New York Mets continue to spend money in free agency

It feels as though not a day goes by without the New York Mets signing another free agent.

The Mets added to their starting rotation on Friday by signing right-hander Kodai Senga to a five-year deal worth $75 million. For those not familiar with Senga, he's a 29-year-old who has pitched 11 seasons in the Nippon Professional Baseball league, going 104-51 with a 2.42 ERA over 275 starts.

Earlier this offseason, the Mets signed AL Cy Young award winner Justin Verlander and veteran left-hander Jose Quintana. With ace Max Scherzer and right-hander Carlos Carrasco also in the rotation, New York seems set on the starting pitching front -- even though Jacob deGrom is now a member of the Texas Rangers.

This offseason, the Mets have also retained outfielder Brandon Nimmo on a eight-year, $162 million deal, and closer Edwin Diaz on a five-year, $102 million deal. They also added veteran reliever David Robertson for one year and $10 million.

New York's estimated payroll is now about $345 million, which would be an all-time high if they don't shed salaries in trades between now and the start of the 2023 season. If the payroll holds, Mets owner Steve Cohen will have to pay $76.2 million in luxury tax penalties. With the way that team is spending, it seems as though he doesn't care.

Must be nice as a fan.

In case you were wondering, the biggest free agent contract the White Sox have ever handed out was to catcher Yasmani Grandal, who is entering the fourth and final year of a $73 million contract.

In other words, Cohen could pay more in luxury tax penalties in 2023 than Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf has ever paid to a free agent.

Chris Sale: Best strikeout-to-walk ratio among those with 2,000 or more Ks

Chris Sale

Boston Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale is out for 2020, if the season happens, after undergoing Tommy John surgery. But, of course, I never miss an opportunity to mention my favorite former White Sox pitcher of all-time, so ...

I was reading Baseball Digest recently when I learned that Sale has the best strikeout-to-walk ratio of all-time among pitchers with at least 2,000 career strikeouts.

Sale reached that career milestone in 2019, despite having a down and injury-plagued season.

Here is that leaderboard. Four of the top seven pitchers are active:

1. *Sale: 2,007 Ks, 374 BBs, 5.37 ratio
2. Curt Schilling: 3,116 Ks, 711 BBs, 4.38 ratio
3. *Max Scherzer: 2,692 Ks, 618 BBs, 4.36 ratio
4. *Clayton Kershaw: 2,464 Ks, 577 BBs, 4.27 ratio
5. Pedro Martinez: 3,154 Ks, 760 BBs, 4.15 ratio
6. Dan Haren: 2,013 Ks, 500 BBs, 4.03 ratio
7. *Zack Greinke: 2,622 Ks, 667 BBs, 3.93 ratio

*active player

Justin Verlander, Jacob deGrom are 2019 Cy Young winners

Justin Verlander

After watching the playoffs unfold, I think Gerrit Cole is a better pitcher than Justin Verlander right now. But voting for the Cy Young Award occurs when the regular season ends, and postseason play is not a factor.

Through that lens, it's not a surprise that Verlander edged Cole -- his teammate with the Houston Astros -- for the American League honor, because Verlander's regular season was slightly better than Cole's.

Verlander got 17 of the 30 first-place votes, while Cole got the other 13 to finish second. Tampa Bay's Charlie Morton placed third in the voting, while the White Sox's Lucas Giolito finished sixth.

Verlander led the Major Leagues in wins (21), innings (223), batting average against (.171) and WHIP (0.80). He had a 2.58 ERA in a league-high 34 starts and finished with exactly 300 strikeouts. He also threw a no-hitter Sept. 1 against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Cole led the league in strikeouts (326) and had a better ERA than Verlander (2.50), while going 20-5. Cole gave up the same number of earned runs as Verlander (66) in 10.2 fewer innings, but the win total, the innings count and the no-hitter were enough to sway voters toward Verlander.

Really, whichever voters went here, they weren't wrong. I would have voted for Cole, but I can't say Verlander didn't deserve the award -- the guy was 21-6, that's a helluva year.

In the National League, Jacob deGrom's won-loss record over the past two seasons is nothing special. He was 10-9 in 2018, and he went 11-8 in 2019. But he won the Cy Young in both years because his peripherals are out of this world.

His WHIP was 0.97 this season, and that makes him the only qualified NL pitcher with a WHIP below 1.00 in each of the past two years.

This year, deGrom led the National League in strikeouts (255) and ranked second in ERA (2.43) and WHIP. He was third in innings with 204, and posted a 1.89 ERA over his final 23 starts, covering 152 innings.

That was good enough to dominate the voting, as deGrom totaled 29 of the 30 first-place votes. Hyun-Jin Ryu of the Los Angeles Dodgers got the only other first-place vote and finished second. Washington's Max Scherzer placed third.

Nationals use 4 starters, 2 relievers to beat Astros in World Series

World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg

Five times during the 2019 playoffs, the Washington Nationals faced elimination. In those five games, the Nationals trailed in all of them. However, they never lost.

Washington finished off an improbable run to a World Series championship Wednesday night, rallying to beat the Houston Astros, 6-2, in Game 7.

The Nationals trailed, 2-0, after six innings, but they came back with three runs in the seventh inning, one in the eighth and two in the ninth to stun the crowd in Houston and win the series, four games to three.

Most people will remember this series because the road team won all seven games -- that's never happened before in any sport. But hopefully, history will look back on this series as the one that brought good starting pitching back into fashion.

The Nationals won this series with basically six pitchers: World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer, Patrick Corbin, Anibal Sanchez, Sean Doolittle and Daniel Hudson. The first four men on that list are starters; the last two are relievers.

