By Ted Cahill

The Twins have done it again.

The club I picked to run away with the AL Central has made it a race that appears ready to go down to the wire and is doing it on the backs of some unknown pitchers (and Joe Mauer of course).

26-year old rookie Brian Duensing has pitched outstanding ball since being handed Francisco Liriano’s rotation spot in August. In seven starts, Duensing is 5-0 with a 1.88 ERA. He’s struck out 28 batters in 43 innings and walked only 11.

And Duensing has done it mostly on short rest. He’s only averaging 4.3 days between starts, a tall order for a rookie in a playoff race.

He hasn’t faced an especially tough team, though he did shut down Texas before the Rangers shut themselves down.

If this left-hander is good enough for Minnesota, I’ll but in. Duensing is a player to watch both this week, when he makes starts against Detroit and Kansas City, but also in spring training next year.

Huff and stuff: It’s no secret Cleveland has struggled down the stretch. It’s been so bad that general manager Mark Shapiro will likely have no choice but to fire his friend Eric Wedge, considered untouchable earlier in the year.

But there have been some bright spots on the club over the past month. Left-hander David Huff overcame a midseason swoon to close out his rookie year in style and give the Indians a 10-game winner.

Huff will likely not make his final start as he sits at 167 2/3 innings between AAA and Cleveland this year. Wedge said in August the Indians hoped to hold him under 170 this year. If that was it for the rookie, he will finish at 11-8 with a 5.61 ERA. The 11 wins are the most for a Tribe rookie since CC Sabathia won 17 in 2001.

After throwing eight shutout innings Sunday, Huff is 4-1 with a 2.18 ERA in his final five starts of the year. That’s a far cry from the 24-year old’s previous five starts, when he went 2-3 with a 7.86 ERA.

Huff has also outperformed rotation mate Aaron Laffey, who has basically functioned as the team’s ace since Cliff Lee was dealt to Philadelphia. He has probably pitched his way into the 2010 rotation, though if new coaches are brought in this winter, open tryouts are likely to be held.

But it appears that Huff made the necessary adjustments to stay a major leaguer this year and show everyone why the Tribe picked him 39th overall in 2006.

Old reliable: In keeping with the theme of left-handers, Andy Pettitte won his 14th game of the year Sunday to clinch the AL East for New York.

It is the 12th time Pettitte has won 14 games in a year, tying him for fifth most all-time. 14 wins isn’t a nice, round number, but the names on the list are still impressive. The best southpaw ever, Warren Spahn, leads the way with 17 years of 14 wins, followed by Eddie Plank with 16. Steve Carlton and Tom Glavine have 13 and Pettitte joins Randy Johnson and Lefty Grove.

So Pettitte has been good this year; better than most expected. What does that mean for 2010? Well first Pettitte has to decide if he’s playing, which he obviously won’t know until after the Yankees’ season ends. Another ring might push him to retirement, but after such a good season, you can be sure Joe Girardi and Hank Steinbrenner won’t let him go without a fight.

Pettitte is worth watching over the winter, he might have another 14-win season left in him.

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Pitcher Pickup of the Week: Carl Pavano, Twins

With the AL Central title on the line in Comerica Park this week, the Twins will turn to Tiger-killer Carl Pavano. It’s a pretty good bet, given his track record against Detroit this year. Pavano is 3-0 with a 1.61 ERA in Comerica this year and 4-0 with a 1.69 ERA against the Tigers’ overall. He’s struck out 22 in five starts and walked just one batter.

Pavano also appears to be eating up the division race. In his last four starts, the right-hander is 2-0 with a 3.42 ERA and 18 strikeouts. You can bet this veteran will be ready for the pressure Wednesday as he tries to pitch his way into the playoffs for the first time since winning the 2003 World Series in Florida.

By Ted Cahill

Two weeks remain in the 2009 regular season. All but two of the playoff teams have been determined, leaving the vast majority of players doing nothing but looking towards next year.

Many fantasy leagues have likewise been decided, leaving many owners to turn their attention to football.

But for all of you still fighting it to the finish line, there are a few things to remember before Fan Appreciation Day.

