Monthly Archives: June 2015

BGB Fantasy League 2015: Week Twelve

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A monster week of offense saw a handful of players have double-digit RBI weeks. And the standings have really tightened up , with just eight games separating the top seven teams.
Team
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
14
5
21
1
.212
.685
4
0
37
1
2.68
0.95
2
30
8
31
0
.266
.734
5
4
53
2
2.37
1.07
10
We begin with the week’s big winners as the Chasers hit double digits with a 10-2 win against Bits & Bytes. Posey was the offensive star, knocking in 12 runs to go with his six runs and .375 average, while Headley and the now injured Stanton homered twice. Carlos Martinez won both of his starts, while K-Rod and Uehara each had a pair of saves and Herrera notched two holds. Reyes had the lone steal for Bits & Bytes, while Strasburg and McHugh each won twice and helped take WHIP. But with Pedroia now hurt, a very thin roster looks even thinner with the DL and bench players not being utilised.
Team
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
33
15
38
8
.283
.922
6
0
54
1
2.64
0.88
9
27
8
18
1
.280
.830
5
5
64
0
2.28
0.89
3
A very well played matchup for both teams here, but Jesmond ran out 9-3 winners against the Maltsters to cut the gap to top to just one game. Arenado had an outstanding week, launching seven homers, scoring 10 runs and driving in 14 to lead an offensive sweep. Six different pitchers notched wins while Shelby Miller helped the staff post a WHIP of 0.88 and Giles had a hold. The Maltsters will look at their stats and feel hard done by, as most other weeks they would have expected a strong win, especially with such great pitching stats joining a very solid offensive week. Holland had three saves, Greinke struck out 11 and some guy named Scherzer pitched pretty well again.
Team
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
25
5
21
1
.238
.703
2
4
52
3
2.73
1.11
3
28
6
24
1
.250
.746
4
3
57
3
5.30
1.50
7
The Slugs stay top, but only just, after their 7-3 win against Norwich. Turner, Heyward and Gattis helped the offensive take five categories in a modest week with the bats, while Price was one of four pitchers with a win and struck out 12 for good measure. Jansen and Kimbrel had two saves each for Norwich, while Alex Wood and Syndergaard helped the staff post great ERA and WHIP numbers. It was a case of close but no cigar for all of the offensive categories.
Team
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
21
3
19
8
.330
.858
4
2
59
1
4.05
1.24
4
24
7
22
1
.247
.768
4
4
36
2
3.00
1.08
7
A good week for the bullpen helped the RBIs defeat Batteries Essential 7-4. Zeigler had two saves, Melancon a win and a save and Davis a save and two holds. Hughes and Fister helped take ERA and WHIP. Valbuena went deep twice, as did McCann, who also drove in six runs. Billy Hamilton ran wild for Batteries Essential while Fielder, Yelich and Andrus also had great weeks with the bats, as the .330 team average shows. Bumgarner racked up 22 strikeouts and Hutchison won twice.
Team
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
17
6
16
4
.214
.620
3
2
52
1
4.38
1.29
4
33
6
34
7
.307
.840
2
4
32
0
4.05
1.35
7
The Sox slugged their way to a 7-4 win against my struggling Isotopes, falling a homer shy of an offensive sweep. Gardner batted .500, scored nine times, homered twice and joined Cespedes and Alvarez in knocking in six. Betances had two saves and Ubaldo Jimenez, who won twice, teamed up with Burnett to make the difference in ERA. My Isoptopes salvaged wins, strikeouts and WHIP tahnks to Brett Anderon and Jepsen had the lone hold. Not much to mention offensively, apart from a good week from Altuve (seven runs, four steals, .333 average) going to waste.
Team
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
21
6
31
2
.269
.723
0
1
72
1
3.82
1.19
5
33
5
24
3
.276
.738
5
0
61
3
3.17
1.24
7
Iron Men closed the gap on Becknam after their 7-5 win. Tulo scored six runs and joined Marte, who stole two bases, in helping to take average. Five different pitchers collected wins, including Keuchel, who did not allow an earned run. Matz was among the winners, but his offensive stats (three hits in his debut) don’t count. Frazier homered twice (as did Norris) and knocked in five (as did Mercer) for the Lollygaggers, while Kershaw struck out 18 and teamed with the Cub duo of Hammel and Arrieta to take WHIP.
Team
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
24
8
29
3
.256
.763
2
7
43
1
1.65
0.97
5
35
11
30
6
.292
.901
2
5
30
0
3.46
1.10
6
Finally, the Knights edged past the Riverkings 6-5, thanks to an offensive sweep. Encarnacion, Correa, Pujols and Blackmon were the star hitters, while Street and Chase Anderson each picked up a win. The Riverkings fell short by one RBI, but Maikel Franco had a monster week, homering three times and driving in 13. Britton, Familia and Rosenthal combined for seven saves while King Felix struck out 13 and de Grom, Gallardo and Cueto made the difference in ERA and WHIP.

