With three Game 7s upon us and a possible fourth looming I thought I'd update everyone on what's happening with the Stanley Cup Playoffs and how I've done predicting the series.
Western Conference
1. Vancouver v 8. Chicago - Tied 3-3
When Vancouver took a 3-0 lead eeveryone thought that this series was over and Roberto Luongo had shaken his playoff yips and all was good. Then the Blackhawks lit Luongo up for 10 goals in the next two games. That led to rookie goalie Cory Schneider sstaring Game 6 and playing well enough to keep the team in it before he got hurt. Luongo comes in, game goes to overtime and the Blackhawks win. Now Luongo is going to start Game 7 tonight and no one knows what Luongo they're going to see tonight, the siv from Game 4 and 5 or the stud from Games 1-3. I like Chicago's odds to pull this comeback off.
2. San Jose v 7. Los Angeles - SJ wins 4-2
It looked as if Los Angeles was going to force a Game 7 with the way Jonathan Quick played but unfortunately for him his defense and offense didn't support him enough. Joe Thornton sealed the series with his OT winner last night. One worry for the Sharks going on is their goalie was pulled twice in this series. The Sharks will face either the Chicago Blackhawks or the Detroit Red Wings next.
3. Detroit v 6. Phoenix - Detroit wins 4-0
Detroit looked like the best team in all of hockey the way they disposed of Phoenix in four games, trailing only twice in the series. The Wings played without Henrik Zetterberg for the series and Johan Franzen in Game 4 so just imagine how scary this team will be when they get somewhat healthier. The Wings will face either the San Jose Sharks or the Nashville Predators next.
4. Anaheim v 5. Nashville - Nashville wins 4-2
The Predators have finally won their first playoff series in the franchise existence and are looking to keep it going. They played a hard, physical series with the Ducks and are going to enjoy the little time off they'll have. The Preds will either face the Vancouver Canucks or the Detroit Red Wings next.
Eastern Conference
1. Washington v 8. New York Rangers - Washington wins 4-1
Washington pretty much owned the Rangers for most of this series but after the Rangers lost Game 4 in the fashion they did, you knew the series was over. And the Caps finished them off with 3-1 Game 5 win. The Caps will face either the Buffalo Sabres, the Montreal Canadiens, the Pittsburgh Penguins or the Tampa Bay Lightning.
2. Philadelphia v 7. Buffalo - Tied 3-3
These two teams have come to hate each other in this series because of all the physical play. The Flyers are lucky to have captain Mike Richards available as he escaped two dirty plays suspension free. Ryan Miller has been up and down in this series but has followed a bad game with a great game. The Flyers have used 3 goalies in this series and Brian Boucher is supposed to start tonight. I like Philly tonight given the injury problems Buffalo is facing tonight, plus the Sabres are 0-4 in road Game 7s.
3. Boston v 6. Montreal - Boston leads 3-2
The series started out with the road team winning the first four games before Boston took Game 5 at home in double overtime. If Montreal wants to stick around a little longer they'll have to play better tonight at home and get some luck. The Canadiens are one great Tim Thomas save away from being up 3-2 with the chance to close out tonight at home. That said, I see this series going to a Game 7 in Boston.
4. Pittsburgh v 5. Tampa Bay - Tied 3-3
The Penguins looked to have this series wrapped up after stealing both games at Tampa Bay, but the Lightning didn't go away quietly. They responded with a 8-2 win in Pittsburgh and again last night with a 4-2 win at home to force Game 7. You have to wonder if the Lightning have figured out Marc-Andre Fluery and have rattled his confidence. Bad news for the Pens, they're 1 for 30 on the power play this series. I like the skill and talent of Tampa in Game 7 over the grit of Pittsburgh.
With 4 series complete, I'm 4-0 with nailing 2 of the 4 on the dot. So in theory I could go a perfect 8-0 in the opening round. Check back and find out.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
The Check Swing: Hope you didn't write the Red Sox off...
The past week of baseball has been a good one. We had a few pitchers flirt with no-hitters, including Anibal Sanchez seeking to become the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter while allowing a run since the late Darryl Kile did it. Meanwhile, the Boston Red Sox seemingly have their act together as they ran off a five game winning streak to end the week pulling within a game of .500. If you wrote the Red Sox off this early in the season, shame on you this team is too good to go through the entire season playing the way they did early. Still like my Red Sox-Phillies World Series prediction.
Arizona Diamondbacks: 8-12, 5.5 GB 4th NL West. Arizona's woes stems from their weak starting pitching that they're getting. D'Back pitchers have made only two quality starts in the last 13 games and Mr. Perfection, Armando Galarraga has allowed eight home runs in 21 innings pitched. Ouch.
Atlanta Braves: 11-12, 5 GB 4th NL East. The Braves spent the week making a road trip in California, starting with the Dodgers (1-2) and the Giants (3-0). The sweep of the Giants is some revenge from last year's playoffs and the Braves first sweep of the Giants since 1998.
Baltimore Orioles: 8-12, 5 GB 5th AL East. Another series with the Yankess, another rain out which led to the Yankees getting another two game sweep. Saturday's 15-3 loss gave us reason to believe that some bad blood might be brewing as Russell Martin was beaned in the 9th after hitting two home runs that night. With 14 more games to go this might not be over yet.
Boston Red Sox: 10-11, 3.5 GB 3rd AL East. The Sox went 6-1 this week and swept the Angels in LA. It would appear the Sox have this thing figured out. One of the funnier hijinks came from the Angels series when fans threw money at Carl Crawford as he stood on-deck. Crawford would get the last laugh hitting a two-run home run Sunday in a 7-0 win.
Chicago Cubs: 10-11, 1.5 GB 4th NL Central. The Chicago Cubs love being .500 in fact they love it so much their record has been; 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5, 6-6, 7-7, 8-8, 9-9 and 10-10. Only the 1915 Red Sox and 1970 Yankees have accomplished this feat, and only reached 9-9.
Chicago White Sox: 8-14, 5.5 GB 5th AL Central. To say that Ozzie Guillen isn't happy is a bit of an understatement. The team started 6-3 and now find themselves 8-14 meaning they've gone 2-11 in their last 13 games. Offense is the problem here as the Sox have been held to three runs or less in 10 of their last 13 games. Alexi Ramirez, Gordon Beckham, Adam Dunn and Alex Rios are all batting under .240 this season.
Cincinnati Reds: 11-11, 1 GB 3rd NL Central. The Reds lost Scott Rolen to the 15-day DL with a shoulder injury as cortisone shots couldn't help the third baseman. Infielder Chris Valaika was called up Sunday to take Rolen's place. Meanwhile, Mike Leake had a good start after coming back from his arrest receiving some boos with cheers and some razzing. Two fans in Bengals helmets had signs that read, "Mike Leake we gave you the bunt sign not the steal sign" and "Steal us a win Leake". Oh those Cincinnati fans.
Cleveland Indians: 13-8, 1st AL Central. The Indians had a to go this week with some AL Central foes. They went 2-2 at Kansas City and 0-2 at Minnesota. If the Indians hope to contend they'll need to be better than the 3-6 mark they're at right now vs the Central. Good news is they can improve that mark with two home series this week against KC and Detroit.
Colorado Rockies: 14-7, 1st NL West. Ubaldo Jimenez returned this week from the DL and went 0-1 in his two starts. In his start Sunday, both he and Josh Johnson flirted with no-hitters as for the second time in three games the Rockies almost were no-hit. But Dexter Fowler was in no mood for that, Friday night he ruined Anibal Sanchez's no-hitter with a 9th inning lead-off broken bat single and Sunday in the 6th he stroked a lead-off double to the gap.
Detroit Tigers: 12-10, 1.5 GB t-2nd AL Central. The Tigers for the first time this season are over .500 and did so with Victor Martinez on the DL with a groin injury. One reason for the wins is a move of Ryan Raburn to second base for offensive purposes. With Raburn at second, more at-bats opened up for outfielders Brennan Boesch and Casper Wells who are making the most of them. Justin Verlander recorded his 1,000th career strikeout and the Tigers have beaten the White Sox 9 straight times dating back to last year. Also Max Scherzer is off to a 4-0 start.
Florida Marlins: 13-7, 1.5 GB 2nd NL East. While the Marlins might be happy with the pitching their getting from Josh Johnson and Anibal Sanchez they can't be excited about Hanley Ramirez and his .182 batting average. Not only is he struggling but his power seems to be gone too as Ramirez has only four doubles with zero homers. The Marlins need Ramirez to return to form if they want to contend.
Houston Astros: 8-14, 4 GB 6th NL Central. The Astros scored 16 runs in their first two game in the weekend series at Milwaukee. Apparently they tired themselves out as they scored one run on five hits in Sunday's rubber match.
Kansas City Royals: 12-10, 1.5 GB t-2nd AL Central. Last week the Royals had a chance to jump the Indians for the Central lead at home. They went 2-2 and gained no ground, now they find themselves in position to do it again with a 3 game series in Cleveland starting tomorrow.
Los Angeles Angels: 12-10, 2.5 GB 2nd AL West. Jered Weaver (5-0) and Dan Haren (4-1) were the first pitchers to go 4-0 in the team's first 15 games since the 45 Tigers did it. Tonight Weaver is trying to 6-0 in his team's first 23 games, last accomplished by Randy Johnson who won six games in a similar stretch in 2002 for Arizona.
Los Angeles Dodgers: 12-11, 3 GB 2nd NL West. The Dodgers are going to be taken over and ran by the MLB. That's what happens when your owner uses the money he made for himself and doesn't put any back into the team and when he goes through a messy divorce with his wife. Good news is Andre Ethier is on a 21-game hitting streak.
Milwaukee Brewers: 11-10: 0.5 GB 2nd NL Central. Zack Greinke went 2 2/3 innings in his first rehab start and thinks he's ready to come back but the Brewers want him to make at least one more start, so he's looking at May 2-5 as his 2011 season debut. Meanwhile the Brewers have committed 7 errors all season resulting in an MLB best .991 fielding percentage. Ryan Braun was given a 5-year, $105 million contract extension.
Minnesota Twins: 9-12, 4 GB 4th AL Central. It only took the Minnesota Twins three weeks to do but they have finally won their first series of the season. In all fariness to the Twins they had split a 2-game series with KC and 4-game series with Baltimore. Still no time table for a Joe Mauer return off the DL.
New York Mets: 9-13, 6.5 GB 5th NL East. Things are starting to look up for the Mets after going 4-2 on their recent homestand. They got slugger Jason Bay back after a late July concussion knocked him out for the rest of last year and the start of this one. Bay hit his first home run on Saturday but they also lost center fielder Angel Pagan to the 15-day DL.
New York Yankees: 12-6, 1st AL East. No doubt the Yankees have to be happy with the results they've gotten from Russell Martin. He's hitting .328 with 6 HR and 16 RBI. Last year he hit .248 with 5 HR and 26 RBI. However some cause for concern is Mariano Rivera has blown two saves this week.
Oakland Athletics: 11-11, 3.5 GB AL West. The A's can't hang their hat on much except their pitching. Oakland leads the majors in pickoffs with 8, 4 coming from Brett Anderson alone. Andrew Bailey is on the rehab and could be back by early May.
Philadelphia Phillies: 15-6, 1st NL East. The Phillies could be in trouble for a while here as closer Jose Contreras landed on the 15-day DL with a right elbow strain. Ryan Madison will presumably take over the role until Contreras is ready. Still no time frame for a possible on Chase Utley.
Pittsburgh Pirates: 9-12, 2.5 GB 5th NL Central. This week the Pirates claimed Brandon Wood from the Angels and he could be the possible replacement to Ronnie Cedeno at short. Wood will be used at short, third and possibly second. In other news the Pirates have struckout a major's best 177 times or roughly 8.4 times per game. Could be a painful summer in Pittsburgh.
San Diego Padres: 8-14, 6.5 GB 5th NL West. Not much has been going right for the Padres. Their starting pitchers have combined for a 2.85 ERA in their last 17 games but in those 17 games they're only 5-12 which means the bats have struggled mightily. They scored a combined 3 runs while being swept by the Phillies this weekend in a 4 game series.
San Francisco Giants, 10-11, 4 GB 3rd NL West. A four game losing streak has the defending champs under .500 for the first time this season. Walks were the killer to the Giants this weekend as the Braves swept them in San Fran for the first time since 1998. The Giants can rebound this week with a road trip to Pittsburgh and Washington.
Seattle Mariners: 8-15, 7 GB 4th AL West. The Mariners are still struggling to score runs for Felix Hernandez as he won this week in a 1-0 game. For Felix he might have to keep teams to 2 runs or fewer if he hopes to repeat as Cy Young. The Mariners continue to have the worst record in baseball.
