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Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – May 17, 2014

Ronald Martinez - Getting Images, North America

Ronald Martinez – Getting Images, North America

I want Derek Jeter to get some truly bizarre presents during his farewell tour. And next year, Alex Rodriguez can break some great records and milestones. Will there be any celebration for THAT?

That and more on today’s episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

Josh Reddick, Christian Yelich, Chris Tillman, Jorge De La Rosa, Michael Saunders, Yu Darvish andAngel Pagan all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball

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2014’s Top Home Run Hitters In The MLB: HR Streaks (3 Active): (Donaldson, Cruz, Morse) + EE IS Mashing!

Encarnacion has put together back to back great seasons in the middle of the Jays lineup, bashing out 42 HRs in 2012, and then knocking out another 36 in 2013.  At just a contract extension of 3 YRs/$29 MIL for 2014 - 2016, the Jays MGMT can be happy with the sluggers value. EE started off slow in April with just one HR, although he has exploded for 7 in May already, and he has vaulted into the RBI race with 30 knocked in as well.  Encarnacion is third in the Majors In HRs since the start of the 2012 season

Encarnacion has put together back to back great seasons in the middle of the Jays lineup, bashing out 42 HRs in 2012, and then knocking out another 36 in 2013. At just a contract extension of 3 YRs/$29 MIL for 2014 – 2016, the Jays MGMT can be happy with the sluggers value. EE started off slow in April with just one HR, although he has exploded for 7 in May already, and he has vaulted into the RBI race with 30 knocked in as well. Encarnacion is third in the Majors In HRs since the start of the 2012 season.  Last night, he had his 2nd 2 HR game in 8 days.  EE also has a 3 game HR streak this month as well.

Edwin Encarnacion had his 2nd Multi HR game of May already, and now after a slow start, has clubbed 8 HRs and added 30 RBI for the year.

Double EE has been one of the most consistent HR hitters in the MLB from the start of the 2012 campaign, as he trails only Miguel Cabrera (94 HRs) and Chris Davis (88 HRs) – with hit total tally of 86 Homers in that time frame.

Encarnacion hit 42 HRs in 2012, and nailed 36 of them last season.

In addition to his 2 Multi HR games, he also had HRs in 3 straight games earlier in this month.

Juan Francisco and he are carrying the club, with teams seemingly pitching around Jose Bautista.

Francisco himself as done yard work 7 times in just 82 AB this year.  The new Blue Jays 3B has given them an infusion of offense.

It is kind of weird that the Brewers gave up on him – after this 27 Year Old, (who can play 1B/3B and PH) cracked 13 HRs and 32 RBI in his 240 AB for the 2013 Year.

The Brew Crew opted for Mark Reynolds, who was more expensive, but could potentially draw more walks.  Both of them strike out a ton.

Anyways, Francisco had hit 20 HRs and added 50 RBI in his last 322 AB in the big leagues.  This will suit the Canadian franchise just fine, even if his whiff rate his high.

It is funny how names continue to pop out within this organization.  There was Juan Encarnacion, then Edwin Encarnacion.

Then you have Frank Francisco, Ben Francisco – and now Juan Francisco, which is a mix for Ben Francisco and Juan Encarnacion.

Of course they already have two Jose’s in Bautista and Reyes, and they also had  Perez’s last year.

And I digress. Read the rest of this entry

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – May 15, 2014

AP Photo

AP Photo

With roughly 25% of the season already in the books, the AL East is hovering around .500.

For the Orioles, Blue Jays and Rays, this is a chance to take the Division and run with it. Push the chips all in NOW!

That and an interesting trade by the A’s on  The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

Masahiro Tanaka, David Murphy, Doug Fister, Hunter Pence, Brandon McCarthy, Nelson Cruz and Chris Johnson all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball.

 

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Odds To Win The 2014 MLB World Series – Updated For Week 7 + Best Value Bets

I sound like a broken record, but where is the love for this team.  Okay, they may not win this thing, but at +4500, and they have an easy AL Central schedule for the rest of the year, great pitching - and could trade for a batter.  Best Value on the Board - rated as the 19th longest shot.

I sound like a broken record, but where is the love for this team? Okay, they may not win this thing, but at +4500, and they have an easy AL Central schedule for the rest of the year, great pitching – and could trade for a batter. Best Value on the Board – rated as the 19th longest shot.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): 

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For my best bets last week – I was 4 – 0 – 1.  Cleveland has stayed at +8000, TB has risen from +3300 to this week +3000.  The Pirates went from +6600 to +5000 and the Orioles went from +4500 to +4000.  I was also right on the the Royals going from +5000 – +4500.

With the +4500:  This is pretty stupid considering KC is 20 – 19, and would be considered tied for the Wild Card Spot.  Clearly with the White Sox, Twins and Indians, they have one of the better strength of schedules favoring them.

Also, love Yordano Ventura becoming better as the year carries on, and have Danny Duffy pitching frames again as a starter.  The offense is starting to heat up a little bit.  They will be my best bet of this week.

