So with my AL and NL breakdowns in; here are my playoff predictions:
AL:
East Rays
Central Twins
West Rangers
Wildcard Yankees
NL:
East Phillies
Central Reds
West Giants
Wildcard Padres
WORLD SERIES PREDICTION IN SEPTEMBER
Rays over Reds in 6.
Have a great week....
Sunday, August 29, 2010
NL Breakdown...
Sorry there was a bit of a delay between my NL and AL predictions, but here it is. I think this race is going to be the most intriguing. I still think that the World Series will go to the AL, but all three races in the NL are contested; a recipe for a delicious September.
I broke the AL down by the teams that I think can win the pennant. With the NL, I'm going to break it down by division.
West
You can look back at my earlier posts to see how I feel about the way baseball is played on the west coast and how they are pitcher-friendly parks with rotations and bullpen's built to keep scores below 4 runs. It is the depth of pitching and the fact that teams will HAVE to employ 4 man rotations (unlike what the Yankees did last year with Sabathia, Burnette, and Pettitte).
With this west race coming down to the Padres and the Giants, who are 1st and 5th in the NL respectively in team ERA, it's going to come down to the wire. While I realize that the Padres sit atop the west by a healthy 6 games, there are still a few reasons I think the Giants can win the west; they still have 7 head to head matchups with the Padres, and they have zero, yes, zero games against the Braves, Phillies, Cardinals or Reds. No games against playoff contenders the rest of the way and 7 head to head matchups sounds like a recipe for good things.
I think the Giants have a much better offense than the Padres, but the Padres have sat atop that division the whole year. The Padres DO have to play the Reds and Cardinals 6 times before the end of the year on top of playing the Giants 7 times, giving them one of the toughest remaining schedules in baseball. This is a place for bold predictions, and I'm going to make one right now: Giants win the west with their great pitching, but their offense is just a tad better than the Padres.
Central
I've been obsessing over the Reds all season and this race they've got going with the Cards. How could you hate a hot pennant race? Throw in an extremely intriguing triple crown race between Sirs Pujols and Votto, and you've got an interesting brew. I think the central will go to the Reds, and I think they will further pull away from the Cards. The Cards would have the perfect 4 man rotation for the playoffs between Wainwright, Carpenter, Garcia, and Westbrook, but I just think the Reds offense is so much more well rounded.
However, I think Brandon Phillips' injury is something to be concerned about. If he doesn't come back then I think things will get a little tighter down the stretch, especially considering the Cards have 6 games left to beat up on the Pirates. It's going to be an exciting finish in the Central, but at this point I feel more confident that the Giants can erase a 6 game deficit in the West than the Cards can erase a 4 game deficit in the Central.
East
Like the Red Sox, the Phils have been dealt injury blow after injury blow, but here we are, still in the thick of what's going to be an incredible September. It doesn't take much to convince you that this is the most intriguing division race in September.
The Braves are doing this year what they did in all the 90's: play solid baseball, and that's exactly what they're doing in Bobby Cox's last season. From their incredible rotation to their shut down bullpen to their solid all-around contributors on offense, this team appears to be the most well-rounded coming down the stretch. It's hard to dislike the Phillies though. A solid, but still under-performing offense, is backed by 3 of the bestg starters in baseball. I think the biggest question marks for the Phils are the reason they will NOT win the East. Their offense has just shown to be too anemic at times; not able to establish any sort of flow or consistency at all this year. Couple that with a bullpen that has few people in Philadelphia confident, and you don't have a team that can go far in October.
That being said, I think the wildcard is going to come down to the Padres and the Phillies, and I think the Phillies will be golfing in Florida come October. This team has done some pretty crazy things in September, but I just don't think this is the year.
I broke the AL down by the teams that I think can win the pennant. With the NL, I'm going to break it down by division.
West
You can look back at my earlier posts to see how I feel about the way baseball is played on the west coast and how they are pitcher-friendly parks with rotations and bullpen's built to keep scores below 4 runs. It is the depth of pitching and the fact that teams will HAVE to employ 4 man rotations (unlike what the Yankees did last year with Sabathia, Burnette, and Pettitte).
With this west race coming down to the Padres and the Giants, who are 1st and 5th in the NL respectively in team ERA, it's going to come down to the wire. While I realize that the Padres sit atop the west by a healthy 6 games, there are still a few reasons I think the Giants can win the west; they still have 7 head to head matchups with the Padres, and they have zero, yes, zero games against the Braves, Phillies, Cardinals or Reds. No games against playoff contenders the rest of the way and 7 head to head matchups sounds like a recipe for good things.
I think the Giants have a much better offense than the Padres, but the Padres have sat atop that division the whole year. The Padres DO have to play the Reds and Cardinals 6 times before the end of the year on top of playing the Giants 7 times, giving them one of the toughest remaining schedules in baseball. This is a place for bold predictions, and I'm going to make one right now: Giants win the west with their great pitching, but their offense is just a tad better than the Padres.
