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Jose Altuve Taking a Page out of Bryce Harper’s Book During Monster Year
Just when it looked like Houston Astros second baseman (and now four-time All-Star) Jose Altuve couldn’t get much better at the plate, he proves us wrong.
Since debuting in 2011 as a 21-year-old, Altuve has displayed quite the ability to collect base hits. Not only does he already have a batting title under his belt, but also no American League player has collected more hits than him since 2014. As Houston continued building a powerful lineup around him, he was incredibly valuable to the club has a top-of-the-lineup table setter.
From 2014-15, he posted a .327/.365/.456 triple slash with 22 homers, 87 doubles, 125 RBI, 171 runs scored and 94 stolen bases. It can’t get much better than that, right? Since Altuve is in the midst of his sixth MLB season, we tend to forget that he’s still young and can actually improve.
That’s exactly what he’s done this year as a 26-year-old, and it seems like he’s taken a page straight out of Bryce Harper’s book in the process.
Chances are slim he actually chatted with Harper about it – and Harper isn’t the first young player to experience the kind of jump in production he did in 2015 – but it’s interesting to see two very different hitters experience similar results with regard to a similar shift in plate approach.
Could Jose Altuve Win The American League MVP Award?
Houston Astros’ second baseman, Jose Altuve, has had quite an impressive 2016 season so far. He has been so impressive that he could be a legitimate contender for the American League Most Valuable Player Award. He has some very tough competition that includes Mike Trout, Ian Desmond, Robinson Cano, Xander Bogaerts, David Ortiz and many more.
Altuve’s chances at the MVP award could drastically change considering there are still 84 games left in the season, but he is currently one of the favorites. His biggest competition will more than likely be Mike Trout, but Jose Altuve could have a huge advantage on Trout if the Astros continue to win. If Altuve leads the Astros to a playoff appearance, then he could be at a distinct advantage over Trout since the Angels will more than likely finish in the bottom half of the American League West.
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Astros’ Prospect, Alex Bregman, Hit In The Head By A 94 MPH Fastball
Many Houston Astros and fantasy baseball fans have been wondering when Alex Bregman will finally make his MLB debut. Unfortunately, it might be delayed after taking a fastball to the head on Monday night. Luckily Bregman got up on his own power and he seems to be okay, but he sat out last night as a precautionary measure. Hopefully this event doesn’t hurt Bregman physically or his approach at the plate.
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These 3 MLB Teams Could Really Use Jonathan Lucroy at Catcher
Spring is quickly turning into summer, which means one thing around Major League Baseball: the trade market is starting to heat up. What’s a little unfamiliar is seeing a catcher become the most desired target among position players, but that’s the world we live in today.
After thinking about selling low last winter, the Milwaukee Brewers are happy they decided against trading Jonathan Lucroy. While he’s returned to being one of baseball’s best catchers and leads the position with a 2.3 fWAR, there are four main reasons why he’s become a hot commodity:
- After a rough season in 2014 that led to his lowest OPS since 2011 (.717), Lucroy has bounced back in 2016, hitting .311/.368/.527 in 222 at-bats.
- He’s not just an offensive catcher, either. Lucroy is an asset behind the plate when it comes to throwing out runners and framing pitches.
- He’s primarily a catcher, but also has some experience at first base.
- His contract makes him an incredibly affordable, non-rental player ($4 million total salary in ’16, $5.25 million team option for ’17).
Now that over 60 regular-season games are in the books, it appears the teams who could really use his services the most – and have a somewhat decent chance of making it happen – all reside in the American League West. And no, we’re not talking about the Los Angeles Angels or the Oakland Athletics.
The Most Recent Cycle Hit For All Teams (Updated for Freddie Freeman, 6-15-2016)
KEVIN C. COX/GETTY IMAGES
The First Cycle of the Year!
And true to 2016 Atlanta Braves style, the team almost lost the damn game. It took extra innings, but Freddie Freeman made the list. This might be the highlight of Atlanta’s season!
Here is the list, updated for today’s action!
MLB Power Rankings 2016: Week 7 – May
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner)
Follow @stokes_Hunter21 Follow The MLBreports On Twitter
MAY 15, 2016
Well not much has changed from this week as compared to last week. Detroit carried its free fall to 4th in the AL Central, the Yankees took 5 of 7 contests – and 7/10 in their homestand to save their season for now.
Miami and Philadelphia continue to stick around in the NL East, and the Giants and Dodgers finally had winning weeks to make the NL West Division Leader respectable.