I went 2 – 2 – 1 with my worst odds on the board, as the A’ stayed the same for yet another week.  The Angels proved me wrong by climbing from +1400 – +1200 and SF shot up from +1400 all the way to +1100.

I had the Marlins on the way down, and they plummeted from +6600 last week to +12500 this week,

Toronto also went from +2800 + 3000 In my favor.

Be sure to scroll down who I pick this week (Haven’t deviated much from last week.) Read the rest of this entry

2014’s Top HR Hitters In The MLB: HR Streaks (3 Active): (Ortiz, Solarte, Donaldson) + Abreu’s Monster Start In 2014

 

For the 2nd straight game David Ortiz clubbed 2 HRs against his former team the Twins.  The big Red Sox DH now is tied for 2nd in the AL with 11 HRs (with Nelson Cruz).  The 38 Year Old Designated Hitter is pulverizing the ball of late, and has shown no signs of slowing down.  This bodes well for Boston, who can use the automatic advantage Ortiz gives them at a position that is struggling to find players that thrive in.

For the 2nd straight game David Ortiz clubbed 2 HRs against his former team the Twins. The big Red Sox DH now is tied for 2nd in the AL with 11 HRs (with Nelson Cruz). The 38 Year Old Designated Hitter is pulverizing the ball of late, and has shown no signs of slowing down. This bodes well for Boston, who can use the automatic advantage Ortiz gives them at a position that is struggling to find players that thrive in.  The LHB has sipped champagne after winning 3 World Series with Boston, and with the way he is slugging of late, the Beantowners will be back atop the AL East Division rather shortly

David Ortiz not only hit jacks in 2 consecutive games, the ALL – Time DH HR leader hit 2 of them, in both Tuesday and Wednesday’s game.

For his efforts, he has tied for 2nd in AL HRs.  The man keeps on ticking even at the age of 38.

Nelson Cruz blasted a shot that almost brought the O’s back in a game they trailed the Tigers 6 – 0.  The O’s may have lost 7 – 5, but they continue to receive great play from this man.

Cruz was a bargain basement deal at 1 YR/$8 MIL, for a guy who is currently on pace to smash over 40 HRs, and drive in well over 120 RBI.

These are the kind of numbers the 33 Year Old was posting for the Rangers in 2013, before being placed on 50 game suspension for his part in the Biogenesis PED mess. Read the rest of this entry

2014’s Top Home Run Hitters In The MLB: AL/NL, HR Streaks (1 Active) + Multi HRs Games

Brandon Moss has unleashed some serious power in the Bay Area since becoming  a member of the A's.  He has clubbed 59 HRs and added 172 RBI in just 844 AB.  This means he is averaging a big fly for every 14.3 AB, and about an RBI every 4.90 AB.  This is outstanding production.  In 550 AB, he would club about 38 HRs and add about 112 RBI.  Oakland has him under team control for 2015 and 2016 in Arbitration before he can hit Free Agency.  Moss has 8 HRs (2 last night) and knocked in 33 - while carrying a 3 Slash of .286/.364/.526 - which is close to his .894 Lifetime OPS with the A's,

Brandon Moss has unleashed some serious power in the Bay Area since becoming a member of the A’s. He has clubbed 59 HRs and added 172 RBI in just 844 AB. This means he is averaging a big fly for every 14.3 AB, and about an RBI every 4.90 AB. This is outstanding production. In 550 AB, he would club about 38 HRs and add about 112 RBI. Oakland has him under team control for 2015 and 2016 in Arbitration before he can hit Free Agency in 2017. Moss has 8 HRs (2 last night) and knocked in 33 this season – while carrying a 3 Slash of .286/.364/.526 – which is close to his .894 Lifetime OPS with the A’s,

Brandon Moss continued to raise his stock in the realms of the power hitting players pantheon Tuesday by doing yard work twice.

David Ortiz did all he could to help Boston win with a 2 HR effort.  There you go, looking at his year numbers for 2014, as they bare resemblance to his career 3 Slash.

The only active MLB’er to carry HRs in consecutive games this day is Mets OF Curtis Granderson.

This fine gentlemen showed the New York fans what they are missing, as he has clubbed shots over the wall in back to back games.

Granderson had back to back 40+ HR campaigns with the Bronx Bombers, and will always be compared to Carlos Beltran in the next 3 years.  They both have 5 HRs – and Granderson has 4 more RBI, while Beltran has better averages.

Beltran is also hurt now with a bone spur.  The Yankes felt his postseason pedigree was the deciding factor of signing him over Granderson.

Both Ortiz and Victor Martinez climbed into the top 5 in HRs last evening.

All 5 HR streaks ended for the guys who had walked into the night from previous games – including C.J. Cron losing his consecutive games bid via pinch hitting against the Phillies. Read the rest of this entry

2014’s Top Home Run Hitters: AL/NL, HR Streaks (5 Active) + Multi HRs Games

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There were a lot of HRs hit for how few games there were on a shortened Monday schedule last evening.  Yasiel Puig hit a mammoth HR to erase a 2 run deficit into a lead.