Washington pitched 36 innings in this series, and 32.2 of them were handled by the six men listed above.

Strasburg earned his MVP with a brilliant, clutch performance in Game 6. He went 8.1 innings and allowed two runs on five hits with seven strikeouts in a 7-2 Washington victory.

On the morning of Game 7, it was unclear who would pitch for the Nationals. But Scherzer answered the bell, three days after being scratched from his Game 5 start and taking a cortisone shot for back and neck muscle spasms.

Scherzer was far from his best, allowing 11 base runners (seven hits, four walks) over five innings, but only two of them scored. The Astros were ahead, 2-0, but they could have been ahead 6-0. Instead, they left 10 men on base and went 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position. It was a gutsy outing by the Washington pitcher.

Worth noting: Houston also got brilliant starting pitching in Game 7. Zack Greinke allowed no runs on one hit through six innings, before he ran into mild trouble in the seventh inning.

Anthony Rendon homered with one out to make it 2-1, and Juan Soto followed with a walk. Greinke had only thrown 80 pitches, but you know, the analytics say you shouldn't let a starting pitcher face a lineup the third time through.

So even though Greinke had good stuff, Houston manager A.J. Hinch went to the bullpen. And then Hinch spent the rest of the game desperately trying to find a reliever who had stuff as good as Greinke's was.

Howie Kendrick greeted Will Harris with a two-run homer that put the Nationals ahead to stay at 3-2.

Soto's RBI single in the eighth made it 4-2 and added a run to Houston closer Roberto Osuna's tab. Then Washington scored two more in the ninth off Joe Smith and Jose Urquidy, with Adam Eaton delivering a two-run single to make it 6-2.

The Astros used five relievers, and the game got out of hand on their watch. So much for the era of "super relievers," huh? Maybe it is better to stick with an accomplished starter over a bunch of decent but not great relievers, no?

Meanwhile, the Nationals relieved Scherzer with another starting pitcher, Corbin, who worked three scoreless innings and earned the win in this clinching game. Hudson came on in his familiar relief role and worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning with two strikeouts, no doubt setting off a wild celebration in the nation's capital.

Our congratulations go out to the Nationals and their fans. This was a surprising championship, but a well-earned one. Washington beat both the 106-win Dodgers and the 107-win Astros on its path to the title. You have to respect that performance. 

Astros on brink of World Series championship after three wins over Nationals

Joe Ross

Most people didn't see it coming when the Washington Nationals won the first two games of the World Series on the road against the Houston Astros.

The Nationals looked the part of a team of destiny. They entered Game 3 having won 18 of their past 20 games. Well, that hot streak is over, because the Astros won Games 3, 4 and 5 in Washington, D.C.

After Sunday night's 7-1 Houston victory in Game 5, the Astros hold a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Houston dominated the three games in Washington, winning by a combined score of 19-3. The Nationals never took the lead in any of the three games.

In Sunday's pivotal Game 5, Washington was in trouble before it set foot on the field. The marquee starting pitching matchup between Max Scherzer and Gerrit Cole never materialized, as Scherzer was scratched because of neck spasms and back tightness.

When Scherzer doesn't pitch, you know he's legitimately hurt, too. The man had made 30 or more starts in 10 consecutive seasons coming into this year. Joe Ross got the emergency start for Washington, and while he didn't embarrass himself, you know he's just not like Scherzer. Few are.

Ross went five innings and allowed four runs, giving up a pair of two-run homers -- one to Yordan Alvarez and the other to Carlos Correa.

Meanwhile, Cole went seven strong innings. He allowed only one run -- a solo home run by Juan Soto -- on three hits, with nine strikeouts and two walks. Cole is 4-1 in his five postseason starts, and if this was the free-agent-to-be's last start in an Astros uniform, his legacy in Houston is secure.

Game 6 is Tuesday night in Houston, and Washington will turn to postseason ace Stephen Strasburg to try to force Game 7. Who better to pitch this game? Strasburg has made four starts in these playoffs and won them all, with a 1.93 ERA.

For his career, Strasburg is now 5-2 with a 1.34 ERA in the playoffs.

However, his opposition is formidable in Justin Verlander, who is looking to add to his Hall of Fame-caliber resume with a World Series-clinching win. And Verlander will be looking to atone for his loss to Strasburg in Game 2.

The Astros are now just a win away from becoming the fourth team in MLB history to rally to win a series after dropping the first two games at home. They also are looking to become the first team to win a home game in this series.

Washington Nationals beat Houston Astros in first two games of World Series

Juan Soto

It's Oct. 24, and the Washington Nationals haven't lost a game since Oct. 6.

The Nationals not so long ago had a well-earned reputation as playoff chokers -- they lost in the National League Division Series in 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2017. They had never won a playoff series before this season, but hey, look at them now.

Washington has won 18 of its past 20 games dating back to the regular season, and it has won eight consecutive playoff games after its 12-3 victory over the Houston Astros on Wednesday in Game 2 of the World Series.

The Nationals have won three elimination games in these playoffs -- the wild card game against the Milwaukee Brewers and Games 4 and 5 of the NLDS against the 106-win Los Angeles Dodgers. And they came from behind in the eighth inning in two of those three elimination games. That's clutch.

Now, Washington leads this World Series, 2-0, and it has the next three games at home. Two more wins and the franchise will permanently shed the "playoff choker" label.

How have they done it? Well, they've gone on the road in this World Series and beat the two best pitchers in baseball, Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander, on back-to-back days.

Cole and Verlander were a combined 41-11 this season, but all that matters now is that they are 0-2 this week. The Astros had only lost two in a row at home once since July 1. Make it twice.

