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Poll: The NL West

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The Padres had been in sole possession of first place in the NL West since June 11th, but they now find themselves tied with the Giants after falling to their rivals from the Bay 1-0 last night. It was San Diego's 12th loss in 15 games, and San Francisco's sixth win in seven games. A lead that once swelled to six-and-a-half games disappeared in just 15 days.

The Pads are going to have to continue to rely on their extreme pitching and defense approach (MLB best 3.34 ERA and +47.3 UZR) while the Giants have benefited greatly from in-season additions like Pat Burrell (134 OPS+ with SF) and Buster Posey (129). It's worth noting that the Padres do have two games at hand, but it might not matter when the two clubs meet for three games in San Francisco for the season's final series.

Of course, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention the Rockies, who have won eight in a row and 15 of their last 19 as part of their annual second half surge. They're now just two-and-a-half back in the division after being 11 games back 18 days ago. It's going to be a mad dash to finish for the NL West crown, which brings us to today's question.

Who will win the NL West?

Click here to vote, and here to see the results. 

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Rasmus, Manny, Phillies

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On this date in 1969, the Mets moved into sole possession of first place for the first time in franchise history. They swept the Expos in a doubleheader to move ahead of the Cubs by a full game in the NL East. The Miracle Mets went on to defeat the Orioles in the Fall Classic for the first World Championship in their history, more than eight years after they played their first ever game.

Let's take a look at some links from around the baseball netweb…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Blue Jays Claim Taylor Buchholz

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The Blue Jays claimed reliever Taylor Buchholz off of waivers from the Rockies. When the Rockies designated the 28-year-old right-hander for assignment this Tuesday it seemed possible that a team would make a claim, despite Buchholz's recent injuries.

Buchholz missed all of last year and much of this year with Tommy John surgery. He pitched well in a short July stint, but soon hit the DL again because of back stiffness. Buchholz posted a 2.17 ERA with 7.6 K/9, and 2.4 BB/9 in 2008, so he has proven he can be an effective major league reliever.

Rockies Designate Taylor Buchholz For Assignment

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The Rockies have designated righthander Taylor Buchholz for assignment according to Troy Renck of The Denver Post (via Twitter). The move frees up a 40-man roster spot for catcher Paul Phillips. 

Buchholz, 28, missed the entire 2009 season and most of 2010 due to Tommy John surgery. He returned in July to throw ten reasonably effective innings (4.50 ERA, 8.1 K/9) before landing on the disabled list with back stiffness. As Renck explains in a second tweet, Buchholz can choose to become a free agent if he goes unclaimed on waivers, however he would forfeit the $163K left on his contract by doing so.

Acquired from the Astros in the Jason Jennings trade four years ago, Buchholz pitched to a 2.17 ERA, 7.6 K/9, and 2.4 BB/9 in 66.1 innings of relief in 2008 before his elbow gave out. Given the dearth of quality relievers and the fact that Buchholz is under team control for another two seasons, there's a chance someone will roll the dice and place a claim.

Odds & Ends: Wakamatsu, Lilly, Delcarmen, Rays

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Links for Thursday night..

Rockies Interested In Jose Lopez

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The Rockies are interested in Mariners infielder Jose Lopez, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The Rockies are an infielder short after placing Ian Stewart on the disabled list, but rosters expand tomorrow, so they could rely on minor leaguers instead. One source tells Rosenthal that he or she doubts the Rockies will acquire Lopez or any other infielder (Twitter link).

Lopez has disappointed Mariners fans this season with his .241/.272/.333 line. After years of playing second base, he moved to third, where his defense is slightly above average, according to UZR. About $180K of Lopez's 2010 salary remains and there's a $250K buyout for a $4.5MM team option for 2011. Given Lopez's play this season, his team will likely decline that option and non-tender him. However, as the Cardinals showed when they acquired Pedro Feliz, teams are willing to trade for under-performing players in the hopes that they heat up.