St. Louis Cardinals: 12-10, 1st NL Central. Albert Pujols seems to have broken out of whatever plagued him to start the season, he's hitting .250 with 7 HR and 17 RBI. He left Sunday's game with a mild hamstring strain but isn't expected to miss any time. Meanwhile, Ryan Franklin isn't winning any fans over after getting boo'ed he complained about it and he also blew a game as the set-up man. Mitchell Boggs is the new closer for the time being.
Tampa Bay Rays: 11-11, 3 GB 2nd AL East. James Shields looked impressive on Sunday throwing a complete game shutout and second consecutive complete game. After a career worst 2010 Shields is off to a 2-1 start with a 2.35 ERA. Good news for Tampa.
Texas Rangers: 14-7, 1st AL West. As if losing Josh Hamilton wasn't enough the Rangers have now lost closer Neftali Feliz to the DL with right rotator cuff inflammation. The Rangers sincerely doubt that he'll be ready to come off on the May 6th date and are being extremely cautious considering his age and value to the club. No closer has been named but Darren Oliver and Arthur Rhodes have closed games since.
Toronto Blue Jays: 9-12, 4.5 GB 4th AL East. Since starting the season 5-2 the Jays have proceeded to go 4-10. Jose Bautista is proving last year was no fluke though, he's hitting .359 with 7 HR and 10 RBI, his 7 dingers tie him for the lead with Curtis Granderson and Adrian Beltre.
Washington Nationals: 10-10, 4.5 GB 3rd NL East. With Ryan Zimmerman going on the DL, the Nats have gone 7-5 since he left. It's not bad considering the team still isn't hitting that well which also means their pitching has still been solid. Jayson Werth is still struggling hitting .200 with 3 HR and 5 RBI.
One last thought: After re-upping Braun one has to wonder if the Brewers make any move at Prince Fielder or let him walk when the season is over.
Arizona Diamondbacks: 8-12, 5.5 GB 4th NL West. Arizona's woes stems from their weak starting pitching that they're getting. D'Back pitchers have made only two quality starts in the last 13 games and Mr. Perfection, Armando Galarraga has allowed eight home runs in 21 innings pitched. Ouch.
Atlanta Braves: 11-12, 5 GB 4th NL East. The Braves spent the week making a road trip in California, starting with the Dodgers (1-2) and the Giants (3-0). The sweep of the Giants is some revenge from last year's playoffs and the Braves first sweep of the Giants since 1998.
Baltimore Orioles: 8-12, 5 GB 5th AL East. Another series with the Yankess, another rain out which led to the Yankees getting another two game sweep. Saturday's 15-3 loss gave us reason to believe that some bad blood might be brewing as Russell Martin was beaned in the 9th after hitting two home runs that night. With 14 more games to go this might not be over yet.
Boston Red Sox: 10-11, 3.5 GB 3rd AL East. The Sox went 6-1 this week and swept the Angels in LA. It would appear the Sox have this thing figured out. One of the funnier hijinks came from the Angels series when fans threw money at Carl Crawford as he stood on-deck. Crawford would get the last laugh hitting a two-run home run Sunday in a 7-0 win.
Chicago Cubs: 10-11, 1.5 GB 4th NL Central. The Chicago Cubs love being .500 in fact they love it so much their record has been; 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5, 6-6, 7-7, 8-8, 9-9 and 10-10. Only the 1915 Red Sox and 1970 Yankees have accomplished this feat, and only reached 9-9.
Chicago White Sox: 8-14, 5.5 GB 5th AL Central. To say that Ozzie Guillen isn't happy is a bit of an understatement. The team started 6-3 and now find themselves 8-14 meaning they've gone 2-11 in their last 13 games. Offense is the problem here as the Sox have been held to three runs or less in 10 of their last 13 games. Alexi Ramirez, Gordon Beckham, Adam Dunn and Alex Rios are all batting under .240 this season.
Cincinnati Reds: 11-11, 1 GB 3rd NL Central. The Reds lost Scott Rolen to the 15-day DL with a shoulder injury as cortisone shots couldn't help the third baseman. Infielder Chris Valaika was called up Sunday to take Rolen's place. Meanwhile, Mike Leake had a good start after coming back from his arrest receiving some boos with cheers and some razzing. Two fans in Bengals helmets had signs that read, "Mike Leake we gave you the bunt sign not the steal sign" and "Steal us a win Leake". Oh those Cincinnati fans.
Cleveland Indians: 13-8, 1st AL Central. The Indians had a to go this week with some AL Central foes. They went 2-2 at Kansas City and 0-2 at Minnesota. If the Indians hope to contend they'll need to be better than the 3-6 mark they're at right now vs the Central. Good news is they can improve that mark with two home series this week against KC and Detroit.
Colorado Rockies: 14-7, 1st NL West. Ubaldo Jimenez returned this week from the DL and went 0-1 in his two starts. In his start Sunday, both he and Josh Johnson flirted with no-hitters as for the second time in three games the Rockies almost were no-hit. But Dexter Fowler was in no mood for that, Friday night he ruined Anibal Sanchez's no-hitter with a 9th inning lead-off broken bat single and Sunday in the 6th he stroked a lead-off double to the gap.
Detroit Tigers: 12-10, 1.5 GB t-2nd AL Central. The Tigers for the first time this season are over .500 and did so with Victor Martinez on the DL with a groin injury. One reason for the wins is a move of Ryan Raburn to second base for offensive purposes. With Raburn at second, more at-bats opened up for outfielders Brennan Boesch and Casper Wells who are making the most of them. Justin Verlander recorded his 1,000th career strikeout and the Tigers have beaten the White Sox 9 straight times dating back to last year. Also Max Scherzer is off to a 4-0 start.
Florida Marlins: 13-7, 1.5 GB 2nd NL East. While the Marlins might be happy with the pitching their getting from Josh Johnson and Anibal Sanchez they can't be excited about Hanley Ramirez and his .182 batting average. Not only is he struggling but his power seems to be gone too as Ramirez has only four doubles with zero homers. The Marlins need Ramirez to return to form if they want to contend.
Houston Astros: 8-14, 4 GB 6th NL Central. The Astros scored 16 runs in their first two game in the weekend series at Milwaukee. Apparently they tired themselves out as they scored one run on five hits in Sunday's rubber match.
Kansas City Royals: 12-10, 1.5 GB t-2nd AL Central. Last week the Royals had a chance to jump the Indians for the Central lead at home. They went 2-2 and gained no ground, now they find themselves in position to do it again with a 3 game series in Cleveland starting tomorrow.
Los Angeles Angels: 12-10, 2.5 GB 2nd AL West. Jered Weaver (5-0) and Dan Haren (4-1) were the first pitchers to go 4-0 in the team's first 15 games since the 45 Tigers did it. Tonight Weaver is trying to 6-0 in his team's first 23 games, last accomplished by Randy Johnson who won six games in a similar stretch in 2002 for Arizona.
Los Angeles Dodgers: 12-11, 3 GB 2nd NL West. The Dodgers are going to be taken over and ran by the MLB. That's what happens when your owner uses the money he made for himself and doesn't put any back into the team and when he goes through a messy divorce with his wife. Good news is Andre Ethier is on a 21-game hitting streak.
Milwaukee Brewers: 11-10: 0.5 GB 2nd NL Central. Zack Greinke went 2 2/3 innings in his first rehab start and thinks he's ready to come back but the Brewers want him to make at least one more start, so he's looking at May 2-5 as his 2011 season debut. Meanwhile the Brewers have committed 7 errors all season resulting in an MLB best .991 fielding percentage. Ryan Braun was given a 5-year, $105 million contract extension.
Minnesota Twins: 9-12, 4 GB 4th AL Central. It only took the Minnesota Twins three weeks to do but they have finally won their first series of the season. In all fariness to the Twins they had split a 2-game series with KC and 4-game series with Baltimore. Still no time table for a Joe Mauer return off the DL.
New York Mets: 9-13, 6.5 GB 5th NL East. Things are starting to look up for the Mets after going 4-2 on their recent homestand. They got slugger Jason Bay back after a late July concussion knocked him out for the rest of last year and the start of this one. Bay hit his first home run on Saturday but they also lost center fielder Angel Pagan to the 15-day DL.
New York Yankees: 12-6, 1st AL East. No doubt the Yankees have to be happy with the results they've gotten from Russell Martin. He's hitting .328 with 6 HR and 16 RBI. Last year he hit .248 with 5 HR and 26 RBI. However some cause for concern is Mariano Rivera has blown two saves this week.
Oakland Athletics: 11-11, 3.5 GB AL West. The A's can't hang their hat on much except their pitching. Oakland leads the majors in pickoffs with 8, 4 coming from Brett Anderson alone. Andrew Bailey is on the rehab and could be back by early May.
Philadelphia Phillies: 15-6, 1st NL East. The Phillies could be in trouble for a while here as closer Jose Contreras landed on the 15-day DL with a right elbow strain. Ryan Madison will presumably take over the role until Contreras is ready. Still no time frame for a possible on Chase Utley.
Pittsburgh Pirates: 9-12, 2.5 GB 5th NL Central. This week the Pirates claimed Brandon Wood from the Angels and he could be the possible replacement to Ronnie Cedeno at short. Wood will be used at short, third and possibly second. In other news the Pirates have struckout a major's best 177 times or roughly 8.4 times per game. Could be a painful summer in Pittsburgh.
San Diego Padres: 8-14, 6.5 GB 5th NL West. Not much has been going right for the Padres. Their starting pitchers have combined for a 2.85 ERA in their last 17 games but in those 17 games they're only 5-12 which means the bats have struggled mightily. They scored a combined 3 runs while being swept by the Phillies this weekend in a 4 game series.
San Francisco Giants, 10-11, 4 GB 3rd NL West. A four game losing streak has the defending champs under .500 for the first time this season. Walks were the killer to the Giants this weekend as the Braves swept them in San Fran for the first time since 1998. The Giants can rebound this week with a road trip to Pittsburgh and Washington.
Seattle Mariners: 8-15, 7 GB 4th AL West. The Mariners are still struggling to score runs for Felix Hernandez as he won this week in a 1-0 game. For Felix he might have to keep teams to 2 runs or fewer if he hopes to repeat as Cy Young. The Mariners continue to have the worst record in baseball.
St. Louis Cardinals: 12-10, 1st NL Central. Albert Pujols seems to have broken out of whatever plagued him to start the season, he's hitting .250 with 7 HR and 17 RBI. He left Sunday's game with a mild hamstring strain but isn't expected to miss any time. Meanwhile, Ryan Franklin isn't winning any fans over after getting boo'ed he complained about it and he also blew a game as the set-up man. Mitchell Boggs is the new closer for the time being.
Tampa Bay Rays: 11-11, 3 GB 2nd AL East. James Shields looked impressive on Sunday throwing a complete game shutout and second consecutive complete game. After a career worst 2010 Shields is off to a 2-1 start with a 2.35 ERA. Good news for Tampa.
Texas Rangers: 14-7, 1st AL West. As if losing Josh Hamilton wasn't enough the Rangers have now lost closer Neftali Feliz to the DL with right rotator cuff inflammation. The Rangers sincerely doubt that he'll be ready to come off on the May 6th date and are being extremely cautious considering his age and value to the club. No closer has been named but Darren Oliver and Arthur Rhodes have closed games since.
Toronto Blue Jays: 9-12, 4.5 GB 4th AL East. Since starting the season 5-2 the Jays have proceeded to go 4-10. Jose Bautista is proving last year was no fluke though, he's hitting .359 with 7 HR and 10 RBI, his 7 dingers tie him for the lead with Curtis Granderson and Adrian Beltre.
Washington Nationals: 10-10, 4.5 GB 3rd NL East. With Ryan Zimmerman going on the DL, the Nats have gone 7-5 since he left. It's not bad considering the team still isn't hitting that well which also means their pitching has still been solid. Jayson Werth is still struggling hitting .200 with 3 HR and 5 RBI.
One last thought: After re-upping Braun one has to wonder if the Brewers make any move at Prince Fielder or let him walk when the season is over.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
The Check Swing: Indians and Royals hot early, giving fans hope.
The Check Swing is coming to you a day due to some unforeseen circumstances but is here nonetheless. The Indians, Royals and Rockies are some of the hottest teams in baseball, 2 of the 3 come as a surprise to me (hint: it's not the Rockies). So now the question becomes can all if any of them keep it up? I think the Rockies can but come July I expect the Indians and Royals to fall back down to Earth. Let's take a look at the past week's events.
Arizona Diamondbacks: 6-8, 5 GB 5th NL West. The Diamondbacks host the All-Star Game this year and it seems like every game has been a good prelude to the Home Run Derby. A total of 25 HRs have been hit there this year (15 HR allowed and 10 hit) in 9 games played. Home Run Derby should be fun this year.