The Nationals scored five runs in seven innings off Cole in Game 1, and their cleanup hitter -- Juan Soto -- led the charge with three hits and three RBIs in a 5-4 victory. And Ryan Zimmerman, a member of the Nationals since 2005, hit a solo home run. Good for him. He's been there through all the postseason disappointment, so he probably has a great appreciation for this run.

Washington ace Max Scherzer only went five innings, but he got the win, and I thought it was interesting that Patrick Corbin worked an inning in relief -- a scoreless sixth (more on that in a minute).

Tanner Rainey gave up a run in the seventh, and Daniel Hudson gave up a run in the eighth. But with a 5-2 lead sliced to 5-4, Sean Doolittle closed it out for Washington with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

In Game 2, Verlander and Stephen Strasburg battled through a 2-2 deadlock after six innings. Strasburg was over 100 pitches in the bottom of the sixth, but he extricated himself from a first-and-second, one-out jam to keep the game tied.

His teammates rewarded him by erupting for six runs in the top of the seventh. Kurt Suzuki's homer off Verlander put Washington ahead to stay, and the Nationals tacked on a whole bunch more against the Houston bullpen. As a matter of fact, Washington scored 10 runs in the last three innings; former White Sox outfielder Adam Eaton homered in the top of the eighth.

Remember, I mentioned that Corbin relief appearance. He will NOT get the start in Game 3 as previously expected. Instead, Anibal Sanchez will work for Washington against Houston's Zack Greinke on Friday night.

This is interesting, because you wonder if we'll see Corbin in relief again. If the Nationals have the lead in Game 3, I think they should make Corbin their first man out of the bullpen again. Go for the knockout punch in Game 3, and if you get it, you've got a 3-0 lead in the series, and what does it matter who starts Game 4?

If the Nationals have a 3-0 lead, they can start whomever in Game 4 and know that even if they lose, they still have Scherzer for Game 5 and Strasburg for Game 6, and they'd only have to win one of those games to be world champion. That would be an enviable scenario for the Nationals.

In case you were wondering, 26 previous teams in baseball history have gone on the road and won the first two games of a best-of-seven postseason series. Those 26 clubs have won the series 23 times.

The three teams that rallied from an 0-2 hole? All of them came in the World Series -- the 1985 Kansas City Royals, the 1986 New York Mets and the 1996 New York Yankees.

The Astros are a 107-win team, so you can't count them out. But they are facing some long odds.

Here are the pitching matchups for the first three games of the World Series

Max Scherzer

The 2019 World Series will be a delight for fans of starting pitching. The Houston Astros and Washington Nationals both go three-deep with brand-name starters, and those six pitchers will be on display in the first three games of the Fall Classic.

All games start at 7 p.m. Central. Here are the matchups (Astros' starter listed first, since they have home-field advantage):

Tuesday at Houston: Gerrit Cole vs. Max Scherzer
Wednesday at Houston: Justin Verlander vs. Stephen Strasburg
Friday at Washington: Zack Greinke vs. Patrick Corbin

I was wondering whether the Nationals would go with Scherzer or Strasburg in Game 1. Scherzer is their ace, so he seems like the obvious choice, but Strasburg has been terrific in the playoffs throughout his career. In seven lifetime postseason appearances, he's 4-2 with a 1.10 ERA, with 57 strikeouts in 41 innings pitched.

Of course, Scherzer hasn't exactly been struggling. He won his start against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS, and then took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in a win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS. Scherzer has allowed just one earned run on five hits over 15 innings in his past two starts. He has struck out 21 and walked only five over that same span.

Can he beat Cole? We'll see. Cole has been ridiculously good in three postseason starts so far this October. He's 3-0, and he's allowed one run in 22.2 innings pitched, with 32 strikeouts and eight walks.

Right now, it feels as though the Astros are invincible when Cole pitches. But if anyone can outduel him, perhaps Scherzer's the guy.

Tune in Tuesday night.

Nationals, Astros making starting pitching popular again

Stephen Strasburg

There are only two teams in baseball that have never made the World Series -- one in each league. One is the Seattle Mariners in the American League.

The other, the National League's Washington Nationals -- who were once the Montreal Expos -- are on the verge of advancing to the Fall Classic for the first time in the franchise's 51-year history.

Washington beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 8-1, on Monday night to take a 3-0 lead in the National League Championship Series.

How are the Nationals doing it? With starting pitching. Stephen Strasburg on Monday struck out 12 and walked nobody over seven innings of one-run ball.

In fact, the Cardinals have scored a grand total of two runs in the first three games of the series -- that's a good way to dig an 0-3 hole.

In Game 1, Anibal Sanchez, who is Washington's No. 4 starter, had a no-hitter through 7.2 innings. He ended up combining with Sean Doolittle on a one-hit shutout in the Nationals' 2-0 victory.

Washington ace Max Scherzer had a no-hitter through six innings in Game 2. He ended up pitching seven shutout innings with 11 strikeouts in a 3-1 Nationals' victory.

The run the Cardinals scored Monday against Strasburg was unearned, which means Washington starters have not allowed an earned run in 21.2 innings going into Tuesday's Game 4.

That is domination. The Nationals are bucking the bullpen trend we've seen over the past few years. Washington's bullpen is pretty thin -- there isn't much there beyond Doolittle and Daniel Hudson.

But the Nationals have Scherzer, Strasburg, Patrick Corbin and Sanchez. That's a deep, strong rotation that just may carry them into the World Series.

Meanwhile, in the American League, Gerrit Cole struck out seven over seven shutout innings Tuesday as the Houston Astros defeated the New York Yankees, 4-1, in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.

The Astros took a 2-1 in the series, and they regained home-field advantage in the best-of-seven.

