The Juice is back for its fifth season of fun! Stop by each weekday for an ample serving of news from the action, plus great photos, stats and video highlights.

Baltimore stages grand finish: Though they trailed the game by three entering the eighth inning, the Orioles rode four late homers to manage a 10-4 win over the White Sox in 10 innings on Monday. Catcher Matt Wieters (right) was responsible for two of the blasts — including a grand slam in the 10th — while Nolan Reimold and Adam Jones sent the game into extra innings with solo shots off Hector Santiago in the ninth.

It was the first grand slam of Wieters' career and his move to four home runs on the season is a promising sign for those who believe the 25-year-old backstop will eventually fulfill the big power that was predicted for him. Wieters hit a career-high 22 homers in 2011 after hitting just 11 the year before.

Roy Halladay easily beats Tim Lincecum: Monday's battle of the aces never really materialized as the Phillies hit the Giants' ace early in a 5-2 victory at AT&T Park. Lincecum surrendered four runs in the first inning on a two-RBI double by Laynce Nix and a pair of RBI singles to Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino. He's now given up nine first-inning runs in 2012, one more than he surrendered in all of 2011.

Halladay, meanwhile, was his usual self, allowing only two runs over eight innings of work. If you want to take another stab at a two-sided pitching duel, Cliff Lee and Matt Cain are expected to close this series on Wednesday night.

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Rejoice, rejoice, the baseball season is almost here! In an attempt to quickly get some of you slackers up to speed on the year ahead, Big League Stewards Kevin Kaduk and David Brown will again look at a division, hold a conversation about the issues therein and then issues some predictions on expected standings and award-winners. Up next is the NL East.

Kevin Kaduk: Aloha, Mr. Brown! In honor of the Philadelphia Phillies, I would like to announce that I'm writing this NL East preview while wearing a soft boot and riding a Rascal while taking grounders on my way to the nearest emergency room.

Actually, I take that all back. I don't think that Ruben Amaro wanted me to say any of that. So my official announcement is that there is no official announcement.

Let's move on, shall we?  This used to be one of the easier divisions to run through. The Phillies have won the NL East five years running and would be considered a near slam dunk for a sixth if they were healthy. But they're getting old and hurt, man! Ryan Howard is still recovering from the worst ending to a playoff appearance (or is it the worst start to a $125 million deal?), Chase Utley's knees are doing an unfortunate impression of Bo Jackson and the Phillies beat writers have more or less become medical transcriptionists with the number of major and minor maladies that have affected the team this spring.

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PHOENIX — Every reporter has their pet projections when they head into the big ballrooms that host baseball's All-Star media session. Derek Jeter's absence. Immigration law. How they'll like visiting Kansas City next year. From table to table, the questions get asked over and over. It's a tradition unlike any other.

Not wanting to feel left out, I came up with a repeatable question that I was discussing with a few friends before the sessions began. That question was this:

If a regular Major League Baseball team played one of the All-Star squads 10 times, how many games would they win?

It's a pretty interesting topic for debate. On one hand, baseball's an unpredictable sport that can feature a 100-loss team sweeping a 100-win squad on any given weekend. On the other, it's a game of individual matchups and positions so the advantage of playing together might not be as great as, say, football or basketball. It would seem that pure talent — and not teamwork or chemistry — has a good shot at prevailing.

With that in mind, I posed the above question to a couple of the National League All-Stars. The only qualification I gave some of them was that the games would not be played in a vacuum. In other words, the regular team would have to go through a four- or five-man rotation, not just pitch its best guy during every game.

If you go by even a last-place team sporting a .400 winning percentage, that regular team would win at least four out of every 10 games. But what did the All-Stars say?{YSP:MORE}

Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati Reds: "Out of how many games? Ten? From what I've been seeing? ... Three. I'm just being honest. You asked me a question, right now, we have the best talent on our team, but the way we're playing right now, I feel like the AL All-Stars would beat us."

So your estimate will go up once the Reds start playing better? "Of course. Of course. Why not? You have to realize this. Since we play together we already know what we can do. We can play the small ball and everything. But you look at the All-Stars, some of them don't know how to play the small ball. Some of the hitters might just be swinging for home runs and some pitchers might or might not be on their game. When you have a team that knows how to play together, of course we could beat that All-Star team."

