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MLB Team Power Rankings: Week 7
Posted by chuckbooth3023
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Follow @mlbreportsMonday May.20/2013

The Padres have played great baseball since they plugged Chase Headley back in the lineup. Players like Yonder Alonso, Will Venable, Everth Cabrera and even Kyle Blanks have bashed the ball around. Since a lot of the NL West clubs have not run away with the Division, the San Diego club has entered the picture for the Division Race.
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
The Rangers are #1 again based on the Division lead they currently possess, plus the fact they play all of these teams a total of 76 Games this year.
The Braves (rose their division lead to 2.5 Games with a 4 – 2 week), and Padres (18 – 13 in their last 31 Games and have been clubbing the ball lateley) were the biggest movers up for the week standings by climbing 6 spots apiece.
The biggest drops were the San Francisco Giants (hate their Starting Pitching right now – except for Madison Bumgarner) and the Baltimore Orioles (late inning magic might be dying – and still need a DH + a Veteran Starter or 2).
The Los Angeles teams keep losing ball games – and the Blue Jays lost 2 straight versus the Yankees just when they looked to be on track.
Cleveland is still ranked outside the top ten because I don’t have faith in their strength of schedule in the next month starting May 21st: 2 vs DET, 4 @BOS, 2 vs CIN, 2 @CIN, 2 vs TB, 3 @NYY, 3 @DET, 3 @TEX, 3 vs WSH and finally 3 vs KC. If they are above .500 after this stretch, I will be impressed.
Posted in MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis, The Rest: Everything Baseball
Tags: adam dunn, adrian beltre, al central, AL East, AL West, alex gordon, alex ríos, All 30 MLB Teams, American league, anthony rizzo, arizona diamondbacks, arte moreno, Atlanta Braves, b.j. upton, babe ruth, baltimore orioles, barry zito, billy butler, boston red sox, brandon phillips, brandon pihllips, Brian McCann, buster posey, Camden Yards, carlos beltran, carlos villanueva, Charlie Manuel, chicago cubs, chicago white sox, Chuck Booth. fastest 30 ballgames, cincinnati reds, clay buchholz, cleveland indians, colorado rockies, Coors Field, curtis granderson, dan uggla, daniel nava, david murphy, david ortiz, david wright, delmon young, detroit tigers, didi gregorius, don mattingly, dustin pedroia, Edward Mujica, evan gattis, evan longoria, everth cabrera, felix hernandez, gerardo parra, hisashi iwakuma, houston astros, ian kinsler, jason heyward, jason kipnis, jay bruce, jeff samardzija, Jeremy guthrie, joe girardi, joe mauer, joey votto, jon lester, jurickson profar, justin masterson, justin smoak, kansas city royals, kyle blanks, la angels, la dodgers, madison bumgarner, Marco scutaro, mariano rivera, matt cain, matt harvey, matt joyce, matt kemp, matt moore, miami marlins, miguel cabrera, mike moustakas, mike napoli, mike scioscia, milwaukee brewers, minnesota twins, mitch moreland, national league, nelson cruz, new york mets, new york yankees, NL Central, NL east, nl west, nolan ryan, oakland athletics, pablo sandoval, Patrick Corbin, paul goldschmidt, philadelphia phillies, pittsburgh pirates, raul ibanez, reid ryan, Rick Ankiel, rickie weeks, ricky nolasco, robin, ryan vogelsong, san diego padres, san francisco giants, scott feldman, seattle mariners, shin-soo choo, st louis cardinals, stephen strasburg, tampa bay rays, texas rangers, tim lincecum, todd frazier, tony cingrani, toronto blue jays, twitter @chuckbooth3024, washington nationals, will venable, Willy Mo Pena, yadier molina, yonder alonso, yusiel puig
MLB Monthly Power Rankings May 2013 (Podcast Version)
Posted by cleitch21
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Follow @mlbreportsSunday, May.05/2013
By The Big Ticket Show ( AKA Triple Play Podcast on http://www.mlbreports.com) Follow @bigticketshow
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
One month down in the MLB season and that means it’s time for some Power Rankings! Chuck Booth the czar of MLBreports.com joins us in studio to rank every team from worst to first. Where does your team rank? Read the rest of this entry →
Posted in MLB Podcast Network, The Rest: Everything Baseball, Triple Play Podcast
Tags: a.j. burnett, a.j. pierzynski, a.j. pollock, aaron hill, adam dunn, adam laroche, adam wainwright, adrian beltre, al central, AL East, AL West, alex ríos, Alexi Ogando, American league, andy pettitte, anibal sanchez, anthony rizzo, asdrubal cabrera, Atlanta Braves, austin jackson, b.j. upton, baltimore orioles, barry zito, bartolo colon, billy beane, billy butler, boston red sox, brandon maurer, brandon moss, brandon phillips, Brian McCann, brian wilson, bruce bochy, bryce harper, buster posey, carl crawford, Carlos Marmol, carlos quentin, casey kotchman, cc sabathia, chase field, chase headley, chase utley, chicago cubs, chicago white sox, chris archer, chris carter, chris denorfia, chris johnson, chris nelson, cincinnati reds, Cito gaston, clay buchholz, clayton kershaw, cleveland indians, cliff lee, cole hamels, collin cowgill, colorado rockies, Coors Field, danny hultzen, dave dombrowski, dave kingman, david ortiz, david price, david wright, detroit tigers, didi gregorius, don mattingly, Drew Smyly, dusty baker, dylan bundy, edwin encarnacion, eric hosmer, ervin santana, everth cabrera, felix hernandez, Fernando Martinez, freddie freeman, garrett jones, George Kontos, gerardo parra, giancarlo stanton, hanley ramirez, hiroki kuroda, hisashi iwakuma, houston astros, huston street, ian kinsler, jacoby ellsbury, james