Game one LDS recap; game two ALDS recap Texas-Tampa Bay

By Kshell

The baseball playoffs on day two saw a rare moment in baseball playoffs. All four home teams won as there was plenty of offense to go around in these games. You saw Texas-Tampa Bay battle to see if this will be a series or if the Rays will control the series. The Yankees-Tigers resumed play after the game was postponed at 1-1 tie in the bottom of the second inning which proved to have a wild inning. In the Phillies-Cardinals game two great franchises saw Roy Halladay get roughed up early on but then return to form. Then the fourth game saw two teams who aren't in the playoffs very much in the Brewers and Diamondbacks. That game was your typical playoff game where there was no big innings but instead death by papercuts. In this following post I'll give a quick recap of each playoff game.


Robinson Cano drives in six runs as Yankees win 9-3 to take 1-0 series lead:

The game resumed at 1-1 in the second inning as both teams lost their ace pitchers. The Yankees went with Ian Nova while the Tigers went with Doug Fister. The game remained 1-1 until the fifth inning when Robinson Cano drove in former Tiger Curtis Granderson with an RBI double to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead.

In the six inning that is when Doug Fister would fall apart. Brett Gardner would have a two-run single driving in Mark Teixeira and Jorge Posada to give the Yankees a 4-1 lead. The Yankees would put the game away when Cano would hit a grand slam off of Al Aburquerque to give the Yankees an 8-1 lead.

The Yankees would win 9-3 as Cano would finish the game three for five with a home run, two doubles and six RBI's. Yankees "reliever" Ian Nova would get the win going 6.1 innings, allowing just two earned runs while striking out five. For the Tigers Doug Fister had a rough outing lasting only 4.2 innings giving up six runs while striking out six. For both teams losing their aces really hurt but the Yankees took advantage to take a 1-0 series lead.

Rangers use five run inning to even series with 8-6 win:

After being embarassed in game one at home the Texas Rangers bounced back in game two. After trailing 3-0 the Rangers exploded in the fourth inning scoring five runs off of James Shields. The Rangers also saw young pitcher Derek Holland step up when his team needed them most.

Leading 1-0, Matt Joyce hit a two-run homerun driving in Casey Kotchman to give the Rays a 3-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning. That is when the Rangers offense finally woke up after being outscored 12-0 through the first 12 and a half innings of play in the playoffs.

With the bases loaded former Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre was hit by a pitch to make the game 3-1. Mike Napoli came up with a big two-run base hit which tied up the game up at 3-3. Then Beltre would score on a wild pitch giving the Rangers a 4-3 lead. Mitch  Moreland would ground out which allowed Napoli to score. When the inning was over the Rangers held a 5-3 lead over the Rays.

In the sixth inning Ian Kinsler would add to the Rangers lead with a two-run double giving the Rangers a 7-3 lead over the Rays. In the top of the seventh the Rays would strike back as Eva Longoria would hit a three-run homerun to cut the lead to 7-6.  Mitch Moreland would homer in the bottom of the eighth to give the Rangers an 8-6 lead. The Rangers would hang on for the 8-6 win which would tie the series up at 1-1.

The Rangers offense exploded today unlike yesterday getting shutout. The Rangers would pound out 10 hits while scoring eight runs. The Rangers were led by several guys including Ian Kinsler who was two for five with two RBI's, Mike Napoli was two for four with two RBI's and two runs, and Mitch Moreland who was one for three with a homerun and two RBI's. Starting pitcher Derek Holland went five innings allowing one earned run with two strikeouts. The Rays didn't receive a good outing from James Shields who lasted five innings allowing seven runs while striking out six.

Phillies erupt late to win 11-6 behind Howard's key homerun:

The game started off rocky for the Phillies ace Roy Halladay unlike last year. Last year in the NLDS Halladay threw a perfect game against the Reds. This year he began the playoffs by allowing a three-run home run to Lance Berkman in the first inning as the Cardinals took a 3-0 lead.

Trailing 3-1 entering the sixth inning the Phillies erupted off of Kyle Lohse. With two men on Ryan Howard did what he does best which is hit a home run to give the Phillies a 4-3 lead. Then Raul Ibanez followed that up with a two-run blast to give the Phillies a 6-3 lead.

The Phillies would score three more runs in the seventh innings. Howard would have a sacrifice fly to give the Phillies a 7-3 lead. Shane Victorino had a single scoring Chase Utley to give the Phillies a 8-3 lead. Raul Ibanez followed that with an RBI single to give the Phillies a commanding 9-3 lead.

The Phillies would hang on to win 11-6. Roy Halladay would earn the win going eight innings, allowing just three hits, three runs and eight strikeouts. The Phillies were led by their bats which saw Ryan Howard go one for three with a homerun and four RBI's. Raul Ibanez would go two for four with a homerun and three RBI's. For the Cardinals Lohse went 5.1 innings allowing six runs, five earned while striking out five.

Gallardo shuts down big D-Backs bats to lift Brew Crew to a 4-1 victory:

In a game which many expected to feature a ton of scoring instead was the low scoring game of the day. Led by Yovani Gallardo who pitched eight terrific innings for the Brewers. While the offense did just enough for the Brewers to earn the win.

There was no scoring until the fourth inning when Jerry Hariston had a sacrifice fly scoring Ryan Braun. The Brewers would score again in the sixth when Jonathan Lucroy drove in Yuniesky Betancourt to give the Brewers a 2-0 lead.

The game would be put away in the seventh inning when Prince Fielder hit a big two-run homerun off of Ian Kennedy to give the Brew Crew a 4-0 lead. Gallardo would allow a homerun in the eighth inning but that didn't matter as the Brewers won 4-1.

The Brewers were led by Gallardo who pitched eight innings, four hits, one run and struck out nine guys. While the Diamondbacks ace Ian Kennedy went 6.2 innings allowing four runs with three strikeouts. The Brewers were led by their stud hitter Fielder who was 2-4 with a homerun and two RBI's.

In conclusion, this was a good day for baseball as the home teams won so the crowd was exciting. I love this time of the year with the baseball playoffs. Expect to see more pitching as the playoffs go on as high scoring games only happen in the LDS while the playoffs go on pitching becomes more dominant.

Game one ALDS recap; Texas-Tampa Bay

By Kshell

Well that time of the year again where the baseball playoffs have begun. Today was a strange day for the first day of the postseason as one game featured a blowout while the other game was postponed after just an inning and a half. This wasn't like last year where you saw a perfect game on the first day. So like I'll be doing for the entire major league baseball playoffs I'll be recapping all the games as best as I can. For today there is only one game which features a rematch between the Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers who played in a great five game series last year. The Texas Rangers unlike last year were hosting the game as the Tampa Bay Rays are the wild card team. The Rays who rallied from a 7-0 deficit on Wednesday to make the playoffs making up nine games in the standings on the Boston Red Sox.  Due to that game on Wednesday the Rays were throwing a pitcher who had made only one career start. The Rays also have to fly to Texas facing the Rangers ace C.J.Wilson so many expected the defending American League champions to defeat the Rays in game one. Well just like on Wednesday baseball is a funny game. Hero's can step up when you least expect it which is what happened today for the Rays.

Shoppach homers twice as Moore shuts out Rangers for Rays 9-0 win:

The Rays took it to the Rangers in game one improving to 3-0 all-time in the ballpark of Arlington in the postseason. The Rays behind seven shutout innings from their rookie pitcher Matt Moore won game one to take a 1-0 lead. The Rays were also helped out by slumping catcher Kelly Shoppach who was 3-5, two home runs and five RBI's.  Not bad for a guy who hit below .200 during the regular season.

The Rays started their scoring on C.J. Wilson in the second inning when veteran Johnny Damon hit a two-run homerun to right field to give the Rays a 2-0 lead. After Shoppach reached base, two batters later Matt Joyce drove in Shobbach to give the Rays a 3-0 lead.

Hanging onto a 3-0 lead the Rays made sure Moore's first career playoff start would be as easy as possible. In the third inning Shoppach put the game away when he hit a three-run homerun to deep centerfield scoring Ben Zohbrist and Eva Longoria to give the Rays a commanding 6-0 lead as C.J.Wilson was getting rocked.

In the fifth inning Shoppach took Wilson deep again for a two-run homerun as Damon was on base to give the Rays an 8-0 lead. That would be Wilson's final inning as he lasted five innings, allowing seven hits, eight runs, six earned, striking out six but gave up three homeruns a far cry from his start last year against the Rays.

The Rays would score their final run in the ninth inning on an infield base hit by Damon to give them a 9-0 shutout win in game one. For the Rays they were led by Shoppach who was 3-5 with two homeruns with five RBI's and three runs scored. Damon was 2-5 with a homerun, three RBI's and two runs scored. Moore pitched terrificly going 7 innings allowing no runs while allowing just two hits. He struck out six while walking on two batters. Making his second career start he doesn't seem fazed by the moment. In two starts he has won at Yankees stadium and now on the road in the playoffs so I think safe to say he won't be scared of pressure.

In conclusion, this was a boring first day as one game was a blow out and the other was rained out. Hopefully the baseball playoffs will provide plenty of great moments which I'm sure they will. The Rays taking game one is huge with James Shields and David Price behind Moore. Remember the Rangers won't have Cliff Lee this year who was 2-0 in that five game series win over the Rays last season. The Major League Baseball playoffs is underway and I'm pretty excited to finally care about baseball again. As a Seattle Mariners fan I stopped caring about baseball when in April, actually in July. I love baseball playoffs as every pitch can be the difference between a World Series title or losing in the first round. The Rays who won the American League in 2008 are off to a good start in this years postseason.

