Monthly Archives: June 2012

Peavy, Strasburg, Latos, Garza and Hamels to pitch on Saturday

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We’ve got a good selection of games to enjoy live during the British evening on Saturday.

The White Sox defeated the Yankees 14-7 yesterday for their fourth win in a row, with the only negative of the day being Kevin Youkilis leaving the game early due to illness. Chicago has a 3.5 game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central going into today’s games.

The Royals have also won four straight; however they have a tough assignment today against Scott Diamond. He’s been a real bright spot for the Twins in a trying first half of the season.

In the ‘just gone nine’ games, it’s always difficult to look past a start by Stephen Strasburg and it becomes even more of a ‘must watch’ contest against the Braves. Mike Minor has struggled this season and his place in Atlanta’s rotation must be hanging by a thread. Pitching his team past Strasburg and the Nationals would be a great way to earn a stay of execution, but it will be far from easy to achieve.

The Cubs’ Matt Garza keeps being mentioned as a possible trade target and he’ll look to increase his attractiveness to potential new teams with a strong outing at Wrigley against the Astros.  Mat Latos was one of the major pitching names to be traded over the offseason and the Reds really saw the Latos they were hoping they had acquired last time out when he struck out a career high 13 batters against the Brewers.

Last up, the Hamels-Buerhle pitching match-up should be well worth watching. The Marlins won the series opener last night 6-2 as Cliff Lee gave up six runs on ten hits and was knocked out after only 4.2 innings. Considering the struggles that Charlie Manuel has had with his bullpen this season, the Phillies will likely need Hamels to go deep into today’s game to give them a chance of levelling the series.

All times are in BST.

18.05. Chicago White Sox at NY Yankees (Peavy – Kuroda)
18.07. LA Angels at Toronto (Richards – Alvarez) *MLB.com Free Game of the Day
18.10. Kansas City at Minnesota (Sanchez – Diamond)
19.15. Pittsburgh at St. Louis (Karstens – Lynn)
21.05. Cleveland at Baltimore (Tomlin – Eveland)
21.05. Washington at Atlanta (Strasburg – Minor)
21.05. Houston at Chicago Cubs (Happ – Garza)
21.05. Cincinnati at San Francisco (Latos – Zito)
21.10. Philadelphia at Miami (Hamels – Buehrle).

All of these games are available to watch live via the MLB.TV subscription at MLB.com.  There is no baseball on ESPN America tonight as they concentrate on the X Games instead.  The full schedule for today’s games can be found on MLB.com.

2012 MLB All-Star Selections

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The 2012 MLB All-Star ballot closes at midnight Eastern Time on Thursday (5 a.m. on Friday morning BST).

Mark George and I have already submitted our ballots, taking differing approaches to the online option that allows you to vote up to 25 times.

While I cast my ballot once and left it at that, Mark took full advantage of his quota to make sure his picks had the best chance of making it into the starting line-ups in Kansas City.  Considering the way the voting has gone so far – Texas Rangers fans are doing their team proud with David Murphy being the sixth highest vote-getter for AL outfielders at time of writing – Mark’s approach was probably the right way to go.

Here is how we cast our ballots. Starting with the reigning All-Star Game champions: the National League.

Mark George’s selections.

C: Ellis. I’m going to let my heart rule my head here, as Ruiz, Molina and Posey are also deserving, but Ellis has been such a pleasant surprise and a likeable guy (see the Between Two Ferns clips on MLB.com) I can’t not vote for him.

1B: Votto. So much easier to pick him when Albert and Prince aren’t in the way!

2B: Phillips. Close between him, Uggla and Hill, but Brandon’s glove makes the difference.

SS: Lowrie. If he’s healthy, he’ll hit and Houston are benefiting.

3B: Wright. Superior average gives him the nod over Freese.

OF: Kemp. He may well not play, but he still gets my vote.

OF: Beltran. Superb talent easing the loss of Pujols in St Louis.

OF: McCutchen. Excellent all-round season, plus I don’t feel comfortable votng for Braun.

Matt Smith’s selections.

C: Molina . Carlos Ruiz has been a rare bright spot for the Phillies this year and certainly has a genuine case to make his first All-Star game at 33 years old. I’m sticking with Yadi Molina though as he’s had a very good first half and should rightly represent the World Series champion Cardinals at the Mid-Summer Classic.

1B: Votto. Votto is arguably the easiest selection on the entire ballot. Outstanding again for the Reds this season.

2B: Phillips. Dan Uggla has had a good first half and the diminutive Jose Altuve has been a great story for the Astros, but I’ve given the edge to Phillips on account of his solid bat and flashy glovework.

SS: Castro. With Troy Tulowitzki side-lined through injury and Jose Reyes scuffling a bit after an excellent 2011, I ended up picking a bit of a wild card in Castro. He’s still prone to making silly mistakes, but he’s an exciting young talent and could light up a game with his fielding alone.

3B: Wright. Wright is up there with Votto as one of the easiest picks on the ballot. He’s been excellent for the Mets and a big reason why they have had such a positive start to this season, despite losing Jose Reyes over the winter.

OF: Kemp. Injury woes are nowhere near enough to make me shy away from putting him on my starting lineup (even if he might not actually take up that spot).

OF: Braun. Braun’s drug-test drama potentially puts a question mark against him the in popularity stakes, but he’s one of the best players in the game and (perhaps wrongly) I’m not convinced there’s anything other than talent and hard work behind that.

OF: McCutchen. While other players (especially Votto) may be more overwhelming selections due to their performance and competition for the respective position, I don’t think there’s a player that deserves an All-Star starting spot more than McCutchen. His brilliance almost goes unnoticed while playing for the Pirates and he deserves this moment to recognise that he’s one of the best outfielders around.

On to the American League …

Mark George’s selections.

C: AJ Pierzynski. Surprised myself with this, but best combo of power and average available.

1B: Konerko. Tough to ignore Dunn’s power, but Konerko has been a class act for the umpteenth year in a row.