loney, james paxton, james shields, jarrod parker, jason giambi, jason grilli, jason heyward, jed lowrie, jeff francis, jeff francoeur, jeff samardzija, Jeremy guthrie, jerry dipoto, joel hanrahan, joey votto, john farrell, john gibbons, johnny damon, jon lester, jorge de la rosa, jose altuve, jose bautista, jose fernandez, jose reyes, jose valverde, josh beckett, josh hamilton, josh rutledge, Juan Francisco, jurickson profar, justin upton, justin verlander, kansas city royals, kevin slowey, kyle blanks, kyle lohse, kyle seager, la angels, la dodgers, lance berkman, lorenzo cain, lucas duda, luke gregerson, lyle overbay, mariano rivera, mark reynolds, mark trumbo, Matt Adams, matt cain, matt harvey, matt moore, max scherzer, miami marlins, Michael Saunders, michael wacha, miguel cabrera, mike aviles, Mike Morse, mike moustakas, mike napoli, mike scioscia, milwaukee brewers, minnesota twins, national league, new york mets, new york yankees, NL Central, NL east, nl west, nolan arenado, Nolan Reimold, oakland athletics, oscar taveras, ozzie guillen, pablo sandoval, paul goldschmidt, paul konerko, peter bourjos, phil hughes, philadelphia phillies, pittsburgh pirates, pnc park, rafael soriano, randy winn, rick porcello, ricky nolasco, roy halladay, ryan braun, ryan howard, ryan vogelsong, ryan zimmerman, seattle mariners, sergio romo, shelby miller, shin-soo choo, Sid Bream, st louis cardinals, stan musial, starling marte, taijuan walker, tampa bay rays, Terry Pendleton, texas rangers, tim lincecum, tom wilhelmsen, tony cingrani, Torii Hunter, toronto blue jays, travis hafner, trevor hoffman, troy tulowitzki, ubaldo jimenez, vernon wells, washington nationals, wil myers, will venable, yasmani grandal, yoenis cespedes, yonder alonso, yovani gallardo, yu darvish, Yuniesky Betancourt, zack greinke, zack wheeler
MLB Power Rankings – Apr.29/2013
Posted by chuckbooth3023
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Papa Grande had led the AL in Games Finished during each of the last 2 seasons (70 in 2011 and 67 Last Year.) he also led the AL in Saves in 2011 with 49. It was a Sept/Oct swoon of a 5.02 ERA that started his troubles – before giving up 6 Earned Runs in 1 combined Inning Pitched between the ALCS and the World Series. He remained unsigned by everyone until the Tigers gave him an incentive laden 1 Year Deal. Valverde nailed down 2 Saves this week and the Tigers have won 4 out of 5 games – including sweeping the Atlanta Braves in Detroit this past weekend.
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
With it coming up to the 4 week Report, the biggest mover this week where the Detroit Tigers. Jose Valverde came back to the club, looked trimmed down – and more like his 2011 self compared to when we last saw him. The Motown Boys pasting the Braves over the weekend speaks volumes about their talent.
The worst week went to the Giants – who plummeted from #1 to #11. It has to be concerning for the fans that Matt Cain and Ryan Vogelsong do not look right. Decent start by Tim Lincecum and Barry Zito have been wasted. The club may be lacking the hunger to repeat. I see the whole team having up and down campaigns.
The Toronto Blue Jays may not have plunged down the rankings that much this week, however they have free fallen the most out of any franchise from the start of the year. The projected AL favorite – have started 9 – 17 and are looking up at 4 good teams in the AL East now.
I am predicting they will have a good second half, yet they will not make the playoffs now based on the Jose Reyes injury mostly. John Gibbons also has to be on the hot seat.
Papa Grande’s Contract is purchased
Posted in MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis, The Rest: Everything Baseball
Tags: adrian gonzalez, al central, AL East, AL West, alex gordon, American league, anthony rizzo, aramis ramirez, arizona damondbacks, Atlanta Braves, b.j. upton, baltimore orioles, barry zito, Brian McCann, bryce harper, carl crawford, carlos quentin, carlos ruiz, chase headley, chicago cubs, chicago white sox, Chuck Booth. fastest 30 ballgames, cincinnati reds, clayton kershaw, cleveland indians, dan uggla, detroit tigers, detroit tigets, eric wedge, garrett jones, giancarlo stanton, hanley ramirez, houston astros, jason heyward, jeff locke, john gibbons, johnny cueto, jose altuve, jose bautista, jose reyes, josh reddick, justin masterson, justin morneau, kansas city royals, la angels, la dodgers, lance lynn, luis cruz, Marco scutaro, mat latos, matt cain, matt harvey, matt kemp, matt moore, mike scioscia, milwaukee brewers, minnesota twins, national league, neil huntington, new york yankees, NL Central, NL east, nl west, oakland athletics, pittsburgh pirates, ricky nolasco, roberto hernandez, russell martin, ryan dempster, ryan vogelsong, san diego padres, san francisco giants, seattle mariners, st louis cardinals, steve Delabar, tampa bay rays, texas rangers, tim lincecum, toronto blue jays, travis hafner, twitter @chuckbooth3024, vernon wells, washington nationals, wil myers, yoenis cespedes
MLB Weekly Power Rankings – Week 3
Posted by chuckbooth3023
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The Giants have gutted out a 12 – 7 record despite Matt Cain being 0 – 2 with a 7.15 ERA, and Ryan Vogelsong featuring an early season ERA of 5.89. Buster Posey is also off to a slow start. This team has so much depth and talent, I see nothing that will stop this club from taking their 3rd NL West Division crown now that the LAD have had severe injury problems to their Starting Rotation. The Giants take their rightful spot as #1 in the MLB Reports Weekly Rankings thids week.
