Braves manager Bobby Cox announced this week his plans to retire after the 2010 season and to immediately take on a consulting role with the team. Cox has won 2,409 games as a manager and is fourth all-time in the category, behind only Connie Mack (3,731), John McGraw (2,763) and current Cardinals manager Tony La Russa (2,550). Cox has five pennants and one World Series title to his name, and won the Manager of the Year award four times. Under his leadership, the Braves have won 100 games six times. The next manager of the Atlanta Braves will have big shoes to fill.
How ‘bout that?
How about Adam Laroche? Since being traded back to the Braves mid-season, Laroche has slugged .622 to go with his .355 batting average and .426 on-base percentage. In 126 fewer at-bats, Laroche has hit twice as many home runs (12) as did his predecessor, Casey Kotchman. To top it off, Laroche has made just one error in 47 games with Atlanta and boasts a .998 fielding percentage.
How about Joel Piñeiro? The Cardinals have a mighty pitching duo in Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright, but their third starter has been pitching like an ace this year too. Celebrating his 31st birthday today, Piñeiro is 15-11 with a 3.24 E.R.A. and a 1.128 WHIP. He leads the pitching staff with two shutouts and is tied with Carpenter for the team lead in complete games, with three. If their pitchers perform in the playoffs anything near their regular season stats, St. Louis will be the toughest club to beat.
How about the Minnesota Twins? With nine wins in their last 10 games, the Twins have crept within three games of the Tigers for the A.L. Central lead, an impressive feat considering they lost cleanup man Justin Morneau – the team leader in home runs (30) and runs batted in (100) – to injury just before their hot streak. The battle between Minnesota and Detroit is the only close race in the American League.
O’s Notes
The Orioles seem to be doing everything they can to make a run at 100 losses. All they need to do is lose six out of their last eight games and they’ll reach the century mark in the notorious category. They own the worst record in the American League despite the fact that the Indians, who hold the second-worst record, have lost 11 games in a row. In their last five games, Oriole pitchers have given up totals of 11, 9, 9, 6, and 7 runs. The Birds have lost seven in a row, and in five of those games they’ve scored three runs or fewer. With any luck, the O’s will finish with their worst record since 1988. If only Major League Baseball were like a poker game played high-low.
Keywords: 100 losses, Adam Laroche, Adam Wainwright, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Bobby Cox, Casey Kotchman, Chris Carpenter, Cleveland Indians, Connie Mack, Detroit Tigers, Joel Piñeiro, John McGraw, Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins, retirement, St. Louis Cardinals, Tony La Russa
