Pardon My Bias

After having a perfect game and a no-hitter thrown against them, the Tampa Bay Rays finally got their first franchise no-hitter on Monday. It came against the Detroit Tigers, who almost had their own perfect game earlier this season before the umpires messed up Armando Galarraga’s bid for a perfect outing.

This is the 6th no-hitter this season (counting Galarraga’s game) and in the modern era of baseball, the highest has been seven in one season. There is a chance that this record could be broken this year, maybe even obliterated at this rate. Now comes the question of whether this is a result of good pitching or poor batting.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/

I think it may just be a mix of both. I truly do believe the whole steroid issue plays a little part in this pitching revival. How big of a part, I do not know. It does not surprise me though that there has been a rise in pitching after the whole steroid issue has been broken wide open. It just makes clear sense that there would be a decline in offense as soon as steroid rules became more strict. This in no way gives us a reason to take away from the phenomenal pitching.

Pitchers are just that damn good now. They all are now throwing the heat. A vast majority of today’s pitchers can throw in the mid 90s and that makes it truly difficult for the hitters. Also doesn’t help that they have such a variety in pitches and have spot on accuracy.

Although the key factor in all of this is luck. In order for the perfect game to be pitched there has to be some luck. Sometimes things just have to fall your way and this year they are falling for the pitchers. Either way, I will not complain because it is quiet exciting to see these pitchers make it through 9 innings without giving up a hit. It is nail biting TV and is definitely a good thing for baseball.

My final comment: Please Padres…get your first franchise no-hitter! You have some of the best pitching in the league so do it already!

http://www.opposingviews.com

The Texas Rangers have been on fire during these dog days of summer. The Rangers don’t see it as the dog days. While most struggle through the middle of the season, the hot weather, and straggling injuries, the Rangers find themselves with a chance to make a deep run into the post season. Due to a good pitching staff, solid hitting, and reliable defense in a weak division, the Rangers have pretty much guaranteed themselves a slot in the playoffs in the fall.

The Rangers have come out with a 58-41 record through their first 99 games and have a 7 game lead over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. In a division that has recently been dominated by the Angels, the Rangers have come out and surprised many. The Rangers just finished an important series with the Angels which they won 3-1 to solidify their lead in the AL West.

A lot of the success can be credited to a solid pitching staff for the Rangers. They have a solid rotation in C.J Wilson, Tommy Hunter, Colby Lewis, and recently acquired Cliff Lee. The Rangers made a major commitment to winning this year when they won the Cliff Lee sweepstakes. Lee was the mid-season pick-up that many contenders wanted in order to fortify their pitching rotation. The Rangers were able to outbid the defending champs New York Yankees when one of the Yankees prospects offered in the trade suffered an injury. The Rangers staff has an ERA of 3.84 which ranks the 8^th in the league, and a superb closer in Neftali Feliz.

Cliff Lee has been a proven pitcher in the post season and won the Cy Young Award in 2008 when he played for the Cleveland Indians.  Last year, Lee was put in a similar situation when he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies to add to their rotation for the post season. Lee posted a 2-0 record in the first two rounds of the playoffs and was given the start in Game 1 of the World Series by manager Charlie Manuel. Lee pitched a complete game gem getting the win 6-1 over the Yankees. He also got a start in Game 5 where he led the Phillies to their second win in the World Series.  Lee has been a proven pitcher on the biggest stage under the brightest lights, and that type of experience will help the Rangers come October.

www.si.com

The Rangers hitting has been amongst the tops in the Majors led by slugger all-star Josh Hamilton. The middle of that line up with Michael Young, Ian Kinsler, Vladimir Guerrero, Josh Hamilton, and Nelson Cruz packs a lot of power with all of them hitting over .300 average. They rank 2^nd in batting percentage and first in hits. They are also in the top 10 in RBIs, stolen bases, and slugging percentage. Guerrero is proving many experts wrong who thought his career was on the downfall after a poor year with the Angels last year. Guerrero has been on fire belting 20 bombs and driving in 78 so far. He’s on pace for a 30+ HR and 125+ RBI season, numbers no one saw coming. Power hitting combined with strong pitching is a dangerous combination and will result in wins in the post season.