Central
I've been obsessing over the Reds all season and this race they've got going with the Cards. How could you hate a hot pennant race? Throw in an extremely intriguing triple crown race between Sirs Pujols and Votto, and you've got an interesting brew. I think the central will go to the Reds, and I think they will further pull away from the Cards. The Cards would have the perfect 4 man rotation for the playoffs between Wainwright, Carpenter, Garcia, and Westbrook, but I just think the Reds offense is so much more well rounded.
However, I think Brandon Phillips' injury is something to be concerned about. If he doesn't come back then I think things will get a little tighter down the stretch, especially considering the Cards have 6 games left to beat up on the Pirates. It's going to be an exciting finish in the Central, but at this point I feel more confident that the Giants can erase a 6 game deficit in the West than the Cards can erase a 4 game deficit in the Central.
East
Like the Red Sox, the Phils have been dealt injury blow after injury blow, but here we are, still in the thick of what's going to be an incredible September. It doesn't take much to convince you that this is the most intriguing division race in September.
The Braves are doing this year what they did in all the 90's: play solid baseball, and that's exactly what they're doing in Bobby Cox's last season. From their incredible rotation to their shut down bullpen to their solid all-around contributors on offense, this team appears to be the most well-rounded coming down the stretch. It's hard to dislike the Phillies though. A solid, but still under-performing offense, is backed by 3 of the bestg starters in baseball. I think the biggest question marks for the Phils are the reason they will NOT win the East. Their offense has just shown to be too anemic at times; not able to establish any sort of flow or consistency at all this year. Couple that with a bullpen that has few people in Philadelphia confident, and you don't have a team that can go far in October.
That being said, I think the wildcard is going to come down to the Padres and the Phillies, and I think the Phillies will be golfing in Florida come October. This team has done some pretty crazy things in September, but I just don't think this is the year.
Monday, August 16, 2010
I'm Back...
Hello Americans. I'm sorry it's been a while since I've written. I just finished up my internship, which was great, and now I'm home for a bit so I have more time to write.
I apologize for not having the gumption to stick with it, but I just didn't have the time. However, I am going to jump straight to the good stuff right now as though I have been blogging this whole time.
I can't tell you how excited I am for these last 6 weeks of the season. I think the AL playoff race is pretty much set. Considering how irrelevant the AL Central is, I am very excited to see the Yankees, Rays, and Rangers duke it out in October. All kidding aside, I think the AL Central race will be a fun one to track, but none of those teams seem as sexy as the Yankees/Rays/Rangers.
There are some pretty consistent performers on the White Sox and Twins with plenty of playoff experience, and there are some really fantasy relevant players on both teams that have done a lot for fantasy rosters. But, like their respective teams, none of those players are very sexy. The injury to Justin Morneau will also play a large role in this race. The Twins have been managing just fine, how their offense has scored the 3rd most runs in the majors is beyond me, but I just don't see a world series in their future. I do think they will edge out the ChiSox for the AL Central.
Now, moving on to the 3 teams that can actually win the World Series from the American League:
Yankees:
This lineup is the best in baseball from top to bottom. Their two weak links on offense have been Derek Jeter and Curtis Granderson, but they both haven't been completely terrible. The rest of that offense has been ridiculous. Teixeira and A-Rod have really turned it on. Nick Swisher has gone from random schmo to All-Star, and Jorge Posada is on pace for a solid 20-60 campaign. Posada's 13 home runs is 5th among major league catchers.
I do see reason for concern with the Yankees pitching staff. Other than Sabathia, I don't think I trust Vazquez or Burnett to win games in October. Both of them have ERA's nearing 4.5 in the past month. With Hughes rules already slightly taking shape, I think there's reason for concern for the Yankees pitching staff. Sure their stupendous offense can easily carry them to a second consecutive championship, but when you've traded for Kerry Wood to help anchor your bullpen I don't think that's necessarily a good thing. The reason the starting pitching is so important is because they will not be able to get away with their 3 pitcher system that they employed in October last year. Major Leauge Baseball eliminated 3 October off-days to quicken up the playoffs and partially to prevent teams from getting away with what the Yanks did with Pettitte, Sabathia, and Burnett last year.
Rays:
Speaking of sexy. I think everything about this Rays offsense is sexy. They run- the Rays lead the majors in steals.... BY 31 STOLEN BASES.... and they get on base, their .338 OBP is 5th in the A.L. Joe Maddon is a man who knows how to manufacture runs and get the most out of what he's got on offense. There's no way a Ben Zobrist, Sean Rodriguez, or Matt Joyce would be any good in another manager's system where they don't run or don't draw walks. Plate discipline and the ability to manufacture runs definitely helps win championships.