2B: Cano. Kipnis a very close second here.

SS: Andrus. May lose out to the slugging options of Hardy, Aviloes and Cabrera, but Elvis is having a great year.

3B: Cabrera. Tough call between Cabrera, Trumbo, Beltre and Moustakas, but Miguel’s still the man for me.

OF: Hamilton. No explanation needed!

OF: Trout. We have to find room for an incredible talent.

OF: Adam Jones. Could have gone for Bautista or Trumbo’s power here, but Jones has been excellent for the surprising Orioles.

DH: Encarnacion. Who knew? Toronto’s knack for finding sluggers continues.

Matt Smith’s selections.

C: Mauer. He’s probably never going to get close to his 28 homer mark of 2009 again, but Mauer is a class act and deserves the All-Star start behind the dish this season, even though Pierzynski has had a very impressive first half.

1B: Konerko. The AL first baseman selection was supposed to be ridiculously tough coming into the season with Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder joining an already impressive group. Neither of those two has really hit the heights so far, so I’ve gone with the veteran Konerko who continues to impress as the lead bat in the White Sox’s offence.

2B: Cano. The star of last year’s Home Run Derby, Cano is simply one of the best all-round players in the game.

SS: Andrus. Derek Jeter will make the AL team of course and I don’t have any problems with that, but I’d prefer to see Andrus make the start as he is very good defensively and has performed well at the plate so far this season too.

3B: Beltre. Beltre joins up with Andrus for an all-Texas left-side to the infield on my ballot, edging Miguel Cabrera thanks to his defence. Evan Longoria would have been a strong contender had he not been on the DL and the up-and-coming Brett Lawrie and Mike Moustakas may be in the running as early as next season.

DH: Ortiz. I generally don’t like the DH spot because it often leads to someone making the AL’s starting lineup ahead of a first baseman or two who is more deserving. However, this time I don’t have any concerns with Ortiz taking his place as he’s been one of the more valuable bats in the AL so far this season and his track record speaks for itself.

OF: Hamilton. June has been a tough month for Hamilton, but at the time of writing he still has a 1.035 OPS and is sure to spark back into life soon.

OF: Bautista. He’s been the MLB home run leader over the last two years and leads the way again in 2012. In contrast to Hamilton he has recovered from a slow April with a very good May and an absolutely torrid June.

OF: Trout. Trout was my write-in selection. He is an outstanding young talent who has performed brilliantly for the Angels since his call-up. The All-Star Game should in part be about selling the sport to casual sports fans and newcomers and Trout is exactly the sort of young talent that MLB should be promoting (and I write that as an A’s fan who suspects that Trout will become a living nightmare for my team over the years ahead). Pick him and chances are he will do something memorable.  Adam Jones is unlucky not to make the team, Curtis Granderson is always hard to overlook in the popularity stakes, while Jacoby Ellsbury clearly would have been a prime contender if he had been healthy this season after his remarkable 2011 campaign.

Other points not on the official ballot

Mark George: If I could vote for a National League DH I’d pick Carlos Gonzalez. As for the starting pitchers …

National League: Dickey. Plenty of good options here, as you could make strong cases for Hamels, Lynn, Cain, Gio Gonzalez, Cueto and Strasburg among others, but Dickey has been that good and it would be fun to see a knuckleballer start.

American League: Verlander. I expect Verlander to start, but Chris Sale would be a very close second.

Matt Smith: National League starting pitcher: Stephen Strasburg. I suspect the Nationals wouldn’t be overly pleased with him using up an inning of his 2012 season in the All-Star Game, but in terms of form this season and ‘star’ quality, Strasburg would be my starter.

American League: Can’t look past Verlander, particularly as it seems as though the game would fit within his normal rotation schedule and so he should be fine to actually take the mound.

Over to you:

If you have cast your ballot, feel free to pass on your picks, or to comment on ours, in the Comments section below.

British Baseball Beat: Trojans lose their streak then start another

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Wet weather had an impact on the British baseball schedule last weekend, with some games having to be postponed due to fields being unplayable.

However, that created opportunities for other teams to make a leap in the standings and the games that were played certainly didn’t lack any drama.

Liverpool’s winning streak comes to an end

The result of the week came in Triple-A where the Liverpool Trojans’ incredible winning run was finally brought to an end by the Cartmel Valley Lions.

Liverpool (13-1), the reigning Triple-A National champions, hadn’t lost a league game since 25 July 2010 and after starting this season 12-0 it looked like another perfect year might be on the cards. However the young Lions (9-5) have impressed in their debut senior season and they saw their opponent’s record as less a thing to be feared and more an opportunity to make a mark.

They did just that, with GB Under-23 pitcher Ben Pearson striking out nine Trojans over seven one-run innings and backing his effort on the mound with a three-run home run in the second inning. Cartmel took the opening game of the double-header 7-1, yet Liverpool responded in the way you would expect.

‘Let’s start the next winning streak’ was the cry and sure enough they quickly found their way back in the win column with a shortened five-inning victory by a score of 12-0 in the second game. Paul Smith put an exclamation point on the victory with a game-ending Grand Slam, while GB U-23 player Rob Vondy picked up the pitching win with five shut-out innings, making it an impressive day for the national team prospects.

The Trojans now have a four-game lead over the Lions at the top of the North. This Sunday, the Lions host the Halton Jaguars, the third-placed Menwith Hill Patriots host the Bolton Robots of Doom (still looking for their first win of 2012) and the Trojans look to keep their new winning streak going with two games on the road against the Manchester A’s.

Meanwhile the AAA-South is arguably shaping up to be the most competitive division in all of British baseball.

The Cambridge Royals (11-7) swept a double-header away to the Essex Redbacks (13-7) to move within one game of their rivals in the Pool B standings. Brett Curran and Raj Perera once again led the way for the Royals with some strong pitching. Curran’s 12 strike-out effort in the opener was particularly impressive as the Redbacks pitched a combined no-hitter in the game, although Cambridge’s offence was able to get runs on the board due to the Redbacks’ starter Phil Chesterton not having his normal control and walking 12 over five innings.