By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024
The Major League Baseball Season is roughly 10% over and we are seeing some trends and patterns. The next time you wonder why games are so long in the game right now, look no further than there are about 150 hitters that are currently on pace to Strikeout 100 plus times this season.
Other Notes:
The Cincinnati Reds won every game this past 7 days, after losing every day the week prior. This is simply why they shot up the rankings. I think the NL Central is the weakest Division this year. It was my prediction that the oldest professional baseball club would run away with this Division by at least 10 games.
Shin-Soo Choo and Joey Votto are on the Basepaths at all times – carrying an OBP of over .500 plus each. Votto is starting to drive the ball with authority too. Brandon Phillips, Todd Frazier and Zack Cozart are driving in Runs at an incredible rate.
Look for BP Follow @DatdudeBP to be a dark horse NL MVP candidate.
Brandon Phillips Talks about Winter Workouts:
Posted in MLB Teams: Articles and Analysis, The Rest: Everything Baseball
Tags: @chuckbooth3024 on twitter, a.j. pierzynski, adam dunn, adam lind, al central, AL West, albert pujols, alfonso soriano, American league, andre ethier, anthony rendon, anthony rizzo, arizona diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, b.j. upton, baltimore orioles, barry zito, boston red sox, brandon phillips, Brendan Ryan, brett lawrie, bryce harper, buster posey, chicago cubs, chicago white sox, cincinnati reds, cleveland indians, colby rasmus, colorado rockies, david price, dayton moore, dee gordon, detroit tigers, emilio bonifacio, eric hosmer, giancarlo stanton, heath bell, houston astros, jean segura, joe mauer, john buck, jordan walden, jose altuve, jose bautista, jose reyes, josh hamilton, justin morneau, justin smoak, kansas city royals, la dodgers, los angeles angels of anaheim, maicer izturis, mark derosa, matt cain, matt harvey, matt kemp, matt moore, melky cabrera, miami marlins, mike moustakas, mike piazza, milwaukee brewers, minnesota twins, MLB power rankings, munenori kawasaki, national league, new york mets, new york yankees, NL Central, NL east, nl eat, oakland athletics, philadelphia phillies, pittsburgh pirates, rajai davis, Rick Ankiel, ryan vogelsong, ryan zimmerman, san diego padres, san francisco giants, seattle mariners, shin-soo choo, st louis cardinals, tampa bay rays, texas rangers, tim lincecum, todd frazier, tom seaver, tommy hanson, toronto blue jays, washington nationals, wil myers, zack cozart
San Francisco Giants Payroll in 2013: And Contracts Going Forward (Updated Mar.8)
Posted by kholland13
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Angel Pagan (31) led the NL in Triples with 15 in 2012 amongst his 61 Extra Base Hits and 95 Runs. Pagan parlayed his great campaign into a 4 Year/$45 MIL Contract.
By Kyle Holland (Giants Correspondent): Follow @TheKHolland13
Coming off of the 2012 World Series victory, the Giants haven’t really done much this offseason. Either way every team in the league is going to be trying to take them down. When you’re the Champion of all of baseball, what team wouldn’t be gunning for you? Their biggest contest is going to be their rivals in the NL West, the Los Angeles Dodgers. The team has made more moves since August than you can count. The Giants realize what a great team they have and how little moves they made have shown they are confident in what they can do in 2013.
The possibly most important move they have made is resigning the Second-Half-hero Marco Scutaro. His 3 yr./$20,000,000 deal is a great deal for San Francisco. After what he did the Giants probably would have considered paying more for Scutaro. You just can’t match .500 AVG in the NLCS. This man was the definition of clutch for the club. Other very important deals include Hunter Pence, Angel Pagan, and Jeremy Affeldt. Pence, who was acquired at the Trade Deadline from the Phillies, was a huge reason the Giants even made it past the NLDS. His inspirational speeches got the entire squad ready before every game. Him resigning for a 1 YR./$13,800,000 deal was huge for him and the Giants. The team gets to utilize his skills for another year – while he gets to prove he’s worth more come next winter.
San Francisco Giants: 2012 World Series Highlights. Mature lyrics- parental guidance is advised:
Posted in MLB Payroll and Contracts, The Rest: Everything Baseball
Tags: 2010 Post Season, 2010 Rookie of the Year, 2010 World Series, 2012 MVP, 2012 nlcs, 2012 NLDS, 2012 world series, 2013 offseason, @TheKholland13 on twitter, andres torres, angel pagan, aubrey huff, barry zito, brandon belt, brandon crawford, Brett Pill, brian wilson, buster posey, Conor Gillaspie, George Kontos, giants 25 man roster in 2013, giants payroll 2013, Gregor Blanco, Hector Sanchez, hunter pence, javier lopez, Jeremy Affeldt, joaquin arias, Jose Mijares, kansas city royals, Kyle Holland, los angeles dodgers, madison bumgarner, Marco scutaro, matt cain, new york mets, NL Gold Glove Award Winner, nl mvp, NL Silver Slugger Award winner, nl west, pablo sandoval, philadelphia phillies, ramon ramirez, ryan vogelsong, san francisco giants, santiago casilla, tim lincecum, tony abreu, world series
Raising Cain: The New Ace Of The San Francisco Giants
Posted by kholland13
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Wednesday February 20, 2013

Matt Cain had been living in the shadow of Tim Lincecum ever since the 2008 season. After Cain’s brilliant 2012 campaign – coinciding with Lincecum’s worst year to date, he has proven himself as the new ace of the Giants’ pitching rotation. He is 55-35 (.611) over the last 4 seasons -with an ERA under 3.
