Climbing the Ladder with the National League 6/29/2008

Interleague play ends with natural rivalries

Interleague action ends tonight, with the exception of the make-up game for Thursday’s rainout between the New York Yankees and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The final weekend saw eight series between teams in close proximity to one another.

In Los Angeles the Dodgers hosted the Angels after losing the series in Anaheim. This time the hosts got the better of their AL counterparts, taking the first two games with shutouts.

Something happened Saturday for the first time in 16 years. Despite going 0-for-24, the Dodgers offense managed a run, just enough to top the Angels’ scoreless effort. Jered Weaver and Jose Arrendondo’s combined effort was only the sixth no-hit loss in a nine-inning game.

Elsewhere in California, the San Francisco Giants traveled across the bay to face the Oakland Athletics, who swept them in the previous series.

The A’s continued their dominance in the first game in San Francisco but fell in game two as Tim Lincecum outdueled Justin Duchscherer in a battle of two Cy Young candidates.

In Chicago the White Sox sought revenge for the Cubs’ sweep at Wrigley Field the previous week. The revenge was had as the Sox took the first two games and will look for the sweep on ESPN tonight.

Over the past two weeks the Cubs have endured their toughest stretch of the first half, losing eight of their past 12 games.

The turning point might have come when they loaded the bases against Baltimore Orioles closer George Sherill only to strikeout three times in a row and end the game. That snapped a 14-game home winning streak, and the Cubs have had a penchant for comebacks at Wrigley this year.

The St. Louis Cardinals might have been looking to capitalize on the Cubs’ falter, but they had their share of struggles with their state nemeses. After losing three tight games in Kansas City, they dropped the first game at home against the Royals.

If the Cards can take a positive from the performance, it’s that they won in Pujols’ return to the lineup. They managed to hang in with the Cubs during his injury, and now he will bring back some power to that offense.

Ohio was another state that had two teams fighting for its dominance. This time the Cincinnati Reds came out on top, winning four of five games against the Cleveland Indians.

The lone Indians victory came on the strength of an impressive performance by C.C. Sabathia who struck out 11 in eight scoreless innings. Sabathia’s name has come up in trade rumors, and Jim Molony of MLB.com reports that the Cubs and the Angels are the two top trade suitors.

The Milwaukee Brewers snapped the Minnesota Twins’ 10-game winning streak Saturday, but it wasn’t enough to clinch the series of the north, which Minnesota leads 3-2 heading into this afternoon.

Another big city rivalry this weekend was in New York as the Mets and the Yankees actually played four games, including a home-and-away doubleheader.

The Mets won their final three games at Yankee Stadium but lost the first two at Shea. Johan Santana might have deserved a win for his quality start Saturday, but the Mets offense still can’t seem to support him with runs.

Last and arguably least, the Washington Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles split the first to games in the nation’s capitol after the Orioles had the upper hand in Baltimore. It was the matchup of a fourth-place team and a fifth-place team.

The shocking news of the week came when Shawn Chacon had an altercation with Astros GM Ed Wade and wound up on waivers.