Author Archives: Jonathan Hacohen
Cespedes Wins The 2014 MLB HR Derby With An Awesome Power Display: Stop Complaining About The Contest Experts!
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I have had enough with the experts flogging on the HR Derby last night.
Yes, it took long, but not as long as last year. I believe the actual event was under 3 hours. What every one was feeling had a lot to do with the hour plus rain delay.
I loved the new format of 7 outs, and AL vs NL. If there is anything I think the MLB could do away with – is having 5 players in each league participant.
I firmly believe that Jose Bautista and Giancarlo Stanton suffered because of an inactive round caused by them both winning a bye. Read the rest of this entry
Odds To Win The 2014 Home Run Derby + ALL – Time Derby Winners + Cespedes Wins 2014 Title
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I said yesterday that I believed Todd Frazier would be an underdog darkhorse to win the HR derby at Target Field.
Little did I know he is tied for the 8th favorite out of 10 hitters.
The ALL – Star longball competition has changed formats. There are 3 players from the AL and NL that survive the 1st RD (7 outs each hitter).
The top players in each league (during the 1st round) win a bye into the semi-final round automatically, while the 2nd and 3rd seeds in each league square off in the 2nd round in a matchup each.
Once the winners are established in that round (7 Outs), the remaining 4 contestants will be duking it out in their respective leagues to find who owns the National League and American league big fly bragging rights.
It is all players within their own league until the final.
The winners of the AL/NL will face off for the championship. Again, all rounds contain 7 outs. Maybe this will ease some of the time constraints. Read the rest of this entry
2014 Home Run Leaderboards + HR Streaks Of 2 Or More In 2014
THE LONG BALL In 2014
TOP 5 HRs AL/NL @ The ASG Break
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For Games Played Through July 13, 2014
Top 5 HR Leaders AL
Jose Abreu, White Sox – 29 (Last Homered July 12)
Nelson Cruz, Orioles – 28 (Last Homered July 7th)
Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays – 26 – Injury Report: (15-day disabled list (July 6, strained right quadriceps.)
Mike Trout, Angels – 22 (Last Homered July 11)
Brandon Moss, A’s – 21 (Last Homered July 13)
Victor Martinez, Tigers – 21 – Injury Report – Day to Day. (Last Homered July 3)
Top 5 HR Leaders NL
Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins – 21
Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies – 21 (Last Homered July.11)
Anthony Rizzo, Cubs – 20 (Last Homered July.9)
Todd Frazier, Reds – 19 (Last Homered July.13)
Marlon Byrd, Phillies – 18 (Last Homered July.6) Read the rest of this entry
The Latest Odds To Win Each MLB Division In 2014 With Full Analysis
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
AL EAST
Analysis: Last month I had the Orioles as my favorite for the Division at +650, and now they are at +130.
With recent injuries to several Blue Jays and Yankees key personnel, and the continued struggles of Tampa Bay and Boston, this is a no-brainer.
Baltimore has a 3 game lead on Toronto and a 4 game lead on the Bronx Bombers.
With the Bronx Bombers missing 4/5ths of their rotation, I actually believe the Rays are in better position to win the AL East. Read the rest of this entry
Odds To Win The 2014 World Series Currently + Best/Worst Value Bets
The Rays are not strangers to being out of the playoff picture by 9 or 10 games at this point in the season.- and ultimately qualifying for a spot with a huge run in the 2nd half of the year. At 100/1 Odds right now, you can pick them for a massive value wager. Put 10 bucks on them, and then bet against them tonight for a wager of $12, taking Jason Vargas and KC at – 113. If they lose tonight, you are up about 60 cents, and still have the bet for the whole year. Keep betting like this all week, bet to win $10 a night versus them. If this team goes 4 – 1 or 5 – 0 for the rest of the week, they are in the hunt.- and you may be down $30 – $40, but the worth is still there for the World Series odd, and the team could be kept together with a run. 3 – 2 is still okay. If the club goes 2 – 3 or worse, they may heat up the David Price chatter over the All – Star break.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
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It was a 4 – 4 – 2 predicting record for the week, however I nailed the top bet and worst bet on the board. The Reds continue to battle in the NL Central, and now have gone up to +3500. Currently they are tied with Pittsburgh and for 14th best odd.