The Latin Boys and London Metros (both 7-8) are 3.5 games behind the Redbacks after they split a double-header, and wins were shared between the Bristol Badgers (13-5) and Richmond Knights (12-8) in the other double-header. That left the Badgers leading Pool A by one game over the Oxford Kings (10-4), with the Knights one further game back.

This Sunday, the Knights host the Redbacks while the Royals are in Croydon taking on the Latin Boys.

AA: Rebels and Mavericks keep their winning runs going

The AA-Midlands division is also challenging the AAA-South as one to watch. The Nottingham Rebels (10-0) currently look a class apart from the rest and they added two more victories to their tally last Sunday at the expense of the Stourbridge Titans (0-7). However, there’s a great battle developing for second spot between the MK Bucks (5-4), Leicester Blue Sox (5-6) and Birmingham Maple Leafs (2-5). The latter were dealt a blow last weekend when the Bucks defeated them 18-6; however Birmingham has games in hand and so they have the opportunity to get back in the race quickly. Ruining the Rebels’ winning streak this Sunday would be a great way for the Maple Leafs to start their comeback.

In the North, there was a top of the table double-header clash between the Sheffield Bladerunners (13-1) and Harrogate Tigers (9-5) last Sunday. Honours were even at the end of the day’s play and although the Tigers will be happy to have inflicted the first loss of the season on Sheffield, they may feel a little disappointed that they couldn’t take the chance to close the four-game gap that the Bladerunners have on them.  The Hull Scorpions (8-6) and Manchester Torrent (5-5) also split their double-header to keep those two teams in third and fourth place and separated by a single game in the standings. The Tigers host the Scorpions this Sunday, while Sheffield are playing away to the Oldham North Stars.

The Guildford Mavericks (13-0) still have a perfect record so far this season in the South, but they were pushed all the way last Sunday by the Daws Hill Spitfires (4-4). The teams couldn’t be separated after nine innings before the Mavericks finally managed to shake off the Spitfires in the tenth inning to take the game 11-9. The Mavericks will look to continue their winning run against the Kent Mariners (3-7) this Sunday. The Mariners took an 18-9 loss against the Southampton Mustangs II last Sunday in their debut at their new home ground.

The games were just as close in Croydon where the Pirates III edged both games against the Latin Tigers 8-7, the second of which being an extra inning win. Those victories took the Pirates III up to a level 5-5 record, albeit still a way off the Pool A-leading Mavericks and second-placed Piranhas (10-1).

The Pool B-leading Sidewinders (7-3) were held to a split by the London Mammoths (6-4) and that leaves the Pool wide open, with the Sidewinders holding a one-game lead over the Mammoths and Herts Hawks (5-3) and the Spitfires just one further game back. The Mammoths are due to play against the Richmond Dragons on Saturday, with the Sidewinders hosting the Hawks on Sunday.

Single-A: More mores for the Marauders and Hove Tuesday

In Single-A the London Marauders (4-0) and Hove Tuesday (3-0) continued their winning starts to the season.  The Marauders improved to 4-0 with an 18-5 win over the Richmond Dukes, while Hove hit the Guildford Mavericks II hard in a 29-4 win.

Herts Raptors (3-2) were also in the runs on Sunday as they put 35 on the board against Tonbridge in a convincing victory.

It will be a tougher test for the Raptors this Sunday as they host the Pool-A leading Essex Archers. the Dukes will head to Brighton to take on Hove Tuesday, Herts Eagles face Braintree Rays and the Essex Redbacks III host Tonbridge.

NBL: Harlow make hay while the sun shines (or at least while the rain stays away)

Harlow Nationals (15-4) took full advantage of the double-header between Herts Falcons and London Mets being postponed by sweeping the Southampton Mustangs and maintaining their place at the top of the NBL.

The pair of victories, by scores of 11-5 and 7-3, have given the Nationals a 1.5 game lead over the Falcons (12-4), which relatively speaking is a decent cushion considering how close it has been at the sharp end of the top-tier so far this season.

The Mustangs (12-7) had been leading the league with a 12-3 record, but four consecutive defeats at the hands of the Falcons and Nationals have put them on the back foot in the title chase, both in terms of adding losses to their total and in the negative impact of just coming up short against their main rivals. Southampton has this Sunday off to regroup before trying to get back on track on 8 July with two games on the road against the Essex Arrows.

The Arrows (7-13) are playing through a rough patch of their own having lost their last six, the first two coming at the hands of the Mustangs on 10 June and the latest two being suffered last Sunday against the Lakenheath Diamondbacks (7-8). Essex will feel that luck has deserted them as the D-Backs took both games by a single run, the second game being an extra inning defeat.

Lakenheath are scheduled to play a double-header against the London Mets this Sunday and the Mets will surely be itching to get out on the field after being denied by the weather once again last weekend. The other NBL action will see the Arrows and Croydon Pirates meeting for a single game before both teams play against the GB Juniors.

BGB Fantasy League 2012 Week Twelve

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It’s time to look back at how fortune favoured the BaseballGB fantasy league managers. Who is finishing the first half of the season in good form and who needs to catch up?

 

R HR RBI SB AVG OPS W SV K HLD ERA WHIP Score
Ridge Bolts 20 6 21 2 0.27 0.82 1 0 22 2 5.2 1.47 0
NE Riverkings 27 7 28 5 0.3 0.83 3 3 25 0 5 1.28 12

 

We begin with a clean sweep for the Riverkings, as the Bolts failed to meet the 20 inning minimum limit and forefeited any chance of taking pitching categories. Heyward and Wright keyed an offensive sweep, while Greinke and Clippard (three saves) were the pick of the Riverkings’ pitchers. Cody Ross homered three times and drove in 10 for the Bolts.