By Kyle Holland (MLB Reports Writer): Follow @TheKHolland13
On Saturday, February 16, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced, to no one’s surprise at all, that Clayton Kershaw would be the Opening Day starter for the third straight year. You didn’t have to be a baseball expert to see that one coming. What may have possibly come as a surprise to some is who his opponent will be on April 1 at Dodger Stadium.
Bruce Bochy announced Monday, February 18 that Matt Cain will be making his first career Opening Day start. For the last 4 years Tim Lincecum took the hill on Opening Day. The 2 years before that was Barry Zito and the 2 before him? Jason Schmidt. That brings us all the way back to when Matt Cain first suited up in 2005. Matt Cain has had a brilliant career since debuting in 2005 with the Giants. Throughout these fantastic years though, Matt Cain has been unable to call himself the ace of the Giants staff.
Matt Cain Perfect Game All 27 Outs:
Posted in MLB Player Profiles, The Rest: Everything Baseball
Tags: 2008 Cy Young Award, 2009 Cy Young Award, 2010 World Series, 2012 MLB All-Star Game, 2012 nlcs, 2012 NLDS, 2012 world series, @TheKholland13 on twitter, at and t park, barry zito, bruce bochy, buster posey, clayton kershaw, houston astros, jason Schmidt, Kyle Holland, los angeles dodgers, madison bumgarner, matt cain, Matt Morris, NL ALL-Star, nl west, pittsburgh pirates, ryan vogelsong, san francisco giants, tim lincecum
San Francisco Giants Payroll in 2013: And Contracts Going Forward
Posted by kholland13
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Follow @mlbreportsFriday February 8, 2013

Without Marco Scutaro during the second half of the 2012 season – who knows if the Giants would’ve gone nearly as far as they did. He hit a very impressive .362 after joining the Giants in July. He hit a new NLCS record .500 versus the Cards last year. Resigning him was definitely a priority for the Giants so signing him through 2015 on a 3 YR/$20,000,000 was huge for both sides of the deal.
By Kyle Holland (Giants Correspondent): Follow @TheKHolland13
Coming off of the 2012 World Series victory, the Giants haven’t really done much this offseason. Either way every team in the league is going to be trying to take them down. When you’re the Champion of all of baseball, what team wouldn’t be gunning for you? Their biggest contest is going to be their rivals in the NL West, the Los Angeles Dodgers. The team has made more moves since August than you can count. The Giants realize what a great team they have and how little moves they made have shown they are confident in what they can do in 2013.
The possibly most important move they have made is resigning the Second-Half-hero Marco Scutaro. His 3 yr./$20,000,000 deal is a great deal for San Francisco. After what he did the Giants probably would have considered paying more for Scutaro. You just can’t match .500 AVG in the NLCS. This man was the definition of clutch for the club. Other very important deals include Hunter Pence, Angel Pagan, and Jeremy Affeldt. Pence, who was acquired at the Trade Deadline from the Phillies, was a huge reason the Giants even made it past the NLDS. His inspirational speeches got the entire squad ready before every game. Him resigning for a 1 YR./$13,800,000 deal was huge for him and the Giants. The team gets to utilize his skills for another year – while he gets to prove he’s worth more come next winter.
San Francisco Giants: 2012 World Series Highlights. Mature lyrics- parental guidance is advised:
Posted in MLB Payroll and Contracts, The Rest: Everything Baseball
Tags: mets, dodgers, world series, nlds, nlcs, nl west, barry zito, philadelphia phillies, pablo sandoval, angel pagan, buster posey, brandon crawford, aubrey huff, brandon belt, matt cain, san francisco giants, los angeles dodgers, ryan vogelsong, tim lincecum, madison bumgarner, hunter pence, nl mvp, brian wilson, santiago casilla, andres torres, Marco scutaro, joaquin arias, javier lopez, Gregor Blanco, 2012 nlcs, 2012 NLDS, 2012 world series, ramon ramirez, Kyle Holland, @TheKholland13 on twitter, Jeremy Affeldt, 2012 MVP, Jose Mijares, George Kontos, 2010 World Series, NL Silver Slugger Award winner, NL Gold Glove Award Winner, Brett Pill, Conor Gillaspie, Hector Sanchez, 2013 off-season, 2010 Rookie of the Year, 2010 Post Season, giants payroll 2013, giants 25 man roster in 2013
The San Francisco Giants 2013 Player Roster: State Of The Union
Posted by kholland13
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Monday December 24, 2012
Kyle Holland (MLB Reports Intern): Follow @TheKHolland13
There’s no question that the San Francisco Giants have been one of the best teams in the MLB in recent years. This includes 2 World Series championships in 2010 and 2012. Without an injury to Buster Posey in 2011, we could be talking about a three-peat right now. 2012 was without a doubt the greater year between 2010 and 2012 making sure they would have a spot in October baseball. In 2010, they cut it close by not clinching the NL West until Game 162. This year, they wasted no time at all as they took out the Dodgers by clinching the Division on September 2nd. When they were in the playoffs, they won won 6 straight elimination games during the NLDS and NLCS, versus the Reds and Cardinals respectively, erasing 2-0 and 3-1 deficits. The Giants then swept Detroit on their way to their second World Series ring in 3 Years.
