50-26 Last week, MLB Trade Rumors came out with the top 50 free agents for the 2013 season. Here they are with their 2012 stat line and what they believe to be a good fit for that player. This doesn’t mean those are the teams that these players will go to, it’s only a prediction. 50) Jeremy Affeldt (63 1/3 IP, 57 K’s, 2.70 ERA) – Giants 49) Eric Chavez (.281 AVG, 16 HR, 37 RBI, 113 G) – Yankees 48) Jeremy Guthrie (5 – 3, 3.16 ERA, 56 K’s, 14 G w/ Royals) – Pirates 47) Sean Burnett (56 2/3 ... Read More
Pirates announce coaching changes
Coming off of the collapse part two, the Pirates front office made some changes. Before we go to far, no they aren't Frank Coonelly, Neal Huntington or Clint Hurdle, but they did make some changes at hitting coach, first base coach and Major League coach. The Pirates have brought on former player Jay Bell to take over as hitting coach as Gregg Ritchie left to take a coaching position at his alma mater. Bell, who played eight of his 18 seasons with the Pirates, has a career batting average of ... Read More
Giants one game from title
Giants 2 – Tigers 0 The Giants pitching staff is for real. They are the first team to post back-to-back shutouts since 1966. The Giants tandem of Ryan Vogelsong (5 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 3 K’s), Tim Lincecum, and Sergio Romo (Save) held the Tigers to no runs and only one scoring threat which came in the fifth inning when Alex Avila and Omar Infante singled before an Austin Jackson walk to load the bases with one out. Vogelsong, would then get Quintin Berry to strike out and Miguel Cabrera to pop out ... Read More
Giants play complete game, roll to game one victory
Giants 8 – Tigers 3 It is a manager’s dream; stellar pitching, timely hitting, and a performance only The Babe and two others could equal. That’s what the Giants had going for them in game 1 of the fall classic. Barry Zito shut the Tigers down to the tune of one run on seven base runners (one walk) in 5 2/3 innings pitched while the bullpen allowed two runs on two hits in 3 1/3 to help the Giants to an 8-3 victory. Justin Verlander, on the other hand, did not have a good night as Pablo ... Read More
Giant Comeback Completed – San Francisco advances to World Series
San Francisco will be back in the World Series for the second time in three years thanks to three straight wins over St. Louis in elimination games. The Giants are 6-0 in elimination games this postseason, something the Cardinals had done last year on their way to the title. The Giants put this game out of reach early and with the help of Matt Cain and his fellow bullpen teammates as they were able to keep the Cardinals from pulling off another deciding-game comeback. Cain went 5 2/3 innings ... Read More
Detroit heads to World Series, Sweep Yankees
The Yankees seemed powerless as they only put one run on two hits against Max Scherzer and Co. as the Tiger pitching staff dominated the Bronx Bombers throughout the series. As for the AL Champs, they finally found their swing as they threw out eight runs on sixteen hits in the clincher against Yankeea ace, CC Sabathia. The Tigers got a run on the board in the first and third innings thanks to RBI singles by Delmon Young and Avisail Garcia. They would then put the game out of reach in the ... Read More
Tigers go up 3-0 on Yankees
ALCS Game 3: Tigers 2 – Yankees 1 Justin Verlander again showed why he is the best pitcher in baseball as he beat the Yankees while only giving up three hits and no walks in 8 1/3 innings as the Tigers are within a game of the AL Pennant. Two of the three New York hits came from Ichiro, who singled in the fourth and in the seventh. The Tigers, on the other hand, knocked out seven hits and two runs. They scored the first run off of starter Phil Hughes in the fourth when Delmon Young took ... Read More
ALCS Game 2 recap
Tigers 3 – Yankees 0 The Tigers took a two-games to none lead in the ALCS by way of strong pitching and some controversy. Anabel Sanchez went seven while only allowing six base runners (three walks, three hits) and striking out seven. On the other side of the mound, Kuroda only allowed five hits but three crossed the plate in the loss. The Tigers first got on the board in the seventh when Quintin Berry led off the inning with a double, Miguel Cabrera followed with a single to set up first and ... Read More
Wednesday ALCS Recap
In what was probably the greatest day of playoff baseball in a long time, the Yankees and Athletics both pulled off 9th inning comebacks. One took a strong hold of their series and the other kept theirs alive for at least another day. Baltimore 2 – New York 3 / 12 Innings In the Bronx, Hiroki Kuroda and Miguel Gonzalez both went seven-plus innings while allowing a total of three runs combined but the Yankees got the last laugh in extras as they will look to close out the series in game ... Read More
Playoff Preview: San Francisco Giants
The Giants, surprisingly, had an easier route to the NL West title than people thought. Everyone had the Dodgers as the favorite after acquiring Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Beckett at the trade deadline which was supposed to solidify a strong lineup. It didn’t, and the Giants pulled away to take the crown while LA missed out on the playoffs altogether. The Giants pitching staff, which consists of five starters that started 30+ games and won at least 10, is anchored by Matt Cain, who took over as ... Read More