo Nomo decided he
didn't want to stay in the minors for two more starts so the Cubs released
him. Nomo wasn't sharp in his starts, partly due to bad weather. Any team
that takes a chance on him probably won't to put him in the majors right
away. | DOWN |
| All the Denver-area teams, including
the Colorado
Rockies, postponed games last week in the wake of the shootings at
Columbine High School in suburban Littleton, showing there are many things
more important than sports. |
UP |
| The Red Sox and Indians spoiled an
otherwise quality series with two bench-clearing brawls on Friday. Jaret Wright brought
back some bad memories from last year's playoff when he hit Darren Lewis to touch
off the first fight. Then Rheal Cormier hit Jim Thome in
retaliation to start the second fracas. Supposedly, everyone has made up,
though. | DOWN |
The Phillies took a chance by
starting Rico Brogna
against Randy Johnson. Brogna was the first lefthanded hitter to start
against the Big Unit this season and only the fourth lefty to bat cleanup
against him in eight years. He went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, but at
least he was out there.
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UP |
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Walk watch
 The Walk Watch continues. Last year, Mark McGwire fell only
eight bases on balls shy of Babe Ruth's single-season record. With pitchers
no longer obligated to throw strikes to McGwire, will he walk on by the
Babe? And with Albert
Belle no longer protecting Frank Thomas, might the
Big Hurt amble into history? CNN/SI charts the walks issued to McGwire,
Thomas and other notables inclined to chase a new number this season --
170. |
| Major League
Leaders in Walks: Games through April 26 |
| 1. Jose Cruz, TOR, -- 22 bases on balls |
| 2 (tie). Albert Belle, BAL, and John Olerud, NYM -
19 |
| 4 (tie). Mark McGwire, STL, and
two others - 17 (McGwire projection: 170) |
| 7 (tie).
Frank Thomas, CHA,
and Rickey
Henderson, NYM - 16 |
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| Questions? Comments? Concerns? Ask the Glance. |
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Glance answers up |
Could you tell me the status of
Ray Lankford's
injury and when he is expected back in the line up?
Paul,
Dayton, OH
Lankford, expected to give Mark McGwire some
protection in the lineup, hadn't played all season after complications from
offseason knee surgery. However, the Cardinals activated Lankford from the
disabled list last weekend, a couple of days earlier than expected, for
their series in Los Angeles. He appeared in two games and even had an RBI
double on Saturday. He'll be eased into the lineup very slowly as doctors
continue to monitor the progress of his knee, but he should be playing
full-time in a couple of weeks. | |
CNN/SI's Baseball Week at a Glance appears each Tuesday
throughout the season.
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