R HR RBI SB AVG OPS W SV K HLD ERA WHIP Score
YD33’s 10 2 14 4 0.24 0.59 2 1 30 0 3.5 1.47 1
Richie’s RBI’s 27 7 24 6 0.24 0.71 4 4 31 0 3.3 1.01 10

The RBIs were also big winners, defeating YD33s 10-1 thanks to the offense of Aaron Hill and the pitching of Milone and Hammel. Headley helped YD33s nick average by a point.

R HR RBI SB AVG OPS W SV K HLD ERA WHIP Score
tavira expats 20 8 22 3 0.23 0.71 2 0 41 1 5.6 1.41 1
Chatham Anglers 36 8 24 4 0.28 0.79 5 1 24 2 4.1 1.29 10

 

The Anglers also picked up a 10-1 win, this time against the Expats. Six different players homered for the Anglers, including Lawrie, who scored 10 runs. James McDonald’s gem helped take wins, ERA and WHIP. Minor, Lincoln and Darvish racked up the strikeouts for the Expats.

R HR RBI SB AVG OPS W SV K HLD ERA WHIP Score
Orpington Isotopes 20 6 27 1 0.26 0.78 3 2 59 2 3.5 1.09 1
Weston-Super-Sox 31 6 31 4 0.3 0.81 5 2 46 2 2.5 1.08 8

 

The Sox gave my Isotopes a tough time of it, winning 8-1 thanks to the offense of Kubel and Holliday and the pitching of Westbrook, Chen, AJ Burnett and the now-injured McCarthy. Bautista homered four times for my team, while Price and Garza helped me salvage strikeouts.

R HR RBI SB AVG OPS W SV K HLD ERA WHIP Score
Bonestalkers 30 7 23 2 0.33 0.92 1 1 28 1 3.6 1.05 7
Pontypridd Pirates 22 7 18 5 0.22 0.73 2 0 24 2 3.2 1.24 4

 

Bonestalkers had a very nice week with the bat on the way to beating the Pirates 7-4. Trumbo, Ichiro and Parra helped the team hit .333, which is very impressive, while Gee and Quintana helped take WHIP. Cano hit four homers for the Pirates, while Balfour had two holds and Sale helped salvage ERA.

R HR RBI SB AVG OPS W SV K HLD ERA WHIP Score
Beck ‘Nams (GB) 25 7 28 3 0.25 0.76 6 2 26 2 3.8 1.33 5
The Wright Stuff 30 5 25 8 0.28 0.79 2 4 44 1 4.9 1.16 7

 

The Stuff got the better of a close battle with Beck ‘Nams, with Trout and Aramis Ramirez doing a lot of damage with the bat. Peavy and Johan helped take WHIP, while Janssen, Casilla and David Hernandez combined for four saves. Ike Davis and Nelson Cruz provided power for Beck ‘Nams while Harrison and Papelbon each won twice.

R HR RBI SB AVG OPS W SV K HLD ERA WHIP Score
stevenston angels 31 11 23 2 0.27 0.86 3 4 35 1 3.1 1.17 5
Iron Men 29 6 31 6 0.28 0.78 2 2 44 5 1.5 1.11 7

 

Iron Men’s pitchers made the difference in a 7-5 win against the Angels, taking four categories. Hamels racked up the strikeouts, while Venters and Adams each had two holds and Josh Johnson helped take WHIP. Victorino, Braun and Espinosa stole two bases each and Montero drove home 10. Rollins, Willingham and Middlebrooks helped the Angels take runs and homers, while Aceves and the now-injured Francisco each had two saves and Cueto, Jackson and Floyd each picked up a win.

R HR RBI SB AVG OPS W SV K HLD ERA WHIP Score
daebhid2 39 10 37 2 0.32 0.92 0 0 2 0 6.1 2.18 5
Pretzel Vendors 17 5 18 4 0.25 0.7 4 2 58 0 2.7 1.2 7

 

Daebhid2 failed to meet the 20-inning minimum limit, which undid the offense’s good work as they fell 7-5 to the Vendors. Volquez, Sabathia, Cain and King Felix each racked up double-digit strikeouts for the Vendors, while Kimbrel had two saves. The Diamondback duo of Upton and Goldschmidt joined Seager in having huge weeks for daebhid.

R HR RBI SB AVG OPS W SV K HLD ERA WHIP Score
BD Yankees 26 10 25 5 0.26 0.81 1 2 21 2 1.7 1.11 6
SWAT* 27 7 26 3 0.25 0.72 2 6 52 2 4.5 1.37 5

 

Another very close matchup saw the Yankees edge past SWAT 6-5. Asdrubal Cabrera and Rasmus each homered three times and Beckham had a great week for the Yankees, while Strasburg had a win and 10 strikeouts. Encarnacion and Beltran were SWAT’s top hitters, while Nathan, Reed and Johnson took care of saves and Happ and Oswalt picked up victories.

R HR RBI SB AVG OPS W SV K HLD ERA WHIP Score
The Cheddar Chasers 29 5 13 5 0.28 0.8 2 1 54 2 5.8 1.48 6
Boyd’s Base On Balls 21 7 25 3 0.23 0.71 3 2 34 1 3 1.19 6

 

Finally, the Chasers and Base On Balls could not be separated. The Chasers had the better of the offense thanks to Beltre, Votto and Crisp, while Dickey racked up 16 strikeouts. Moustakas and Morrison provided power for the Base On Balls, while Verlander and Chris Perez took care of wins, saves, ERA and WHIP.

A REMINDER FOR ALL MANAGERS:
Remember to make sure you hit the 20-inning minimum limit with your pitching staffs or you will forfeit all pitching categories. Some teams are suffering with injuries, so make the most of your three DL spots, so you can add new players to tide you over until the injured players return.

The week 13 matchups are as follows:
Riverkings (1st) v Chasers (4th)
Sox (2nd) v Bolts (15th)
Stuff (3rd) v Yankees (13th)
Vendors (5th) v YD33s (16th)
SWAT (6th) v Bonestalkers (17th)
Anglers (7th) v Pirates (12th)
Iron Men (8th) v Beck ‘Nams (10th)
Base On balls (9th) v Angels (19th)
RBIs (11th) v Expats (18th)
Isotopes (14th) v daebhid2 (20th)

After England’s Euro exit

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Following Sunday night’s penalty shoot-out heartbreak, this week’s preview of the MLB games starting before midnight U.K. time doesn’t have to take potential England game clashes into account.