I think their pitcting has "it". David Price is the real deal, Matt Garza has had a phenomenal year, Jeff Niemann has also had his best year of his career yet, and the Rays have one of the best young pitchers in baseball in Jeremy Hellickson tearing it up for them. I am not even mentioning James Sheilds and Wade Davis, guys who have shown what their upside can be, but haven't quite put it all together. Assuming Niemann can get healthy, that is an extremely dangerous pitching staff. Couple that with having the best middle reliever in baseball, Joaqin Benoit. Oh, their other three relievers have ERA's below 3 and WHIP's below 1.08. I'm not sure if you can tell, but I love this Rays team.
Texas:
This team is just running away with AL West. I think that's equally a function of the division being terrible and this team being very good. Their offense has most certainly cooled off here in the past month, 8th in the AL in runs (17th in the majors). But when their offense has slowed, their pitching has been amazing. Cliff Lee's K/BB rate is one of the most dominating statistics of this season. He strikes out almost 15 guys for every one, ONE, uno, EIN, 1, batter than he walks. That's just stupid good. With him anchoring that pitching staff of Tommy Hunter, Colby Lewis, and C.J. Wilson, I think that the starters can really make some noise. I think the fact that Hunter, Lewis and Wilson are so inexperienced makes me believe that they won't be there at the end, but this team is so much fun to watch. I don't count the Rangers out by any means because they can turn it on at any time, but I don't see them having the firepower to make serious noise in the AL pennant race.
That's it for tonight, welcome back to the blog. My thoughts on the NL will be coming tomorrow.
Shalom.
I apologize for not having the gumption to stick with it, but I just didn't have the time. However, I am going to jump straight to the good stuff right now as though I have been blogging this whole time.
I can't tell you how excited I am for these last 6 weeks of the season. I think the AL playoff race is pretty much set. Considering how irrelevant the AL Central is, I am very excited to see the Yankees, Rays, and Rangers duke it out in October. All kidding aside, I think the AL Central race will be a fun one to track, but none of those teams seem as sexy as the Yankees/Rays/Rangers.
There are some pretty consistent performers on the White Sox and Twins with plenty of playoff experience, and there are some really fantasy relevant players on both teams that have done a lot for fantasy rosters. But, like their respective teams, none of those players are very sexy. The injury to Justin Morneau will also play a large role in this race. The Twins have been managing just fine, how their offense has scored the 3rd most runs in the majors is beyond me, but I just don't see a world series in their future. I do think they will edge out the ChiSox for the AL Central.
Now, moving on to the 3 teams that can actually win the World Series from the American League:
Yankees:
This lineup is the best in baseball from top to bottom. Their two weak links on offense have been Derek Jeter and Curtis Granderson, but they both haven't been completely terrible. The rest of that offense has been ridiculous. Teixeira and A-Rod have really turned it on. Nick Swisher has gone from random schmo to All-Star, and Jorge Posada is on pace for a solid 20-60 campaign. Posada's 13 home runs is 5th among major league catchers.
I do see reason for concern with the Yankees pitching staff. Other than Sabathia, I don't think I trust Vazquez or Burnett to win games in October. Both of them have ERA's nearing 4.5 in the past month. With Hughes rules already slightly taking shape, I think there's reason for concern for the Yankees pitching staff. Sure their stupendous offense can easily carry them to a second consecutive championship, but when you've traded for Kerry Wood to help anchor your bullpen I don't think that's necessarily a good thing. The reason the starting pitching is so important is because they will not be able to get away with their 3 pitcher system that they employed in October last year. Major Leauge Baseball eliminated 3 October off-days to quicken up the playoffs and partially to prevent teams from getting away with what the Yanks did with Pettitte, Sabathia, and Burnett last year.
Rays:
Speaking of sexy. I think everything about this Rays offsense is sexy. They run- the Rays lead the majors in steals.... BY 31 STOLEN BASES.... and they get on base, their .338 OBP is 5th in the A.L. Joe Maddon is a man who knows how to manufacture runs and get the most out of what he's got on offense. There's no way a Ben Zobrist, Sean Rodriguez, or Matt Joyce would be any good in another manager's system where they don't run or don't draw walks. Plate discipline and the ability to manufacture runs definitely helps win championships.
I think their pitcting has "it". David Price is the real deal, Matt Garza has had a phenomenal year, Jeff Niemann has also had his best year of his career yet, and the Rays have one of the best young pitchers in baseball in Jeremy Hellickson tearing it up for them. I am not even mentioning James Sheilds and Wade Davis, guys who have shown what their upside can be, but haven't quite put it all together. Assuming Niemann can get healthy, that is an extremely dangerous pitching staff. Couple that with having the best middle reliever in baseball, Joaqin Benoit. Oh, their other three relievers have ERA's below 3 and WHIP's below 1.08. I'm not sure if you can tell, but I love this Rays team.
