INSIDE MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL NOW

A good baseball fan knows their team inside and out. But they don’t stop there. They have to know what else is going on throughout the entire MLB. Here are a few players to watch:

Domonic Brown is simply on fire lately. The Phillies outfielder has been a wrecking crew all by himself these last two weeks. He has racked up 10 homers, 20 RBIs, and boasts a slash line of .396/.439/1.038. If he continues this white hot performance he will drag Philadelphia into the post season all by himself. Pitchers need be very wary of Brown.

Matt Moore, wunderkind starter for the Tampa Bay Rays, has hit a wall of late. He has lost both of his last two starts. His ERA from those games? An absolutely brutal 15.75. Quite a far cry from his magnificent start to the season.

In a previous article about Moore, during his headier days early in the season, I examined several intangibles contributing to his success. Things like BABIP and LOB%, and how those stats were showing he was benefiting from quite a bit of luck. The chickens have apparently come home to roost for Matt Moore. Nobody listens to me, and I am always right.

RED FLAG, YANKEE FANS!

At first glance, you may pass right over Jarrod Parker. This season he is 5-6 with a 4.68 ERA. Nothing special here, right?

Look again. Three of his wins came in the last 14 days. In that span, he struck out 15 and walked 5, sporting an ERA of 1.77. That get your attention? It should. Especially if you are a Yankee fan. He faces the Bombers on Thursday and the way the boys have struggled at the plate lately, Parker will give them fits. Danger, young Robinson!

Starlin Castro, what is wrong with you? The superstar shortstop from the Cubs seems to be shedding his elite status. His batting average is absolutely plummeting. It is .114 over the last two weeks, dragging his season average down to .250. He has stolen all of one base in that time.

If, like me, you are unfortunate enough to be stuck with this expensive layabout on your fantasy team, NAIL HIM TO THE BENCH! Castro will only hurt you right now. Play anyone else at short in the meantime.

Whatever problems the Kansas City Royals might have, Greg Holland is not one of them. The closer has sandwiched himself between Jim Johnson and our own Mariano Rivera as one of the three guys batters don’t want to see in the ninth inning.

Don’t believe me? That’s fine, Holland’s numbers speak for themselves. The last two weeks have seen him strike out 7 and save 5 games in 6 innings of work. His ERA is 0.00.

And that’s a quick glance around the league. Pay attention to how the Yankees do on Thursday.



Chad R. MacDonald
BYB Writer
Facebook: New York Yankees the Home of Champions
My Blog: ChadRants


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ORIOLES GET PRONKED IN CAMDEN YARDS!

(In Photo: Travis Hafner)
The Yankees are in Baltimore for a 3 game series against the Orioles. CC Sabathia took the mound against former Yankee pitcher Freddy Garcia in first game of this set.

Robbie Cano "Doncha' Know" made some noise with his bat in the top of the first with a solo HR (13) making it 1-0 before the Orioles even got their first at bats. In the top of the 2nd David Adams hit his first career HR as a Yankee giving the Yankees their 2nd run of the game. But Chris Davis gave the O's a run back with a solo HR of his own making it 2-1 Yankees in the bottom of the 2nd.

Things stayed quiet for a few innings until Nick Markakis singled to center scoring Steve Pearce in the bottom of the 5th tying things up at 2 a piece. But, Lyle Overbay was swinging for the fences in the top of the 7th and gave the Yankees back the lead 3-2.. But Nick Markakis hits another RBI double to left center scoring Alexi Casilla, tying the game up again.

Then J.J. Hardy scores Markakis on an RBI double ending the night for Sabathia in 6.1 innings. CC struck out 2 batters and was hit 11 times 5 of them were doubles and no walks. Shawn Kelley came in for relief work and maintained the Yankees 1 run deficit. He pitched one inning and gave up one walk, and struck out 3 before being replaced by Boone Logan in the bottom of the 8th to face pinch hitter and former Yankee and BYB favorite Chris Dickerson who singled to center.

