Warning: What you are about to read is different from what many others have written on this subject. If you are expecting this post to lay blame on twenty years of losing because of four days of training, or pander to the "I hate Bob Nutting just because its easy" crowd, please turn back now. There's a lot of things the Pirates have done wrong over the last two decades to get to where they are today. The combination of being a small market team, failing to draft the right players, and ... 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
Nationals Show Pirates How to Handle Gerrit Cole
Just when you thought the Pirates had the most heartbreaking end to their season, the Washington Nationals swooped in to take the top prize. The Nats blew a two run lead in the ninth inning by surrendering four runs to the St. Louis Cardinals. The game five loss ended Washington's incredible run and first postseason appearance since moving from Montreal in 2005. Entering the playoffs with the most wins in baseball, the divisional series loss has to be considered premature; however, given the ... 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
Wednesday NLDS Recap
St. Louis took control of their series with the Nationals with a convincing 8-0 victory in D.C. Meanwhile in Cincinnati, the Giants forced a deciding game 5 with the Reds with a 8-3 win. Cardinals 8 – Nationals 0 With Stephen Strasburg shut down for the year, the Nationals went with Edwin Jackson for their game 3 start against the Cardinals. It didn’t go so well as the Cards knocked Jackson around for eight hits and five runs in five innings. On the other side of the mound, Chris Carpenter ... 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