A no-hitter-saving play last night was just one of many highlights this year for ROY favorite Dustin Pedroia.

As we begin September, races that once looked like they might go down to the wire instead are beginning to look already settled. While the Yankees can feel all warm and fuzzy about having swept the Red Sox in the Bronx, doing so lowered their deficit to five games, and the Red Sox have a far more advantageous schedule over the final month than the Yankees do. For now, the Yankees should content themselves with the Wild Card hunt.

The same is true of the other two divisions in the American League. The Tigers, once the top of the heap in the AL Central, are now 5.5 games back of the Indians, who look unstoppable now after having won eight straight. In the West, the Angels hold a 6.5 game lead after watching the Mariners lose eight straight. The Tigers once looked like a lock for the playoffs and yet they now sit three back in the Wild Card, and the Mariners are two back of having their Cinderella story turn back into a pumpkin.

With the divisions looking secure, it is time for those three teams to start preparing for the playoffs, and that means resting some players down the stretch. On the Sox, one of those players is Tim Wakefield, who was supposed to start Friday, but back woes had him missing his start and handing the ball over to Julian Tavarez. Tavarez starting – poorly – on Friday led to Clay Buchholz getting the start yesterday. Unless you have been living in a cave, you have heard by now how that turned out, as Buchholz tossed a no-hitter in his second-ever appearance in the major leagues.

What was most interesting about the no-hitter was the news that came out afterwards, that Buchholz was very close to not finishing the game. The Red Sox, like most teams with stud young arms like his, had Buchholz on a tight pitch count. Buchholz had never thrown more than 98 pitches in a game, and was already closing in on that mark in the seventh inning. Manager Terry Francona called up to general manger Theo Epstein to see how the team should proceed. Would they really pull Buchholz just a few outs shy of a no-hitter? From what management says, yes, and the fact that they had pitchers warming in the pen in the eighth backs that up. If not for a ten pitch eighth inning, there is no way that Buchholz would have been allowed to come out for the ninth. As it is, he was perilously close to being yanked, as he had thrown 115 pitches in the game, and Epstein had directed that he not throw more than 120 no matter what.

Would this have really been the right call though? Epstein’s stance was that, “we need to look at a career more than one game,” but is a no-hitter really just one game? Would the backlash from the fans – and there would have been a near-riot in packed Fenway had it happened – been worth it? Would the extra two or three or six pitches have mattered in the greater scheme of things?

Fortunately, these questions do not need to be answered. It also showed the true genius of Theo Epstein. While many in the Nation would like to criticize Epstein for his trades, his free agent signings, and his willingness to give up on players far quicker than most, the fact is that Epstein has built a very solid minor league system for the Red Sox, something the Sox have lacked for decades. The Red Sox minor league system during Lou Gorman was a joke – while he might have built a World Series team from the minors, that was the 1986 Mets, not the Red Sox, and they made it there after he left. Scotty Cooper anyone? How about Tim Naehring? John Valentin? Trot Nixon? Cooper was an All-Star, which is more an indictment of how bad Gorman let the Sox get more than anything else, and Nixon is the only one that really had any career of note. Dan Duquette came over to the Sox with he stated goal of rebuilding the farm system, but little came of that other than Nomar Garciaparra.

Compare that to the Epstein era, where the Sox have Jonathan Papelbon closing out games in the ninth thanks to Theo, and have Dustin Pedroia likely to win the AL Rookie of the Year at second, and have an early candidate for next year’s AL ROY in Buchholz up for the rest of the month. Another favorite for that is going to be Jacoby Ellsbury, also up for the month of September. Pitching today is Jon Lester, another product of the Epstein regime. Blame Theo all you want for trading off too much for Doug Mirabelli or giving up on Edgar Renteria after just one year, but one cannot adequately paint a picture of Epstein without looking at the genius at which he has rebuilt the farm.

Oh, and the pick that the Sox used for Buchholz came from letting Pedro Martinez walk. Theo offered Pedro three years, expecting Pedro to stay healthy for at least one and hopefully two. The Mets gave four. Guess which GM nailed that one? Not Omar Minaya.

The Bronx Bombers are enjoying a minor league renaissance as well, with Ian Kennedy enjoying a win in his major league debut yesterday and Joba Chamberlain dominating as the setup man to Mariano Rivera. There is plenty more in the pipeline too, as Alan Horne has just been nasty in Double-A and Jose Tabata putting up solid numbers in the Florida State League. And of course, Phil Hughes, who everyone was convinced would get to the ballpark by walking on the Bronx River, will have a chance to prove something next year after losing a good chunk of this year to injury. The future looks bright in the Bronx.

Moving Up

Carlos Pena, First Base, Tampa Bay Devil Rays – As if he was not already having a monster season, Pena has popped seven home runs in the last fourteen days. Pena is arbitration eligible this year – nice timing on his breakout year.

Kenji Johjima, Catcher, Seattle Mariners – Johjima is trying to single-handedly carry the Mariners into the playoffs. With everyone else on the team ice cold, he just might need to.

Jayson Werth, Outfielder, Philadelphia Phillies – If the Phillies do make the playoffs, Werth should get the MVP for how he has played over the last two weeks, hitting .564 in 39 at-bats over 13 games. Yeah, .564 – you would think pitchers would stop pitching to him.

Kyle Kendrick, Starting Pitcher, Philadelphia Phillies – Kendrick was not even in the rotation when the season started, and now he is the Phillies’ No. 2. Three straight quality starts, all wins, will help do that for you. Kendrick’s control numbers and ability to hang around in the game have both improved dramatically of late.

Moving Down

Willie Harris, Outfield, Atlanta Braves – Willie Harris is hitting just .091 over the last two weeks, yet he continues to get at-bats. Meanwhile, Matt Diaz is hitting .400 over the same time, yet the team seems to prefer Harris. Why? No, that is a serious question – why? I have no idea.

Alejandro de Aza, Outfield, Florida Marlins – A misdiagnosed ankle injury kept de Aza out for months, and now that he is back, he is not hitting, with just a .103 batting average over the last ten games. For those that had been patiently waiting for de Aza’s return, this is like a kick to the groin. A slight exaggeration? Maybe.

Casey Kotchman, First Base, Los Angeles Angels – Remember when Kotchman was scorching hot, and everything he touched turned to gold? Well, his .125 batting average over the last two weeks was second-worst in the AL, and his .167 slugging dead last.

Danys Baez, Closer, Baltimore Orioles – Remember when Baez used to be able to close? Yeah, me neither.

Questions and comments can be sent to markhaverty@sportsgrumblings.com