I think the value is right about where it should be.
Crazy enough on the Brewers, they are now the 10th favored team to win the WS- while the Cards have shot up to 7th on the board. This despite the Brew Crew still possessing a 4 game lead on the Red Birds.
Weird enough, I won the Boston Red Sox value pick, even though they are plummeting down the standings faster than any other AL East team. They have no business being 17th on the list.
If you are a believer in the Rays making a comeback like they seem to do every year. they are at 1000/1 to win the Fall Classic. They will be my best value play for the year.
Another absurd notion is that the Orioles are +2000, while the Blue Jays sit at +1400 now to win the World Series. Talking about no pulse for what is happening. Encarnacion is hurt, Baltimore has a 3 game lead, and expect a big 2nd half from Chris Davis. Read the rest of this entry
Mets Latest Team To Complete MLB Runs Survivor 2014: NYY + ATL Last 2 Teams Yet To Finish
28th in MLB Runs Scoring Survivor – 2014..
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The New York Mets have something to hold over their crosstown rival Yankees this year, besides winning the season series against them.
The club tallied 8 runs this past Sunday for the 1st time. If officially clinched their 11th different game total from 0 – 10 runs for a game.
This made them the 28th squad to complete the quest, and the 1st team in a few weeks.
The showdown for 29th, and to not come in last – is now a 1996 World Series rematch between the Yankees and Braves. Read the rest of this entry
MLB Reports ‘Junior Reporter’ Haley Smilow Interviews Padres OF Will Venable
Will Venable Q&A With Haley Smilow
The Padres OF recently had a chance to talk about some things with our Junior Reporter Haley Smilow.
The questions covered a lot of parameters that Venable is not asked on a regular basis.
He is a baseball lifer, coming from a long standing tradition of baseball that goes back to his dad Max.
What is ‘My Favorite Baseball Game’ Ever Attended?: A New Method To Historically Score As A Ballpark Fan
By Josh Robbins (Special Guest Writer And Co – Creator for The Factor12 Rating Pitching Metric.)
The Factor 12 (F12) is an analytic measurement utilizing league average performance to compare the value of all MLB pitchers on 60ft6in.com.
“Bill James has a pitcher stat called game score. So, I renamed my stat, “My Favorite Game.”
What is My Favorite Game?
Baseball fans often rekindle memories of their favorite games using anecdotal stories. The accounts are often muddled by faint and inaccurate details lost over time.
My Favorite Game is intended to provide an unbiased statistical analysis using a points-based system to properly assign a value to every MLB game attended.
Here’s the breakdown of each event: Read the rest of this entry
30 MLB Team Power Rankings: Week 15 – 2014
The Atlanta Braves were hovering around .500, and in serious jeopardy of watching the Nationals blow by them with a healthy roster. Instead, they are the biggest mover of the week, riding a 9 game win streak. All of this coming on the heels of losing Evan Gattis for awhile.
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*** Denotes Division Leaders
Records are before play Thursday July.06, 2014
RK Team Last Wk Rnk () Current Rec – Last 10 Days Rec
1. ***Oakland A’s (1) 54 – 33: 6 – 3 The A’s are the only team that has an above .600 Win Percentage.
What is not to like. They have the best record since 2012, are even better over the last 2 years (July 2012, July 2014, about .615 Baseball), have won 2 AL West in a row as well.
Added to the fold is a great trade bringing in Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel, and not yielding anything from the current MLB Roster in return.
2. ***Detroit Tigers (2) 48 – 36: 6 – 4: Tigers beat the better teams, and have troubles with the lesserlites.
Emergence of J.D. Martinez is a major bonus for a team starving for OF help. Still need more Bullpen arms.