Now the question all Giants fans are asking: What is needed for the Giants to have the possibility to repeat in 2013?
So far the Giants have done a lot this winter. That all but means you’ll see a different 9 guys on the field opening day. Right now it looks like it may be the same 9 that started game 4 of the World Series. The Giants haven’t really made any changes so far. They have resigned their 2 Major Free Agents, Marco Scutaro and Angel Pagan. They even resigned their major pitching Free Agent, Jeremy Affeldt. Their projected 25 Man Roster is going to be a tough one to take down in the NL West. Even with he Dodgers looking to eclipse the 250 Million Dollar Mark in Payroll, the Giants should still make a push for the Division in 2013
First, let’s look at their starting pitching. It’s not going to change much besides the order. You can expect Matt Cain to be taking the bump when the Giants open up on the road against the Dodgers on April 1st. Cain was their ace in 2012. He led the team in Wins (16) ERA (2.79) and SO (193). He also got the W in-Game #5 of the NLDS, Game 7 of the NLCS, and he started Game 4 of the World Series. His most memorable moment of the 2012 season was a Perfect Game against the Houston Astros on June 14. Read the rest of this entry →
Posted in The Rest: Everything Baseball
Tags: 2012 MVP, 2012 playoffs, 2012 world series, 2012-13 offseason, @TheKholland13 on twitter, andres torres, angel pagan, barry zito, brandon belt, brandon crawford, brian wilson, bruce bochy, buster posey, cy young, detroit tigers, George Kontos, Gregor Blanco, hunter pence, javier lopez, Jeremy Affeldt, Jose Mijares, los angeles dodgers, madison bumgarner, Marco scutaro, matt cain, melky cabrera, nl mvp, nl west, NL West division, pablo sandoval, phillies, Ryan Theriot, ryan vogelsong, san francisco giants, santiago casilla, sergio romo, tim lincecum
Giants vs. Tigers: Who Will Win the 2012 World Series?
Posted by Jake Dal Porto
Thursday October 25th, 2012
Jake Dal Porto (Baseball Writer):
Who Has The Edge In The Starting Pitching Department?
The Tigers’ starters go as far as Justin Verlander takes them, which is a long, long way most of the time. Thus far, Verlander has lifted his fellow rotation mates to an elite stature. In the American League Championship Series, the Tigers posted a 0.67 ERA against a helpless Yankees’ team. But as last night proved, anything can happen in the World Series.
When the Tigers are mentioned, don’t fall into the trap that their pitching is just based around Verlander. Yes, we get, the world gets it, Verlander is a god. But the assumption that he’s all the Tigers have is completely false because they wouldn’t have swept the Yankees without others contributing. Remember, Verlander pitched just once in the ALCS. Heck, Verlander could arguably take the backseat to Max Scherzer who has only allowed one run over 11 innings so far in this year’s playoffs. After giving up 5 runs to the Giants last night in 4 innings, the Tigers showed that they cannot simply rely on Justin Verlander…or the 2012 World Series will end very quickly. After all, all sporting gods show their human side at some point.
On the Giants’ side, their rotation is greatly shuffled after having to go seven games to finally derail the Cardinals, basically meaning that they didn’t have their ace in Matt Cain to oppose Verlander in Game 1. Instead, Barry Zito got the nod against the presumable A.L Cy Young winner. Please, pause for a second and digest that sentence, I dare you to. Now look at Barry Zito’s start in Game 1. 5 2/3 innings, 1 run and 6 hits. And now the Tigers still have to contend with Cain. After Zito, Madison Bumgarner will take the ball in Game 2 against Doug Fister. Bumgarner has been reeling since the end of August. In two postseason starts (8 innings), he has posted an 11.25 ERA, and in both starts, the Giants lost. However, the lefty fixed a couple of mechanical flaws during a side session last week.
In Game 3, Ryan Vogelsong will oppose Anibal Sanchez, as the series changes scenery back to Comerica Park. Vogelsong has arubably been the best pitcher in the playoffs this year outside of Verlander, of course. In three starts, he has a 1.42 ERA, and most recently allowed just one run to the Cardinals in Game 6 of the NLCS. Sanchez has been solid up to this point as well, finally proving why he was a great addition to the Tigers’ rotation. In two starts, he has totaled a 1.35 ERA, but walked five batters in those two starts as well.
The main thing to take away from here, is that Sanchez can be a bit wobbly in terms of consistency. Usually, walks are detrimental to him, as his stuff is above average. For Vogelsong, pitching on the road is the only concern with him, but Comerica shouldn’t play small, seeing as how the forecast is supposed to be chilly.
Lastly, Matt Cain will make his first appearance when he opposes Max Scherezer in Game 4. What comes as a surprise here, is the fact that Cain is pitching Game 4. This likely means that he wouldn’t pitch a potential Game 7, instead Vogelsong would likely receive the honor.
Both the Tigers and Giants have heavily relied on good starting pitching to get them to where they are—the World Series. However, the Tigers boast Justin Verlander; a guy who can pitch three times in this series if the Tigers desperately need him to. After a rough outing last night, we know that Verlander will return later in the series- hungrier than ever.
Tigers: 6 Giants: 4
Who Has The Edge Offensively?