Nobody looks scarier right now than the Boston Red Sox offense, who led by David Ortiz, Jackie Bradley JR. and Xander Bogaerts, plated 10 runs or more in 5 of the last 6 games, after going their 1st 32 games without doing so.
I am still awaiting for a Jays big winning streak. Houston has not played winning baseball since the 1st 6 weeks of the 2015 – and are tending to resemble the 2007 Tampa Bay Rays more than anything.
All offense and little pitching and defense.
There is nobody struggling worse than Logan Morrison, Russell Martin, Carlos Gomez and the consortium of LF’s in Anaheim! Recently bouncing out of this list are Jason Heyward and Chase Headley.
We are nearing the quarter pole and rapidly approaching Memorial Day Weekend, so it is not early anymore.
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‘BBA Live’ Podcast – Year 2 Ep #12 – MLB Wk 6 ’16:
BBBA Live is the flagship Podcast of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance since 2015.
Hosts Ricky Keeler Follow @rickinator555
& AC Wayne Follow @publicrecord
BBA Live! is entering its second season. Listen in as AC Wayne and Ricky Keeler of Yanks Go Yard and District On Deck (Nats) welcome in Christine E. of Boston Red Thoughts to the podcast.
Follow @bostonredthots
As always, we’ll discuss all of the evening’s games and headlines.
Royals are struggling. The Tigers may be digging themselves an insurmountable hole in the AL Central, and many clubs we thought would contend in the AL, are obviously not playing well.
Lorenzo Cain goes off on the Yankees, and Aroldis Chapman is off his suspension
Plus nobody is a better folk hero than Bartolo Colon.
Bryce Harper is getting the Barry Bonds treatment and is starting to snap.
Follow and subscribe to the podcast http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mets-public-record
A casual look at Major League Baseball and The New York Mets. Call-in! #347-326-9300
Red Sox + Padres Have Completed 2016 MLB Runs Scoring Survivor, 23 Teams Left
Waited 32 games to score 10 or more runs, then did the feat 2 times in 3 nights thanks to the heroics of Jackie Bradley JR. and a crazy good lineup.
Chuck Booth (MLB Reports Majority Owner/Lead Analyst)
Follow @chuckbooth3024 Follow @mlbreports
We are starting to get down to the nitty gritty of this contest. 7 of the 23 clubs have now completed their 11 different run variations, now that the Red Sox and Padres have accomplished the feat over the last few days.
Boston finishes 6th, and unless the Indians knockout run scores of 8 and 9 runs in any order over the next 2 contests.
San Diego looked to end as one of the last to finish this category early in the year being shutout 3 straight games to start the campaign, and also 5 of their 1st 11 matches. They have been better as an offense of late.
The Padres swept a twinbill versus the mighty Cubs on Wednesday, and are just 2.5 Games Behind the Giants and Dodgers for the NL West lead at 15 – 20. Good rally for these guys to finish in the top 10.
The Red Sox waited until game 32 to score more than 10 runs, and then they did the maneuver 2 nights later versus the A’s yet again, with another 2 HR, 6 RBI game from Jackie Bradley JR.
Most of the teams now have 9 or 10 variations covered, with the trailing squad in the whole MLB being the Philadelphia Phillies with just different 7 totals.
The Phightins’ are at least one of 4 rosters still alive in the MLB Shutout Survivor (A’s. Rockies and Pirates). Read the rest of this entry
MLB Power Rankings 2016: Week 6 May
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner)
Follow @stokes_Hunter21 Follow The MLBreports On Twitter
MAY 8, 2016
Disclaimer: We based these rankings on best strength to win the World Series. Therefore some teams that have an easier division to play in, with the least path of resistance to the postseason overall may be ranked a lot higher than a club who is equally talented, yet may play in a juggernaut of a division.
Rank – Team Record (Last week rank) (Up down) (W – L Record Last week)
(1) (1) Chicago Cubs (E) (24 – 6) : A real bad day for the Cubs is battling with a team like Washington on Sunday, to see whether or not they are going to sweep them or go 3 – 1 in a series.
Yep, they swept the 4 game set in a 13 inning walk off HR by Javier Baez – to cap a 7 – 0 week. They are on pace for about 129 wins right now.
Depth of the Starting Rotation is looking solid with Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester, John Lackey, Jason Hammel (Killer J’s) and Kyle Hendricks.