The 2nd Year Dodger is on fire right now, and has hit back to back HRs in the last few games. 

After a slower start, the 23 Year Old is now resembling the player he was last year, featuring a .318/.408/.551 3 Slash Line for the campaign – with 7 HRs and 29 RBI.

These totals put him on pace for about 33 HRs and 120 RBI for the year if he keeps it up.  He will quickly be reengaged into the NL MVP Voting if his is the case. Read the rest of this entry

2014’s Top Home Run Hitters: AL/NL, HR Streaks (3 Active) + Multi HRs Games

For the 3rd straight weekend, Mark Teixeira has hit HRs in back to back games.  He has begun his 2014 season with power we haven't seen from him in a few years.  Tex has 7 HRs in just 79 AB - with having knocked in 16 RBI.  He is on pace to crack about 40 HRs and add about 100 RBI.  Don't think he will maintain that pace, but a 25 - 30 HRs campaign, with 80 RBI is not out of the question,

For the 3rd straight weekend, Mark Teixeira has hit HRs in back to back games. He has begun his 2014 season with power we haven’t seen from him in a few years. Tex has 7 HRs in just 79 AB – with having knocked in 16 RBI. He is on pace to crack about 40 HRs and add about 100 RBI. Don’t think he will maintain that pace, but a 25 – 30 HRs campaign, with 80 RBI is not out of the question.

Yesterday, Derek Norris hit 2 HRs to lift the A’s to a sweep over the Nationals.  He also had back to back games of HRs early last month, and is featuring an OPS of nearly 1.100.

John Jaso, he is Catching tandem partner, had back to back games with dingers over the weekend.

Dustin Ackley hit HRs in both Saturday and Sunday games to put himself on our board of HRs.  On Sunday, the guy clobbered two balls over the wall to give him 4 on the year. 

Joey VottoTroy Tulowitzki and Mark Teixeira all have been hit big HRs over the last 20 calendar days, all featuring 3 different stints, where they carried HR streak of 2 or more games.

Victor Martinez is also creeping up on the leaderboard with his recent power surge.

Finally, Charlie Blackmon did some yard work giving him 9 HRs and 29 RBI on the young season.  He is tied for 5th in NL HRs. Read the rest of this entry

30 MLB Team Power Rankings: Week 7 – May 2014

The Mariners are 10 - 4 in their last 14 games - without receiving any outstanding play from one particular player.  They are the biggest jumpers in this weeks rankings, going from #20 - #15.  The club concludes a series vs the Kansas City Royals, before they welcome the Tampa Rays next into Safeco Field.

The Mariners are 10 – 4 in their last 14 games – without receiving any outstanding play from one particular player. They are the biggest jumpers in this weeks rankings, going from #20 – #15. The club concludes a series vs the Kansas City Royals, before they welcome the Tampa Rays next into Safeco Field.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): 

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We are almost at the quarter pole for action in the MLB.

The biggest mover and shakers this week were the Seattle Mariners, followed by Baltimore Orioles. LA Angels and San Francisco Giants.

Plummeting in the other directions were led by the Phils, who we dropped from 17th to 24th.

The Yankees, Nationals, Dodgers and Rangers all lost 4 places in the rankings based on sub-par weeks.

The AL New York franchise is about 1 bad week from free-falling to the AL East.  Right now the team has received buoyancy because of ace Masahiro Tanaka being 5 – 0.

Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran are having a tough time finding their rhythm with the Bronx Bombers.

I believe the Dodgers will rectify their situation shortly and take off.

Washington is barely over .500 even though most of their players are playing to their capabilities.

The Royals offense is destroying their team morale, as is the Mets having a tough time with the Relief Core, and their Pitchers are still battling .000 for the year like you and me.

Oakland is still leading the MLB in wins since the start of the 2012 year.

The Red Sox are one of the most likely teams to climb the standings in the next few weeks.

With the Cards not playing well, keep in mind, 18 of the next 21 games reside in Busch Stadium for them.  It is time to make some headway.

The AL has fashioned a 18 – 8 mark in Interleague this week to apply a 34 – 33 overall lead on the NL now.

The Rockies are blasting every baseball into orbit right now.  These guys are hitting as well at home as the Pre-Humidor ERA. Read the rest of this entry

Odds To Win The 2014 MLB World Series – Updated For Week 6

  Yes the Rays are playing terrible baseball at 15 - 21, but they are only 4 games behind the playoff bar.  They always start off the year slow - and the exponentially become better as the year wears on.  When Alex Cobb comes back - they have the best Starting Rotation in the AL East, and I think they are most capable of making a run at a playoff berth.  At +3300, Tied for 14th longest odd, I am placing them the best value on the board, given their pedigree for strong second half's.