Houston is seeking to win its second World Series in three years, and the strength of their team is, well, starting pitching. Cole and Justin Verlander, you can flip a coin in the AL Cy Young race this year. Zach Greinke is their No. 3 pitcher, and while he hasn't been great in these playoffs, he's an ace on most teams around the league.

If the Nationals and Astros both make the World Series, we'll be looking at a matchup of the two deepest starting rotations in the game. So much for bullpen usage ruling the day.

Jacob deGrom, Blake Snell win Cy Young awards

Jacob deGrom

Here's a fun fact, courtesy of Sarah Langs' Twitter account, on NL Cy Young award winner Jacob deGrom:

"deGrom: MLB-best 1.70 ERA. Mets went 14-18 in his starts & he went 10-9

Lucas Giolito: 6.13 ERA, worst in MLB. He went 10-13 & White Sox were 14-18 in his starts

That’s the same number of pitcher wins and same team record ... for the best and worst pitchers in MLB."

How about that? If that doesn't show you that wins is a lousy way to evaluate a pitcher, I don't know what does.

No pitcher has ever won a Cy Young with fewer than 13 wins until now, but New York's deGrom is deserving despite having only 10 victories in 2018.

He is a true ace, having made all 32 of his starts, throwing 217 innings and striking out 269 against only 46 walks. In those 32 starts, deGrom allowed three runs or less in 31 of them -- there was one start in April where he allowed four runs.

He set records for quality starts and consecutive starts allowing three runs or fewer. It was a dominant season for deGrom, and he totaled 29 of a possible 30 first-place votes, win-loss total be damned. He had one of the best seasons I've ever seen from a starting pitcher in my lifetime. Too bad he played on a crummy team. He pitched well enough to win 25 games, at least.

Washington's Max Scherzer got the other first-place vote, and he was listed second on the other 29 ballots. Philadelphia's Aaron Nola received 27 third-place votes and finished third.

On the American League side, Tampa Bay's Blake Snell got the honor on the strength of a 21-5 record.

Snell is interesting, because he pitched only 180.1 innings, or 33.1 innings less than the second-place finisher in the voting, Houston's Justin Verlander. A good case can be made for Verlander because he, like deGrom, shouldered an ace workload for his team.

But, ultimately, voters liked Snell's 1.89 ERA and 221 strikeouts pitching in the offense-heavy American League East.

We can say this for Snell: He was really, really good against top teams. In 12 starts against the five AL playoffs teams (Boston, New York, Cleveland, Houston and Oakland), Snell went 9-2 with a 2.00 ERA.

Snell was not getting fat on crummy competition, and that most have impressed voters, who gave him 17 of the possible 30 first-place votes. The other 13 first-place votes went to Verlander. Cleveland's Corey Kluber finished third.

Max Scherzer agrees to $210 million deal with Washington Nationals

Most White Sox fans will be happy to see Max Scherzer pitching somewhere other than the AL Central this season, after the former Detroit ace agreed to a seven-year, $210 million contract with the Washington Nationals.

More on the AL Central implications of this signing in a moment, but first, let's take a look at what this move means for the Nationals, who had the best record in the National League last year and will likely enter the 2015 season as a favorite to go to the World Series.

First off, the contract isn't as outrageous as it sounds, at least in terms of annual salary. Sources indicate half of that $210 million is deferred, and that Scherzer will be making $15 million a year for each of the next 14 years.

There had been previous speculation that Washington would have to trade either pitcher Jordan Zimmermann or shortstop Ian Desmond in order to add Scherzer and still make its bottom line work. If Scherzer was making $30 million annually, that probably would be the case. But since he's making "just" $15 million a year, maybe the Nationals will be able to hold on to other key players and make an "all-in" push this season.

Zimmermann will be a free agent after the season, and it's unlikely the Nationals will be able to retain him when he hits the open market. But if I'm Washington, I'm not concerned with that right now. I've got Scherzer, Zimmermann and Stephen Strasburg at the top of my rotation. I've got Doug Fister, Gio Gonzalez and Tanner Roark as options for the final two spots in my rotation. What other team in the National League can match that kind of depth in starting pitching?

I don't see another team in the NL that strong 1 to 6. The Nationals should forget about Zimmermann's impending free agency, keep him and go for it this year. That acquisition of Scherzer is a "go for it now" move. You have to believe that's their mindset.

As for Detroit, this is a big loss for the Tigers, no matter what public spin they try to put on it. Scherzer went 18-5 with a 3.15 ERA last year, after going 21-3 with a 2.90 ERA and winning the Cy Young award in 2013. Scherzer has more wins (39) and more strikeouts (492) than any other pitcher in the majors over the past two years. Even if Detroit goes out and signs James Shields to fill Scherzer's rotation spot, that's hard production to replace.

Here is how Detroit's rotation looked at the end of last season: Scherzer, David Price, Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez, Rick Porcello.

Here is Detroit's projected rotation for 2015 today: Price, Verlander, Sanchez, Alfredo Simon, Shane Greene.

Will that rotation be good enough for the Tigers to win the Central again this year? Maybe. That top three is still formidable, but don't you think that first list with Scherzer and Porcello is more impressive than this second list with Simon and Greene? I certainly do.

Scherzer's departure provides hope to all other teams in the AL Central, including the White Sox. In his career, Scherzer is 12-6 with a 2.54 ERA in 23 starts against Chicago. He's tough on everybody, but he's been better against the Sox than he's been against the league overall.

As a Sox fan, I'll take my chances against Simon and Greene. I'd also take my chances against Shields over Scherzer, if the Tigers do indeed decide they need to make another big acquisition for their rotation. 

