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A.L. east

Sporting News, The, Sept 23, 2005

BALTIMORE ORIOLES

RHP John Maine's inability to pitch more than five innings per start has club officials wondering whether he is a legitimate contender for the rotation in 2006. Maine's tendency has been to struggle early and barely reach the fifth or to start strong, then eventually hit a wall. ... CF Luis Matos could be let go in the offseason or have his role reduced in '06. He is on pace to hit five homers and drive in 30 runs in almost 400 at-bats; interim manager Sam Pedozzo says the team needs outfielders with power. That's good news for OF Jay Gibbons. SEE A DIFFERENT GAME: LHP Steve Kline's improved pitching the past two months can be traced to better conditioning and improvement in his surgically repaired finger. Pitching coach Ray Miller believes excess weight bad affected Kline's mechanics, in particular his arm slot. At his peak with the Cardinals, a slimmer Kline had one of the N.L.'s best sliders; he used the pitch to dominate lefthanded batters.--Gary Washburn

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BOSTON RED SOX

Kevin Millar finally has found his power stroke, and John Olerud has been productive since late July, giving manager Terry Francona two first basemen capable of playing important roles. ... Second base has become a plus in the second half because Tony Graffanino has been an offensive machine at Fenway Park and utilityman Alex Cora has played great defense and has been solid in almost every phase of the game. ... RHP Mike Timlin, 39, is primed to produce the most appearances and best ERA of his career--a tribute to his work ethic and heart. Timlin's sinker is biting as hard as it has at any point in his career. SEE A DIFFERENT GAME: To truly appreciate the performance of CF Johnny Damon, you need to know how many hours he has spent in the trainer's room this season. Despite various cuts and bruises, sore hamstrings and rotator cuff problems, Damon has been in the lineup almost every day and is having one of his best seasons.--Ian Browne

TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS

Manager Lou Piniella might have pot too much pressure on RHP Dewon Brazelton by making him the team's opening day starter. Brazelton pressed for much of the season and was dogged by control problems that left him with a 6.85 ERA and 57 walks in 68 1/3 innings. ... Adding a starter who can pitch at the top of the rotation is an offseason priority. The team would like LHP Scott Kazmir and RHPs Seth McClung and Doug Waechter to match up against opponents' Nos. 3, 4 and 5 starters, easing the pressure on the Rays' young pitchers. SEE A DIFFERENT GAME: CF Joey Gathright is extremely fast, but he knows he needs more than speed to steal a base. He studies how quickly pitchers get the ball to the plate when using a short leg kick or slide step. Gathright says if a pitcher gets the ball to the plate in under 1.1 seconds, any runner--no matter how fast he is--likely will be thrown out. Gathright was successful on 13 of his first 16 stolen base attempts.--Bill Chastain

NEW YORK YANKEES

Rookie RHP Chien-Ming Wang's return from the D.L. gives the club better pitching depth. Wang has been reinserted in the rotation, pushing veteran LHP Al Leiter to the bullpen. Wang, who missed two months with a shoulder injury, was the Yankees' most consistent starter in the first half of the season. ... RHP Ramiro Mendoza's recent return from offseason shoulder surgery is another bonus for the Yankees, giving them an extra arm in the bullpen down the stretch. Mendoza's fastball is back to 88 or 89 mph, and his sinker looked good during minor league outings. SEE A DIFFERENT GAME: LHP Randy Johnson and C John Flaherty have worked together since June, a rare instance of the Yankees using a personal catcher. But should the club reach the postseason, it's hard to imagine C Jorge Posada's bat being left out of the lineup. The Yankees could use Posada as a DH when Johnson takes the mound, which would allow Flaherty to catch.--Mark Feinsand

TORONTO BLUE JAYS

Gabe Gross hasn't been able to earn regular playing time in Toronto's outfield, and now fellow prospect John-Ford Griffin is catching up to Gross. Griffin, 25, is auditioning for the club after leading the Class AAA International League in home runs and RBIs this season. ... Rookie RHP Dustin McGowan will work in relief the rest of the season now that LHP Ted Lilly is off the D.L. and LHP Scott Downs is pitching well. McGowan is just 16 months removed from elbow surgery. SEE A DIFFERENT GAME: As expected, RF Alex Rios' power has improved significantly. But his average has fallen, and he has failed to make adjustments. Pitchers are busting him inside with fastballs and getting him out on off-speed pitches away. Last year, Rios would have punched those outside pitches to the opposite field, but the Jays want him to wait for his pitch and pull it for extra bases. Rio's job might be in jeopardy if he can't put things together.--Spencer Fordin

A.L. east

Sporting News, The, Sept 23, 2005

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