The week 13 matchups

Slugs (1st) v Jesmond (2nd)
Lollygaggers (3rd) v Sox (5th)
Iron Men (4th) v Riverkings (7th)
Newcastle (6th) v Norwich (12th)
Batteries Essential (8th) v Maltsters (11th)
Chasers (9th) v Isotopes (14th)
RBIs (10th) v Bits & Bytes (13th)

 

MLB this Week: Returning pitchers

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CovMLBUK2014I’ve mentioned many times in the past the dangers of looking too far ahead when it comes to potential pitching match-ups.

Rain-outs or other factors can lead to a late change in plan and take away an opportunity to catch a pitcher at a convenient time for us in the UK.

However, it’s worth throwing caution to the wind this week and looking forward to Thursday and the return of several pitchers from extended periods on the sidelines.

Baseball fans of all allegiances were devastated when the Miami Marlins’ Jose Fernandez succumbed to elbow surgery over a year ago. His starts had quickly become a must-see event for a team that has had precious little to shout about in recent years and losing him to Tommy John surgery was a real hammer blow.

Now, Fernandez has completed his rehab assignments and is on course to make his return at home against the Giants on Thursday in a 17.10 BST start. He’s set to compete against Matt Cain, who last pitched in a Major League game on 9 July 2014 due to his own arm injuries.

At the same time, the Tampa Bay Rays’ Matt Moore may be making his long-awaited return from Tommy John surgery. That assignment is a little more doubtful as he may in fact be held back until the Rays’ game on Friday, but for the moment he is penciled in to face reigning Cy Young winner Corey Kluber and the Cleveland Indians.

All times are in BST.

Monday 29 June

No early games

Tuesday 30 June

No early games

Wednesday 1 July

17.35. Minnesota at Cincinnati (May – Cueto) *ESPN
18.07. Boston at Toronto (Porcello – Buehrle)
20.35. Colorado at Oakland (Bettis – Hahn)
20.40. Seattle at San Diego (Elias – Shields) *MLB.com Free Game, ESPN

Thursday 2 July

17.10. San Francisco at Miami (Cain – Fernandez)
17.10. Cleveland at Tampa Bay (Kluber – Moore)
18.08. Pittsburgh at Detroit (Liriano – Ryan)
18.10. Chicago Cubs at NY Mets (Arrieta – deGrom) *ESPN
23.35. Milwaukee at Philadelphia (Garza – Morgan)

Friday 3 July

19.10. Miami at Chicago Cubs (Koehler – Roach) *ESPN
23.00. San Francisco at Washington (Peavy – Gonzalez) *MLB.com Free Game

All of these games are available to watch or listen to live via an MLB.TV subscription. TV coverage of MLB comes courtesy of the BT Sport and ESPN channels and these are highlighted above, as are any games that are available to view online for free via MLB.com. The above list of games just shows those starting before midnight UK time. The full schedule of MLB games can be found on MLB.com.

MLB All-Star 2015 selections

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The MLB All-Star 2015 ballot closes in the early hours of Friday 3rd July UK time (just before 5 a.m.).

The ballot is now completely online, rather than including written votes submitted at ballparks, and the result has been an impressive, if to some quite annoying, campaign by Kansas City Royals fans to fill every American League starting position with one of their players.

Quite a few of the leading Royals players do have a fair case to start, so it’s not quite the travesty some are making it out to be; however the All-Star ballot is the same as any other voting process. If you have a vote (and you do, 35 per person in fact), you have the power to influence the decision.

Mark George and I have done our bit and our selections are explained below.

American League

First base

MG: Miguel Cabrera. As impressive as Prince Fielder’s year has been, I have to go for Miggy here. Hopefully Prince makes it as a reserve.

MS: Miguel Cabrera. Albert Pujols has rolled back the years to give him a strong case, but I can’t look past Miggy both on the basis of his continued excellence at the plate and that he approaches the game with a childlike enthusiasm.

Second base

MG: Jason Kipnis. Having not seen much of Cleveland, I hadn’t appreciated quite how good his numbers are. Dozier’s having a nice year too.

MS: Jason Kipnis. Kipnis struggled in April, just as he did when he made the All-Star team in 2013, but he’s really come alive since then and has outperformed better known players like Dustin Pedroia and Robinson Cano. Although the Twins’ Brian Dozier has had an excellent first few months of the 2015 season too, I’m just giving Kipnis the edge.

Shortstop

MG: Alcides Escobar. Yes, a Royal. I never thought he’d hit this well and the defense is still outstanding. Bogaerts also worthy.

MS: Jose Iglesias. Manny Machado was a shortstop in the Minors so it would be great to see him making the team in this spot as he didn’t make my third base selection, but that’s not going to happen. It’s slim pickings otherwise and I’ve gone for Iglesias due to his defensive prowess and that he has put up good numbers at the plate so far this season, even if it’s highly likely they will fall away as the year goes on.