Yes the Rays are playing terrible baseball at 15 – 21, but they are only 4 games behind the playoff bar. They always start off the year slow – and the exponentially become better as the year wears on. When Alex Cobb comes back – they have the best Starting Rotation in the AL East, and I think they are most capable of making a run at a playoff berth. At +3300, Tied for 14th longest odd, I am placing them the best value on the board, given their pedigree for strong second half’s.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): 

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My best value picks last week I was 3 – 2,  1. The Royals dropped from +3500 – +5000, 2. Reds went from +5000 – +4000, TB went from +2500 – +3300,  as the Orioles went from +5000 – 4500, and the Cards went from +1100 – +1000. 

I still believe the Royals will turn around their season – and may beat the AL teams cannibalizing each other for a Wild Card Stretch.  They went 47 – 34 down the pike, and may just be a better 2nd half club.

The Orioles at +700 for the AL East is a better wager than the +4500 right now, as i don’t believe they have the tools to win the World Series, but they could eek out the Division.

The Reds are hanging in despite injury, and I think the Brewers will fall back, so it is just the Cards to contend with in the long run, and Cincy is just 1 Game behind those guys.  +4000 is still a great value.

The Rays are totally struggling as we speak at 15 – 21, however they are just 4 games behind the playoff bar, and should be receiving Alex Cobb back shortly. 

Out of all of the AL East teams, they are probably best suited for a 20 – 5 stretch with their pitching.  They will be the best odd this week.

Worst Odds on the Board I was right in my assessment on 2, broke even on the other 2 – and neglected to think the Jays would move up, but they did from +3000 – +2800.  SF and Oak were the draws both keeping their previous odd.

The #1 worst odd pick of last week was Boston, and they dropped from +1200 +1400.

My 2nd worst odd was Cleveland at +5500 – and they skyrocketed down the road all the way to +8000.

So for the week, I fashioned a 5 – 3 – 2 overall record for value plays.  Keep reading at the end of this post too see my picks this week. Read the rest of this entry

Angels Last Remaining Team To Be Bageled In 2014, But The Offense Is Struggling Of Late

DiPoto has constructed a team that has great power when healthy, and have the best player in baseball in Mike Trout, but this club has a tough time not striking out, and worse is that they also don't draw Walks.  Their last few year offensive acquisitions in Ibanez, Stewart, Freese, Cowgill and Iannetta

DiPoto has constructed a team that has great power when healthy, and have the best player in baseball in Mike Trout, but this club has a tough time not striking out, and worse is that they also don’t draw Walks. Their last few year offensive acquisitions in Ibanez, Stewart, Freese, Cowgill and Iannetta have fanned 123 times in just 371 total AB in 2014, while only walking 41 total combined times in the same time frame.  They have only attributed 11 HRs and 47 RBI for their efforts as well.  The Slash Line is .202/.292/.340 for those guys. Can the core guys of Trout, Pujols, Hamilton (when back), Kendrick and Aybar make up for the anemic production they are receiving?

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): 

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Last night the Rangers finally did what no one else has done in 2014 thus far, Shutout the Rockies 5 – 0.

While Nolan Arenado was able to extend his hitting streak to 28, the Rox failed to plate a runner.

This leaves the Los Angeles Angels as the only team left in the MLB to not have suffered zero runs in a game.

I am not giving the title to LA yet, as they have played 4 less game than the Rockies.  Technically calendar wise, the Halo’s pulled of the feat, but lets see if they can make it through the weekend in Canada without being Shutout.

I think Los Angeles has a great chance in the next 4 games to score at Skydome, so if I could place a wager on the thing I would. Read the rest of this entry

2014 Top Home Run Hitters: AL/NL, HR Streaks (5 Active) + Multi HRs: The Heavy Hitters Are Finally Awake

The 2012 and 2013 AL MVP finally is putting it all together.  Miguel Cabrera has helped bash Detroit to an 8 game wining streak, and has finally hit HRs in back to back games. After hitting for a decent average for a few weeks, the 31 Year Old 1B has been racking up RBI, and is adding power back to his repertoire. Miggy now has 25 RBI in 29 Games Played despite just cranking 4 HRs.   But this writer feels a hot streak coming from the RHB.  Cabrera is coming off back to back 44 HR campaigns.

The 2012 and 2013 AL MVP finally is putting it all together. Miguel Cabrera has helped bash Detroit to an 8 game wining streak, and has finally hit HRs in back to back games.After hitting for a decent average for a few weeks, the 31 Year Old 1B has been racking up RBI, and is adding power back to his repertoire. Miggy now has 25 RBI in 29 Games Played despite just cranking 4 HRs. But this writer feels a hot HRs streak coming from the RHB. Cabrera is coming off back to back 44 HR campaigns.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): 

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I picked him to lead the AL and Giancarlo Stanton to lead tie him for the most in the MLB with 49 each.  I think the guy could still do it.  He blasted 44 HRs last year, when he couldn’t even hit for power during the last 6 weeks of 2013.

Also effectively off the snide is Adrian Beltre, who clubbed a Round Tripper in the last 2 games the Rockies have obliterated the Rangers.  It may come as little solace to the now 17 – 17 Texas team, but your Silver Slugger 3B is starting to mash.

