John Smoltz, of the Atlanta Braves, will take the ball, today, against the Milwaukee Brewers. Smoltz will be in search of his 15th win for the sixth time in his 19 years in the Big Leagues. Smoltz has been very good, this year, posting a 2.97 earned run average, 1.19 WHIP, .252 BAA, and 8.41 K/9. Smoltz has been a very steady performer and it is almost certain that he will give you a quality start almost every time out (25 QS out of 30 GS).
I've been waiting to sound the horn on Geovany Soto, of the Chicago Cubs, but I have not been able to do so because Lou Piniella, hard-headedly, has insisted on playing Jason Kendall, but it appears that the tide has changed. Soto got his second consecutive start, on Friday, and he went two for four, including a big two run homerun. Soto will not play everyday, but his playing time is increasing and he swings a big enough bat to be more productive that a lot of full-time catchers. Soto is now batting .400 with three homeruns and six runs batted in after only 35 at bats.
Aramis Ramirez, of the Chicago Cubs, came into Friday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates needing eight runs batted in to get to 100 on the season. After Friday's game Ramirez needs only two runs batted in to reach 100. Ramirez went two for five with a pair of three run homeruns and came just short of a two run homerun. Ramirez appears to be seeing the ball very well and that is a great sign since he has been one of the strongest September players in all of baseball in recent years. A-Ram is now batting .314 with 26 homeruns, 98 runs batted in, and he has an OPS of .929. So far this month Ramirez is batting .301 with seven homeruns, 18 runs batted in, and an OPS of 1.064.
Carlos Marmol, of the Chicago Cubs, added to what has been a breakout season, on Friday. Marmol threw one inning and allowed one hit, but he also struck out the side. Marmol currently has an earned run average of 1.23 with a 5-1 record, 56 appearances, a WHIP of 1.11, and 12.61 K/9. Marmol has 16 holds this year, but there is a very likely chance that he will be the Cubs' closer in 2008 and Ryan Dempster will be converted back into a starter or traded as a premiere closer. Either way, the Cubs bullpen is in great shape now and next season.
Brandon Webb, of the Arizona Diamondbacks, needs to win out this season in order to have a shot at repeating as the National League CY Young. Webb will face the Los Angeles Dodgers, today, in Arizona and he will be looking for his 17th win of the year. Webb is 3-0 with a 0.39 earned run average (including a complete game shutout) and a 1.13 WHIP against the Dodgers this season. In his career he is 8-3 with a 2.77 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP.