Great division for opponents down the 2nd half. Read the rest of this entry
Odds To Win The 2014 World Series Currently + Best/Worst Value Bets
I Have hammered this point to a fault, and sound like a broken record, but look at the proof. The Cincinnati squad has reeled off 4 wins in a row, 7 out of 10, and have climbed within a game of the playoff bar. With a winning pedigree over the last several years, how are they tied for 16th only in odds to win the World Series with Boston? Give me the Redlegs any day with their 42 – 38. and a healthy team for the 1st time all year, and many ALL – Star toting the uniforms. I nailed the odd when it was +6600, so I am definitely on the bandwagon for a hot team, that is still paying great value. If they make poststeason, you can extensively hedge if need be with starting base that high.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
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So I have finally had a sub-par week for predicting World Series Odds. My worst selection was putting faith in the Royals, only to see them jump from +2500 – +3300, and the Red Sox plunged a +700 mark to +4000 from +3300.
It was somewhat diffused by picks for Baltimore to shoot upwards as a favorite, and I am still miffed at the Reds receiving no love at all.
Cincy has won 4 in a row and 7 – 10, and are climbing heavily into the Wild Card Race with the Dodgers and Cardinals.
With how fast the Giants are coming back to LA in the NL west, it may be these three teams fighting it out for 2 berths, with the loser of the Nats/Braves division, SF, and the Bucs still right in the loop.
Right now the oldest professional baseball team is playing some great baseball, have a fully healthy squad for the first time all season, and we are talking about a club who has made the playoffs in 3 of the last 4 years.
Billy Hamilton has batting over .300 since the end of April, and now Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce are coming around, and it is only a matter of time before Joey Votto gets right.
Todd Frazier has been one of the best baseball players in the NL this campaign, and is currently tied for 3rd in NL HRs.
Devin Mesoraco is almost averaging an RBI per game, and is slugging .627 as a Catcher, with 14 HRs and 40 RBI in 47 Games Played.
Aroldis Chapman is lighting the lamp with 100 MPH. Jonathan Broxton is filthy. and the Starters are throwing the ball.
This is not the same team that started 3 – 8. Look the hell out in the 2nd half. Certainly they should not be tied for the 16th favorite on the odds board. Read the rest of this entry
30 MLB Team Power Rankings: Month Of June 2014
Welcome to your new World Series Favorite. according to the oddsmakers. I see their rationale. The A’s have the best record in the Majors, and also the biggest lead within their Division. Oh yeah..this club has back to back West Titles, and a deep lineup in a parity league that is the AL. While I don’t endorse them as the favorite for the World Series right now (based on predicting playoffs solely), there is no doubt I ranked them #1 in power rankings
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
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*** Denotes Division Leaders
Records are before play Thursday June.26, 2014
RK Team Last Wk Rnk () Current Rec – Last 31 Days Rec
1. ***Oakland A’s (2) 48 – 30: 17 – 10: The A’s are still the best team in the Majors for the last 2 1/2 years. Coco Crisp on another hot spell.
Josh Donaldson and Brandon Moss both in the top 5 for HRs, and Sonny Gray/Scott Kazmir among several starters for ERA, WHIP and quality starts.
Yoenis Cespedes has the power numbers to be a perfect complement to the top guys, and the bar can always be raised higher.
Sean Doolittle is authoring one of the greatest Bullpen efforts ever for a Closer. A 53/1 Strikeout to Walk ratio is beyond filthy.
2. ***Detroit Tigers (3) 42 – 32: 14 – 13: A nice rebound after they dropped out of 1st place temporarily.
Victor Martinez and J.D. Martinez will exceptional June’s, and Miguel Cabrera is still on pace for 130 RBI.
Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer had sub-par starts, but look to correct themselves now.