Third baseman

MG: Josh Donaldson. A monster year sees him chosen over Manny Machado. After their dispute a while back, it could be fun to see them in the same dugout.

MS: Josh Donaldson. Whilst I understand why the A’s liked the opportunity to get Brett Lawrie and a couple of other young players for Donaldson, few doubted that they had traded away one of the better players in the Majors. Donaldson has taken little time in getting used to life in Canada and has impressed with has bat and his glove. It’s also great to see how well Manny Machado has come back from his injury problems and he will be an All-Star candidate for years to come.

Catcher

Mark George (MG): Steven Vogt. Tough call here as Salvador Perez, Russell Martin and Brian McCann are all having nice years. But Vogt’s near .300, leads in homers and already has more than 50 RBIs.

Matt Smith (MS): Vogt has been one of the few bright spots for my A’s so far this season and his emergence this year has been a great story. Russell Martin would just get my vote (pun shamelessly intended) were it not for me wanting to add one Oakland player onto the time.

Designated Hitter

MG: Nelson Cruz. I wasn’t expecting such big numbers in Seattle. Last year was not a fluke.

MS: Jose Bautista. I’m cheating a bit here as I’m not a fan of having to vote for a DH. Cruz is probably the best of those actually listed as a DH on the ballot, but Bautista has played almost as many games as a DH so far this season as he has in right field and as I couldn’t quite squeeze him into my outfield (as you’ll see below), I’m putting him in the lineup here.

Outfielders

MG: Mike Trout, Adam Jones and Jose Bautista. Plenty of players you could make a case for here. I love watching Cain and Alex Gordon’s defense and Cespedes and JD Martinez are having great years too. But I have to pick Trout, Jones has been excellent again and Joey Bats his hitting for power and managing to keep his average up around .260, which isn’t easy with his big swings.

MS: Mike Trout, Lornezo Cain, Adam Jones. Trout needs no explanation, whilst Cain deserves a chance to continue showcasing his talents on the big stage following his playoff exploits with the Royals last year. There are a number of deserving candidates to round out the outfield, not least Cain’s teammate Alex Gordon and Toronto’s Jose Bautista, but I’m going to go for Adam Jones. He’s just a very good all-round player who doesn’t always get the credit he deserves, possibly because he isn’t exceptional in any one area to really make him stand out.

Pitchers

MG: If I could vote for a starting pitcher, I’d choose Sonny Gray, followed by Chris Archer and Dallas Keuchel. Glenn Perkins would be my closer.

MS: Starting pitcher – Chris Sale. Much as I enjoy the skill and cunning of a crafty pitcher, nothing beats watching someone who can blow opposing batters away. That’s what I saw from Sale against the Twins on BT Sport/ESPN on Wednesday last week and he has been terrific all season. Chris Archer has been similarly impressive, whilst my A’s bias actually makes me want to downplay Sonny Gray in preference for for him getting a few days of rest.

National League

First base

MG: Paul Goldschmidt. Great years from Adrian Gonzalez, Anthony Rizzo and Joey Votto but Goldy has to be the pick here.

MS: Paul Goldschmidt. Out in the desert, Goldschmidt is having another MVP-calibre season out of limelight. He deserves the All-Star selection in part to counterbalance this and to remind people just how good he is. Anthony Rizzo would be an excellent deputy as he has starred for the resurgent Cubs.

Second base

MG: Dee Gordon. Great first half again. can he keep it up? Either way, he deserves to start.

MS: Dee Gordon. He’s probably not going to keep his batting line up for the full season, but he’s a fun player to watch and he always plays with a smile on his face. Having been traded away by the Dodgers over the offseason, seeing him starting the All-Star game would be a great comeback. The Cardinals’ Kolten Wong would be another strong contender, as would the Giants’ youngster Joe Panik who has seemingly taken to the Majors with ease.

Shortstop

MG: Jhonny Peralta. Close call here with Brandon Crawford having an excellent year too, buy Jhonny keeps on showing he can be a servicable defender and can still hit.

MS: Andrelton Simmons. It’s tough on Brandon Crawford, who is a very good all-round player and a key part of the Giants’ championship team, but an All-Star selection gives me a chance to watch Simmons playing shortstop in an extra game and that’s an opportunity I wouldn’t want to pass up.

Third base

MG: I like Frazier, having drafted him in my dynasty league years ago. I never thought he’d be quite this good. Nolan Arenado a close second.