Yes, the Giants erupted for nine runs in Game 7. But the truth is, only a handful of their 14 hits were crisp line drives. Most notably, Hunter Pence’s game-opening two-run double took a wicked hop that fooled the shortstop. That hit set-up a huge inning for San Francisco.
Basically, the Giants might not reap the benefits of lucky hops or bloopers in the World Series. The Tigers’ pitching staff is a bit better than St.Louis’s at the moment, meaning that runs are going to come at a premium. You wouldn’t know it, with the Giants scoring 8 runs in Game 1 of the World Series, with Pablo Sandoval connecting for 3 home runs. But the tide could just as easily turn in game 2, with Doug Fister silencing the Giants bats. If the Giants are to win this series, their bats better stay scorching hot.
The Tigers obviously have the most dangerous weapon of all in Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera hasn’t been dominant per say so far in the playoffs, but that’s mostly due to the fact that opposing pitchers have elected to pitch him extremely careful. Buster Posey has received the same type of treatment. And with Pence struggling, it’s likely that the Tigers will continue to pitch around Posey until Pence proves otherwise. The presumable N.L MVP winner hit just .154/.267/.154 in the NLCS with just a lone RBI. He did go 2-4 last night with 2 singles. Hopefully a sign of more to come.
Now, onto Marco Scutaro, the NLCS MVP. Hitting exactly .500 with 4 RBIs, Scutaro carried the Giants’ offense. Also carrying the Giants’ offense, Pablo Sandoval hit .310 with two home runs and six RBIs. If it wasn’t for Scutaro, Sandoval probably would have won the MVP. Both men have started off hot in the World Series and with no surprise, the Giants got a big win in the process.
But the Tigers’ offense is dangerous in many facets. They can beat you with the long ball, big innings, and high hitting outputs. Delmon Young has produced eight RBIs in the playoffs, and Austin Jackson has scored seven runs, acting as the catalyst in the Tigers’ lineup.
Timely hits are going to be key in this series. Both of these teams like to score runs early, and both can bust out for big innings. Despite a big game last night from the Giants, I am still trusting the Tigers bats more in this series.
Tigers: 6 Giants: 4
Who Has The Better Bullpen?
This category is a tad more simpler to predict, even with the emergence of Phil Coke taking over the closer’s role for the Tigers.
The Giants’ bullpen has simply been better. At time during the regular season it was a major concern, but now, it’s a major strength. Armed with Tim Lincecum as the versatile swingman, Bruce Bochy can call upon several weapons to close the gap. Jeremy Affeldt and Javier Lopez combined have pitched 11.2 scoreless innings. Sergio Romo has a save and has only given up one run over 7.2 innings, and Santiago Casilla has allowed just one run over 5.2 innings.
The only rough spots for the Giants has been Guillermo Mota and Jose Mijares, who have given up four and three runs, respectively.
As for the Tigers, Jose Valverde has surrendered seven runs in 2.1 innings, and was stripped of his closer’s duties in favor of Coke who has been a pleasant surprise for Jim Leyland.
This series predicts to be a starting pitching heavy type of series, but the bullpens will still play a major role. The Tigers just have too many question marks, especially with Coke’s lack of experience as a closer.
Tigers: 2 Giants: 8
Final Tally: Tigers 14 – Giants 16
(*The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of mlbreports.com*)
Jake Dal Porto is a Baseball Writer with MLB reports and a student from the Bay Area. Jake’s favorite sports moment was when the Giants won the World Series back in 2010. He loves to use sabermetrics in his work. He thinks they are the best way to show a player’s real success compared to the basic stats such as ERA, RBIs, and Wins. Jake also enjoys interacting and debating with his readers. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @TheJakeMan24
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Follow @mlbreportsPosted in Playoffs
Tags: barry zito, baseball, bruce bochy, buster posey, delmon young, detroit tigers, javier lopez, Jeremy Affledt, Jim Leyland, jose valverde, justin verlander, madison bumgarner, Marco scutaro, matt cain, miguel cabrera, mlb, pablo sandoval, phil coke, playoffs, ryan vogelsong, san francisco giants, sergio romo, tim lincecum, world series
2012 NLCS Preview: The Clash Of The Comeback Kids
Posted by Jake Dal Porto
Tuesday October 16th, 2012
Jake Dal Porto: You might’ve heard about the Giants’ historical comeback. You might heard about the Cardinals historical comeback in Game 5 of the NLDS against the big, bad Nationals. But all you need to know is these two clubs don’t go away easily. Giants’ general manager likes to call his team “cockroaches” because they never go away, while the Cardinals, well, they aren’t named after a bug, but let’s call them the comeback kids for the lack of a better phrase.
There’s nothing scientific about it. They both play to the end. The end is the end, but these two teams tend to avoid the end. Down 0-2 heading back to Cincinnati, the Giants were counted out by the world, seemingly. And who in their right mind would say they weren’t done? People aren’t that stupid. Yet, they silenced Reds’ fans for three straight days, and celebrated on their home field.
Then there’s the Cardinals. Adam Wainwright unraveled, and allowed six early runs to put his team in a very deep hole. And what needs to be underscored here, is the fact that they came back against a legitimate Cy Young candidate in Gio Gonzalez. Nothing fazes them. Even Stephen Strasburg couldn’t have helped… as much as people want to use that excuse.
And now, the two miracle stories clash.
