New York Yankees vs Detroit Tigers

My initial reaction was the Tigers win this series in 5 games because of pitching. Justin Verlander and Doug Fister have been pitching out of this world lately and Jose Valverde was a perfect 49 for 49 closing out games this season. But, after looking at it further – the match-up is actually stacked in the Yankees favor. Over the season, the Yankees pitching staff has been surprisingly good (4th best in the AL). It is in fact better overall than the Tigers. The key is going to come down to scoring runs, something the Yankees are known for doing. The Yankees will out slug the Tigers and when it comes down to it, the Yankees can manufacture runs. The Tigers on the other hand cannot manufacture runs – they had the least stolen bases in the entire MLB. When you consider that the Yankees have home field advantage – I’m taking the Yankees in 4 games.

Texas Rangers vs Tampa Bay Rays

Great hitting (Rangers) vs great pitching. It’s very cliche, but pitching and defense wins championships and that will be to the Rays advantage in this series. The Rangers will surely miss having the dominating Cliff Lee in their rotation this postseason. It’s not only pitching, the Rays also had the fewest errors in the AL, while the Rangers had the 3rd most.  I’ll take the Rays in 5 games.

NLDS

Philadelphia Phillies vs St. Louis Cardinals

The Phillies are looking like the team to beat this postseason. They can score runs, but more importantly they can pitch. They easily have the best rotation of all the remaining teams, and that should be able to power them through the Cards in this series. But, don’t write the Cards off so quickly – if any team can dethrone the Phillies it is the Cards. The Cards were the best hitting team in the NL and they scored the most runs. They have the offensive firepower to potentially upset the Phillies rotation, but a lingering injury to Matt Holiday will be crucial to the Cards success/failure in this series. I’ll take the Phillies in a close 5 game series.

Milwaukee Brewers vs Arizona Diamondbacks

The Brewers and Diamondbacks are two very similar teams in terms of make-up. They both have strong offenses and slightly above average pitching staffs. The Diamondbacks may have a slight edge in the bullpen, to offset the slight hitting edge that the Brewers have. This should be a fun series to watch. The Brewers had the best home record in the MLB and that should prove to be the difference in this one. I’ll take the Brewers stealing a game in Arizona and winning the series in 4 games.

Thoughts? Comment below!

[Photo Credit: halloffamememorabilia.com]

In the AL, things were a lot different. The Orioles took an early lead, but gave it right back before a rain delay held things up. The rain delay would prove to provide an exciting end of the day. While this was going on, the Yankees were taking a commanding lead on the Rays, 7-0. But the Rays weren’t willing to give up. They scored six runs in the eighth inning and made it a ballgame again. Then in the ninth inning, the Rays were down one run with 2 out and 2 strikes on Dan Johnson, when he hit a game tying homer to force extra innings.

Back in Baltimore, the Red Sox were leading in the ninth inning and they could determine their own destiny. If they win, they at least get a chance to play the Rays for the playoffs. Papelbon entered the game to close it out and as Jim Rome stated, “These dude’s are overmatched against Papelbon. This freak is DEALING.” Literally minutes afterwards, the Orioles tied the game and preceded to beat the Red Sox in the ninth inning. The Orioles celebrated like they won the pennant, but you can’t blame them, they haven’t played a meaningful game in a really long time.

The Red Sox would retreat to the clubhouse to depend on the Yankees to bail them out (isn’t that ironic). Before the Red Sox could even settle into the clubhouse (seemingly 90 seconds after the Orioles won), Evan Longoria hit a walk-off game winning home-run to beat the Yankees. The Red Sox completed a colossal collapse, and did it in dramatic fashion.

If you take a moment and think about it rationally, the Yankees would have rather had the Red Sox in the playoffs since they are in a major slump right now and they prove to be the least threatening. But then again, the Rays have a better chance of beating the Rangers in the Divisional Round, and the Yankees should have confidence that they can beat the Rays in a series (or at least a better chance than beating the Rangers).

At the end of the day, the playoffs are set. The Detroit Tigers will play the Yankees while the Texas Rangers will play the Rays in the AL. In the NL, the Arizona Diamondbacks will play the Milwaukee Brewers and the Cards will play the Phillies. Stayed tuned for my official predictions.