Texas:
This team is just running away with AL West. I think that's equally a function of the division being terrible and this team being very good. Their offense has most certainly cooled off here in the past month, 8th in the AL in runs (17th in the majors). But when their offense has slowed, their pitching has been amazing. Cliff Lee's K/BB rate is one of the most dominating statistics of this season. He strikes out almost 15 guys for every one, ONE, uno, EIN, 1, batter than he walks. That's just stupid good. With him anchoring that pitching staff of Tommy Hunter, Colby Lewis, and C.J. Wilson, I think that the starters can really make some noise. I think the fact that Hunter, Lewis and Wilson are so inexperienced makes me believe that they won't be there at the end, but this team is so much fun to watch. I don't count the Rangers out by any means because they can turn it on at any time, but I don't see them having the firepower to make serious noise in the AL pennant race.
That's it for tonight, welcome back to the blog. My thoughts on the NL will be coming tomorrow.
Shalom.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
SORRRYYYY
For the long delay in between posts. The past couple weeks have been pretty crazy with the beginning of the internship and what not.
However, here are a bunch of random thoughts, both baseball and non-baseball:
- I don't think Ubaldo Jimenez is this good. There's no way anything like this is sustainable. He's gotten very lucky, especially with his strand rate and the fact that he pitches in that ballparkk. As the summer heats up I fully expect Jimenez to cool down.
- Troy Glaus is the real deal. I think he's going to be one of the top corner infielders by the time the season is over. He's not as old as everybody thinks he is (33) and that lineup is not too bad.
-Speaking of the Braves: I put on my facebook before the season started that they had the best rotation in baseball. While it may not be THE best, it's still pretty good. And the back end of that bullpen has been nothing short of spectacular with Saito, Venters, and Wagner holding it down for them.
- I hate pitchers in the AL. I don't trust any of them. I realized today that on most of my mixed league teams I have a propensity to go NL-heavy with my pitching. Even guys like C.C. are guys that I don't completely love. However, C.C. does heat up in a big way once July hits.
- I think that Blake Lively is beautiful.
- I can't believe the U.S. actually won today.
- I really want a long-sleeved away German national team Bastian Schweinsteiger jersey and can't find it anywhere: is that too much to ask?
- Robinson Cano seems to have finally put it all together. He is easliy one of my favorite players to watch, and although he isn't built like your average 2nd baseman, he's still quick enough to play the position well. If you think about it, some of the Yankee's offense hasn't really played up to expectation. Teixeira and A-Rod have been decent, but not spectacular. It will be scary when those two guys actually do wake up and sprint away from the AL East.
- I think the Rangers are about to run away with the AL West relatively early. This is their division for the taking. The Angels will stick around because of Mike Scioscia, but not for very long. If the Rangers somehow manage to acquire Roy Oswalt (which I think they shouldn't because of their poor economic situation), then they turn into a World Series contender, and I honestly believe that.
- The Orioles are absolutely terrible. Maybe one of the worst teams I have ever seen.
- The Padres will fade. I don't know when they will do it, and I don't know how they will do it. But they will fade. The Dodgers and Rockies are too talented to not win the NL West. The top 4 teams are separated by 4 games as of today, but the cream will rise to the top. It always does.
- Stephen Strasburg is this good. I saw his first start at AAA Syracuse and was absolutely mesmerized. I think he'll have a few rouch patches, but they will be in innings not games. Damage control is the biggest thing all ace pitchers possess, and Strasburg's ability to locate anywhere in the zone is the most significant contributor to his success thus far.
- The Diamondback's bullpen is absolutely atrocious. I feel bad because that offense has such a great young core. They are the 8th best offense and have THE WORST ERA in the majors by .3 runs/9 IP.
- Josh Hamilton has been ridiculous in June. He's hit in 17 straight games and is getting on base 1 out of every 2 plate appearances. since June 1. That's absolutely filthy. From a fantay perspective I'm selling selling selling because he hasn't proven that he can stay healthy for a whole season. Every great game he has serves as a smaller reminder of what his career could have been. His success now is a great story though.
- It took me a while, but I now think Adam Wainwright is the best pitche on the Cardinals staff. I have always been a huge Carpenter fan, and still am, but if it weren't for that Jimenez guy, Wainwright would be the clear cut NL Cy Young winner. Those two guys, coupled with the sudden and pleasant success of rookie Jaime Garcia has made this a formidable rotation for an NL roster. I'm still pretty shocked they went out and got Suppan, but Dave Duncan proves year after year that he's a pretty good pitching coach.
- The World Cup has been fantastic. I realized I like soccer for the same reasons I love baseball. It's a little bit slower, but when that window of opportunity opens and the team takes advantage of it, it's a beautiful thing. The game happens slow and it's great to watch.
- I'm legitimately worried about the Phillies. This has been a very long funk, and I know Rollins just got back, but something just hasn't been right. I will give it more time before I write them out of the playoffs, but this team has some holes in it that are being exposed, like the poor middle-relief and the absence of a consistent offense. I'm still confident they'll make the playoffs, but I'm worried they may start losing their heads soon.
- How irrelevant is the AL Central?