MS: Todd Frazier. Now this is a tough choice. Kris Bryant definitely falls under the ‘star’ heading, but he’s only just starting out so will likely have many more chances to make the lineup. Nolan Arenado is a superb player, outstanding with his glove and his performances at the plate are not a consequence of Coors Field (he’s actually hitting slightly better on the road) so it’s difficult to leave him off the team. Still, Todd Frazier has taken a good step forward in each of the last two seasons and it looks like he’s taking yet another in 2015. An All-Star start would be a fitting reward for his continued improvement.

Catcher

MG: Buster Posey. Easy pick as not that much competition this year. Maybe Yasmani Grandal has a shot as a reserve, although I suspect that Yadier Molina guy may beat him.

MS: Buster Posey. Posey has won three World Series in his first five MLB seasons. Yes, you could say he was in the right place at the right time and there was a certain amount of luck to it, but Posey is an outstanding player and it’s no surprise that he’s been at the heart of a team that has enjoyed so much success. Yadier Molina comes into the same category, of course, but I’ll give the nod to Posey here.

Outfielders

MG: Bryce Harper, Giancarlo Stanton and Justin Upton. I have been unsure if Harper would ever live up to the hype, but he’s proved me wrong with a monster first half. Stanton’s power makes him a must, while the third choice was a close call between Justin Upton, Starling Marte and Joc Pederson. I hope they all make it, maybe with Joc in CF and Stanton at DH.

MS: Bryce Harper, Giancarlo Stanton, Andrew McCutchen. Harper and Stanton are pretty much unarguable, other than the latter’s hand injury suffered this weekend meaning he’ll actually miss the game. For the third spot, I considered putting Joc Pederson into the lineup after his captivating start to his Major League career with the Dodgers, but McCutchen has the longer track record and his performances so far this season are only a bit disappointing because of the very high standard we’ve come to expect from him.

Pitchers

MG: If I could vote for a starting pitcher, I’d go with Max Scherzer, followed by Gerrit Cole and Zack Greinke, with Trevor Rosenthal as the closer.

MS: Max Scherzer. It’s difficult to take the position away from Clayton Kershaw, especially with him having another good season (ignoring his misleading win-loss record), but Scherzer has been everything the Nationals were hoping for when they signed him to such a lucrative contract this offseason.

 

 

BGB Fantasy League 2015: Week Eleven

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Week 11 of the BaseballGB Fantasy League saw some teams reap the rewards of some blowouts, while other managers saw their ERAs go up in smoke. Read on to find out what happened.
Team
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
16
4
21
0
.243
.668
4
4
47
3
3.99
1.26
1
28
7
29
6
.299
.776
6
1
57
5
3.84
1.25
11
We begin with the biggest winners of the week, as Iron Men gave my Isotopes a damn good thrashing 11-1. JD Martinez belted four homers (including three on Sunday) and drove in nine, while Ramos homered twice (both off Tampa Bay position players in a blowout). Harrison, Marte and Span each had two steals. On the mound, O’Day picked up two wins and Wacha and Tanaka each had 12 strikeouts and Johnson and Watson combined for five holds.
It was another woeful offensive week for my team, but I was hopeful of salvaging some pitching categories, even posting sub-1.00 ERA and WHIP deep into the week, until Simon and Morton ruined the good work with their meltdowns. Clippard had three saves and Sale racked up 14 more strikeouts.
Team
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
31
5
22
6
.313
.861
3
5
43
1
3.76
1.36
10
29
3
17
1
.253
.721
2
0
19
2
3.80
1.31
2
Batteries Essential used and offensive sweep to lead them to a 10-2 win against Bits & Bytes. Machado was the matchup MVP, with nine runs, three homers, eight RBIs, three steals and a .448 average. CJ Wilson had a win and nine strikeouts and help take ERA while Grilli had four saves. McGee had two holds for Bits & Bytes while Teheran helped take ERA. Bits & Bytes are still woefully short of healthy pitchers – only three made appearances last week – and only just made it over the 20 inning minimum limit.
Team
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
38
12
32
2
.285
.895
2
2
37
2
2.93
1.01
3
36
14
42
6
.291
.914
4
5
60
1
2.80
1.15
9
The Slugs are back on top after their 9-3 win against the Riverkings in a matchup which featured a combined 74 runs, 74 RBIs and 26 homers. The Riverkings will feel hard done by to lose five out of six offensive categories, as Justin Turner (seven runs, four homers, eight RBIs), Jose Bautista (three homers, 11 RBIs) and (Betts (.545) were in particularly good form. On the mound, Hahn had two wins, fellow A Chavez struck out 11 and Boxberger had three saves.
The Riverkings claimed runs thanks to 10 from another A – Zobrist – while Joe Smith had two holds and de Grom helped take WHIP.
Team
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
31
7
23
5
.273
.756
2
3
42
0
5.44
1.61
7
34
4
28
2
.250
.656
1
1
46
2
5.58
1.46
5
The Sox just got the better of the Chasers 7-5. Goldschmidt had two homers and two steals as the offense took four categories while Ublado Jimenez had a win and eight strikeouts. Posey and Headley each scored six times for the Chasers while Alcides Escobar knocked in eight. Quintana had 11 strikeouts and Herrera notched two holds.
Team
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
29
6
22
1
.229
.661
3
2
47
3
3.02
1.31
4
27
9
42
1
.270
.810
3
8
34
2
4.43
1.28
6
Another Oakland player helped the RBIs to a 6-4 win against Jesmond, as Steven Vogt homered twice, knocked in 11 and hit .458. A-Roid collected his 3,000th hit (but does anyone care?) and drove in eight. Four relievers combined for eight saves, including three from Melancon and Pineda helped take WHIP. Arenado helped Jesmond salvage runs while Chapman led the pitching staff with nine strikeouts, Neshek had two holds and Shelby Miller helped take ERA.
Team
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
26
14
26
5
.219
.744
6
0
73
0
3.02
1.00
5
32
9
40
8
.235
.762
4
5
47
0
3.71
1.22
6
In the battle of former Croydon Pirates, JJ’s Lollygaggers fell 6-5 to the Knights. Newcastle had the better of the offense as Pujls and CarGo homered three times and Albert also knocked in 10. Blackmon drove in eight. Four different pitchers had saves, including two from Gregerson. Beck ‘Nams had the edge in homers thanks to five from Frzier and two each from Norris, Joey Butler and Bruce. Sanchez and Lackey each had two wins while Arrieta led the team with 13 strikeouts.
Team
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
23
11
27
2
.257
.738
3
4
45
0
4.74
1.42
5
19
4
20
5
.235
.651
5
5
65
0
1.93
0.89
6
Finally, Cheshunt edged past Norwich 6-5. The pitchers took five out of six categories, which is no surprise when you have a week like Max Scherzer’s on your staff. Max just missed a perfect game, settling for a win and 10 strikeouts and zeroes across the ERA and WHIP categories (as hit batters don’t count!). Walker had two wins and struck out 17. Offensively, Revere and Eaton had two steals each. Norwich took five offensive categories, as Springer hit four homers and scored eight times. Harper and Howard went deep twice.