Seattle Mariners weekly review: August 15th-21st edition

By Kshell

The Seattle Mariners just completed their week losing five games in a row. The Mariners began the week with a thrilling come back victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. Then after that win the Mariners lost the next two to the Blue Jays where Safeco Field was cheering louder for the Blue Jays than hometown Mariners. The Mariners took the road to Tampa Bay to take on the Rays where the Mariners were swept. The Mariners this week saw Mike Carp extend his hitting streak up to 20 games with Casper Wells hitting a home run in four straight games dating back to last week. The Mariners also saw their pitching particularly the bullpen just get lit up this week. The Mariners had just two out of a possible six starts that were quality starts. The Mariners finished the week 1-5 so we'll talk about the good(Carp and Wells), the bad(pitching) and the ugly(young guys getting lit up). Like I usually do I'll start off with the positives first.

The Good:

When a team goes 1-5 it's hard to find some positives. The Mariners did see Mike Carp extend his hitting streak to 20 games showing the Mariners that he deserved playing time this entire time. Another positive was the play of Casper Wells who had homered in fourt straight games while hitting three home runs for the week. Another player the Mariners acquired in the trade then called up was Trayvon Robinson who hit pretty well this week which was nice to see. The Mariners wasted another masterful game by Felix Hernandez who threw his second complete game in his last three starts but was left the loss. The Mariners did see rookie Tom Wilhelmsen record his first ever major league win in relief.

Good Hitting:

Casper Wells: 6-18(.333), 3 HR's, 5 RBI's, 5 runs
Mike Carp: 8-23(.347), 2 HR, 3 RBI's, 4 runs
Willy Mo Pena: 3-8(.375), HR, 2 RBI's, 2 runs
Jack Wilson: 3-9(.333), RBI
Kyle Seager: 7-21(.333), HR, 3 RBI's, 3 runs
Trayvon Robinson: 7-19(.368), 3 RBI's, 3 runs

Good Pitching:

Felix Hernandez: 0-1, 8 IP, 3.38 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 9 K's
Dan Cortes: 0-1, 5.2 IP, 1.59 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 2 K's
Tom Wilhemsen: 1-0, 4.2 IP, 3.86 ERA, 0.64 WHIP, 3 K's

This week saw Tom Wilhemson win his first ever game as well as Kyle Seager hit his first career home run. This week also saw Willy Mo Pena hit his first home run as a Mariner. For a week that went as bad as it did the Mariners did see some firsts.

The Bad:

This week saw plenty of bad for the Mariners as they lost five in a row. The starting pitching was a total disaster as was the bullpen. The Mariners saw three different relievers post extremely high ERA's and WHIP. The Mariners released the recently ineffective Aaron Laffey. This week also saw some key hitters slump in Dustin Ackley(first of his career) and Ichiro. They also saw Franklin Gutierrez go back to not hitting and Miguel Olivo despite praise from his manager continues to be terrible. The Mariners young pitching duo of Blake Beavan and Charlie Furbush were once again rocked. The Mariners also saw Michael Pineda pitch well against the Rays which was nice after he was shelled against the Blue Jays. Jason Vargas was also shelled against the Blue Jays allowing six runs in the first inning.

Bad Hitting:

Dustin Ackley: 4-20(.200), 2 runs, 7 K's
Ichiro: 5-25(.200), RBI, run, K
Adam Kennedy: 1-12(.083), 3 K's
Miguel Olivo: 3-14(.214), HR, RBI, 2 runs, CS, 5 K's
Franklin Gutierrez: 4-26(.153), 2 RBI's, run, 5 K's

Bad Pitching:

Jason Vargas: 0-1, 4 IP, 18.00 ERA, 2.75 WHIP, 2 K's
Michael Pineda: 11 IP, 5.72 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 11 K's
Blake Beavan: 0-1, 5 IP, 9.00 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 3 K's
Aaron Laffey: 1.1 IP, 20.30 ERA, 3.76 WHIP, ZERO K's
Jamey Wright: 1.1 IP, 27.00 ERA, 3.76 WHIP, ZERO K's
Josh Lueke: 3.2 IP, 7.36 ERA, 2.18 WHIP, ZERO K's
Charlie Furbush: 0-1, 3 IP, 15.00 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, 2 K's

This week the Mariners got rid of Aaron Laffey who was 1-1 with a 4.01 ERA, 1.64 WHIP in 42.2 innings pitched in 36 games. He struck out only 24 batters while walking 16 while allowing a .305 opponents batting average. In the second half he was even worse as he had a 12.00 ERA and a 2.77 WHIP in only nine innings pitched. He only struck out six batters while walking four batters. Laffey doesn't have great stuff and has been rocked lately as his WHIP was always pretty high for a reliever.

The Ugly:

Seeing crowds cheer louder for an opposing team was pretty annoying this past week. In fact this was a subject that I tackled last wednesday and again later that night on my radio interview. You can view that post by clicking here. It has been sad to see Safeco Field be so incredibly empty this year. Now I'll talk about some reasons why as of late.

Ugly Hitting:

Franklin Gutierrez: Hitting on the year .216/.251/.264 with only one home run and 14 RBI's in 269 AB's.
Miguel Olivo: Hitting on the year .215/.247/.367 with 111 strikeouts to just 18 walks in 368 AB's. He takes the term impatient hitter to a whole new meaning.

Ugly Pitching:

Blake Beavan last two starts: 0-2, 11.1 IP, 8.73 ERA, 1.77 WHIP, 6 HR's, 4 K's. Never a good thing when your HR to strikeout ratio is 1.5/1.0
Charlie Furbush: 2-2, 20 IP, 6.30 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 11 K's, .299 BAA which is pretty awful numbers.
Josh Lueke: 1-1, 16.2 IP, 9.72 ERA, 2.04 WHIP, 15 K's, .338 BAA.

I brought up these three young guys as they are acquisitions by Jack Zduriencik who the local media loves to brag up. Whenever a young guy does anything you hear non stop "In Jack Z we trust" slogans from all the care bear fans. Whenever his players struggles(which often is the case) you hear non stop excuse making on why he can't build a major league team.

AL West Standings:

Texas Rangers: 73-55, first place
L.A. Angels: 69-59, 4.0 GB
Oakland A's: 57-70, 15.5 GB
Seattle Mariners: 53-72, 18.5 GB

In conclusion, the Mariners are a struggling team who is simply playing out their season. It is frustrating to see them lose but at this point there is no reason to be worked up over losses. This is a learning stage for a lot of these players. For so many guys on this roster this is extended spring training for next year. What you do going forward could determine your status on this roster. I would like to see manager Eric Wedge pull Hernandez after seven innings under all circumstances excluding a no-hitter. There is absolutely no reason for Hernandez to be throwing this many innings/pitches in a wasted season. The Mariners offense is slowly coming around but with Zduriencik trading away some key pitching pieces the pitching has struggled lately. Hopefully the Mariners this offseason can acquire some much needed batters and some pitching as well. For now I say go the fact that football season is here.

Seattle Mariners weekly review: July 25th-July 31st edition

By Kshell

The Seattle Mariners just completed the week losing two of three to the New York Yankees then two of three to the Tampa Bay Rays. The Mariners did snap their franchise record 17 game losing streak this week with a 9-2 win over the Yankees. The Mariners went 2-4 and also traded three players from their team and designated Jack Cust for assignment. The Mariners have gone through some major changes from their roster compared to the roster they had on opening day. The Mariners find themselves in last place for the third time in four seasons and they still aren't hitting. The Mariners also received some bad pitching this week as well from two left handed starters. The Mariners did see both of their all-star pitchers rise to the occasion this week which was nice to see. So the Mariners went 2-4 which means I'll be doing a good(all-star pitchers), the bad(tons of hitters and three left handed pitchers) and the ugly(second half woes plus Jack Cust).

The Good:

The Mariners just completed a 2-4 week but there was some bright spots this past week. One of the bright spots was the Mariners finally won a game after losing 17 straight. Another positive was seeing all-star pitchers Felix Hernandez and Michael Pineda bounce back from poor outings to have strong outings this week each picking up the win. The Mariners also saw Dustin Ackley continue to hit while Mike Carp is taking advantage of playing every single day in left field. The Mariners also saw their bullpen arms pitch pretty well. The Mariners still aren't scoring enough runs but it is nice to see two guys who began the year in Tacoma really hitting the ball well. It was especially nice to see the Mariners two aces rebound from a tough week with dominating performances each earning a hard earned win for the Mariners who desperatly need as many victories as possible.

Good Hitting:

Dustin Ackley: 7-20(.350), HR, 5 RBI's, 4 runs, .458 OB%
Mike Carp: 7-21(.333) 5 RBI's, 2 runs, .391 OB%
Ichiro: 6-24(.250), RBI, 4 runs, 2 SB's

Good Pitching:

Felix Hernandez: 1-0, 7 IP, 1.28 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 5 K's
Michael Pineda: 1-0, 6.1 IP, 1.42 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 10 K's
Josh Lueke: 2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, 2 K's
Chris Ray: 4 IP, 2.25 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 2 K's
Jamey Wright: 4 IP, 2.25 ERA, 0.50 WHIP, 3 K's
Brandon League: 2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, K, Save
Doug Fister: 0-1, 7 IP, 3.86 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 5 K's

For Doug Fister, Erik Bedard and David Pauley they were traded away and all had good seasons.

Erik Bedard: 4-7, 91.1 IP, 3.45 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 87 K's
David Pauley: 5-4, 54.1 IP, 2.15 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 34 K's, 7 holds
Doug Fister: 3-12, 146.0 IP, 3.33 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 89 K's

These Mariners pitchers will be missed and replacing their value won't be as easy as some Mariners fans may think.