Check lineups daily: These last two weeks can produce some very strange lineups (Of course those of you that watch the Indians know that can happen every day.). Starters may get extra rest for contenders, while others may go on short rest. There are plenty of players out there with options about to vest and management may shut them down. Also, if Seattle decides to run Felix Hernandez out with Ken Griffey in center field and Mike Sweeny at first base, you might want to think twice.

Plan ahead: If you’re in a keeper league and not in contention watch for the leaders’ scraps. No, Max Scherzer and Jake Peavy aren’t doing much right now, but you’ll want them next year. And if you are a contender in a non-keeper league be prepared for an added day of rest or two for Chris Carpenter and J.A. Happ.

Watch your innings/games count: If you play in a league that has a maximum number of innings or starts, make sure you don’t exceed it a week early. Be even more selective in who you start if need be, but you don’t want to lose out on a week’s worth of games.

Much of this advice seems like common sense, but it’s not the summer anymore. Most owners just don’t have as much time to futz with their lineups everyday now that school is back in session and football is dominating the weekend TV lineups.

Much of this advice seems like common sense, but it’s not the summer anymore. Most owners just don’t have as much time to futz with their lineups everyday now that school is back in session and football is dominating the weekend TV lineups.

No roll of the dice: It looks like that three-month break did a lot of good for Daisuke Matsuzaka.

In his second start back from the DL, Matsuzaka allowed three runs in 5 1/3 innings, striking out five. It wasn’t as good as his six-shutout innings against Los Angeles last week, but it’s still a positive sign.

While Matsuzaka wasn’t dominant, in comparison to his other starts this year, he was darn good. In fact, it probably qualifies as one of his best of the season.

Matsuzaka also exceeded 100 pitches for the first time since June. All of this points to him being a more reliable starter in the final two weeks of the year.

Bumbling Buehrle: A couple weeks ago it seemed like Mark Buehrle was about to come out of his slump. Now it looks like he might get shutdown early.

The left-hander had another sub-par outing last week in a blowout loss to Kansas City. Even during the four-game stretch when he allowed only seven earned runs in 26 innings, Buehrle has been getting hit. In that same stretch his WHIP was 1.35.

Buehrle has already thrown more than 200 innings. In the past it has seemed like Buehrle was the kind of horse that would just eat innings for the White Sox, but that seems to no longer be the case. Chicago is even considering making him the fourth starter next year, behind Jake Peavy, Gavin Floyd and John Danks.

But right now, there are better options for your fantasy team than Buehrle.

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Pitcher Pickup of the Week: Tim Hudson, Braves

Hudson’s return this September has been better than I expected. He’s picked up only one win, but lost two quality starts. And he clearly pitched well enough to win one of those games. Overall, Hudson has a 3.70 ERA and 15 strikeouts to go with a 1.31 WHIP. He’s also only allowed one more home run than he’s hit, always a plus.

Hudson starts Wednesday against the Mets. It will be his first appearance in Citi Field, but traditionally the right-hander pitches well against the Metropolitans. He’s 9-5 with a 3.82 ERA lifetime against New York. Hudson last faced them last May, going eight innings and allowing two runs for the win.

By Ted Cahill

Cliff Lee took the NL by storm for three weeks. Now the post-trade luster is wearing a little thin.

It’s been well documented that Lee went 5-0 to start his Phillies’ career and that he then lost his next two starts. Last week he got back in the win column, but didn’t pitch especially well against the Nationals. As fantasy baseball heads into the playoffs, which Clifton Phifer Lee can owners expect to show up?

In Lee’s last two starts he has been the victim of bad luck. His BABIP is more than 100 points higher than his season average, sitting at .429. But more of a concern is that Lee has fewer strikeouts than extra base hits allowed. Seven doubles and a home run to just seven strikeouts is not what Lee is known for.

Lee’s strikeout rate is up since joining the NL, but has plummeted since whiffing 11 Diamondbacks on Aug. 19. He continues to not allow walks, always a positive for a pitcher however.

Contrary to popular belief, Lee went through a tough stretch during last year’s Cy Young campaign. In about a month last year, the left-hander’s ERA rose from 0.67 to 2.55 before coming back down. But in those six starts, he actually managed to win four times and lose just once.

