The American League East often is called the toughest division.

Friday, however, the AL West dominated the East with four shutouts.

The A’s blanked the Yankees 2-0, the Mariners beat the Jays 4-0, the Rangers pounded the first-place Red Sox 7-0 and the Angels limited the Orioles to just three hits in a 3-0 win.

STATS Inc. says it’s the first time one division shut out another four times in a day since 1981 and third time ever since divisional play started in 1969. The NL West did it to the NL East on May 12, 1981, and the AL East did it to the AL West on June 7, 1969.

We’ll see how things turn out tonight.

Chances are it won’t happen again for a long time.

– Rick Green

The best pitcher in baseball?

It depends on who you ask.

According to early average draft positions in fantasy baseball, Clayton Kershaw is generally the tops. Stephen Strasburg also is there. Justin Verlander gets some props, too.

If you ask the Seattle Mariners, however, the best pitcher is Felix Hernandez.

And they’re paying him to prove it.

According to reports, Mariners signed Hernandez to a seven-year, $175 million contract — the richest given to a pitcher.

In my opinion, it’s also the biggest mistake.

Although Hernandez is 26, he’s coming off of four straight years where he’s pitched at least 232 innings. Some, and maybe the Mariners are in that group, might look at it as consistency. I see arm troubles ahead.

How many times have pitchers signed mega-contracts only to not live up to them? I’m thinking Kevin Brown, Mike Hampton, Johan Santana and Barry Zito.

It’s hard to come up with names of pitchers who have lived up to their contracts.

It’s also tough for a franchise like the Mariners to absorb a bad contract like the New York Yankees can.

It’s very risky, one that could bury a franchise for years.

Good luck, Mariners.

– Rick Green (follow me on Twitter @ETNrgreen)

Here’s a cool video of sparks flying from Eric Thames’ cleats after running into a fence at Camden Yards.

 

– Rick Green

By MIKE COPPER

mike.copper@timesnews.com

Chris Cron regards himself as a teacher of baseball as much as a manager. Maybe more teacher than manager.
It’s why he loves to be hands-on during the Erie SeaWolves’ pregame workouts.
Cron can still be found hitting grounders and fungo-bat fly balls. However, standing behind the mesh netting while tossing batting practice is out for now.
That duty has been delegated to pitching coach Ray Burris while Cron recovers from long-delayed shoulder surgery.
“For me, I did it because I wanted to be able to do normal activities,” Cron said. “I want to be like the people who are reading this article; just get up and reach for a gallon of milk and be able to pour it.”
Doing such a prosaic task without pain is why Cron, like so many in baseball, marveled at what 49-year old Jamie Moyer achieved April 17.
That was the date Moyer — one year, four months and 12 days older than Cron — became oldest pitcher ever to win a major league game. The left-hander went the first seven innings of the Colorado Rockies’ 5-3 victory over the San Diego Padres at Coors Field.
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Chris Cron won his 1,000^th game as a minor league manager.

Barely.

The Erie SeaWolves held off a late charge by the Bowie Baysox for Saturday night’s 4-3 victory at Prince George’s Stadium. Bowie hit two solo home runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and had the tying and winning runs on base with two outs in the ninth, but Erie left fielder Rawley Bishop ended the game when he made a running catch of Tyler Townsend’s deep liner.

Cron reached his milestone in a managerial career he began in 1995.

The SeaWolves (6-9) won their second straight game after losing the previous five. They conclude their weekend series with the 6-11 Baysox on Sunday at 2:05 p.m.

– Mike Copper

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Starting Tuesday at 1 p.m., the Eastern League will hold an online charity auction to benefit its Harrisburg and Binghamton, N.Y., markets that were affected by severe flooding in September.

Flooding of the Susquehanna River was so bad that it forced the Harrisburg Senators to play all of their postseason games on the road.

An item of local interest is a Jacob Turner autographed baseball. Turner, a former No. 1 draft pick by the Detroit Tigers, pitched for the Erie SeaWolves in 2011 before he was called up to the parent franchise.

– Mike Copper

Erie baseball fans have a reason, albeit a distant one, to root for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2011 World Series.

St. Louis left-hander Arthur Rhodes, who’s approaching the end of his 20th Major League Baseball season, pitched for the former Erie Orioles early in his professional career. The Baltimore Orioles selected the now 41-year-old reliever in the second round of the 1988 amateur draft.

Rhodes appeared in five games for the 1989 Erie Orioles, who played at Ainsworth Field in the New York-Penn League. He went 2-0 with a 1.16 earned-run average over 31 innings.

Baltimore promoted Rhodes to Frederick (Md.) of the Class A Carolina League later that season, and finally called him up to the parent club in 1991.

Rhodes has a career record of 87-70 in an even 900 regular-season games with eight different teams. Ironically, the Cardinals claimed him off waivers from the Texas Rangers, their opponent in the current Fall Classic, on Aug. 11.

– Mike Copper

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The Erie SeaWolves begin their 14th season in the Double-A Eastern League with an April 5-7 series against the Altoona Curve at Blair County Ballpark.

That series represents the start of the 2012 campaign for the SeaWolves, who released their released their full scheule Tuesday afternoon. Erie will to improve on its 67-75 record from this year.

Erie’s home opener at Jerry Uht Park will be April 12 against the Bowie Baysox. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.

– Mike Copper

Starting lineups for Thursday’s Eastern League game between the Bowie Baysox and the Erie SeaWolves at Jerry Uht Park:

Bowie Baysox (71-58): 1. Xavier Avery CF, 2. Greg Miclat 2B, 3. L.J. Hoes LF, 4. Joe Mahoney 1B, 5. Brandon Waring 3B, 6. Caleb Joseph C, 7. Aaron Baker DH, 8. Pedro Florimon SS, 9. Ronnie Welty RF.

Starting pitcher: Mike Ballard LH (7-2, 3.55 ERA).

Erie SeaWolves (62-68): 1. Jamie Johnson CF, 2. Brandon Douglas 2B, 3. Justin Henry 3B, 4. Bryan Pounds DH, 5. Rawley Bishop 1B, 6. Bryan Holaday C, 7. Cale Iorg SS, 8. Michael Rockett RF, 9. Shawn Roof LF.

Starting pitcher: Trevor Feeney RH (0-0, 0.00 ERA).

– Mike Copper

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Starting lineups for Wednesday’s Eastern League game between the Trenton Thunder and the Erie SeaWolves at Jerry Uht Park:

Trenton Thunder (60-62): 1. Austin Krum CF, 2. Corban Joseph 2B, 3. Austin Romine C, 4. Rob Lyerly 3B, 5. Melky Mesa RF, 6. Ray Kruml DH, 7. Damon Sublett LF, 8. Addison Maruszak 1B, 9. Yadil Mujica SS.

Starting pitcher: Steve Garrison LH (3-8, 6.56 ERA).

Erie SeaWolves (59-63): 1. Jamie Johnson CF, 2. Brandon Douglas 2B, 3. Rawley Bishop 2B, 4. Bryan Pounds DH, 5. Audy Ciriaco SS, 6. Deik Scram RF, 7. Bryan Holaday C, 8. Cale Iorg LF, 9. Shawn Roof 3B.

Starting pitcher: L.J. Gagnier (4-5, 5.08 ERA).

– Mike Copper

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