The Week 12 matchups

Slugs (1st) v Norwich (10th)
Lollygaggers (2nd) v Iron Men (4th)
Jesmond (3rd) v Maltsters (9th)
Knights (5th) v Riverkings (7th)
Sox (6th) v Isotopes (14th)
Batteries Essential (8th) v RBIs (11th)
Chasers (12th) v Bits & Bytes (13th)

 

MLB this Week: Division rivals

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CovMLBUK2014After some unusual split interleague series games last week, this week’s schedule doesn’t just bring us back to normal league play, but often sees division rivals battling it out.

We’ll get to see plenty of those games this working week from the pre-midnight UK time starts.

After two days without early starts, Wednesday provides us with games from the AL East and Central as well as a 2009 World Series re-match between the Phillies and Yankees. Cole Hamels continues to feature in trade rumours and a good performance against an AL team may well help the Phillies’ cause in getting the return they want for the lefty.

One left-hander every team would love to acquire is Chris Sale. The White Sox’s disappointing start to the season has led to a few rumblings that it might make sense for them to dangle one of the best pitchers in MLB currently and see if the offers that come forth are too good to turn down. Whatever uniform he’s wearing, Sale is one of the ‘must-see’ starters on recent form.

We then have a bumper crop of eight early starts to enjoy on Thursday. Dodgers-Cubs should be an interesting series and Jon Lester is scheduled to start for Chicago on Thursday, whilst James Shields will take the mound at AT&T Park for the Padres against the Giants.

You may even opt for the battle of the De La Rosa’s (the MLB.com Free Game that day), although some may think that unless you’re a fan of either Arizona or Colorado, the fact that Rubby and Jorge are both starting that day could be the only notable thing about the game. If it produces a no-hitter, I’m taking full credit for it.

All times are in BST.

Monday 22 June

No early games

Tuesday 23 June

No early games

Wednesday 24 June

17.10. Detroit at Cleveland (Verlander – Carrasco)
17.10. Toronto at Tampa Bay (Estrada – Karns)
18.05. Philadelphia at NY Yankees (Hamels – Warren)
18.10. Chicago White Sox at Minnesota (Sale – Hughes) *BT Sport/ESPN
20.35.  Houston at LA Angels (McCullers – Shoemaker) *BT Sport/ESPN

Thursday 25 June

18.08. Chicago White Sox at Detroit (Rodon – Simon) *BT Sport/ESPN
18.35. Baltimore at Boston (Wright – Rodriguez)
19.05. Oakland at Texas (Gray – Lewis)
19.10. NY Mets at Milwaukee (deGrom – Jungmann)
19.20. LA Dodgers at Chicago Cubs (Frias – Lester)
20.10. Arizona at Colorado (De La Rosa – De La Rosa) *MLB.com Free Game
20.45. San Diego at San Francisco (Shields – Heston)
21.05. Atlanta at Washington (Wisler – TBA) *BT Sport/ESPN

Friday 26 June

No early games

All of these games are available to watch or listen to live via an MLB.TV subscription. TV coverage of MLB comes courtesy of the BT Sport and ESPN channels and these are highlighted above, as are any games that are available to view online for free via MLB.com. The above list of games just shows those starting before midnight UK time. The full schedule of MLB games can be found on MLB.com.