The Rangers had a promising season last year when finished 2^nd in the AL West with an 87-75 record, their first winning season since 2004. This year, I think the Rangers finish with 97 wins. I like the Rangers to win the AL West over the Angels because they have dominated them so far throughout the season. Even though the Angels picked up right-hander Dan Haren from the Arizona Diamondbacks to make a run for the AL West, I don’t think the Angels have the hitting needed to win it. The Rangers are clicking on all cylinders and I think make it to the ALCS against the New York Yankees. I still like the Yankees to win it all, but making it to the ALCS would be a huge accomplishment for the Rangers who have not made it to the playoffs since 1999.

Let’s be frank here.  Tim Lincecum hasn’t pitched consistently well since he got off to that scorching start in which he went 5-0 in his first 7 starts of the year and had a 1.76 ERA.  At that point he was averaging 1.23 strikeouts per inning and giving up only .26 walks per inning. Since that point, Lincecum has pitched a few great games (his complete game shutout of the Mets among others) but he has been incredibly inconsistent.  Whenever Lincecum was in CY Young form, he was utterly dominant and the opposing batters could not buy a run against him.  However, when he has struggled, he has really struggled.  Nothing illustrates this more than the ball slipping out of Lincecum’s hand last night versus the Dodgers.  It was definitely a comical event, to everyone other than Lincecum.  That had to be pretty embarrassing for the reigning Cy Young winner. He has already given up 9 HRs this season compared to 10 in 2009 and 11 in 2008.  His strike out count is down (even though he is still top 5 in the majors) and he is on track to giving up more runs this season.

http://www.usatoday.com

So what’s going on with Lincecum? Why can’t he seem to figure it out like he has the past two years?  Opposing batters seem to be getting the bat on the ball more and making him pay for it with his costly mistakes.  He has yet to have shown command over his curveball and he has lost his command over his lethal fastball.  His lack of control has led to a spike in walks given up. In fact he has tied his career high for mosts walks in a game (5) 4 times this season. In addition to this, runners are able to steal bases on Lincecum since he seems to not pay attention to them while he’s on the mound and this allows the opposition to get into scoring position with more ease.

Could there a physical injury that could explain his sudden loss of control? There have been rumors of a blister on his throwing hand (Manager Bruce Bochy vehemently denies this issue) and there was also a cracked nail that looked pretty gnarly earlier in the season.  While Lincecum himself denies any injuries and has said all the “right” things about his performance, we many never know the truth.  Maybe his arm is tiring a little.  This is a possibility as we have seen his velocity decrease from last year.  But its hard to say this is a physical problem that Lincecum has been dealing with.  He has had some absolutely wonderful starts and he has won every one of them.  But this mediocre outtings does concern me a little bit.

My guess is that this is mental issue that Lincecum needs to deal with himself.  He is a back-to-back NL Cy Young winner and the staff ace of a team that relies heavily on pitching.  Lincecum could be putting too much pressure on himself and thinking about each pitch too much.  If this is the case, he needs to just let loose and pitch the way we all know he can pitch.  When an athlete over-thinks what they are doing, it can lead to them making subtle adjustments that they don’t even realize.  It is evident to any baseball fan that has watched Lincecum over the past 3+ years that he just hasn’t had his best stuff.  It could also be the pressure of winning on another Cy Young award.  Other young pitchers like Ubaldo Jimenez and Josh Johnson are nipping at his heels for the title of “Best Young Pitcher in the Game.” While Lincecum isn’t terrible, but he just isn’t pitching like Tim Lincecum.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball

Lincecum is still one of the best pitchers in the game today, but he isn’t even in the talks for the Cy Young at this point.  And the blames for this solely rests squarely on Lincecum’s shoulders.  While he has shown flashes of brilliance, he has yet to hit a consistent groove and Giants fans everywhere are hoping it happens soon.  Lincecum needs settle down and pitch like the 2-time Cy Young award winner he is.  I can only hope that he turns it around in time to contend for his 3rd Cy Young award.

