It wouldn't be the dog days of summer without a good old fashioned panic attack in the Northeast, where baseball fans live and die with the outcome of each night's game. In almost perfect symmetry, the Red Sox, Yankees and Mets all got bad news on the injury front Wednesday.
Considering where the big three sit in the standings, fans in New York and Boston have plenty to be concerned about. Let's look at each team's situation and try to assess how bad things are right now and how bleak they could get.
Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz has already missed almost two months this season with a torn tendon sheath in his wrist. Now the slugger is reporting that he's hearing a "clicking" sound in the wrist he injured back on May 31 in Baltimore. The good news for Boston fans is that, on its own, the clicking sound isn't a concern. Indeed, Ortiz was back in the lineup for Wednesday night's game against the Royals.
However, as injury guru Will Carroll points out, the problem could be more mental than anything. If Ortiz's swing gets less violent and vicious because he is afraid of getting injured, it could hurt his productivity -- a frightening proposition for Boston in the wake of the Manny Ramirez trade.
Yankees starter Chien-Ming Wang had the cast removed from his right leg earlier this week, and he was so happy about it that he began wondering if he'd be able to return in time to help the Bombers make a playoff push in September. Unfortunately for Wang, his manager Joe Girardi isn't much of an optimist when it comes to Wang's recovery time.
"The chances of us getting him back Sept. 1 are zero," Girardi said. "Oct. 1? It's possible."
Still, the doctors haven't told Wang that a September return is out of the question, so it's still his goal. Of course, the real problem if Chien-Ming can't come back by then is that the minor league season will be over so he's not going to be able to go on a rehab assignment. Not that it would keep Girardi from throwing him right back in the rotation.
"As long as we felt he was healthy, strong and ready to go, I would not (have any hesitation)," Girardi said. "It will be like spring training again, and you don't have concerns when he's your Opening Day starter six weeks after doing his work. We have to make sure he's healthy."
All of which means Yankees fans will get a few more months worth of Darrell Rasner and Sidney Ponson, but some of them would probably tell you they prefer Wang on a broken leg over both of those two. Though somebody should probably tell Girardi that the Yankees have to get to the playoffs first. The Yankees streak of consecutive playoff appearances may have him thinking their berth is automatic.
With the trade deadline right around the corner, our MLB editor brings you the top five rumors every day until July 31.
- So what are those pesky Yankees up to anyway? First things first: they are absolutely in the AL East race, just three games behind the Red Sox and 3 1/2 behind division-leading Tampa Bay. They've also got clear needs -- namely pitching depth and offensive help, either at catcher, now that Jorge Posada's season is in doubt, or at one of the corners.
Jarrod Washburn, Mariners Buzz: The Seattle left-hander is drawing interest from the Yankees, who could use him to bolster their rotation. While not an ace, Washburn is a reliable innings-eater who would slot nicely into the back of a contender's rotation.
Otto Greule Jr, Getty Images
Huston Street, Athletics Buzz: Though some teams are worried about the recent drop in his arm angle and velocity, Oakland's closer seems to have no shortage of suitors. The Reds are the latest team believed to have expressed interest in Street. The Brewers have also made inquiries about his availability.
Jed Jacobsohn, Getty Images
Brian Fuentes, Rockies Buzz: The closer has reportedly been scouted by seven different clubs over the last few days, but Colorado's asking price -- rumored to be a top pitching prospect -- might be scaring potential suitors off.
Doug Pensinger, Getty Images
Greg Maddux, Padres Buzz: San Diego would ideally like to move the future Hall of Famer, but he has a full no-trade clause and is rumored to only be willing to accept a deal to a West Coast team.
Marc Serota, Getty Images
Brian Giles, Padres Buzz: Giles is an on-base machine and a solid defender who could give a contender looking for a corner bat a boost. Getting out of pitcher-friendly Petco Park could lead to a power spike.
Doug Pensinger, Getty Images
Andy LaRoche, Dodgers Buzz: LaRoche, L.A.'s No. 2 prospect entering the season according to Baseball America, is reportedly being showcased for a potential deadline deal.
Christian Petersen, Getty Images
Bobby Crosby, Athletics Buzz: Oakland is willing to move most of its established veterans and the fragile shortstop is believed to be among that group. With Rafael Furcal's status unknown, the Dodgers could show interest in Crosby.