[Photo Credit: AP Photo/David J. Phillip via crescent-news.com]

The Arizona Diamondbacks have won their ninth consecutive game, their longest streak since 2003. It is actually quite surprising to see the Diamondbacks sitting in first place by six (6) games as September 1st approaches. Surprising for a number of reasons, most notably is the fact that they are in the same division as the defending World Series Champion San Francisco Giants. Not to mention that last season they finished in dead last, a full 27 games behind the Giants and 15 games behind the closest competitor.

The Diamondbacks didn’t overhaul the roster this off-season. They made some solid acquisitions (J.J. Putz – to solidify the back of the bullpen), but most importantly they clearly show what a good manager can do. The D-Backs hired Kirk Gibson this off-season and he has already locked up the Manager of the Year award. It is remarkable how well he has this team playing. Justin Upton has returned to his 2009 form, and he is living up to his natural ability.

Ian Kennedy is finally pitching how the New York Yankees expected him to pitch for years. Micah Owings had adapted into a solid reliever after a disappointing transitional year with the Cincinnati Reds last season.

Things are gelling for the Diamondbacks at the right time, and now they head into a three game weekend series against the Giants, that could all but seal the division title (and eliminate the Giants from even making the playoffs). August has been an eventful month for the D-Backs, they won 7-in-a-row, then lost 6-in-a-row and now have a nine game winning streak. Although it is hard not to feel good about the turn around from a .402 winning percentage team to a .569 club in one year, you have to wonder if it can last?

I, unfortunately, do not see the Diamondbacks making a deep run in the playoffs. I don’t think they match-up well with either the Phillies or the Braves, and even their recent streaks support this. During the 6-game losing streak, two losses were against the Phillies and three against the Braves. When you look at the Diamondbacks roster, you don’t see that sure thing number one starter that the other contenders have. Ian Kennedy has been great, but lasting 3 innings against the Phillies earlier this month, isn’t going to win you a playoff series.

The Diamondbacks are a young team, and this season has been a great turnaround year, but they won’t be celebrating the tenth anniversary of their first and only World Series Championship with another.

Conclusion: Fun Pretender

[Photo Credit: AssociatedPress via liveoddsandscores.com]

As bad as this call was, and it was pretty bad, even Julio Lugo was shocked that he was safe (watch his reaction at 1:36), it wasn’t the worst call in MLB history. It wasn’t even the worst call in past 5 years… actually it wasn’t even the worst call in the past two seasons.

Let us not forget, the blown call in the ninth inning with two outs during Armando Galarraga’s should-be-perfect game. Watch this replay, with Jim Joyce explaining how he couldn’t believe he missed it.

Yes, the Pirates lost the game as a result of the play (they are appealing the call), but there was no guarantee that they would win the game had the call been correct. Yes, it cost them first place, but there are plenty of games left.

Joyce didn’t cost the Tigers the game, he didn’t miss a call in the fourth inning of an otherwise perfect game, he missed a call that literally would have completed the perfect game. A perfect game is much harder to come by, and poor Galarraga will never come that close again. The Pirates lost a game, but one out of 162 is small compared to once in a lifetime. Let’s keep things in perspective.

This leads to the discussion that MLB needs to expand instant replay to include game ending plays… which is another post in itself.

Photo Credit: Harry How/Getty Images via ESPN

Karstens was drafted in the 19th round (574th overall) in 2003 by the New York Yankees. After two short seasons with the Yankees, he was traded to the Pirates. In his fourth season with the Pirates, Karstens is transforming into an ace. His rise to the top had to be unexpected by most. First, he plays for the Pirates which automatically takes him off the casual fan’s radar. Second, his numbers last year were downright awful: 3-10 4.92 ERA 1.41 WHIP 72Ks in 19 starts.

But this season, he has been dominant. He finished the first half with these numbers: 7-4 2.55 ERA 1.07 WHIP 58Ks in 15 starts. To prove that his first half wasn’t a fluke, he went out and pitched a complete game shutout against the Astros in his first start of the second half, lowering his ERA to an incredible 2.34. Karstens has 11 quality starts (6+ IP with 3ER or less) in 16 starts, including 8 in a row. In fact he hasn’t allowed more than 3 ER in 15 starts.