Thursday evening could have been taken up by a semi-final against Germany. Instead, we can follow the two MLB games scheduled for that evening while Italy take on the impressive German team. There’s a part of me that thinks losing on penalties in the quarter-finals might be a preferable exit to getting thumped by Germany for the second consecutive major tournament, although I suspect New York Mets reliever Frank Francisco would have a word on the tip of his tongue ready to describe that attitude.

Anyway, MLB now reverts back to the normal (for the remainder of this season, at least) pattern of AL and NL play. After drawing an ‘early’ game blank on Monday and Tuesday, there are eight games to choose from on Wednesday including games between the Brewers and Reds, Blue Jays and Red Sox, and Dodgers and Giants. The Chicago White Sox should have the exciting young pitcher Chris Sale on the mound for their game against the Twins, which could also be the first ‘early’ game opportunity to watch the newly acquired Kevin Youkilis playing in a White rather than Red Sox uniform.

Citizens Bank Park and Coors Field host early games on Thursday before the working week is brought to a close with an Astros-Cubs game from Wrigley Field.

All times are in BST.

Monday 25 June

No early games

Tuesday 26 June

No early games

Wednesday 27 June

17.35. Milwaukee at Cincinnati (Greinke – Bailey)
18.05. Cleveland at NY Yankees (Jimenez – Pettitte)
18.10. Chicago White Sox at Minnesota (Sale – Blackburn) *ESPN America
18.35. Toronto at Boston (Romero – Lester)
19.10. Tampa Bay at Kansas City (Moore – Mazzaro) *MLB.com Free Game of the Day
19.20. NY Mets at Chicago Cubs (Niese – Samardzija)
20.40. Oakland at Seattle (Parker – Millwood)
20.45. LA Dodgers at San Francisco (Billingsley – Lincecum)

Thursday 28 June

18.05. Pittsburgh at Philadelphia (Burnett – Kendrick) *ESPN America
20.10. Washington at Colorado (Jackson – White)

Friday 29 June

19.20. Houston at Chicago Cubs (Happ – Maholm) *ESPN America

All of these games are available to watch live via the MLB.TV subscription at MLB.com.  The early games being shown on ESPN America are highlighted above, while the full ESPN/ESPN America schedule can be found on their website.  There is no Thursday evening game on BBC 5 Live Sports Extra this week. The complete schedule for this week’s MLB games can be found on MLB.com.

One Night in Kiev

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England’s European Championship quarter final against Italy will dominate Sunday evening.

However MLB can be the perfect supporting cast, whether you are seeking some light relief during the hour or so before the 19.45. kick-off, a bit of escapism after the game (in the joy of victory or the sorrow of defeat) or a diversion during the game itself (through having no interest in it or being too nervous to concentrate on it fully).

All times are in BST.

18.05. Tampa Bay at Philadelphia (Price – Hamels)
18.10. Minnesota at Cincinnati (Diamond – Leake)
18.10. Toronto at Miami (Chavez – Buehrle)
18.35. Washington at Baltimore (Detwiler – Arrieta)
18.35. Atlanta at Boston (Minor – Cook)
18.35. Detroit at Pittsburgh (Verlander – Correia)
19.05. Cleveland at Houston (Lowe – Happ)
19.10. Milwaukee at Chicago White Sox (Fiers – Quintana)
19.10. St. Louis at Kansas City (Lynn – Sanchez)
20.35. LA Dodgers at LA Angels (Harang – Richards) *ESPN America
21.05. San Francisco at Oakland (Cain – Griffin)
21.05. Seattle at San Diego (Noesi – Volquez)
21.10. Chicago Cubs at Arizona (Garza – Miley)
23.35. Tampa Bay at Philadelphia (Cobb – Lee)

00.05. Colorado at Texas (White – Harrison)
01.00. NY Yankees at NY Mets (Sabathia – Dickey) *ESPN.

Rays and Phillies fans can enjoy a double-header today after Friday’s series opener was postponed due to rain. The first game should see David Price and Cole Hamels taking to the mound in a match-up between two of the best left-handed pitchers in the sport, and the Alex Cobb-Cliff Lee contest later on doesn’t took too shabby either.

When looking at the probable pitchers list, Justin Verlander’s name always stands out and he nearly no-hit the Pirates last time he faced them, so that should be a game worth watching, especially as Pittsburgh has won the first two games of the series.

As for the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball Game, the latest Subway Series is tied 1-1 heading into the rubber game and you couldn’t ask for a better pitching match-up to end the series and Sunday’s slate of games. CC Sabathia pitched a complete game in his most recent appearance, while R.A. Dickey’s recent form has been utterly mesmerizing, for fans and opposing hitters alike.

All of these games are available to watch live via the MLB.TV subscription at MLB.com.  ESPN America will follow the Dodgers-Angels game with the first game of the College World Series Final between Arizona and South Carolina. The Yankees-Mets game will be broadcast on the main ESPN channel.

Seven early games on Saturday

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There are seven early MLB games to enjoy on Saturday during the British evening. All times are in BST.

18.10. Toronto at Miami (Cecil – Johnson) *ESPN America

The Blue Jays have suffered miserable luck in losing pitchers to injuries recently, so Brett Cecil’s return last Sunday against the Phillies was a welcome change. He makes his second start of the season today against the Marlins.

19.10. St. Louis at Kansas City (Wainwright – Mendoza)

On the subject of pitchers and injuries, Adam Wainwright knows that getting back on a Big League mound after Tommy John surgery is not the end of your rehabilitation from that procedure. It can take a while (over a year in some cases) to really get back to some consistent form. Wainwright gave up seven runs to the Mets four starts ago, but he’s gone seven strong innings in his last two times out and will hope to continue that form against the Royals today.

