0 comments by Brian Wright on 6/10/2016
Thursday marked the beginning of some great professional baseball careers. For whom, and which teams they benefit, is a complete unknown. The full effect of these selections won’t be felt for a few years, but that won’t stop us from making instant analysis of the MLB Draft’s opening rounds. 5. Maximizing value There are the obvious […]
0 comments by Brian Wright on 6/7/2016
It was last year when Royals’ starting pitcher Yordano Ventura gained a not-too-favorable reputation for being hot-tempered on the mound. Whether he wanted to or not, that stigma resurfaced the instant he hit Manny Machado in the back on Tuesday. The Orioles’ star third baseman took immediate umbrage with the young right-hander, charging the mound and throwing punches. Manny […]
0 comments by Brian Wright on 6/5/2016
The invincible Jake Arrieta finally looked human. Chicago’s ace right-hander lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday at Wrigley Field. He hadn’t suffered a defeat during the regular season since July 25, 2015 — a streak of 24 starts (and 20 victories). Congratulations to the other 29 teams in baseball on giving
0 comments by Brian Wright
Ichiro proved Sunday that he can be just as good at preventing hits as he is at getting them. The Mets’ Michael Conforto led off the top of the fifth with a drive off Marlins starter Jose Fernandez. Ichiro got the jump he needed on the ball and made an acrobatic grab just short of […]
0 comments by Brian Wright on 6/4/2016
Jason Coats got a rude welcome to the big leagues. Making his first MLB appearance on Saturday afternoon at Detroit’s Comerica Park, Coats was inserted in left field. He ran after a Miguel Cabrera fly ball in the seventh inning. But so was center fielder J.B. Shuck. Just as Coats made the catch, he and […]
0 comments by Brian Wright on 6/3/2016
Among the many superlatives placed upon Minnesota Twins’ top prospect Byron Buxton was his speed. On Friday, he showed why the scouts are very much correct. Leading off the bottom of the third against the Tampa Bay Rays, Buxton laced one to the left-center field gap and was hustling right out of the box. When Buxton slid in […]
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Seattle 16, San Diego 13. No, this wasn’t the Seahawks topping the Chargers. Thanks to another Mariner offensive explosion — aided by another Padre bullpen meltdown — the visitors forged a monumental comeback at Petco Park on Thursday night. In fact, it was the greatest in Seattle franchise history and the largest in MLB since 2009. […]
0 comments by Brian Wright on 5/31/2016
It’s the sure-fire sign of a depleted pitching staff — when a team’s next reliever is a player who spends a majority of his time taking batting practice instead of throwing it. The San Diego Padres, though, didn’t settle for one position player on Tuesday afternoon at Safeco Field. They use two (catcher Christian Bethancourt and backup shortstop Alexi […]
0 comments by Brian Wright on 5/29/2016
It’s an even-numbered year and the San Francisco Giants are contenders again. What else did you expect? In all seriousness, it isn’t numerology that’s making them great. A mixture of established talent and a couple of free agent pick-ups are fueling this club’s rise to the top of a National League West (at 31-20) that is easily for […]
0 comments by Brian Wright on 5/28/2016
With each Chase Utley at-bat against the Mets, everyone immediately wonders if New York pitchers will take some retaliatory measure for what happened last October. Whether it simply got away from him or he intended to do it, we might not know for sure. Nonetheless, Noah Syndergaard threw behind Chase Utley in the top of […]
0 comments by Brian Wright on 5/27/2016
As we approach the Memorial Day benchmark of the regular season, many of the game’s top players are fulfilling their greatness. But what makes each year intriguing are the unexpected performances – the players that confound the experts by rising to stardom (however briefly that may be). Who knows how these ten surprises will fare […]
0 comments by Brian Wright on 5/20/2016
All teams that rise up to the top of the standings — even this in the season — have many reasons for such success. But what could cause potential downfalls? Here, we shine a negative light on the first place clubs. Baltimore Orioles: Starting pitching Since 2013, the Orioles have developed a reputation for being consistent in the power […]
0 comments by Brian Wright on 5/19/2016