Logan held the Orioles to just that one hit, and kept the Yankees within one going into the top of the 9th. Then Travis Hafner went deep off Orioles closer Jim Johnson tying the game yet again 4-4 after Cano grounded out. David Robertson entered in the bottom of the 9th in hopes of bringing the game into extra innings. He did just that with a fly out by Manny Machado and then struck out J.J. Hardy and Chris Davis. Ichiro Suzuki started the top of the 10th with a double down the RF line off of Pedro Strop and later scored on a ground-rule double by Vernon Wells.

Hafner went up to the plate and scored the insurance run by bringing Wells home making it 6-4 Yankees after the Orioles went to the bullpen bringing in Brian Matusz. Then it was Mo' time in the bottom of the 10th. Mariano Rivera did his thing and closed the door in a 1, 2, 3 inning for save number 625, and handed the Orioles their 6th consecutive loss.

Oh, and a big Congratulations to David Adams on collecting his first MLB career home run, and great defense at 3rd.

Final score from Baltimore- Yankees 6 - Orioles 4.

-- Rudy Laurens, BYB Writer
Facebook: House of Champions



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THE AL EAST FROM BEAST TO LEAST

Let’s take a look at how the AL East has been shaping up and take a guess at who will win the Division.

1 - The New York Yankees

Surprising everyone except writers at this site, our boys remain in sole possession of First in the AL East. Gone are the predictions of doom and gloom. Gone are the doubts and dread. The Yankees, it appears, are still the Yankees. This despite a continuing slew of injuries to key players.

Veteran players have experienced a career resurgence. Travis Hafner, Vernon Wells, and even Lyle Overbay have proven potent. Bats have heated up. Mistakes have been pounced upon. One player falters and another steps up.

Pitching remains strong. Hiroki Kuroda is cruising. CC Sabathia is steadying after a slow start, which is what he always does. Mariano Rivera doesn’t age, apparently. We are glad he is on our side because he is scary. Actually scary. Like, undead scary.

As the season progresses, the Yankees will have a very good chance to maintain their standing. Stars are beginning to return, with many more in the wings. Guys are going to be fresh.

Prognosis: Excellent.

2 - Boston Red Sox

The Ancient Enemy. They just don’t go away. Here they are again, nipping at the Yankees’ heels in the standings. Lester is a bona fide ace once more. David Ortiz is experiencing a near-Jeterian late-career surge. A new fire burns bright in Fenway Park.

The sentimental side of me is happy to see the Sox doing this well, as long as they don’t do better than the Pinstripers. Regardless of how they make you feel, the stronger the ball team is in Boston,
the better they make the men of the Bronx.

Prognosis: Very Good

3 - Baltimore Orioles

The O’s are legitimate contenders. They are also breathing down the Bombers’ necks and won’t be letting up anytime soon. They will visit the Bronx shortly. That series should not be missed. It feels odd to be wary of Baltimore, but they should not be underestimated ever again.

Jim Johnson is officially an elite closer. His ERA is minuscule, his K rate is solid, and his consistency is very high. This guy has an amazing future ahead of him if he remains healthy. This is bad news for everyone else in the entire League, let alone the division. Keep an eye on him. Both when you can spare them.

Prognosis: Very Good

4 - Tampa Bay Rays

 This team has stumbled out of the gate. The Rays live and die by their pitching and it has been inconsistent this year. Matt Moore will have one great game and then a couple of horrible ones. David Price is nagged by bad luck in one start and left with no run support in another. James Shields is in Kansas City now, so the rotation is not quite as lethal as last season, leaving less room for mistakes.

Bats wise, things have gone South. Like Antarctica south. As in freezing cold. Ice world. We are saying they cannot buy hits in Tampa right now. Will this continue? Hard to say. Certainly any team with David Price and Evan Longoria always has a chance. But the bullpen needs some serious shoring up and somebody is going to need to thaw out the bats.

This does not mean they are to be taken lightly. The Rays up their game against the Yankees. Everyone does, sure, but Moore dominated the Bombers not long ago, and they barely escaped with a win against Price that same series.

As with a wounded beast, approach with caution.

