When September comes around, rosters expand from their twenty-five man limit.  Players come up from the Minor Leagues with dreams that a good impression over the final month could help them win a Major League spot for the following year.  Some of the youngsters getting a ‘cup of coffee’ will play a part in a postseason race down the stretch, but mostly their appearances will be granted by teams out of contention.

More often than not, playoff contenders look towards available veterans when they need some extra bodies for the final push.  Those players are normally available because they haven’t been playing well, but there will always be a team hoping to catch lightning in a bottle. 

Just one month ago, I was writing about the fading fortunes of Jason Giambi and John Smoltz in this column.  I had the foresight to state that there could be “another twist to Giambi’s 2009 season” and after his return to Oakland was cut short, he has now found himself on the Rockies’ roster trying to help them make the postseason again, either as the NL Wild Card or even the NL West champions.

Smoltz has also landed on his feet.  From struggling in Boston, he is now coasting along with the Cardinals.  They lead the Cubs by 11.5 games in the NL Central and Smoltz has pitched well in his three starts for the Red Birds.  Some claim he was tipping his pitches with the Red Sox and the Cards have solved his problem.  Others will point out that his first two games were against the Padres and Nationals.

Smoltz isn’t the only pitcher to have been hit hard in the AL, only to be snapped up by an NL team.  Brad Penny is another former Red Sox starter who had teams from the Senior circuit chasing him as soon as he was released.  He decided that the Giants were the best fit for him: a team in playoff contention who could also ruin the Dodgers’ season, something that would apparently go down well in the Penny household after he left L.A. feeling somewhat disgruntled at his treatment.

After the Giants added Penny, it was only a matter of time before the Rockies made a counter move for an unwanted AL starter.  Not many such players were more unwanted than Jose Contreras.  He pitched his way out of a White Sox uniform, but was given a chance by the Rockies and he repaid them brilliantly yesterday.  Contreras gave up just one run over 6.2 innings in his Colorado debut against the D-Backs. 

There are several plausible reasons why National League teams are more likely to go after veterans at this time of year.  It is logical that the NL is the slightly easier of the two leagues for pitchers.  The pitching spot can often hand a starter three easy outs compared to the DH spot in the AL, theoretically make an average NL lineup less taxing than an AL equivalent. 

The pitching spot also means that teams in the Senior circuit are more likely to make tactical substitutions during games.  An extra bat or two on the bench therefore has extra value.  The Rockies don’t need Giambi to play every day and hit .300.  The odd bit of power in a key spot from him could make the difference between winning or losing a crucial game.  That’s what Matt Stairs brought to the Phillies last year and it’s no surprise that one of his main victims, the Dodgers, have added a power bat in Jim Thome for the same purpose.

There’s no doubt about it: the NL offers hope to all veterans down on their luck.  For one or more of those that have found new homes, a forgettable season could turn into an unforgettable one over the next two months. 

Making up for lost time 

Randy Ruiz has spent virtually his entire eleven year professional career in the Minor Leagues.  He was called up to the Show for the first time by the Twins for twenty-two games last season and has now made his way on to the Blue Jays’ Major League roster.  After working so hard to earn a spot in the Big Leagues, Ruiz is determined to make his mark, knowing all too well that a demotion could be around the corner.  Let’s face it: when you’ve been cut twelve times by nine different organizations, you make sure that you appreciate every single day.

Ruiz’s biggest days are coming against the New York Yankees, a real thrill for the DH as he grew up in the Bronx.  He hit a home run at Yankee Stadium in his first game for the Blue Jays back on 11 August and he was at it again in the Rogers Centre yesterday.

Ruiz initially circled the bases in the second inning after hitting a long fly down the left-field line off Andy Pettitte.  However, the cheers turned to murmurs as he reached the dugout and the umpires started a conference on the diamond.  The home run call on the field looked under threat and, sure enough, three members of the umpiring crew headed off to the video booth to spoil the Blue Jays’ fun.  The video replays suggested that the ball might have gone foul, but they didn’t look completely conclusive.  With a slight doubt seemingly present, it appeared as though the umpires would uphold the initial call.

Appearances can be deceptive: the home run was wiped away.  Ruiz returned to the batter’s box and grounded out to Alex Rodriguez.  For a guy who has struggled to catch a break throughout his career, it looked to be another nearly-but-not-quite moment.

However, Ruiz was not to be denied.  In his very next at-bat, he drove a pitch into the left-centre seats giving the umpires no leeway to take this one away.  As he rounded the bases again, you got the feeling that he was enjoying the moment.

And there’s no doubt that he’s earned the right to do so.