 09/20/2004 6:06 AM ET
MLB.TV Games of the Week
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| Watch Johan Santana aim for his 20th win this week on MLB.TV. (Ann Heisenfelt/AP)
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This week brings the arrival of autumn, which means it is time for crickets to shut up for the year and give way to the annual cacophony of postseason-award debate around Major League Baseball. You probably can hear it now.
"Curt Schilling has lived up to the hype, and he leads the Majors with 20 wins. Where would the Red Sox be without him?"
"Yeah, but Johan Santana has been a modern-day version of 1968 Bob Gibson in the second half. He leads the American League in strikeouts and ERA, and where would the Twins be?"
That absolutely intriguing American League Cy Young race is going down to the wire, along with the rest of the major postseason awards, and fans with MLB.TV subscriptions not only get to see fantastic playoff races but also those closing statements by the individual award candidates -- like these two workhorses.
Schilling, the first Boston pitcher in a quarter-century to win 20 games in his first season with the club, has won his last seven starts. He goes for No. 21 on Tuesday against the Orioles at home, and he is the probable starter on Sunday in the last of the Red Sox's regular-season showdowns with the rival Yankees.
Santana is completing one of the best second halves of pitching in Major League history. He is 12-0 with a 1.16 ERA in 13 starts since the All-Star break. He is also working on a 30-inning scoreless streak, and if you have MLB.TV, then you can watch his next start Friday night at Cleveland, where he needs just five punchouts to break Bert Blyleven's 1973 Twins record of 258 strikeouts in a single season.
There is only a fortnight to go, autumn is in the air and it's all exclusively broadcast live on MLB.TV if you have a high-speed connection and a subscription. MLB.TV day passes also are available for only $2.95, which is great if you have one special game in mind or simply want to test the high-tech waters. Here are the top games to see this week (all times ET:)
Monday: Cubs at Marlins (2), 1:30 p.m. and TBD
Because of Hurricane Frances and previous postponements, the Cubbies had to make this special one-day trip down from Cincinnati, and then head back north to Pittsburgh following the doubleheader. It is a vital National League Wild Card showdown for both clubs, and it is especially crucial for a Marlins club that many observers began to write off once Florida fell to 4 1/2 back over the weekend. The opener is a beauty: Mark Prior vs. Carl Pavano, who seeks to become Florida's first-ever 18-game winner. Pavano threw a complete-game shutout against Chicago just two starts ago. A doubleheader on MLB.TV is a great way to spend your Monday at the office.
Tuesday: A's at Rangers, 8:05 p.m.
Ryan Drese beat Mark Mulder last week in Oakland, and Rangers fans have to hope for a quick repeat when the same pitching matchup gets this three-game series started at Ameriquest Field in Arlington. It is likely an all-or-nothing series for the Rangers, whose best hope at this point is gaining a big chunk of ground on the A's with a series sweep. The game also kicks off a 10-game homestand for Texas.
Wednesday: Dodgers at Padres, 10:05 p.m.
Brad Penny is scheduled to return to the mound for the Dodgers, and not a moment too soon as far as they are concerned. He was dominating in his debut after the club acquired him in a deadline deal with Florida, but he left in the first inning of his subsequent start because of a strained right bicep and hasn't pitched since. The Padres entered the week still in the thick of the NL Wild Card race, and the Dodgers were still trying to hold off the Giants in a tight NL West battle. It'll be noisy in the Pet Shop for this one, and all you need is MLB.TV if you can't be there in Southern California.
Thursday: Astros at Giants, 10:15 p.m.
Think back to Opening Day in Houston. The Astros had sky-high hopes, and the Giants showed up and beat them behind a Barry Bonds homer in the opener, and then pounded Andy Pettitte the next day. Roger Clemens won the third game of that series to avoid a sweep. Thursday's game is the finale in a series that marks the first time they have met since those days to dream by, and now the two clubs are neck-and-neck in a Wild Card race. Houston has been superhuman at home lately, but how will they fare on the road? And has baseball's newest 700 Home Run Club member done enough so far to convince NL MVP voters that he merits yet another trophy?
Friday: Twins at Indians, 7:05 p.m.
Schilling still gets the most publicity, but you can make a very strong case for Santana as the AL Cy Young winner -- especially if he reaches the 20-win plateau in this start. The best thing about MLB.TV is that it is market-neutral. It doesn't matter how much press Santana gets, because it's just you and your MLB.TV to judge for yourself just how great he is. This is also a great way for MLB.TV watchers to catch a glimpse of Grady Sizemore, the Indians' top prospect who was just called up. All Sizemore has done in the last year is celebrate a Double-A Eastern League championship in 2003 with Akron, and now a Triple-A International League championship with Buffalo.
Saturday: Mariners at Rangers, 8:05 p.m.
Probably the most intriguing individual chase of this homestretch is wearing a Mariner jersey: Ichiro Suzuki. The Seattle Swatter entered the week with 236 hits, 13 games remaining, and needing 22 base knocks to break George Sisler's 1920 record for most hits in a Major League season. In four previous series against Texas this season, Ichiro hit only .276 (16-for-58). But most of that happened before he caught fire in July with the first of his consecutive 50-plus-hit months. Watch closely on MLB.TV; Ichiro's chase is kind of like Big Mac and Sammy in 1998, albeit without the more glamorous longball.
Sunday: Yankees at Red Sox, 2:05 p.m.
Schilling was to go after his Major League-leading 21st victory earlier in the week against Baltimore, and he probably will get the call here for the last regular season meeting of 2004 between the archrivals. It doesn't get much bigger than that, and it still could be simply another prelude to another classic playoff battle royale next month. Both of Schilling's starts against the Yanks in 2004 have been at home. He beat them on April 17, and just think how much has happened since that day, when he showed everyone what he thought about being removed from that start earlier than he wanted. It also seems like a long time since July 23, when Schilling had a no-decision at home in a loss to the Yankees that dropped the Red Sox to 9 1/2 games behind the leaders.
That game is also another chance to see Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz and Gary Sheffield, and to decide for yourself whether any of them is the best choice for the AL MVP. And could Clemens really win another Cy Young Award in his first season in the NL? The ballots are in the hands of the baseball writers, but if MLB.TV is in your hands, then you get to watch all these final statements, and then join this debate. The crickets are stepping aside.
Mark Newman is enterprise editor for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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