To use an asterisk or not?

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On Friday, the New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez became only the 29th player in Major League Baseball history to reach 3,000 career hits.

You’ll already know the back story as to why that achievement hasn’t been celebrated with quite the unanimous approval it would normally produce.

Getting to 3,000 hits is a rare feat of sterling endurance and skill that is always worthy of respect, whether you like the player or not; however in Rodriguez’s case it’s the legitimacy of how he amassed some of those hits that clouds the situation.

The interesting thing here is that there are plenty of baseball fans who applauded the event, in contrast to the narrative that everybody hates drug cheats. ‘Baseball fans’ are no more a single collective who all think the same way than any other vague grouping of people we construct. Some people don’t care at all about drug use in sport, some think it is a cancer that requires a zero tolerance approach.

There’s a middle ground, though, that I suspect a lot of people fall into. It’s a position which comes down to the basic human instinct of not liking being lied to. It’s the thought of sportsmen and women acting holier than thou whilst breaking the rules that frustrates because it creates a situation where the genuinely innocent face unjustified suspicion.

The lengths to which Rodriguez has gone over the years to deny and cover up his use of banned substances is a sad indictment of a man who clearly was blessed with great ability to play this sport; yet sometimes – in all walks of life – the characteristics that make a person stand out and succeed in his or her field are not necessarily characteristics that would appeal to you or I.

I’m sure he won’t see it this way in the slightest, but in a sense Rodriguez’s place in history has been clarified by his very public fall from grace. We don’t know the full story and never will, yet we do know Rodriguez chose to use banned substances at several points in his career. If you want to disregard his achievements on the field as a result then that’s your right as a fan.

I’m not convinced drug use has made Rodriguez the historically outstanding player that he is and whilst I’m not completely comfortable about celebrating his achievements, I’m equally uncomfortable in deciding not to recognise them as achievements at all.

From the point of view of simply adding the hits up, you could even say that Rodriguez’s use of drugs can be put to one side. For every potential out that became a hit (not that you could ever calculate that in any meaningful way), there have been numerous lost at-bats from his suspensions and – potentially – lost games on the Disabled List linked to the negative effects of drug use (again, impossible for us to quantify, so that’s purely conjecture).

That’s a view to be debated, but the caveats in the last paragraph just sum up that if you’re taking a black or white stance on it then you do so knowing that you are deliberately putting to one side all the complexities.

Rodriguez’s hit total doesn’t require an asterisk next to it because every number and statistic stands on its own awaiting context and analysis. The record books will show that he collected over 3,000 hits in his Major League career and that he is one of very few players ever to do so.

 