- I'm more confident that Miguel Cabrera could win the triple crown than I have ever been with somebody this late in the season. This guy turns it ON in the 2nd half, and I think that he's got the skills. I love me some Miggy.
- I'm trying to come up with another intriguing storyline for the AL Central and I just can't do it. Other than Mauer not hitting for power. Indications seem to be that Target field is playing very pitcher-happy. Target Field ranks 28th in the Majors in Home Runs.
-I agree with the Marlin's firing of Freddie Gonzalez today. They needed to do something different. Yes, it sucks that they are in the NL East, one of the toughest divisions in baseball, but there's so much talent on the Marlins team. That offense has a lot going for it, and the pitching isn't awful. That team should be winning more. The offense is 5th in the NL in runs and in the middle of the pack in pitching. The infield defense has always been a problem, even since Girardi was let go a few yeras ago, and Gonzalez didn't do anything to fix it.
- Sorry for the delay between posts, but I hope you enjoy. Become a fan. Give feedback!!!
However, here are a bunch of random thoughts, both baseball and non-baseball:
- I don't think Ubaldo Jimenez is this good. There's no way anything like this is sustainable. He's gotten very lucky, especially with his strand rate and the fact that he pitches in that ballparkk. As the summer heats up I fully expect Jimenez to cool down.
- Troy Glaus is the real deal. I think he's going to be one of the top corner infielders by the time the season is over. He's not as old as everybody thinks he is (33) and that lineup is not too bad.
-Speaking of the Braves: I put on my facebook before the season started that they had the best rotation in baseball. While it may not be THE best, it's still pretty good. And the back end of that bullpen has been nothing short of spectacular with Saito, Venters, and Wagner holding it down for them.
- I hate pitchers in the AL. I don't trust any of them. I realized today that on most of my mixed league teams I have a propensity to go NL-heavy with my pitching. Even guys like C.C. are guys that I don't completely love. However, C.C. does heat up in a big way once July hits.
- I think that Blake Lively is beautiful.
- I can't believe the U.S. actually won today.
- I really want a long-sleeved away German national team Bastian Schweinsteiger jersey and can't find it anywhere: is that too much to ask?
- Robinson Cano seems to have finally put it all together. He is easliy one of my favorite players to watch, and although he isn't built like your average 2nd baseman, he's still quick enough to play the position well. If you think about it, some of the Yankee's offense hasn't really played up to expectation. Teixeira and A-Rod have been decent, but not spectacular. It will be scary when those two guys actually do wake up and sprint away from the AL East.
- I think the Rangers are about to run away with the AL West relatively early. This is their division for the taking. The Angels will stick around because of Mike Scioscia, but not for very long. If the Rangers somehow manage to acquire Roy Oswalt (which I think they shouldn't because of their poor economic situation), then they turn into a World Series contender, and I honestly believe that.
- The Orioles are absolutely terrible. Maybe one of the worst teams I have ever seen.
- The Padres will fade. I don't know when they will do it, and I don't know how they will do it. But they will fade. The Dodgers and Rockies are too talented to not win the NL West. The top 4 teams are separated by 4 games as of today, but the cream will rise to the top. It always does.
- Stephen Strasburg is this good. I saw his first start at AAA Syracuse and was absolutely mesmerized. I think he'll have a few rouch patches, but they will be in innings not games. Damage control is the biggest thing all ace pitchers possess, and Strasburg's ability to locate anywhere in the zone is the most significant contributor to his success thus far.
- The Diamondback's bullpen is absolutely atrocious. I feel bad because that offense has such a great young core. They are the 8th best offense and have THE WORST ERA in the majors by .3 runs/9 IP.
- Josh Hamilton has been ridiculous in June. He's hit in 17 straight games and is getting on base 1 out of every 2 plate appearances. since June 1. That's absolutely filthy. From a fantay perspective I'm selling selling selling because he hasn't proven that he can stay healthy for a whole season. Every great game he has serves as a smaller reminder of what his career could have been. His success now is a great story though.
- It took me a while, but I now think Adam Wainwright is the best pitche on the Cardinals staff. I have always been a huge Carpenter fan, and still am, but if it weren't for that Jimenez guy, Wainwright would be the clear cut NL Cy Young winner. Those two guys, coupled with the sudden and pleasant success of rookie Jaime Garcia has made this a formidable rotation for an NL roster. I'm still pretty shocked they went out and got Suppan, but Dave Duncan proves year after year that he's a pretty good pitching coach.
- The World Cup has been fantastic. I realized I like soccer for the same reasons I love baseball. It's a little bit slower, but when that window of opportunity opens and the team takes advantage of it, it's a beautiful thing. The game happens slow and it's great to watch.
- I'm legitimately worried about the Phillies. This has been a very long funk, and I know Rollins just got back, but something just hasn't been right. I will give it more time before I write them out of the playoffs, but this team has some holes in it that are being exposed, like the poor middle-relief and the absence of a consistent offense. I'm still confident they'll make the playoffs, but I'm worried they may start losing their heads soon.
