Halladay Throws a No-Hitter in the NLDS; Is He the NL Cy Young Winner?

In a great pitching performance, off-season acquisition Roy Halladay led the Phillies to a 4-0 victory over the Reds in game 1 of the NLDS with a no-hitter. Halladay threw 5 perfect innings, then gave up a walk to Jay Bruce, but still finished with a no-hitter. Halladay was 21-10 with a 2.44 ERA this year for the Phillies. Is Roy Halladay the favorite for the NL Cy Young?

Halladay had a very strong season, but there are a couple of pitchers who are also legitimate candidates for the award. Let's take a look at the each pitchers case for the award.

Roy Halladay, Phillies
Halladay came to the Phillies in an off-season trade with the Blue Jays and was a huge success for the Phillies. Halladay was 21-10 this season with a 2.44 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. He threw a perfect game earlier in the year against the Marlins on May 29, and threw a no-hitter in his first playoff appearance against the Reds today.

Adam Wainwright, Cardinals
Wainwright is a little bit of a long shot due to his late season arm injury, he did have a solid year that including a 20-11 record. Wainwright had an ERA of 2.42 and a WHIP of 1.05. Wainwright's batting average against is lower than Halladay's at .224 (Halladay's is .245). Wainwright's Cardinals did not make the playoffs, which may lower his chances of winning, but Wainwright definitely had a solid season.

Ubaldo Jimenez, Rockies
Ubaldo Jimenez started off the season booming, throwing a no-hitter against the Braves on April 17. At the All-Star break, Ubaldo was 15-1 with a 2.20 ERA, and looked like the sure Cy Young winner. However, Jimenez really started to fall off a little bit in June, with 4.41 ERA, and then a 6.04 ERA in July. His final post All-Star game stats are a 4-7 record with a 3.80 ERA, which is nowhere near the dominance of his start to the season. He finished the year with a 19-8 record and a 2.88 ERA. His WHIP finished at 1.15, and a BAA of .209.

Overall, while all three of these pitchers had great seasons, I think the final rankings are:
1. Roy Halladay
2. Ubaldo Jimenez
3. Adam Wainwright

It's been a great first day in the playoffs so far, with a 5-1 win by the Rangers over the Rays, and the 4-0 no-hitter victory for the Phillies over the Reds. The Yankees-Twins game starts in about 10 minutes on TBS.

MLB Playoffs: Twins Are the First to Clinch

As we come down the stretch of the Major League Baseball season, the pennant races are really beginning to heat up. The first team to clinch a position in this year's postseason is the AL Central champion Minnesota Twins. Let's take a look at the Twins season, and how they may fair in the postseason.

Hitting
The hitting for the Twins has been pretty good, despite the loss of Justin Morneau. Denard Span leads the team with 24 stolen bases. Orlando Hudson has been decent in the 2-spot, hitting .271. Joe Mauer has hit well despite a power outage (just 9 HRs this year), but he has a .331 batting average. Jason Kubel has hit out the cleanup spot much of the year, hitting 19 HRs this year. Michael Cuddyer has 14 HR and 78 RBI for Minnesota, and Jim Thome has been spectacular hitting 25 HR to lead Minnesota. Delmon Young has had a breakout year, with 18 HR and 105 RBI. Danny Valencia has been playing 3rd Base for the Twins, hitting .328 in 76 games. J.J. Hardy has been decent at SS for the Twins, hitting .274 in 97 games. While Justin Morneau may not return for post season play, IF Nick Punto (.249 in 84 games), IF Alexi Casilla (.277 in 63 games) and OF Jason Repko (3 HR in 50 games) round out the bench for Minnesota.

Starting Pitching
The ace of this Minnesota pitching staff has clearly been 26-year-old Francisco Liriano. Liriano has a 14-9 record, a 3.48 ERA, and a 1.26 WHIP. Carl Pavano has won 17 games this year, and has thrown 2 shutouts this year. He has a 1.16 WHIP and has thrown the most inning of anyone on the staff this year at 210 innings. Scott Baker has been injured been hurt, and has a record of 12-9 with an WHIP of 1.33. Kevin Slowey has an impressive 1.27, with a record of 13-6. Nick Blackburn has started 24 games, and thrown 149.2 inning. He has been one of the weaker pitchers for the Twins, with an ERA 5.23.

