The regular season finale

[Olympic Fan]

Baseball wraps up its regular season today ... barring weather delays or a playoff for the last playoff spots. I know a lot of you will be watching pro football, but for the small handful of baseball fans out there, I will be watching:

-- The Mets/Marlins and Brewers/Cubs ... with the NL wild card on the line. A year ago, the Mets lost a playoff spot when they were pounded on the last day of the regular season (Tom Glavine gave up seven first-inning runs). Both the Mets and the Brewers enter today's games at 89-72. If both win or both lose, they play off tomorrow in New York.

One interesting subplot -- C.C. Sabathia is pitching on three-days rest for the third straight game. He's almost singlehandedly kept the Brewers afloat. If he wins today, it will be hard to deny him in the NL Cy Young, even for half a season's work.

-- Minnesota opens today at 87-74, while the White Sox are 86-74 in the race for the AL Central title. If both win or both lose, the White Sox have a makeup game Monday. Even if the White Sox win and the Twins lose, they'll have to play that makeup game. Only if the Twins win and White Sox lose will the race be decided today.

If the race is still tied after Monday's makeup game, the Twins and White Sox will meet in a playoff Tuesday ...

-- A couple of individual races still up for grabs. My focus will be on the NL batting race. Atlanta's Chipper Jones (.364) leads St. Louis' Albert Pujols (.356) by eight points. Pujols has been hot -- he went 6-for-6 Thursday and Friday before a 1-for-4 game Saturday (albiet with a game-winning home run). Chipper has a shoulder problem and hasn't been playing in the field, but he's been pinch-hitting every game.

[dkbaseball]

Sabathia's case for the Cy is strong, but I just don't see how Tim Lincecum's body of work over the season can be denied. !7-5 for a team that was under .400 when he wasn't pitching, 2.66 ERA, leading the majors in strikeouts by a bunch.

By way of patting myself on the back, and as a cautionary tale for those who doubt my prognosticative powers, I'll note that I posted here in March of last year after seeing Lincecum in spring training, before he'd thrown an inning in the majors, that he was an absolute freak. Of course really, all you need is a pair of functioning eyes to pick up on that. There were, however, a lot of doubters about his size.

[YmoBeThere]

I'm just trying to deal with all the rain in the area...though I think Boston's spot is essentially decided and they will be facing the Angels in the first round.

FWIW, the Dodgers and their measly but NL West winning record are matched up with the Phillies.

[Olympic Fan]

At least if you are a Mets fan ...

Mets go into the eighth tied 2-2 with the Marlins ... Cubs and Brewers are tied 1-1 in the eighth in Milwaukee.

The Met bullpen promptly gives up back to back solo homers to lead off the eighth and within five minutes, Ryan Braun hits a two-run homer for the Brewers in the bottom of the inning ...

Suddenly, the Mets are nine outs from elimination.

As I write this, both the Twins and White Sox are leading in their games.

[dkbaseball]

OK, Sabathia has changed my mind. I'd give him at least a 50 percent chance at the Cy. It's not like he completely stunk the first half of the season, and he couldn't have given the Brewers any more in the second half.

[bigj4194]

Tim Lincecum for the CY YOUNG!!!! timmy throws a dirty curveball...i've seen him pitch a couple times and he is just incredible. What he has done for the Giants, even with their poor record, is certainly deserving of the Cy Young. I am from San Francisco so as a Giants Fan I certainly hope timmy wins it

[blazindw]

It's a final...Marlins 4, Mets 2. The Brewers win the NL Wildcard.

Edit: And I also read somewhere that Sabathia leads BOTH leagues in number of shutouts this season. In my mind, he has been the best pitcher in the majors this year, regardless of which league he's in. I would find it very disappointing if he didn't win the Cy Young in the NL only because he was in the NL for half a season. He has been the best pitcher in the league, hands down...he deserves the Cy Young in either league.