This last week has been a rough stretch for many Yankee fans. First Bob Sheppard passes away at the age of 99 and then a few days later, George Steinbrenner passes away at the age of 80. Though a lot of people criticized Steinbrenner for being flamboyant and a ruthless owner, he changed the dynamics of every sport in the United States. I respect and admire George Steinbrenner was his passion and always expecting excellence from all his players. He was the first to bring a football attitude to baseball and strive to win every ball game. Though it is hard to compare baseball’s 162 game season and football’s 16 game season, the lesson here is that George always strove for perfection, both in record and also individual personalities.

He had his own rules that he stood by through all his years as owners. Players were always supposed to be clean cut and were expected to embrace being a true Yankee. Though that mindset was not suited for all the players that played in New York, most embraced the idea. Steinbrenner paid top dollar (sometimes even over paying) to all the marquee free agents but his main goal was to put the best team out there. After winning their 4 championships in the mid 1990′s, the Yankees automatically were expected to win every year otherwise their season was a failure. When they didn’t win, the Boss was angry and often blasted the team for letting down the fans more than anyone else.

Many people criticize Steinbrenner and hate the “Evil Empire” because of his ability to outbid every other owner for marquee free agents. But the same people also forget that Steinbrenner was a pioneer for the game and successfully built the empire on his own. He was one of the first to create a successful TV network that broadcasted only Yankee games. That move itself brought him millions and millions of dollars. It also can be argued that revenue sharing in baseball was created because of George Steinbrenner. He gave all the small market teams free money to be able to compete with his Yankees. He personally didn’t give a damn. He only cared for one thing- his Yankees. He attended many games and was a regular at all the playoff games and his glare became famous everytime the Yankees had an early exit from the playoffs. Steinbrenner became the face of the franchise in many ways and that paved the way for the Mark Cubans and Jerry Jones of the sports world to become the owners they are today.

Say what you want to say about Goerge Steinbrenner, but the man always wanted to be a champion and he left the world a winner.

RIP Mr. Steinbrenner- ” Once a Yankee..Always a Yankee”

Do not get me wrong, the Padres have done an excellent job so far but there are so many teams heating up and ready to take over the division. They have great pitching but their offense will ultimately hold them back. On the the offensive side they have Adrian Gonzalez and…well that’s about it. This is not going to be enough offensive power to help them make a run into the playoffs. Granted Kyle Blanks is still on the disabled list and the Padres had been expected some good things out of him, they still need a lot of help on that side of the ball.

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The Atlanta Braves just traded their starting shortstop, Yunel Escobar, for Toronto Blue Jay shortstop Alex Gonzalez. Gonzalez is hitting .259 with 17 home runs for the season. Now this is a bat that the Padres could of used. I am a huge fan of Everth Cabrera but his .199 batting average is just not cutting it. Granted he has missed a decent amount of the season, he is not putting up numbers that will help the Padres reach their overall goal.

The San Diego Padres should of taken a shot at Alex Gonzalez. They then could of had two A. Gonzalez’s hitting over 17 home runs. Unfortunately the Padres are going to start the second half of the season with still only one big bat on their roster. Hopefully they can find a way to pull off a trade and land a player that can provide some support for Adrian.

Good news for the other 29 teams in Major League Baseball.  Cliff Lee, the 2008 AL Cy Young winner, has been traded to the Texas Rangers and not the New York Yankees.  More on how Cliff Lee helps the Rangers later on, I would first like to imagine how dominant the Yankees would have been and how unfair it would have been to the rest of the MLB.

http://www.latimes.com/media

If the Yankees managed to get Cliff Lee, I would have been ready to announce the Yankees as the 2010 World Series Champions.  With Lee, the Yankees would easily have had the best rotation in baseball today, and arguably one of the greatest 5 man rotations in MLB history.  The Yankees already have C.C Sabathia (11-3, 3.19 ERA), Andy Pettitte (11-2, 2.70 ERA), and Phil Hughes 11-2, 3.65 ERA).  Not to mention A.J. Burnett (7-7, 4.75 ERA) who is expected to turn his season around sooner or later.  If you add Cliff Lee with his 8-3 record and 2.34 ERA, the Yankees staff would seem virtually unbeatable.  And if one of their top pitchers had an “off” day, the Yankees offense isn’t too shabby either.  With players like Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira,  Jorge Posada, Curtis Granderson, and Robinson Cano the 2010 New York Yankees would be geared to repeat as World Series Champs.  What other team could beat these Yankees in a 7 game series?