Prognosis: Long Shot

5 - Toronto Blue Jays

Oh, man. If the Rays stumbled out of the gate, the Jays ran into the wall. And then had it fall on them. Followed by the rest of the building. And then a plane crashed on top of them. And the plane was full of lava cactus monsters that squirted acid at their genitalia before burying them in pig feces.

Toronto, what is UP with you? Seriously, this isn’t even funny. The Jays have always been this long suffering city’s best hope for a win in Major League sports. This was really looking like the year too.

The Jays finally have a smart and savvy GM in Alex Anthopoulous after the disaster that was the JP Ricciardi era. He brought in an All Star roster. Expectations were atmospheric. Fans were absolutely ecstatic. That is entirely evaporated now.

After a spate of injuries and massive ERA inflations, it can only be said that combining good players from three bad teams does not make a winner.

Also, Toronto is cursed. The sports gods hate them. Sorry, folks.

Prognosis: Not this year. Next year also not looking good.


And there’s your AL East breakdown, Beasts.

What do you think? Comment and share!


 
Chad R. MacDonald
BYB Writer
Facebook: New York Yankees the Home of Champions
My Blog: ChadRants


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HOW THE YANKEES STACK UP: THE CLOSER

We have looked at every position in the American League East and how the Yankees stack up, check out:

• Catcher
• First Base
• Second base
• Shortstop
• Third base
• Leftfield
• Centerfield
• Rightfield
• Starting Rotation
• Bullpen

Now, we bring you The Closer... it just so happens the Yankees have the best one in baseball. Since 1997 the New York Yankees have had an undisputed leg up not only on the AL East, but on the rest of Major League Baseball in who comes into a game to close it out.

Mariano Rivera is the greatest reliever who ever played the game of baseball, and he is a Yankee. When “Enter  Sandman” echoes throughout The House that Jeter Built, there is no doubt as to what the near future holds for Yankees opponents.  Simply put, the game is over.

Until last season’s mishap while shagging fly balls on the warning track before an April game against Kansas City, Mariano Rivera had 15 consecutive seasons of 28 or more saves as the Yankees closer.  During that span, he saved less than 30 games once, and his ERA was a sparkling 2.02.

Even more impressive are Rivera’s post season statistics.  They read:  96 games, 42 saves and an eye-popping 0.70 ERA in 141 innings pitched. There is nobody better.

Now the certain first-ballot Hall of Famer is coming off a major injury for the first time in his career, and by all accounts he has been up to the challenge.  As Erik Boland reported in Newsday HERE, Rivera has stunned even teammates with his recovery, and has accelerated his spring schedule.  He is claiming that everything feels good and is hungry for competition.

That is great news if you are a Yankees fan. There is no reason to doubt that Mariano Rivera at age 43 will be any different than he has been for the better part of the last two decades.  His consistent, high-level of production on the mound is the rudder that guides the Yankees ship.

Look for a return to 40-plus saves and an ERA less than 2.00 for the Yankee great. That’s my prediction.

Here is how the rest of the AL East stacks up at closer:

Toronto Blue Jays:  Casey Janssen posted 22 saves in 25 attempts for the Blue Jays in 2012.  His ERA was 2.54 – not impressive for a closer – but his WHIP was a sparkling 0.86.  The 31 year-old should get more save opportunities with Toronto’s re-vamped lineup.

Baltimore Orioles: 29 year-old Jim Johnson had a MLB leading 51 saves in 54 opportunities last season with the Orioles.  Even though he isn’t the typical strikeout pitcher that other closers are (he had 41 strikeouts in 68.2 innings pitched), he held opposing batters to a .220 average and posted a 1.02 WHIP.

Tampa Bay Rays:  The Rays’ Fernando Rodney was second in MLB in saves last season with 48 in 50 attempts.  He held opponents to a .167 batting average and posted a microscopic 0.78 WHIP and incredible 0.60 ERA.  In addition, he struck out 76 in 74.2 innings pitched and yielded just two home runs all season.  The 36 year-old will again cover the backside of what is the best pitching staff in the AL East.