Now only if you could have the real Prince Fielder stand up and do the same! Read the rest of this entry

Odds To Win The 2014 Divisions: Colorado Biggest Jump As A Favorite

Matt Wieters is off to an outstanding start to the 2014 season, and it would be a crying shame if the Catcher had to be shelved with a position player Tommy John Surgery.  The 27 Year Old Veteran has slashed .341/.374/.560 with 5 HRs and 18 RBI so far this campaign.  Wieters has one more year of Arbitration Eligibility before he hits the open market in 2016.  If Wieters is injured but could still play, he may be the Full Time DH for the rest of 2014.

Matt Wieters is off to an outstanding start to the 2014 season, and it would be a crying shame if the Catcher had to be shelved with a position player Tommy John Surgery. The 27 Year Old Veteran has slashed .341/.374/.560 with 5 HRs and 18 RBI so far this campaign. Wieters has one more year of Arbitration Eligibility before he hits the open market in 2016. If Wieters is injured but could still play, he may be the Full Time DH for the rest of 2014.  If he is cleared to play tonight, the O’s would be right up there with the Rays for value in terms of gambling who will win the AL East.  New York and Boston simply don’t pay enough.

 

Odds To Win The 2014 Divisions

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): 

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2 weeks ago I wrote my last Division Odds piece. You can read that article here. 

I jumped on board the odd for the Colorado Rockies at +1800 for the NL West.  Everyone was still buying into the San Diego Padres more.

 With the early season slumping for the Dodgers, and injury woes, I liked the Rox value at the clip it was at.

Fast forward to today, and the odd is now at +750.

In the AL East, I talked about the Orioles doing a good job weathering the storm before Manny Machado was back.

This club still hasn’t received steady contributions from an injured Chris Davis, or a slumping Adam Jones, but they sit tied for 1st place with New York.

I would have picked them to be the best bet again this week in the AL East, except for the Matt Wieters UCL deal has me worried.

When has a visit to Dr. Andrews translated well lately?

In my article here today, I have highlighted my pick from last post, and I how I fared.  The bold picks represent who I think is the best value play for the $ wagered. Read the rest of this entry

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – May 6, 2014

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I’m sick.

My being sick didn’t prevent me from recording a podcast today. I did so from the tub.

I talked Rivera, Cano, pinch running and Willie Mays.

That and more on today’s episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

Carlos Gomez, Stefen Romero, Nathan Eovaldi, Jered Weaver, Jeff Samardzija, Jarred Cosart, Eric Hosmer andAndrew McCutchen all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball.

Read the rest of this entry

2014 Top Home Run Hitters: AL/NL, HR Streaks (3 Active) + Multi HRs: Myers + Stanton W/Big Days

Giancarlo Stanton is healthy, motivated and when he is on, no ballparks can hold his behemoth blasts in.  Of his 10 HRs, 9 of them have traveled further than 400 Feet.  In the young season, Stanton leads the NL with HRs (10), the Majors with RBI (36) and Total Bases (NL - 74).  The 24 Year Old from Panorama, CA has Slashed .285/.362/.603 - and is a major reason why the Marlins are just a game and a half behind the NL Division Leader.

Giancarlo Stanton is healthy, motivated and when he is on, no ballparks can hold his behemoth blasts. Of his 10 HRs, 9 of them have traveled further than 400 Feet. In the young season, Stanton leads the NL with HRs (10), the Majors with RBI (36) and Total Bases (NL – 74). The 24 Year Old from Panorama, CA has Slashed .285/.362/.603 – and is a major reason why the Marlins are just a game and a half behind the NL Division Leading Braves.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): 

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It was quite the day yesterday for the Tater Trots in the MLB.  Giancarlo Stanton hit 2 big thunderous HRs – to take sole possession of the NL HR lead, in carrying his team to a series win versus the Dodgers, and the Marlins are now 14 – 5 at New Marlins Ball Park this year.

George Kottaras came off the scrap heap to paste 2 shots over the fence.  These HRs represented the only two big flies of the year for the Catcher.

Brandon Crawford hit 2 HRs in the GIants sweep of the Atlanta Braves.  Where Pablo Sandoval has failed for power so far, the INF tandem of “Team Brandon, Belt, Hicks and Crawford” have combined for 16 HRs in 277 AB from the 1B/2B and 3B.

When you throw in Buster Posey‘s totals, then it is 23 HRs in 382 AB.  “Kung Fu” 3B needs to get off the snide in his contract year.

Wil Myers continues his ownership of the Yankees, with an Inside The Park 3 run HR, and adding an RBI Double – keying a 5 -1 win over the Bronx Bombers and CC Sabathia, clinching the series 2/3.

It was the 2nd straight game in which Myers did some yard work, and he also had a 2 HR game against the Pinstripers on Apr.19..  Read a Captioned picture at the end of this article to see his prowess over the Yanks thus far in his short career.

Jonathan Villar of the Houston Astros hit a HR for the 2nd straight contest.