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If the Yankees were able to bring a Cy Young winner for the mere price of a minor league catcher who has potential, what a steal that would have been.  It would’ve essentially given the Yankees a monopoly on talent in the MLB.  They already have the best (and most expensive) collection of talent that has already led them to a World Series ring in 2009 and currently has them atop the MLB with a 55-31 record.  This possible deal would have really hurt the MLB in my eyes.  Yes, it is true that when the Yankees win, the MLB wins (financially).  But there has got to be a line drawn somewhere.  To stockpile all this talent  takes away the notion that any baseball team can win any series in the playoffs.  The odds of having that pitching staff and that offense seems more like an All-Star lineup rather than a MLB team.  While I can’t fault the Yankees for their competitiveness and financial capability of putting the best team on the field, I can fault the MLB for not having some type of salary cap.  How else are small-market teams like the Oakland A’s and Tampa Devil Rays going to be able to compete consistently(regardless of how well they draft talent)?

http://www.dallasnews.com

Now onto how this addition puts the Texas Rangers in AL pennant contention.  In years past, the Rangers have always seemed to fade in the summer as the that increased in Texas and so did their unproven pitching staff.  Now with the best pitcher they’ve had since Nolan Ryan, the Rangers have their workhorse to lead them into the post season. The addition of Cliff Lee will only help the Rangers increase their lead over the AL West.  With a great mix of veteran talent in Josh Hamilton, Vladimir Guerrero, Michael Young,  and Ian Kinsler, the Rangers seem to finally have the pieces in place to reach the post season for the first time since 1996.

Before everyone gets completely swept up into the whole Lebron hoopla I wanted to open everyone’s eyes to a special young baseball player prior to next Tuesday’s MLB All-Star game.

All eyes were on one particular young outfielder coming into the 2010 MLB season.  Jason Heyward of the Atlanta Braves was the talk of the league and his promotion to starting right fielder before the season added even more juice to his story.  But as of right now there is another young player who has stepped up to the plate and delivered.  Buster Posey, the 6’1” 205 lb. catcher of the San Francisco Giants is quietly building a rookie of the year resume of his own.

Not to take anything away from Heyward who is having a strong rookie campaign batting .251 with 11 HR 45 RBI .455 Slugging percentage (SLG) and an .821 On-base plus slugging (OPS).  But Posey has really blown Heyward out of the water when it comes to the stat sheet.  In 34 games so far (compared to Heyward’s 71 played) Posey is batting .336 with 6 HR 20 RBI .507 SLG and .871 OPS.  Posey has demonstrated an uncanny ability for a young player to come right in and show poise and patience on the plate. This was recently put on full display during the Giants 4 game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers.  In 4 games, Posey had 9 hits in 15 at-bats for .600 batting average including 4 HR and 9 RBI.  He finally got some national media attention during the Giant’s 15-2 demolishment of the Brewers.  In that game alone Posey went 4 for 4 with 2 HRs and 6 RBIs.

http://manginphotography.net

In addition to his offensive statistics, Posey is playing one of the hardest positions in baseball.  As the catcher, Posey never has a play off nor does he take many days off.  The catcher plays a huge role in every play of every baseball game.  Behind the plate Posey has 98.2% Fielding Percentage which is remarkable.  Even though Posey has only been behind the plate for 8 games, he has developed a great relationship with each pitcher.  Not many pitchers, especially veterans, approve of a young rookie catcher behind the plate.  Prior to the last 8 games, Posey started 26 games at first base where he had a 99.5% Fielding Percentage which is phenomenal.  To put these fielding percentages in perspective, the MLB awards Golden Gloves to the best defensive player at their given position.  The 2009 Golden Glove winners for first base was Adrian Gonzalez while the winner for catcher was Yadier Molina.  Both of these Gold Glove Winners had Fielding Percentages (FP) of 99.5%.  So not only was Posey able to play 2 different positions on the diamond, he was also able to play them very well. When Posey’s FP is compared with Heyward’s of 96.8%, it is clear to see who is better defensively as well.

