Mike Pelfrey pitched another gem Sunday night, throwing eight shutout innings in the Mets' 7-0 victory over the Rockies, and won his sixth straight start. New York cruised through their six-game homestand, outscoring the Giants and Rockies 31-4 with four shutouts to boot. They now stand just a half game behind the Phillies for first place in the NL East.
But like all good things, this nine-game winning streak will at some point come to an end, so Omar Minaya still must do something to improve this team before the July 31st trade deadline. Although there have been some swirling reports of a possible trade for Matt Holliday, Minaya will have to get awfully creative to be able to make such a deal because the Mets' farm system lacks the talent to even come close to landing the Rockies' slugger.
Many fans and commentators have entertained the idea of trading for Xavier Nady, the outfielder the Mets traded to the Pirates for Oliver Perez and Roberto Hernandez in 2006. While Nady's powerful right-handed bat and ability to play first base make him a perfect solution to the Mets' needs, I think many Mets fans tend to underestimate the Pirates' affinity for him. Although Pittsburgh has not made the playoffs since the Barry Bonds era, their organization is not simply a well of talent from which big-market contending teams can pick and choose players to acquire (despite how that may sometimes seem to be the case).
Let's not forget that the Pirates consciously traded for Xavier Nady in 2006, most likely because they anticipated the high level of performance he is now showing. After all, he was a highly regarded prospect in the San Diego system before coming to the Mets in the Mike Cameron trade. Perhaps the Pirates view the 29-year-old Nady, who has yet to reach arbitration, as an integral part of their future. If that is the case, they will likely demand a big-time package of young, talented players (i.e. Fernando Martinez and/or Mike Carp) in return for him in a trade. Is it possible that Nady is moved before the deadline? Sure, it is, but probably for a higher price than the Mets are willing to pay. For that reason, Raul Ibanez is probably a better trade target for Omar Minaya, because the Mariners will be more willing to part with the 36-year-old outfielder for a lesser cost.
Around The League
C.C. Sabathia hit a solo home run to help his own cause in a 3-2 victory over the Reds on Sunday. He went the distance, striking out nine, and ran his record to 2-0 since joining the Brewers. The homer was Sabathia's second of the season, and the third of his career. He is a career .289 hitter in 103 at-bats, and has a .511 slugging percentage. Not bad for a guy who spent the first seven and a half years of his career in the American League.
The Dodgers salvaged the final game of a three-game series against the Marlins on the strength of Chad Billingsley's pitching. The 23-year-old right-hander struck out 13 batters in seven innings to improve to 9-8 on the season. At 46-49, Los Angeles stands one game back of Arizona for the lead in the paltry NL West, while the Marlins are now in third place in the East, 1.5 games behind Philadelphia.
The Tampa Bay Rays fell out of first place after the Indians swept them in a four-game series in Cleveland. Tampa Bay has lost seven straight and is now a half game back of Boston, who defeated the Orioles 2-1 behind another strong outing from Daisuke Matsuzaka, who is now 10-1 on the season.
The Angels scored one run in the eighth and two in the ninth off Oakland closer Huston Street to win 4-3 in the rubber game of the three-game weekend series, and moved six games up on the A's in the AL West. Francisco Rodriguez shut the door in the ninth for his 38th save of the season, an all-time record before the All-Star break. His 38 saves through 95 games put him on pace for 65, which would shatter Bobby Thigpen's record of 57 saves, set in 1990 with the White Sox. On Monday, K-Rod declared that he will test the free agent waters at the end of the season, although he did not rule out returning to the Angels. He is currently making $10 million this season after losing his arbitration case for $12.5 million this past winter.
Theory Of The Week - Check back later in the week for my take on the best places to play in order to win.
Keywords: Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles, Barry Bonds, Bobby Thigpen, Boston Red Sox, C.C. Sabathia, Chad Billingsley, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Fernando Martinez, Florida Marlins, Francisco Rodriguez, Huston Street, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Los Angeles Dodgers, Matt Holliday, Mike Cameron, Mike Carp, Mike Pelfrey, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, Oakland Athletics, Oliver Perez, Omar Minaya, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Raul Ibanez, Roberto Hernandez, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays, Xavier Nady