Starting Pitching Preview
The Giants obvious strength entering the playoffs was their strong starting pitching. Even with Tim Lincecum not being the Tim Lincecum he once was, the Giants boasted a very formidable staff with Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner heading the rotation. But San Francisco’s plan to stay in games through their pitching has failed miserably. In the first round, Cain gave up six runs in 10.2 innings pitched, Bumgarner allowed four runs in 4.1 innings pitched, and Barry Zito allowed two runs in 2.2 innings pitched. Ryan Vogelsong was the only one out of the four Giants’ starters to at least have something of a respectable line (5 IP, 1 ER, 3 Walks). Yet, he wasn’t even that good. Read the rest of this entry →
Tim Lincecum’s Future in San Francisco
Posted by kholland13
Sunday October 14th, 2012
Kyle Holland: No pitcher has come out of college before and jumped right onto the Major League scene as much as Tim Lincecum did by fancying a 56-29 Won-Loss record in his first 4 seasons as a pro. Drafted tenth overall in the first round of the 2006 Amateur Draft, Lincecum came to the Giants pitching staff with great expectations. At the time, his $2.025 signing bonus was the highest amount the Giants had ever given a player. In just his second season in 2008, he won the NL Cy Young, and followed up with another the next year in 2009.
After these 2 amazing Cy Young seasons in ’08 and ’09, Lincecum led the Giants to their first World Series in San Francisco in 2010. At only 5’11’’, 163 Ibs, he can routinely get his fastball up to 93 MPH.
With this being his 6th year pitching in 2012, all is not well. For a guy that has usually thrown well enough to be the staff’s ace, Lincecum didn’t even make the NLDS roster as a starter because the Giants decided to use him out of the pen instead. His 10-15 record for the regular season left a lot to be desired, and the club opted to use Barry Zito after Cain, Baumgarner and Vogelsong. So how did this happen to such a prolific pitcher? Read the rest of this entry →
MLB Reports Monthly Power Rankings: August 2012
Posted by chuckbooth3023
Monday August.6/2012
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- It has been a crazy month in which teams have stockpiled some heavy talent at the trade deadline to get ready for the playoffs. Amongst the biggest gainers for the rankings this month were: the Athletics, Reds, Braves, Tigers, Dodgers (because of the deals) and Mariners while the Mets, Red Sox, Indians and Royals saw brutal months all but seal their playoff fates. I do think that Boston has a punchers chance but that all is dependent on David Ortiz returning to the lineup swiftly. The power of the best teams is definitely leaning to the National League right now where several teams are playing great baseball. With one-third of the season left we are all in for a treat as baseball fans.
I will have one more regular season Power Rankings month of September (to be posted on Labor Day Weekend,) before I also provide a playoff style ranking of the 1-10 seeds right before the Wild Card Teams play the play in game. It certainly has been awesome to follow how the trade deadline has effected the Monthly Rankings this time around. I think it is safe to say that this years deadline provided more interest and following-from even the casual fan more than any other year before. I also believe that the Non-Waiver Trade Deadline is now the best Trade Deadline in all of sports. Social Media has a lot to do with this but so does parity. The 2nd Wild Card spot has also created more teams willing to trade prospects in lieu of going for it. Read the rest of this entry →
Posted in The Rest: Everything Baseball
Tags: a.j ellis, a.j. burnett, aaron hill, adam dunn, adam jones, adam laroche, adrian gonzalez, albert pujols, alex gordon, alex ríos, alexei ramirez, alfonso soriano, anaheim angels, andres torres, Andrew McCutchen, anthony rizzo, aramis ramirez, arizona diamondbacks, aroldis chapman, Atlanta Braves, austin jackson, baltimore orioles, ben revere, billy butler, blake beaven, boston redsox, brandon inge, brandon moss, brandon phillips, Brian McCann, Bronson Arroyo, buster posey, Carlos lee, carlos ruiz, carlos santana, carlos villanueva, chase headley, chase utley, chicago cubs, chicago white sox, chipper jones, chris davis, chris sale, cincinnati reds, clay buccholz, cleveland indians, cliff lee, colorado rockies, corey hart, craig kimbrel, dan haren, daniel murphy, dave robertson, david murphy, david ortiz, david price, david wright, denard span, derek jeter, derek lowe, detroit tigers, doug fister, edwin encarnacion, felix hernandez, freddie freeman, garrett jones, gerardo parra, giancarlo stanton, gio gonzalez, hanley ramirez, homer bailey, houston astros, hunter pence, huston street, ian kennedy, jason kubel, jeff keppinger, jered weaver, jesus montero, joe blanton, joe mauer, johnny cueto, johnny gomes, jon lester, jonathan broxton, jordan zimmerman, jose altuve, jose bautista, jose reyes, josh beckett, josh hamilton, josh johnson, josh willingham, justin morneau, justin ruggiano, justin upton, kansas city royals, kevin youkilis, kyle seager, la dodgers, lorenzo cain, Luke Scott, mark teixeira, mat latos, matt kemp, melky cabrera, miami marlins, micheal brantley, Micheal Mckenry, Micheal Morse, miguel cabrera, mike fiers, mike napoli, Mike Trout, milwaukee brewers, minnesota twins, Monthly MLB Rankings, neil walker, nelson cruz, new york mets, new york yankees, nick markakis, oakland athletics, pauil maholm, paul goldschmidt, pedro strop, philadelphia phillies, pittsburgh pirates, prince fielder, r.a. dickey, rafael soriano, rickie weeks, ruben tejada, ryan braun, ryan dempster, ryan howard, ryan vogelsong, ryan zimmerman, sam dedundo, san diego padres, san francisco giants, scott diamond, scott feldman, scott hairston, scott rolen, seattle mariners, seth smith, shane victorino, shin-soo choo, st louis cardinals, stephen strasburg, tampa bay rays, team rankings MLB, texas rangers, Torii Hunter, toronto blue jays, travis hafner, ubaldo jimenez, washington nationals, wie-yin chen, willie bloomquist, yasmani grandal, yu darvish
What to Expect from Tim Lincecum in the Second Half: The Return of the Giants Ace to Form?