Victor Martinez re-signs with Detroit Tigers

Designated hitter Victor Martinez has agreed to a four-year, $68 million contract to stay with the Detroit Tigers, according to AP sources.

Martinez, 35, is an American League MVP candidate after hitting .335 with 32 home runs and 103 RBIs for the 2014 Central Division champion Tigers. The switch-hitter missed the whole 2012 season with a knee injury, but aside from that, he's been a consistent offensive force for nearly a decade. He has hit over .300 in eight of his last nine seasons.

That said, the Tigers are taking a risk here with the length of this contract. Martinez will be 36 years old when the 2015 season begins. His batting average and home run total this past year were career bests, and he's unlikely to meet or exceed those numbers again. He will still be a productive middle-of-the-order presence even if he regresses to his career norms, but for how long will he be able to play at this same level? Nobody knows for sure.

White Sox fans who were hoping to see their team sign Martinez this offseason should not despair. Yes, the Sox need somebody who can swing the bat from the left side to put between Jose Abreu and Avisail Garcia in the middle of the batting order, but I would caution against giving a four-year deal to a soon-to-be 36-year-old who doesn't do anything but DH.

It makes more sense for the Tigers to hand out this kind of contract, because they are in their window to win. In fact, they might be coming toward the end of that window. Injuries and Father Time seem to be taking their toll on both Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander. Max Scherzer and Torii Hunter are free agents this offseason. Who knows if they'll be back? If you're the Tigers, a team with an aging core, there has to be urgency to get things done right now. If Scherzer walks away, they are going to need their offense to carry them on a lot of nights, and Martinez was their best hitter last year. For them, he was a "must-keep," and the contract they handed out reflects that.

From a White Sox perspective, they are likely a year and potentially two away from returning to legitimate contention. If they had been able to add Martinez to their lineup, sure, they would be immediately better. But he wouldn't fix the problems with the pitching staff, and by the time the Sox are ready to win, Martinez would be 38 years old and likely in decline. Unless you're ready to win right now, it doesn't make much sense to add a designated hitter at the price of more than $16 million a year.

Just in general, I think it would behoove the Sox to seek younger players who can provide long-term solutions to the holes on the roster. Martinez, to me, is not one of those guys. Much like the Tigers as a team, he's coming toward the end of his window for success. In that regard, team and player are a perfect fit for each other.

Thursday produces two wins for perceived ALDS underdogs

The prevailing wisdom says the Detroit Tigers and the Los Angeles Angels are on a collision course to meet in the American League Championship Series.

Naturally, the Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals have other ideas, and both perceived underdogs threw a wrench in that plan Thursday with Game 1 victories in AL Division Series action.

The Orioles took advantage of Detroit's leaky defense and lousy bullpen by scoring eight runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, breaking open a tight contest on their way to a 12-3 victory.

Meanwhile, third baseman Mike Moustakas hit a solo home run in the top of the 11th inning to lift the Royals to a 3-2 win over the Angels.

Baltimore's rotation: Better than we think?

Anyone else think the experts are underestimating the Orioles? They won 96 games this year. They must have done something right.

I keep hearing Detroit has an overpowering edge in starting pitching. I'll be honest: I disagree with that. Detroit's starting pitchers are all prominent media names, but they haven't necessarily pitched better than the guys in the Baltimore rotation throughout the season.

We saw today how things don't always go the way you might expect. Quite a few observers assumed Detroit ace Max Scherzer was going to own Baltimore's Game 1 starter, Chris Tillman.

That did not happen. Tillman only lasted five innings, but he allowed just two runs and left the mound with his team leading, 3-2. He ended up getting the win.

Scherzer took the loss, allowing five earned runs over 7.1 innings pitched.

Shocking? Not really.

Scherzer had a 3.15 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP this year. In comparison, Tillman had a 3.34 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. Sure, you would have to give Scherzer the edge on paper in that matchup, but not decisively so.

The Game 2 matchup in this series is an interesting one. Detroit's Justin Verlander has the Cy Young awards and the playoff experience. He also has a puffy 4.54 ERA, his worst since the 2008 season. Baltimore's Wei-Yin Chen is unfamiliar to casual fans, but don't underestimate him: He won 16 games this year and posted a 3.54 ERA -- a full run better than Verlander. It's hard to bet against Verlander in the playoffs, but his mound opponent is formidable. Game 2 is hardly a slam dunk for the Tigers.

Looking ahead to Game 3, Detroit will send David Price to the mound against Baltimore's Miguel Gonzalez. Again, Price has a Cy Young award and the playoff experience. But it's Gonzalez who posted the better ERA this year (3.23 to 3.26).

This isn't to say the Detroit starters won't ultimately outpitch the Baltimore starters over the course of this five-game series. They might. But keep this in mind: The Orioles have a great chance to win if their starters are good enough to keep the game close into the late innings.

Here's why: Baltimore has a nasty bullpen. Closer Zach Britton and his power 96 mph sinker totaled 37 saves and a 1.65 ERA this year. The Orioles have a outstanding lefty-righty combination setting him up. Midseason acquisition Andrew Miller had a 1.35 ERA in 23 games with the O's since coming over from Boston. Darren O'Day, the right-handed setup guy, posted a 1.70 ERA this season.

We saw all three of those relievers in Thursday's game. The Tigers found out they are pretty tough to beat.

Two of the relievers Detroit is counting on to work in high-leverage situations, Joba Chamberlain and Joakim Soria, contributed to that eight-run eighth inning meltdown in this opening loss. You better believe the bullpen is a huge concern for the Tigers. Detroit's 4.29 bullpen ERA was third worst in the majors this year.

Yes, Detroit has a bit of an edge in starting pitching, primarily because of all that playoff experience among Scherzer, Verlander and Price. However, I don't believe it's a huge edge. If there's a huge edge in this series, it's the advantage the Baltimore bullpen enjoys over the Detroit relievers.