Jose Abreu added to his MLB lead in HRs with his 12th Roundtripper. Read the rest of this entry

30 MLB Team Power Rankings: Week 6 – May. 2014

The Motown Boys won all 4 games they played this week and have opened up a 4 game lead on the Royals.  This team has the easiest schedule left on the board.  The squad also announced they have picked up Reliever Joel Hanrahan,  This is a great depth move on their part, and insurance for the Closers position.

The Motown Boys won all 4 games they played this week and have opened up a 4 game lead on the Royals. This team has the easiest schedule left on the board. The squad also announced they have picked up Reliever Joel Hanrahan, This is a great depth move on their part, and insurance for the Closers position.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): 

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As we enter the 2nd month of play in the Major League Baseball, we really start to delve into who is playing good and who is playing bad.

How about we begin with the National League holding a 26 – 17 record versus the American League in Interleague play. 

The last stat is the main reason why there is only 3 teams out of the 15 with a positive Run Differential.  (No team in the AL East has a club in the plus, and only the Tigers have one in the AL Central.

The Angels and A’s also yield nice Run Differentials – however a lot of that was from beating up the Houston Astros.

The NL possesses 9 clubs with a positive mark.

The NL East has all 5 teams with a .500 clip or better heading into today’s action. Read the rest of this entry

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – May 3, 2014

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A few weeks ago, writer and performer Michael Bernard was my guest on the podcast, talking about the show he wrote and helped create, “Baseball Swing with the All Star Baseball Jazz Band.”

Well, our conversation kept going and we remembered what it was like living in New York as Red Sox fans during the peak of the rivalry, 2003 and 2004.

That part of the conversation is today’s episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

Subscribe to “Live from the Piano Kitchen’s Podcast”, hosted by Michael, by clicking HERE.

Listen to Michael’s previous appearance on the podcast by clicking HERE.

Dustin Pedroia, Ubaldo Jimenez, Wily Peralta, Starling Marte, Cliff Lee, Ricky Nolasco, Jhonny Peralta andJacoby Ellsbury all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball.

Read the rest of this entry

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – May 1, 2014

Photo: Michael Perez

Photo: Michael Perez

It is no longer April. What chance does a team have to make the playoffs if they are in first place on May 1? the last 10 seasons suggests it is about 50/50.

That and more on today’s episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

Tim Hudson, Allen Craig, Hank Conger, Jesse Chavez, Edwin Encarnacion and Carlos Gomez all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball.

Read the rest of this entry

Odds To Win The 2014 MLB World Series – Updated For Week 5

Kansas City is the latest best bet on the board.  I have fared well picking good weeks recently for the Reds and Rockies, so lets see if we can keep this up.  The Royals are 14 - 12 - and 1.5 GB the Tigers heading into play today.  At +3500, there is value.

Kansas City is the latest best bet on the board for bang for the buck. I have fared well picking good weeks recently for the Tigers, Reds and Rockies, so lets see if we can keep this up. The Royals are 14 – 12 – and 1.5 GB the Tigers heading into play today. At +3500 to win the Fall Classic, there is value there.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): 

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Last Weeks best bet on the board that we slated was the Colorado Rockies at +6600.  With a strong week, and 5 HRs in the last week plus, Troy Tulowitzki has elevated the Rox to near the top of the NL West.

This week, they jumped all the way to +3500, marking the second time in as many weeks, our best bet almost cut their odd in half. We also said the Yankees were a good play at +1600, and they vaulted up to +1200 again,

The Royals have gone 5 – 5 in their last 10 games, and have receded from +3300 – +3500, however this will be one of my top plays this week.  These guys are 14 – 12 now, and haven’t even played to potential.

My #4 and #5 picks for best bets had struggles this week.  Texas went from +1600 – +1800, which isn’t a massive fall, and the Reds went from +4000 – +5000.  Again, I question the logic of placing these guys so far back. Read the rest of this entry

MLB Team Runs Survivor Through Games Played Apr.29: KC Joins The 11/11 Club (6th Team To Complete)

Salvador Perez hit a 2 run HR to make it a 5 -4 game, then hit a 2 run Double to break it open for KC in the 8th inning, as part of a 6 run frame against the Blue Jays Bullpen.  The Royals pulled their record over .500 at 13 - 12 on a 10 - 7 win over the Canadian franchise.

Salvador Perez hit a 2 run HR to make it a 5 -4 game, then hit a 2 run Double to break it open for KC in the 8th inning, as part of a 6 run frame against the Blue Jays Bullpen. The Royals pulled their record over .500 at 13 – 12 on a 10 – 7 win over the Canadian franchise. The win also marked the 1st time the squad had scored 10 or more runs for the year.

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner):

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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 Kansas City Royals played their 25th game last night, and became the 6th fastest club to complete their 11 run totals.  The club is far from their offense peak, but last night was promising, dropping a 6 spot in the BOT of 8 to seal a victory against the Blue Jays. Read the rest of this entry

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – April 29, 2014

USATSI

USATSI

The Brewers and Cardinals played the game of the night and any Yankee fan who wants to boo Robinson Cano is a fool.

