With just six more weeks of the regular season ahead, and most teams this week concentrating on getting their draft picks signed, there was still plenty of baseball played, even if the week was a little short on major news. And admittedly, this Brit was probably listening to the Ashes a little more this weekend than watching baseball, but with good reason!
The series decider between the Yankees and Red Sox, as always, has been chosen as the ESPN Sunday Night Game at 01.00 (available on ESPN, ESPN America and ESPN-HD here in the UK). Apart from that game, all of the other MLB contests today are played under daylight in the States.
18.05. Mariners @ Indians – Hernandez (12-4), Carmona (2-8)
18.07. Angels @ Blue Jays – Bell (1-0), Romero (10-5)
18.10. Phillies @ Mets – Martinez (1-0), Perez (3-3)
18.30. Marlins @ Braves – Nolasco (9-8), Lowe (12-8)
18.35. Reds @ Pirates – Bailey (2-4), Hart (2-4)
18.35. Brewers @ Nationals – Parra (8-9), Stammen (3-6)
18.38. Rangers @ Rays – Feldman (12-4), Price (6-5)
19.05. D-Backs @ Astros – Garland (6-11), Norris (3-1)
19.05. Orioles @ White Sox – Berken (2-11), Buehrle (11-6)
19.10. Twins @ Royals – Pavano (10-9), Bannister (7-9)
20.10. Giants @ Rockies – Lincecum (12-3), Jimenez (11-9)
21.05. Tigers @ A’s – Porcello (10-7), Tomko (2-2)
21.05. Cardinals @ Padres – Smoltz (2-5), Carrillo (1-1)
21.10. Cubs @ Dodgers – Dempster (6-7), Billingsley (12-6)
All times are in BST. Continue reading
The Washington Nationals made draft history on Monday by signing number one pick Stephen Strasburg to a record-breaking $15.1 million deal. There was plenty of “will he, won’t he†talk leading up the announcement, but in truth the result was never really in doubt. Even as the midnight deadline gradually got closer and closer, it seemed unthinkable that a deal would not be reached.
The Nationals simply could not let Strasburg slip from their grasp. Continue reading
The three early games today all involve postseason contenders and include games from two major series.
18.07. Angels @ Blue Jays – Santana (6-6), Richmond (6-6)
21.10. Cubs @ Dodgers – Lilly (9-7), Haeger (0-1)
21.10. Yankees @ Red Sox – Burnett (10-6), Tazawa (1-2)
All times are in BST. Continue reading
Earlier this year I published a series of articles offering between-season comparisons of batters, pitchers, league quality, and league health in the British top tier. With the National Baseball League’s regular season now completed, it is possible to see where 2009 fits in. Continue reading
Tomorrow is ‘playoff day’ in British baseball. Twelve teams will battle it out at six venues across the country to determine the final six entrants to the 2009 National Baseball Championships.
There are four broad levels of play in the British Baseball Federation (BBF). The National Baseball League (NBL) is at the top of the pyramid followed by AAA, AA and A, as used in the Minor League set-up in the States. Each level of play has a National Baseball Championship (NBC) involving four teams. The entrants for the NBL and AAA have already been determined by the regular season and two of the AA teams are also confirmed. Tomorrow’s round of playoff games will determine the other two AA teams and the four A teams.
In AA, Brentwood Stags face Mildehall Bulldogs at the United States Air Force base, while Halton Jaguars travel to Jarrett Field to play against Kent Mariners. The four playoff games in A are: Leicester Blue Sox @ Bolton Robots of Doom, Humber Pilots @ MK Bucks, Guildford Mavericks @ Bracknell Blazers and Richmond Flames @ Essex Arrows. Continue reading
Scenario: There are two outs and a runner on second. The batter lays down a bunt, which the catcher scuttles forwards to field, firing a throw to first base. The fielder at the bag drops the ball, though, and the batter-runner reaches safely. The runner on second moves across to third during the play.
As the official scorer, you score an error on the first baseman, but do you give the batter a sacrifice bunt or charge a time at bat?
A – Sacrifice bunt.
B – At-bat.
Highlight the text below to reveal the answer:
Answer: B – At-bat.
Rule 10.08(a) states:
Score a sacrifice bunt when, before two are out, the batter advances one or more runners with a bunt and is put out at first base, or would have been put out except for a fielding error.
Since there were two outs, a sacrifice bunt cannot be awarded. While this may seem obvious, it is possible that a scorer might not take note of the outs and erroneously award a sacrifice bunt in this situation.
The Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs played an afternoon game at Wrigley Field last Friday and I had marked it down as a good way to spend a lazy Friday evening after a long week. It was also an opportunity to keep score of a game, a favourite hobby of mine that I had somehow managed to miss out on for a month or so.Â
My evening of baseball didn’t quite work out as planned. I got home slightly late for the start of the game and ended up leaving it after three and a half innings. However, I still had plenty to write down even in that short amount of time. Continue reading
It’s fantasy roundup time once again. The beauty of a head-to-head league is how quickly things can change. One week your bats are on fire, the next you’re relying on your pitchers to help you get back in the matchup.| Â |
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| SWAT | 28 | 7 | 19 | 4 | .261 | .746 | 2 | 4 | 40 | 1 | 6.05 | 1.68 | 7 |
| Tribal Warfare | 25 | 12 | 31 | 2 | .248 | .856 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 3.95 | 1.57 | 5 |
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| Bonestalkers | 24 | 3 | 18 | 3 | .260 | .703 | 3 | 1 | 36 | 0 | 4.66 | 1.01 | 3 |
| Syracuse Nationals | 36 | 9 | 26 | 6 | .285 | .801 | 3 | 5 | 27 | 0 | 5.55 | 1.21 | 7 |
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| Orpington Isotopes | 34 | 10 | 34 | 1 | .300 | .944 | 4 | 2 | 50 | 2 | 2.78 | 1.15 | 10 |
| The Cheddar Chasers | 32 | 7 | 31 | 6 | .289 | .834 | 3 | 4 | 38 | 0 | 4.64 | 1.17 | 2 |
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| The Wright Stuff | 37 | 8 | 30 | 7 | .340 | .969 | 1 | 5 | 21 | 2 | 3.26 | 1.09 | 6 |
| Borders Bats | 26 | 1 | 25 | 4 | .288 | .690 | 2 | 2 | 34 | 0 | 6.12 | 1.55 | 6 |
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| stevenston angels | 20 | 3 | 26 | 2 | .201 | .589 | 4 | 1 | 45 | 2 | 2.93 | 1.12 | 6 |
| the gas | 26 | 7 | 28 | 1 | .262 | .722 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 1 | 10.48 | 2.24 | 5 |
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| Josh & Jonny Whos | 31 | 6 | 30 | 6 | .338 | .906 | 2 | 3 | 29 | 0 | 4.38 | 1.05 | 6 |
| Rio Crande Typos | 27 | 7 | 30 | 4 | .310 | .897 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 1.64 | 1.04 | 4 |
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| Braughing’s Bangers | 40 | 12 | 36 | 3 | .271 | .926 | 4 | 1 | 23 | 0 | 2.11 | 1.34 | 4 |
| RussDev Giants | 37 | 13 | 36 | 7 | .363 | 1.059 | 1 | 3 | 23 | 0 | 4.57 | 1.75 | 5 |
A couple of weeks ago, Megan at the excellent Mariners blog Section 331 got in contact, keen to learn more about baseball in Britain. I was more than happy to help and the feature has now been published.Â
Thanks again to Megan for taking an interest. If you’re a Mariners fan then you definitely need to bookmark her blog and it’s well worth checking out regardless of your team affiliation.