All the Oriole starters really need to do is keep it close into the late innings. That's what Tillman did Thursday. Baltimore got its desired result.

Can the Royals pull it off? 

If you're looking for a reason to believe Kansas City can upset the 98-win Angels, here it is: Los Angeles has a starting pitching staff that is in disarray.

Jered Weaver is the Angels' lone reliable starter, and he pitched well in Game 1 on Thursday. However, Kansas City's Jason Vargas matched him. The game was tied, 2-2, when the starters left, and the Angels' bullpen blinked first with Moustakas hitting the home run off Fernando Salas.

Los Angeles has burned up its best starter and trails in the series. The Angels will be counting on rookie Matt Shoemaker, who hasn't pitched since Sept. 15 due to an oblique strain, in Game 2. C.J. Wilson is in line to pitch Game 3 for Los Angeles. Wilson has had a terrible second half -- his ERA is 6.05 over his last 16 starts.

The Angels definitely miss ace Garrett Richards, who is gone for the year with a serious knee injury.

Kansas City has a shot if it can take advantage of the iffy Angels starters. The Royals are 65-4 when leading after six innings, so it could be tough for Los Angeles if its pitchers put them behind early in games.

Max Scherzer outduels Chris Sale in marquee pitching matchup

There aren't many hitters in the American League who routinely get the best of White Sox ace Chris Sale. Detroit Tigers 1B/DH Victor Martinez can count himself among the few.

Martinez hit a solo home run off Sale in the top of the fifth inning Thursday night at U.S. Cellular Field, and that proved to be the game-winning hit as the Tigers avoided a sweep with a 4-0 win over Chicago.

Martinez is now 13 for 25 (.520) with two home runs in his career against Sale.

The much-anticipated pitching matchup between Sale and reigning Cy Young award winner Max Scherzer did not disappoint.

As we've noted, Justin Verlander is no longer the Detroit ace. Scherzer is, and he delivered the first complete-game shutout of his career (179 starts) on Thursday. The right-hander limited the Sox to just three hits, while striking out eight and walking three. Only twice did Chicago have two baserunners in the same inning. The Sox' best scoring chance came in the fourth when they had runners at second and third with two outs after Conor Gillaspie reached on an error and Alexei Ramirez doubled. However, Scherzer (8-2) retired Dayan Viciedo on a flyout to avoid any damage.

Sale (5-1) once again pitched extremely well. He simply got outpitched in suffering his first loss of the season. He allowed only one run on five hits over seven innings. He struck out 10 hitters (all swinging) and walked none.

Unfortunately for the Sox, Sale had thrown 116 pitches through seven innings and had to be removed from the game. The Tigers scored two runs in the eighth off reliever Jake Petricka and another run in the ninth off Daniel Webb.

But on this night, all Scherzer needed was one run, and the Sox missed a chance to get out the brooms against Detroit for the first time since 2008.

Yes, you read that right. The last time the Sox swept a three-game series against Detroit: April 4-6, 2008. Six years is a long time to go without a sweep against a team you play 18 times every year.

Suffice to say it will be easier for the Sox to beat Detroit once Martinez and his .327 lifetime average against Chicago retire. 

Justin Verlander: Are his best days behind him?

To this point in the season, most observers are assuming the Detroit Tigers will win the AL Central Division for the fourth consecutive year.

There are a lot of reasons to believe that assumption is correct. After all, the Tigers have the second-best record in the American League (28-19) entering Tuesday's action, and they possess a five-game lead in the division.

No other AL Central team is above .500. The White Sox (26-27) enter Tuesday in second place, but they are closer to last place than first. Chicago, Kansas City (24-26), Minnesota (23-25) and Cleveland (24-28) are separated in the standings by just 1.5 games.

Is there any reason at all to believe the Tigers can be had this year? Well, you have to look pretty hard, but here's one thing Detroit should be concerned about: Veteran ace Justin Verlander is no longer pitching like a Cy Young award candidate.

The 31-year-old is 5-4 with 4.04 ERA in 11 starts this year. Those numbers are ordinary to say the least, and his peripherals are also not impressive. Verlander's 1.514 WHIP is well above his career mark of 1.203, and above the career-worst 1.403 he posted during his struggling 2008 season.

Moreover, Verlander's K rate has fallen off a cliff. He has fanned just 50 batters in 71.1 IP this year. That's not good for a pitcher who has averaged roughly one strikeout per inning in every season since 2009.

Verlander's month of May has been terrible. He's 2-3 with a 6.03 ERA in his last five starts, and he has surrendered five earned runs or more in each of his last three outings. That's not like Justin Verlander.

Maybe this is a just a slump, but Verlander was coming off a "down" 2013 by his standards, in which he went 13-12 with a 3.46 ERA. In fact, if you look at the last five years you can see that Verlander is on a decline since his 2011 peak:

2010	18-9, 3.37 ERA	219 Ks in 224.1 IP	1.163 WHIP
2011	24-5, 2.40 ERA	251Ks in 251 IP	0.920 WHIP
2012	17-8, 2.64 ERA	239 Ks in 238.1 IP	1.057 WHIP
2013	13-12, 3.46 ERA	217 Ks in 218.1 IP	1.315 WHIP
2014	5-4, 4.04 ERA	50 Ks in 71.1 IP	1.514 WHIP

From these numbers, we can't say Verlander is bad now.  However,  he's starting to profile more as a No. 3 starter than the ace he has been in the past. There's really not much question Max Scherzer has overtaken him as the Tigers' best pitcher.