20.05. Colorado at Texas (Outman – Lewis)

Josh Outman pitched on Tuesday and returns to the mound after three rest days on manager Jim Tracy’s new pitching regime. Colby Lewis is on his normal rest and has been pitching very well recently.  Coors Field is often seen as a barrier to recruiting good pitchers, but Rangers Ballpark isn’t exactly a pitcher’s paradise and Texas aren’t struggling for useful hurlers. Money plays a part of course; however when it comes down to it if you have talented players they will perform well regardless of the conditions.

The Rockies simply haven’t done a good job of putting together a talented staff, doing things like trading away Jason Hammel (outstanding again last night against the Nationals) and finding a spot at the start of the season for Jamie Moyer.

21.05. Cleveland at Houston (Gomez – Keuchel)

Former Rockies pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez picked up a pitching win yesterday in the Indians’ 2-0 victory over the Astros, although Lucas Harrell actually pitched a slightly better game and was lumbered with a loss due to the Astros’ offence failing to turn up. Maybe they will come through today as Dallas Keuchel makes his second Big League start.

21.05. Tampa Bay at Philadelphia (Shields – Kendrick)

The Rays and Phillies were rained out yesterday, so today’s game is the series opener. James Shields would have pitched last night and the Rays are keeping their pitchers in order by sending him to the mound today, while Kyle Kendrick will take the place of Friday’s scheduled starter Cliff Lee, who should appear in one of the two games on Sunday instead.

21.05. Detroit at Pittsburgh (Scherzer – Lincoln)

The last time Max Scherzer faced the Pirates (20 May) he struck out fifteen batters. Scherzer is a bit of a baseball equivalent of the old Jimmy Anderson who was landed with the Daisy nickname (some ‘days he’ bowls well, so ‘days he’ doesn’t) and the Tigers are never sure if he will be dominant or give up free passes and quickly rack up a high pitch count. He’s struck out 20 batters combined in his last two starts, both against NL competition (Cubs and Rockies), so can he keep the run going today of will his lack of consistency plague him again?

21.10. Minnesota at Cincinnati (Duensing – Cueto) *ESPN America

Brian Duensing has been moved out of the bullpen and into the rotation by the Twins and this is his first start of the season, so he’ll be on a reduced pitch limit today against the Reds. Minnesota took the series opener last night by a score of 5-4.

All of these games are available to watch live via the MLB.TV subscription at MLB.com.  ESPN America has a baseball triple-header tonight with the above two referenced games being followed by Nationals v Orioles from midnight (or after the Twins-Reds game finishes).  The full schedule for today’s games can be found on MLB.com.

British Baseball Beat: Falcons sweep but Harlow head into first

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The Herts Falcons (12-4) swept a double-header over the Southampton Mustangs (12-3) last Sunday, but it was the Harlow Nationals (13-4) that moved back to the top of the National Baseball League thanks to a sweep of their own over the Essex Arrows (7-11).

Full details can be found in the BBF website report.

Harlow had to work hard for their two wins, particularly in the opening game when starting pitcher Barry Wiles and the Arrows’ restricted them to just two runs.

Unfortunately for Phil Chesterton’s men, that proved to be one run too many as Roberto Almanzer once again pitched well for the Nationals in a 2-1 victory.  The second game included a rare appearance on the mound for Will Lintern as the Nationals got the better of Matt Gilbert on this occasion for an 8-2 win to secure the sweep.

That was enough to put the Nationals on top of the NBL despite the Falcons’ own sweep over the previous league leaders. An 18-8 opening game win, ended early on a seven-run sixth inning, and a 9-2 win behind Darrin Ward made for a very successful day at Grovehil Ballpark for the home team. They trail the Nationals by half a game, having played one game less than their rivals.

After facing the Nationals and Arrows, the Falcons will have an equally tough assignment this Sunday as they welcome the London Mets (10-3) to Hemel Hempstead. The Mets took two victories over the Croydon Pirates (1-15) last weekend to move within one game of Harlow and they have four games in hand on the reigning champs. Meanwhile the Mustangs are hosting the Nationals in what is shaping up to be a cracking Sunday of NBL action.

In the other double-header from last Sunday, the Bracknell Blazers (2-12) earned a split with the Lakenheath Diamondbacks (5-8) courtesy of an extra-inning, walk-off win in the second game. GB Juniors Dexter Stewart and Guy Packham combined to bring the winning run home in a real confidence booster for the Blazers.  They will look to build on that with a home double-header against the Pirates, while the Diamondbacks host the Arrows.

Triple-A: Badgers and Jaguars at the double

The Cambridge Royals (9-7) and London Metros (7-8) split their double-header at Coldham’s Common in Cambridge, with the home side taking the opener 8-6 and the visitors earning a split with a 6-1 win in the later game.

There was good play on show from both teams, although perhaps the most impressive feat of the afternoon was the restraint shown when a couple of cycling clowns (without the face paint and oversized shoes) decided to take a short-cut directly across the outfield during the sixth inning of the second game. The Royals and Metros collectively resisted the urge to chance their arms by taking pot-shots at the peddlers, although a repeat performance at a future game might lead to Cambridge turning it into a promotional event, with cries of ‘roll up, roll up’ and funfair music filling the air and the first ‘dead eye Dick’ winning a cuddly toy and one of the Royals’ very smart new caps.

Elsewhere, the Bristol Badgers (12-4) secured an impressive sweep over the Richmond Knights (11-7) for their sixth and seventh wins in a row, and the Latin Boys (7-8) and Essex Redbacks (13-5) took a win apiece from their double-header.

Thoughts are already turning to potential playoff spots in Triple-A. The play-off qualification in the South may well be revised owing to the Bracknell and Windsor Bears withdrawing from the competition. The initial format had the two Pool winners qualifying automatically for the National Baseball Championship, with the two teams with the next-best win-loss records competing in a play-off for the third Southern slot. Crucially, that meant those two teams could come from the same pool.