That and more on today’s episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

Troy TulowitzkiMike Trout, Sonny Gray, Yovani Gallardo, Carlos Santana and Matt Holliday all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball.

Read the rest of this entry

30 MLB Team Power Rankings: Week 5 – Apr. 2014

The Astros have helped pad the stats for teams like the A's, Rangers and Angels offenses and Run Differentials so far,  Having this cupcake team will definitely help your playoff chances with the weighted divisional play.

The Astros have helped pad the stats for teams like the A’s, Rangers and Angels offenses and Run Differentials so far in 2014, Having this cupcake team will definitely help your playoff chances with the weighted divisional play.  I will be amazed if they finish out of last in the American League this year, and maybe only the Chicago Cubs will challenge them for the 1st overall pick again for the 2015 MLB Amateur Draft.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): 

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We are now at the 13 – 14% pole of the MLB year.  Parity is reigning supreme on the standings.

For the record, while I love the Milwaukee start, they are just too many variables for them to keep up this pace.

Don’t get me wrong, i think this team is capable of making the playoffs, winning 90 games, but it could be eliminated as fast as they have compiled this record.

Ryan Braun’s thumb could require surgery. Ramirez’s knee’s could fail him.

Considering last night’s situation with Braun and Gomez, that could alter the playing field for the NL.

The suspension laid down for the brawl with the Pirates could also sway some momentum.  Good on Milwaukee for starting 18 – 6.  I just think the Cards will track them down in the next 138 games. Read the rest of this entry

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – April 24, 2014

(Photo by Anthony J. Causi)

(Photo by Anthony J. Causi)

Why don’t I record my podcasts ahead of time?

Because you will never know when a Yankee pitcher smeared pine tar on his neck!

Also, the Cubs snub Sammy Sosa and I am not cool with that.

That and more on today’s episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

Kyle Seager, Martin Perez, Hector Sanchez, Zack Greinke, Desmond Jennings, Sonny Gray, Matt Carpenter and Jeff Samardzija all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball.

Read the rest of this entry

LA Dodgers Eliminated From Shutout Survivor – Leaving TEX/LAA + COL Left

Cliff Lee was downright filthy last in blanking the Dodgers.  It was the 1st 0 runs game for the NL Los Angeles team, thus eliminating them from this competition.  The only NL team left is the Colorado Rockies, who of course play in Coors Field.

Cliff Lee was downright filthy last in blanking the Dodgers. It was the 1st 0 runs game for the NL Los Angeles team, thus eliminating them from this competition. The only NL team left is the Colorado Rockies, who of course play in Coors Field as their home ballpark. The Phillies have received decent power from Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and now Ryan Howard has hit homers in back to back games, pacing the Philly to a 9 – 10 start, with Cole Hamels coming back.

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner):

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Eliminated Last Night are the Dodgers.

After the games on Apr.20th, there are 27 teams taken out of this competition.  The AL West still has 2 teams remaining in this and the NL has 1  All Divisions are eliminated except for those two.

Should be a great contest to see who can be the last team to score zero runs in a game. Read the rest of this entry

30 MLB Team Power Rankings: Week 4 MLB Baseball Apr. 2014

los_angeles_dodgers_logo-9460

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): 

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We are now at the 10% pole of the MLB year.  The American League looks to have some serious battles taking place in the divisions, while the National League has teams who are separating from others.

Kansas City put themselves back on the map with a 5 – 2 week, and now have a tie for the AL Central lead.

The Yankees started the week winning 4 straight, before dropping the last contests with the Rays, but look good for the long haul.

The Rays officially lost Matt Moore for the year, and Alex Cobb is gone for a while too.

Albert Pujols is bouncing towards 500 HRs, but his Halo’s are in the midst of a tough 3 city road trip.

The Nationals are learning once again that nothing is handed to you. Read the rest of this entry

And Then There Were 5 Teams Left: MLB Shutout Survivor 2014 Contest

Harang, who was part of four organizations in the last year, no hit the Mets for 7 Innings before coming out of the game for Atlanta last night.  While the Relief Core could not keep the no-hitter intact, they kept the Shutout, thus eliminating the Mets from the 2014 Shutout Survivor competition.

Harang, who was part of four organizations in the last year, no hit the Mets for 7 Innings before coming out of the game for Atlanta last night – after 121 pitches thrown. While the Relief Core could not keep the no-hitter intact, they kept the Shutout, thus eliminating the Mets from the 2014 Shutout Survivor competition.  Harang has been lights out for the Braves this year, as that was his second game carrying a no – hitter into the 7th inning already.

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner):

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Eliminated Last Night are the Mets, Twins and White Sox.

In this post, which we are also going to feature in a Subpage at the site called ‘Shutout Survivor’, we will document who wins this race for all 30 MLB Teams, meaning we will state the date a teams gets Shutout for the 1st time of the year.