Hector Rondon is not even needed in most leads, with the team almost at a +100 differential through 30 games,
(2) (3) Chicago White Sox (+1) (22 – 10) ( 4 – 2): Chris Sale is 7 – 0, and may go Ron Guidry (circa 1979 on us). If anyone will win 25 games in a year, it would be him or Jake Arrieta.
Bob Welch won 27 games in 1990 for the A’s was the last guy to do that.
Has anyone noticed that Brett Lawrie has an OBP closer to .400 – than his usual .310 – .320?
Jose Quintana is finally receiving some run support. If Todd Frazier and Jose Abreu start hitting for BA, than look he the hell out. We could see a “Windy City” World Series for the 1st time since 1906. Read the rest of this entry
‘BBA Live’ Podcast – Year 2 Ep #11 – MLB Wk 5 ’16:
BBBA Live is the flagship Podcast of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance since 2015.
Hosts Ricky Keeler Follow @rickinator555
& AC Wayne Follow @publicrecord
BBBA Live! is in its second season. Listen in as AC Wayne is again joined by Ricky Keeler of Yanks Go Yard and District On Deck (Nats).
Yankees are struggling and may have to reel off a bunch of wins soon or risk being a seller near the Trade Deadline.
Meanwhile the Mets are hardly losing at all.
Follow and subscribe to the podcast http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mets-public-record
A casual look at Major League Baseball and The New York Mets. Call-in! #347-326-9300
Tim Lincecum Could Be A Difference Maker For A Rotation In 2016
Trey Rose (Featured BBBA Fantasy Baseball Writer/Owner – dynastydigest.sportsblog.com)
Follow @dynasty_digest Follow @mlbreports
Tim Lincecum will pitch in front of upwards of 15 to 20 teams on Friday. He has been sidelined since last season due to arthroscopic hip surgery. He has been rehabbing for the last few months, and it looks as if he is finally ready to showcase his talents in front of scouts.
There are reports that he is already throwing in the low 90’s, which is great news for the right-handed pitcher.
As of right now, some of the reported teams who will be in attendance on Friday include the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Oakland A’s, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers, Houston Astros, Miami Marlins, Washington Nationals, and the Baltimore Orioles.
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MLB Power Rankings 2016: Week 5 – May
The Bucs have the best Batting Average and OBP in the majors this year, and are waiting for the Starting Pitching to join them. Considering they have talent in the Minor Leagues to address this, and won 98 Games last year, it is not surprising to see them jump 10 spots in the rankings on a great week of play – where so many of their fellow NL clubs (besides the Nats and Cubs struggled so mightily).
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_Hunter21
Follow The MLBreports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Disclaimer: We based these rankings on best strength to win the World Series. Therefore some teams that have an easier division to play in, with the least path of resistance to the postseason overall may be ranked a lot higher than a club who is equally talented, yet may play in a juggernaut of a division.
Game Records were before the results of the ESPN Sunday Night Game was played
Gone are the days right now where a Yankees and Red Sox Sunday Night matchup wasn’t important in the pantheon that are the weekly MLB Power Rankings.
Boston is still going to be in the top 10 as the AL East lone representative on the heels of their offensive output.
Every time I look up the Beantown Boys are into the double digits in hits for the game, and David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia are in the thick of it.
While they also didn’t make the biggest movers and shakers either, John Farrell‘s club is looking poised to be cracking the top 5 soon.
The NL West have all teams .500 or worse, and I am shocked at how that has translated for the Dodgers and Giants. Read the rest of this entry
Trio Of Teams Blanked WED (WSH/TOR/LAD) Leaves 6 Clubs Remaining In 2016 MLB Shutout Survivor
Toronto were the two time reigning champs heading into this season, but will not win for a 3rd straight year, but will still finish in the top 10. The Jays lineup is not firing on all cylinders yet. and it has contributed to a 10 – 13 start.
Chuck Booth (MLB Reports Majority Owner/Lead Analyst)
Follow @chuckbooth3024 Follow @mlbreports
The biggest favorites were taken off the board, and perhaps 2 of the strongest contenders also followed suit Wednesday night. 2 time reigning champions, the Toronto Blue Jays were swept by the White Sox, and bageled courtesy of Jose Quintana.
Canada’s only franchise still will finish no worse than 7th, as this was still their 23rd game of the year.
Washington automatically ends at 9th – while the Dodgers will finish at 8th in an likelihood, unless the Phillies (1 of 6 clubs remaining: OAK/SEA/PIT/COL and ARI) lose Thursday by 2 – 0 or less. Maybe it could happen, but not banking on it.