Each team’s 26-game regular season schedule is geared towards playing more games against the three teams in your own pool (six games against each, combined with two each against the four teams in the other Pool). As all of the games involving the Bears are going down as forfeit wins for the opposing team, that hands six wins apiece to each of the remaining Pool A teams, while the Pool B teams will only benefit from two forfeits.

If the season ended today, the second and third placed teams in Pool A would both qualify for the play-off game and that might remain the case if the Pool B teams keep taking wins off each other. Of course, the Badgers, Kings and Knights could all argue that they might have won their games against the Bears on the field and therefore to diminish the value of their victories isn’t fair. That’s a valid argument and really there is no ideal solution to the problem, so it will be interesting to see how it is resolved.

Whichever way they go, it will be a fiercely contested competition and some good teams will be left looking in at the play-offs from the outside.

The top two teams in the North will contest a one-game play-off for the final NBC spot. The 12-0 Liverpool Trojans seem a shoo-in for one of those spaces, with the Cartmel Valley Lions (8-4), Menwith Hill Patriots (7-5) and Halton Jaguars (5-7) looking the likeliest contenders for the other place. The Jags added two wins to their total in the only AAA-North action last weekend, condemning the Bolton Robots of Doom to an 0-12 record.

This Sunday, all eyes will be on Bootle Stadium where the extremely impressive Lions become the latest team to try and end the Trojans’ winning run. Liverpool swept a double-header between the two sides back on 6 May.

Double-A: Wins for Mavericks, Piranhas, Mammoths, Scorpions and Rebels

In the AA-South, the Guildford Mavericks (12-0) and Poole Piranhas (9-1) continued their formidable form last Sunday as they lead the way in Pool A.  The Mavericks had the brooms out on the road in a double-header against Richmond Dragons (3-8), while the Piranhas eased their way to a shortened 24-1 win over the luck-less Brentwood Stags (0-8). Guildford are away to Daws Hill Spitfires (4-3) this Sunday, with the Piranhas taking on the Thames Valley Bisons (5-4).

In Pool B, the London Mammoths (5-3) celebrated a sweep in their home debut against the Essex Redbacks II (3-7), with both teams contributing to an enjoyable day of baseball at Finsbury Park. The Redbacks’ Arun Mandalia had the horrible misfortune to end the second game by giving up a bases-loaded walk, but both he and Matt Cartwright impressed on the mound throughout the 2-1 game. The Mammoths host the Pool B-leading Sidewinders (6-2) this Sunday, with Essex taking the Sunday off.

In the North, the only games recorded from last Sunday show the Hull Scorpions lifting themselves above .500 to a 7-5 record with two victories over the rookie Newton Aycliffe Spartans (0-12). The Spartans continue their search for their first league win in their debut year against the Oldham North Stars this Sunday, while there is a top of the table clash in the offing between the Sheffield Bladerunners and Harrogate Tigers.

In the Midlands, the Nottingham Rebels improved to 8-0 with their two latest wins coming at the expense of the second-placed MK Bucks (4-4). Meanwhile the Birmingham Maple Leafs (2-4) got their first two wins of the season on the board against old adversaries the Leicester Blue Sox (5-6). Birmingham will look to add another win to their tally this Sunday when they host the Bucks, while the Stourbridge Titans (0-5) have the tough task of taking on the Rebels.

Single-A: Archers on target again

In Single-A, the Essex Archers (7-0) edged a keenly contested game with the Old Timers (4-1) by a score of 18-13, lumbering the veterans with their first loss of the campaign. Tonbridge took a 9-0 victory over the Braintree Rays, while the Herts Raptors won the bragging rights in the intra-Herts game against the Eagles, much to manager Arnie Longboy’s delight.

This Sunday, the Raptors look to continue their winning form on the road against Tonbridge, Guildford Mavericks II host Hove Tuesday and Richmond Dukes welcome the London Marauders to Flood Field.

Peralta’s pine tar problem

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MLB.com’s headline story on Wednesday morning was Rays reliever Joel Peralta’s ejection – without throwing a single pitch - for having pine tar in his glove in Tuesday’s game against the Nationals.

The Rays’ manager Joe Maddon was not happy with opposing manager Davey Johnson and made the claim that it is “kind of a common practice” for pitchers to do it, which of itself doesn’t count for a lot. Baseball is well versed in the fact that “everyone’s doing it” isn’t an excuse that goes too far. The rules currently say you cannot do it; therefore if you get caught you can have no complaints.

However, if we take Maddon at his word then it does raise a query in relation to the Nationals’ players.

If adding a bit of pine tar to the glove and other such acts is relatively common, would a Nationals player be sitting uncomfortably right now?

In the first instance, opposing managers might feel it’s fair game to call them out on any rumours of them doing something, as opposed to letting it slide, therefore making them a target. 

Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, if you were in that Nationals clubhouse you might think twice about who you can trust.

The Nationals called for the glove to be checked presumably because they knew it was something Peralta did when he was with their team. We don’t know how the Nationals viewed that practice, but we could make a guess that they turned a blind eye or accepted it as something that might help their pitcher, and their team.

The ‘unwritten rules’ of baseball are a contentious topic and some of them can seem completely barmy to fans – not least the idea that if you get a big lead early then continuing to try and score runs amounts to ‘showing up’ the opposition – but their presence is no different to the common rights and beliefs that any community creates and lives by.

Davey Johnson had every right to ask for the glove to be checked. He wants to help his team win and if Peralta was going to gain an unfair advantage by using pine tar then you could argue he was doing his duty by helping hs current players.

But does using such ‘insider information’ on a former player contravene an ‘unwritten rule’? Does it matter to the current Nationals players that if they did something similar to help Washington win now, it could be used against them by the club if they were traded to another team?

BGB Fantasy League 2012 Week Eleven

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Another week, another pitching milestone. Which BaseballGB Fantasy League manager had an extra reason to celebrate Matt Cain’s perfecto?