Lee is just hitting a rough patch at a bad time for the Phillies and fantasy owners. But long term, I don’t think his struggles are anything to especially worry about. Lee is a talented pitcher that will get back on track and you really can’t afford to not put him in your starting lineup on days he pitches.

Closing time: Also struggling in Philadelphia is Brad Lidge.

Manager Charlie Manuel has seen enough of last year’s dominant reliever and has pulled him off closing duties for the rest of the month, if not longer. What little value Lidge had left is now completely gone.

It’s really been an amazing downfall for Lidge. Just a year ago the only save he blew was in the All-Star game and he seemed like one of the best fantasy options for this season. Now we have to question whether he will even close next year.

In the meantime, grab on to Ryan Madson if he’s still available. Since taking over for Lidge in the middle of the ninth inning Sept. 8 he is four-of-five in save chances. He’s also handled all the save opportunities, except one in the front end of a doubleheader, when Manuel really didn’t want to overuse him. There have been no save opportunities for Brett Myers, who was initially believed to be in the closer mix after the plug was pulled on Lidge.

Twitter: It’s probably a little late in the year to be getting this going, but look for the same advice you get once a week from As the Curve Turns columns on Twitter all the time.
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Scherzer shutdown?: Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch said the club is likely to shutdown ace-in-waiting Max Scherzer when he reaches about 170 innings.

He stands at 160 innings now, which means he probably will get two more starts before calling it a season. That means Scherzer won’t be pitching in the season’s final week and could miss the second to last one as well. Either way, plan accordingly if you’re relying on Scherzer down the stretch.

Pitcher Pickup of the Week: Wade Davis, Rays

I know this one may sound completely crazy, but I don’t care that Davis is coming off an abysmal performance in Boston. I don’t care that he allowed eight runs in 2 2/3 innings on only six hits. I’ll choose to believe that Davis’ third start will be more like his first, when he held Detroit to one run on three hits in seven innings.

Davis starts against Baltimore this week. The game won’t be taking place in the hitter’s haven known as Fenway Park and it won’t come against a team that can actually score runs. Also, he’s already struck out 12 hitters in 9 2/3 innings, a pretty good rate. As long as the walks aren’t a problem this week, I like the rookie to rebound and make a good outing.

By Ted Cahill

It was supposed to be Detroit’s answer to Jake Peavy; instead the Tigers may wish Jarrod Washburn hadn’t pitched at all during August.

Since a deadline deal landed the AL Central leaders the best available left-hander the low price of Luke French and Mauricio Robles, Washburn has been off his game.

At the time of the deal, Washburn was 8-6 with a 2.64 ERA. Since then, the 34-year old is 1-2 with a 6.81 ERA. The Tigers have been able to survive his awful stretch and maintain a seven-game lead on Minnesota. A lot of that can be attributed to the collapse of Chicago who never got the boost they expected from Peavy or outfielder Alex Rios. Some is from the resurgence of Rick Porcello (see below).

But the Tigers still need to get their big acquisition straightened out before the playoffs start. Washburn has not been the victim of a high BABIP; rather it’s been even lower than his season average of .249. His strikeout rate is down and he’s allowed 11 home runs in 37 innings.

It’s possible the return of a knee injury that forced Washburn to miss a start in Seattle has been the source of the problems. The Tigers skipped his spot in the rotation Sunday at Tampa Bay, probably not a bad idea since he had just gotten rocked by the Rays earlier in the week.

Washburn said that when the Mariners skipped him the pain in his knee became tolerable. Detroit is hoping for the same reaction this time. But if you own Washburn this isn’t the time to be messing around. Be sure that he’s healthy before throwing him out so late in the season.

Momentum boost:
In a lot of hockey video games you get a some kind of momentum boost from winning a fight. It appears the same thing has happened to Rick Porcello.

Since flipping Kevin Youklis and earning my Rookie of the Year vote for now, Porcello is 2-1 with a 3.42 ERA. He had struggled since the end of June, with a 2-3 record and a 6.12 ERA since June 29 leading up to the Fight in Fenway.

More likely is that Porcello has merely made the adjustment he had needed to make for some time since the league figured him out. Either way, the 20-year old is pitching much better.