The A’s still hanging around this competition is a pretty good testament to their scrappy play this year at 11 – 11.
Philadelphia itself has a winning record at 11 – 10, and one reason is they haven’t been zeroed yet in a game.
With the Jays out, the favorite will turn to the Rockies – who play at Coors Field, and have a great lineup.
Seattle is a precarious team left in the field.
Houston is struggling at 7 – 15, but their offense has not been that bad at all. They should change it around. They and Oakland are the hopes of the AL to win the category. The AL East joined the AL Central in having all teams be eliminated with the Toronto exodus. Read the rest of this entry
Odds To Win The MLB 2016 World Series
The RedBirds are 11 – 6 since the 1st series sweep against them was levied by the Bucs. The oddsmakers are placing too much faith in the Cubs with the astronomical favorites that they are in being 5 times the favorite to the Cards, and 7 times to the Pirates. Injuries could happen,…Trades…Heck, either club could avoid them until the NLCS and be on a roll. I believe that one of Washington or New York will be the 1st wildcard slot, with the Cards or Pirates being the 2nd team. They are both among the best bets this week – with the STL #1 for value wagering
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner)
Follow @stokes_Hunter21 Follow @mlbreports
What a bunch of movement on the odds to win the World Series. There is plenty of value for a lot of plays here. The Mets are just a few games behind the Nats and absolutely owned them in head to head action last year down the stretch. New York is 10 – 2 over their last 12 contests, and their offense has been huge.
I don’t see almost double the odds for New York as opposed to Washington. At last check, the Nats were ahead of the Mets by 4.5 games, and now the gap is just 2 games.
I almost did a double take when I see the confidence of the A’s and Rays on this list. The two squad vaulted up the rankings with ferocity. Settle down gamblers. Oakland is 11 – 10, and Tampa is just 10 – 10, and their lineup is still highly suspect.
The Rays should be somewhere in the +3300 range with new York. in no way should they be projected higher than the Indians and the Pirates – and on par with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Equally as weird is the faith in the Angels at +2500. Really? Look the AL West is wide open, with anyone being able to win this, but to have Seattle and Oakland tied is dumb The Mariners have the better roster all the way around, and have actually played better of late. Read the rest of this entry
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – April 27, 2016
Fred Thornhilll/The Canadian Press via AP
Why are we always stunned when overachieving teams regress? Or when underachieving teams improve the next year?
The White Sox, Rangers, Twins and Astros have all been teams with fluctuating expectations.
Enjoy this up and down episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.
Andrew McCutchen, Johnny Cueto, Robinson Cano, Rich Hill, James Shields, Ivan DeJesus and Jarrod Dyson all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball yesterday.
See the updated listing of WOB on MLB Reports
‘BBA Live’ Podcast – Year 2 Ep #10 – MLB Wk 4 ’16: Chuck Booth Guests On The Show To Talk BBBA, MLB Reports + MLB Chat
BBBA Live is the flagship Podcast of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance since 2015.
Hosts Ricky Keeler Follow @rickinator555
& AC Wayne Follow @publicrecord
BBBA Live! is in its second season. Listen in as AC Wayne is again joined by Ricky Keeler of Yanks Go Yard and District On Deck (Nats). Tonight, we are joined by mlbreports.com owner and BBBA President Chuck Booth.
The NL is top heavy. The Astros have had a tough schedule and might be alright. Jake Arrieta is sickly good, and no one should ever pitch to Bryce Harper, who may sign with the Yankees in a few years.
Follow and subscribe to the podcast http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mets-public-record
A casual look at Major League Baseball and The New York Mets. Call-in! #347-326-9300
Chuck on B.O.B.
What Is Wrong With Houston Astros’ Pitcher, Ken Giles?
Trey Rose (Featured BBBA Fantasy Baseball Writer/Owner – dynastydigest.sportsblog.com)
Follow @dynasty_digest Follow @mlbreports
The Houston Astros acquired young flamethrower, Ken Giles, from the Philadelphia Phillies this offseason. The Astros paid a king’s ransom for Giles considering they gave up top prospect, Vincent Velazquez, former #1 overall pick, Mark Appel, Brett Oberholtzer, and Thomas Eshelman. Giles’ cost was so high because of his young age, success, and his team control for the next 4 years.
Unfortunately for the Astros, this trade hasn’t quite worked out as people expected. Giles continues to struggle, Velazquez continues to shine, and Mark Appel seems to be back on track.