Boston Red Sox: Joel Hanrahan was an intimidating presence for the Pittsburgh Pirates over the past two seasons in accumulating 76 saves in 84 save opportunites for the Bucs.  He held opposing batters to a .187 average and struck out 67 in 59.2 innings last year.  However, his ERA of 2.72 ranked him 142nd in relievers and he’ll need to improve upon that to live up to the billing with his new team.

Here’s how I think it breaks down:

Yankees: There is no doubt that Mo’ is back and the Yankees are a better team because of it.

Tampa Bay: The Rays Fernando Rodney will continue to sparkle in the closers role.

Baltimore: Jim Johnson finds ways to get batters out when he needs to and this improving team will keep getting him more save opportunities.

Toronto: Casey Janssen should see more save opportunities thanks to a new look to the Blue Jays lineup and pitching staff.  The question will be whether or not the relievers before him can hold onto the lead.

Boston: How will Hanrahan’s 2.72 ERA translate to the American League?  His jump in ERA and walks from 2011 to 2012 is worrisome. 

Let us know what you think?  How do you rate the AL East closers?


 
--Steve Skinner, BYB Guest Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1

 

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ALDS GAME 1: CC MONSTER & RUSSELL MARTIN POWER YANKEES

Wow, what a win. There was a 2 hour, 41 minute rain delay before this ALDS Game 1 in Baltimore even began, but it was well worth the wait. With the stupid 2-3 division format this year in the LDS, the Yankees need to, at the very least, win one of two in Baltimore so they could go back to the Bronx for Game 3 with at least a split. The Yanks took care of that behind the clutch home run by Russell Martin and the power pitching from CC Sabathia in a 7-2 win.

Let’s start with the Russell Martin homer. Leading off the ninth inning against Jim Johnson, who compiled 51 saves on the season, Martin was able to drive a 2-0, two-seam fastball over the left field wall to make it a 3-2 game. Raul Ibanez and Derek Jeter followed with singles before Ichiro drove in Ibanez on a soft infield single to make it 4-2. Robinson Cano then ripped a two-run double to left to make it 6-2, thus chasing the ace Baltimore closer. Nick Swisher capped off the ninth inning rally by sac-flying Cano.

The rest of the offense came from an Ichiro RBI double in the first and a Mark Teixeira RBI single in the fourth. Tex ended up getting thrown out at second on a great throw by right fielder Chris Davis, and this came after Baltimore taking the lead the previous half inning. It’s always great being able to respond after your opponent scores the prior half inning, especially in the postseason. Those run scoring plays came off of starter Jason Hammel who allowed two runs in 5.2 innings pitched.

CC started, and he was absolutely fantastic, once again. He pitched 8.2 innings of two run, eight hit (six singles), seven strikeout, and one walk ball. His biggest inning came in the eighth when it was a 2-2 tie. JJ Hardy led off the inning with a double, but CC responded by striking out Adam Jones, popping out Matt Wieters, and inducing a weak grounder from Mark Reynolds to escape the jam. Joe Girardi pulled his ace in the ninth with two out following a Lew Ford double, though it would have been nice if he left him in to get the complete game. Either way, David Robertson picked up the final out in the ninth to seal the Game One win. CC was absolute money, and if the Yanks play their cards right, his next start will be in Game One of the ALCS on Saturday.

Yanks beat the O’s 7-2.

The Yankees will look to sweep the Baltimore portion of this series later tonight, as Andy Pettitte (5-4, 2.87 ERA) will oppose Wei-Yin Chen (12-11, 4.02 ERA). There’s no one I’d rather want pitching in the postseason than Pettitte, as he’s arguably the greatest postseason pitcher ever. Plus, the Yanks have had success against Chen this year (5.25 ERA in four starts, 24 IP against NYY), so hopefully everything works out. Let’s win Game Two and head back to the Bronx up 2-0! Go Yanks!
 


--Jesse Schindler, BYB Lead Staff Writer
Follow me on Twitter @SchindlerJesse


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