Joe Nathan is making the late innings nervous for Tiger’s fans, after they had to endure Joaquin Benoit, Phil Coke, Jose Veras and Jose Valverde over the last few years. Read the rest of this entry
D’Backs Latest Team To Complete MLB Runs Survivor 2014: Only NYY, NYM + ATL Left
It has not been a banner year for the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are challenging for the worst record in the Majors and finished 27th in this contest. At least they completed the Runs Survivor contest with a win (9 – 8 in 14 innings) over Cleveland last night. The effort also gave the National League a 5 – 0 sweep in Interleague Play
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The Diamondbacks finally fought off the Indians with a 9 – 8 win in 14 Innings last night. Not only that, but they became the 27th team in the MLB to score in 11 different scenarios 0 – 10 for the 2014 year.
This contest now boils down to the Braves, Yankees and Mets all needing an 8 run contest, to see who can avoid finishing in last.
Arizona has played the most games in the MLB, so I am not surprised they completed before the other teams.
By virtue of the game, they also closed the book on the NL west division, who finished 4th in the divisional race. Only the AL and NL East have clubs yet to finish. Read the rest of this entry
Devin Mesoraco Hits A Homer For The 5th Straight Game: ALL Streaks Of 2 Or More 2014
Devin Mesoraco is hitting HRs at a record pace this year, with 14 HRs in just 150 AB. He is among the leaderboards in all of the Catchers offensive categories despite a heavy DL stint. Heading into play today, he has 3 Slashed .320/.387/.667 – and added 40 RBI in his 43 Games Played this campaign. He has also hit a HR in 5 consecutive games. If he can hit a HR in the next game he plays, Mesoraco will be entering extremely rarified air. Only 20 MLB’ers have ever hit a long ball in 6 straight games. The last time the feat was done in the MLB – was by Chris Davis back in 2012. Don Mattinglty, Dale Long and Ken Griffey JR. all share the record – with blasts in 8 straight.
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Devin Mesoraco has finally arrived for the Reds.
The Catcher is completely on fire, homering for his 5th straight game on Tuesday night, and giving him 14 on the year in just 150 AB (1 HR/10.72 AB).
The 26 Year Old Catcher is now trailing just Evan Gattis for the NL and MLB lead for the position despite playing in just 43 Games.
He is also in 2nd for RBI with 40 (2nd to Miguel Montero‘s – 43) which is almost a man knocked in per game.
Mesoraco was drafted in the 1st round (15th) of the 2007 MLB Amateur Draft.
The franchise has thought so much of his potential, they have traded away Ramon Hernandez, Yasmani Grandal and Ryan Hanigan to clear a spot for him to thrive.
Kevin Mench is the last MLB’r to have a 7 game HR Streak. He did this in April of 2006
The AL Has Been Dominating The NL During Interleague For Over A Decade Now
After the 1st 7 years of Interleague, the AL trailed the season series 4 – 3, and the overall games mark 853 – 833 (.506). Since 2004 it has been 10 years straight of AL beatdowns, winning each campaign for Won – Loss record, with a clip of 1437 – 1206 (.544). Despite a promising start of 26 – 17 this season for the Senior Circuit, the AL has reeled off a 63 – 45 run, to hold an overall mark of 80 – 71 (.530) – which is slightly above the Lifetime mark of .524 baseball
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The American League holds a decisive ALL – Time Record on the National League in Interleague play – and perhaps that is why a lot of traditional fans hate the concept even more.
Heading into play in 2014, the AL has won the last decade straight of seasonal play (10 years), and now possess an overall yearly record of 13 – 4 over the Senior Circuit.
It wasn’t always this dominant for the Junior Circuit. 4 of the 1st 7 campaigns were taken by the NL, however ever since the start of 2004, the American League has routinely speedbagged their opposition league.
Notable HRs FRI June 20th: EE Mashing Again, Smith + Martinez (X2) Party In Detroit
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Edwin Encarnacion has continued his torrid pace for HRs, after a quick brief spell had cooled him down.
Last night, he took over the lead in the AL+ overall MLB, with his 22nd and 23rd HRs. Not only that. he has risen past everyone in the MLB for RBI as well with 62.