Following the trade, the Astros were expected to name Giles the opening day closer over the previous closer, Luke Gregerson.
Well, the unexpected happened during spring training. Giles struggled to get people out and the Astros decided to name Gregerson the opening closer for 2016. Many Astros’ fans believed this was going to be temporary, considering the Astros paid so much for 25 year old closer, but this situation doesn’t seem to be temporary anymore.
Through 8.2 innings pitched in 2016, Giles has a 8.31 ERA, 2 losses, 13 hits given up, 3 walks, and 12 strikeouts. The start of the season is not Giles-esque considering in his first two seasons with the Phillies, he threw 115.2 innings, with a 1.56 ERA, 84 hits given up, 151 strikeouts, 36 walks, and 16 saves. So that brings up the question every Astros fan and fantasy baseball owner is asking, what is wrong with Ken Giles?
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MLB Daily Fantasy Picks DFS For FanDuel 4/26/16
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner)
Follow @stokes_Hunter21 @mlbreports
Just like I wrote in my DraftKings piece, I am high on stacks versus Rich Hill of the A’s and Nate Karns of the Mariners.
I seriously couldn’t believe FanDuel still has Cabrera listed at $3400 tonight. This is an absolute steal.
The Mariners do not play well at Safeco usually (are at 2 – 5 this year) – and face a tough task in facing 2015 AL Cy Young Winner Dallas Keuchel.
The ballpark doesn’t scare guys like George Springer, Carlos Correa or Jose Altuve. They are the road team, all hit Left Handed Pitching well, and I think it is time for the Astros to take off.
At least I have 2 games where stacking was present. My hope is that Bryant and Puig both make up for being single picks.
MLB DFS Picks For DraftKings – 4/26/16 – 2nd Lineup
George Springer has crushed 6 HRs and added 12 RBI – with an OPS of 1.025 at Safeco Field in his 15 Games Played there thus far. He also owns an OPS career of .898 against LHP – ans will hit against M’s Lefty Nate Karns tonight. He has also begun to heat up offensively in 2016 – with an OPS of .930 during the last 14 days.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner)
Follow @stokes_Hunter21 @mlbreports
We have a guy (Trey Rose) who is an excellent MLB Fantasy player – and he has been posting links from his site on ours. Trey does his own lineup everyday – so here is his link
I go about things a bit different from my end for picks and evaluations.
Detroit helped me do quite well in action yesterday in a stack versus the A’s and Kendall Graveman. Miguel Cabrera was the man last night, and I expect a similar result. I am going all out with 4 more Tigers to oppose A’s Lefty Rich Hill,
To help roster a bunch of premiere hitters in the lineup later on in the Seattle game, I also am using Mike Pelfrey against Oakland. I am hoping the confines of Comerica Park will help the RHP keep the A’s hitters at bay. Lets face it, Oakland doesn’t have a bunch of world beaters for their lineup.
I am big on the Houston Astros bringing some lumber versus the Seattle Mariners tonight – and starter Nate Karns.
I have enlisted Carlos Correa, George Springer and Jose Altuve to do my bidding against the M’s.
In rounding out my lineup on offense, I opted for Buster Posey versus James Shields. Posey offers the greatest Catcher to hit on most nights.
Since the savings were so good on Mike Pelfrey, I am launching David Price versus the Braves. Atlanta has lost 6 games in a row, are 4 – 15 for the year, and also can’t hit worth a lick. Good luck against Price fellas. Read the rest of this entry
Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – April 26, 2016
This is Mark Lemongello‘s 1978 Topps card. It has always been one of my favorite cards ever.
Little did I know that Mark’s story went from being an obscure pitcher for the Astros to being part of a caper that included his crooning 70’s singer cousin Peter Lemongello, arson and robbery.
It is a “Truth is WAY stranger than fiction” episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast
Please enjoy Peter Lemongello and his Love 76 commercial.
And please enjoy Mark Lemongello losing his damn mind.
Nathan Eovaldi, Jeff Locke, Miguel Cabrera, Jean Segura, Julio Teheran, Michael Saunders and Jeremy Hazelbaker all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball yesterday.
See the updated listing of WOB on MLB Reports
MLB Power Rankings 2016: Week 4 – April
One is the #1 club in the whole MLB right now, and the other was the biggest mover and shaker of the week for week 3 of MLB action. Both are leading the Central Divisions in their respective leagues behind awesome starting pitching and timely power.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_Hunter21
Follow The MLBreports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Disclaimer: We based these rankings on best strength to win the World Series. Therefore some teams that have an easier division to play in, with the least path of resistance to the postseason overall may be ranked a lot higher than a club who is equally talented, yet may play in a juggernaut of a division.