But why have most people not heard of him? Besides the obvious (Pirates), his stuff doesn’t have the “WOW” factor. He is a pitcher to the true definition. He makes the pitches that get people out and walks very few. He is not a guy that will strike out a ton of batters. Strikeouts draw attention from the media and fans. Karstens won’t be striking out 13 in a game anytime soon, but the Pirates will take the 2Ks he had during his complete game shutout, as long as they keep winning.

Watch out for the Pirates this season, and keep an eye on Karstens.

[Photo Credit: Peter Diana/Post-Gazette via post-gazette.com]

Let’s not forget that the MLB All-Star game is the only All-Star game that actually means something. The Pro Bowl means less than nothing and is almost a waste of time to even play. The NBA All-Star game is clowning around game for three quarters and then the players take it serious with hopes to win the bonus for winning the game.

The MLB All-Star game should not determine home field advantage in the World Series, it should be team records. Why? Three main reasons: 1. The fans get to vote in the starters, which aren’t always the best players (more on that below). 2. Every team needs a representative, which hurts the manager’s ability to select the overall best talent. 3. Pitchers that recently pitched are removed from the game and anyone with lingering injuries are replaced further diluting the talent pool.

Now let’s take a look at this season’s All-Stars:

What’s the first thing that jumps out at you? To me: Derek Jeter is the starting shortstop of the American League with this stat line: .260AVG, 2HR, 20RBI, 7SB. Are you kidding? Take away names and not a single person that knows anything about baseball would select him for their All-Star team. Now, I understand that this is the player that the fans want to see. I am OK with that, if the game didn’t mean anything. Wouldn’t a Yankees fan rather have the AL win the game so they have a chance for Home Field advantage, rather than watch Jeter, who they normally watch all the time? Don’t take me for a Yankees hater, I also enjoy what Jeter has done for the game of baseball.

Sticking on the Yankees theme. How is C.C. Sabathia not an All-Star? 11-4, 3.05ERA, 1.21WHIP, 106Ks, 129.2IP. I understand that he is scheduled to start on Sunday and therefore wouldn’t be ready to pitch in the game anyway, but at least name him to the team and give him the recognition he deserves.

Let’s play another game: Pick the All-Star:

Player A: 2-1, 1.36ERA, 1.08WHIP, 0-2 in saves, 8 Holds, 39.2IP, 39Ks

Player B: 1-0, 1.05ERA, 1.31WHIP, 0-2 in saves, 18 Holds (MLB lead), 34.1IP, 55Ks

I’d take Player B every time. Unfortunately, Player B is David Robertson and he is not an All-Star. Player A is Aaron Crow and he is an All-Star, as the lone representative of the Kansas City Royals. He has solid numbers, but Robertson is better as a simple set-up man to set-up man comparison.

Another joke on the American League team is Matt Wieters. First, why does the team need three catchers? Second, he is the only Baltimore Oriole on the team, and he is not even the best player on his team (see Adam Jones).

Michael Cuddyer (the lone Minnesota Twin) is also another major stretch for the All-Star team. I’d also take Dustin Pedroia over Howie Kendrick.

Other notable snubs: Paul Konerko (he is in the last man in ballot in which the fans vote – and he should be a lock to win it), Mark Teixeira (I understand his .243 batting average cost him, but hard to deny 25 HRs [2nd in MLB] and 65 RBI [4th in MLB]).

On the National League side, I’d rather have Carlos Gonzalez than either Carlos Beltran, Jay Bruce or Justin Upton.

Other notable snubs: Anibal Sanchez (6-2, 3.30ERA, 1.19WHIP, 109IP, 111Ks), Ryan Howard (similar fate to Mark Teixeira – the .253AVG cost him, but his 17HR and 67RBI [3rd in MLB] are hard to ignore).

The MLB All-Star game isn’t built to be determining World Series Home Field advantage. It is an exhibition game for a reason, and they should accept that fact because of its flaws.