The Bad:

When you go 2-4 for the week there has been plenty of bad. When twice this week a pitcher has flirted with a no-hitter against you there is plenty of bad. The Mariners hitters are in a season long slump and this isn't just Chone Figgins who is slumping. Since May Miguel Olivo and Justin Smoak have been just as awful as Figgins not to mention Franklin Gutierrez who has been terrible as well. The Mariners also saw two left handed pitchers get rocked as well. In the case of Bedard his Mariners career is over so no sense stressing over that. In the case of Jason Vargas who I'll talk about later in this post in more depth he has had a horrible second half which is exactly what happened last season. The Mariners are showing some red flags that is concerning for the future mainly in Vargas and Smoak. It apears Smoak still hasn't adjusted to teams adjusting to him. The same could be said towards Vargas who is once again struggling in the second half of the season.

Bad Hitting:

Justin Smoak: 2-17(.117), RBI, 3 runs, 8 K's
Jack Cust: 1-5(.200), run, 3 K's
Miguel Olivo: 1-16(.062), 9 K's
Adam Kennedy: 4-18(.222), RBI, 2 runs, 4 K's
Brendan Ryan: 3-24(.125), RBI, run, 8 K's
Greg Halman: 0-5(.000), 2 K's
Franklin Gutierrez: 4-19(.210), RBI, 5 K's

Bad Pitching:

Jason Vargas: 0-2, 9.1 IP, 7.71 ERA, 1.92 WHIP, 8 K's
Aaron Laffey: 1.2 IP, 16.16 ERA, 3.59 WHIP, 2 K's
Erik Bedard: 0-1, 1.1 IP, 33.75 ERA, 5.25 WHIP, 2 K's

Justin Smoak has been awful in the month of July hitting just .141/.211/.188 in 85 AB's this month. He has zero home runs and just four RBI's while striking out 24 times(28.2%) to just 8 walks(9.4%) which isn't good. He's hit under .230 for three straight months now which suggests maybe this is a trend and not a slump.

Miguel Olivo has been terrible since May. In June he hit just .189/.196/.489 in 90 AB's. He had belted eight home runs while driving in 19 guys. He also struck out 26 times(28.8%) to just one walk(1.1%) which is awful. Then in July he managed to hit even worse by hitting .188/.188/.304 in 69 AB's. He has belted just two home runs while driving in eight guys. He has struck out 22 times(31.8%) to zero walks(0.0%) in the month of July. Olivo was terrible his first stint with the Mariners and he is just another Jack Zduriencik failed free agent signing.

The Ugly:

There has been plenty of ugly going around with this Mariners franchise. Last season the Mariners saw their #3 hitter Casey Kotchman flop, #4 hitter Milton Bradley flop and #5 hitter Ken Griffey Jr suddenly retire. Well this year has seen their #3 hitter Bradley get released less than a month into the season, their #4 hitter Jack Cust was recently DFA'd while their #5 hitter Justin Smoak has been awful other than April. I don't care how many speedsters you have if your 3-4-5 guys are terrible chances are your offense will be terrible as well.

Ugly Hitting:

Jack Cust: For the season hit .213/.344/.329 in 225 AB's. He had just 3 HR's while driving in 23 runs. He struck out 87 times(38.6%) while walking 44 times(19.5%). Now his walking was good but he was also brought in for some power. He had a home run every 75 AB's was just awful considering he was striking out two out of every five at bats. This is the second straight season the Mariners have received nothing from DH or left field. Not to mention the nothing from third base this year, almost nothing from catcher and nothing from center field. When you receive that much nothing no wonder your offense is going to the shitter quick.

Ugly Pitching:

Jason Vargas 2011 second half: 0-4, 18.1 IP, 8.84 ERA, 2.29 WHIP, 11 K's.
Jason Vargas 2011 first half: 6-6, 121.1 IP, 3.49 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 81 K's

Jason Vargas 2010 second half: 3-8, 85.0 IP, 4.66 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 48 K's.
Jason Vargas 2010 first half: 6-4, 107.2 IP, 3.09 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 68 K's

Jason Vargas 2009 second half: 0-3, 28.0 IP, 7.39 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 13 K's
Jason Vargas 2009 first half: 3-3, 63.2 IP, 3.82 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 41 K's

As you can see Vargas in the second half has been downright terrible. In all three first halves he had ERA's in the low 3's while in the second half he fell apart. Hard to blame arm fatigue when this is becoming a pattern. The fact that Vargas is showing he might not be a second half pitcher should worry some fans about trading away Doug Fister.

AL West Standings:

Texas Rangers: 61-48, First Place
L.A. Angels: 59-50, 2.0 GB
Oakland A's: 49-59, 11.5 GB
Seattle Mariners: 45-62, 15.0 GB

In conclusion the Mariners end July on a terrible note going just 6-20 after starting off 4-1 too it has been just a disaster. The Mariners began the month only two games back of first place with the hope of being buyers. Instead the Mariners will most likely finish last place for sixth time since 2004. The Mariners despite having a future hall of famer in Ichiro will have finished last place six times with him on their team in his 11 seasons which is sad considering they didn't finish last his first three seasons. The Mariners appear to be a team just going through the motions and the pitching staff is finally breaking down. If Zduriencik does anything at all this offseason he needs to bring in some power bats. Like I explained the last two years the Mariners 3-4-5 which was questionable going into the season has proven to blow up in their faces during both years. The Mariners completed a tough stretch where they bombed terribly losing 19 of 21 games. Now the Mariners like they have done too many times recently are simply playing out the season.

Seattle Mariners weekly review: May 30th-June 5th edition

By Kshell

The Seattle Mariners completed another successful week going 5-2. The Mariners in the past three weeks have gone 15-5. This is the first time since 2001 when the club won 116 games where they have won six straight series. The Mariners this week took the Baltimore Orioles two out of three then whooped up on the Tampa Bay Rays winning three of four. The starting pitching was terrific this week having thrown seven quality starts out of seven. The hitting picked it up against the Rays as well hitting nine home runs against the Rays. The Mariners pitching is keeping the team in the game while the hitting is starting to come around. This week I'll go over the good(which features a ton of pitchers), the bad(the same guy every week) and the awesome(more on our pitching). Like I said in the past it's always better to write about the good weeks than the bad weeks which the Mariners have been doing a great job lately.

The Good:

There was plenty of good this week for the Mariners to write about. The hitting started to show off some power including two great comebacks. One game the Mariners trailed 2-0 with two outs in the eighth inning when Justin Smoak hit a three run home run. Then yesterday against the Rays the Mariners rallied from 3-0 and 6-5 down to win led by Miguel Olivo who hit a three run home run. Of course the pitching this week has been terrific as usual. I feel as if I'm always putting a ton of pitchers on the "good" list because they have been lights out this past month. We also saw Jason Vargas for the first time in his major league or minor league career throw a complete game shutout over the Rays on Friday. So here we go the best of the best this week.

Good Hitting:

Adam Kennedy: 6-19(.315), HR, 5 RBI's, 4 runs
Justin Smoak: 5-24(.208), 3 HR's, 6 RBI's, 4 runs
Carlos Peguero: 5-17(.294), 2 HR's, 4 RBI's, 6 runs
Miguel Olivo: 7-23(.304), 3 HR's, 8 RBI's, 4 runs

Good Pitching:

Jason Vargas: 1-0, 9 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.55 WHIP, 4 K's
Felix Hernandez: 1-0, 7 IP, 1.28 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 11 K's
Michael Pineda: 7 IP, 1.28 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 7 K's
Erik Bedard: 13.1 IP, 3.37 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 14 K's
Doug Fister: 1-1, 14.1 IP, 3.76 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 15 K's
Chris Ray: 1-0, 2.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 4 K's
Brandon League: 3 saves, 3 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.33 WHIP, 2 K's

The Bad:

Luckily for the Mariners lately there hasn't been much bad going on. However there are two hitters who have been slumping badly now for a month. The pitching list only has one pitcher who had a rough week and hopefully it was just that. Mainly the hitting has been slumping especially the table setters. Ichiro and Chone Figgins were supposed to get on base, steal bases and cause lots of runs. Instead both are slumping especially Figgins for the past month. The Mariners despite 27 million(on those two) and another 12 million on Milton Bradley are playing well despite nearly half of their payroll giving them nothing.

Slumping Hitting:

Ichiro: 6-29(.206), 2 RBI's, 5 runs, 2 SB's, 4 K's
Chone Figgins: 2-18(.111), RBI, run, 6 K's
Franklin Gutierrez: 0-18(.000), run

Slumping Pitching:

Jamey Wright: 1-1, BS, Hold, 2.1 IP, 15.45 ERA, 2.14 WHIP, K

Chone Figgins on the season is hitting .186/.225/.248 . Since May 1st he is hitting 17-107(.158) with just four walks and four stolen bases.

Ichiro since May 1st is hitting 26-127(.204) with just four stolen bases and three caught stealing. Pretty amazing how the Mariners are doing so well with these two slumping so badly.

The Awesome:

The Mariners have won 15 of their last 20 games which is extremely impressive. During that stretch the team is averaging 4.1 runs a game while posting an ERA of 2.47 during that stretch. The Mariners offense is slowly coming around while the pitching is just been dominating as of late. If the Mariners can reach the playoffs they would be a team that nobody would want to face due to their great starting pitching. The team has surprised everyone so far as many including myself picked them to finish last place. The pitching staff everyone figured would be pretty good but nobody thought they'd be this amazing.