Most everything this season has been going the way of the Chicago White Sox. And most everything has been going against the Houston Astros. But for one play on Thursday, the ‘Stros had the upper hand — thanks to some major hops from George Springer. With two outs and none on in the bottom of the first inning in […]
0 comments by Brian Wright on 5/18/2016
The calendar hasn’t even hit June (39 games old, to be exact) and the Chicago White Sox have accomplished a rare feat this season…twice. Unlike the zany one they pulled off on April 22 against the Texas Rangers, the triple play that was turned on Wednesday versus Houston was in the far more conventional, around-the-horn style. The Chicago White […]
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Ever since Yoenis Cespedes joined the New York Mets, the role of Juan Lagares has lessened. But with the chance to start in center field on Wednesday, he showed why he was so worthy of the Gold Glove he earned in 2014. With Daniel Murphy up in the top of the seventh, the former Met […]
0 comments by Brian Wright on 5/17/2016
Managing the Atlanta Braves this season is a fruitless job. With no talent and very little hope, the team is on track for well over 100 losses. So, there’s a good chance that Fredi Gonzalez was resigned to the fact that his days as Braves skipper were numbered. Still, he didn’t expect to learn the news this […]
0 comments by Brian Wright on 5/16/2016
It has been a frustrating past few weeks for the Detroit Tigers — having lost 11 of their last 13 contests. On Monday night, the frustration boiled over for manager Brad Ausmus. After posting an eight-run first inning against the Minnesota Twins, the Tigers all but let the lead slip away by the middle innings. Nick Castellanos […]
0 comments by Brian Wright on 5/15/2016
If you were wondering when the Texas Rangers would enact revenge on the Toronto Blue Jays for the Jose Bautista bat flip, Sunday afternoon was it. And, boy, was it a doozy. Texas reliever Matt Bush hit Bautista with a pitch that sent the Toronto slugger to first. Then, a ground ball went in the […]
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The debate on whether or not Carlos Beltran is worthy of the Hall of Fame has already been fervent, despite the fact that the 39-year-old veteran isn’t making any retirement plans just yet. Well, those siding for his entrance into Cooperstown received more reason, as he reached 400 home runs on Sunday against the White […]
0 comments by Brian Wright on 5/14/2016
Baseball’s biggest surprise over the first month-and-a-half of the 2016 regular season has yet to come back to earth. The Philadelphia Phillies, supposedly in rebuilding mode, improved to 22-15 on Saturday in spectacular fashion. Cincinnati’s Adam Duvall hit a one-out RBI double to bring the Reds to within one run at 4-3 and moved Eugenio Suarez to […]
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Big Papi isn’t going away quietly. The Red Sox hero added to his legend on Saturday with more milestones and more dramatics. With Boston down by a run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Ortiz sent a Luke Gregerson pitch just over the reach of Houston left fielder Jake Marisnick. The ball […]
0 comments by Brian Wright on 5/13/2016
Over the past four years, Chris Sale has regularly shown the capability of being the American League’s best pitcher — finishing in the top six of the Cy Young voting in each season. Based on the way he’s started 2016, he might earn that title after all. In defeating the New York Yankees in the […]
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The evolution of pitching has resulted in an increased importance on relievers. So it’s no wonder why seven of the eight teams represented on this list as the best so far this season are at or near the top of the standings in their respective divisions. 8. Chicago Cubs What aren’t they good at? Relatively […]
0 comments by Brian Wright on 5/11/2016
Roger Clemens, Kerry Wood and Randy Johnson now have company. Facing his former team, Max Scherzer struck out 20 to tie an MLB nine-inning record as his Washington Nationals defeated the Detroit Tigers, 3-2. After reaching 18 Ks through eight, Scherzer went out for the ninth with Washington up by two runs — only to […]
0 comments by Brian Wright on 5/10/2016
Prior to Tuesday’s Royals-Yankees contest, Lorenzo Cain had just one home run in 2016. That total would soon get a major boost, as the Kansas City outfielder belted three round-trippers against the “Bronx Bombers.” Homer No. 1 came in the top of the third, as he took New York starter Masahiro Tanaka deep to the […]
