MIAMI GARDENS -- I grew up in central New Jersey, so I'm proud to say that the Garden State (yes, I saw the movie) is the center of the baseball universe today.Don't believe me? Check out this lineup.
At 11:05 a.m., Ryan Howard will be the DH for single-A Lakewood in the first of back-to-back games in which he'll test his strained left quad. Howard is slated to play first base for Lakewood tomorrow night, and if that goes well, he may be activated for Friday night's game at Atlanta.
And the Phillies need Mr. MVP more than ever. Over the past five games, they've mustered only 28 hits, 10 of which came Sunday. Charlie Manuel says Howard's mere presence makes the lineup more formidable, even when he isn't hitting. So, while the Phillies keep playing here in South Florida, you know they'll have their fingers crossed over what happens at FirstEnergy Stadium, one of the nicer minor-league ballparks I've seen.
At 6:35 p.m., about 35 miles west of Lakewood, Roger Clemens will start for double-A Trenton. It'll be Clemens' second start since signing with the Yankees three weeks ago, and the Bombers desperately need it to go well. They fell to the Red Sox -- again -- last night and are 10 games behind Boston in the loss column in the AL East.
If Clemens pitches well, his next start could be Monday for the Yankees against Toronto. If some double-A hitters swat a few homers into the Delaware River beyond right field at Mercer County Waterfront Park, the Yankees may have to start wondering if their $28 million investment will be ready in time to save the season.
And, it's all happening in Jersey.
No comments:
Post a Comment