Atlanta Braves: 7-10, 4 GB 4th NL East. The Braves activated starting pitcher Jair Jurrjens off the 15-day DL and sent back down Mike Minor. Jurrjens went 7 innings while giving up 2 hits in his first start, good news for the Braves if he can stay healthy.
Baltimore Orioles: 6-9, 3.5 GB 4th AL East. The fighting Showalter's are in the midst of an 8 game losing streak and are averaging just under 2.5 runs a game during this streak. The offense has been struggling, Brian Roberts is the best hitter with a .266 and no other batter qualifies with an average over .250.
Boston Red Sox: 5-10, 4.5 GB 5th AL East. The Red Sox took 3 of 4 from the Blue Jays up'ing their win total to 5. While things appear to be on the up and up, tonight's starter John Lackey is yet to make it past the 5th inning. Meanwhile, Jacoby Ellsbury leads the team in HRs with 4.
Chicago Cubs: 8-8, 1 GB t-2nd NL Central. The Cubbies find themselves in a four-way tie for second in the Central this early in the season. Starlin Castro has been on fire so far this season, kid is hitting an outstanding .408, could he be the first since Ted Williams to hit over .400?
Chicago White Sox: 7-9, 5 GB 4th AL Central. It didn't take long for Ozzie Guillen to give us what we all wanted, the famous Ozzie blow-up. His team has blown 6 saves including closer Matt Thornton blowing 4 leading Ozzie to this. He has no bullpen!
Cincinnati Reds: 9-7, 1st NL Central. Bad news for the Reds is second year pitcher Mike Leake was arrested for stealing six shirts valued at $59.88. In case you were wondering, Leake makes $425,000 a year and received a $2.3 million signing bonus. In good news, Aroldis Chapman returned after 4 days off to hit 106 MPH last night.
Cleveland Indians: 12-4, 1st AL Central. Everything seems to be going well for the Indians, they're tied with the Rockies for the best record in baseball. Hopes are so high right now that the fan base has been calling talk shows proclaiming the Indians to be buyers at the deadline. Let's pump the brakes Tribe fans, July 31st is a long way away.
Colorado Rockies: 12-4, 1st NL West. The Rockies find themselves tied for the best record in all of baseball with the Cleveland Indians largely in part due to Troy Tulowitzki. Tulo is hitting .345 with 7 HR and 14 RBI this season. No doubt the Rockies will go as he goes.
Detroit Tigers: 8-9, 4.5 GB 3rd AL Central. Justin Verlander was involved in the goofiest balk play I've seen in all my years this past weekend in Oakland. But the bad news for the Tigers is Victor Martinez, who has struggled this year hitting .250 with 2 HR and 9 RBI tweaked his groin last night and could miss serious time.
Florida Marlins: 8-6, 1.5 GB 2nd NL East. Marlins fans have to feel well after going 5-3 on a road trip that saw them play Houston, Atlanta and Philadelphia. Concerns though have to be with the struggling middle part of the order, Omar Infante at .222, Hanley Ramirez hitting .244 and Mike Stanton struggling at .194.
Houston Astros: 5-11, 4 GB 6th NL Central. Hunter Pence fouled a pitch off his face this past week but sadly no video clip has been found. The foul ball hit the ground then bounced right back up into Pence's right cheek.
Kansas City Royals: 10-6, 2 GB 2nd AL Central. Designated hitter Billy Butler has expressed his desires to play first base, his manager Ned Yost responded to this by saying he'd like to be an astronaut. With starting first baseman Kila Ka'aihue slumping bad it's only a matter of time before Butler wins out or the Royals bring up prospect Eric Hosmer.
Los Angeles Angels: 10-6, 1 GB 2nd AL West. Jered Weaver became the first pitcher in the majors to win 4 games this season. Meanwhile, the Halos are trying to resurrect Scott Kazmir's career. They placed him on the DL with back stiffness to allow him to clear his head and work his mechanical issues out in Triple-A.
Los Angeles Dodgers: 8-9, 4.5 GB 3rd NL West. The Dodgers promoted top hitting prospect Jerry Sands to try and help the struggling offense. Andre Ethier has extended his hitting streak to 15 games and Rafael Furcal broke his thumb and will be out 4-6 weeks. P.S. Matt Kemp is off the map right now hitting .459.
Milwaukee Brewers: 8-8, 1 GB t-2nd NL Central. Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks continue to lead the Brewers in batting average, home runs and runs batted in. In other news, Corey Hart is to begin his rehab stint in Triple-A Nashville.
Minnesota Twins: 6-10, 6 GB 5th AL Central. Bad news for the Minnesota Joes. Joe Mauer goes on the 15-day DL with weakness in his legs then Joe Nathan blows 2 saves and loses his job to Matt Capps.
New York Mets: 5-11, 5.5 GB 5th NL East. The Mets dropped both games of double headers this week, losing twice at home Thursday to Colorado and twice on the road Saturday to Atlanta. In those 4 games, the Mets scored 11 runs total.
New York Yankees: 9-5, 1st AL East. The Yankees lost Phil Hughes to the 15-day DL with a dead arm. In 3 starts Hughes was 0-1 with 10.1 IP and an ERA of 13.94. With Hughes gone, the Yanks hope that A.J. Burnett keeps his hot starts going. They also hope to get A-Rod back in their lineup soom but Eric Chavez has filled in nicely for him.
Oakland Athletics: 8-8, 3 GB 3rd AL West. The A's placed Dallas Braden on the 15-day DL with left shoulder stiffness and is seeking a second opinion on the prognosis, not good. In other news, Coco Crisp loves the A's throwback jerseys so much he's going throwback himself.
Philadelphia Phillies: 10-5, 1st NL East. The Phillies can't seem to avoid the injury bug in 2011. Roy Oswalt left his last start due to back spasms but shouldn't miss his next start. Now J.C. Romero left last night's game with a right calf injury and might land on the 15-day DL.
Pittsburgh Pirates: 8-8, 1 GB t-2nd NL Central. Pedro Alvarez has started the season slow, hitting .193 while leading the majors with 20 strikeouts in 57 at-bats. So the Pirates gave him Monday off in hopes of clearing his head, Alvarez is a key piece to the Pirates success or lack of it depending on how he hits.
San Diego Padres: 7-9, 5 GB 4th NL West. The Padres are off to a slow start this season, unlike last year when they started hot and fell off late. One reason for the Padres slow start is the fact that they've only won back to back games once this season, which was their first two games of the year.
San Francisco Giants: 9-7, 3 GB 2nd NL West. If you don't have the TV channel Showtime, you might want to get it. Especially if you loved HBO's Hard Knocks because Showtime is giving you the MLB equivalent in The Franchise following the Giants. Brian Wilson is quite the character, if you don't like him you will after watching this show.
Seattle Mariners: 5-12, 6.5 GB 4th AL West. I can't believe I missed this last week but the Mariners are rocking the teal throwbacks from the mid-90s when Junior and Co. reigned over the AL West. Sadly they haven't reversed the club's fortune as they own the worst record in baseball.
St. Louis Cardinals: 8-8, 1 GB t-2nd NL Central. Just as the ship seems to righting for Albert Pujols and the Cards a new leak shows up. This time it's in the form of 38-year old closer Ryan Franklin who has blown 4 saves in 5 chances. No word on if Franklin has lost the job yet.
Tampa Bay Rays: 7-9, 3 GB t-2nd AL East. The Rays are 7-3 over their last 10 thanks in large part to Johnny Damon who had some clutch hits off Joe Nathan this past week. One of those hits also gave us this near shaving cream pie gone wrong courtesy of BJ Upton.
Texas Rangers: 11-5, 1st AL West. Josh Hamilton broke his arm this past week trying to tag up on a foul ball in front of the Tigers dugout. The injury is expected to keep the reigning MVP out 6-8 weeks.
Toronto Blue Jays: 7-9, 3 GB t-2nd AL East. The Jays struggled in Boston this past weekend losing the last 3 games of the 4 game series. In the final 3 games, the Jays scored a total of 3 runs... yikes!
Washington Nationals: 8-7, 2 GB 3rd NL East. Of hitters who qualify for the stat, Danny Espinosa leads the team in batting average with a .256 average. He also leads the team with 14 RBI. But with such poor hitting it's a wonder the Nats have 8 wins. Well they have them thanks largely due to strong performances from the pitching. A team ERA of 3.44 ranks 10th in the Majors.
Arizona Diamondbacks: 6-8, 5 GB 5th NL West. The Diamondbacks host the All-Star Game this year and it seems like every game has been a good prelude to the Home Run Derby. A total of 25 HRs have been hit there this year (15 HR allowed and 10 hit) in 9 games played. Home Run Derby should be fun this year.
Atlanta Braves: 7-10, 4 GB 4th NL East. The Braves activated starting pitcher Jair Jurrjens off the 15-day DL and sent back down Mike Minor. Jurrjens went 7 innings while giving up 2 hits in his first start, good news for the Braves if he can stay healthy.
Baltimore Orioles: 6-9, 3.5 GB 4th AL East. The fighting Showalter's are in the midst of an 8 game losing streak and are averaging just under 2.5 runs a game during this streak. The offense has been struggling, Brian Roberts is the best hitter with a .266 and no other batter qualifies with an average over .250.
Boston Red Sox: 5-10, 4.5 GB 5th AL East. The Red Sox took 3 of 4 from the Blue Jays up'ing their win total to 5. While things appear to be on the up and up, tonight's starter John Lackey is yet to make it past the 5th inning. Meanwhile, Jacoby Ellsbury leads the team in HRs with 4.
Chicago Cubs: 8-8, 1 GB t-2nd NL Central. The Cubbies find themselves in a four-way tie for second in the Central this early in the season. Starlin Castro has been on fire so far this season, kid is hitting an outstanding .408, could he be the first since Ted Williams to hit over .400?
Chicago White Sox: 7-9, 5 GB 4th AL Central. It didn't take long for Ozzie Guillen to give us what we all wanted, the famous Ozzie blow-up. His team has blown 6 saves including closer Matt Thornton blowing 4 leading Ozzie to this. He has no bullpen!
Cincinnati Reds: 9-7, 1st NL Central. Bad news for the Reds is second year pitcher Mike Leake was arrested for stealing six shirts valued at $59.88. In case you were wondering, Leake makes $425,000 a year and received a $2.3 million signing bonus. In good news, Aroldis Chapman returned after 4 days off to hit 106 MPH last night.
Cleveland Indians: 12-4, 1st AL Central. Everything seems to be going well for the Indians, they're tied with the Rockies for the best record in baseball. Hopes are so high right now that the fan base has been calling talk shows proclaiming the Indians to be buyers at the deadline. Let's pump the brakes Tribe fans, July 31st is a long way away.
Colorado Rockies: 12-4, 1st NL West. The Rockies find themselves tied for the best record in all of baseball with the Cleveland Indians largely in part due to Troy Tulowitzki. Tulo is hitting .345 with 7 HR and 14 RBI this season. No doubt the Rockies will go as he goes.
Detroit Tigers: 8-9, 4.5 GB 3rd AL Central. Justin Verlander was involved in the goofiest balk play I've seen in all my years this past weekend in Oakland. But the bad news for the Tigers is Victor Martinez, who has struggled this year hitting .250 with 2 HR and 9 RBI tweaked his groin last night and could miss serious time.
Florida Marlins: 8-6, 1.5 GB 2nd NL East. Marlins fans have to feel well after going 5-3 on a road trip that saw them play Houston, Atlanta and Philadelphia. Concerns though have to be with the struggling middle part of the order, Omar Infante at .222, Hanley Ramirez hitting .244 and Mike Stanton struggling at .194.
Houston Astros: 5-11, 4 GB 6th NL Central. Hunter Pence fouled a pitch off his face this past week but sadly no video clip has been found. The foul ball hit the ground then bounced right back up into Pence's right cheek.
Kansas City Royals: 10-6, 2 GB 2nd AL Central. Designated hitter Billy Butler has expressed his desires to play first base, his manager Ned Yost responded to this by saying he'd like to be an astronaut. With starting first baseman Kila Ka'aihue slumping bad it's only a matter of time before Butler wins out or the Royals bring up prospect Eric Hosmer.
Los Angeles Angels: 10-6, 1 GB 2nd AL West. Jered Weaver became the first pitcher in the majors to win 4 games this season. Meanwhile, the Halos are trying to resurrect Scott Kazmir's career. They placed him on the DL with back stiffness to allow him to clear his head and work his mechanical issues out in Triple-A.