Greg Trott, Getty Images
George Sherrill, Orioles Buzz: The Cardinals and Angels are among the teams who have asked about the closer, with Baltimore's rumored asking price to be two or three prospects.
Otto Greule Jr, Getty Images
Mark Teixeira, Braves Buzz: Teixeira, who was traded at the deadline last year and will be a free agent this winter, might not even be on the block, but one potential deal has the Angels sending top prospect Brandon Wood as part of a package for the slugger.
Jeff Zelevansky, Getty Images
Raul Ibanez, Mariners Buzz: Many teams that are unwilling to spring for one of the star bats on the block see Ibanez as the bargain option on the corner bat market. The Mets are one of the leading contenders for his services.
Otto Greule Jr, Getty Images
New York's top brass will meet tomorrow in Tampa to discuss what, if any, moves they should make before the deadline, but indications are that the team is willing to deal prospects and make a run. The name with the most heat is Mariners left-hander Jarrod Washburn, who wouldn't be a flashy pickup, but would give the Yankees a reliable innings-eater to put at the back of their rotation. He'd certainly be an upgrade over Darrell Rasner or Sidney Ponson. Seattle is not impressed with center fielder Melky Cabrera, but has been scouting New York's Double-A affiliate Trenton. That's where the Yankees' top hitting prospect, Austin Jackson, has been playing all year.
- Concerns about Huston Street's performance and stuff don't seem to be scaring off teams. According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Reds have shown some interest in the Oakland closer. Cincinnati GM Walt Jocketty certainly can't consider his team a contender, but there is reason to think it can make a run as soon as next season, and Street isn't eligible to be a free agent for another three years. He also has two players with uncertain futures -- Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr. Dunn is the type of player you'd figure A's GM Billy Beane would covet, but he might have to send more than Street to land the slugger.
Ok, so Mussina and Pettitte: check. Joba? Wasn't he supposed to be setting up? Instead Yanks fans get treated to a rousing rendition of Kyle Farnsworth in the 8th ... woo hoo! Rasner was an uninspiring injury replacement last year, and who the heck is Dan Giese? Sidney Ponson is next to the party. You remember him, right? He's the fat dude pictured here who got kicked off the Rangers for being a royal pain in the arse and enjoys driving after a few pops.
On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups
Houston Astros (35-41) vs. Texas Rangers (39-38) - 8:05PM Est.
Generally when baseball has their "rivalry" matchups during interleague play, they schedule them for the weekend. That's not the case in Texas, as the Astros and Rangers prepare to begin a three-game set tonight at Minute Maid Park. I'm not sure the reasoning behind this, but I'm just going to guess that there's probably a big high school football scrimmage on Friday night, and the Astros are worried that it will hurt attendance numbers.
Of course, it could also just be that neither the Astros or Rangers have done much the last few seasons. The Astros haven't come anywhere near the success they achieved in 2005 when they won the National League, and the Rangers have only had one winning season (89-73 in 2004, which was good enough for third place!) since we entered the new millenium.
Yet tonight the Rangers are poised to go a whopping two games over .500 for the first time since September 22, 2006. Will history be made tonight in Houston?
On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups
Milwaukee Brewers (37-33) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (35-37) - 8:05PM Est.
The Milwaukee Brewers have used their success at Miller Park, where they've won eight of their last ten, to pull themselves back into the NL Central race. The formula they've been using lately has been pretty simple: good pitching plus a lot of longballs.
The Brewers are binging on home runs, as they used five of them last night to beat the Blue Jays 7-0, and have hit 17 in their last six games. Why, if somebody donated $1,000 to Prince Fielder every time the Brewers went deep, he'd have that little debt of his paid off in less than a year.
Can the Brewer bats stay hot tonight against the reeling Toronto Blue Jays? Will Prince Fielder avoid jail time? The answers to these questions and more, after the jump
On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups
Boston Red Sox (29-19) vs. Kansas City Royals (21-24) - 7:05PM Est.
Let's take a look at how the first two games of this series have gone for the Kansas City Royals. On Monday they were no-hit by Jon Lester, and on Tuesday they were beaten by rookie Justin Masterson as he picked up the first win of his Major League career.