Lance Berkman, St. Louis Cardinals: "Who can we have pitching every night? [laughs] I mean, if we can throw our top guys all the time, I would say five out of 10."

Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers: "It's all about pitching. If our starters have a good game, we're going to be in every game. Baseball's great like that. We might go 5-5 and split the series, but it's all about the next day's starter and how they pitch. For an All-Star team, there would be less hit-and-run, bumping guys over, but they're also going to have the pure talent. Sometimes that's just going to win out. I'd take the [Dodgers] team we have right now. It's pretty good."

Shane Victorino, Philadelphia Phillies: "I think we'd win a decent amount. We've got a pretty good pitching staff going [laughs]. I mean, we've got three of the pitchers here for this game."

So what's your estimate? "Ten out of 10! Why sell ourselves short, right?"

Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants: "I really don't know. That's a tough question. I'd have to give us at least seven. You grow accustomed to each other and your habits. Not necessarily what you might do on the field, but just having faith and confidence in the person behind you to make the play. Or pick you up if you made a mistake."

Your pitching staff wouldn't hurt either, does it? "Definitely. Having a guy going out there every day who can possibly go eight or nine innings. I don't care who you're playing, I'll take that every time."

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With due respect to the other newsmakers of this baseball offseason, Ruben Amaro of the Philadelphia Phillies and Ken Williams of the Chicago White Sox continue to show why they're the craftiest and most surprising general managers in the majors.

Theo Epstein adding Carl Crawford(notes) and Adrian Gonzalez(notes) at the winter meetings was stunning, but only to a point. The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees are supposed to get the best players; they're certainly in better position than the rest of the league to do so.

Amaro (pictured left) and Williams, while playing in big markets, have less margin for error than Brian Cashman and Epstein. Going for any player who earns top dollar is a bigger risk for Philly and Chicago.

The Phillies leaped from the bushes on Monday to get Cliff Lee(notes) in free agency a year after they traded him away in a deal that brought Roy Halladay(notes) to town. From MLB.com:

"We're like, 'Whoa,'" center fielder Shane Victorino(notes) said. "I had heard about this mystery team. I was like, 'There's no way it's us.' Then I heard the Phillies were back in it. [...]"

And like he did with Jake Peavy(notes) in late 2009, Williams pounced on Adam Dunn(notes) earlier this offseason when nobody considered Chicago to be a player. And he managed to keep Paul Konerko(notes) in the fold, too.

Further, the plucking of pricey Alex Rios(notes) from waivers in '09 seemed a mistake to many, but Rios was one of Chicago's best players in 2010.

Said Williams (via MLB.com):

"It's uncomfortable sometimes, but you either are all in or you are not. And if you are not, then present that message to your fans. Be straight and say, 'I don't think we are going to do very much and here's the plan going forward.' If you are in it, stand up and show you are."

White Sox fans and Phillies don't have to worry about that, because of who's in charge of their teams.

Follow Dave on Twitter — @AnswerDave

As the playoffs wear on, the eliminated teams are entering an offseason filled with golf rounds and hot-stove strategery.

Meanwhile, the fans of those squads are looking at the prospect of spending the winter with the warm memories of a team that earned a playoff berth but the cold reality of ultimately falling short. In an attempt to bring some closure between franchise and follower, we're asking a blogger from each team to write a cathartic missive to their 2010 squads.

Starting off the round of the LCS-bounced is Dan Levy of On The DL Podcast and Press Coverage. He may have had a worse few days than most Phillies fans — he wrote this while on jury duty.

Dear Philadelphia Phillies,

I don't know what to do today. It's still October and you aren't playing baseball anymore. My Chase Utley(notes) Halloween costume won't have the same cachet this year. Okay, that's not actually true, I'm not dressing up like Chase Utley this year. But I did plan to slick back my hair, chew copious amounts of gum and double clutch before I errantly toss candy into the buckets of neighborhood kids. Now I'm just going to have go dip back into the closet to wear my Donovan McNabb thinks I'm a Racist t-shirt, and that's a terrible costume.