- How irrelevant is the AL Central?
- I'm more confident that Miguel Cabrera could win the triple crown than I have ever been with somebody this late in the season. This guy turns it ON in the 2nd half, and I think that he's got the skills. I love me some Miggy.
- I'm trying to come up with another intriguing storyline for the AL Central and I just can't do it. Other than Mauer not hitting for power. Indications seem to be that Target field is playing very pitcher-happy. Target Field ranks 28th in the Majors in Home Runs.
-I agree with the Marlin's firing of Freddie Gonzalez today. They needed to do something different. Yes, it sucks that they are in the NL East, one of the toughest divisions in baseball, but there's so much talent on the Marlins team. That offense has a lot going for it, and the pitching isn't awful. That team should be winning more. The offense is 5th in the NL in runs and in the middle of the pack in pitching. The infield defense has always been a problem, even since Girardi was let go a few yeras ago, and Gonzalez didn't do anything to fix it.
- Sorry for the delay between posts, but I hope you enjoy. Become a fan. Give feedback!!!
Friday, June 4, 2010
The Week that was...
There it is. I'd like to first start by saying that I don't think ALL the animosity towards Jim Joyce is fair. In my opinion the ball was still moving a little bit when Galarraga caught it, so everybody should hold their horses just a bit. Do I think that he was out, yes. Was it as close as everybody said it was, no.
That being said (for all the Curb Your Enthusiasm watchers), WHAT A TERRIBLE CALL?!?!? I don't care if it was close or not, you still have to call that out. Jim Joyce had to be saying to himself that if it was close, it was an out, no matter what. And nobody would have argued. To just jack a perfect game away from a completely mediocre pitcher is absolutely astounding. What the hell was he thinking?? Even if it was one of the more unimpressive perfect-game bids in history, with just 3K's and a ton of ground balls, it was still an amazing game by Galarraga. To get through 28 batters on just 88 pitchers with 3 K's means 2 things: a.) It's just his night and he was feeling it. b.) He got lucky as hell.
From the baseball perspective, I'm actually very happy that Bud Selig didn't overturn the call despite it being in his power to do so. Aside from the fact that it would have opened up a whole can of worms as far as making calls retroactively, it's just not good for the game. Letting the call stand was the right thing to do, and instituting replay on calls like these is the wrong thing to do. I'm furious enough as it is that they have the home run replay. As maddening as it is to have a fantasy player have a home run robbed from him, it's just not a part of the game. Baseball has always prided itself on being judged to the fullest based solely on the human element. Umpires are an integral part of the game, and they are completely qualified to make these judgement calls. I would trust the commissioner to remove them from duty if they weren't.
Onto other news and notes:
- Great series played by the Reds and Cards. I don't know why the NL Central has become a big topic of discussion on the blog, but I always feel obliged to comment on it. These two teams are very good baseball teams.
- Ubaldo Jiminez will not keep his ERA under 1 or win the 30 games he's on pace to. It's too impossible for him to do because he pitches at Coors. That being said, he sure did make Lincecum look silly on their Memorial Day tilt. While he's clearly the best pitcher in the NL right now, I don't think he will be in the top 3 at the end of the season: Wainwright, Lincecum, Halladay.
- Orioles fire Trembly. Who cares? This is a lost season already for the O's. They might as well bring Reimold back up and pray that they have a good draft. They need it, and they'll have the first pick in next year's draft.
- Bravo!- The Atlanta Braves are now playing great baseball. This team may be one of the most complete teams in the NL, offensively and defensively. Their pitching has been pretty good. Even poor old 0-7 Kenshin Kawakami has only allowed 5 earned runs in his last 3 starts. This team has really turned it on, and while I think the Phillies are too good to lose this division, the Braves could make it very interesting. I will note that my 23rd round Troy Glaus pick is making me look veeeery good. Their hot hitters vs. the Dodgers hit pitching should make this weekend's tilt one of the most competitive series of the weekend.
- The Diamondbacks haven't won in June. Granted it's only June 4th, but considering they also lost their last 8 games of May, things aren't looking too good. It's really ashame that this offense has so much pop, but the pitching has been terrible. Their acquisition of Dontrelle Willis perfectly encapsulates how desperate this team is for pitching. I wish I was a professional writer so I could think of something truly brilliant to properly insult the Diamondbacks for making this move.
- Cliff Lee needs to be traded. When you strike 50 guys out and walk only 4 and pitch for one of the worst offenses in baseball, it's clear what should be done. The guy just wants to win, and he can't do it for this team. All of the Mariner's top prospects have turned out to be busts and they have gotten rid of them: Adam Jones, Wladamir Balentein, and Jeff Clement to name a few. They need to trade Lee to get something in their farm system.