Amazing Pitching:

Mariners team pitching: 31-28, 3.32 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, .240 BAA, 16 saves

Felix Hernandez: 6-4, 91.2 IP, 3.04 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 92 K's, .223 BAA
Michael Pineda: 6-2, 70.1 IP, 2.30 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 73 K's, .196 BAA
Erik Bedard: 3-4, 65.0 IP, 3.46 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 59 K's, .247 BAA
Doug Fister: 3-6, 79.1 IP, 3.29 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 56 K's, .273 BAA
Jason Vargas: 4-3, 75.0 IP, 3.96 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 48 K's, .252 BAA

David Pauley: 4-0, 3 Holds, 35.1 IP, 0.76 ERA, 0.68 WHIP, 20 K's, .157 BAA
Jamey Wright: 2-2, 11 holds, 26.2 IP, 2.70 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 17 K's, .232 BAA
Aaron Laffey: 0-1, 2 holds, 26.1 IP, 2.05 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 13 K's, .235 BAA
Brandon League:0-4, 16 saves, 25.0 IP, 4.68 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 17 K's,.253 BAA

As you can see the Mariners starting pitching has been incredible this season. The pitching is keeping this team in it and so is the bullpen. The pitching staff has been carrying this team all year long. If the hitting can keep producing like they did this past week the Mariners can make some noise in this AL West.

American League West Standings:

Texas Rangers: 34-26, First Place
Seattle Mariners: 31-28, 2.5 GB
LA Angels: 30-31, 4.5 GB
Oakland A's: 27-33, 7.0 GB

The Seattle Mariners behind first year manager Eric Wedge are trying to surprise everyone. They are hoping to pull a 2010 San Francisco Giants where they sneak into the playoffs then ride the pitching. This run was nice for a week but now that it has extended for three weeks I think the fans are starting to buy in. Before you know it Safeco Field will be packed again. This pitching staff will keep the team in every game as the mariners don't have a bad pitcher in their starting rotation. This ride has been fun for three weeks now hopefully this ride never ends.

2011 MLB season preview and predictions

By Kshell

With spring training finally coming to an end the start of the Major League Baseball season has finally arrived. Baseball is unique unlike any other sport where you have a six month grind in the season which spans over 162 games. Then to determine the best team in the sport the postseason is condensed to just who can get hot for three weeks and win 11 games. Typically in baseball the team with the best record doesn't win the World Series. The baseball playoffs is a crapshoot much like the NCAA mens basketball tournament. So while many will predict the two best teams to meet in the World Series that often doesn't happen.

In this following post I'll catch you up on the offseason by breaking down each division. I'll talk about each team although some teams don't have much to talk about. Some teams made some noise this offseason and like usual the rich got richer while the small market teams took a hit. That is how baseball works in the regular season but in the playoffs still comes down to timely hitting and great pitching. At the bottom several other people will give their predictions along with myself. Hopefully in six months from now my predictions weren't totally off. Now I'll breakdown each division in order of last years standings starting with the National League East.

National League:

National League East:

Philadelphia Phillies:

The four time division champions Philadelphia Phillies won the offseason World Series. The Phillies brought back Cliff Lee this offseason signing the ace to a five year 120 million dollar deal. The Phillies even though they lost Jayson Werth are the heavy favorites to return to the World Series like they did in 2008 and 2009. The Phillies hope to avoid what happened to them last year when they were upset to the San Francisco Giants in six games. The signing of Lee has brought comparisons to the Atlanta Braves of the 1990's. The Phillies feature Cy Young award winners Roy Halladay(21-10,2.44 ERA, 1.04 WHIP with 219 K's) and Cliff Lee(12-9,3.18 ERA, 1.00 WHIP with 185 K's) along with Roy Oswalt(13-13,2.76 ERA, 1.03 WHIP with 193 K's) and their fourth starter is 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels(12-11,3.06 ERA, 1.18 WHIP with 211 K's). Safe to say the Phillies will be a tough draw in October.

Atlanta Braves:

This will be an interesting year for the Atlanta Braves as manager Bobby Cox retired after the Braves were eliminated in four games in the NLDS. The Braves a franchise who was in the postseason 14 years in a row made it last year for the first time since 2005 last year. The Braves a busy offseason trading for second baseman Dan Uggla(.287/33/105 with 100 runs scored) which helps a lineup which features mostly left handed hitters. The Braves feature a young pitching staff with Tommy Hansen(10-11,3.33 ERA,1.17 WHIP with 173 K's) and Jair Jurrjens to go with veterans Tim Hudson(17-9,2.83 ERA,1.15 WHIP) and Derek Lowe(16-12, 4.00 ERA, 1.37 WHIP). The Braves lineup is strong with Uggla, Jason Heyward(.277/18/72 with 83 runs scored), and Brian McCann(.269/21/77). In any other division in the National League the Braves would be the huge favorites to win their division.

Florida Marlins:

The Florida Marlins once again slashed payroll by trading away Dan Uggla. The Marlins do feature a nice pitching staff in staff ace Josh Johnson(11-6, 2.30 ERA, 1.11 WHIP) along with young superstar Hanley Ramirez(.300/21 Hr's/76 RBI's/92 runs/32 steals). The Marlins do have some young talent and went 80-82 last year. They could be a sleeper team this year but are just in the wrong division.

New York Mets:

Look up mess in the dictionary and you'll find a picture of the New York Mets. The Mets despite being in the biggest market in the United States haven't won a World Series since 1986. The Mets lost Johan Santana(11-9,2.98 ERA,1.18 WHIP with 144 K's) before the season even began. The Mets are hoping for a bounce back year from Jose Reyes. The Mets still feature David Wright who is an elite player in the game. The Mets pitching staff is troublesome and look for them to miss the playoffs yet again.

Washington Nationals:

The Washington Nationals were horrible last season yet again. The bad news for the Nationals was pitching franchise Stephen Strasburg(5-3,2.91 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 92 K's in just 68 innings) going down for 18 months. The Nationals did sign Jayson Werth(.296/27/85 with 106 runs scored) in the offseason to give the fans some excitement. With Ryan Zimmerman(.307/25/85 with 85 runs), Werth, Ian Desmond and #1 pick overall Bryce Harper on the horizon the Nationals could be a factor in a year or two down the road.

National League Central:

Cincinnati Reds:

The Cincinnati Reds surprised everyone by winning the NL central for the first time since 1995. When the Reds made the playoffs however they were given a rude welcome when Roy Halladay no-hit them in game one. The Reds were eventually swept by the Phillies in three games having been shutout in two of those games. The Reds feature a nice young core on their roster. The young stars are Jay Bruce(.281/25/70 with 80 runs score) and MVP Joey Votto(.324/37/113 with 106 runs and 16 stolen bases). The Reds also feature the electric Aroldis Chapman who has thrown over 100 miles per hour than any pitcher in baseball last season combined. Chapman only pitched for a month by the way. Chapman struck out 19 batters in just 13 1/3 innings, he'll most likely start the year in the bullpen. People sleeping on the Reds are making a mistake as they are primed for a run.

St.Louis Cardinals:

No team had a more disasterous offseason than the St.Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals lost ace pitcher Adam Wainwright(20-11, 2.42 ERA, 213 K's, 1.05 WHIP) for the entire season. You think that was bad what followed up next was even worse for the Cardinals. The Cardinals failed to reach an extension for Albert Pujols(.312/42/118 with 115 runs and 14 steals) meaning Pujols will be a free agent at the end of the season. There is no way a mid market like the Cardinals will be able to compete with some of the bigger markets. So the moment the Cardinals start to slump there will be whispers about Pujols possibly being traded. This will be a season long distraction. If the Cardinals can get past that distraction they still have Pujols the best hitter in the game along with Matt Holliday(.312/28/103 with 95 runs) and Lance Berkman. They still have Chris Carpenter(16-9,3.22 ERA, 1.18 WHIP) as the staff ace. The Cardinals will definately be a team everyone will be keeping their eye on.

Milwaukee Brewers:

The Milwaukee Brewers are looking to return to the postseason for the first time since 2008. The Brewers made two pitching moves in the offseason trading for Shaun Marcum(13-8,3.64 ERA, 1.15 WHIP) from the Toronto Blue Jays then traded for 2009 Cy Young award winner Zach Greinke(10-14,4.17 ERA, 1.25 WHIP) from the Kansas City Royals. The Brewers are hoping Greinke can be like he was in 2009 where he went 16-8 with a 2.16 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. The Brewers have always had the hitters with Prince Fielder(.261/32/83 with 94 runs) and Ryan Braun(.304/25/103 with 101 runs scored). The Brewers finally have the right mix of pitching and hitting. The Brewers are my sleeper in the National League.

Houston Astros:

The Houston Astros are quickly becoming an irrelevant franchise. The Astro's feature no stars on their roster. The one brightspot is staff ace Brett Myers(14-8,3.14 ERA, 1.24 WHIP with 180 K's) who in his first 32 starts of the year pitched six innings or more. That is the defination of a horse pitcher.

Chicago Cubs:

The Chicago Cubs still looking to break the over century hump of winning a World Series. The Cubs haven't won he World Series since 1908 and it's not looking like that streak is going to end anytime soon. The Cubs were a huge disappointment last season and are hoping for some bounce back years from Carlos Zambrano, Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez and free agent signing Carlos Pena. The lovable losers seem destined to have yet another disappointing season.