It was hit 6th Multi HR effort since May 8th. and he is on a 2 game HR streak. If indications are anything, he will club another long ball today, as the man already possesses 3 3 game HR streaks.
EE has now blasted 20 HRs and added 40 RBI since May 6th.
Back at that point, the man was struggling with his power at 3 HRs, and was still decently productive with 19 knocked in. The Blue Jays were in a 3 way tie for the cellar of the AL East.
They have ridden the big 1B’s filthy hot bat to a 29 – 16 record, and have sole possession of the division right now. Read the rest of this entry
Cincy Latest Team To Complete MLB Runs Survivor 2014: Only NYY, NYM, ATL + ARI Left
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The game should have been a great way to cap off their run survivor, with plating 9 runs in a contest for the 1st time this campaign.
Instead, Edwin Encarnacion and CO. kept obliterating baseball into orbit at Great American Ball Park Friday night.
The Blue Jays erased a 8 – 0 2nd inning deficit, to tally a 5 run win at 14 – 9.
But all is not lost Reds fans. Your team has finished their 11 different scenarios, and therefore have placed 26th in the 2014 MLB Runs Scored Survivor.
This leaves the Yankees, Braves, Mets and D’Backs still on the clock. Arizona is the only team that needs a 9 run affair, while the Mets, Braves and Bronx Bombers all need exactly 8 runs to come across in a match. Read the rest of this entry
Odds To Win The 2014 World Series + Best Value Bets Based On Trade Deadline Speculation
Welcome to your new World Series Favorite. according to the oddsmakers. I see their rationale. The A’s have the best record in the Majors, and also the biggest lead within their Division. Oh yeah..this club has back to back West Titles, and a deep lineup in a parity league that is the AL. While I don’t endorse them as the favorite for the World Series right now (based on predicting playoffs solely), there is no doubt I would rank them #1 in power rankings currently.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
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I had another on fire week last week, with 5 right predictions, and 5 draws, with zero outright losses.
Furthermore, Cincinnati jumped from +5500 to now being +4000 – with making it back to .500 last night.
I also have seen the KC Royals skyrocket from +8000 2 weeks ago, to now be sitting pretty at +2500. The Royals were my best bets 2 weeks ago.
Your new favorite to win the World Series is the Oakland A’s at +650. I understand the odd believe me, but this will be temporary.
I fully expect the Nationals to take over this position if their recent pitching trends continue.
Also if the Dodgers can come within 2 games of the Giants, they will take over as the Fall Classic Favorites once again.
Again this week I hate the Blue Jays being among the heavy favorites for the title. These guys gave been slipping recently, and the Orioles and Yankees are breathing down their necks in the AL East.
I also firmly believe with the AL West stranglehold the A’s are sure to bury the Angels, and if Detroit is a matchup for any WILD Card winner out of the AL West, heck even the Royals with James Shields, I favor them over any Halo’s pitcher for 1 game. Read the rest of this entry
Boston Latest Team To Complete MLB Runs Survivor 2014: NYY, NYM, ATL, CIN + ARI Left
It has not been a banner title defense for the BoSox thus far. What is worse is that the Yankees are ahead of them in the season series and in the standings. With the ‘Beantowners” plating 10 players in a 10 – 3 over Cleveland last night they have left the “Pinstripers” as the last AL team in 2014 MLB Runs Survivor to finish.”
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The Boston Red Sox has a 10 run effort for the 1st time in 2014, and have finally finished their 11th different run scenario quest for the campaign.
This leaves the New York Yankees as the last club in the AL to complete the task.
The Bronx Bombers came really close with a 7 run contest in a win over Oakland on Friday, where they just require a 8 total for completion of their mission.
If New York had plated 8 guys in the match last night, they would have beat the Red Sox in 2014,
Over in the NL, the Mets and Braves still both need 8 runs in a game, while the Reds and D’Backs are still searching of 9 runs.