Game Records were before the results of the ESPN Sunday Night Game was played.
After a crazy week in which we saw our 1st no hitter, and massive long 16 inning game in Washington, we have for you the MLB Power Rankings.
There was no movement from the top 3 clubs. The NL West saw the Dodgers take a decent lead on the Giants – and that is major critical, as that is the team most likely to give them trouble in their quest for a 4th straight Division crown.
Bryce Harper has pulverized the Phillies, Marlins, Braves and Twins thus far. His late inning heroics are taking him to the next level.
The biggest mover and shaker this week was the White Sox, who climbed up 7 slots. The Giants dropping 8 positions was the biggest decline.
Bad weeks were had by the Tigers, Red Sox, Yankees and Astros. All clubs in the AL who are supposed to contend for a playoff slot.
The Mariners won their 3rd straight road series against the Angels (after beating the Yankees and Tribe 1s), and sit just a half game back in the AL West.
Oakland had started 7 – 0 on the road, before yielding 15 runs over the last 2 losses to the Blue Jays. They are tied with the Rangers for the lead in the Division, but it is just a matter of time before they are bounced out in my opinion.
Cleveland had a nice week of 4 – 2 to jump up 5 spots in the rankings. and are that much closer to bringing back Michael Brantley.
Gaining only one spot but having an awesome week were the New York Mets. All the boys are hitting now, and they are 8 – 2 in their last 10 contests. Read the rest of this entry
MLB Schedule For Week 4 Of 2016: April 25th To May 1st (95 Games)
These teams have combined for 8 out of the last 20 World Series wins (in 10 appeareancs – but at least one of them had represented in the AL during the playoffs for every year since the WildCard was alotted – until 2014 saw that come to an end. The last time neither team participated in the postseason prior to that was 1993. The Yankees ended up making the Wild Card Game in 2015 to start a new streak. The Bronx Bombers are struggling and aging rapidly, while Boston tries to see a bunch of new players all gel into a club that could contend. They are the ESPN Sunday night game on May 1st.
BOLD Red is Interleague Play
MLB Schedule For Week 4 Of 2016: April 25th To May 1st (96 Games)
MLB Scheduling 2016
Day + Date Away and Home, Times Start In EST
Week 4
Monday Apr 25 (12 Games)
White Sox @ Blue Jays 7:07
A’s @ Tigers 7:08
O’s @ Rays 7:10
Reds @ Mets 7:10
Red Sox @ Braves 7:10
Yankees @ Rangers 8:05
Indians @ Twins 8:10
Pirates @ Rockies 8:40
Cards @ D’Backs 9:40
Royals @ Angels 10:05
Padres @ Giants 10:15
Astros @ M’s 10:10
Marlins @ Dodgers 10:10 Read the rest of this entry
Texas Is Blanked By The White Sox FRI: Then There Were 10 Teams Left In 2016 MLB Shutout Survivor:
Texas is always a favorite for this competition, but they were knocked out on Friday night by the Chicago White Sox and Jose Quintana. On a good note, being blanked has them tied for the AL lead in quickest to 11 variations in 3026 MLB Runs Scoring Survivor with the Seattle Mariners – with 9 out of the 11 runs scored scenarios in games thus far.
Chuck Booth (MLB Reports Majority Owner/Lead Analyst)
Follow @chuckbooth3024 Follow @mlbreports
Texas was the 20th squad to see all of their run totals of a game all see zeroes on Friday night. The White Sox and Jose Quintana provided the opposition – and knocked out one of the best clubs to be left in this category.
So there are now 10 clubs left in this quest to be last team bageled in 2016.
The 4 American League teams remaining are overall favorite Toronto, and the potent offensive of Baltimore are also alive Surprisingly, the A’s have to be blanked, and not surprising, the Astros are still on the board.
I fully expect the O’s, Jays and Astros to lead the league in HRs 1, 2 and 3, so this is about right. Oakland on the other hand is the odd man still there. Kudos to them for a great start to the campaign.
In the NL, the Rockies are always hard to keep from scoring – and are blessed with a nice run scoring home stadium. Pittsburgh, Arizona and Los Angeles are worthy choices of being left in the running.