See, that's the problem with you Phillies — you've spoiled us. Think about the fact that my daughter, who is three, has never seen a season in which the Phillies haven't made the playoffs. But I almost feel like you've entered Atlanta Braves territory — except for the fan apathy of course — in that just making the playoffs just isn't enough anymore. This is a World Series or bust town now. And that's a pretty cool place to be, even when you fall a few games short.

I'm not going to lie; when I asked Kaduk about writing this last month, I never anticipated writing a Dear John. I actually asked him what he'd be doing for the team that wins the title. But somehow I'm writing this now instead of making plans to meet up with the 500 Phillies bloggers (more on them in a bit) at a parade next week. And that's terrible too.

Ah, a parade. That would have been nice. Alas, you may be the Atlanta Braves, redux, if you can't win another World Series. A lot of people think this was your best chance and as a fan, all I can hope is that it's not your last.

The Best of Times: Roy Halladay(notes). You cannot get much better than Roy Halladay. A perfect game. A playoff no-hitter. A near certain lock for the Cy Young Award. You don't do much better than that guy.

Only, from the All-Star break on, Halladay was the third-best starter on the staff. Roy Oswalt(notes) was clearly the best midseason pickup of the season. He lost just one game during the regular season after coming over to the Phillies, and that was his first game with the team, 15 minutes after getting off a plane, when he admitted he was nervous. After that, "Lil Roy" (note: nobody in Philly calls them Lil Roy and Big Roy, and I have no clue who at TBS made that up) was better than Phillies fans expected.

And let's not forget about Cole Hamels(notes). He finished the season with a 12-11 record with nine no decisions, but had, by my estimation, nine runs of support in those 33 starts. It was ridiculous how little support Hamels got this season, as evidenced by his start in the NLCS. But Hamels was lights out — better than 2008 Hamels — in the second half. He had a 2.23 ERA with a 4.73 K/BB ratio in the second half, including an opponent batting average .214 and an sOPS+ of 67. From what I hear, that's pretty good.

Let's not forget about Chooch. Carlos Ruiz(notes) (or Rooies as Tim McCarver likes to call him) may have been the best catcher in the National League this year. He hit .302 with an OPS of .847 as the seventh and eighth hitter. Chooch had a .400 on base percentage, which would have been seventh-best in all of baseball if he qualified for plate appearances. That's not to mention the fact that Ruiz masterfully handled the Phillies pitching staff. Catchers never get enough credit for good pitching performances, so it was great to see Halladay give Chooch the credit Phillies fans know he deserves. Let's hope the rest of the league starts paying more attention too. Maybe he should change his last name to Molina.

The Blurst of Times: Everybody lets' go streaking!

That was the biggest problem for the offense that some thought was the best in all of baseball. Sometimes, they seemed like the most dominant offense in the league, but it sure wasn't most of the time. Look, injuries had a lot to do with the fact that Ryan Howard(notes), Jimmy Rollins(notes) and Chase Utley probably had their worst seasons. But that's not an excuse, actually. The team was hurt — heck, Wilson Valdez(notes) is the team's MVP — but when they were healthy, they still weren't all that productive. Jayson Werth(notes) is the streakiest player in the league, so much so that some Phillies beat writers were saying the team should trade him to get something before he leaves for free agency. Some writers questioned his heart. Everyone wondered why in the world he suddenly forgot how to hit with RISP and the SABR folks screamed a the top of their internet lungs that hitting with RISP is not a repeatable skill.

You know what is a repeatable skill? Striking out. Werth had 147 strikeouts in 652 plate appearances. Who was worse? Ryan Howard who fanned 157 times in 620 plate appearances. That's awful. But that said, it felt like times when Werth and, yes, Howard, were carrying this team on their backs to the playoffs.

It's Not All You: Again, this isn't an excuse, but you were among the most injured teams in the league this year, playing something like 20 of the 162 games with your opening day roster. But you know what happened? You got healthy at the right time and went on a ridiculous run to lead the league in wins. It was an incredible test of fortitude this season ... something the previous World Series teams never had to face. Phillies bloggers will get this more than most of the readers, but the team developed one heck of an "aura" in the second half.

When you got to the playoffs, you did so on your pitching and timely hitting — until that hitting disappeared. Look, the San Francisco Giants have a great pitching staff, but they didn't win that series because they outpitched you. They won that series because the Giants have a bunch of spare parts who came through in the clutch and you had big stars who didn't.