Starting pitching is the edge Detroit enjoys over the rest of the division, but that advantage becomes a little less if Verlander's day to pitch becomes more of a coin toss than a likely Detroit victory. That's where things stand now. It remains to be seen whether Verlander can regain his ace form. The Tigers need him to if they want to make it back to the World Series and win it.

But, even if Verlander is no longer an ace, it remains a open question whether the other teams in the AL Central, all of which have significant warts, will play well enough to take advantage anyway.

Tigers trade Prince Fielder to Rangers for Ian Kinsler

How is this for a trade nobody saw coming? The Detroit Tigers have agreed to send first baseman Prince Fielder to the Texas Rangers in exchange for second baseman Ian Kinsler.

The particulars are still being finalized, but it's a one-for-one deal. There are no prospects involved, and that's the thing that makes this trade so intriguing. How often do you see two established major league players traded straight up for each other? Not too often. Most trades nowadays involve veteran players being dealt for future considerations. That's not the case here.

So, which team got the better of this deal? It's an interesting debate, and I've heard good arguments made for both sides. My vote goes to Detroit, even though I acknowledge that Fielder will likely be more productive for Texas in 2014 than Kinsler will be for the Tigers.

To me, Detroit wins this deal because of the money it just freed up. Fielder's contract is an albatross. The 29-year-old slugger has seven years and $168 million remaining on his deal, and his numbers have slipped. You can make a case Fielder's production in 2013 did not justify his hefty paycheck. If he's overpaid now, he's really going to be overpaid three or four years down the road when his skills further erode.

Here are Fielder's statistics over the last three years. Note the downward trend in on-base and slugging percentage:

2011: .299/.415/.566, 38 home runs, 120 RBIs
2012: .313/.412/.528, 30 home runs, 108 RBIs
2013: .279/.362/.457, 25 home runs, 106 RBIs

To be fair, the 31-year-old Kinsler's numbers have slipped as well:

2011: .255/.355/.477, 32 home runs, 77 RBIs
2012: .256/.326/.423, 19 home runs, 72 RBIs
2013: .277/.344/.413, 13 home runs, 72 RBIs

However, Kinsler is owed just $62 million over the next four years, a much more manageable figure, and he plays a premium defensive position. Reports indicate the Tigers are paying the Rangers $30 million to take Fielder off their hands. So, instead of paying $168 million for Fielder, Detroit is coughing up a combined total of $92 million for Kinsler and the payout to the Rangers.

That provides the Tigers with a net savings of $76 million, which is huge because Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2014 season. Two-time league MVP Miguel Cabrera hits free agency after the 2015 season. Suddenly, Detroit has a lot more money to play with if it desires to extend the contracts of those two players, both of whom have been more important to the team's success than Fielder.

In addition, the Tigers will be able to bolster their defense by moving the immobile Cabrera away from third base and back to first base where he belongs. Kinsler solidifies second base for them. Third base is an open question, but prospect Nick Castellanos seems poised to get a look. Detroit could also sign a defense-first infielder like Juan Uribe to provide some insurance at the position. With Victor Martinez as the designated hitter, Cabrera still should have adequate protection in the lineup. Even without Fielder, the Tigers will look like favorites in the AL Central, and they'll have money to spend to retain key pieces like Scherzer and Cabrera.

What about Texas? Well, the Rangers needed a middle-of-the-order bat, and they got one. Fielder is a clear upgrade over Mitch Moreland at first base. Texas could pursue Robinson Cano to take Kinsler's place at second base, but more than likely, the Rangers will slide highly regarded prospect Jurickson Profar into that spot.

I tend to believe Fielder will help the Rangers in the short run, maybe another two decent-to-good years, but players with Fielder's body type don't tend to age well. By the time 2017 rolls around, Texas is going to be stuck with a bad contract for a portly first baseman who can't play anymore. Better win now, Rangers.

So, trading for Max Scherzer worked out well for the Tigers

I often say it's hard to make snap judgments when a trade is made. You often need three or four years before you can decide whether a particular deal is good or bad for the parties involved.

It's now been four years since the Detroit Tigers acquired right-hander Max Scherzer as part of a three-team deal with the New York Yankees and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Arizona gave up Scherzer in that trade, and I'll bet that's a move they still lament to this day. On Wednesday, Scherzer was named the Cy Young Award winner in the American League by a landslide. He received 28 of the 30 first-place votes.

Scherzer, the lone 20-game winner in baseball this year, finished the season 21-3 with a 2.90 ERA for the AL Central champion Tigers. He easily outdistanced second-place finisher Yu Darvish in the voting.

Let's go back and look at that trade from December of 2009.

The Tigers traded pitcher Edwin Jackson and outfielder Curtis Granderson and received Scherzer, outfielder Austin Jackson and relief pitchers Phil Coke and Daniel Schlereth.

The Yankees dealt pitcher Ian Kennedy, Coke and Austin Jackson and acquired Granderson.

The Diamondbacks gave up Scherzer and Schlereth and got Edwin Jackson and Kennedy.

If you're an Arizona fan, are you gagging yet?

Edwin Jackson had a brutal year for the Diamondbacks in 2010. He's played for three teams since. Currently, he's the Cubs' problem. Kennedy did have a couple good years in Arizona, including one very good year in 2011, but he's since fallen on hard times. The Diamondbacks traded him to San Diego for spare parts and future considerations in a midseason deal this past summer.

Likewise, the Yankees got a couple good years out of Granderson, but he had an injury-plagued 2013. He's a free agent this offseason and is likely headed elsewhere.

Meanwhile, the Tigers got a legitimate top-of-the-rotation starter in Scherzer and a leadoff hitter and top-notch center fielder in Austin Jackson.