Los Angeles Dodgers: 8-9, 4.5 GB 3rd NL West. The Dodgers promoted top hitting prospect Jerry Sands to try and help the struggling offense. Andre Ethier has extended his hitting streak to 15 games and Rafael Furcal broke his thumb and will be out 4-6 weeks. P.S. Matt Kemp is off the map right now hitting .459.
Milwaukee Brewers: 8-8, 1 GB t-2nd NL Central. Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks continue to lead the Brewers in batting average, home runs and runs batted in. In other news, Corey Hart is to begin his rehab stint in Triple-A Nashville.
Minnesota Twins: 6-10, 6 GB 5th AL Central. Bad news for the Minnesota Joes. Joe Mauer goes on the 15-day DL with weakness in his legs then Joe Nathan blows 2 saves and loses his job to Matt Capps.
New York Mets: 5-11, 5.5 GB 5th NL East. The Mets dropped both games of double headers this week, losing twice at home Thursday to Colorado and twice on the road Saturday to Atlanta. In those 4 games, the Mets scored 11 runs total.
New York Yankees: 9-5, 1st AL East. The Yankees lost Phil Hughes to the 15-day DL with a dead arm. In 3 starts Hughes was 0-1 with 10.1 IP and an ERA of 13.94. With Hughes gone, the Yanks hope that A.J. Burnett keeps his hot starts going. They also hope to get A-Rod back in their lineup soom but Eric Chavez has filled in nicely for him.
Oakland Athletics: 8-8, 3 GB 3rd AL West. The A's placed Dallas Braden on the 15-day DL with left shoulder stiffness and is seeking a second opinion on the prognosis, not good. In other news, Coco Crisp loves the A's throwback jerseys so much he's going throwback himself.
Philadelphia Phillies: 10-5, 1st NL East. The Phillies can't seem to avoid the injury bug in 2011. Roy Oswalt left his last start due to back spasms but shouldn't miss his next start. Now J.C. Romero left last night's game with a right calf injury and might land on the 15-day DL.
Pittsburgh Pirates: 8-8, 1 GB t-2nd NL Central. Pedro Alvarez has started the season slow, hitting .193 while leading the majors with 20 strikeouts in 57 at-bats. So the Pirates gave him Monday off in hopes of clearing his head, Alvarez is a key piece to the Pirates success or lack of it depending on how he hits.
San Diego Padres: 7-9, 5 GB 4th NL West. The Padres are off to a slow start this season, unlike last year when they started hot and fell off late. One reason for the Padres slow start is the fact that they've only won back to back games once this season, which was their first two games of the year.
San Francisco Giants: 9-7, 3 GB 2nd NL West. If you don't have the TV channel Showtime, you might want to get it. Especially if you loved HBO's Hard Knocks because Showtime is giving you the MLB equivalent in The Franchise following the Giants. Brian Wilson is quite the character, if you don't like him you will after watching this show.
Seattle Mariners: 5-12, 6.5 GB 4th AL West. I can't believe I missed this last week but the Mariners are rocking the teal throwbacks from the mid-90s when Junior and Co. reigned over the AL West. Sadly they haven't reversed the club's fortune as they own the worst record in baseball.
St. Louis Cardinals: 8-8, 1 GB t-2nd NL Central. Just as the ship seems to righting for Albert Pujols and the Cards a new leak shows up. This time it's in the form of 38-year old closer Ryan Franklin who has blown 4 saves in 5 chances. No word on if Franklin has lost the job yet.
Tampa Bay Rays: 7-9, 3 GB t-2nd AL East. The Rays are 7-3 over their last 10 thanks in large part to Johnny Damon who had some clutch hits off Joe Nathan this past week. One of those hits also gave us this near shaving cream pie gone wrong courtesy of BJ Upton.
Texas Rangers: 11-5, 1st AL West. Josh Hamilton broke his arm this past week trying to tag up on a foul ball in front of the Tigers dugout. The injury is expected to keep the reigning MVP out 6-8 weeks.
Toronto Blue Jays: 7-9, 3 GB t-2nd AL East. The Jays struggled in Boston this past weekend losing the last 3 games of the 4 game series. In the final 3 games, the Jays scored a total of 3 runs... yikes!
Washington Nationals: 8-7, 2 GB 3rd NL East. Of hitters who qualify for the stat, Danny Espinosa leads the team in batting average with a .256 average. He also leads the team with 14 RBI. But with such poor hitting it's a wonder the Nats have 8 wins. Well they have them thanks largely due to strong performances from the pitching. A team ERA of 3.44 ranks 10th in the Majors.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs: The Western Conference Quarterfinals
I already told you in the first installment that I think the San Jose Sharks will come out holding the Stanley Cup at the end of the playoffs. But I think to West has some potential for upsets, more so than the East does. Who knows for sure though, that's why they play the games on the ice and not on paper.
Western Conference
1. Vancouver Canucks v 8. Chicago Blackhawks: The Canucks finished as the best team in hockey winning the Presidents' Trophy. They also had to be happy see the Red Wings beat the Blackhawks on the final day of the season only to have the Stars take that joy away by failing to beat the Wild. No doubt the Canucks are better than the Blackhawks but they put some fear into you. The Sedins and the Canucks have seemingly come closer and closer to a Stanley Cup Final and if Roberto Luongo plays like he's capable of it. Ryan Kesler has elevated his game this season and the Canucks go into the playoffs relatively healthy which is always good news.
The Blackhawks are the defending Stanley Cup winners and almost missed the playoffs so they have to be feeling pretty lucky. They come into the playoffs missing two key players in Dave Bolland (concussion, no return date) and Troy Brouwer (right shoulder, day-to-day). They have experience with the exception of their starting goalie, Corey Crawford. Crawford played a lot more than anticipated this year, seeing action in 57 games and could be burnt out come playoffs not to mention he's never faced this kind of pressure. Ultimately the effort the Hawks put in to make the playoffs might cost them as they could be gassed.
Canucks over Blackhawks in 6.
2. San Jose Sharks v 7. Los Angeles Kings: The Sharks come into the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in this thing. The Sharks have a focus that shows they're finally ready to get over the hump and have gone 27-6-4 in their last 37 games. The Sharks seems to be able to get scoring out anybody they throw out there, whether it be Thornton, Pavelski, Couture or even Kyle Wellwood. Their goalie Antti Niemi knows all about the playoffs as won the Stanley Cup last year in his first NHL playoffs ever.
The Los Angeles Kings limped into the playoffs, literally. Two of their top forward got hurt at the end of March, Justin Williams (dislocated shoulder) and Anze Kopitar (torn ankle ligaments). Williams actually could be back for the start of this series if cleared by doctors but Kopitar is lost for the season. A lot of pressure now falls on the Kings defense and goalie Jonathan Quick to keep these games low scoring if they're going to upset the Sharks. Good luck.
Sharks over Kings in 5.
3. Detroit Red Wings v 6. Phoenix Coyotes: The Red Wings have made the playoffs 20 seasons in a row now and have a rematch of last year's Quarterfinal matchup that went 7 games could easily do the same this year. The Red Wings found out that Henrik Zetterberg is out for Game 1 and probably Game 2 of this series but the worse news is he could be out for the series. The Wings need to pick up their play defensively as a team as they've been below average for their standards. They'll also need guys like Johan Franzen, Todd Bertuzzi and Dan Cleary to pick up the slack while Zetterberg is out. Jimmy Howard at one point in this series is going to have to steal a game or two to show he's ready for a long playoff run.
The Coyotes are without doubt channeling the feelings of last year's playoff exit from the hands of the Red Wings and looking for redemption. The Coyotes are healthy with no injuries or guys banged up which is good news for them. When things went right for the Coyotes in last year's matchup, they were money on the power play. They'll need to be that way again and they'll need Ilya Bryzgalov to get hot and steal this series, something the Red Wings run into every 3 years or so in the Quarterfinals.
Red Wings over Coyotes in 7.
4. Anaheim Ducks v 5. Nashville Predators: The Ducks have been playing some of the hottest hockey outside of the San Jose Sharks as they went from 11th in the West all the way up to 4th. Forward Corey Perry led the NHL in goals scoring 50 and he'll have to continue to do so if the Ducks hope to make a run. Not sure who will get the start in net for the Ducks but they have serious depth with the likes of Jonas Hiller, Dan Ellis and Ray Emery on their roster. The Ducks are lucky to have Lubomir Visnovsky as he wasn't seriously injured on a scary play last week.
The Predators are a scary matchup for anyone because of how well they play defensively and the great goaltending they get from Pekka Rinne. The bad news for Nashville is three of their forwards sat out games down the stretch due to injuries but only two of them, Martin Erat and Steve Sullivan are expected to be back for the start of this series. The defense will need to be tight and provide some scoring if they plan on advancing.
Preds over Ducks in 6.
Western Conference
1. Vancouver Canucks v 8. Chicago Blackhawks: The Canucks finished as the best team in hockey winning the Presidents' Trophy. They also had to be happy see the Red Wings beat the Blackhawks on the final day of the season only to have the Stars take that joy away by failing to beat the Wild. No doubt the Canucks are better than the Blackhawks but they put some fear into you. The Sedins and the Canucks have seemingly come closer and closer to a Stanley Cup Final and if Roberto Luongo plays like he's capable of it. Ryan Kesler has elevated his game this season and the Canucks go into the playoffs relatively healthy which is always good news.
The Blackhawks are the defending Stanley Cup winners and almost missed the playoffs so they have to be feeling pretty lucky. They come into the playoffs missing two key players in Dave Bolland (concussion, no return date) and Troy Brouwer (right shoulder, day-to-day). They have experience with the exception of their starting goalie, Corey Crawford. Crawford played a lot more than anticipated this year, seeing action in 57 games and could be burnt out come playoffs not to mention he's never faced this kind of pressure. Ultimately the effort the Hawks put in to make the playoffs might cost them as they could be gassed.
Canucks over Blackhawks in 6.
2. San Jose Sharks v 7. Los Angeles Kings: The Sharks come into the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in this thing. The Sharks have a focus that shows they're finally ready to get over the hump and have gone 27-6-4 in their last 37 games. The Sharks seems to be able to get scoring out anybody they throw out there, whether it be Thornton, Pavelski, Couture or even Kyle Wellwood. Their goalie Antti Niemi knows all about the playoffs as won the Stanley Cup last year in his first NHL playoffs ever.
The Los Angeles Kings limped into the playoffs, literally. Two of their top forward got hurt at the end of March, Justin Williams (dislocated shoulder) and Anze Kopitar (torn ankle ligaments). Williams actually could be back for the start of this series if cleared by doctors but Kopitar is lost for the season. A lot of pressure now falls on the Kings defense and goalie Jonathan Quick to keep these games low scoring if they're going to upset the Sharks. Good luck.
Sharks over Kings in 5.
3. Detroit Red Wings v 6. Phoenix Coyotes: The Red Wings have made the playoffs 20 seasons in a row now and have a rematch of last year's Quarterfinal matchup that went 7 games could easily do the same this year. The Red Wings found out that Henrik Zetterberg is out for Game 1 and probably Game 2 of this series but the worse news is he could be out for the series. The Wings need to pick up their play defensively as a team as they've been below average for their standards. They'll also need guys like Johan Franzen, Todd Bertuzzi and Dan Cleary to pick up the slack while Zetterberg is out. Jimmy Howard at one point in this series is going to have to steal a game or two to show he's ready for a long playoff run.
The Coyotes are without doubt channeling the feelings of last year's playoff exit from the hands of the Red Wings and looking for redemption. The Coyotes are healthy with no injuries or guys banged up which is good news for them. When things went right for the Coyotes in last year's matchup, they were money on the power play. They'll need to be that way again and they'll need Ilya Bryzgalov to get hot and steal this series, something the Red Wings run into every 3 years or so in the Quarterfinals.
Red Wings over Coyotes in 7.
4. Anaheim Ducks v 5. Nashville Predators: The Ducks have been playing some of the hottest hockey outside of the San Jose Sharks as they went from 11th in the West all the way up to 4th. Forward Corey Perry led the NHL in goals scoring 50 and he'll have to continue to do so if the Ducks hope to make a run. Not sure who will get the start in net for the Ducks but they have serious depth with the likes of Jonas Hiller, Dan Ellis and Ray Emery on their roster. The Ducks are lucky to have Lubomir Visnovsky as he wasn't seriously injured on a scary play last week.
The Predators are a scary matchup for anyone because of how well they play defensively and the great goaltending they get from Pekka Rinne. The bad news for Nashville is three of their forwards sat out games down the stretch due to injuries but only two of them, Martin Erat and Steve Sullivan are expected to be back for the start of this series. The defense will need to be tight and provide some scoring if they plan on advancing.
Preds over Ducks in 6.
