A Call to Arms

Just about 24 hours to the trade deadline now, and although things seem set, at least as far as any big moves in Major League Baseball, there still could be a few surprises. The Yankees are still interested in pitchers, and sorry Seattle seems to have one extra. The Mets could use some arms in the pen but there doesn't seem to be much available.

At least one thing remains abundantly clear, though, as we approach the deadline. You just can't have too much pitching. Witness the Angels John Lackey no-hitting the Red Sox for 8 1/3, the Cubs Carlos Zambrano out-dueling Ben Sheets of Milwaukee and even our Oliver Perez shutting down the Marlins for most of the evening down in Miami.

The Cubs sure seem loaded with arms but they added still another one in Jeff Samardzija, last seen catching passes all over the field for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The tall, rangy Samardzija is just 23 years old but has already picked up a save for the Cubs , who are presently locked up in a death match with the Milwaukee Brewers.

World Series Champions usually wind up having a little bit of everything, or a lot of one thing, and that thing is usually pitching. At this point, it seems that the Mets and Cubs have it on the Senior Circuit and the Angels have it in the American League. Starters and relievers, they have it all.

Aaron Heilman of the Mets seemed to confirm that last night when he helped nail down the win against the Marlins by pitching two crucial shutout innings after walking the first two batters he faced in the 7th inning. And Billy Wagner had another impressive outing in the 9th.

This next week should be very revealing as to whether the Mets can overcome a couple of injuries to their staff. John Maine's MRI revealed a strained shoulder, but he may be good to go for Sunday while their old pro Pedro Martinez, who at last call was battling through an arm problem that put undue pressure on his hip. Yet Pedro will probably try again soon, and what a nice surprise it would be if he can finish up the season.

If Pedro can produce over the remainder of 2008, he would be one of the only gambles the Mets have taken on aging players that will have worked out. Luis Castillo certainly didn't help but he at least played some games. The same can't be said for Moises Alou or El Duque. And Marlon Anderson has been a disaster, depending upon one's expectations, I guess.

If Maine and Pedro can keep on keepin’ on, the Mets will be looking good. It’d be Santana, Perez, Pedro, Maine and Pelfrey to finish out the season, a combination that I could certainly live with. The Phillies, Marlins and the rest of the NL may not.

No teams in the National League can compete with that starting rotation, although the Cubs come pretty close. In addition to Zambrano and Rich Harden, they can throw three other quite capable guys at you in Ryan Dempster, Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis. The Brewers come close with Sheets, Sabathia, Bush, Parra and Suppan but their relievers have been suspect.

Can anybody stay with the Angels though? In addition to Lackey, they can throw another Santana at you, a fellow named Ervin. And then there’s Jon Garland and another Weaver named Jered. Their fifth guy is nobody to sneeze at either, in the person of Joe Saunders, who is an unbelievable 13-5 with an ERA just a shade above three. Wow!

The Anaheim bunch also have the pen with Francisco Rodriguez and Scott Shields, although the rest of the staff isn’t that strong, offering some hope to contenders. If the starter they throw at you can’t go 7 innings, there will be some scoring chances until you reach the eighth. Good luck!

Of course, Red Sox fans may be wondering what’s wrong with Beckett, Dice K, Lester, Wakefield and Bucholz. That’s an easy one, Wakefield and Bucholz. And, besides Papelbon and Okajima in the pen, there aren’t any other fellows there you can go to with confidence. And, unlike the Angels, who have the better starting five, they will have to visit the bullpen more often.

Another wildcard might be the Sox of that other color, the Chicago White Sox, who can throw Buehrle, Vasquez, Danks and Floyd at you. But their fifth starter is weak, and so is their bullpen. Aside from big Bobby Jenks, the closer, there’s really nobody else.

The perennial playoff-dwellers, the Yankees, alas, are coming up short. If the Mariners can outlast them in their bid for Jarod Washburn, they’ll be hurting with Mussina as their ace, followed by Pettite and Chamberlain, but Rasner and Ponson certainly don’t inspire much confidence.

If they can pick up Washburn though, their chances look much rosier, as they do seem to have a pretty good pen, not just Mariano but an improving Farnsworth and the hot newcomer Edwar Ramirez. Veras isn’t too shabby either.

Of course, pitching isn’t 100% of the game. There’re some other required pieces as well. But the Angels seem to have shored up their lineup by acquiring the brute first baseman, Mark Teixeira, from the Braves. And, even if he winds up just being a loaner, he’ll certainly give them confidence down the stretch this season.

So, although all you might see on ESPN this week is news and more news concerning an even more famous arm, that right arm of Bret Favre, and where it will wind up this year, the real news for me will concern pitching arms, as those more closely relate to success than do the arms of quarterbacks, who, after all, need strong performances by about 44 other big and fast bodies.

So pay close attention. Watch those arms and where they’re going. That movement will probably decide this year’s Series winners.