Are the A's teasing me again?

Two seasons ago, I stuck my neck out in my 2009 Divisional picks by going with the Oakland A's to win the West. We had just come off seasons where teams like the Angels, the Marlins, the Tigers, the struggling Cardinals, the Rockies and Rays had won pennants that confounded the experts.

So I thought "Why not go against the grain? If I am right with my pick, then I look like a genius."

Then again, if the pick flops, then I look like a moron.

I had the 2009 Oakland Athletics winning the World Series.
They finished in dead last place, 22 games behind the Angels.

WHOOPS!

But now I am looking at this team, and I can't help but wonder if I should pick them again.

They just added Brian Fuentes to the roster and he should make their bullpen pretty damn deep. Andrew Bailey, Grant Balfour, Brad Ziegler and Brian Fuentes in the pen?

Closing out a rotation of Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez, Dallas Braden and Brett Anderson?

(I am not going to include Rich Harden. Any day he is NOT on the disabled list is a bonus.)

Couple that with Hideki Matsui and a few other bats added to the lineup... Texas losing Cliff Lee and the Angels not being able to sign anyone and Seattle in flux...

Dare I do it?
Dare I make the pick again?

My 2009 picks of Oakland and Cincinnati doesn't look so outlandish for 2011.

But can I pick Oakland?
Or are they teasing me.

Maybe I'll pick the Mariners.

Burnt to a Coco Crisp

Our old friend Coco Crisp did us in tonight.

Going 3 for 3 and stealing a homer?
How could you Coco?
Don't you have any sentimentality?

The Sox were done early tonight and the people of Alderaan put up more of a fight than my boys did.

And Trevor Cahill moved closer to 20 wins as Clay Buchholz stays stuck on 15.

Cahill will probably start 4 more times in the A's final 22 games this year. If he goes 4-0, then he'll be a 20 game winner and probably get some Cy Young Votes.

While the A's climbed back to .500, the Sox are now 10 games out of first place with 21 left to play. And 8 games back in the loss column with 21 left to play for the Wild Card thanks to the Rays bizarre blown lead yet still winning the game victory in Toronto.

I'm not saying they are dead, but let's just say their kids are making arrangements.

Most 20 game winners in 90 years? It’s possible

In 2006, when 16 wins was good enough to lead the National League, it seemed like the 20 game winner was going the way of the Dodo and the Liberal Republican.

But win #20 is making a comeback in 2010... or at least it COULD be.

Now, of course, I know the win total isn't the end all and be all of a pitcher's greatness.
I've been advocating Felix Hernandez to win the Cy Young Award even though his only has a 10-10 record.

And in my plea to put Bert Blyleven in the Hall of Fame I criticized the emphasis on wins when evaluating his career.

That being said, "20 Game Winner" still has a nice ring to it.

It is kind of like "Oscar Winning Director." Now is Ron Howard, who won the Oscar, a better director than Alfred Hitchcock, who never won it? Of course not. But it still looks and sounds cool.

And with September now starting, there are a few legit candidates to win 20 and a few long shots.

And if they ALL come through, then we will see the most 20 game winners since 1920.

With about 30 games left, each of these pitchers will get about 5 or 6 more starts. Some will have to run the table... which is unlikely, but you never know...

Let's break it down and see who is close.


2 More Wins - Currently at 18 wins... would be STUNNED if he falls short.

C. C. Sabathia







3 More Wins - Currently at 17 wins... One more good streak and you've got it.

Ubaldo Jimenez





Adam Wainwright





4 More Wins - Currently at 16 wins... Keep pitching well and hope the bullpen doesn't blow one or two.

Roy Halladay





Phil Hughes






5 More Wins - Currently at 15 wins... May be a reach, but a dazzling September could send them into the Cy Young stratosphere. NOTHING can go wrong.

Clay Buchholz





Tim Hudson





Carl Pavano





David Price





6 More Wins - Currently at 14... OK, damn near impossible. But if they go on a winning streak and maybe the manager gives them an extra start down the stretch... maybe?

Ricky Nolasco





Bronson Arroyo





Justin Verlander





C. J. Wilson





Trevor Cahill





Ervin Santana





Chris Carpenter





Jon Lester





That is 17 potential 20 game winners (some MUCH more likely than others.)

Now there were no 20 game winners last year.
Since the leagues expanded to 3 divisions in 1994, most teams have 5 man rotations, pitch counts and bullpen specialization that cuts down on the big win totals.

Going backwards from last year, here are the number of 20 game winners for each year back to 1994.


2009 – 0
2008 – 4 (Cliff Lee, Brandon Webb, Mike Mussina, Roy Halladay)
2007 – 1 (Josh Beckett)
2006 – 0
2005 – 4 (Dontrelle Willis, Bartolo Colon, Chris Carpenter, Roy Oswalt)
2004 – 3 (Curt Schilling, Roy Oswalt, Johan Santana)
2003 – 5 (Roy Halladay, Russ Ortiz, Esteban Loaiza, Andy Pettitte, Jamie Moyer)
2002 – 6 (Randy Johnson, Barry Zito, Curt Schilling, Derek Lowe, Pedro Martinez, Bartolo Colon)
2001 – 7 (Curt Schilling, Matt Morris, Mark Mulder, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, Jamie Moyer, Jon Lieber)
2000 – 4 (Tom Glavine, Tim Hudson, David Wells, Darryl Kile)
1999 – 3 (Pedro Martinez, Mike Hampton, Jose Lima)
1998 – 4 (Roger Clemens, David Cone, Rick Helling, Tom Glavine)
1997 – 4 (Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Denny Neagle, Brad Radke)
1996 – 3 (John Smoltz, Andy Pettitte, Pat Hentgen)
1995 – 0
1994 – 0


1994 and 1995 were shortened seasons due to the labor strife (although Greg Maddux and Mike Mussina won 19 in '95... all the more impressive that it was a 144 game season.)