[Photo Credit: All-Star Logo - BigLeagueBaseballs.com, Derek Jeter - ThroughTheFenceBaseball.com]

The two most notable sweeps were the New York Yankees sweeping the Texas Rangers in a three game series and the Boston Red Sox sweeping the Toronto Blue Jays in a three game series. Both the Rangers and the Blue Jays had not been swept at all this season, until these respective series. Now every team in the MLB has been swept at least once. Only two teams have not swept another team this season: the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres.

The Cleveland Indians added their MLB leading 8th sweep, while the Atlanta Braves moved into first place for the best sweep-swept winning percentage (.857). By far the team playing the worst baseball over the past two weeks was the Florida Marlins, who were swept a remarkable three times. In fact the Marlins are 2-15 since June 7th, which has caused them to drop from 3rd place and only 4 games back to last place and 14 games back.

One potential sweep that saw the final game in the series rained out earlier in the year was completed, with the Detroit Tigers completing the three game sweep over the Tampa Bay Rays.

That will do it for this recap, to see how your favorite team is doing in 2-game, 3-game and 4-game series be sure to check out the MLB Sweep Tracker.

In a typical Manny fashion, he does the unexpected and retires rather than continue with the process to clear his name (a sign of guilt?). Ramirez has always been memorable on the field so it was only right that he decides to leave the game in a double-take fashion. You may remember the times he would enter the Green Monster in the middle of a game: to make a call, to get a drink and, even, to use the bathroom (which was actually a cup according to him). You may remember him stopping to high-five fans in the middle of a double play or the manny (bad pun, I know) misplayed balls in the outfield.

Despite all the antics, one thing was certain — Manny Ramirez could hit the baseball. It was for this reason so many put up with so much. That leads to the question, does his 555 career home-runs, .312 career batting average, 12 all-star appearances, 9 top-ten MVP finishes (although he never did finish better than 3rd in voting), 9 silver sluggers, 1 batting title and 2 World Series Rings (1 WS MVP) get him in to the Hall of Fame? Or does the 50 game drug suspension, suspicion of another violation and “Manny being Manny” antics overshadow his career achievements?

I think he should make the Hall of Fame based on his on the field performance, but I can’t say that I fully believe that he is a lock to make it. The voters clearly don’t want the steroid stigma devaluing the Hall of Fame, as seen with Mark McGuire (although Ramirez had a better career than McGuire) and how we most likely will see with Rafael Palmeiro, Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds. It’s a tough decision, especially since Ramirez has been officially caught and forced to serve a suspension (Bonds might be confirmed innocent after this trial, but that ‘s another story).

Thoughts on Ramirez’s Hall of Fame chances? Comment Below!

[Photo Credit: BostonBrat.net]

East:

• New York Yankees – I wanted to go with the Red Sox after all of their off-season additions, but when you breakdown the rosters – the Yankees have the more complete team. They have arguably the best infield in the American League and they have a top five bullpen in the entire MLB. The weak spot is the starting pitching, but I don’t expect the same AJ Burnett that appeared last season (it was the worst year of his lengthy career and not the norm).
• Boston Red Sox – Clearly the Yankees and Red Sox will be 1-2 this season (and it truly could go either way).
• Tampa Bay Rays – The Rays over hauled their roster in the off-season and it will show this season. I don’t expect them to come near the Yankees or Red Sox.
• Toronto Blue Jays – Jose Bautista will not come near last year’s performance.
• Baltimore Orioles – I like what the Orioles are doing and I can see this being their last year in the AL East basement. It actually wouldn’t even surprise me if the Orioles finish ahead of the Blue Jays this season.

Central:

• Chicago White Sox – The White Sox have a solid rotation top to bottom and they will be able to score runs with anyone.
• Minnesota Twins – I think Carl Pavano will regress slightly this season.
• Detroit Tigers – They have some nice young pieces.
• Cleveland Indians – Keep your eye on Carlos Santana
• Kansas City Royals – Is this the year Alex Gordon lives up to his potential? I don’t think so.

West:

• Texas Rangers – Without Cliff Lee and Vlad, the Rangers have a different look, but they still have what it takes to compete for the World Series.
• Oakland As – Young pitching staff with tons of upside
• Los Angeles Angels – The AL West will be a close three team race that will be decided down the final stretch.
• Seattle Mariners – I actually feel bad for Felix Hernandez.