The 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
Tomorrow starts up the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Honestly, there is nothing more exciting to me than some playoff hockey. We'll take a look at the Quarterfinal matchups, break them down and predict who'll be moving on but before we do that I'm going to tell you who I have in the finals. I have the San Jose Sharks beating the Boston Bruins in 6. The Sharks have been playing some remarkable hockey since January 15th. They can score from just about every guy on the ice, they play physical and they have a goalie who won the Cup last year.
Eastern Conference:
1. Washington Capitals v 8. New York Rangers: The Capitals have caught fire as of late, so much so that they ended up surpassing the Philadelphia Flyers for first in the East. Their foe the New York Rangers snuck into the playoffs with thanks from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Obviously all signs point to the 1 seed beating the 8 seed but the Caps have been known to choke in the playoffs. Look back to last year when the 8 seeded Canadiens upset the 1 seeded Capitals. Last year the Caps got no production from guys not names Alex Ovechkin or Nicklas Backstrom, I wouldn't look for that to continue. Good news for the Caps is Mike Green has declared himself healthy to play in Game 1 after missing the last 20 regular season games.
The Rangers will need to do what they did in the 09 playoffs that allowed them to take the Caps to Game 7 in the Quarters that year. Block shots, limit Ovechkin and allow goalie Henrik Lundqvist to see the puck and steal some games. With Ryan Callahan out for likely the playoffs the Rangers are going to need Brandon Dubinsky, Vinny Prospal and Chris Drury to step up. Most importantly they'll need game changer Marian Gaborik to show up. He hasn't scored a goal since March 20th and in his last playoff appearance, 2008, he registered 1 assist in 6 games.
Caps over Rangers in 5.
2. Philadelphia Flyers v 7. Buffalo Sabres: The Flyers held the 1 seed in the East for most of the year but they failed to lock up home ice down the stretch by going 3-4-3 in their final 10 games. It's not a good sign going into the playoffs but I look for the Flyers to refocus and break out of this funk. The Fylers are expecting to get Blair Betts (knee) back for Game 1 but aren't sure about Chris Pronger (broken right hand). Last year the Flyers rode hot goalies into the Stanley Cup Finals this year they're hoping Sergei Bobrovsky can be that guy. If he's not they could turn to Brian Boucher.
The Sabres got goalie Ryan Miller back just in the nick of time. Miller has played in the team's last two games of the regular season trying to get back into form for the playoffs after suffering an upper body injury. The Sabres are also getting back forward Thomas Vanek, Vanek is going to play a key role for the Sabres if they intend to upset Philly. Buffalo has the goaltending to pull it off but their offense scares, if they can get some scoring outside of their top 2 lines they could do it, if they don't it could be a quick series.
Flyers over Sabres in 6.
3. Boston Bruins v 6. Montreal Canadiens: This series is going to be the best series in the Quarterfinals from either Conference. To say there is some bad blood between these 2 teams is a bit of an understatement. Zdeno Chara could be arrested when they go back to Montreal for his hit on Max Pacioretty. Boston goes into this series with all of their guys pretty much as healthy as can be at this point, which is good news for them. Tim Thomas who will probably win the Vezina Trophy is going start for Boston as he set the record for save percentage this year at .938. Boston lost the first 3 games and 4 of 6 to their division rival but seems to be clicking on all cylinders now.
Max Pacioretty suffered a concussion and a cracked vertebrae on March 8th from that Chara hit, Pacioretty has started skating on his own but is doubtful to return anytime soon. The Canadiens are also with defensemen Adrei Markov and Josh Gorges for all the playoffs. The Canadiens small forwards on their top 2 lines won't be deterred from hits because they're gritty guys and they're going to have to be gritty in this series if they want to advance. They can't afford anymore injuries to anyone on this team because they're already thin and they'll have to get physical otherwise Boston will hammer them often and quickly.
Bruins over Canadiens in 7.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins v 5. Tampa Bay Lightning: The Penguins go into this series without star forwards Evgeni Malkin (knee) and Sidney Crosby (concussion), but could possibly get Crosby back. Jordan Staal, Tyler Kennedy and Chris Kunitz have all stepped up since those guys went down but the Penguins need more offense than that. If they don't get it, then they'll rely heavily on Marc-Andre Fluery, the only guy who could steal the Vezina from Tim Thomas. Ironically enough Crosby hasn't played since suffering his second concussion against the Lightning on January 5th.
The Lightning posses two of the top five scorers in the NHL in Martin St. Louis (99 points) Steven Stamkos (45 goals, 91 points). They've also got guys like Vincent Lacavalier, Simon Gagne, Dominic Moore and Ryan Malone to support. GM Steve Yzerman traded for Dwayne Roloson who got so hot he took 8 seeded Edmonton Oilers to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006. He can steal you a series if he's on. The Lightning will need to play better defensively as they were only a meager +7 in goal differential on the year.
Lightning over Penguins in 7.
Eastern Conference:
1. Washington Capitals v 8. New York Rangers: The Capitals have caught fire as of late, so much so that they ended up surpassing the Philadelphia Flyers for first in the East. Their foe the New York Rangers snuck into the playoffs with thanks from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Obviously all signs point to the 1 seed beating the 8 seed but the Caps have been known to choke in the playoffs. Look back to last year when the 8 seeded Canadiens upset the 1 seeded Capitals. Last year the Caps got no production from guys not names Alex Ovechkin or Nicklas Backstrom, I wouldn't look for that to continue. Good news for the Caps is Mike Green has declared himself healthy to play in Game 1 after missing the last 20 regular season games.
The Rangers will need to do what they did in the 09 playoffs that allowed them to take the Caps to Game 7 in the Quarters that year. Block shots, limit Ovechkin and allow goalie Henrik Lundqvist to see the puck and steal some games. With Ryan Callahan out for likely the playoffs the Rangers are going to need Brandon Dubinsky, Vinny Prospal and Chris Drury to step up. Most importantly they'll need game changer Marian Gaborik to show up. He hasn't scored a goal since March 20th and in his last playoff appearance, 2008, he registered 1 assist in 6 games.
Caps over Rangers in 5.
2. Philadelphia Flyers v 7. Buffalo Sabres: The Flyers held the 1 seed in the East for most of the year but they failed to lock up home ice down the stretch by going 3-4-3 in their final 10 games. It's not a good sign going into the playoffs but I look for the Flyers to refocus and break out of this funk. The Fylers are expecting to get Blair Betts (knee) back for Game 1 but aren't sure about Chris Pronger (broken right hand). Last year the Flyers rode hot goalies into the Stanley Cup Finals this year they're hoping Sergei Bobrovsky can be that guy. If he's not they could turn to Brian Boucher.
The Sabres got goalie Ryan Miller back just in the nick of time. Miller has played in the team's last two games of the regular season trying to get back into form for the playoffs after suffering an upper body injury. The Sabres are also getting back forward Thomas Vanek, Vanek is going to play a key role for the Sabres if they intend to upset Philly. Buffalo has the goaltending to pull it off but their offense scares, if they can get some scoring outside of their top 2 lines they could do it, if they don't it could be a quick series.
Flyers over Sabres in 6.
3. Boston Bruins v 6. Montreal Canadiens: This series is going to be the best series in the Quarterfinals from either Conference. To say there is some bad blood between these 2 teams is a bit of an understatement. Zdeno Chara could be arrested when they go back to Montreal for his hit on Max Pacioretty. Boston goes into this series with all of their guys pretty much as healthy as can be at this point, which is good news for them. Tim Thomas who will probably win the Vezina Trophy is going start for Boston as he set the record for save percentage this year at .938. Boston lost the first 3 games and 4 of 6 to their division rival but seems to be clicking on all cylinders now.
Max Pacioretty suffered a concussion and a cracked vertebrae on March 8th from that Chara hit, Pacioretty has started skating on his own but is doubtful to return anytime soon. The Canadiens are also with defensemen Adrei Markov and Josh Gorges for all the playoffs. The Canadiens small forwards on their top 2 lines won't be deterred from hits because they're gritty guys and they're going to have to be gritty in this series if they want to advance. They can't afford anymore injuries to anyone on this team because they're already thin and they'll have to get physical otherwise Boston will hammer them often and quickly.
Bruins over Canadiens in 7.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins v 5. Tampa Bay Lightning: The Penguins go into this series without star forwards Evgeni Malkin (knee) and Sidney Crosby (concussion), but could possibly get Crosby back. Jordan Staal, Tyler Kennedy and Chris Kunitz have all stepped up since those guys went down but the Penguins need more offense than that. If they don't get it, then they'll rely heavily on Marc-Andre Fluery, the only guy who could steal the Vezina from Tim Thomas. Ironically enough Crosby hasn't played since suffering his second concussion against the Lightning on January 5th.
The Lightning posses two of the top five scorers in the NHL in Martin St. Louis (99 points) Steven Stamkos (45 goals, 91 points). They've also got guys like Vincent Lacavalier, Simon Gagne, Dominic Moore and Ryan Malone to support. GM Steve Yzerman traded for Dwayne Roloson who got so hot he took 8 seeded Edmonton Oilers to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006. He can steal you a series if he's on. The Lightning will need to play better defensively as they were only a meager +7 in goal differential on the year.
Lightning over Penguins in 7.
Monday, April 11, 2011
The Check Swing: Opening Week Full of Weirdness
The Opening Week of baseball has come and gone and has left us with weirdness on all sorts of weirdness. We had sluggers Adam Dunn and Matt Holliday both needing appendectomies, Hanley Ramirez(leg contusion, day-to-day) and Tsuyoshi Nishioka(broken leg, 15-Day DL) getting hurt on runners breaking up double plays and most notably Manny Ramirez retiring rather than serve his 100 game suspension for breaking MLB's rules on performance-enhancing drugs. Now that we got that out of the way, The Check Swing is going to breakdown every team's week.
Arizona Diamondbacks: 4-4, 2.5 GB 3rd NL West. The Diamondbacks had a rather bland week this week. They capped off their week with a big comeback on Sunday over the Reds and were snowed out earlier in Colorado.
Atlanta Braves: 4-6, 3.5 GB 5th NL East. The Braves made a trade for Dan Uggla in the offseason but it's like they've gotten bizarro Dan Uggla. His defense has superb so far this season but he's only hitting .158 with 2 HR and 2 RBI. Jason Heyward homered on his first AB of the season for the second straight year.
Baltimore Orioles: 6-3, 1st AL East. The Fighting Showalters have picked where they left off last season. This year they're doing it with their pitching, their team ERA is 3.33, team WHIP is 1.19 and opponents are hitting .219 off them. Staying healthy is important and they just lost J.J. Hardy for 2-3 weeks with a sore oblique.
Boston Red Sox: 2-7, 4 GB 4th AL East. The Red Sox are struggling to hit with runners in scoring position and Carl Crawford has been struggling period. He's hitting .132 with 1 RBI and has failed to register an extra base hit this season not to mention he's walked twice. He's hit leadoff, second, third and seventh in the lineup already.
Chicago Cubs: 4-5, 2 GB 4th NL Central. The Cubs lost their fourth and fifth starters to the DL this week. Their first three of Dempster, Zambrano and Garza all have ERAs over 5.00: 6.59, 5.25 and 5.68 respectively.
Chicago White Sox: 6-3, 1 GB 2nd AL Central. Adamn Dunn had an appendectomy and should return later this week. Jake Peavy is set to start his rehab assignment this week and could join the team by the end of the month if he has no set backs. But Ozzie is upset with his bullpen who blew 3 saves this week(Thornton 2, Sale 1).
Cincinnati Reds: 6-3, 1st NL Central. The Reds opened their season by hitting a walk off home run to win. Last year they were one of the top teams in comeback wins. Three of their five starters have an ERA of 5.25 or higher so far this season. They blew their first save of the season yesterday.
Cleveland Indians: 7-2, 1st AL Central. The Cabreras have led this team in their dominating run this week. They're doing it on both ends, offensively and defensively. Orlando is hitting .375 with 1 HR and 7 RBI while Asdrubal is hitting .316 3 HR and 9 RBI. The Indians are on a 7 game winning streak.
Colorado Rockies: 6-2, 1st NL West. After giving CarGo and Tulo big contract extensions this offseason the two are firing on all cylinders. Jhoulys Chacin and Jorge De La Rosa have been lights out so far this season. The only downside to the week is Ubaldo Jimenez with a cracked cuticle on his right thumb.
Detroit Tigers: 3-6, 4 GB 5th AL Central. The Tigers have struggled horribly this week hitting and pitching. They were dominated this weekend by Bruce Chen and Luke Hochevar. But bigger concerns are their pitching. Starters Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello and Brad Penny have struggled. Brad Thomas continues to show he can't pitch in close games and could be on his way out if this continues.