Home runs remain a bit of a concern, as he’s given up four in 23 2/3 innings, but his control has been a plus. Porcello has stuck out 15 compared with only four walks. Combined with a .233 opponents’ batting average, Porcello has returned to his spot as the third best Tiger’s starter. If he can continue to pitch well at Comerica Park, Porcello will be worth a look down the stretch.

Pretty Penny:
The National League West welcomed Brad Penny back with open arms last week.

After flaming out in Boston, Penny returned to the West Coast and gave San Francisco eight shutout innings and a victory. He’s the latest failed AL convert to return to the comforts of the NL and blow the league away. It’s just one start, but like I said about John Smoltz, if he’d given the Red Sox eight shutout innings every fifth day, he’d still be pitching in Fenway.

More impressively he did it to Philadelphia, who has the best offense in the senior circuit. I really like Penny now that he’s pitching in a great pitcher’s park and in such a poor division offensively. He gives the Giants even more rotational depth and will be worth a spot start for fantasy owners throughout September.

Pitcher Pickup of the Week: Scott Feldman, Rangers

Just call him the road warrior. He’s won 11 times away from the Ballpark at Arlington, which ties a club record. He’ll go for the mark this week in Cleveland. His last start in Cleveland resulted in a win of course; he’s only lost once on the road this year. He allowed just one run on seven hits in six innings at Progressive Field on Aug. 13. He also struck out six.

Feldman’s splits are worth a trip to Baseball Reference. He’s 11-1 with a 2.80 ERA on the road. Feldman drops two tenths of a point on his WHIP and opponents only hit .231 off him. Texas is known as a hitter’s park, but to see home/road splits like this is still amazing. If Feldman has a great September he can make a run at 20 wins and Cy Young votes, as long as he only pitches on the road.

By Ted Cahill

If there’s one thing the New York media is good at, it’s making sure the entire nation gets swept up in their local discussions. So when one Yankees’ beat writer tweets that Mark Teixeira is the AL MVP in the middle of August everyone feels compelled to pick a side between Tex and Joe Mauer.

Well now that we all seem to have calmed down about that argument, the Yankees bring us a new set of Joba rules. That’s right, Joba Chamberlain, the supposed Yankee ace-in-waiting will once again be handled with kid gloves down the stretch.

To limit the innings Chamberlain throws this year Joe Girardi will essentially put the right-hander through Spring Training again in September, starting with three-inning starts eventually building back up to full length outings by the time the playoffs start.

In the past I have thought the Joba rules were ridiculous, but actually this time I think New York is doing the right thing. Chamberlain has already thrown more innings then I’d be comfortable with if I were in that front office.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Tom Verducci has a rule that pitchers under 25 should not be allowed to increase their workload by more than 30 innings a year; those that do either get injured or are just ineffective the next year. It’s not a perfect rule, there are examples where it doesn’t happen, but more often you see someone like Cole Hamels suffer the consequences.

Last year Chamberlain threw 100 1/3 innings, he’s already tossed 133 2/3 this year. Just allowing him to operate as normal for another two months would not be in the Yankees’ best interest or Chamberlain’s. You can argue that he’s a big boy and that he can take it, but why take the chance if he’s the future ace? (Personally I don’t think he’s their future, I like Phil Hughes much more. But that’s for a different time.)

What this means to all the Chamberlain owners is that he won’t be anywhere near as valuable for the next month. He won’t be picking up wins, though technically since his innings count is predetermined the official scorer could award him the victory. He won’t be getting as many strikeouts and no one’s really sure how he’ll adjust to this new role in the middle of the year.

I think it might be time to cut ties with Chamberlain if you can find a reasonable alternative. He hasn’t pitched well this month anyway and you can’t afford a part-time pitcher while making a run at your league title.

Kazmir gets his wings:
In a bit of a surprise deal, Tampa Bay sent Scott Kazmir, the franchise leader in victories, to Los Angeles for prospects.

Kazmir isn’t the same pitcher he was a few years ago and even then he wasn’t dominant. Kazmir is owed a nice chunk of change over the next few years and the Rays saw an opportunity to get out before the wheels come completely off.