While Posey was not named an All-Star for this year’s game he should not let that affect him.  He is on an incredible path as of right now and will be the clear cut winner NL Rookie of the Year by season’s end. While he is only 23 years old, Posey has displayed enormous potential and he could be the best power hitter the Giants have had since Barry Bonds.  Many MLB analysts and Giant Fans have been waiting for that power hitter to lead the Giants into the postseason and Buster Posey looks to be that man.

The Washington Nationals have work to do and they need to do it fast.  Stephen Strasburg, the #1 overall pick of the 2009 MLB draft, has been pitching extremely well since joining the Nationals on June 8th.  The only problem is that the Nats offense and bullpen have let him down.  After giving him 14 runs and 2 W’s in his first two starts, the Nationals offense completely failed to offer their ace any run support the next 3 starts.  Against the White Sox on June 18th Strasburg pitched 7 innings giving up only 1 earned run, but the Nationals lost 2-1 and gave Strasburg a no decision.  On June 23rd Strasburg pitched 6 innings and gave up 1 earned run, but the Nationals lost to the Kansas City Royals 1-0 and gave Strasburg his first career loss. It really must suck to get your first career loss in a 1-0 outcome.  Then on June 28th Strasburg did not have his best stuff and gave up 3 earned runs in 6.1 innings and the Nationals failed to put a run up on the board as they lost 5-0 and Strasburg suffered his second loss of the season. In 27 innings of Strasburg pitching the Nationals offense mustered only 1 run in his support.  In 6 career starts, Strasburg has a 2.45 ERA in 36.2 IP and 53 strikeouts.  Unfortunately he stands at 2-2 and will most likely miss the chance to become an All-Star this year.

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Okay folks, the day everyone had been waiting for has finally come and gone and wow it did not disappoint. The major league debut of Stephen Strasburg was maybe one of those most hyped and anticipated debuts of all time. Last year’s number one pick has been known as the boy wonder for the past few years and yesterday was finally his time to prove it. Strasburg did not fall short of any expectations and maybe Curt Schilling was right, maybe Strasburg just did become the best pitcher in the big leagues as soon as he entered.

http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/HDk47t70z16/Washington+Nationals+Introduce+Stephen+Strasburg/Wq35pSukPSl

Strasburg went 7 innings yesterday and struck out 14 batters while not giving up any walks. There have only been 5 players in history that have struck out 14 batters with no walks in 7 innings work, and none of them did it as a rookie let alone their first major league start ever. His fastballs averaged in at almost 98 mph and even got a few to hit 100. Not only did his fastball blow you away, but his breaking balls had you in awe. He had such great movement on his pitches that the batters had no choice but to swing. And swing and miss they did. Out of his total 94 pitches, 65 of them were strikes. He ended his night with 7 straight strikeouts and definitely gave the Washington fans a night that they will always remember.

Plain and simple…Stephen Strasburg is the real deal and wow is he going to be fun to watch.

Written by AP:

Tim Lincecum may be The Freak but Ubaldo Jiménez is a straight up beast. At this point in the season he is 10-1 with a 0.78 ERA. He is demolishing any and all competitors and has even posted a no-hitter this season. Yesterday he out pitched Lincecum to get his 10th win of the season. He is having a phenomenal season and if he keeps at it, he may just pitch himself to a record setting season.

Roy Halladay, the biggest acquisition of the off-season, just pitched a perfect game against the Florida Marlins. He has a 7-3 record while posting a 1.99 ERA and also is having an amazing season.

And finally there is Stephen Strasburg, the boy wonder. Although he is still at the AAA level, he has such great expectations. He has breezed through the minors and is set to have his major league debut a week from today on June 8th against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Curt Schilling has already projected Strasburg to become the best pitcher in the big leagues as soon as he comes up. This is putting him ahead of Roy Halladay, Tim Lincecum, Ubaldo Jiménez and C.C Sabathia. Although the wait is finally over. We will finally see how great Strasburg really is, and maybe Schilling is right. Maybe Strasburg will be the best picture in the major leagues.

Either way it is quite obvious that the biggest thing in the MLB this year are the pitchers.