Florida Marlins: 5-4, 2 GB 2nd NL East. The Marlins lost stud shortstop Hanley Ramirez Friday night after Bill Hall slid in hard to breakup a double play, HanRam is listed as day-to-day. However, the Marlins didn't forget about it as they plunked Hall in Sunday's 7-1 loss. The two teams won't meet again until July 7th-10th. I don't see the bad blood carrying over until then, unless Ramirez's injury proves to be worse than a contusion.
Houston Astros: 2-7, 4 GB 6th NL Central. Bill Hall injured Hanley Ramirez on a clean play as he slid hard to break up a double play Friday night. Hall was later hit in his last AB on Sunday's game. That led to the Astros hitting Gabby Sanchez in the ninth inning of Sunday's game. Everyone on both sides denies the beanball incidents. Will bad blood carry over in their next meeting July 7th-10th?
Kansas City Royals: 6-3, 1 GB 2nd AL Central. The Royals started their season off by winning their first 4 games of the season on their last at-bats. Then they took their act on the road and won 2 of 3 from Detroit getting good outings from Bruce Chen and Luke Hochevar.
Los Angeles Angels: 5-4, 3 GB 2nd AL West. The Angels blew saves in 3 out of their first 4 games prompting skipper Mike Socia to make a change in his bullpen. Fernando Rodney is now a set-up man and rookie Jordan Walden who had 1 career save before this season is the new closer. No word on if the two will reverse roles.
Los Angeles Dodgers: 5-4, 1.5 GB 2nd NL West. The Dodgers took 3 out of 4 from rivals and defending champs the San Francisco Giants to start their season but had it overshadowed by 2 fans. After their Opening Day game, 2 fans savagely attacked a Giants fan leaving the 42-year old father in critical condition with possible brain damage. Hopefully the fans are found and get what's coming to them.
Milwaukee Brewers: 5-5, 1.5 GB 2nd NL Central. The Brewers have been led by their bash brother duo of Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. Braun is hitting .353 with 4 HR and 8 RBI while Fielder is hitting .400 with 2 HR and 11 RBI. Chris Narveson has been a surprise for them, in his 2 starts his ERA is 0.00 with 14 Ks.
Minnesota Twins: 3-6, 4 GB 5th AL Central. The Twins lost Tsuyoshi Nishioka when Nick Swisher broke his leg on a clean double play breakup. Outside of Nick Blackburn, the Twins starting pitching has been getting roughed up. Carl Pavano, Scott Baker and Francisco Liriano have ERAs of 6.00, 6.55 and 7.71.
New York Mets: 4-5, 3 GB 3rd NL East. The Mets slumping bullpen is seeking help from call-ups Jason Isringhausen and Ryota Igarashi. What has to be more alarming is Ace of the staff Mike Pelfrey and his 15.63 ERA in 2 starts but on the bright side Chris Young has a 1.46 ERA in his 2 starts.
New York Yankees: 5-4, 1 GB 2nd AL East. Yankee fans have to be happy with the performances they've gotten out Mark Teixeira and Russell Martin. But they can't be none too happy with Phil Hughes and his 16.50 ERA in 2 starts or that they dropped 2 of 3 to the slumping Boston Red Sox.
Oakland Athletics: 4-5, 4.5 GB 3rd AL West. Gio Gonzalez has been dominating this year to start, he's 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA. The A's gave Trevor Cahill a $30.5 million 5-year extension and they took 2 of 3 from the Twins at Minnesota to end their weekend.
Philadelphia Phillies: 7-2, 1st NL East. 7 of the Phillies 8 position players are hitting over .300 this season to start and Shane Victorino is hitting .417. But the bad news is Cliff Lee is struggling with a 7.84 ERA and Brad Lidge could miss the first half of the season. No updates on Chase Utley which is even worse.
Pittsburgh Pirates: 5-5, 1.5 GB 2nd NL Central. The Pirates are 5-5 to start but whol could resist putting this up.
You stay classy Pittsburgh.
San Diego Padres: 4-4, 2 GB 3rd NL West. Aaron Harang seems to have rebounded well in San Diego while Cameron Maybin and Orlando Hudson have too. Nick Hundley is hitting a remarkable .440 this season but the best news of all is Mat Latos makes his return off the DL for the Padres.
San Francisco Giants: 4-5, 2.5 GB 5th NL West. Pablo "Kung Fu Panda" Sandoval seems to be in the best shape of his life and he's playing like it. He's hitting .400 and moving well down on the hot corner. Good news for the Giants is they got closer Brian Wilson and his beard back this week.
Seattle Mariners: 2-7, 6.5 GB 4th AL West. Not much has gone right for Seattle so far this season. While Jack Wilson turned possibly the web gem of the year and Felix Hernandez has been King Felix nothing else has been positive. Wilson and manager Eric Wedge were caught in a he said he said as to who pulled Jack Wilson from Hernandez's 2nd loss. Also the Mariners have lost 7 in a row.
St. Louis Cardinals: 3-6, 3 GB 5th NL Central. Not much to be happy about in St. Louis. Adam Wainwright was lost before the season, Albert Pujols has stopped contract negotiations and now Chris Carpenter has said he would waive his no-trade clause. Oh by the way Pujols is hitting .143 with one extra base hit this season. Starting pitcher Kyle Lohse is also hitting .143 this season.
Tampa Bay Rays: 1-8, 5 GB 5th AL East. The Rays scored 1 run in 6 of their first 9 games this season. They also lost Evan Longoria to the 15-Day DL and Manny Ramirez to retirement. They'll miss Longoria greatly while he's gone but won't be so sad to see ManRam and his 1 for 17 leave. Ben Zobrist has 2nd best average of all players who qualify with a .147 this season.
Texas Rangers: 8-1, 1st AL West. Nelson Cruz became the third player in history to hit 4 home runs in his first 4 games, joining the likes of Willie Mays and Mark McGuire. Just about everything has gone right for Texas to start. Alex Ogando has made fans forget about losing out on Cliff Lee with his performances this season. And the Rangers as a team have a 2.48 team ERA with opponents hitting .199 this season.
Toronto Blue Jays: 5-4, 1 GB 2nd AL East. Ricky Romero and Kyle Drabek have made quite the 1-2 punch this season. Each have 1 win and respective ERAs of 1.32 and 1.38 while posting 12 Ks each. Jose Bautista is hiting for a much better average this early in the season, hitting .364 with 2 HR. The Jays did strand 18 runners in their 14 inning loss on Saturday.
Washington Nationals: 4-5, 3 GB 3rd NL East. Many critics didn't think Danny Espinosa would hit well this season, so far he's off to a .280 start with 1 HR and 5 RBI. Jayson Werth, the Nats big signing of the offseason is off to a slow start of .200 with 1 HR and 1 RBI. He should turn it around, they hope.
Check back next week for The Check Swing.
Arizona Diamondbacks: 4-4, 2.5 GB 3rd NL West. The Diamondbacks had a rather bland week this week. They capped off their week with a big comeback on Sunday over the Reds and were snowed out earlier in Colorado.
Atlanta Braves: 4-6, 3.5 GB 5th NL East. The Braves made a trade for Dan Uggla in the offseason but it's like they've gotten bizarro Dan Uggla. His defense has superb so far this season but he's only hitting .158 with 2 HR and 2 RBI. Jason Heyward homered on his first AB of the season for the second straight year.
Baltimore Orioles: 6-3, 1st AL East. The Fighting Showalters have picked where they left off last season. This year they're doing it with their pitching, their team ERA is 3.33, team WHIP is 1.19 and opponents are hitting .219 off them. Staying healthy is important and they just lost J.J. Hardy for 2-3 weeks with a sore oblique.
Boston Red Sox: 2-7, 4 GB 4th AL East. The Red Sox are struggling to hit with runners in scoring position and Carl Crawford has been struggling period. He's hitting .132 with 1 RBI and has failed to register an extra base hit this season not to mention he's walked twice. He's hit leadoff, second, third and seventh in the lineup already.
Chicago Cubs: 4-5, 2 GB 4th NL Central. The Cubs lost their fourth and fifth starters to the DL this week. Their first three of Dempster, Zambrano and Garza all have ERAs over 5.00: 6.59, 5.25 and 5.68 respectively.
Chicago White Sox: 6-3, 1 GB 2nd AL Central. Adamn Dunn had an appendectomy and should return later this week. Jake Peavy is set to start his rehab assignment this week and could join the team by the end of the month if he has no set backs. But Ozzie is upset with his bullpen who blew 3 saves this week(Thornton 2, Sale 1).
Cincinnati Reds: 6-3, 1st NL Central. The Reds opened their season by hitting a walk off home run to win. Last year they were one of the top teams in comeback wins. Three of their five starters have an ERA of 5.25 or higher so far this season. They blew their first save of the season yesterday.
Cleveland Indians: 7-2, 1st AL Central. The Cabreras have led this team in their dominating run this week. They're doing it on both ends, offensively and defensively. Orlando is hitting .375 with 1 HR and 7 RBI while Asdrubal is hitting .316 3 HR and 9 RBI. The Indians are on a 7 game winning streak.
Colorado Rockies: 6-2, 1st NL West. After giving CarGo and Tulo big contract extensions this offseason the two are firing on all cylinders. Jhoulys Chacin and Jorge De La Rosa have been lights out so far this season. The only downside to the week is Ubaldo Jimenez with a cracked cuticle on his right thumb.
Detroit Tigers: 3-6, 4 GB 5th AL Central. The Tigers have struggled horribly this week hitting and pitching. They were dominated this weekend by Bruce Chen and Luke Hochevar. But bigger concerns are their pitching. Starters Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello and Brad Penny have struggled. Brad Thomas continues to show he can't pitch in close games and could be on his way out if this continues.
Florida Marlins: 5-4, 2 GB 2nd NL East. The Marlins lost stud shortstop Hanley Ramirez Friday night after Bill Hall slid in hard to breakup a double play, HanRam is listed as day-to-day. However, the Marlins didn't forget about it as they plunked Hall in Sunday's 7-1 loss. The two teams won't meet again until July 7th-10th. I don't see the bad blood carrying over until then, unless Ramirez's injury proves to be worse than a contusion.
Houston Astros: 2-7, 4 GB 6th NL Central. Bill Hall injured Hanley Ramirez on a clean play as he slid hard to break up a double play Friday night. Hall was later hit in his last AB on Sunday's game. That led to the Astros hitting Gabby Sanchez in the ninth inning of Sunday's game. Everyone on both sides denies the beanball incidents. Will bad blood carry over in their next meeting July 7th-10th?
Kansas City Royals: 6-3, 1 GB 2nd AL Central. The Royals started their season off by winning their first 4 games of the season on their last at-bats. Then they took their act on the road and won 2 of 3 from Detroit getting good outings from Bruce Chen and Luke Hochevar.
Los Angeles Angels: 5-4, 3 GB 2nd AL West. The Angels blew saves in 3 out of their first 4 games prompting skipper Mike Socia to make a change in his bullpen. Fernando Rodney is now a set-up man and rookie Jordan Walden who had 1 career save before this season is the new closer. No word on if the two will reverse roles.
Los Angeles Dodgers: 5-4, 1.5 GB 2nd NL West. The Dodgers took 3 out of 4 from rivals and defending champs the San Francisco Giants to start their season but had it overshadowed by 2 fans. After their Opening Day game, 2 fans savagely attacked a Giants fan leaving the 42-year old father in critical condition with possible brain damage. Hopefully the fans are found and get what's coming to them.
Milwaukee Brewers: 5-5, 1.5 GB 2nd NL Central. The Brewers have been led by their bash brother duo of Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. Braun is hitting .353 with 4 HR and 8 RBI while Fielder is hitting .400 with 2 HR and 11 RBI. Chris Narveson has been a surprise for them, in his 2 starts his ERA is 0.00 with 14 Ks.
Minnesota Twins: 3-6, 4 GB 5th AL Central. The Twins lost Tsuyoshi Nishioka when Nick Swisher broke his leg on a clean double play breakup. Outside of Nick Blackburn, the Twins starting pitching has been getting roughed up. Carl Pavano, Scott Baker and Francisco Liriano have ERAs of 6.00, 6.55 and 7.71.
New York Mets: 4-5, 3 GB 3rd NL East. The Mets slumping bullpen is seeking help from call-ups Jason Isringhausen and Ryota Igarashi. What has to be more alarming is Ace of the staff Mike Pelfrey and his 15.63 ERA in 2 starts but on the bright side Chris Young has a 1.46 ERA in his 2 starts.
