Milton Bradley, of the San Diego Padres, is on a hot streak right now. Bradley went two for four with a run scored and three runs batted in on Tuesday night and he is now riding a five game hitting streak, in which he is nine for his last 20 with two homeruns and six runs batted in. Bradley's hot hitting started back on July 7th and he is batting .371 with five homeruns and 15 runs batted since that day. If you are looking for a hot bat, Bradley is a good choice right now. For the season (38 games), Bradley is batting .259 with seven homeruns, seven doubles, 22 runs batted in, and five steals.
It appears to be time for the St. Louis Cardinals to sink the Braden Looper as a starting pitcher ship and try to find somebody that can give them a chance to win. Looper lasted only four innings on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Looper allowed seven earned runs on eight hits (two homeruns) and a walk. Looper now has a 6.69 ERA in his last six starts and he is only 2-5 since May 29th. Looper had a good run of it for the first two months but it has been a bumpy road since then.
It was hard to imagine that things could get worse this season for Bronson Arroyo, but they definitely did on Tuesday night. Arroyo lasted only an inning and two thirds and allowed seven earned runs on seven hits while falling to 4-12 on the year. Arroyo's ERA rose to 4.72 and he lost for the ninth time in his last 16 starts (only 2 wins in that stretch). Any pitcher, with the exception of Aaron Harang, in the Reds pitching staff is a bad idea if you put them on your staff.
Ryan Howard, of the Philadelphia Phillies, had a rough night at the plate on Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs. Howard went one for five with four strikeouts. Howard did drive in his 87th run, but he also left five runners on base. Howard has been in a slump, lately, going just five for his last 26 (.192) with four runs batted in over that stretch. Howard has earned the benefit of the doubt and will certainly start collecting more hits any game now.
I am going to withhold the classification of good or bad on this issue, for the moment, but Kerry Wood is about to return to the big leagues . I honestly thought he was done forever this last time. Perhaps the removal of the tag "savior of the Cubs"did him and his arm some good. Wood claims that he feels great and he is pitching very well, considering his new role (middle relief pitcher). Wood will likely take the last spot in the bullpen replacing Rocky Cherry or Billy Petrick, whichever is currently on the roster, as soon as today or tomorrow. "Woody"will work in some low pressure situations to start and will have to earn any promotion in the bullpen ranks because they are pretty solid in the setup through closer roles. Keep an eye on this one, but don't take the chance yet!
