Roll of the Dice-K

Diasuke Matsuzaka had become a forgotten man in the Boston Red Sox starting rotation. Worn down from the World Baseball Classic, Dice-K performed nowhere near his career norms prior to being sent to the disabled list at mid-season. Matsuzaka returned with a sharp performance last week and followed that up with another solid start Sunday night.
The impact of Dice-K's return cannot be over stated - the Red Sox are now the favorites to win the American League pennant. A four-man front of Dice, Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz far exceeds that of the other three playoff teams. In addition, the Red Sox have hit at a .287 team clip over the last month and have scored almost five runs per game. Boston is on fire and only stellar pitching by their opponents stands between them and the World Series.

Return of the Jake

28-year-old righthander Jake Peavy returned to the mound Saturday night and made his debut with the Chicago White Sox. Peavy got the win in a solid if unspectacular outing. He threw 73 pitches over five innings allowing three runs on three hits and striking out five. One of the hits was a bomb off the bat of Kansas City's Billy Butler. Still, Peavy looked good. He topped out at 91-92, down about 4 mph from his usual self. But his fastball had its signature late life, inducing a fair amount of swings and misses. Most importantly, number forty-four looked confident and pitched aggressively, several times brushing batters away from the plate. Word is the White Sox will give him about 75 pitches a start in his next three outings to close out the season. Peavy is poised to become Chicago's ace in 2010, moving lefty John Danks down to the number two slot in the rotation and Mark Buehrle to the third spot. With Gavin Floyd perhaps the major's best number four starter, the ChiSox have the makings of an excellent rotation next year. They have to be considered one the favorites heading into the season. Look for GM Ken Williams to trade closer Bobby Jenks for a bat, possibly a first baseman. With the Sox' payroll expected to be high next season, the team could use a bat that won't add much to payroll. An potential match might be the Texas Rangers who could send free-swinging slugger Chris Davis to the south side for Jenks.
Either way, seeing Peavy attack hitters as he's done for six years was an encouraging sign for White Sox fans and fantasy owners lucky enough to own "Peav."

September Drama

At the beginning of the month, it appeared that baseball fans would have plenty of time to adjust their fantasy football rosters since the MLB playoff scene appeared set. However, with 15 games left, two races have jumped into the picture.
In the AL Central, the Detroit Tigers are trying their hardest to relinquish what was once a commanding lead. Entering play on the 19th, the Tigers' lead had been cut to three games thanks to a loss to the Minnesota Twins on Friday night. The Tigers pitching staff has been dreadful over the last month, which Jim Leyland able to count on ace Justin Verlander and no one else. The Detroit bullpen is terrible, Edwin Jackson has regressed and mid-season acquisition Jarrod Washburn has underwhelmed. The Twins still face an uphill climb without slugger Justin Morneau, who is out for the season with a back injury. It's been a season of disappointment for Minnesota as their once-vaunted pitching staff has been pedestrian at best. The Twins will need to split the weekend games and keep the margin at three games in order to have a chance. If the Tigers can win both - and stretch the lead to five - it's over.
In the National League, the Colorado Rockies recently enjoyed a six-game advantage in the Wild Card race. Pitching woes have haunted them as well and their lead over the San Francisco Giants has been whittled to a mere two and a half games. The Rox have the edge as they are a more-complete team than the Giants. The absence of closer Huston Street has thinned out the Colorado bullpen and pushed lefty set-up man Franklin Morales into the stopper's role. Ultimately, this race will come down to San Francisco's pitching. If they excel and keep the Giants in every game going forward, they may be able to sneak by the Rockies despite having an offense that has been on life support all season. My guess is the Rox have just enough to hold off the Giants and earn a playoff berth for the second time in three seasons.