Today things get no better as the Royals are preparing to uncomfortably bend over an examining table, and get their colon's checked by the Round Mound of...um...Pounds? That's right! Bartolo Colon is back, and he's ready to make his very first start as a member of Red Sox Nation.
Will he be responsible for the Royals leaving Boston walking uncomfortably, or will the Royals come out of their check-up with flying colors and salvage a game in Beantown?
Sometimes it sucks to have everything you said in writing for all to see. It's not like you are sitting there in the bar sipping on some cold ones while making proclamations. In those cases, you can easily claim you were misconstrued or your friend wasn't paying close enough attention.
But when you do post something, and watch the last Wednesday Cubs/Reds contest (to recap, Lieber was awful and Volquez was brilliant), well, that sucks. It's times like those that one must remind himself that giving fantasy advice isn't fortune-telling. It is something I hold near and dear to my heart, though, and that's gambling.
In the case of full disclosure, I made four really good calls (the non-Volquez five down ones) and six really, really bad ones. We should know going into this column that it is the bizarro world pitching write-up. I'm going to tell you "no-brainer starters" to not play, and "don't start this guy" pitchers to start. Disasters like last week's version are bound to happen.
Remember, you are gambling here, and we love gambling. Please keep that in mind as you delve cautiously into the world of craziness that will follow the jump.
(Oh yeah, and Brinson had to remind me after the Cubs/Reds game that homerism doesn't really work in fantasy. I should know better anyway... )
The youth movement that was supposed to sweep through the New York Yankee rotation this season hit a major snag this week. First Phil Hughes finished a brutal April by getting bombed by the Tigers on Tuesday. Injury was added to insult when Hughes was placed on the disabled list with a fractured rib the next day. It got worse when Ian Kennedy was plastered by Detroit two nights later, leaving him with an 8.37 ERA through six starts and, mercifully, ended this morning when Kennedy was optioned to Scranton.
The move was the only thing the Yankees could do. Kennedy is clearly not pitching with confidence, showing too much fear of the middle of the plate, and the team can't let him try to figure it out on a major league mound. There hasn't been a marked improvement in his outings so there's nothing to build on and if his confidence takes another hit, the long-term ramifications could be disastrous.
At 2-10 in games started by the two youngsters, and 14-6 otherwise, the Yankees can't keep taking hits while hoping a light turns on. Better to let Kennedy find what's missing in the minors during a month that sees the Yankees need a fifth starter only rarely. If Darrell Rasner, Hughes's replacement, can give them reliably average outings every fifth day the team will be better positioned for the return of the two kids down the road.
The most reliable starter for the 2008 Yankees figured to be Andy Pettitte. Chien-Ming Wang is coming off a nightmarish playoffs and has lingering shoulder issues while Mike Mussina was terrible for most of 2007 before losing his spot in the rotation. Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy are both gifted with talent but they're young, which usually means inconsistent, and, no matter what, will have limits on their innings. Joba Chamberlain, another neophyte, is ticketed for the bullpen. That left Pettitte as the foundation.
How secure can they be in that feeling after what went on in D.C. this week? Pettitte is going to face nonstop questions about Roger Clemens, PEDs and myriad other things that have nothing to do with baseball. Even Mussina isn't sure what to expect from his teammate.
"This is a different animal than anything he's gone through before," Mussina said. "It's going to be everywhere, and it's going to be hard. We're expecting Andy to pitch 190 or 200 innings and win 15 games or so. The question is, can he deal with all of this and focus on pitching at the same time?"
If all breaks well the Yankees will be fine. If it doesn't, though, they'll be looking for contributions from Kei Igawa and Darrell Rasner. That can't fill anyone with confidence, except maybe the gang up in Boston.
Yankees starter 
I'm sure this is the way 
Sometimes it sucks to have everything you said in writing for all to see. It's not like you are sitting there in the bar sipping on some cold ones while making proclamations. In those cases, you can easily claim you were misconstrued or your friend wasn't paying close enough attention. 
The youth movement that was supposed to sweep through the New York Yankee rotation this season hit a major snag this week. First 
The most reliable starter for the 2008 Yankees figured to be 