Pittsburgh Pirates:

If you are depressed about your current baseball team be thankful you aren't a Pittsburgh Pirates fan. A once proud franchise that has featured such greats as Honus Wagner, Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell and Barry Bonds(pre-steroids) has fallen off a cliff. The Pirates haven't had a winning season since 1992 when Sid Bream's memorable dash home eliminated them from the NLCS for the third straight year. The Pirates had the worst record last year at 57-105 and look for them to be terrible once again. The one bright spot is Andrew McCutchen(.286/16/56 with 94 runs and 33 SB's).

National League West:

San Francisco Giants:

The San Francisco Giants last season won the division title on the last game of the season. Then the Giants won their first World Series in San Francisco during that playoff stretch upsetting the Phillies and then Texas Rangers. The Giants still feature a strong pitching staff with two-time Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum(16-10,3.43 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 231 K's), Matt Cain(13-11,3.14 ERA, 1.08 WHIP with 177 K's), Jonathan Sanchez(13-9, 3.07 ERA, 1.23 WHIP with 205 K's) and youngster Madison Bumgarnger who went 2-0 with a 2.18 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP in the postseason last year. The Giants once again are the only team who can go toe to toe with the Phillies in the playoffs when it comes to pitching. The Giants once again will struggle with the offense losing World Series MVP Edgar Renteria in the offseason. The Giants will still be the favorites to win this tough division which features four quality teams.

San Diego Padres:

The San Diego Padres surprised everyone last season winning 90 games which saw manager Bud Black take home the manager of the year award. The Padres like most small market teams have to do traded away superstar Adrian Gonzalez to the Boston Red Sox. The Padres already have a poor offense and without Gonzalez one has to wonder where are they going to get their runs from? The Padres will feature a strong pitching staff which as a team had a 3.39 ERA. The Padres are hoping the pitching staff can carry them once again and this time not fall apart down the stretch.

Colorado Rockies:

The Colorado Rockies had a strange season for them. Normally the Rockies catch fire down the stretch but last year they were 83-79 finishing the year 1-9 in their last 10 games. The Rockies are another team primed to make a splash this season. The Rockies feature stud hitters in Carlos Gonzalez(.336/34/117 with 111 runs and 26 SB's) and Troy Tulowitzki(.315/27/95 with 89 runs scored and 11 SB's). The Rockies also feature staff ace Ubaldo Jimenez(19-8,2.88 ERA,1.15 WHIP with 214 K's) who started last years All-Star game. The Rockies have a staff ace and dominant hitters which makes them a dangerous club.

Los Angeles Dodgers:

The Los Angeles Dodgers are replacing hall of fame manager Joe Torre with hitting coach Don Mattingly. The Dodgers coming off a disappointing 80-82 season still feature a strong pitching staff. The Dodgers feature staff ace Clayton Kershaw(13-10,2.91 ERA,1.18 WHIP with 212 K's) who is followed by Chad Billingsley(12-11,3.57 ERA, 1.28 WHIP with 171 K's) and Tedd Lilly(10-12, 3.62 ERA, 1.08 WHIP with 166 K's). As you can see the Dodgers have a good pitching staff to compete in this division. The Dodgers are hoping Andrew Eithier can have a big breakout season for them to carry the offense. This division features four good teams and any of these four teams wouldn't surprise me if they won the division.

Arizona Diamondbacks:

It was just four years ago the D-backs had the best record in the national league and appeared to be the team destined to go on a run. Flash forward to 2010 where they went 65-97 you have to wonder what happened to this team. The D-backs even tried to trade away young superstar Justin Upton who is only 23 years old and is already an all-star. The D-backs with the strength of this division appear headed for another long season.

American League:

American League East:

Tampa Bay Rays:

The Tampa Bay Rays fresh off their second division title in franchise history saw some major shakeups on their team. The Rays lost closer Rafael Soriano in division to the New York Yankees, long time all-star Carl Crawford in division to the Boston Red Sox, Matt Garza and Carlos Pena to the Chicago Cubs. In fact the Rays bullpen will be entirely different from last season. So after all that it would be easy to assume this is going to be a bad team which would be a mistake. The Rays went out and signed two veterans Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez. Both guys will be motivated going against their old teams the Red Sox and Yankees. The Rays also feature staff ace David Price(19-6,2.72 ERA,1.19 WHIP with 188 K's) along with star hitters such as Evan Longoria and B.J. Upton. The Rays should still be able to compete in this division.

New York Yankees:

The New York Yankees were surprisingly quiet this offseason failing to land any of the big free agents. You add in the fact they didn't add Cliff Lee last year at the trade deadline one has to wonder what is going on in the Bronx. Even with the quiet moves the Yankees still feature a strong offense if not the best offense in baseball. The Yankees still have Mark Teixeira(.256/33/108 with 113 runs), Robinson Cano(.319/29/109 with 103 runs), Derek Jeter the Yankees captain(.270/10/67 with 111 runs) and Alex Rodriguez(.270/30/125 with 74 runs) which is pretty amazing for an infield who with the exception of Cano had "down" years. The Yankees still feature a staff ace and former Cy Young award winner in C.C. Sabathia(21-7,3.18 ERA,1.19 with 197 K's) at the top of the rotation. Outside of Sabathia the Yankees staff is pretty weak with A.J. Burnett as the second starter, Ian Nova is the fourth and Freddy Garcia(yes that Freddy Garcia) as the fifth starter. The Yankees bullpen should be strong with Soriano and Mariano Rivera. The Yankees aren't built for the playoffs unless they can somehow trade for another front line starter.

Boston Red Sox:

The favorites of the American League the Boston Red Sox had a big offseason. Had the Red Sox made no moves at all they would be in good shape as they won 89 games last year despite Kevin Youkilis missing 60 games, Dustin Pedroia missing 87 games, and Jacoby Ellsbury missing all but 18 games last season. The Red Sox basically acquired three all-star bats for nothing. Now you add in the free agent signings of Carl Crawford(.307/19/90 with 110 runs scored and 47 stolen bases) and Adrian Gonzalez(.298/31/101 with 87 runs scored). The Red Sox lineup will make pitchers work this season as they basically went out and snagged five all-star calibar bats to a team that won 89 games last season. The Red Sox also feature a strong pitching staff in Jon Lester(19-9,3.25 ERA, 1.20 WHIP with 225 K's), Clay Buchholz(17-7,2.33 ERA, 1.20 WHIP) along with veterans John Lackey and Josh Beckett. Pretty easy to see why despite being in a strong division the Red Sox stand out amongst everyone in the American League let alone the East.

Toronto Blue Jays:

The Toronto Blue Jays are coming off an 85 win season despite trading away staff ace Roy Halladay in the offseason. Nobody hit more home runs last season than the Blue Jays who hit 257 home runs. The Blue Jays were led by Jose Bautista(.260/54/124 with 109 runs) last season as Bautista had just 59 career home runs entering the season. The Blue Jays feature a young pitching staff led by Ricky Romero(14-9,3.73 ERA,1.29 WHIP with 174 K's) who will be the staff ace. The Blue Jays will once again be a good team stuck in the wrong division which has hurt them this whole decade.

Baltimore Orioles:

The good news for the Baltimore Orioles is that they finally have a quality manager in Buck Showalter. The better news is the Orioles once they get rid of Showalter will make the World Series as the three previous teams who have fired Showalter have gone on to the World Series shortly after. The Orioles this offseason made some nice moves picking up Derek Lee, J.J. Hardy, and Vladimir Guerrero to go with their young core. The Orioles will put up some runs but the problem is they won't be able to get anybody out.

American League Central:

Minnesota Twins:

The Minnesota Twins won the divison last year and for the fourth time since 2003 were eliminated in the ALDS to the New York Yankees. The Twins losing streak has gone to 12 games against the Yankees as they were once again swept in the first round last year. The Twins once again will try and get over the Yankees hurdle this season. The Twins return all-star closer Joe Nathan. The Twins still have a solid offense featuring former MVP's Justin Morneau(.345/18/56 in just 81 games) and Joe Mauer(.327/9/75 with 88 runs). The Twins feature staff ace Francisco Liriano(14-10,3.62 ERA, 1.26 WHIP with 201 K's). The Twins are hoping this is finally the year for them to get by the mighty Yankees.

Chicago White Sox:

The Chicago White Sox who has missed the postseason the last two years are hoping to return back to October. The White Sox resigned Paul Konerko(.312/39/111 with 89 runs) and signed power hitter Adam Dunn(.260/38/105 with 85 runs). Dunn has hit 38+ homeruns the past seven seasons in a row and will be going to a launching pad. The White Sox also traded for Edwin Jackson who threw a no-hitter last season. The White Sox made some moves in a winnable division. Look for the White Sox to light up the scoreboard this season.

Detroit Tigers:

The Tigers are coming off an 81-81 disappointing season. The Tigers did make a big signing bringing in Victor Martinez(.302/20/79 with 64 runs) to go with slugger Miguel Cabrera(.328/38/126 with 111 runs score) who has had some offseason problems but can still hit. The Tigers still feature flame thrower Justin Verlander(18-9,3.37 ERA,1.16 WHIP with 219 K's) to go with their young staff. The Tigers who haven't been to the postseason since they made the World Series since 2006 will be hoping to end that streak.

Cleveland Indians:

Like the Arizona Diamondbacks the Indians fortunes have change quite a bit in four years. The Indians were just one game away from the World Series in 2007 but blew a 3-1 series lead against the eventual World Series Champions Boston Red Sox. The Indians have since traded away two Cy Young award winning pitchers(Sabathia and Lee) and seen two young promising stars nosedive(Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner). The Indians who haven't won a World Series since 1948 appear to continue the sports trend of Cleveland sports sucking.