We will keep you posted. Read the rest of this entry
Gambling In Baseball, Hedging Your Bets + Value Plays: MLB Reports Picks Of The Year
Get set for another season of throwing some cash around when it comes to baseball. MLB Reports will have you ready with what we are looking at as well.
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Staked with an initial bankroll of over $1000 thanks to a nice NFL Parlay in the 2013 – 2014 year, I set out to make some bank trying make luck at placing some moolah on the game of baseball.
I head to Vegas frequently enough that I have thrown down almost all of it already, but have a great chance of making my $ back and then some.
Before the year began, I placed a wager for each of the Texas Rangers (Yikes), Tampa Bay Rays (Or should I say Devil Rays?), but they best maneuver before campaign was to slot a $14.44 wager on the Giants at 25/1 odds for the World Series.
That pays about $380.00.
I then followed the Tampa Bays advice ticket Chuck Booth laid out for all of the website. Even though it will break even as a wager, I would do it every time.
The skinny of that was that I bet $120 on the Tampa squad to lose under 88 games, and I used the potential profit to bet on the team to win the AL East, the ALCS and World Series.
The whole caveat was that I was virtually guaranteed to make my money back if Joe Maddon‘s club struggled, but could make substantial amounts of profit if the organization had a long October run. Read the rest of this entry
The Latest Odds To Win Each MLB Division In 2014
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Best Value Odd Highlighted in Red
AL EAST
Analysis: I fully expect the Baltimore Orioles to be involved in trade talks to land an ace pitcher, with using either Kevin Gausman or Dylan Bundy as bait. This year represents the teams best chance to win.
If the Yankees fall out of it, they will drop under the $189 MIL Luxury Tax Threshold, by jettisoning players, and will then sign everyone in the offseason with a fresh slate for a salary tax 1st time offense at only 17.5% – instead of a 50% clip now
The X factors are if Chris Davis can find his 2013 swing, and Ubaldo Jimenez remembers how to throw like his 2nd half 2013 self. Toronto has enough bashers to club their way to the Division Title, and their -133 is not a bad odd either to wager on.
1. TOR -133
2. NYY +320
3. BOS +500
4. BAL +650
5. TB +5000
The Long Ball, HR Leaders, Multi HR Gms, Consecutive Streaks MLB 2014
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For Games Played Through June 9, 2014
Top 5 HR Leaders AL
Nelson Cruz, Orioles – 21
Edwin Encarnacion. Blue Jays – 20 (Homered June 9th)
Jose Abreu, White Sox – 18 (Homered June 9th)
Josh Donaldson, A’s – 17
Brandon Moss, A’s – 16 Read the rest of this entry
Houston Latest Team To Complete MLB Runs Survivor 2014: 6 Teams Left
The Astros lost the last 15 games to end the 2013 campaign, and put forth an 111 game loss season, and it looked bleak for the franchise in 2014 just 5 weeks ago. Since then, Springer has smashed 12 HRs, added almost an RBI a game, and has lit a fire under the teams offense. Oh Yeah. Jose Altuve is also in the top 5 for AL Batting, Chris Carter has hit HRs of late, and Dallas Keuchel and Collin McHugh are both pitching fantastic for the squad that is now 29 – 36.
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The Houston Astros are playing a great brand of ball over the last several weeks. George Springer has ignited this offense to scoring more runs than have plated since the Killer B’s.
By virtue of them pasting the Twins with a 14 – 5 routing on Sunday, it nailed down their elusive 10 or 10+ Runs column for their 11th different run scenario.
No Longer is this team a laughing stock in the Majors.
The Astros have turned out a 10 – 5 record since May 24th, and are quietly inching towards the .500 mark, Not bad for a club that lost 111 contests in 2013.
I even have to admit I love the move skipper Bo Porter did last night in bringing in Tony Sipp for a batter, then moving him to right field, enabling Jerome Williams to face the next batter, before bringing him back to the mound again.
Now that is thinking outside of the box.