[Deslok]

Things are settling in. The Mets, again, are eliminated on the final day. The Twins look like they'll win, forcing the ChiSox to win tomorrow in order to force a playoff(you have to think Tampa is hoping they'll win, and the one game playoff will wear out the winner, who plays Tampa in the opening round). I know I look at things with a slight bias, but I really think the best 2 teams in baseball are matching up in the division series, Red Sox vs Angels. The way things have gone this year, the Angels have to be favored, but should be a fun series(and how are the Angels host of niggling injuries to all sorts of folks, while for the Sox, the status of Drew and Lowell is the big question).

And I feel obliged to point out, that the LA Dodgers who got a bit of hooplah for taking over the NL West since the Manny trade, finished with a record that would have put them 5th, yes 5th in the AL East, behind Tampa, Boston, New York, and Toronto. Its great that the Yankees didn't make the playoffs and all, but that's an indication of just how brutal the AL East is when a division winner elsewhere is behind 4 of the 5 teams.

[YmoBeThere]

Its not called the NL Worst for nothing...

[Olympic Fan]

Another amazing collapse by the Mets ... the Brewers are in, although with their pitching shot, they start in an 0-2 hole. I guess they might get one win when Sabathia pitches Game 3 back in Milwaukee ...

I can see the case for Lincecum -- 17-5 for a bad team and a 2.66 ERA.

But I can also see why CC might win it -- since he joined the Brewers on July 8, he started 17 games and the Brewers won 14. He was 11-2 with a 1.66 ERA for a team that made the playoffs on the last day of the season. He pitched on short rest in his final three starts and finishes up with a complete game in which he gives up one unearned run -- Wow!

Twins did win, so we have the White Sox and Tigers in a makeup game at 2 p.m. Monday and if the White Sox win, they have to meet the Twins in a playoff game Tuesday. Obviously, if the Tigers win, the Twins are in the playoffs.

Chipper did win the batting title ... he pinch hit for the Braves and walked, so he finished at .364. Pujols had two at bats for the Cards and with one hit, finished at .357 (I think Berkman finished third at .321).

Yanks are about to beat the Red Sox in an absolutely meaningless game, but if you are a Yankee or a Red Sox fan, none of their matchups is meaningless. They play another meaningless game tonight.

[roywhite]

Ryan Howard finishes with .251 BA, 48 HR, and 146 RBI, with a great September in leading his team to the NL East title. Is this enough for the MVP, or does Pujols or someone else get it?

[dkbaseball]

Ryan Howard finishes with .251 BA, 48 HR, and 146 RBI, with a great September in leading his team to the NL East title. Is this enough for the MVP, or does Pujols or someone else get it?

Howard's got my vote. The talking heads seem to be saying Pujols, but those power numbers, put up mostly when it counted, just can't be denied. The batting average even snuck up there into respectability territory.

[YmoBeThere]

Yanks are about to beat the Red Sox in an absolutely meaningless game, but if you are a Yankee or a Red Sox fan, none of their matchups is meaningless. They play another meaningless game tonight.

Not sure if I truly qualify to be a Red Sox fan as I have only been here for two seasons, but it is a meaningless game. The joy here was when the Yankees failed to qualify for the playoffs.

[Olympic Fan]

I'm not sure I was right to characterize New York's Sunday afternoon win over Boston as meaningless.

It was very important for Mike Mussina, who got his 20th win -- the first 20-win season of his career.

He's an interesting Hall of Fame debate -- 270 career wins now, but with that one 20-win season ... a so-so postseason pitcher ... never won a Cy Young, but finished in the top 10 of Cy Young vote like 10 years.

I doubt he hangs around long enough to get to 300 (which would be automatic election), but he ought to return for one or two more seasons ... maybe 285-290 career wins.

Does he get in?

[rasputin]

Howard's got my vote. The talking heads seem to be saying Pujols, but those power numbers, put up mostly when it counted, just can't be denied. The batting average even snuck up there into respectability territory.

If Howard wins over Pujols, there ought to be an investigation. Look at the real numbers: on-base percentage, slugging percentage, runs created, any of the sabermetrics you care to look at, and Pujols laps Howard and the rest of the field.