-Speaking of the Mariners, I think that Ken Griffey Jr. did one of the most noble things I've ever seen on a baseball field. For him to call it quits right now was doing a huge favor to the Mariners. He's been a classy guy for his whole career and this was no exception. I don't think it's embarrassing at all, he realized he didn't have it and he gave it up. He had some of the most prolific seasons in major league history and has done it all completely clean (at least I really hope so).
- Red Sox Red Hot- With the Buchholz/Lester 1-2 punch coming up tonight and tomorrow, look for the Red Sox to continue their hot streak. They've won 12 of their last 16, and it's because of these two as well as the hitting really stepping it up a notch. I bet most readers don't realize that Adrian Beltre is hitting .332 and has been a success in the Red Sox lineup thus far this season.
Everybody have a great weekend. Sorry the posts haven't been as regular lately. Check back every weekend for updates. And PLEASE become a fan of the blog.
Monday, May 31, 2010
The Weekend...
Quick thoughts from the weekend...
Everyday's a Halladay when Roy's on the Bump: What a performance by Halladay on Saturday night. It's pretty amazing to see a perfect game, let alone twice in 3 weeks. When someone asked Marlins Outfielder Cody Ross if the Marlins were embarrassed about getting no-hit, and he said "Of course not, Roy Halladay's the best pitcher in baseball."
Speaking of the best players in baseball...: Pujols hits 3HR against the Cubbies yesterday, and each of them were absolute bombs. It's pretty cool to see the best pitcher in the game throw a no-hitter and the best hitter hit 3 homers.
Speaking of good pitching performances: Carlos Silva of the Cubs would have had the best pitching performance of the weekend if not for Halladay. This guy just loses 30 pounds and all the sudden he's been one of the more solid pitchers for the Cubs. Lilly looks like he's coming around, and with Zambrano coming back to the rotation soon after a pretty successful stint in the bullpen, the Cubs could make a run for the NL Central, but I'm not too optimistic about that unless Derek Lee and Aramis Ramirez start hitting.
Red Alert: The Reds scored 27 runs in 2 games. Granted, it was against the lowly Astros, but that's just a potent sample size of what this team is capable of. But Pujols and Holliday look like they're ready to turn it on for June with a solid end to May. I know I keep talking about it, but this Cards-Reds race is going to get exciting, and the two square off in St. Louis this week.
Mighty Max: Max Scherzer recorded 17 outs yesterday. 14 of them were strikeouts. He looks like he could be this years Ricky Nolasco: struggles out of the gate, but a short stint in the minors corrects things in a big way. I think it's something to be cautious about from a fantasy perspective, because it took him 113 pitches to record those 17 outs, and he walked 4.
That's it for today, happy memorial day....
Everyday's a Halladay when Roy's on the Bump: What a performance by Halladay on Saturday night. It's pretty amazing to see a perfect game, let alone twice in 3 weeks. When someone asked Marlins Outfielder Cody Ross if the Marlins were embarrassed about getting no-hit, and he said "Of course not, Roy Halladay's the best pitcher in baseball."
Speaking of the best players in baseball...: Pujols hits 3HR against the Cubbies yesterday, and each of them were absolute bombs. It's pretty cool to see the best pitcher in the game throw a no-hitter and the best hitter hit 3 homers.
Speaking of good pitching performances: Carlos Silva of the Cubs would have had the best pitching performance of the weekend if not for Halladay. This guy just loses 30 pounds and all the sudden he's been one of the more solid pitchers for the Cubs. Lilly looks like he's coming around, and with Zambrano coming back to the rotation soon after a pretty successful stint in the bullpen, the Cubs could make a run for the NL Central, but I'm not too optimistic about that unless Derek Lee and Aramis Ramirez start hitting.
Red Alert: The Reds scored 27 runs in 2 games. Granted, it was against the lowly Astros, but that's just a potent sample size of what this team is capable of. But Pujols and Holliday look like they're ready to turn it on for June with a solid end to May. I know I keep talking about it, but this Cards-Reds race is going to get exciting, and the two square off in St. Louis this week.
Mighty Max: Max Scherzer recorded 17 outs yesterday. 14 of them were strikeouts. He looks like he could be this years Ricky Nolasco: struggles out of the gate, but a short stint in the minors corrects things in a big way. I think it's something to be cautious about from a fantasy perspective, because it took him 113 pitches to record those 17 outs, and he walked 4.
That's it for today, happy memorial day....
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
What's Wrong With the Phillies Offense???
Headscratcher...
I debated whether or not this would be my top headline, but the Phillies inability to score over the past week has made me slightly worried. This offense is easily the best in the NL, but for some reason they haven't done much offensively. With their 8-0 loss tonight at the hands of the mighty knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, the Phils have dropped 5 of their last 7. Their run totals in the five losses: 1, 1, 0, 3, 0. Their win totals haven't been much better, scoring 5 in both wins last week: one against the Red Sox, and one against the Cubs. And it's not like they're facing fantastic pitching, Dice-K almost no-hit the Phils, which is a crime. And Tim Wakefield just embarrassed the Phillies, making me curious as to what is going on. I'm going to chalk it up to just a team-wide dry-spell, but it might be something to keep an eye on to see if pitchers have figured out how to fool that lefty-heavy lineup. But, between Dickey and Wakefield, maybe every team will just throw knuckle-ballers against the Phils.
Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz are carrying the Red Sox
I talked a little bit last week about how much these two guys meant to the Red Sox. Their two performances last night and tonight against the Rays are keeping the Red-Hot Red Sox in the thick of the AL East. If Lester and Buchholz continue to pitch like this, especially against the offenses in the AL East, then the Red Sox may surprise some people. This is contingent on Lackey, Beckett, and Dice-K improving at least a little bit.
Quick Hitters
- Vlad hits 2 more- The guy is leading the AL in all-star votes for the DH slot, and he's filling it in perfectly. He's looking like vintage Vlad, and assuming he stays healthy I think he will put up numbers just below what he was doing in his prime. I would not be surprised by .320, 30 HR, 115 RBI at the end of the year from him.
- Kawakami can't buy a win- The guy's not pitching poorly, but his team isn't doing anything for him. Kawakami's one of those guys who's valuable to his team, but just not a great fantasy player. He doesn't do anything sexy, but to be 0-7 in the majors with an ERA under 5 is just a bummer.
- Ryan Dempster puts in the performance of the night- Shutting down the potent Dodger offense is no easy task, but Dempster did just that. 8 IP with none earned and 4 base runners is pretty solid work. But performances like this against the Dodgers may not last long, as some miracle splint has been created to minimize pain in Andre Ethier's bad finger. Fingers are tough to guage, but adding Ethier to a team that's been 15-6 in May will finally put the Dodgers on top of the NL West for good.
- Tulo's heating up- Sometimes the 1st half-2nd half split really amazes me. How can some players be so bad in one half of the season and then just turn it on or off with the snap of a finger. Tulo has been a consistent 2nd half player in his whole career, and it seems like those 2nd half numbers are going to be coming a little earlier this year. He's hit 4 home runs in 5 games after hitting just 1 in the whole season before that.
- Short post, but tomorrow is the first day of my internship at NBC. Much love.
I debated whether or not this would be my top headline, but the Phillies inability to score over the past week has made me slightly worried. This offense is easily the best in the NL, but for some reason they haven't done much offensively. With their 8-0 loss tonight at the hands of the mighty knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, the Phils have dropped 5 of their last 7. Their run totals in the five losses: 1, 1, 0, 3, 0. Their win totals haven't been much better, scoring 5 in both wins last week: one against the Red Sox, and one against the Cubs. And it's not like they're facing fantastic pitching, Dice-K almost no-hit the Phils, which is a crime. And Tim Wakefield just embarrassed the Phillies, making me curious as to what is going on. I'm going to chalk it up to just a team-wide dry-spell, but it might be something to keep an eye on to see if pitchers have figured out how to fool that lefty-heavy lineup. But, between Dickey and Wakefield, maybe every team will just throw knuckle-ballers against the Phils.
Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz are carrying the Red Sox
I talked a little bit last week about how much these two guys meant to the Red Sox. Their two performances last night and tonight against the Rays are keeping the Red-Hot Red Sox in the thick of the AL East. If Lester and Buchholz continue to pitch like this, especially against the offenses in the AL East, then the Red Sox may surprise some people. This is contingent on Lackey, Beckett, and Dice-K improving at least a little bit.
Quick Hitters
- Vlad hits 2 more- The guy is leading the AL in all-star votes for the DH slot, and he's filling it in perfectly. He's looking like vintage Vlad, and assuming he stays healthy I think he will put up numbers just below what he was doing in his prime. I would not be surprised by .320, 30 HR, 115 RBI at the end of the year from him.
- Kawakami can't buy a win- The guy's not pitching poorly, but his team isn't doing anything for him. Kawakami's one of those guys who's valuable to his team, but just not a great fantasy player. He doesn't do anything sexy, but to be 0-7 in the majors with an ERA under 5 is just a bummer.
- Ryan Dempster puts in the performance of the night- Shutting down the potent Dodger offense is no easy task, but Dempster did just that. 8 IP with none earned and 4 base runners is pretty solid work. But performances like this against the Dodgers may not last long, as some miracle splint has been created to minimize pain in Andre Ethier's bad finger. Fingers are tough to guage, but adding Ethier to a team that's been 15-6 in May will finally put the Dodgers on top of the NL West for good.
- Tulo's heating up- Sometimes the 1st half-2nd half split really amazes me. How can some players be so bad in one half of the season and then just turn it on or off with the snap of a finger. Tulo has been a consistent 2nd half player in his whole career, and it seems like those 2nd half numbers are going to be coming a little earlier this year. He's hit 4 home runs in 5 games after hitting just 1 in the whole season before that.
- Short post, but tomorrow is the first day of my internship at NBC. Much love.
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