Kansas City Royals:

The Pittsburgh Pirates of the American League the Royals who once were a great team from 1976-1985 haven't been to the postseason since that 1985 World Championship season. The Royals have had just one winning season(2003) since 1995. During that time the Royals have finished last place in their division nine times in probably the weakest division in the American League too. The Royals after trading away staff ace Zach Greinke appear headed for another losing season and if not for the Cleveland Indians would finish in last place.

American League West:

Texas Rangers:

The Texas Rangers who prior to last season had never won a postseason series found themselves winning the American League Pennant over the New York Yankees. The Rangers lost Vladimir Guerrero to free agency and most importantly staff ace Cliff Lee as well. The Rangers did sign Adrian Beltre(.321/28/102 with 84 runs) to help offset the loss of Guerrero. The Rangers feature MVP Josh Hamilton(.359/32/100 with 95 runs), Ian Kinsler and Michael Young. The Rangers will still have C.J. Wilson(15-8,3.35 ERA,1.25 WHIP with 170 K's) who stepped up big time last season and will now be the staff ace. The Rangers are hoping their hitters can carry them throughout the season as the pitching behind Wilson appears to be thin.

Oakland A's:

The Oakland A's finished last season at 81-81 and is kind of everyone's sleeper pick to win the west. The reason for that is once again in the Billy Beane era the A's feature a strong pitching staff led by Trevor Cahill(18-8,2.97 ERA, 1.11 WHIP) behind Cahill you have Brett Anderson(7-6, 2.80 ERA, 1.19 WHIP), Gio Gonzalez(15-9,3.23 ERA, 1.31 WHIP) and Dallas Braden(11-14,3.50 ERA, 1.16 WHIP) who threw a perfect game last year. The A's also have Rich Harden on the DL who could be their fifth starter. The A's on offense went out and signed Hideki Matsui, Josh Willingham and David DeJesus. The A's are the exact opposite of the Texas Rangers which should make this AL West race interesting.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim:

Many are sleeping on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim who prior to last season had won the American League West five of the previous six seasons. The Angels went out and acquired Vernon Wells(.273/31/88 with 79 runs) to bolster their offense. Like the A's the Angels will be led by their pitching which saw a breakout season last year from Jered Weaver(13-12,3.01 ERA, 1.07 WHIP with 233 K's) who will be joined with Dan Haren who was 5-4 with a 2.87 ERA and 1.16 WHIP while he was with the Angels. The Angels have the 1-2 punch in their rotation so if they make the playoffs that is a team that nobody wants to draw in the first round. The AL West will have a terrific three team race that will come down to the last week.

Seattle Mariners:

The Seattle Mariners who I previewed earlier in the week look to be rebuilding this season. The Mariners feature Cy Young award pitcher Felix Hernandez and appear to be going in a youth movement. The Mariners have had just two winning seasons since 2004. If you want to read more about the Mariners just read my season preview where I give an in depth look at the Mariners.

Well that is all for my previewing on all the teams in baseball. Now here comes the fun part where several people including myself will make our predictions. Should be interesting whose predictions turn out the closest and whose predictions turn out way off.

Predictions:

Patton Richard: Contributer to Seattle Sports Blog

AL East: Tampa Bay Rays
AL Central: Detroit Tigers
AL West: Texas Rangers
AL Wild Card: Boston Red Sox
ALCS: Rays over Red Sox

NL East: Philadelphia Phillies
NL Central: Cincinnati Reds
NL West: Colorado Rockies
NL Wild Card: Florida Marlins
NLCS: Phillies over Marlins

World Series Champ: Tampa Bay Rays

NL MVP: Hanley Ramirez
AL MVP: Evan Longoria
AL Cy Young: Felix Hernandez
NL Cy Young: Cliff Lee
AL Rookie Of The Year: J.P. Arencibia, Catcher, Toronto
NL Rookie Of The Year: Freddie Freeman, 1B, Braves

Korey Payne: Blogger and contributer to SSB

AL EAST- New York Yankees
AL CENTRAL- Chicago White Sox
AL WEST- Los Angeles Angels

NL EAST- Philadelphia Phillies
NL CENTRAL- St. Louis Cardinals
NL WEST- San Diego Padres

AL WILD CARD TEAM- Boston Red Sox

NL WILD CARD TEAM- San Francisco Giants

ALCS- New York Yankees Vs. Boston Red Sox

NLCS- Philadelphia Phillies Vs. San Diego Padres

WORLD SERIES- New York Yankees winning against Philadelphia Phillies

AL Cy Young- Felix Hernandez
NL Cy Young- Roy Halladay
AL MVP- Alex Rodriguez
NL MVP- Albert Pujols

100 Loss Teams- Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Indians

Michael Hourigan: Contributer to SSB

AL East - Red Sox
AL Central - Twins
AL West - Angels

NL East - Phillies
NL Central - Brewers
NL West - Dodgers

AL Wild Card - Yankees

NL Wild Card - Braves

ALCS - Red Sox vs. Yankees

NLCS - Dodgers vs. Phillies

World Series - Red Sox vs. Phillies, Phillies win

Mark A. Miller: Contributer to SSB and leader of FANS!

NL LEAST:

1. Philthydelphia Phullies
2. Notlanta Native American Ax Wielders
3. New Yawk Muttsb
4. Florida Marlints
5. Washington Gnats

NL SUCKTREL:
1. Shitcocko Flubs
2. St. Loser Crudinals
3. Milwaukee Boozehounds
4. Ho'stown Assholes
5. Cincinnati Commies
6. Pissburgh Buttpirates

NL WEAK:
1. San Fransicko Gay-ants
2. Los Angeles Doogers of Los Angeles
3. San Diego Fathers
4. Colorado Rookies
5. Arizona Gardnersnakes

AL LEAST:
1. Baaaawston Deadsox
2. New Yawk Spankers
3. Toronto BlowJays
4. Tampax Bay D-Gays
5. Baltimoh Oreos

AL SUCKTREL:
1. Minnehaha Twinks
2. Shitcago Whitesux
3. Det-riot Le Tigres
4. Kansas Shitty Royal Pains
5. Cleveland Native Americans

AL WEAK:
1. Los Angeles Angels of Anahiem of Orange County of California of the United States of North America of Earth of the Milkey Way of the Universe of Infinity
2. Texass Lamegers
3. Cokeland Asslickics
4. Seattle eMbarrassers

AL Jokers: New Yawk Spankers
NL Jokers: Los Angeles Doogers of Los Angeles

NL CHAMPIONS: Philthydelphia Phullies
AL CHAMPIONS: Minnehaha Twinks

World Series Champions: Minnehaha Twinks

AL Cy Young: David Price
NL Cy Young: Tim Licksthecum

NL MVP: Ryan Howard
AL MVP: Gay Roid

AL MOY: Gardenhire
NL MOY: Mattingly

AL ROY: Ackley
NL ROY: Chapman

AL HR LEADER: Gay-Roid
NL HR LEADER: Fielder

Adam Lispie: Moderator of Seahawks Huddle

NL:

East-
Phillies
Braves
Mets
Nats
Marlins

Central-
Brewers
Cards
Reds
Astros
Cubs
Pirates

West-
Rockies
Giants
Dodgers
Diamondbacks
Padres

Wild Card: Braves

AL:

East-
Red Sox
Yankees
Blue Jays
Rays
Orioles

Central-
White Sox
Twins
Tigers
Indians
Royals

West-
Rangers
A's
Angels
Mariners

Wild Card- Yankees

AL champs- Red Sox
NL champs- Phillies

WS champs- Red Sox


MVP:
NL- Pujols
AL- Adrian Gonzalez

Cy Young:
NL- Ubaldo Jimenez
AL- Jon Lester

MOY:
NL- Fredi Gonzalez
AL- Terry Francona

ROY
NL- Bryce Harper
AL- Michael Piñeda

HR leader:
NL- Pujols
AL- Adam Dunn

Michael Clouse: Friend of SSB and poster on SSB group page

AL East: Red Sox
AL Central: White Sox
AL West: Angels
AL Wild Card: Twins
ALCS: Red Sox over White Sox

NL East: Phillies
NL Central: Reds
NL West: Rockies
NL Wild Card: Braves
NLCS: Rockies over Phillies

World Series champ: Red Sox

AL MVP: Adrian Gonzalez
NL MVP: Carlos Gonzalez
AL Cy: Lester
NL Cy: Lincecum

Jonah Hobson: Standout outfielder for LCC Red Devils(2005-06) and HPU(07-09)

AL East: Red Sox
AL Central: White Sox
AL West: A's
AL Wild Card: Twins
ALCS: Red Sox over A's

NL East: Braves
NL Central: Reds
NL West: Dodgers
NL Wild Card: Phillies
NLCS: Braves over Phillies

World Series Champion: Red Sox

AL MVP: Adrian Gonzalez
NL MVP: Joey Votto
AL CY: David Price
NL CY: Cliff Lee
AL ROY: Jeremy Hellickson
NL ROY: Freddie Freeman

Three crazy predictions:
1. Pirates and Royals both finish within five games of .500
2. No one hits more than 43 HR's
3. At LEAST four 20 game winners this season

Kris Shellenbarger: The owner, gm and coach of Seattle SportsBlog

AL East: Red Sox( Too much hitting and pitching)
AL Central: Tigers( Verlander is a horse, Love the Victor signing)
AL West: A's(Amazing pitching plus I think Rangers fall back)
AL Wild Card: Yankees(Pitching is terrible but still great offense)
ALCS: Red Sox over Tigers(Sox are head and shoulders better than everyone in AL)

NL East: Phillies(Great starting staff although keep an eye on early injuries)
NL Central: Brewers(When Greinke comes back look out!)
NL West: Giants(The Champs still have a great staff, will clinch on last day)
NL Wild Card: Braves(will have second best record in NL)
NLCS: Braves over Phillies(payback from 1993 when Phillies upset the Braves)

World Series Champ: Boston Red Sox(Unless they get bitten by the injury bug they are going to be very tough).