But there were some seasons with quite a few 20 game winners... topping out at 7 in 2001.

Going back even further, here are the last time there were higher numbers of 20 game winners in a season.

Last time with 8 twenty game winners– 1978
(Ron Guidry, Mike Caldwell, Jim Palmer, Gaylord Perry, Dennis Leonard, Ed Figueroa, Ross Grimsley, Dennis Eckersley)

Last time with 9 twenty game winners – 1977
(Steve Carlton, Tom Seaver, Jim Palmer, Rick Reuschel, Bob Forsch, John Candelaria, Tommy John, Dave Goltz, Dennis Leonard)

Last time with 11 twenty game winners– 1974
(Catfish Hunter, Fergie Jenkins, Nolan Ryan, Luis Tiant, Mike Cuellar, Steve Busby, Jim Kaat, Gaylord Perry, Andy Messersmith, Wilber Wood, Phil Niekro)

Last time with 13 twenty game winners– 1973
(Ron Bryant, Wilber Wood, Joe Coleman, Jim Palmer, Catfish Hunter, Ken Holtzman, Nolan Ryan, Bill Singer, Paul Splittorff, Bert Blyleven, Vida Blue, Luis Tiant, Jim Colborn)

Last time with 14 twenty game winners– 1971
(Mickey Lolich, Vida Blue, Fergie Jenkins, Wilbur Wood, Catfish Hunter, Dave McNally, Andy Messersmith, Jom Palmer, Steve Carlton, Pat Dobson, Al Downing, Joe Coleman, Tom Seaver, Mike Cuellar)

Last time with 15 twenty game winners– 1969
(Tom Seaver, Denny McLain, Mike Cuellar, Phil Niekro, Juan Marichal, Fergie Jenkins, Dave Boswell, Mel Stottlemyre, Larry Dierker, Claude Osteen, Bill Singer, Jim Perry, Bill Hands, Dave McNally, Bob Gibson)

Last time with 17 twenty game winners– 1920
(Grover Cleveland Alexander, Wilbur Cooper, Burleigh Grimes, Art Nehf, Fred Toney, Jesse Barnes, Spittin’ Bill Doak, Jim Bagby, Carl Mays, Stan Coveleski, Red Faber, Lefty Williams, Eddie Cicotte, Dickey Kerr, Ray Caldwell, Bob Shawkey, Urban Shocker)

You read those names right... two of the condemned 1919 Black Sox were on the list the last time there were 17 twenty game winners!

1920, back when Babe Ruth was a NEW acquisition for the Yankees.

Now are all 17 going to come through.
Probably not... but with pitching taking center stage again, I wouldn't mind seeing a few 20 game winners, even if it isn't the barometer of greatness it used to be.

Really, A's?

Seriously... you put a 3 spot in the first inning on the Yankees with your best pitcher, Trevor Cahill on the hill, and you can't even hold the lead for ONE INNING?

You make a 10 game winner out of Javier Freaking Vazquez?

You call this being a spoiler and making a run at a winning season?

Seriously, A's... don't you know you serve at the pleasure of Red Sox fans?

New Cy Young Contenders in the A.L.

After Saturday, it didn't seem like David Price, Jon Lester nor Cliff Lee were really that interested in winning the American League Cy Young Award.

Well if the front runners don't wan to pull away from the pack... then the actual winner could emerge from a much bigger pool.

Trevor Cahill has the lowest batting average against, is neck and neck with Cliff Lee for best WHIP and is third in ERA. His win total of 12 is impressive when you consider he missed April. Since July 28th he is 4-1 with a 0.90 ERA and an 0.85 WHIP averaging 8 innings a start.

Jered Weaver may have had a rough inning tonight but he is still leading the league in strikeouts and his WAR for pitchers is second in the league. (I typed that as if I knew what it meant.)

Justin Verlander won his 14th game today, which means he is a cinch to win 17 or more games for the 4th time in 5 seasons. But he is winning in solid 7 or 8 inning performances and creeping up the strikeout leader board. A dominating September could put him higher up the list.

C.C. Sabathia (sorry, I am still including the punctuation) looks like he will FINALLY be a 20 game winner this season after 19 win seasons in 2007 and 2009. He had won his last 4 starts and done so convincingly. He's gone deep into games and given the bullpen an easy night when he takes the hill... a requirement for a Yankee team with so many question marks in the pitching staff. Sabathia might be keeping them in first on his own.

Clay Buchholz has won his last 5 decisions over 6 starts and done so with ace like numbers. A 1.03 ERA. 2.5 strikeouts for each walk and averaging 6 2/3 innings a start. (He only went 6 today in a rain soaked blowout. Throw in his leading the league in ERA and he may have surpassed Jon Lester as the team's primary Cy Young hopeful.


Now Lester, Price or Lee could have a dominating September and make a mockery of all of this. Or they can come back to the pack and see an AL Cy Young race that is every bit as close as the NL... if not as sexy with dominating candidates but ripe for healthy debate.

Man, I hope Carl Pavano DOES enter this equation.