–National League–

East:

• Philadelphia Phillies – If they don’t win the division, it will be a huge failure.
• Atlanta Braves – Love the addition of Uggla.
• Florida Marlins – The Marlins will need to hope the young hitters can get it done this season. Watch out for Javier Vazquez, two years ago he contended for the NL Cy Young with the Braves.
• Washington Nationals – The Nationals are making progress, but they still need some time to develop.
• New York Mets – The staff isn’t good and they didn’t make any meaningful roster changes in the off-season. I do have hope that the new front office will be able to begin the rebuilding process.

Central:

• Cincinnati Reds – It won’t surprise me if Aroldis Chapman closes for the Reds by the end of the season.
• Milwaukee Brewers – Adding Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum are key.
• St. Louis Cardinals – The loss of Adam Wainwright hurts more than most people think
• Chicago Cubs – I like the addition of Matt Garza, but Carlos Pena doesn’t really satisfy me.
• Pittsburgh Pirates – The Pirates will be fun to watch with all of their youth.
• Houston Astros – I can only see the Astros battling to stay out of the basement this season.

West:

• San Francisco Giants – Great pitching staff.
• Colorado Rockies – Ubaldo Jimenez will be more like he was in the second half of last year, but if Tulowitzki stays healthy, they will challenge the Giants
• Los Angeles Dodgers – Clayton Kershaw could possibly win the Cy Young this season.
• San Diego Padres – Last season was more of a fluke than the norm.
• Arizona Diamondbacks – They haven’t done much to improve from last season.

Playoffs

–American League–

• Yankees over White Sox
• Red Sox over Rangers
• Yankees over Red Sox – The division winner wins this match-up due to home field advantage. It could go either way

–National League–

• Phillies over Rockies
• Reds over Giants
• Phillies over Reds – This will be a much better series than last year’s.

–World Series–

• Phillies over Yankees – It’s hard to compete with the Phillies’ rotation in a playoff setting. Cliff Lee seems to be the Yankees’ kryptonite.

I would love to have your thoughts in the comments below.

[Photo Credit: FullCountPitch.com]

Here’s why:

• Not the Yankees: The Yankees offered the most money and were desperate to sign Lee. Lee was thought to want a 7th year and the Yankees reluctantly included that, and he still turned them down and didn’t even get a 7th year. Why? Simple, his wife’s bad experience with Yankees’ fans. Lee’s wife was reportedly harassed while Lee pitched in Yankee Stadium this past post-season. Of course, Yankees fans were expecting to wow Lee with money, but if you don’t win the wife, you don’t win the player. Lee is a family man and this truly proves it. Good for him.
• Not the Rangers: The Rangers were in love with Cliff Lee. He was the missing piece that took them to the World Series this year. They needed him and that was their downfall. They completely botched the negotiating process, by asking Lee to name his price. It clearly didn’t sit well with his agent and I’m sure that helped influence the decision. Another factor that I think influenced his decision to spurn the Rangers was the ownership mess. Yes, the Rangers now have an owner (Nolan Ryan) and the bankruptcy is in the past, but spending a ton of money on Lee would hurt their ability to compete.
• To the Phillies: The way the situation unfolded, it seemed that Lee was waiting for the Phillies to make an offer. He was stalling with the Rangers and Yankees because he didn’t really want to be apart of either organization. The Phillies embraced him back in 2009 and he was one of the main reasons that team made it to the World Series. He loved his time in Philadelphia and maybe he didn’t hold a grudge on the trade since he knew he would return via free agency?

Now the Phillies have probably the best rotation ever assembled in the MLB – Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz was one of the best rotations ever and they only won the World Series once. In 2009, the St. Louis Cardinals had a tremendous rotation of Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter and Joel Pineiro and they didn’t even make the NLCS. Last season, the Phillies had a great rotation of Halladay, Oswalt and Hamels and they didn’t win the World Series either. On the flip side, the San Francisco Giants won the World Series behind solid pitching and timely hitting. The difference is the Giants had a dominant bullpen, something the Phillies still don’t have.

Does the the power staff make the Phillies a lock to win the World Series? No, but they are a favorite and their window is small. They will lose bats after this season and their aces are aging.

[Photo Credit: sullybaseball.blogspot.com]