R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
Weston-Super-Sox 18 7 18 1 0.25 0.67 2 0 17 0 3.3 1.55 2
Pretzel Vendors 24 5 19 5 0.25 0.74 3 1 39 2 4.5 1.33 10

We begin with a big win for the Vendors as the top team were handed a 10-2 defeat. Rios, Betemit and Helton all hit well for the Vendors, while the perfect Matt Cain helped the pitching staff take every category except ERA. Cuddyer had a three-homer week for the Sox while Hanson helped win ERA.

R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
stevenston angels 17 6 24 1 0.23 0.66 3 3 38 1 3.6 1.33 1
The Wright Stuff 24 11 31 7 0.21 0.71 3 3 66 2 2.6 1.1 9

The Stuff also picked up a big win, defeating the Angels 9-1 behind the power of Dunn, Bruce, McCann and Aramis Ramirez. Scherzer struck out 20 batters and Wainwright had 15 as the pitching staff took four categories. Brandon Phillips was the Angels’ top hitter while Cueto won both of his starts.

R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
BD Yankees 19 9 32 1 0.33 0.9 3 3 26 2 3.3 1.5 9
Bonestalkers 14 4 11 2 0.21 0.6 1 2 26 0 4.9 1.12 2

The Yankees fell one category short of an offensive sweep in their 9-2 win against Bonestalkers. Pedro Alvarez belted four homers while Harper, Jesus Montero and Asdrubal Cabrera also had good weeks with the bat. Two wins came from the bullpen as Broxton added a W to go with his two saves. Altuve helped Boestalkers salvage steals, while Blanton and the now-injured Beachy had great weeks WHIP-wise.

R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
The Cheddar Chasers 26 5 28 2 0.35 0.96 4 0 64 1 2.1 0.86 8
Iron Men 22 9 25 2 0.27 0.8 6 3 55 0 3.8 1.28 3

Four categories from the hitters and pitchers helped the Chasers defeat Iron Men 8-3. Votto, Zobrist and Beltre all hit extremely well while the pitching staff was led by two wins and 17 strikeouts from Lewis and excellent starts from Dickey and Fister. Wei-Yin Chen won both his starts for Iron Men and Braun homered four times.

R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
tavira expats 35 8 32 3 0.27 0.79 4 0 39 1 3.9 1.48 8
Pontypridd Pirates 17 3 14 10 0.25 0.66 0 0 28 3 4.3 1.4 3

Another 8-3 score saw the Expats get the better of the Pirates, with David Murphy, Reynolds and A-Rod providing a lot of the offense while Darvish was the pick of the pitchers. The Pirates had plenty of speed from Gordon and Pierre while Balfour and Cishek combined for three holds.

R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
Ridge Bolts 13 4 12 0 0.22 0.66 1 5 29 2 1.7 0.75 4
Boyd’s Base On Balls 35 8 28 3 0.28 0.85 4 1 38 0 2.1 0.8 8

An offensive sweep helped the Base On Balls defeat the Bolts 8-4 with Seth Smith, Chris Davis and Kinsler the pick of the hitters. Verlander and Bumgarner each picked up a win and the Giants’ lefty also struck out 16. Bell, Chapman and Marshall combined for five saves and two holds, while Moore heped take ERA and WHIP in a very well pitched matchup.

R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
Orpington Isotopes 24 6 18 7 0.25 0.73 2 3 41 1 5.3 1.61 4
NE Riverkings 19 3 24 5 0.27 0.75 1 4 46 1 3.5 1.21 7

 

The Riverkings’ pitchers made the difference in the 7-4 win against my Isotopes, as Lynn, Greinke and Worley helped take ERA and WHIP while Motte and Clippard took care of saves. Jackson and Wright were the top hitters. Baustista had a multi-homer week for my team, while Weeks and McCutchen each had two steals and Kuroda and Parker picked up a win.

R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
Beck ‘Nams (GB) 23 5 17 4 0.27 0.75 1 2 30 0 3 1.21 7
SWAT* 25 2 12 2 0.29 0.73 0 4 34 0 4.1 1.26 4

Beck ‘Nams picked up a 7-4 win against SWAT thanks to the Met duo of Ike Davis and Nieuwenhuis while Andrus chipped in with three steals. Buchholz picked up the lone win and helped take ERA and WHIP in the process. Cozart, Beltran and Adam Jones helped SWAT talke average and runs while Johnson, Nathan and Reed combined for four saves.

R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
daebhid2 22 2 15 3 0.24 0.68 2 0 14 0 3.5 1.26 4
Richie’s RBI’s 24 4 20 2 0.22 0.66 3 5 45 0 4 1.01 7

 

Another 7-4 saw the RBIs defeat daebhid2 as Granderson had a three-homer week and Hamels, Hughes and Doubront all picked up wins and Soriano had four saves. Gordon was daebhid’s top hitter and Porcello and Dempster took ERA but a rash of injuries means daebhid may be in danger of failing to reach the 20 inning minimum in the coming weeks unless moves are made.

R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
YD33’s 27 12 28 7 0.27 0.83 1 1 28 0 4.3 1.19 6
Chatham Anglers 21 4 16 5 0.27 0.75 4 3 54 2 0.8 0.91 6

 

We end with a matchup of two halves as offensive and pitching sweeps saw YD33s and the Anglers end all square. Plouffe hit five homers for YD33s and Melky Cabrera also hit very well. Nova had a pair of wins for the Anglers and Ryan Cook notched three saves.

The results mean the Riverkings are now in sole possession of top place, three games ahead of the Stuff and the aptly-named Chasers.

The week 12 matchups are as follows:
Riverkings (1st) v Bolts (11th)
Stuff (2nd) v Beck ‘Nams (10th)
Chasers (3rd) v Base On Balls (8th)
Sox (4th) v Isotopes (12th)
Vendors (5th) v daebhid2 (20th)
SWAT (6th) v Yankees (15th)
Iron Men (7th) v Angels (19th)
Anglers (9th) v Expats (18th)
Pirates (13th) v Bonestalkers (17th)
YD33s (14th) v RBIs (16th)