AL MVP: Adrian Gonzalez(Look at his numbers last few years. He was at Petco with no protection. Now in Fenway)
NL MVP: Dan Uggla(He is exactly what the Braves need and will have a monster season)
AL CY: Verlander(He'll have a monster year to carry the Tigers)
NL CY: Lee(He'll announce being back to the NL with a CY Young award)

Well guys that is all for the predictions. I hope you enjoyed the predictions I'm sure some you disagree with. Keep in mind that in baseball not everything is played according to paper so each of us took some risks in our picks. I'll be looking forward to seeing how we all did on our predictions come October.

Game Five of ALDS recap

By Kshell

In the baseball playoffs very rarely do we get the opportunity to see an elimination game. When an elimination game occurs even more rare is when both starting pitchers in that game went to the All-Star Game that very season. Today featured the Texas Rangers who once held a two games to zero lead in this series versus the Tampa Bay Rays who battled back to force a game five in their home ball park. The loser of this game was going to feel like they choked away a golden opportunity. Both teams are facing the serious possibility of getting blown up in the offseason.

Cliff Lee pitches Rangers to first playoff series victory with 5-1 win over Rays

When Ian Kinsler belted a Rafael Soriano pitch into deep left for a two run homerun everyone in Texas started celebrating. With the way Cliff Lee was pitching a 5-1 lead felt like being up 20 runs. Everyone knew the Texas Rangers were going to win their first ever playoff series.

Going into the game all the statistics were working against the Texas Rangers. No playoff series has had the road team win every game. No team who has blown a 2-0 lead in a best of five series has won a game five. The Rangers had never won a postseason series in their franchises history. The one stat that actually mattered for today's game was working for the Rangers. Starting pitcher Cliff Lee was 5-0 with a 1.52 ERA in his postseason career and his team was 6-0. Momentum is all about the next days starting pitcher.

The Rangers got on the board first on a strange play. Elvis Andrus was on second base after stealing second base. David Price who had been roughed up in game one induced Josh Hamilton to ground out to first. The problem is when Pena toss the ball to Price, Price had turned his back towards third base and home plate so Andrus who is fast raced home to score the games first run. He would score from second base on a ground ball out.

Lee faced a big moment in the third inning. He allowed an RBI base hit to Ben Zobrist who had homered off Lee in game one. With the score tied at 1-1 and the Rays having second and third one out Lee was in serious trouble. Lee was facing the Rays number three and four hitters in Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria. He would get Crawford to ground out to third as Young tagged out Bartlett in the run down. Lee would get Longoria to ground out to keep the game tied at one.

Then in the top of the fourth after Price quickly got two outs faced Nelson Cruz who had homered in three games already this series belted a pitch to the deepest part of the stadium for a double. Cruz thinking he had a homerun starred and admired his shot or else he would have had a triple. On the first pitch to Kinsler Cruz stole third and a wild throw by Kelly Shoppach into the outfield allowed Cruz to score making the game 2-1 in Texas favor.

In the sixth inning the Rangers scored another run on a strange play. The Rangers had first and second and one out for Kinsler. Kinsler grounded to first and Pena then tossed to second base to get Cruz out then on the relay to first Price had thought he had Kinsler out for an inning ending double play. Instead he was safe and again Price turned his back to third base and home plate which allowed Vlad Guerrero to score from second base. The Rangers led 3-1 which behind Cliff Lee looked like a huge lead. The Rangers had scored three runs without getting a base hit on any of those runs.

Lee in the seventh gave up a leadoff single to B.J.Upton and then Upton stole second. With game two starter C.J.Wilson and possible game one starter of the ALCS warming up Lee battled out of the inning. Lee was sent out to pitch in the eighth and retired the Rays in order. After the Kinsler home run in the ninth off of all-star closer Rafael Soriano giving the Rangers a 5-1 lead Lee was sent out there to finish the game and the series.

Lee finished the game and gave the Texas Rangers who had been in Texas since 1972 their first playoff series victory. Lee would end up pitching 9 innings, giving up just the one run and struck out 11 batters and of course walked none. Lee would tie Kevin Browns LDS record for 21 strikeouts. Lee was 2-0 with an ERA of 1.12 and had 21 strikeouts in 16 innings. This is exactly why the Texas Rangers gave up their top prospects to division rival Seattle Mariners for games and series like this.

The Tampa Bay Rays are facing an interesting offseason. After going from perrenial doormats in the American League East the Rays have produced three consecutive winning seasons and won the American League East two of the last three seasons. However Tampa Bay will have key free agents in Carl Crawford who has been the face of the franchise for a decade, Carlos Pena who often strikes out but when he connects he goes yard and all-star closer Rafael Soriano. With the owner announcing they will slash payroll odds are those three will be playing eleswhere. It will be interesting if Tampa Bay will reload or disolve.

The Rangers now must face the team who has eliminated them in their previous three postseason series in 1996,1998 and 1999. The Rangers will host the New York Yankees these first two games but still have never won a postseason home game in franchise history. The Rangers will have to go with C.J.Wilson against C.C.Sabathia in game one then in game two it will be interesting who Texas goes with. The Yankees were happy to see Lee pitch game five so they won't have to face him until game three. The Yankees I'm sure would have rather seen Tampa Bay win so they could flat out avoid Lee who has pitched well against them the past two seasons. Should make for a great American League Championship series which starts this friday.

Game three of NLDS and Game four Tex-Rays recap

By Kshell

Today we saw three games played and saw two teams facing season elimination. One team was eliminated while another team forced a game five. As for the game that didn't have season ending implications well that game just saw lead changes in the bottom of the 8th then in the top of the 9th. So far this playoffs has been amazing to watch. With that here are the recaps.

Pena and Longoria bring series back home with 5-2 win over Texas

The Tampa Bay Rays when they had just lost game two and were heading to Texas down 0-2 appeared to be dead. Only one team has ever forced a game five after being down 0-2 and heading on the road. That team was the three time defending World Series champion the New York Yankees in 2001 over Oakland A's.

The Rays offense appears to have woken up after being in a slump for the first two games and 7 innings of the third game. The Rays pounded out 12 hits and had scored 5 runs by the the fifth inning. Carlos Pena who had a strong game three had another strong game going 2 for 4 with an RBI. Evan Longoria was 3 for 4 with a home run and two RBI's.

This has been a nightmare last two games for the Rangers. The Rangers are the only major league baseball franchise to not have a postseason series win. It was looking like that streak was ending then the Rangers blew an 8th inning lead in game three and got blown away in game four losing 5-2 but trailing 5-0.

The Rangers season now rides on the hopes of Cliff Lee. Lee is a hired gun for the Rangers who will most likely lose him to free agency at the end of the year. These are the type of games why Texas traded away their top prospects for Cliff Lee. The Rays will be throwing David Price who was off his game in game one. They are hoping Price will rebound from that tough start and go back to the Cy Young calibar of pitcher he was in 2010. One thing is for sure the New York Yankees are excited this series has gone five games. While the Yankees get to set up their rotation both teams will have used up their ace in game five meaning Price or Lee won't be able to pitch until game three.

Giants rally in the 9th to take series lead with 3-2 win over Braves

The Giants were one strike away from blowing back to back games to the Braves. The Giants had an incredible rally after it had appeared they had blown the game in the 8th inning for the second consecutive game.

The Giants were clinging to a 1-0 lead over the Braves in the 8th inning led by the great pitching of Jonathan Sanchez who gave up just one hit through 7 innings and struck out 11. Sanchez allowed just his second hit of the game in the 8th inning. With a runner on first and only one man down, Bobby Cox decided to pinch hit for game two hero Rick Ankiel for the right handed Troy Glaus. Thats when Giants manager Bruce Bochy pulled Sanchez for Sergio Romo. Cox then pinch hit for Glaus with left handed hitter Erik Hinske. Hinske has appeared in the last three world series with the 2007 Boston Red Sox, 2008 Tampa Bay Rays and 2009 New York Yankees. Hinske hit a pinch hit two run home run to give the Braves a 2-1 lead. Romo didn't record an out and gave up two runs in the game two blown game.

The Braves turn to rookie sensation Craig Kimbrel for the save since Billy Wagner was hurt. Kimbrel with two outs and a runner on base had Freddy Sanchez with two strikes. He was one strike away from getting the save but Sanchez ripped a base hit up the middle to give the Giants first and second with two outs. Cox then went with lefty Mike Dunn who has pitched just 23 innings in his major league career to face Aubrey Huff. Huff ripped a base hit to right field which allowed Ishikawa to tie the game up at 2-2. Cox then went with Peter Moylan to face Buster Posey. Moylan got Posey to ground out to second base only Brooks Conrad had the ball go in between his legs allowing Sanchez to score the go ahead run. Conrad that was his third error of the game.

Giants closer Brian Wilson shut down the Braves in the ninth to regain home field advantage back and take a 2-1 lead in the series. The Giants had they lost this game would be put in a tough spot on to pitch Lincecum on short rest or not. Now they can save Lincecum on full rest for a game five if it comes to that. This was a huge win for the Giants and the Braves which they have proven they can do must find a way to overcome this hard loss. Game four is tomorrow and that could be be Bobby Cox last game ever as manager.