The Astros have runs scored of 7, 8, 9 and 10 or 10+ in the last 2 weeks. It looked like they were a shoe in to lose this entire competition back then.
Now there is only the Yankees (8 runs) and Red Sox (10 or 10+) left in the AL (who would have thought that with those perennial high octane offenses?),
The AL Central and West have all teams that have fulfilled their obligations on the MLB Runs Survivor.
The teams needing 1 more result in the NL are the Diamondbacks, Reds, Mets and Braves. Arizona and Cincy need 9 runs in a game, and New York and Atlanta need games where 8 cross the plate. Read the rest of this entry
30 MLB Team Power Rankings: Week 11 MLB 2014
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Well, another few weeks have gone by, and there has been some separation from all the Divisions and the 2nd place squads, except for the NL East dogfight right now between the Nats and Braves.
9 teams are within the top 2 Wild Card Slots in the AL, with the Angels and Mariners holding onto the 1st and 2nd spots respectively.
Preseason NL favorites Los Angeles joins the reigning NL champs ‘The Cards’ at 0.5 Games behind the playoff bar – constituting either Atlanta or Washington (presently in a dead heat) – and the upstart Marlins.
The Reds, Rockies and Pirates are within striking distance as well, but look for the Dodgers and Cardinals to take off from here, leaving the current Division leaders and those 2 as the 5 playoff teams.
Arizona and Houston have at least jumped into the conversation with recent good stretches of play, after brutal starts.
*** Denotes Division Leaders
Records are before play Monday June 9, 2014
RK Team Current Rec Last Wk Rnk () – Last 13 Days Rec
***1. SF 42 – 21: (1) 9 – 3: Must be an even year in the teens of this century. The offense has a different hero everyday.
Playing .667 ball this late into the year bodes well. 9.5 Games ahead of next club in your Division also will land you as slot #1.
***2. OAK 39 – 24: (2) 8 – 4: Brandon Moss and Josh Donaldson both towers of strength and Sean Doolittle is the best Closer no one has heard about 40+SO/1 BB rate is sick.
Billy Beane continues to find gems like Drew Pomeranz, Jesse Chavez – and Kyle Blanks has fitted in well.
The team could still trade for a 2B that can hit, or bring up Billy Burns, flip Jed Lowrie over to 2B.
‘Rox, ‘Phils + ‘Halo’s Join The Party As Latest Teams To Complete MLB Runs Survivor 2014: 7 Teams Left
21st place.
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Well we finally had some furious action to complete this mission in the last few days of the week.
The Rockies scored 7 runs in a loss, but finally completed their 11 scenarios to finish 21st.
The Angels and Phillies both plated 8 runs on Friday night wins to complete their tasks.
By way of one game less, Philadelphia wins 22nd place, with the Halo’s taking 23rd.
Left are the Yankees (needing 8), Red Sox (need 10 or more runs), Astros, (10 or 10+), Atlanta (8), New York Mets (8), and the the Reds and D’Backs are in need of a 9 run game, which has proved to be the hardest total to put forth. Read the rest of this entry
Current Odds To Win The 2014 MLB World Series + Best Value Bets
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
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An absolutely abysmal week for predicting which teams would jump on the leaderboard for odds.
Even though I did go 4 – 6 in the weeks prognostications, I pegged the massive loss for the Rockies.
This team plummeted from a +4000 to a +10000 odd to win the Fall Classic. I had the Indians (who skyrocketed from +8000 – +5500 by virtue of a 6 game win streak.)
The Reds also have a +5500 odd, as oppose to +6600.
The Jays are all the way up to tied for 5th on the favorite board, going from +1600 to +850.