BGB Fantasy League 2015: Week Ten

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The first no-hitter of the 2015 season was hurled during week 10 of the BaseballGB fantasy league. Which manager would benefit from it?
Team
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
21
6
26
4
.302
.840
4
2
89
0
3.43
1.11
9
29
2
21
4
.281
.692
2
0
46
3
4.25
1.51
2
The Lollygaggers are top of the standings after their big win against previous leaders the Slugs. Todd Frazier was the offensive star, hitting .400, scoring eight runs and joining Panik in hitting two homers. Kazmir was the pick of the starters, while Hamels, Haren, Kershaw and Shoemaker all had double-digit strikeouts. Axford had the only saves of the matchup. Gattis, Duda, Hanley and Moss each scored four times for The Slugs, while Boxberger had a win and a hold.
Team
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
31
11
32
2
.343
.979
3
7
44
0
3.70
1.19
9
28
10
27
2
.250
.771
2
5
22
2
3.67
1.44
2
Norwich were among the big winners, defeating Bits & Bytes 9-2, ending a steal away from an offensive sweep. Montero and Abreu each had three homers while Harper hit .529 for the week with two homers. Jansen had a win and joined Kimbrel in collecting three saves. The RBIs will feel a little hard done by to lose homers after hitting 10 – including four from Votto. Volquez helped take ERA and his fellow Royal Davis had two holds.
Team
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
21
7
26
1
.284
.795
4
1
52
1
4.83
1.47
3
39
11
31
7
.306
.861
2
3
31
0
2.20
0.76
9
My Isotopes were well beaten 9-3 by the Knights, who dominated the offensive categories. Pujols had a three homer week while Donaldson and new recruit Correa went deep twice. LeMahieu, Blackmon and Justin Upton each swiped two bases. On the mound, McCullers had a win and 11 strikeouts while Chase Anderson’s scoreless outing helped take ERA and WHIP. My team salvaged wins and strikeouts thanks to sale, who whiffed 26 in a week while Ortiz showed some signs of life with three homers.
Team
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
25
8
26
4
.306
.839
3
2
37
3
2.47
1.03
9
24
5
16
5
.266
.722
0
5
27
0
2.87
0.96
3
Iron Men closed the gap on the Sox with their 9-3 win. Seven different players homered for Iron Men, including two from J.D. Martinez, who also drove in six. Tanaka and Cole each had good weeks on the mound, helping take ERA while Watson had two holds and Jim Johnson had a win, a hold and a save. Goldschmidt and Cespedes each scored four runs, homered and drove in three for the Sox. Burnett struck out 10 and helped take WHIP.
Team
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
27
5
21
0
.235
.694
1
6
29
2
4.74
1.14
3
20
7
21
2
.276
.770
3
4
63
1
3.04
1.12
8
The Maltsters defeated the Riverkings 8-3 as Freeman and Gallo had multi-homer weeks and joined Kalhoun (who knocked in seven) in helping to take average. Scherzer’s near-no-no saw him post good ERA and WHIP numbers and he also struck out 23.
Speaking of no-nos, Cheshunt now have Chris Heston on their roster – but after his no-hitter against the Mets. The Riverkings took runs thanks to Zobrist, while it was a good week for the bullpen as Smith had two holds and the trio of Rosenthal, Familia and Britton each had two saves. A very rare meltdown from King Felix (216.00 ERA, 21.00 WHIP) damaged the ratios for the Riverkings, who lost WHIP by 0.02.
Team
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
32
7
32
8
.331
.891
3
1
40
0
3.83
1.55
4
26
9
40
0
.322
.908
4
3
35
1
3.49
1.24
8
The Chasers picked up an 8-4 win against Batteries Essential. Stanton as the matchup MVP, hitting .520 with seven runs, five homers and 12 RBIs. The pitching staff won five out of six categories, with Sonny Gray collecting a win, 15 strikeouts and helping take ERA and WHIP. Martin and Machado each scored nine runs for Batteries Essential, joining Miguel Cabrera in hitting two homers. Billy Hamilton swiped eight bases, including five on Sunday. Nelson racked up 10 strikeouts.
Team
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
20
7
23
1
.219
.628
2
3
40
0
3.08
1.13
6
22
9
27
2
.267
.787
0
3
16
0
7.31
1.63
6
A mixed week for Bits & Bytes, who had an offensive sweep against Jesmond but failed to meet the 20 inning minimum, meaning they forfeited all six pitching categories and ended up with a 6-6 tie. Richards was the pick of the pitchers for Jesmond, while Chapman had three saves. Arenado had a three-homer week. Trout, Yan Gomes and Alex Gordon hit two homers each for Bits & Bytes while Kemp had two steals.

Week 11 matchups

Lollygaggers (1st) v Knights (5th)
Jesmond (2nd) v RBIs (13th)
Riverkings (3rd) v Slugs (4th)
Sox (6th) v Chasers (11th)
Iron Men (7th) v Isotopes (14th)
Batteries Essential (8th) v Bits & Bytes (12th)
Maltsters (9th) v Norwich (10)

 

MLB this Week: Interleague action

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CovMLBUK2014We’re into the interleague phase of the season (acknowledging that we have some interleague play all season long now).

A number of teams are playing four games against each other, with two being played at one ballpark and then another two being played at the other (they are seen as two two-game series rather than one four-game series).

That means we have an unusual look to the pre-midnight start-time schedule.

Day-games on Tuesdays normally are rare, but several pairs of teams are using that as an early start so that they can hop on a plane and play each other at another location the next day. This then means that Wednesday, typically the best evening of the working week to catch some baseball live is absent of any day-time baseball, before we get back to it on Thursday.

The early games give us a chance to watch recent call-ups Carlos Correra of the Houston Astros and Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins twice this week (pending them being selected, of course).

ESPN/BT Sport will also be showing some games from the College Baseball World Series live this week, so there’s an additional option for your baseball fix to enjoy.

All times are in BST.

Monday 15 June

No early games

Tuesday 16 June

18.45. Minnesota at St Louis (Gibson – Martinez) *MLB.com Free Game
19.10. Colorado at Houston (Rusin – Velasquez)
20.40. Oakland at San Diego (Kazmir – Cashner)
20.45. Seattle at San Francisco (Happ – Lincecum) *BT Sport2
21.05. Atlanta at Boston (Teheran – Miley)

Wednesday 17 June

No early games

Thursday 18 June

18.05. Baltimore at Philadelphia (Norris – O’Sullivan)
18.10. St Louis at Minnesota (Lyons – Pelfrey)
20.10. Houston at Colorado (McHugh – Hale)
20.35. San Diego at Oakland (Kennedy – Graveman)
20.40. LA Angels at Arizona (Wilson – Webster) *ESPN

Friday 19 June

No early games

All of these games are available to watch or listen to live via an MLB.TV subscription. TV coverage of MLB comes courtesy of the BT Sport and ESPN channels and these are highlighted above, as are any games that are available to view online for free via MLB.com. The above list of games just shows those starting before midnight UK time. The full schedule of MLB games can be found on MLB.com.

