So there goes another Labour Day.
Stephen Brunt’s back with me from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET every day and Baseball Central shifts to 11 a.m. to Noon for the stretch drive…
And here are some of the storylines we’ll follow the rest of the Major League Baseball season:
HOW DO THE CHICAGO CUBS STAVE OFF BOREDOM?
One of the reasons baseball people think wild-card teams have been able to enjoy post-season success in the past is that they become so used to their managers going to the whip-hand in September that the regular and post-season kind of run together.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon’s team hasn’t had anything to play for since the all-star break, and Maddon’s decided a six-man rotation is the way to go — no doubt spurred by memories of Jake Arrieta running face-first into an innings wall in the playoffs last season, plus the return of John Lackey. Maddon’s already faced grumbling from Jason Hammel and Jon Lester treats 200 innings like a birthright, but other than that? It’s all about staying healthy, and they’ll get Hector Rondon and Pedro Strop off the 15-day disabled list soon, so working them back into regular bullpen work will be a make-work project if Maddon is really stuck for something to do.
AMERICAN LEAGUE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD
This is one of the rare occasions where the standings could very well determine the winner: ballots (two from each city) are cast on the final day of the regular season, and while if you blindly follow WAR this could be Mike Trout’s award until he retires, the guess here is the Boston Red Sox’s Mookie Betts, Houston Astros’ Jose Altuve, and Toronto Blue Jays’ Josh Donaldson will be the favourites.
My hunch is Donaldson, a player who has some debating whether there is indeed something defined as “clutch,” needs the Blue Jays to win the division and put together a memorable September to have a shot.
THE WILD, WILD WEST
Not much going on atop any division other than the AL East or the NL West, where the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants have six games remaining against each other, including the final three games of the regular season at AT&T Park. It’s an even-numbered year, remember, and you know what that’s meant for the Giants the past six seasons, although this time there’s a bit of a wild card …
SOME REALLY HAPPY RETURNS
Clayton Kershaw, Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Aledmys Diaz, Chris Tillman, Darren O’Day, the aforementioned Lackey. Maybe Giancarlo Stanton. All are definite or possible returnees off the 15-day disabled list who could have a significant impact on their teams down the stretch. Kershaw, in particular, could tilt the balance of power in the NL West.
CAN THE KIDS MAKE THE DIFFERENCE IN THE TIGHT AL EAST?
The New York Yankees have gone from rebuilding to being post-season contenders on the back of call-ups from their minor league season and the Boston Red Sox have seen that and raised them Yoan Moncada, considered the top prospect in the game at the time of his call-up. Moncada’s no guarantee defensively at third base, however, and given manager John Farrell’s issues in one-run games lately — they’ve lost their last five, and Farrell continues to come up snake eyes far too often when he uses his bullpen — you wonder how resolute the Red Sox can afford to be.
QUIBBLES AND BITS
It’s going to be interesting to see how many other white athletes jump to Kaepernick’s defence, although it might be much to expect any NFL players to have the stones to do so. Meanwhile, Kaepernick’s jersey is flying off the shelves, according to ESPN, which reported the 49ers sold more of his jerseys last week than they had in the previous eight months and that only the jerseys of Ezekiel Elliott and Odell Beckham Jr., were outselling his on the NFL’s site. Must be getting ready to burn them …
OK, that’s cheap. But while you were focused on the AL East, the Detroit Tigers have gone 7-3 and are in the thick of things thanks in no small measure to Daniel Norris and Matt Boyd, who were dispatched to the Tigers at last season’s trade deadline.
The Tigers have won Norris’ last three starts and he has worked six innings in two of those, striking out 16 and walking four. Boyd, meanwhile, averaged 6 1/3 innings in his previous three starts before slogging through four innings in his last outing. The Tigers won five of his six starts in August, and Boyd will start Tuesday in Chicago against the White Sox. They’ve been god-sends for the Tigers, who are awaiting the return of Zimmermann.
THE ENDGAME
I’m going to offer Canada Soccer some free advice, beyond getting rid of Benito Floro as men’s national team coach and replacing him with somebody who realizes that the Canadian talent pool is too thin to pick fights with the Will Johnsons or hold grudges against the Jonathan Osorios of the world. You’re not good enough to do that, Benito. Not close.
Seriously, approach Ralph Krueger, the Winnipeg-born chairman of Southampton FC and former Edmonton Oilers coach who is here coaching Team Europe in the World Cup of Hockey, and ask his help in finding a replacement. Krueger is a thinker who understands the cultural complexities of international sports; his hiring of Dutch coach Ronald Koeman to run Southampton — Koeman is now with Everton — is an example of a smart marriage brokered by Krueger. Time to look beyond bringing in the cheapest guy with the sexiest accent.