Washington should be a tough out here as well. Read the rest of this entry
Chicago Cubs Win Runs Scoring Survivor 2016 – Then Shutout Reds To Knock Them Out Of MLB Shutout Survivor
John Minchillo – AP
Chuck Booth (MLB Reports Majority Owner/Lead Analyst)
Follow @chuckbooth3024 Follow @mlbreports
Jake Arrieta through his 2nd no hitter in just 12 regular season starts, and effectively eliminated Cincinnati from the quest to be the last team blanked in the MLB.
The Reds will finish no worse than 13th.
Chicago also wrapped up the MLB Runs Scoring Survivor when the Marlins failed to tally either 8 or 9 runs in their 5 – 1 win vs the Nats Thursday. There are still plenty of things to look forward to in the contest, including who is the last to complete the journey.
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.
A Bold Italic illustrates it has been done for runs by the club. We are also doing the MLB Shutout Survivor as well.
Read the rest of this entry
The Most Recent No Hitter For Each Franchise (Updated for Jake Arrieta, April 21 2016 )
John Minchillo – AP
FIRST NO HITTER OF THE YEAR!!
Evidently Jake Arrieta and Max Scherzer are the only pitchers allowed to throw no hitters! Well, Arrieta was given plenty of run support and earned it with his second masterpiece in less than a year.
Who knows? Maybe it will be a magic year for the Cubs.
It is time to update my list!
Odds To Win The MLB 2016 World Series + Best And Worst Bets
The Mets made it to the World Series in 2015 after a subpar start heading into the Trade Deadline. With a ton of pitching and some decent positional players still on the roster, they could set themselves up for a lengthy run in the NL East. Especially if they can coordinate a couple of trades near the Trade Deadline. While they may have started slow, the bats are alive and well, and the rotation should come around soon. They are this week’s best odd.
Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) Follow @stokes_Hunter21
Follow The MLBreports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The Nationals asserted themselves on this leaderboard thanks to a quick start. They were my 2nd best bet last week at +1100. Now the odd at +650 is not worth any money at all.
Since Washington was able to play so well, this has created the perfect storm to put some more cash on the Mets. At +1300, New York is just begging for a wager.
The strength of schedule to which the Nats have played has definitely factored in. 2 series versus the Braves and Marlins and one against the Phillies already, Dusty Baker‘s club has had about a ‘cupcake itinerary’ as you possibly could find.
It gets better for the District’s squad, as they go home for another series with Philadelphia – that comes on the heels of a weekend Interleague series versus the Twins.
If Washington wins those 2 series, they should be about 15 or 16 wins after 22 games. They should cement themselves in the playoffs with an easy NL East opponents schedule all year. I just want to see them play some tougher clubs.
The Mets offense has sprung to life behind the backs of Yoenis Cespedes, Neil Walker, David Wright and Michael Conforto. When the Pitching Rotation settles in a little bit, they should take off.
While Washington is leading the Division, they have yet to face the NL reigning pennant winners. The division win could come down to the 19 contests between the two clubs.
Terry Collins‘ team has 16 straight games versus squads with losing records. While the Giants are capable of contending all year, New York should be able to match them well for pitching. Read the rest of this entry
SF/MIA Both Zeroed Last Night As They Inch Closer To MLB Run Scoring Survivor Leaderboard: 12 Teams Remain In 2016 MLB Shutout Survivor 2016
The Marlins held steady with the Nats for 6 innings until it all unfolded quickly in the top of the 7th – where the Nats cracked 4 HRs en route to a 7 – 0 shutout. Miami may have been eliminated from MLB Shutout Survivor, but it was their 9th different run variation in 12 games. The Cubs have 10 different totals in 14 games to lead that contest.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024 Follow @mlbreports
All of a sudden the Giants are below .500 ( at 7 – 8), and were zeroed out by the Diamondbacks on Tuesday night. San Francisco just couldn’t solve Robbie Ray. They were not the only ones to have no runs in a game last night.
The Miami Marlins were tied with Washington at 0 until the 7th inning – when the Nats exploded for four HRs in one frame, including 3 solo jacks and a Bryce Harper Grand Slam.
By the way….for those counting at home, the reigning NL MVP now has 20 RBI and 7 HRs on the year. This guy is amazing.
Stephen Strasburg helped hold the Fish scoreless, and we are now down to just 12 clubs left.
There was almost a 3rd squad to join the list yesterday, but the ‘Phightin Phillies’ ruined the Mets Shutout bid, by plating a runner in the bottom of the 8th at Citizens Bank Park. They were still clobbered 11 – 1, and yielded 6 big flies to New York.