When Howard came up to bat with two outs in the ninth inning of game six, he was either going to hit a walkoff home run to force a game seven or strike out. There was no other option. Who knew, though, that Howard would strike out LOOKING? It's inexplicable.

But it wasn't just on him. Shane Victorino(notes) had the bases loaded and the chance to break the game open and he tapped to first. Chase Utley's head down jogs to first base have become to much to handle. Raul Ibanez(notes) looked about 600 years old. And I hope Jimmy Rollins was just hurt and not two years past his prime.

Let's also note that you got pretty unlucky against Brian Wilson(notes). Chooch had what looked like an RBI base knock in the eighth inning of game six ... until it was turned into a double-play to end the inning. There's a lot of luck in baseball. The Phillies ran out of it in the LCS. I mean, come on ... Ryan Madson(notes), who was pitching as well as he's ever pitched, had given up four home runs against 217 batters faced this season and Juan Uribe(notes) hit an opposite field series clincher against him? That's nothing other than unlucky.

Shape Up Or Ship Out: What if you let Jayson Werth walk, told Raul Ibanez he's going to platoon with a yet-to-be-named right handed bat (or Ben Francisco(notes) who would be fine in left field), put Domonic Brown(notes) in right all season, throw Danys Baez(notes) off the Betsy Ross Bridge and filled his roster spot with a trust-worthy reliever? What if the you sign, gasp, ANOTHER starting pitcher?

It's not going to be Cliff Lee(notes), but could you imagine if Joe Blanton(notes) was the fifth starter on this team? Even if you don't replace Kyle Kendrick(notes) (remember, you'll be paying Halladay and Oswalt but saving Werth and Jamie Moyer(notes) money), I don't see how this team won't be the favorite in the division. Remember, we have all the Roys.

The one thing I'd really hope to get rid of by next season? About half the Phillies blogs out there. We have the best and most dedicated fan base in the National League (yes, Cardinals fans, you've been passed) but when did every single one of them start their own blog? Look, everyone is entitled to their opinion, even though some of your opinions are asinine, obnoxious and angry for the sake of being angry. But can you guys consolidate a little? Someone ran a bracket pool for Phillies blogs this season and there were SIXTY FOUR sites listed in the bracket ... and some people were upset their blogs were left out.

Get it together, people. The Fightins, The700Level, Beerleaguer, the beat writers' blogs and what, Zoo with Roy? How many more do we really need? Just join up and make one big site. Like a Phillie Phanatic-shaped Voltron.

See you all in February,

Dan Levy
On The DL Podcast
Press Coverage

* * *

Follow Dan on Twitter — @onthedlpodcast

It sometimes wasn't pretty and it was by no means conventional, but the biggest performance of NLCS Game 6 goes to the five-headed monster that came out of the San Francisco Giants bullpen to seal the team's first National League pennant since 2002.

Manager Bruce Bochy used five pitchers — three relievers and two starters — in a marathon emergency situation after starter Jonathan Sanchez(notes) was pulled with no outs in the third after his run-in with Chase Utley. And while relying on your bullpen for seven innings in a clinching situation on the road might be a recipe for disaster on most teams, the Giants' firemen responded with seven scoreless innings in a 3-2 victory over the Phillies.

The biblical chain of relief went like this: Jeremy Affeldt(notes) begat Madison Bumgarner(notes), who begat Javier Lopez(notes), who begat Tim Lincecum(notes), who begat usual closer Brian Wilson(notes). That last guy Wilson — the guy with the biblical beard — used a five-out save to slam the door and caught Ryan Howard(notes) looking to start the party in the visitor's clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park.

Lincecum was by far the least effective of the five, giving up consecutive singles to Shane Victorino(notes) and Raul Ibanez(notes) after striking out Jayson Werth(notes) to start the eighth inning.

The remaining four, however, all had their moments:

• And last, but not least, Wilson induced an inning-ending double play from Carlos Ruiz(notes) and then withstood two of his own walks in the ninth to clinch the pennant and end a team relief effort for the ages.

"It was delicious," Wilson said.

