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Johan Santana

Will the Yankees Make the Playoffs?

One of the most amazing streaks in baseball history appears likely to end this year. The New York Yankees enter Monday 12.5 games out of first place in the AL East, closer to last than first, and seven games out of a wild-card spot as they attempt to reach the postseason for a 14th consecutive season.

Not what was expected for a team with a $200 million-plus payroll and 14 current or former All-Stars on the roster.

Injuries have decimated New York’s pitching staff this season, with ace Chien Ming-Wang having missed much of the season and youngsters Ian Kennedy, Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain all having stints on the disabled list.

GM Brian Cashman has taken the blame for the Bombers’ slide this year, as it was his decision to not go out and get a Johan Santana-type starter but instead count on those young pitchers who all have disappointed except for Chamberlain.

Asked how much of this is on his shoulders, Cashman accepted full blame and pointed none toward first-year manager Joe Girardi: "All of it. I'm the general manager. So if you want, we can clear this out of the way. This is not a Joe Girardi issue.”

The Yankees led the American League in runs last year with 968, 81 more than the next-highest-scoring team, and brought back basically the same team in terms of position players. But the 2008 drop-off has been severe. The Yankees are on pace to score 783 runs and currently rank eighth in the league.

Second baseman Robinson Cano and outfielder Melky Cabrera have regressed at the plate this year, catcher Jorge Posada was ineffective when healthy (he’s done for the year), outfielder Hideki Matsui missed much of the summer, shortstop Derek Jeter is finally beginning to show his age, and reigning AL MVP Alex Rodriguez can’t get a hit when it matters (.242 with runners in scoring position).

According to coolstandings.com, which simulates the remainder of the regular season 1 million times every day to determine the playoff chances for every MLB team, the Yankees have a 3 percent chance of making the playoffs. New York basically needs a collapse by Boston and either Minnesota or the White Sox to win the AL wild card. Even if the Yankees finish the season 19-7, that gives them 91 wins. That means the Red Sox would have to go 12-24 and the Twins 14-21 just to have identical records.

The problem for New York is the schedule: Among the final series are three games against the AL West-leading Angels, three games against the East-leading Rays, four against the Central-leading White Sox and then a season-ending six-game road trip at Toronto and Boston .

With that schedule, even a 3 percent chance of reaching the playoffs seems high. So you might want to make a trek to Yankee Stadium by Sunday, Sept. 21, if you’ve never been there. Because that matchup against the Orioles will be the final baseball game in the House That Ruth Built.

Dave Johnson, an experienced oddsmaker, had the following to say regarding the Yankees chances, "We expect a large number of the betting public to bet the Yankees to make the playoffs. The odds at =15 to 1 are very attractive. Love them or hate them the Yankees are always one of the heaviest bets teams on a daily basis. AT this price we expect to take alot of action. People never count the Yankees out and we don't expect this to be any different."

About the Author

Daniel graduated from Michigan University with a major in journalism. An avid sports enthusiast he has found a way to combine his writing experience with his passion for sporting events. Insightful, compelling and argumentative are just some of the words to describe his writing.

Why is Johan Santana having such a bad year?

Yes, he's 14-10 which some would say is a decent record, but for Santana? He's suppose to be in the running for the Cy Young Award.

I know he hasn't been getting much run support, but can't the number on how many homerunes he's given up!

Is this just still a bad year for him? Is he still worth alot? How good does a pitcher have to be to throw only fastballs, changeups, and rarely a slider?

This shows why using just wins to determine if someone is having a good or bad year is short-sighted.

Santana is currently #3 in the AL in ERA, #1 in WHIP, #2 in hits allowed, #2 in strikeouts...and #8 in wins.

In 2005 he was 3rd in Cy Young votes and lost to Bartolo Colon, he was better than Colon in the following:

ERA, WHIP, Hits per 9 innings, hit allowed, strikeouts, innings, complete games, shutouts, strikeouts to walks, games started, adjusted ERA…yet Colon had more wins. So he had the “better year.”

Johann is fine. The Twins bats are not.

By the way, in 1987 Nolan Ryan led the league in ERA (and a bunch of other stats). He went 8 and 16.

Johan Santana Shuts Down Red Sox at Fenway

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Signed Johan Santana Baseball - in Blue $279.99 Signed Johan Santana Baseball - in Blue Johan Santana is one of the best pitchers in baseball. The Venezuelan left-handed pitcher made his MLB debut with the Minnesota Twins on April 3 2000 and went on to become a two-time Cy Young Award winner taking home the prestigious honor in 2004 and 2006. He went 20-6 in 2004 and in 2006 won the pitching Triple Crown with a 19-6 record 245 strikeouts and a 2.77 ERA. Santana was traded to the New York Mets prior to the 2008 season and has made them an instead playoff contender with his ability to pitch under pressure and lead a pitching staff. Johan Santana has hand signed this MLB baseball which comes complete with a Steiner Sports Certificate of Authenticity.