Rockies Acquire Manny Delcarmen

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The Rockies acquired reliever Manny Delcarmen from the Red Sox for minor league righty Chris Balcom-Miller, tweets WEEI's Alex Speier.  According to a press release, the Red Sox also sent cash considerations.  The Rockies were known to be seeking relief help given Matt Belisle's heavy workload and Rafael Betancourt's abdominal strain.  At 3.5 games back in the wild card, Colorado has a 15.9% shot at the playoffs according to Baseball Prospectus.  Unless Delcarmen cleared waivers, the trade implies Delcarmen went unclaimed by American League teams as well as National League non-contenders.

Delcarmen, 28, has a 4.70 ERA, 6.5 K/9, and 5.7 BB/9 with seven home runs allowed in 44 innings this year.  His control took a turn for the worse after the '07 season, and his fastball velocity has been down a tick the last few years.  The Red Sox were willing to trade Delcarmen in July, but didn't find a match.  The Rockies have had their eye on him for years.  If September goes well in the new league, perhaps they'll tender him a contract for 2011 at a small raise on this year's $905K salary.

Balcom-Miller, 21, has a 3.31 ERA, 9.7 K/9, and 1.6 BB/9 with three home runs allowed in 108.6 innings for the Rockies' Low A affiliate.  Heading into the season Baseball America ranked him 16th among Rockies prospects, saying he "has the ceiling of a solid middle-of-the-rotation starter."

5 Surprises: Colorado Rockies

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Five Rockies surprises I would not have predicted in the offseason…

  1. Brad Hawpe released.  During the offseason Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd said he was willing to listen to trade offers for Hawpe, but he wasn't shopping the player.  Hawpe's playing time dwindled until he was released in mid-August.
  2. Chris Iannetta's demotion.  The Rockies agreed to a three-year deal with Iannetta in December, but signed Miguel Olivo to split time with him the following month.  Before the end of April, Iannetta was demoted to Triple A for about a month.  Iannetta could be attractive on the trade market this winter, but the Rockies may need him if Olivo's club option turns mutual and he becomes tough to re-sign.
  3. Huston Street making his season debut on June 23rd.  In January, the Rockies were so enamored of Street they extended him through 2012 at a minimal discount even though they already controlled him for '10.  Street had a decent-sized injury history, though, so this year's shoulder issue didn't come out of nowhere.
  4. Jhoulys Chacin's season.  Chacin wasn't a household name, though he was ranked fourth among Rockies prospects by Baseball America before the season.  He's been a crucial member of the team in 2010, with a 3.79 ERA in 102 innings.  Aaron Cook hasn't performed as expected and Jeff Francis and Jorge de la Rosa have dealt with injuries, so Chacin has been a godsend.
  5. Carlos Gonzalez's season.  Given Gonzalez's strong 2009 trial, his performance this year isn't a shock.  Still, I didn't expect an MVP-caliber year from the center fielder.

Rockies Sign Luis Ayala

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The Rockies signed reliever Luis Ayala and assigned him to Triple A, according to the transactions page for the Pacific Coast League. The right-hander has not pitched in the majors this year, though he did pitch 1.2 scoreless innings for Colorado Springs over the weekend.

Ayala, 32, last appeared in the majors last year when he posted a 5.63 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 for the Twins and Marlins. He posted similar numbers at Triple A in the Dodgers and D'Backs organizations this summer, before signing in Colorado. The Rockies continue to look for relievers, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com.

Rockies Seeking Relief Help

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The Rockies are looking for a reliever, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.  Colorado has mostly been subtracting lately, letting Brad Hawpe and Randy Flores go for nothing, but at 4.5 games out in the wild card Baseball Prospectus gives them a 10.7% playoff shot.  Heyman believes the Rockies would probably settle for a "change-of-scenery type" reliever, with the good ones blocked.  The team's Rafael Betancourt deal, struck in July of last year, could be the model in my opinion.  At present, Betancourt is battling an abdominal strain.

Which relievers are still available, with the deadline looming tomorrow?  My speculative list includes Brandon League, David Aardsma, Aaron Heilman, Mark Hendrickson, Todd Coffey, Pedro Feliciano, Chan Ho Park, Will Ohman, Brian Tallet, Joel Peralta, George Sherrill, Koji Uehara, Manny Parra, Mike Gonzalez, D.J. Carrasco, and Miguel Batista.  I'm operating under the assumption the Blue Jays' relievers will not be dealt.  The Rockies could also turn to free agents such as Brendan Donnelly or David Riske.

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