Baltimore, Boston and New York all took drops in odds this week that were fairly minor. Read the rest of this entry
Record Corrections May Be Coming With Home + Road Splits: Then Again, Maybe Not
Coors Field is still a hitting haven. While the averages have all dipped approximately 10% since the Humidor was placed into the facility over a decade ago, it still remains the premiere place for any of the MLB’ers to bat. Some of the organizational players will not hit as good on the road, with playing in the NL West, in cavernous parks like Dodger Stadium, Petco Park and AT & T Park, however the weight will only affect their overall numbers away from the thin air. Historic players like Larry Walker and Todd Helton displayed good road numbers, despite their gawdy home statistics, however they will never be looked in the same eye. 2014 sees the Rockies lead massively in all categories at home, yet at this point, they have played 10 more games away from Denver. Among the players that are killing it at the park in 2014 are TULO and Charlie Blackmon.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
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If you look at the current home and road records in the MLB Standings, you will see some weird differentials.
Take for instance the Rockies have only logged 23 games at Coors Field, where they are a staunch 16 – 7, meanwhile they have traveled abroad for 33 contests so far, putting forth a clip of 12 – 21.
This is a 10 game difference that could see the ‘Rox’ post a 7 – 3 win-loss record when the games are made up. Read the rest of this entry
Dodgers 20th Team To Complete MLB Runs Survivor 2014
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This should turn out to be quite fun. A lot of gambling establishments have this sort of deal, and it will be fun to see the results.
What Runs Survivor is, a MLB team scoring 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, 10 or (10+) in different games throughout the course of the season.
Once a club has one of these run totals once, you cross it off and keep going until they complete the 11 different variations. We are going to keep tracking this category – until all 30 MLB clubs are finished this season!
The Dodgers completed their task of scoring 10 or more runs in a game Saturday, and are the 20th team to finish.
The Yankees, Red Sox, Angels and Astros have yet to fill out their 11 game scenarios in the AL, and the Rockies, DBacks, Cubs, Mets, Phillies and the Braves also need to end the games differential with just one specific run total.
All of the Central teams in both leagues have conquered the mission Read the rest of this entry
Current Odds To Win The 2014 MLB World Series – Updated For Week 10 + Best Value Bets
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): Follow @stokes_hunter21
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In lieu of doing the Power rankings today, in which we just completed our Monthly rankings a few days ago, here are the current odds to win the World Series.
These kind of work as a defacto slotting of positions in their own right.
I had a full .500 of predicting last weeks totals in best bets. Toronto’s big streak of 9 games were the big culprits of this affair to my demise. They have jumped all the way to +1600, and are the top favorite out of the AL East.
If you are a New York Yankees fan or Boston Red Sox Nation subscriber, and think your squad could win the Fall Classic each, pounce on this weeks odds. At +2000 and +2200 respectively, they are the highest they have been all year for the Eastern Seaboard clubs.
Boston has reeled of 6 wins in a row following their 10 game swan dive, and New York is only 2.5 Games Behind Toronto.
Honestly as the teams are constructed right now, I am all in favor of picking the Jays, but there is one problem. If the ‘Pinstripers’ are in contention a month from now, Brian Cashman will be handed an influx of cash to dole out in forms of trades.
Toronto is over the payroll they want to be at for the campaign, although they might be able to add a Starter as said by the brass, “if the club is playing well.”.
Boston just inked Stephen Drew back, and they have some Benjamin Franklin’s in reserve somewhere if they want to throw some down, just not sure they will do so. Read the rest of this entry
Notable HRs On May 29th: EE Makes History!
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Edwin Encarnacion hit his 16th HR of the month last night, as part of his 5th Multi HR effort since May 8th.
EE is has been on fire for the last 20 games, and has effectively tied Mickey Mantle for the most HRs ever hit in May.
For his part, Encarnacion jumped to just 1 back of Nelson Cruz for the MLB and AL Lead.
Jose Bautista also did yard work for the 13th time in his season. Along with EE, Joey Bats helped stake the Jays to a lead.
The OF even through out Billy Butler on a single to right at 1st base. Unfortunately the Toronto club lost the game on an error, and said adios to their 9 game win streak.
Bautista tied Josh Donaldson for 5th in AL HRs. Read the rest of this entry
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