Follow Big League Stew all through the postseason on Twitter and on Facebook.

They say death and strange baseball plays come in threes. Don't they say that? Well, they ought to.

Anyway, the San Francisco Giants might rue the third inning of Game 5 of the NLCS come the offseason, because it could be when their season started to die.

Unfortunate mistakes by Tim Lincecum(notes), Pablo Sandoval(notes) and Aubrey Huff(notes) — along with what had to be the shortest bunt in history — set up the Philadelphia Phillies in the deciding inning of their 4-2 victory.

The Giants led 1-0 when Raul Ibañez singled to lead off. Lincecum followed up by hitting Carlos Ruiz(notes) in the chest with an 0-2 fastball.

You know how many times Lincecum ever had hit someone with an 0-2 count? Take the tip of your thumb and connect it to your index finger. What do you got? Nada.

Then the inning got even more wackadoo.

Halladay followed with what could be described as an eventful bunt. It only went about 2 feet, and foul, before catcher Buster Posey(notes) picked it up. Posey's quick grab probably prompted umpire Jeff Nelson — who couldn't have had a good look at the play, otherwise he would have ruled it dead on the spot — to call it fair.

Meanwhile, Halladay stood in place, seemingly persuaded the ball was foul and appearing to stay out of the way.

Via the Philly Inquirer:

"When I first hit it, I just didn't think I got very much," Halladay said. "It stayed in front of the plate, but I was thinking it was going to go backward."

Such a diplomat.

Posey made an accurate throw to third, but Sandoval — who was backpedaling to the bag after charging the bunt — had to catch the ball with his back to the base, his feet still moving and his head turning. He made a half-blind stab at the bag with his right foot, but missed and had to try again. By the time he stomped on third, Ibañez had slid safely.

Via CSNPhilly.com:

"[I ran] like I had a fire under my tail," Ibañez said with the slightest trace of a grin.

Sandoval, who also fell down on the play, got up in time to throw out Halladay — who never really got going — at first. The Phillies had two in scoring position, and the Giants had blown an opportunity.

Via the San Jose Mercury News:

"We're inches away from getting a double play," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "So that's a missed opportunity — and it came back to haunt us."

Two pitches later, Huff booted a sharp grounder to first by Shane Victorino(notes). It caromed into shallow center field and two runs scored. Huff made three errors at first during the regular season.

The Phillies added a third run on Placido Polanco's(notes) single, which Lincecum cursed himself for.

"Aww, man," Huff said. "He's standing up for his first baseman. He's a great pitcher, a great kid. No, this one's on me. Obviously, I made the big one.

"It's all on me tonight."

An exaggeration. But it's not one to say that, had they handled the third inning better, the Giants might be celebrating an NL pennant.

Follow Big League Stew all through the postseason on Twitter (also @AnswerDave) and on Facebook.

Well, well, well. Just in time for Game 4 of the ALCS, New York Yankees fans apparently found the Texas Rangers' most vulnerable spot.

It's the Rangers bullpen — especially when someone throws beer bottles and other garbage at it.

Crossing Broad captured video from the TBS broadcast of a worker picking up trash thrown from the bleachers (no longer alcohol-free, as in the old stadium) as Neftali Feliz(notes) warmed up during the ninth inning Monday night.

Hey, many found it strange that manager Ron Washington decided to use his closer, Feliz, in a blowout. But that's no reason to throw stuff at Alexi Ogando(notes) and The Darrens.

In all seriousness, throwing stuff at players is about the worst fan behavior imaginable. Worse than "A-hole" chants or other excessive swearing, worse than signs urging Tim Lincecum(notes) to fix his teeth, worse than running on the field, begging to be Tased.

Not worse than jumping the first-base coach with a switchblade, and not worse than throwing a battery at a player, but worse than everything else.

They haven't done it en masse for a couple of years, but bleacher fans at Wrigley Field have been known to litter the field with garbage (or throw beer at Shane Victorino(notes)). Such actions reflect poorly on the entire fan base, even the whole city.

Put trash in its proper place, New York.

* * *

Follow Dave on Twitter — @AnswerDave

We knew the Philadelphia Phillies were going to pull out all of the stops against the San Francisco Giants on Sunday night in order to even the NLCS. But for a moment it seemed as though pitcher Roy Oswalt(notes) had taken that philosophy 90 feet too far.

