Opinion

Can you ever have enough starting pitching?

For some Red Sox fans, yes.

In Brad Penny's last start against the Twins, he pitched 5.1 innings, giving up three runs and striking out seven for the win. Immediately following that outing, speculation began to fly that Penny was expendable as the Red Sox had a "surplus" of starting pitching.

Penny has certainly pitched better as of late. And with the dominant Triple-A performances of Clay Buchholz and the imminent return to the majors by John Smoltz, the Red Sox do appear to be well-stocked with starters.

Already a situation that might prompt Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell to declare a state of emergency, the Phillies suffered a devastating blow today with the news that Brett Myers will likely miss the next three to four months with a hip injury.

Statistically, Myers has been the Phillies' best starting pitcher this season.

Myers’ hip injury will likely require surgery, though the right-hander says he will try to find a way to pitch through it.

Not a surprise considering this is a contract year for Myers.

Early All-Star ballot results were released on Tuesday, and the Milwaukee Brewers are poised to be well-represented in St. Louis.

Outfielder Ryan Braun and shortstop J.J. Hardy are the early leaders at their respective positions, with catcher Jason Kendall and first baseman Prince Fielder currently sitting in second place.

Injured second baseman Rickie Weeks sits second in voting as well, and Mike Cameron, Corey Hart, and Bill Hall (Bill Hall?!?!) all reside within the top seven of their position leaders.

Last night Mets rookie Fernando Martinez failed to run out a pop-up that was dropped by Nationals' Catcher Will Nieves. Had he run hard to first, Fernando would have been safe.

The play was inconsequential as the Mets beat the Nationals 7-4, and moved into first place in the NL East.

Mistakes like the one Martinez made last night are refered to as "rookie mistakes."  Martinez is a rookie, these things happen.

If Chris Carpenter had not swung so hard at that pitch earlier this year.

If Ryan Ludwick had not pulled a hammy running down a ball in the gap in Pittsburgh.

If Rick Ankiel had not run into the wall.

 If Khahil Greene was even a shadow of his former self.

The Cardinals—not the Dodgers—would be the talk of baseball.

With a quarter of the 2009 baseball season done, the Cardinals sit right where they want to be. In the thick of the National League Central race.

One of today's topics on ESPN radio's "The Herd" with Colin Cowherd was the television ratings crisis in Major League Baseball. The crisis is apparently so bad that it has prompted a meeting between the commissioners office and the executives at Fox.

How could this be?

I was driving a dead road on the northern part of Ohio, and I turned the radio on; the radio host said something interesting.

"We haven't had a championship in this town since, like, the 1800s, I don't know what's up. Maybe there's an Indian buried in Cleveland and we need to dig him up. Something to release this championship dry spell for Cleveland."

So that got me to thinking: Is there really a curse or bad omen in Cleveland?

Make no mistake about it, the Phillies are in the market for a pitcher.

Cole Hamels aside, their rotation is a mess; Brett Myers might be heading for the DL, Jamie Moyer and Joe Blanton have a combined ERA of 6.75, and J.A. Happ is largely unproven. Meanwhile, reports suggest that GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has been very busy talking with other clubs about acquiring a starter. 

While the odds of landing Jake Peavy seem slim, the small chance that it could happen is enough to ponder what it would cost. 

Nolan Ryan. Bob Feller. Smokey Joe Wood. What did all these onetime phenomenal pitchers have in common?

They could throw a baseball fast. Really fast...

Hall of Famer Ryan, baseball’s all-time strikeout king, was clocked officially with the fastest pitch of all time, at 100.9 miles per hour in a game played on Aug. 20, 1974 against the Chicago White Sox.

The July 31 trade deadline is still two months away, a relatively small blip on the radar screen, to be sure, but the trade winds seem to always blow in baseball.

The Detroit Tigers, who many presumed would be weak in starting pitching, may soon have a surplus of hurlers ready, willing, and able to take the ball every fifth day. As a result of this reversal of fortunes, the Tigers may be in the rare position of “selling” at the deadline while remaining a strong playoff contender.