Posted by samevans87
Thursday July 12th, 2012
Sam Evans: Tim Lincecum has been proving doubters wrong his whole life. Despite his small frame, Lincecum has managed to win the Golden Spikes award and two N.L. Cy Young awards. However, in 2012 Lincecum hasn’t looked like the same pitcher. He has not only lost velocity on his fastball, but his numbers across the board are not what we expected from one of the best pitchers in the game. It’s hard to conclude what has caused Lincecum to struggle in his first fifteen starts. But the question on everyone’s mind is: what is next for Lincecum?
From 2007 to 2011, Tim Lincecum ranked fifth in Wins Above Replacement among all starting pitchers. He was simply dominant. In 2008 and 2009, Lincecum became the first pitcher ever to win back-to-back Cy Young awards in their first two full seasons. The Giants largely owe their 2010 World Series title to Lincecum and his 2.43 ERA in the playoffs. Heading into the 2012 season, the Giants reportedly offered Lincecum a five-year, $100 million contract, which he turned down to sign a two-year deal worth about $40 million. Looking back at it, Lincecum probably should have taken the deal which offered him long-term security. Read the rest of this entry →
Posted in MLB Player Profiles, Players: Fantasy Baseball Articles
Tags: analysis, baseball, cy young, fantasy, giants, injury, jeremy hellickson, madison bumgarner, matt cain, mlb, nl west, projections, ryan dempster, ryan vogelsong, san francisco giants, san fransisco, starting pitcher, the freak, tim lincecum
Chuck Booth’s GWR Streak (Parks 25-29)
Posted by chuckbooth3023
The Streak ended at 30 MLB Parks in 23 calendar days!!
I broke my old record of 24 days by being-Fastest to see all 30 MLB parks in 23 days from April 6th to 28th!
Sked is here: fastestthirtyballgames3021.wordpress.com/2012/04/18/30in20/
Follow me-@chuckbooth3024 on twitter
http://mlbreports.com/gwr-tracker/ or at my official website for all updates!
Friday May.4/2012

Chuck Booth and Lori Martini being interviewed by ‘Did The Tribe Win Last Night’ Blog at the Social Suite at Progressive Field.
MLB Park # 25 Day # 20
COL 2 @ PIT 1
April.25/2012
PNC PARK
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer and @chuckbooth3024 on twitter)- My stay in Tampa Bay was a nice one the night before(despite having to commandeering a neighboring hotel just to do some laundry at midnight.) I was too fired up to sleep and there was no chance at all I would risk sleeping in on this day. I had known for a while that this was going to be an epic day. Since the fallout of the missed doubleheader for Cleveland and Baltimore was first established on that San Diego flight, I looked forward to this day thoroughly.
Posted in The Rest: Everything Baseball
Tags: albert pujols, Anne Keegan, aramis ramirez, baltimore, baltimore orioles, baseball, Best Western, bob devries, boston, boston red sox, brewers, busch stadium, Caleco`s, cardinals, chicago, Chuck Booth, Cleveland, Cleveland Airport, cleveland indians, colorado rockies, corey hart, didthetribewinlastnight.com, facebook, fenway park, fielder, great american ballpark, homer bailey, james mcdonald, ken lee, Lori Martini, Mark Shapiro, matt cain, Matthew Van Wormer, mlb, Monee IL, National Car Rental, New York City, nyjer morgan, orioles, pittsburgh, pittsburgh pirates, pnc park, prince fielder, progressive field, rockies, ryan vogelsong, San Diego, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, twitter, us cellular field, white sox, yadier molina
NL West: Value Picks, Up-and-Coming Players and Red Flags in Fantasy Baseball
Posted by MLB reports
Tuesday February 14th, 2012
Peter Stein (Fantasy Baseball Analyst – MLB reports): As part of a six series installment to prepare for fantasy drafts, I examine the National League West from a strictly fantasy perspective. Instead of your run of the mill position-by-position rankings, I identify players who fall into the following three categories: value pick, buyer beware, and up-and-coming. The traditional rankings often do a disservice and give owners too close-minded of an approach, particularly in the ROTO format. An owner cannot have a clear-cut strategy and ranking system, as one must adapt to the circumstances on draft day. Remember that you are often building a team for five categories, and you cannot predict which categories you will need to target to offset weaknesses as the draft progresses. Therefore, the key to success is to understand which player’s are over and undervalued, by looking at determinants such as: performance trends, offseason movement, and skill development. We are all aware of the fantasy studs, but the way to build a winning roster is to identify players who provide sneaky good value. Read the rest of this entry →
Posted in Players: Fantasy Baseball Articles
Tags: andre ethier, arizona diamondbacks, baseball, brandon belt, cameron maybin, carlos quentin, clayton kershaw, colorado rockies, cory luebke, daniel hudson, dee gordon, edinson volquez, fantasy baseball, huston street, ian kennedy, justin upton, kenley jansen, los angeles dodgers, madison bumgarner, matt kemp, mlb, nick markakis, nl west, pablo sandoval, players to target, ryan vogelsong, san diego padres, san francisco giants, stephen drew, tim lincecum, yonder alonso



