Shrewd move by Detroit. The Tigers have made more good moves than bad over the last five years, and that's why they go to the playoffs every season.

Kershaw wins NL Cy Young

The National League Cy Young Award voting was also one-sided. Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw was a slam-dunk choice, earning 29 of 30 first-place votes.

Kershaw finished 16-9 for the NL West champions, and his 1.83 ERA was the best mark by any qualifying pitcher in the last 13 years.

Detroit's dumbest move: Throwing David Ortiz a first pitch changeup

The Detroit Tigers pitching staff continues to do things that have never been done before.

Starter Max Scherzer went 5 2/3 innings without giving up a hit in Game 2 of the ALCS on Sunday night. The Tigers became the first team in postseason history to have a starting pitcher carry a no-hitter into the sixth inning in three consecutive games.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, on Sunday they also became the first team in postseason history to have four different pitchers give up a single run in the same inning. When David Ortiz hit a first-pitch changeup from closer Joaquin Benoit out of the park for a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning, Jose Veras, Drew Smyly, Al Alburquerque and Benoit were all charged with one run.

Ortiz's blast erased a 5-1 Boston deficit, and the Red Sox went on to win 6-5 and even the best-of-seven series at 1-1. Predictably, motownsports.com exploded with criticism of Detroit manager Jim Leyland. Scherzer had thrown 108 pitches threw seven, but he wasn't allowed to start the eighth inning. Did he have another inning in him? Maybe, but Scherzer said he was done at that point after the game. Did Leyland overmanage by using those four relief pitchers to try to get through the eighth inning? Perhaps. I'm not a big proponent of the lefty-righty, batter-by-batter stuff. I always figure if you use enough relief pitchers, eventually you'll land on a guy who doesn't have his best stuff that day.

All that said, Leyland had his best reliever on the mound to face Ortiz. The odds were still in the Tigers' favor. They were up four, there were two outs, and the pressure was on Ortiz to do something to get his team back in the game.

Ortiz did just that, but I think he was helped by the worst decision any Tigers player or manager made all evening: They threw something offspeed on the first pitch of the sequence. I'm pretty sure the veteran Ortiz has seen that trick before. The pitcher assumes the hitter is looking first-pitch fastball with the bases loaded, so he tries to flip a sloppy offspeed offering up there in hopes of grabbing a first-pitch strike and getting ahead in the count. That kind of crap works against younger hitters. It didn't work against Ortiz, who ripped the ball into the right-field bullpen, a hit that definitely turned the game around and possibly the entire series.

Bad thought process, bad pitch. Throwing a changeup in that situation was worse than any of the questionable decisions Leyland made throughout the game. Next time, throw Ortiz a well-located fastball on the first pitch.

Justin Verlander vs. ???? in ALDS Game 5

A year ago, the Detroit Tigers and Oakland A's battled it out for five games in the American League Division Series. Once again this season, the two teams are going to play five games in the ALDS.

The Tigers made it so by rallying for an 8-6 win over the A's on Tuesday. The Detroit victory tied the series at 2-2 and set up a decisive Game 5 in Oakland on Thursday night.

Detroit will be forced to alter its rotation after using 21-game winner Max Scherzer for two innings of relief in Game 4. Scherzer picked up the win after pitching out of a bases-loaded, no-outs jam in the top of the eighth inning. The Tigers were leading by just a run (5-4) at the time. They scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth to break it open, then held off an Oakland rally in the ninth inning.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland could afford to use Scherzer in relief in Game 4 because he has Justin Verlander lined up to pitch on regular rest in Game 5. You may recall that Verlander fired a complete-game, four-hit shutout in Game 5 to clinch a series win in Oakland last October. He also pitched seven innings of shutout ball in Game 2 of this series, only to see his team lose 1-0 after he left the mound. Verlander has struck out 22 and allowed no runs in the last 16 postseason innings he has pitched against the A's. Yeah, he's a pretty good fallback option for the Tigers.

The pitching decision for Oakland isn't so cut-and-dried for Game 5. Do they go back to their Game 1 starter, Bartolo Colon, a 40-year-old veteran who went 18-6 this season? Or do they start Sonny Gray, the 23-year-old rookie who matched Verlander pitch for pitch in Game 2?

A's manager Bob Melvin hasn't announced a decision yet. On MLB Network, I heard analyst Dan Plesac say the "safe call" would be to go with Colon. I don't know if there is a "safe call" in this situation. If Melvin selects Colon and the A's lose the ballgame, people are still going to ask why he didn't go with Gray. What's so safe about that? Really, the only way Melvin isn't going to get second-guessed here is if the A's win.

With that in mind, I think he should go with Gray, who is 3-1 with a 1.56 ERA while pitching at home this year. When in doubt, pick the guy who is pitching the best, regardless of experience level. Right now, Gray is that guy for Oakland.

Red Sox oust Rays

The other division series in the American League wrapped up on Tuesday as the Boston Red Sox defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 to complete a 3-1 series victory.

Give credit to the top two hitters in the Boston batting order. Jacoby Ellsbury and Shane Victorino combined to go 15 for 32 with nine runs scored and five stolen bases in the series. Victorino beat out an infield grounder with two outs in the top of the seventh inning to score Ellsbury with the eventual game-winning run on Tuesday.

Rays manager Joe Maddon burned through nine of the 11 pitchers on his playoff roster in a fruitless effort to stay alive in this series. All the mixing and matching in the world couldn't change the fact that Tampa Bay managed just one run off Boston starter Jake Peavy and nothing off three Red Sox relief pitchers.

Boston advances to the ALCS and will open at home on Saturday. The Red Sox can set their pitching rotation however they want. None of their starters were used more than once in this series against Tampa Bay.