Bullpen
The bullpen was hurt at the beginning of the year with the loss of all-star closer Joe Nathan, but the bullpen has been good enough for Minnesota this year. Brian Duensing has been great for them, starting 11 games, and coming in for relief in 40 games. He has a WHIP of 1.13 and a 2.19 ERA. Matt Guerrier and Jesse Crain have combined for 131 innings. Jose Mijares has also contributed 29 innings. The closer this year is Jon Rauch has 21 saves, which isn't exactly spectacular, but he has been serviceable.

Overall, the Twins have a decent team, but I don't think they are favored over the Yankees or Rays, whom they will probably face in the playoffs.

Predicting the Playoff Teams in the National League

With the season winding down, and the calendar turning to September, it's time to start predicting the final four teams in each league. First, let's look at the National League.

NL West: San Diego Padres
The Padres have the best record in the NL, and currently lead the NL West. They have a 4.5 game lead over the Giants. The schedule down the road will be tough, as they play the Rockies twice, the Dodgers twice, the Giants once, the Cardinals once, Cincinnati once, and the Cubs once. Only the Cubs, who they close out the season with, are below the .500 mark. The Padres have a very good bullpen, and their starters have been solid this season. If Adrian Gonzalez and Ryan Ludwick can power the offense, the Padres pitching can lead them deep in the playoffs.

NL Central: Cincinnati Reds
The Reds are another surprise team in the NL, and have proven that they can definitely stick in the playoff race. They currently lead the Cardinals by an astounding 7 games, considering the fact that the last time the two teams met, the Cardinals swept the Reds. The Reds have an easier schedule than the Padres do, as in September they play the Cardinals, the Rockies, the Pirates, the Diamondbacks, the Astros (twice), the Brewers, and the Padres. The Pirates, Diamondbacks and Astros are all below .500, and those three teams account for about 43% of the team's games in September. The only questions I have about the Reds concern the health of Edinson Volquez, and how the bullpen holds up. Rookie Aroldis Champan has just been called up and will likely pitch out of the bullpen the rest of the year, and is postseason eligible. In his first start, he reached 102 MPH. The offense led by Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips should be solid.

NL East: Atlanta Braves
The Braves are 3.5 games up on the defending NL champion Philadelphia Phillies. The Braves have done this with a combination of solid hitting and good pitching. Rookie Jason Heyward has been on a tear late in the season here for Atlanta, struggling with some injury issues in the middle of the year. Chipper Jones and Troy Glaus are on the DL, and the team has acquired 1B Derrek Lee. Tim Hudson has been phenomenal for the Braves this season, with 15 wins and an impressive ERA of 2.24. In September, the Braves will take on the Mets (once, but finish up a series against them the first two days of September), the Marlins (twice), St. Louis, Washington (twice), and then what could be a crucial series against the Phillies in the second to last week of the season. I think the Braves definitely have the talent to win this division.

NL Wild Card: San Francisco Giants
The Giants currently are behind the Phillies by 1.5 games, but I think their pitching will lead them to the postseason this year. Tim Lincecum obviously hasn't been himself in August (0-5, 7.82 ERA), but I think Lincecum can bring himself back in September. Matt Cain and Jonathan Sanchez also give them a three-deep rotation that can match any in the NL. Buster Posey is showing how much of an impact he can make in the majors (a big one, 9 HR and 40 RBI in the last two months) and is really giving the Giants an offensive force. If the offense holds up, the Giants could make the playoffs. The schedule, as it is for most of the NL West teams, will be tough due to the fact that the 4 top teams play each other almost constantly down the stretch in September. They play LA twice, Colorado, San Diego, Arizona, Milwaukee, and Chicago. The last three aren't as strong, but Arizona had a great August and the Brewers have Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun, a very dangerous combo.