Cole Hamels pitches a complete game shutout in sweep of the Reds 2-0

Cole Hamels shuts down the Cincinnati Reds who were playing in their first home playoff game since 1995. Hamels was in 2008 playoff mode where he went 4-0 during that playoffs. Hamels threw a complete game shutout while striking out nine. Not bad for a third starter.

The Phillies only scored two runs today and managed to shut down the Reds offense who led the National League in hitting. The Phillies held Joey Votto to a horrendous 1 for 10 on the series. The Reds also committed another two errors today costing them a run. The Reds were introduced to playoff baseball having been competive in games two and three but not being able to turn that into wins.

The Phillies can now line up their rotation for the NLCS. The Phillies will be making the NLCS for the third consecutive year and given how Halladay and Hamels have pitched there is no reason to think they can't advance even further.

The Phillies had two complete game shutouts by their pitchers in this short series and with how Roy Oswalt pitched for the Phillies they are still the team to beat. The Phillies will host game one of the NLCS with Roy Halladay so they will be sitting pretty good.

What we learned today was homefield advantage means nothing as all three road teams won today. In fact in the American league the road team is 6-1 this playoffs. We have seen some dramatic comebacks in late inning and some terrific pitching.

Two series are already wrapped up and we still have two more to go. The Braves will be facing elimination tomorrow while the Rays will be hosting another game at home vs the Texas Rangers in a do or die game five on tuesday.

Game three of ALDS recap

By Kshell

Today the American League was playing playoff games while the National League had a day off. Both road teams were facing elimination on their season. One team was blown out from the start and ended up being swept. The other team rallied in the 8th inning to keep its season alive.

The Yankees bust out the bats in 6-1 win over the Twins; sweep series 3-0

The New York Yankees for the fourth time since 2003 have ended the Minnesota Twins season. The Yankees behind the pitching of Phil Hughes and the home runs by Marcus Thames and Nick Swisher beat the Twins 6-1.

The Yankees were on the board first after Robinson Cano hit a leadoff triple, Jorge Posada drove him in with an RBI single. With the Yankees leading 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth the game was blown up with a two run home run by Marcus Thames. The Yankees chased starter Brian Duensing who lasted just 3.1 innings allowing 5 runs. While his counter part Phillip Hughes who was making his first career postseason start went 7 innings allowing zero runs and striking out 6. He was replacing last years game two starter A.J.Burnett who was left off the postseason ALDS roster.

With the Yankees leading 6-1 the scariest man in October came in to pitch. For opposing fans Mariano Rivera is more scary to see than Michael Myers on Halloween. Rivera of course closed out the game and the series. The Yankees have now beaten the Twins nine straight games. This was the first game in those nine where the Yankees didn't trail the Twins.

This was the first time ever in New York Yankees history they won a postseason series as a wild card team. Many forgot that these Yankees are still the defending World Champions and they'll wait for the Tampa Bay/Texas winner in the ALCS.

Tampa Bay rallies to keep their season alive with 6-3 win

John Jaso had a huge go ahead base hit scoring Carlos Pena with two outs to finally give Tampa Bay its first lead of the series. Tampa Bay erupted for five runs in the last two innings of the game. Tampa Bay the previous 25 innings had scored just two runs.

With the game tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the 7th, Ian Kinsler of Texas hit a home run to deep left field off of starter Matt Garza. The Rangers led 2-1 and were just six outs away from their first ever playoff series win.

Tampa Bay was down to its last five outs when Dan Johnson hit a double to get in scoring position. Carlos had a single to shallow right field to tie the game up at 2. After John Jaso gave Tampa Bay its first series lead at 3-2 in the 8th Tampa Bay continued to erupt in the 9th off of closer Neftali Feliz. Felix gave up a home run to Carl Crawford to extend the lead 4-2. Carlos Pena put the game away with a two run home run off of Dustin Nippert to give Tampa a 6-2 lead. Tampa Bay would hang on to win 6-3.

Texas must make a tough decision which is despite being up 2-1 do you pitch Cliff Lee in game four? If Texas has any shot at beating the Yankees the next round they would like to have Lee in game one. If Texas loses another at home they'll have to go back to Tampa Bay where nobody thought Tampa Bay would host another home game.

So we saw one team who is used to clinching in the New York Yankees taking care of business. The Yankees advancing to their ninth ALCS since 1996. We also saw another team who has never clinched a postseason series have to wait another day.

Game two of American League; game one of Giants-Braves recap

By Kshell

The second day of the baseball playoffs featured some more great pitching. I personally like game two more than any other game in the short division series. This is a chance for a team to get back in the series or to be buried early. Today featured both American League road teams taking an early 2-0 lead and in the National League featured another dominant performance by a Cy Young pitcher making his first career start.

Tim Lincecum strikes out 14 in 1-0 win over the Braves

Tim Lincecum the former Washington Husky was absolutely dominant today in his first career start. Lincecum began the game giving up a lead off double but after that he was lights out. The Giants scored only one run for him and that was all he needed.

That one run the Giants scored was a controversial run. On a full count Buster Posey was running on the pitch. Pat Burrell had struck out and Posey slid in safely for the stolen base at second base. The only problem is on his slide he was actually out. Cody Ross with 2 outs had an RBI base hit that scored Posey for the only run of the game. Posey led off the 6th inning with a double and then an error but was stranded on third base despite nobody out.

Tim Lincecum showed everyone why he has won the last two Cy Young awards. Lincecum gave up just two hits both were doubles and only one walk. He struck out 14 Braves including two in the 9th. The Giants blue print is what the Mariners were hoping for this year. Just sneak into the playoffs with an average offense and ride your aces. Lincecum or Halladay are in a class by themselves amongst the National League playoff pitchers.

Bruce Bochy should be applauded as well. Most managers with a 1-0 lead and especially those with an all-star closer don't pitch Lincecum in the 9th. Bochy learned from his mistake in 1998 when Kevin Brown went 8 innings of zero runs and had 16 strikeouts but Bochy went with Hoffman and Hoffman gave up a run so the Padres barely won 2-1. This time Bochy stuck with his ace in the 9th and Lincecum had a 1-2-3 inning. This should be a great series with tons of good pitching match ups. Game two will feature Tim Hudson for Atlanta vs San Francisco Giants Matt Cain.

C.J. Wilson pulls Texas within one win of first ever postseason series win

The Tampa Bay Rays who won the American League championship in 2008 find themselves down 0-2 and going on the road to Texas. Tampa Bay is feeling the pressure as Joe Maddon became the first manager in five years to be ejected from a postseason game.

Maddon also decided to go with Jamie Shields in what essentially is a must win game two. Shields is just one of four pitchers to ever start a postseason game with an ERA over 5. Sheilds was wild and erratic all game. Shields lasted just 4.1 innings and threw 38 strikes to 30 balls. Trailing 2-0 Shields was lifted and what happened next changed the game and possibly the series.

Chad Qualls had entered the game with 1st and 2nd and 1 out. Qualls on a 1-2 pitch appeared to have struck Michael Young out. Young checked his swing the umps said he didn't go around. On the very next pitch Young hit a three run home run which essentially put the game over at 5-0.

Now that turn of events shouldn't take away from what C.J. Wilson had accomplished. Wilson went 6.1 innings of 2 hits and no runs while striking out 7. Wilson along with Lee have gone 13.1 innings of one run and 17 strikeouts. The Texas Rangers believe it or not might have the best 1-2 punch in the American League. With a good offense Texas could be more of a threat than most people gave them credit for. Going into the playoffs the Rangers were the second longest shot to win the World Series. The Rangers are one win away from their first ever postseason series victory.

Andy Pettite wins his 19th career postseason game, Lance Berkman comes up big

The New York Yankees do it again. The Yankees for the eighth consecutive playoff win over the Twins trailed in seven of those games now in a row. The Yankees are in the Minnesota Twins heads. The Twins have now lost 11 playoff games in a row. The Twins find themselves in a deep 0-2 hole going into the defending world champions in New York.

After the Twins tied the game up at 2 on an Orlando Hudson home run the game got away from the Twins again in the 7th. Another blown call by the umpires making it a perfect three for three on game changing calls today occurred. Lance Berkman had appeared to have been struck out but the umpires ruled it a ball. On the very next pitch Berkman who has been somewhat of a dissapointment since coming to New York belts a double to deep center scoring Jorge Posada from first base. Berkman who in the 5th off of former Yankees pitcher Carl Pavano hit a home run burned him again.

Pavano the Yankee dissapointment was done after 6+ innings giving up 10 hits and 4 runs. Once the Yankees took the lead it was back to the Yankees postseason model. Have Andy Pettitte pitch a gem which he did going 7 innings of just 2 runs turn the game over to Mariano Rivera which Rivera closed the game down with his 41st career postseason save. Counting the postseason that was Rivera's 600th career save.

The Twins and the Rays find themselves in a tough position having lost both home games. Only the 2001 New York Yankees(Had won 4 of the previous 5 World Series) who rallied over the Oakland A's after losing games one and two at home. The Giants like the Phillies hope the ride their excellant top of the rotation pitching.

As for the umpires there needs to be something done. From the regular season to last nights blown call in the Yankees-Twins game to three game changing calls today there has to be some sort of instant replay. We are in 2010 now and instead of wasting time with managers arguing calls when they are right and being tossed we can be replaying those calls.

Overall just like in previous playoffs its all about pitching and the teams who are winning have the pitching and the teams who are losing started some rough game two starters. Tomorrow will be crucial game two's for the Braves and Reds. It will also be huge for the Phillies and Giants in maintaining homefield advantage.