For MLB Runs Scoring Survivor, there is team that is within earshot of the Cubs – with Miami being blanked yesterday.
After just 12 games, they now have 9 contests where they have scored runs that are not the same as any other.
Jeffrey Loria’s club needs games of 8 and 9 guys passing home plate exactly to complete the journey. These are the toughest marks.
The D’Backs have pulled out 9/11 variations thanks to a 9 – 7 11 inning tilt on Monday evening. In fact, the Giants joined them last night at 9/11 run scoring totals and have also played 15 games.
Tampa Bay, Toronto and San Diego all placed victories in action last night – but all failed to tally a new run total, and are all presently at just 5 different variations.
Cards + White Sox Eliminated From MLB Shutout Survivor 2016: ALL AL Central Teams Are Also Gone
The Cardinals were shutout 5 – 0 by NL Division rival Chicago last night (in the 1st game of a 19 game head versus head this season). At least the RedBirds prevented them from scoring 3 runs, and completing the MLB Runs Scoring Survivor last night. The Cards could still finish in the top 15 depending on some outcomes coming up.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024 Follow @mlbreports
The teams are putting up zeroes faster than Vegas casino’s are padding their bottom lines now.
St. Louis couldn’t handle ex teammate John Lackey. and were effectively knocked out of the contest via a 5 – 0 loss.
The Angels wiped out the White Sox for a 7 – 0 victory on Monday night. In doing so, every club in the AL Central is now gone from MLB Shutout Survivor 2016.
Meanwhile the Padres are the squad that has been vanquished in the NL West by a Shutout so far. Yes, and they are making up for the other clubs by taking the egg-shaped number 5 separate times already.
There are only 5 teams left in the American League, and now there are 9 clubs still alive in the NL.
I am contemplating going all the way back to 1918 – in order to figure out who won this competition every year. That would be a lot easier than running through game scores for all of the seasons of MLB Runs Scoring Survivor.
With only 8 teams in play Monday night – there wasn’t much action in the MLB Runs Scoring Survivor. The only note was that the Cubs didn’t capitalize on their fist chance to complete the journey. They have another chance tonight against St. Louis (the magic number of runs is 3). Read the rest of this entry
Tigers/Indians + Cubs Eliminated From MLB Shutout Survivor 2016: But Cubs Have 10/11 Variations Complete In MLB Runs Scoring Survivor
The Cubs may have been eliminated from MLB Shutout Survivor yesterday. however they have run through an incredible 10 of the 11 differentrun variations ( 0 – 10 runs scored) though just 12 games.. They just need to score 3 runs in a game to complete the category. It could sow it up as early as tonight when they face the St. Louis Cardinals in a NL Central showdown.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024 Follow @mlbreports
So I said last at the end of the last week that the Cubs were poised to win the MLB Runs Scoring Survivor competition, and now they are just 1 run variation short (they need 3 runs in a game).
They could win the category tonight when they renew their NL Central rivalry with the St. Louis Cardinals.
This is all possible because they were blanked 2 – 0 by Tyler Chatwood at Wrigley yesterday, coupled with 2 Nolan Arenado Homers.
Cleveland was eliminated by a 6 – 0 shutout on Sunday as well. The New York Mets took 2 of the 3 games in the Interleague series. Since the Tribe has played so few games, they were assigned the 18th place finish already.
Finally, the Tigers were bageled 1 – 0 by Dallas Keuchel and the Houston Astros. Detroit is also tied for last place in the MLB Runs Scoring Survivor – with owning 5 different results with the Padres, Rays and Jays.
Quite surprising with their potent offense, that Toronto has not tallied 8 runs in a game yet, it is believable they have not scored zero or runs though. Read the rest of this entry
MLB Schedule For Week 2 Of 2016: April 18th to April 24th (96 Games)
Fenway Park will host its annual 1105 AM start time for Patriots Day tomorrow. Make sure you get your fantasy picks in, and to also figure out your viewing schedule as well to accommodate the time.
MLB Scheduling 2016
Day + Date Away and Home, Times Start In EST
Week 3
Monday Apr.18 ( 8 Games)
D’Backs @ Giants 10:15
Rockies @ Reds 4:10
Angels @ White Sox 8:10
Brewers @ Twins 8:10
Blue Jays @ Red Sox 1105 AM. (Patriots Day)
Nats @ Marlins 7:10
Mets @ Phillies 7:05
Cubs @ Cards 8:15 Read the rest of this entry
MLB Reports 
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