New York Yankees: 5-4, 1 GB 2nd AL East. Yankee fans have to be happy with the performances they've gotten out Mark Teixeira and Russell Martin. But they can't be none too happy with Phil Hughes and his 16.50 ERA in 2 starts or that they dropped 2 of 3 to the slumping Boston Red Sox.
Oakland Athletics: 4-5, 4.5 GB 3rd AL West. Gio Gonzalez has been dominating this year to start, he's 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA. The A's gave Trevor Cahill a $30.5 million 5-year extension and they took 2 of 3 from the Twins at Minnesota to end their weekend.
Philadelphia Phillies: 7-2, 1st NL East. 7 of the Phillies 8 position players are hitting over .300 this season to start and Shane Victorino is hitting .417. But the bad news is Cliff Lee is struggling with a 7.84 ERA and Brad Lidge could miss the first half of the season. No updates on Chase Utley which is even worse.
Pittsburgh Pirates: 5-5, 1.5 GB 2nd NL Central. The Pirates are 5-5 to start but whol could resist putting this up.
You stay classy Pittsburgh.
San Diego Padres: 4-4, 2 GB 3rd NL West. Aaron Harang seems to have rebounded well in San Diego while Cameron Maybin and Orlando Hudson have too. Nick Hundley is hitting a remarkable .440 this season but the best news of all is Mat Latos makes his return off the DL for the Padres.
San Francisco Giants: 4-5, 2.5 GB 5th NL West. Pablo "Kung Fu Panda" Sandoval seems to be in the best shape of his life and he's playing like it. He's hitting .400 and moving well down on the hot corner. Good news for the Giants is they got closer Brian Wilson and his beard back this week.
Seattle Mariners: 2-7, 6.5 GB 4th AL West. Not much has gone right for Seattle so far this season. While Jack Wilson turned possibly the web gem of the year and Felix Hernandez has been King Felix nothing else has been positive. Wilson and manager Eric Wedge were caught in a he said he said as to who pulled Jack Wilson from Hernandez's 2nd loss. Also the Mariners have lost 7 in a row.
St. Louis Cardinals: 3-6, 3 GB 5th NL Central. Not much to be happy about in St. Louis. Adam Wainwright was lost before the season, Albert Pujols has stopped contract negotiations and now Chris Carpenter has said he would waive his no-trade clause. Oh by the way Pujols is hitting .143 with one extra base hit this season. Starting pitcher Kyle Lohse is also hitting .143 this season.
Tampa Bay Rays: 1-8, 5 GB 5th AL East. The Rays scored 1 run in 6 of their first 9 games this season. They also lost Evan Longoria to the 15-Day DL and Manny Ramirez to retirement. They'll miss Longoria greatly while he's gone but won't be so sad to see ManRam and his 1 for 17 leave. Ben Zobrist has 2nd best average of all players who qualify with a .147 this season.
Texas Rangers: 8-1, 1st AL West. Nelson Cruz became the third player in history to hit 4 home runs in his first 4 games, joining the likes of Willie Mays and Mark McGuire. Just about everything has gone right for Texas to start. Alex Ogando has made fans forget about losing out on Cliff Lee with his performances this season. And the Rangers as a team have a 2.48 team ERA with opponents hitting .199 this season.
Toronto Blue Jays: 5-4, 1 GB 2nd AL East. Ricky Romero and Kyle Drabek have made quite the 1-2 punch this season. Each have 1 win and respective ERAs of 1.32 and 1.38 while posting 12 Ks each. Jose Bautista is hiting for a much better average this early in the season, hitting .364 with 2 HR. The Jays did strand 18 runners in their 14 inning loss on Saturday.
Washington Nationals: 4-5, 3 GB 3rd NL East. Many critics didn't think Danny Espinosa would hit well this season, so far he's off to a .280 start with 1 HR and 5 RBI. Jayson Werth, the Nats big signing of the offseason is off to a slow start of .200 with 1 HR and 1 RBI. He should turn it around, they hope.
Check back next week for The Check Swing.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
2011 MLB Postseason Predictions and Awards
AL Playoffs:
Detroit Tigers over NY Yankees in 5
Boston Red Sox over LA Angels in 3.
Boston Red Sox over Tigers in 6.
NL Playoffs:
Colorado Rockies over Atlanta Braves in 4.
Philadelphia Phillies over Milwaukee Brewers in 4.
Phillies over Rockies in 5.
World Series:
Boston Red Sox over Phillies in 7.
Awards:
AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander
AL MVP: Adrian Gonzalez
AL ROY: Michael Pineda(Sea) over Mike Moustakas(KC)
NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay
NL MVP: Troy Tulowitzki
NL ROY: Freddie Freeman(Atl) over Bryce Harper(Wash)
Detroit Tigers over NY Yankees in 5
Boston Red Sox over LA Angels in 3.
Boston Red Sox over Tigers in 6.
NL Playoffs:
Colorado Rockies over Atlanta Braves in 4.
Philadelphia Phillies over Milwaukee Brewers in 4.
Phillies over Rockies in 5.
World Series:
Boston Red Sox over Phillies in 7.
Awards:
AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander
AL MVP: Adrian Gonzalez
AL ROY: Michael Pineda(Sea) over Mike Moustakas(KC)
NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay
NL MVP: Troy Tulowitzki
NL ROY: Freddie Freeman(Atl) over Bryce Harper(Wash)
2011 MLB Season Preview Pt. 6: The AL Central
The last installment of the 2011 MLB season preview is here and I saved the AL Central for last. This division has been a close race seemingly every year since 2006 and this year will be no different. It's a three team race this year between the Detroit Tigers, the Chicago White Sox and the Minnesota Twins. Let's take a look...
1. Detroit Tigers - This is the year the Tigers finally win the AL Central behind the strong pitching of Justin Verlander and hitting of Miguel Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez and Victor Martinez. Cabrera has shown this spring that he seemed to have shaken his DUI and put it behind him but he needs to stay sober now. He also needs the guy in front of him and behind him to stay healthy so he gets to swing the bat late in games, those guys are Ordonez and Martinez. The rotation is the only question I can't answer, what Scherzer and Porcello show up? How does Phil Coke do in the rotation and can Brad Penny stay healthy? The Tigers have some arms waiting in the minors if need be but can't rely heavily on them. Verlander contends for the Cy Young and Cabrera for the MVP.
Key additions: C/1B/DH Victor Martinez, RHP Joaquin Benoit and RHP Brad Penny.
Key losses: OF Johnny Damon and RHP Armando Galarraga.
2. Chicago White Sox- When healthy the White Sox have the best rotation in the AL Central but only when healthy. Jake Peavy is coming off a scary injury from last year and won't start the season with the big league club. Their closer situation is scary as they have no real closer with experience back there but their offense is scary in a good way. Adding Adam Dunn to this team makes this team that much more offensive. They fall short of the division crown by one game.
Key additions: DH/1B/OF Adam Dunn, RHP Jesse Crain and RHP Phil Humber.
Key losses: RHP Bobby Jenks, RHP J.J. Putz, RHP Freddy Garcia, RHP Scott Linebrink and OF/DH Manny Ramirez.
3. Minnesota Twins - The Twins really sat idle this offseason losing key components to their bullpen and watching their middle infield leave too. I think getting Joe Nathan back is huge and they have Matt Capps to close if he goes down but they can't replace Joe Mauer or Justin Morneau should they go down. I think the high of playing in a new ballpark is gone and the Twins aren't as deadly as they were last year.
Key additions: 2B Tsuyoshi Nishioka.
Key losses: RHP Jon Rauch, RHP Jesse Crain, LHP Brian Fuentes, RHP Matt Guerrier, SS J.J. Hardy and 2B Orlando Hudson.
4. Kansas City Royals - The Royals from last year to this year look completely different and for good reason. They have traded away or lost a lot of the guys that made up last year's team but I think the future is bright for this team. They barely beat out the Indians for fourth place thanks in large part to rookie Mike Moustakas.
Key additions: LHP Jeff Francis, OF Melky Cabrera, OF Jeff Francouer and SS Alcides Escobar.
Key losses: RHP Zack Greinke, RHP Gil Meche OF David DeJesus and SS Yuniesky Betancourt.
5. Cleveland Indians - Carlos Santana and Shin-Soo Choo give fans in Cleveland hope but they can't carry this team alone. Cleveland lacks a starting rotation if Fausto Carmona pitches like he did the last two years. The bullpen showed last year they can save games if given a lead but the offense just won't be there. The Indians are going to have fans in Cleveland anxiously awaiting the Browns season if they have one.
Key additions: INF Orlando Cabrera, INF Adam Everett and 1B Nick Johnson.
Key losses: All of their losses came mid-season last year when they were traded away. None to report.
1. Detroit Tigers - This is the year the Tigers finally win the AL Central behind the strong pitching of Justin Verlander and hitting of Miguel Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez and Victor Martinez. Cabrera has shown this spring that he seemed to have shaken his DUI and put it behind him but he needs to stay sober now. He also needs the guy in front of him and behind him to stay healthy so he gets to swing the bat late in games, those guys are Ordonez and Martinez. The rotation is the only question I can't answer, what Scherzer and Porcello show up? How does Phil Coke do in the rotation and can Brad Penny stay healthy? The Tigers have some arms waiting in the minors if need be but can't rely heavily on them. Verlander contends for the Cy Young and Cabrera for the MVP.
Key additions: C/1B/DH Victor Martinez, RHP Joaquin Benoit and RHP Brad Penny.
Key losses: OF Johnny Damon and RHP Armando Galarraga.
2. Chicago White Sox- When healthy the White Sox have the best rotation in the AL Central but only when healthy. Jake Peavy is coming off a scary injury from last year and won't start the season with the big league club. Their closer situation is scary as they have no real closer with experience back there but their offense is scary in a good way. Adding Adam Dunn to this team makes this team that much more offensive. They fall short of the division crown by one game.
Key additions: DH/1B/OF Adam Dunn, RHP Jesse Crain and RHP Phil Humber.
Key losses: RHP Bobby Jenks, RHP J.J. Putz, RHP Freddy Garcia, RHP Scott Linebrink and OF/DH Manny Ramirez.
3. Minnesota Twins - The Twins really sat idle this offseason losing key components to their bullpen and watching their middle infield leave too. I think getting Joe Nathan back is huge and they have Matt Capps to close if he goes down but they can't replace Joe Mauer or Justin Morneau should they go down. I think the high of playing in a new ballpark is gone and the Twins aren't as deadly as they were last year.
Key additions: 2B Tsuyoshi Nishioka.
Key losses: RHP Jon Rauch, RHP Jesse Crain, LHP Brian Fuentes, RHP Matt Guerrier, SS J.J. Hardy and 2B Orlando Hudson.
4. Kansas City Royals - The Royals from last year to this year look completely different and for good reason. They have traded away or lost a lot of the guys that made up last year's team but I think the future is bright for this team. They barely beat out the Indians for fourth place thanks in large part to rookie Mike Moustakas.
Key additions: LHP Jeff Francis, OF Melky Cabrera, OF Jeff Francouer and SS Alcides Escobar.
Key losses: RHP Zack Greinke, RHP Gil Meche OF David DeJesus and SS Yuniesky Betancourt.
5. Cleveland Indians - Carlos Santana and Shin-Soo Choo give fans in Cleveland hope but they can't carry this team alone. Cleveland lacks a starting rotation if Fausto Carmona pitches like he did the last two years. The bullpen showed last year they can save games if given a lead but the offense just won't be there. The Indians are going to have fans in Cleveland anxiously awaiting the Browns season if they have one.
Key additions: INF Orlando Cabrera, INF Adam Everett and 1B Nick Johnson.
Key losses: All of their losses came mid-season last year when they were traded away. None to report.
2011 MLB Season Preview Pt. 5: The NL Central
The NL Central was expected to be won by the St. Louis Cardinals last year so you can imagine the surprise it was when the Cincinnati Reds came out on top. This year it's expected to be a two team race between the defending champs, the Cincinnati Reds and the Milwaukee Brewers. So who wins it...
1. Milwaukee Brewers - The Brewers worked like mad men this offseason to turn this team into a contender by trading for pitchers Zack Greinke and Shawn Marcum without losing too much from their big league team. This is likely to be Prince Fielder's last season in Milwaukee but they'll still have a great core to build around after this one. This lineup is going to be stacked if key pieces like Fielder, Braun and Weeks stay healthy. Their big question is how starters 3-5 pitch after Greinke and Marcum, they'll be well enough to squeak out this division crown. Greinke will start the season on the DL due to a cracked rib.
Key additions: RHP Zack Greinke, RHP Shawn Marcum, SS Yuniesky Betancourt and OF Mark Kotsay.
Key losses: SS Alcides Escobar, RHP Trevor Hoffman and Prospect Brett Lawrie.