After leading off the seventh inning with a solid single to center, Oswalt found himself at second base after a sacrifice bunt and a walk. Placido Polanco(notes) then softly lined one to center that landed just in front of center fielder Andres Torres(notes).

Bases loaded for the Phillies!

Or, maybe not.

Oswalt rounded third, ran through coach Sam Perlozzo's stop sign, and was now bulldozing his way towards home plate.

Via MLB.com:

"I didn't see [the stop sign] until I got halfway down the line," Oswalt said. "As soon as Polanco hit it, I read it pretty well off the bat and I thought I was scoring straight out. So I had the intention of scoring when I took off, and I wasn't even looking for a stop sign, so I was halfway down the line and I was hoping I'd get in there from there."

It worked out for Roy. The throw to the plate was on line, but it also was bound to strike the mound. Aubrey Huff(notes) cut it off, but didn't have a play as Oswalt slid home to make it 3-1 Phillies.

Forget the triple or the inside-the-park home run. A slow guy in a jacket — otherwise known as a pitcher — running the bases without any regard for health or well-being; That, my friends, is the most exciting play in baseball.

It's also heart-stopping and cringe-worthy for the fans and teammates of said pitcher.

"You know Roy has those stiff hips that make him look like he was made out of cardboard running down the line," Jimmy Rollins(notes) told Fox TV's Ken Rosenthal after the game. "That was comical."

Oh, yes, and don't forget comical. It seemed to amuse the heck out of Shane Victorino(notes) (right).

Do you think manager Charlie Manuel worried as the play unfolded?

"I said 'Go for it,' " Manuel said. "What are we going to do, rope him? I'm not a cowboy, even though I might look like one, talk like one..."

Thankfully, Perlozzo didn't have a lasso, or we may have been robbed from a classic "only in the National League" moment.

Follow Big League Stew all through the postseason on Twitter and on Facebook.

Jonathan Sanchez(notes) came into Game 2 of the NLCS with a 2-0 record and 1.38 ERA against the Philadelphia Phillies this season. That, along with the Phillies' desperate need to win this game, gave the San Francisco Giants plenty of reason to feel confident.

Sanchez began strong, mowing down Shane Victorino(notes) on three straight pitches. After that, however, his fastball couldn't find the strike zone and he walked Chase Utley(notes). Sanchez regained his control with off-speed pitches to Placido Polanco(notes), one of which resulted in a groundball to third base.

Unfortunately, Mike Fontenot's(notes) throw to first was wide of the bag, and two Phillies runners were on with one out. Sanchez then compounded the problem by walking Ryan Howard(notes) to load the bases.

After a visit from pitching coach Dave Righetti to calm him down, Sanchez came right back and struck out Jayson Werth(notes) on a nasty slider. But against Jimmy Rollins(notes), he threw nothing but fastballs and fell behind 3-1.

Sanchez's next pitch, however, appeared to hit the inside corner of the strike zone. Yet just as Darryl Cousins missed a crucial call on Roy Halladay(notes) the night before, home plate umpire Dan Iassogna called the pitch a ball for a run-scoring walk.

An error and a blown call might rattle many pitchers, especially on the road in a playoff game. But despite getting into trouble with his fastball against Rollins, Sanchez didn't throw anything off-speed to the next batter, Raul Ibanez(notes). Maybe a left-handed batter was exactly what Sanchez needed, but Ibanez couldn't handle the outside fastball and struck out.

Crisis averted. Only one run allowed. The Phillies missed a chance to blow the game open. Amazingly, Sanchez didn't allow a hit and struck out the side.

After looking like he might not last through the first inning, Sanchez went on to pitch six more, keeping his team in the ballgame. He gave up one more run on a Polanco sacrifice fly, but pulled himself together and pitched well enough to win. And on most nights, he probably would have.

But the real cost of Sanchez's wildness may have been taking him out of the game. When he left in the seventh inning after throwing 100 pitches, the Phillies had a 3-1 lead. The Giants' bullpen subsequently gave up three Phillies runs (plus a run from an inherited runner from Oswalt), putting the game out of reach.