But the Angels didn’t get hosed on this deal either. I think Kazmir can be effective pitching for a contender and getting out of the AL East should be a big benefit for him. He’s pitched well the last three times out and I expect that to continue out West.

The Rays will call up Andy Sonnanstine to take Kazmir’s place. He was ineffective in 15 starts at the beginning of this season, but he won 13 games last year. Don’t grab him right away; there are much better options still out there. But if he gets hot, Sonnanstine could be a fine fill-in for the Rays.

Twins shakeup:
Ron Gardenhire announced this week that he expects Francisco Liriano and Glen Perkins to rejoin Minnesota as relievers, not starters.

The left-handers are on the DL with arm troubles. The announcement means the Twins are likely to add an arm from outside the organization for September. They put in a claim on Rich Harden and will likely work very hard to get a deal done by the deadline Monday night. It’s also possible they’ll try and land Brad Penny after he clears waivers.

As for Liriano and Perkins, this obviously isn’t good news. I recently saw Liriano in person and everything you’ve heard about him is true. He isn’t the 13-game winner from 2006, he looks lost on the mound and his slider has lost a lot of break. If you haven’t yet, it’s time to dump Liriano.

Pitcher Pickup of the Week: Vicente Padilla, Dodgers
I mentioned last week that Padilla could be a good pickup now that he’s pitching in the NL again and for the Dodgers. Well I thought he pitched pretty well in his Los Angeles debut, especially since he did it in Coors Field. He struck out four in five innings and gave up two runs. Most importantly Padilla picked up his first win of the month.

This week he pitches Tuesday against Arizona and Sunday against San Diego. With two paltry offenses going against him, I love Padilla this week. Lifetime, he’s combined to go 6-4 with a 3.75 ERA against the two teams. Padilla has already beaten the Diamondbacks this season and has a great chance to repeat that feat Tuesday night.

By Raymond Ayala

Every September means a new chance for your fantasy baseball team to get that extra boost to send your team to the playoffs. If you are like me, and right on the playoff borderline in some of your baseball leagues, then add some of these September call ups for a needed boost in stats.

1) Pedro Alvarez – PIT (3B) – Alvarez gained National recognition for his efforts at Vanderbilt University, but after signing a pro-contract with the Pirates he struggled a little bit out of the gate. Now what all the scouts are saying about him has come true, and it won’t hurt that he will have Andrew McCutchen hitting in front of him come September.
2) Ross Detwiler – WAS (SP) – With Stephen Strasburg being the teams ace of the future, Detwiler must prove that he can be a solid two. He will be Washinton’s most competitive pitcher come September, with heavy strikeouts being his bread and butter. Who knows, with that offense Detweiler might be able to squeeze out a couple wins for you as well.
3) Carlos Santana – CLE (C) – Everyone knows how valuable a catcher is in fantasy baseball, well Santana is going to really turn some heads in September. He comes in a little package, but he gets a lot of pop, and I could see him hit anywhere between 3-5 Homeruns once he is called up with the Cleveland Indians. He will replace Shoppach, from the minute he is called up.
4) J.P Arencibia – TOR (C) – Arencibia is a prospect who has just shot quickly through the Blue Jays farm system. Last year Travis Snider came up big for those who picked him up for a playoff stretch. I would expect Arencibia to play some good September baseball, as he fights for the 2010 job.
5) Todd Frazier – CIN (2B, 3B, OF) – Frazier should be called up by the hapless Reds, and will add another solid young bat. Similar to Reds prospect Jay Bruce, last season, expect Frazier to introduce himself to the big leagues with a couple of important knocks in September.
6) Scott Elbert – LAD (SP) – Elbert has had a very successful season in the minor leagues, and the Dodgers might need another starter from within the organization. Some say that Elbert is not ready yet, but after his recent outing for the AAA-team, expect Elbert to be a contributer down the line for the Dodgers, as well as your fantasy team.
7) Carlos Carrasco – CLE (SP) – He was supposed to be the next big thing in Philadelphia, but when they dealt for Cliff Lee, Carrasco found a new home in Cleveland. Carrasco is only 22, and is destined to be a strikeout leader in the League. Expect Carrasco to be among the leaders in strikeouts for the month of September. He is that good.