In assessing the field for the 2007 American League Cy Young contenders, recent developments have really trimmed the number of pitchers who are in serious consideration for this honor.

News that Erik Bedard is being shut down for the season more or less remove the talented Canadian southpaw from consideration; Chien-Ming Wang has been a real stopper for the Yanks and is tied for the major league lead in wins, but he's been inconsistent and lacks the dominance that traditional Cy Young winners tend to possess; John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar have both enjoyed wonderful years, but could potentially cancel each other out, and, honestly, as much as I like them both, neither is quite up to snuff as a candidate; Dan Haren's brilliant start has faded and, in fact, his ERA has risen in each of the last 16 starts; Johan Santana's peripherals are wonderful again, but his 15-11 record is less than impressive.

That leaves the Tribe's C.C. Sabathia and Boston's Josh Beckett as perhaps the two best candidates with less than three weeks remaining in the season.

On Sunday, Beckett did his part, earning his 18th win to gain a share of the major league lead, as he backed the BoSox to a 3-2 win over the woeful Orioles.

On a Boston team that is worried about three key starters (Curt Schilling, Tim Wakefield and Daisuke Matsuzka), the importance of Beckett's ability to take the ball every fifth day and give the team a great chance to win can't be understated.

The numbers are there: in addition to sharing the lead in wins, he's second in the AL in winning percentage (18-6), fifth in WHIP (1.14) and seventh in both ERA (3.27) and strikeouts (173). Beckett's command has never been better; in fact, with a 4.81 K/BB ratio, he's blown away his previous best. And the homer problems that plagued Beckett during his first season in Boston (when he gave up 36 dingers, tied for second-most in the AL) have disappeared. Yes, he gave up two solo blasts yesterday – but that was about all the O's could muster against Beckett, and for the year, he's allowed just 14 long balls, a dramatic improvement over 2006.

And when the team has needed him the most, with the hated Yankees rolling and making a push, Beckett has been there. Since the break, he's recorded a solid 3.10 ERA and has averaged better than a strikeout per inning.

The 27-year-old righty has clearly emerged as the Sox' ace this season, and a first 20-win season beckons for Beckett. Will a first Cy Young Award follow?

While we mull Beckett's Cy Young possibilities, let's check in on some of the weekend's highlights from around the world of baseball…

• The Tigers' pitching woes, which we discussed in the Dose a week ago today, increased dramatically on Sunday when Jeremy Bonderman, complaining of elbow soreness after his ugly outing, had to examined by doctors. He's headed for an MRI and manager Jim Leyland has already said that he'll "possibly, and probably, shut him down." That would force the Tigers to turn back to rookie Jair Jurrjens, who is currently on the DL with shoulder problems, but is expected to be activated Tuesday to start one game of the doubleheader. The Tigers had planned on using Jurrjens out of the bullpen, but there's really not much time to fool around here given that the AL Central (six games back) and Wild Card (four games back) are both rapidly slipping away. The good news on Bonderman is he believes it's the same pain he had in 2005 – located at the back of the elbow. He's not a doctor, of course, but assuming he's correct and the pain is not near the ligament, Tommy John surgery won't be a necessity. We'll know more once the MRI results are in.



• Ryan Braun cranked another two long balls Sunday to solidify what probably already was a lock on the NL Rookie of the Year Award. The dude now has 30 homers to go along with a BA of almost .330 and 79 RBI plus 74 runs in 94 games. His OPS is an ungodly 1020 (for perspective, Albert Pujols is currently at 986). Oh, and Braun has swiped 14 bases. Forget about his lackluster defense for now; Braun has stepped into the majors this season and been a man among boys in this rookie class.

AL Quick Hits: Add Jay Gibbons to the list of major leaguers being fingered for HGH. The client list for Signature Pharmacy is growing on a daily basis it seems. This situation is like a really stinky onion for baseball, getting peeled back layer by layer as we slowly come to realize the magnitude of this situation…Of course, Gibbons' problems just add to a growing list of issues for the Orioles, losers of 16 of their past 19, a run that assures they will suffer through a 10th straight losing season. We've touched upon the Bedard news above, but you can add Jeremy Guthrie to the injury list after he had to come out of his start Sunday with a strained oblique – the exact same health woe that has ended Bedard's season. With injured rookie Garrett Olson still recovering, the rotation for the time being will likely be Daniel Cabrera, Jon Leicester, Radhames Liz, Victor Santos and Victor Zambrano. Do that strike fear in your hearts? How much rocking do you think Baltimore pitching coach Leo Mazzone will be doing between now and season's end?

NL Quick Hits: Despite a less-than stellar start Sunday in which he was outpitched by Pedro Martinez, Roy Oswalt is 6-1 with a brilliant 2.20 ERA over his last nine starts…Speaking of Pedro, those five goose eggs he threw at the 'Stros were very encouraging. His heater isn't back yet, but I'd say it's time to activate him…Daryle Ward, enjoying a big season off the Cubs' bench, will have his knee drained Monday and is expected to be ready to go Tuesday…That didn't take long. Steve Trachsel, rocked for six hits and six runs in just two innings yesterday, is in jeopardy of losing his rotation spot. "Oh, right," the Cubs are thinking, "this is why we let him walk after 1999."… Josh Hamilton, still slowed by his hamstring issue, didn't start again on Sunday, but at least he did pinch-hit, so assumedly he's very close to getting back in the starting lineup.

Rob Blackstien runs www.RotoRob.com, a site featuring daily fantasy sports analysis. In addition to his baseball work on the site, he contributes to Rotoworld’s basketball coverage. Rob also writes for CREATiVESPORTS.com, BaseballNotebook.com and has contributed to Rotoman’s Fantasy Baseball Guide and Fantasy Football Guide.

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