Kapler Leans Heavily to the Lefties

Ryan Braun was 2-5 with 2 doubles (his 37th and 38th), 3 RBIs, 1 run scored, and 1 SB (his 19th) against the Cardinals. His 342 total bases this year are a career-high. Braun needs just 1 more hit for 200 and 1 more stolen base for 20/20.

Kevin Youkilis was 1-3 with 1 BB, 1 double (his 36th), and 2 RBIs against the Indians.

Batting 5th, Ian Kinsler was 0-4 against the Mariners.

Gabe Kapler was 2-4 with 1 BB, 1 double (his 15th) 1 RBI, and 3 runs scored against the Yankees. Coming into today's action, Kapler had a .952 OPS against lefties this year. His career OPS against lefties hovers around .850.

Sam Fuld was 0-4 against the Diamondbacks.

Scott Schoeneweis pitched 1 inning of scoreless relief against the Cubs.

John Grabow pitched 1 inning of scoreless relief on 1 hit and 2 Ks against the Diamondbacks. His WHIP is 1.41. His ERA is 3.36.

Aaron Poreda pitched 1 inning of scoreless relief against the Giants.

On This Date In 1963

Sandy Koufax fanned 15 in Game 1 of the World Series against the Yankees. After the game Yogi Berra said, "I can see how he won 25 games. What I don't understand is how he lost five." Koufax had the record for strikeouts in a World Series game until Bob Gibson broke it 5 years later when he had 17 Ks.

No Surprise Here: Marquis In The Postseason

Batting 5th, Ian Kinsler was 2-5 with 1 double (his 31st), 1 RBI, 2 runs scored, and 1 SB (his 31st) against the Angels. Kinsler's 31 stolen bases this year rank 2nd all-time behind Shawn Green's 35 in 1998.

Ryan Braun was 1-4 with 1 HR (his 31st), 1 RBI, and 1 run scored against the Rockies.

The Rockies' win over the Brewers guarantees a Wild Card berth for them and keeps them in the hunt for the division race against the Dodgers. They're 2 games behind the Dodgers and will play the last 3 games of the season against them. Should be a good series. Jason Marquis will toe the slab on Sunday looking for his 16th win. This marks his 10th straight postseason. If nothing else, Marquis appears to be a good luck charm.

Kevin Youkilis was 1-3 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored against the Indians.

Gabe Kapler was 0-3 against the Orioles.

Craig Breslow pitched 1 inning of scoreless relief against the Mariners. His WHIP is 1.10. His ERA is 3.34. Bet the Twins are kicking themselves now for letting this guy go. William has been saying this all along. Not like they're in a playoff race or anything...

Braun Going for 20/20 and 200

Ryan Braun was 2-4 with 1 HBP (his 13th), 1 run scored, and 1 SB (his 18th) against the Rockies. Braun swiped 6 bags in September. Looks like he's going for a 20/20 season. He also needs just 4 hits for 200. He'll have 4 games to do it.

Batting 5th, Ian Kinsler was 0-0 with 3 BBs against the Angels.

Kevin Youkilis, along with most of Boston's starters, got the day off.

In the 1st game of a doubleheader against the Pirates, Sam Fuld was 0-1. In the 2nd game, Fuld was 1-3 with 1 BB.

John Grabow pitched 2/3 of an inning and gave up 2 runs on 4 hits. His WHIP is 1.42. His ERA is 3.41.

On This Date In 1945

Hank Greenberg hit a grand slam on the last day of the regular season in the top of the 9th inning against the St. Louis Browns to clinch the pennant for the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers were down 3-2 before Greenberg's blast put them ahead for good. The Tigers would go on to win the World Series against the Chicago Cubs.

Also, On This Date In 1973...

Steve Stone struck out a career-high 12 batters in a complete game shutout against the Oakland A's on 3 hits and 2 BBs.

Abner Double-Day

Kevin Youkilis was 1-4 with 1 BB, 1 double (his 35th), 1 RBI, and 1 run scored against the Blue Jays. Also swiped his 7th bag of the year. This marks Youk's 4th consecutive season with 35 or more doubles. With the Rangers' loss tonight, the Red Sox have officially clinched the Wild Card. So we'll be seeing Youk again in the postseason.

Ryan Braun was 2-5 with 2 doubles (his 35th and 36th) against the Rockies. Braun was 2-3 against Jason Marquis.

Batting 6th, Ian Kinsler was 1-3 with 1 double (his 30th) and 1 run scored against the Angels. His 270 total bases are a career-high. Sadly, he and teammate Scott Feldman will not be in the postseason this year.

Sam Fuld was 3-4 with 1 double (his 5th) and 1 run scored against the Pirates. Fuld is 7 for his last 13 with 3 BBs and 3 runs scored.

Marquis pitched well enough against the Brewers to get his 16th win, but he got a no-decision instead in his 21st quality start after Huston Street surrendered a game-tying 3-run HR to Jason Kendall in the 9th inning. Marquis went 6 innings and gave up 2 runs on 6 hits, 4 BBs, and 1 K.

The walks are a bit of a concern. Marquis has issued 18 free passes in his last 22 1/3 innings. His WHIP is 1.36. His ERA is 3.95. And he's logged 212 innings this year; that's a career-high.

Feldman picked up his 7th loss of the season against the Angels. He pitched 3 2/3 innings and gave up 4 runs on 7 hits, 1 HBP, 3 BBs, and 3 Ks. Feldman has had 3 great starts this month and 3 awful starts. Hopefully, he can get it together for his last start in October. His WHIP is 1.28. His ERA is 4.02.

Youk Atones For Nothing... He's Awesome

Kevin Youkilis was 2-3 with 2 HRs (his 26th and 27th), 3 RBIs, and 2 runs scored against the Blue Jays. This was Youk's 4th multi-HR game of the year. He now has 90 RBIs.

Batting 6th, Ian Kinsler was 2-4 against the Angels.

Gabe Kapler was 1-2 with 1 BB, 1 HR (his 8th and 80th career), 1 RBI, and 1 run scored against the Orioles.

Brad Ausmus was 0-2 against the Pirates.

In other news, The Great Rabbino is relaunching his blog on October 6th with an interview with Nancy Lieberman.