After the games on Apr.18th, there are 25 teams taken out of this competition.  The AL still has 3 teams remaining in this and the NL has 2  The NL Central and AL East and NL East are completely eliminated as well.

Should be a great contest to see who can be the last team to score zero runs in a game.

5 teams yet to be blanked:  Rockies, Dodgers, Indians, Rangers and Angels. Read the rest of this entry

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – April 19, 2014

Photo: Gene Puskar/AP

Photo: Gene Puskar/AP

 

Can you imagine baseball history had Barry Bonds played for the Braves? Mariano Rivera as a Tiger? Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera in the same lineup?

These are the deals that nearly happened.

That and more on today’s episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

Aaron Harang, Giancarlo Stanton, Howie Kendrick, Martin Perez, Matt Cain, Justin Masterson, Jacoby Ellsbury and Russell Martin all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball.

Read the rest of this entry

MLB Shutout Survivor: 22 Teams Eliminated + 8 Teams Remain Through Apr.17

Considering they lost the opener to the Phillies 14 - 10, the makeshift Pitching Staff has performed well in the last 15 games, authoring 4 Shutouts as a collective staff.  Texas is one of 8 teams also not be blanked on the offensive side of the table.  Not bad considering Prince Fielder just has 1 HR, J.P. Arencibia is hitting under .100 - and Adrian Beltre is still on the DL.  The Rangers are 9 - 7 - and now 2nd in the AL West.

Considering they lost the opener to the Phillies 14 – 10, the makeshift Pitching Staff has performed well in the last 15 games, authoring 4 Shutouts as a collective staff. Texas is one of 8 teams also not be blanked on the offensive side of the table. Not bad considering Prince Fielder just has 1 HR, J.P. Arencibia is hitting under .100 – and Adrian Beltre is still on the DL. The Rangers are 9 – 7 – and now 2nd in the AL West.

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner):

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In this post, which we are also going to feature in a Subpage at the site called ‘Shutout Survivor’, we will document who wins this race for all 30 MLB Teams, meaning we will state the date a teams gets Shutout for the 1st time of the year.

After the games on Apr.17th, there are 12 teams taken out of this competition.  The AL still has 5 teams remaining in this and the NL has 3  The NL Central and AL East are completely eliminated as well.

Should be a great contest to see who can be the last team to score zero runs in a game, Read the rest of this entry

Odds To Win The 2014 MLB World Series – Updated For Week 3

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): 

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Odds To Win The 2014 World Series

1.  LA Dodgers +600 (Up from +650)

Dodgers are still a good pick, but with SF lurking and Clayton Kershaw not back yet, that +600 looks bad.  Plus SF beat them 5 out of 6 so far.

2.  Washington Nationals +800

I like this club – but Stephen Strasburg‘s slow start, and injuries are plaguing Ryan Zimmerman and even Bryce Harper to an extent.  Plus Atlanta is right there with them right now.   

3.  Detroit Tigers +700 (Up From +900)

Lets see. They can’t score that well yet, and have a horrid start with the Bullpen.  The odds has swung to far to the favorite side here.  Stay Away.

4. St. Louis Cardinals +850 (Up From +1000)

This has to do with ownership over the Reds and Pirates so far. Read the rest of this entry

With Moore Out For TJ Surgery – The Rays Should Hold Onto Price Through 2015

Matt Moore finished 17 - 4 with a 3.29 ERA in 2013, but was off to an even better start in the 1st half before he had some elbow soreness.  Losing this LHP will hurt the club, however the team was deep with Price, Archer and Cobb still manning the 1 - 3 slots in the rotation.  That was, until Cobb went down with an injury himself.  With the teams projected #2 Starter being down for the next 12 - 18 months from his very best, the franchise should not trade Price at any cost.

Matt Moore finished 17 – 4 with a 3.29 ERA in 2013, but was off to an even better start in the 1st half before he had some elbow soreness. Losing this LHP to TJ Surgery hurts the club, however the team was deep with Price, Archer and Cobb still manning the 1 – 3 slots in the rotation. That was, until Cobb went down with an injury himself.  The squad will have to weather the storm for a few months with some organizational players that might include the players: Erik Bedard, Nate Karns or Cesar Ramos. With the teams projected #2 Starter being down for the next 12 – 18 months from his very best, the franchise should not trade Price at any cost in 2014 and 2015..  Moore is under Team Control through the 2019 year, and when he comes back to the fold at 100% in 2015, hopefully the Rays will be vying for another postseason berth in the second half.

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner):

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Lets face it.  The Tampa Bay Rays have had an incredible run at it.  The Florida squad trails only the Yankees for wins since the start of the 2008 season in baseball.

The club has made it to the postseason 4 out of the last 6 years, and possess 5 out of 6 years with 90+ Wins.

All of this with a shoestring budget, and incredible use of stretching dollars on player talent.

Every year, Andrew Freidman finds a bargain Free Agent that becomes an ALL – Star once he dawns the blue and purple. Read the rest of this entry