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Johan $13.81 Johan

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Autographed Johan Santana Ball - Citi Field Inaugural Season in Blue $309.99 Autographed Johan Santana Ball - Citi Field Inaugural Season in Blue Johan Santana is one of the best pitchers in baseball. The Venezuelan left-handed pitcher made his MLB debut with the Minnesota Twins on April 3 2000 and went on to become a two-time Cy Young Award winner taking home the prestigious honor in 2004 and 2006. He went 20-6 in 2004 and in 2006 won the pitching Triple Crown with a 19-6 record 245 strikeouts and a 2.77 ERA. Santana was traded to the New York Mets prior to the 2008 season and has made them an instead playoff contender with his ability to pitch under pressure and lead a pitching staff. Johan Santana has hand signed this Citi Field Inaugural Season baseball which comes complete with a Steiner Sports Certificate of Authenticity.

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Johan Santana New York Mets 24KT Gold and Color Coin $34.95 Johan Santana New York Mets 24KT Gold and Color Coin The Highland Mint features a 24KT Gold overlay minted Coin with the color image of Johan Santana embedded in the center of the Coin and the reverse side features The New York Mets logo. Each coin measures 1.5� in diameter, each is protected in an acrylic capsule to preserve its condition and presented in a 3� x 3� Archival etched (engraved) acrylic holder delivered with a stand for display purposes. A Limited Edition of 2500 each coin is accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity. Officially Licensed by MLB and MLBPA.

MLB Johan Santana New York Mets Player Plaque $30.6 MLB Johan Santana New York Mets Player Plaque Johan Santana is celebrated on a 12" X 15" cherry wood plaque featuring a licensed 8X10 photo, one genuine licensed trading card of the player along with an engraved nameplate.   Superior, high-clarity acrylic lens covers firmly affixed to the plaque with brass-type screws protect both the photo and trading card.  The polished look makes for a well-crafted, long-lasting piece perfect for displaying in an office, recreation room, or any spot for a fan to enjoy.  It is proudly produced and assembled in the USA.

Johan Santana Autographed Ball - Al Cy 04 06 Official Ml W coa $159.38 Johan Santana Autographed Ball - Al Cy 04 06 Official Ml W coa JOHAN SANTANA AL CY 04,06 SIGNED OFFICIAL ML BALL W/COAEvery signed item comes fully certified with a tamper proof hologram certificate of authenticity and is backed by the SportsMemorabilia.com Authenticity Guarantee.

McFarlane 2011 MLB Playmakers Series 2 Johan Santana New York Mets Action Figure $11.22 McFarlane 2011 MLB Playmakers Series 2 Johan Santana New York Mets Action Figure McFarlane 2011 MLB Playmakers Series 2 Johan Santana New York Mets Action Figure. This series will come on a smaller blister card (identical to our NFL PlayMakers) and will showcase each figure in an action pose

Santana $5.49 Santana

New York Mets Johan Santana 24KT Gold Coin Photomint $99.99 A Limited Edition of only 1000! The Highland Mint features in a 13" x 16" frame with triple matting an individually numbered 8?x10? photo of Johan Santana, a minted 24KT Gold plated New York Mets team Coin and a 24KT CitiField Coin. Limited Edition of 1000 and officially licensed by Major League Baseball and MLBPA.

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Johan Santana New York Mets MLB 2010 Big Head Bobble $18.99 Johan Santana New York Mets MLB 2010 Big Head Bobble This MLB Big Head bobblehead figurine features an oversized head of your favorite player! It measures approx. 8 inches tall and features the player and team name and logo on the base. The beautifully crafted bobble figure is produced by Forever Collectibles and officially licensed by Major League Baseball.

Johan Santana Autographed Mets Spring Training Game Used Baseball $212.5 Johan Santana Autographed Mets Spring Training Game Used Baseball This item was hand signed by the athlete and is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity from SportsMemorabilia.com. A tamper-evident hologram will be affixed to the item. Signed items are guaranteed to pass any third-party authentication with 100% Money Back Guarantee. Each signature is witnessed by a member of our staff or comes out of a private signing.

New York Mets Johan Santana Forever Collectibles Phathead $26.7 New York Mets Johan Santana Forever Collectibles Phathead These bobble heads come on a round base which features the team logo. Each figurine is approximately 8" tall and hand painted. Made by Forever Collectibles. Product enhancements by the product manufacturer may result in the item(s) being slightly different than they appear in the images posted.

Johan Santana New York Mets MLB Helmet Base Bobblehead $19.95 Johan Santana New York Mets MLB Helmet Base Bobblehead This officially licensed MLB player bobble figure features your favorite star standing on a team helmet base and will look great displayed on your desk or bookshelf. This limited edition collectible bobble head is manufactured by Forever Collectibles and measures approximately 9 inches tall.

Johan Santana New York Mets MLB Big Head Bobble $18.95 Johan Santana New York Mets MLB Big Head Bobble This MLB Big Head bobblehead figurine features an oversized head of your favorite player! It measures approx. 8 inches tall and features the player and team name and logo on the base. The beautifully crafted bobble figure is produced by Forever Collectibles and officially licensed by Major League Baseball.

Johan Santana Minnesota Twins MLB 8x10 Photograph Pitching - CLOSEOUT SPECIAL $9.15 Johan Santana Minnesota Twins MLB 8x10 Photograph Pitching - CLOSEOUT SPECIAL There is no better way to commemorate your favorite player or team than this quality 8x10 Premium Photograph. Item comes in a 8x10 toploader sleeve, that will store and protect your favorite photograph. Rigid protection for photos, prevents creases and folds. Printed in the USA, Watermark (if shown) is not on the Finished Product.

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