2. Cincinnati Reds - The Reds really didn't do much this offseason because they returned basically everyone of importance off of last year's Central winning team. That being said I expect it to be a close race between them and the Brewers with the team staying the healthiest winning this thing. The Reds have some key young pitchers and their stud first baseman who have battled injuries in their past. They can't afford to lose those guys if they want to win this. 6-8 in their lineup scare me and could be a reason why they falter but Edgar Renteria could come off the bench to try and boost the shortstop position.
Key additions: SS Edgar Renteria.
Key losses: SS Orlando Cabrera.
3. St. Louis Cardinals - Many people expected the Cardinals to contend this season for the Central but that was before they lost Adam Wainwright for the season. The rotation is scary after Chris Carpenter because you don't what you'll get on a constant basis not to mention Carpenter has his own his history of injuries. Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday won't be able to carry this team if the pitching fails them. Ultimately I don't think the Cardinals will have the fire power to finish any higher than third.
Key additions: OF/1B Lance Berkman and SS Ryan Theriot.
Key losses: RHP Adam Wainwright and SS Brendan Ryan.
4. Chicago Cubs - The lovable losers are going to have that going for them as the Cubs will continue their over 100 year drought of not winning the World Series. This is dysfunctional already coming out of spring training. Sure they cut Carlos Silva because of what he did but how long before Big Z blows his lid or Alfonso Soriano decides to take a game off. I don't see this Cubs team being any better than last year's team which is bad news for their fans.
Key additions: RHP Matt Garza, 1B Carlos Pena, RHP Kerry Wood and INF Blake DeWitt.
Key losses: RHP Carlos Silva(money-wise), RHP Braden Looper and OF/1B Xavier Nady.
5. Pittsburgh Pirates - The Pirates have had 18 consecutive losing seasons in a row and this year looks like they'll make it 19. Their rotation and bullpen are weak at best and the hurting Kevin Correia can't pitch every day for them. The Pirates have a lot of young talent like Andrew McCutchen, Neil Walker, Jose Tabata and Pedro Alvarez but those guys will struggle at times. Until ownership shows they're willing to spend to win this team won't get any better and could lose superstar McCutchen in a few years.
Key additions: RHP Kevin Correia and 1B Lyle Overbay .
Key losses: LHP Zach Duke, OF Lastings Milledge, 3B Andy LaRoche and UTL Delwyn Young.
6. Houston Astros - The Astros won 76 games last year which was mind blowing in itself but I don't see a repeat this year. The team is bad just about everywhere you look with the exception of Hunter Pence. Maybe Brandon Lyon can close games this year because he won't have the pressure on him to keep this team in contention. Better luck next year Houston.
Key additions: 2B/SS Clint Barmes, INF Bill Hall and LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith.
Key losses: RHP Matt Lindstrom and LHP Tim Byrdak.
1. Milwaukee Brewers - The Brewers worked like mad men this offseason to turn this team into a contender by trading for pitchers Zack Greinke and Shawn Marcum without losing too much from their big league team. This is likely to be Prince Fielder's last season in Milwaukee but they'll still have a great core to build around after this one. This lineup is going to be stacked if key pieces like Fielder, Braun and Weeks stay healthy. Their big question is how starters 3-5 pitch after Greinke and Marcum, they'll be well enough to squeak out this division crown. Greinke will start the season on the DL due to a cracked rib.
Key additions: RHP Zack Greinke, RHP Shawn Marcum, SS Yuniesky Betancourt and OF Mark Kotsay.
Key losses: SS Alcides Escobar, RHP Trevor Hoffman and Prospect Brett Lawrie.
2. Cincinnati Reds - The Reds really didn't do much this offseason because they returned basically everyone of importance off of last year's Central winning team. That being said I expect it to be a close race between them and the Brewers with the team staying the healthiest winning this thing. The Reds have some key young pitchers and their stud first baseman who have battled injuries in their past. They can't afford to lose those guys if they want to win this. 6-8 in their lineup scare me and could be a reason why they falter but Edgar Renteria could come off the bench to try and boost the shortstop position.
Key additions: SS Edgar Renteria.
Key losses: SS Orlando Cabrera.
3. St. Louis Cardinals - Many people expected the Cardinals to contend this season for the Central but that was before they lost Adam Wainwright for the season. The rotation is scary after Chris Carpenter because you don't what you'll get on a constant basis not to mention Carpenter has his own his history of injuries. Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday won't be able to carry this team if the pitching fails them. Ultimately I don't think the Cardinals will have the fire power to finish any higher than third.
Key additions: OF/1B Lance Berkman and SS Ryan Theriot.
Key losses: RHP Adam Wainwright and SS Brendan Ryan.
4. Chicago Cubs - The lovable losers are going to have that going for them as the Cubs will continue their over 100 year drought of not winning the World Series. This is dysfunctional already coming out of spring training. Sure they cut Carlos Silva because of what he did but how long before Big Z blows his lid or Alfonso Soriano decides to take a game off. I don't see this Cubs team being any better than last year's team which is bad news for their fans.
Key additions: RHP Matt Garza, 1B Carlos Pena, RHP Kerry Wood and INF Blake DeWitt.
Key losses: RHP Carlos Silva(money-wise), RHP Braden Looper and OF/1B Xavier Nady.
5. Pittsburgh Pirates - The Pirates have had 18 consecutive losing seasons in a row and this year looks like they'll make it 19. Their rotation and bullpen are weak at best and the hurting Kevin Correia can't pitch every day for them. The Pirates have a lot of young talent like Andrew McCutchen, Neil Walker, Jose Tabata and Pedro Alvarez but those guys will struggle at times. Until ownership shows they're willing to spend to win this team won't get any better and could lose superstar McCutchen in a few years.
Key additions: RHP Kevin Correia and 1B Lyle Overbay .
Key losses: LHP Zach Duke, OF Lastings Milledge, 3B Andy LaRoche and UTL Delwyn Young.
6. Houston Astros - The Astros won 76 games last year which was mind blowing in itself but I don't see a repeat this year. The team is bad just about everywhere you look with the exception of Hunter Pence. Maybe Brandon Lyon can close games this year because he won't have the pressure on him to keep this team in contention. Better luck next year Houston.
Key additions: 2B/SS Clint Barmes, INF Bill Hall and LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith.
Key losses: RHP Matt Lindstrom and LHP Tim Byrdak.
2011 MLB Season Preview Pt. 4: The AL East
Part four of my 2011 MLB season preview has brought us to what is easily the most competitive division in all of baseball. It's also a division with the two biggest payrolls in all of baseball. Say hello to the AL East. Not many people had last year's winner, the Tampa Bay Rays coming out on top but this guy did. However this year's winner shouldn't surprise most people.
1. Boston Red Sox - The Red Sox had a huge winter as they won on both front, the free agent and the trade market. When you look at this lineup, it's stacked in every position except catcher and possibly shortstop depending on how you look at it. If Boston is going to win this division then they need their starters not named Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester to return to form. John Lackey, Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka all struggled last year and it showed when the Red Sox finished third. I look for Boston's big moves, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford to help immensely in their run for first.
Key additions: 1B Adrian Gonzalez, LF Carl Crawford, RHP Bobby Jenks and LHP Dennys Reyes.
Key losses: C/1B Victor Martinez and 3B Adrian Beltre.
2. New York Yankees - The Yankees come up short for this division but they're my front runners for the Wild Card. They really didn't make any big splashes this offseason like they have in the past. Yeah they poached Rafael Soriano from Tampa Bay but the rest of their moves were rather minor in comparison. Their rotation after C.C. Sabathia scares me and losing Andy Pettitte doesn't help any. But when you're not afraid to spend like the Yankees are, you can easily go out and trade for the help you need.
Key additions: RHP Rafael Soriano, C Russell Martin, RHP Freddy Garcia, RHP Bartolo Colon and OF Andruw Jones.
Key losses: LHP Andy Pettitte and RHP Javier Vazquez.
3. Tampa Bay Rays - Last year few people saw the Rays coming up and taking first in this division but after their offseason of losing so many pieces from last year's puzzle it'll be hard to see the Rays finishing any higher than third this year. The bright news is the Rays seem to relish the underdog role and they still have Evan Longoria, David Price and B.J. Upton but it won't be enough. You just can't replace what they lost and expect to win in this division.
Key additions: OF/DH Manny Ramirez, OF Johnny Damon and RHP Kyle Farnsworth.
Key losses: LF Carl Crawford, RHP Rafael Soriano, RHP Joaquin Benoit, RHP Matt Garza, SS Jason Bartlett and 1B Carlos Pena.
4. Baltimore Orioles - You wouldn't know this club has had 13 straight seasons under .500 but they have. Buck Showalter has this club headed in the right direction but I think this year they still fall short of .500. They revamped their lineup to be a potentially scary one but their pitching is far behind the kind of hitting they have. They brought in multiple pieces to help build around Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, Brian Roberts and Matt Wieters. Sorry Buck and O's fans.
Key additions: 3B Mark Reynolds, SS J.J. Hardy, 1B Derek Lee, DH Vladimir Guerrero and RHP Kevin Gregg.
Key losses: RHP Kevin Millwood.
5. Toronto Blue Jays - The Jays surprised a lot of people last year by finishing over .500 but this year I don't see them doing it again since they're going to the youth movement. That being said the future looks very bright for this team. Pitchers like Kyle Drabek and Zach Stewart and shortstop Brett Lawrie give them hope in a year or two. The big question this year for the Jays is can Jose Bautista repeat last season's offensive display?
Key additions: OF Juan Rivera, OF Rajai Davis, RHP Frank Francisco and RHP Jon Rauch.
Key losses: OF Vernon Wells, RHP Shawn Marcum and C John Buck.
1. Boston Red Sox - The Red Sox had a huge winter as they won on both front, the free agent and the trade market. When you look at this lineup, it's stacked in every position except catcher and possibly shortstop depending on how you look at it. If Boston is going to win this division then they need their starters not named Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester to return to form. John Lackey, Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka all struggled last year and it showed when the Red Sox finished third. I look for Boston's big moves, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford to help immensely in their run for first.
Key additions: 1B Adrian Gonzalez, LF Carl Crawford, RHP Bobby Jenks and LHP Dennys Reyes.
Key losses: C/1B Victor Martinez and 3B Adrian Beltre.
2. New York Yankees - The Yankees come up short for this division but they're my front runners for the Wild Card. They really didn't make any big splashes this offseason like they have in the past. Yeah they poached Rafael Soriano from Tampa Bay but the rest of their moves were rather minor in comparison. Their rotation after C.C. Sabathia scares me and losing Andy Pettitte doesn't help any. But when you're not afraid to spend like the Yankees are, you can easily go out and trade for the help you need.
Key additions: RHP Rafael Soriano, C Russell Martin, RHP Freddy Garcia, RHP Bartolo Colon and OF Andruw Jones.
Key losses: LHP Andy Pettitte and RHP Javier Vazquez.
3. Tampa Bay Rays - Last year few people saw the Rays coming up and taking first in this division but after their offseason of losing so many pieces from last year's puzzle it'll be hard to see the Rays finishing any higher than third this year. The bright news is the Rays seem to relish the underdog role and they still have Evan Longoria, David Price and B.J. Upton but it won't be enough. You just can't replace what they lost and expect to win in this division.
Key additions: OF/DH Manny Ramirez, OF Johnny Damon and RHP Kyle Farnsworth.
Key losses: LF Carl Crawford, RHP Rafael Soriano, RHP Joaquin Benoit, RHP Matt Garza, SS Jason Bartlett and 1B Carlos Pena.
4. Baltimore Orioles - You wouldn't know this club has had 13 straight seasons under .500 but they have. Buck Showalter has this club headed in the right direction but I think this year they still fall short of .500. They revamped their lineup to be a potentially scary one but their pitching is far behind the kind of hitting they have. They brought in multiple pieces to help build around Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, Brian Roberts and Matt Wieters. Sorry Buck and O's fans.
Key additions: 3B Mark Reynolds, SS J.J. Hardy, 1B Derek Lee, DH Vladimir Guerrero and RHP Kevin Gregg.
Key losses: RHP Kevin Millwood.
5. Toronto Blue Jays - The Jays surprised a lot of people last year by finishing over .500 but this year I don't see them doing it again since they're going to the youth movement. That being said the future looks very bright for this team. Pitchers like Kyle Drabek and Zach Stewart and shortstop Brett Lawrie give them hope in a year or two. The big question this year for the Jays is can Jose Bautista repeat last season's offensive display?
Key additions: OF Juan Rivera, OF Rajai Davis, RHP Frank Francisco and RHP Jon Rauch.
Key losses: OF Vernon Wells, RHP Shawn Marcum and C John Buck.
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