MLB’s youth movement

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Is this a golden era for young talent in MLB?

It’s easy to get carried away and to exaggerate things in the present; a new big thing today always seems bigger than what came yesterday because you’re living the excitement in the here and now. Comparing different eras is also difficult.

What is true is that there’s never been a time when baseball fans across North America and the rest of the world knew so much about the talent coming through the amateur draft and working their way through the Minors. There are lots of people writing and talking on the internet about prospects and that feeds the hype machine in building up anticipation for debuts.

To claim that we’ve never had so many good young players coming into the game as we have had over the past few years is probably an exaggeration, yet we definitely have a greater appreciation of it.

The fact that there was so much hype around Kris Bryant’s (delayed) MLB debut earlier this season is exactly what the sport needs to build up stars for the future and this week is proving to be a real headline-grabber too.

It was always marked down in the calendar that this would be ‘prospect week’ thanks to the amateur draft taking place on Monday.

Having Carlos Correra, the number one pick from the 2012 draft, make his Major League debut on the same day for the Houston Astros gave everyone else more reason to be excited about what their team’s top selections from the draft could well turn into a few years down the line.

The announcement that the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins will be promoting their top prospects, shortstop Francisco Lindor and outfielder Byron Buxton respectively, for the MLB debuts on Sunday has now added to the excitement.

Whether this is a golden era or not is something that can only be established years from now when we know quite what all this young potential actually turned into, and to put it all into some historical context.

For now, let’s just revel in the excitement and enjoy seeing how all these young players make their way in the game.

BGB Fantasy League 2015: Week Nine

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Which teams gained the most in the BGB Fantasy League as the calendar switched over into June?

Team
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
31
11
35
2
.288
.891
7
1
57
1
2.03
0.94
10
23
5
24
5
.245
.648
1
7
47
0
4.39
1.24
2

We start with a dominant 10-2 win by the Becknam Lollygaggers. Cheshunt were able to amass an impressive seven saves between Greg Holland, Santiago Casilla and A.J. Ramos, but that was the only pitching category they could take against Becknam’s boys. Clayton Kershaw (unsurprisingly) and Jason Hammel (a bit more surprising) contributed 2 wins and 18 K’s apiece.

It was the same story on offence. Mark Teixeira led the Lollyaggers with 3 HR and 10 RBI as they swept all but the stolen base category. Freddie Freeman did have a nice week for the Malsters though, with 3 HR, 7 R and 8 RBI.

Team
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
34
12
38
3
.303
.934
5
8
63
1
2.11
0.87
9
39
7
25
3
.263
.792
2
9
33
0
4.75
1.32
2

 

The Riverkings move up from third to second in the standing after a 9-2 match-up success against the RBI’s. Joc Pederson has proved to be an inspired pick-up so far for the Riverkings and he added 4 home runs to his collection during Week Nine, whilst Rizzo, Dozier, and Franco all had multi-homer weeks too.

The Riverkings’ eight saves would normally have been enough to take that category, but RBI’s were able to salvage that one thanks to a five-save week by Mark Melancon, ably assisted with another three from Brad Ziegler and another from Shawn Tolleson.

Team
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
26
5
17
3
.257
.669
4
5
55
1
3.73
1.41
2
27
8
30
4
.267
.766
4
1
53
3
2.52
1.32
9

Iron Men also enjoyed a 9-2 win, this time coming at the expense of my Chasers. The batting just hasn’t been there for my team so far this season and Iron Men swept me away on the offence side of things with solid contributions across the lineup and impressive weeks from Troy Tulowitzki and Chris Carter.

Iron Men were able to keep the category wins coming by taking three of the pitching classes. Strikeouts and saves did fall my way but even that was bittersweet, with Boston’s Koji Uehara collecting two of his three saves at the expense of my Oakland A’s.

Team
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
24
6
15
5
.273
.744
2
4
36
1
3.73
1.31
5
26
7
23
1
.264
.746
3
3
39
0
4.32
1.24
7

Weston Super Sox won their match-up against Newcastle Knights 7-5 yet still saw themselves dropping one place in the competitive BGB League standings, moving from fourth to fifth.

It was a fairly even-sided match-up. The pitching categories were shared 3 apiece, with Danny Salazar’s 10K’s for the Knights being matched by 10 for Lance Lynn on the Sox. The difference came in the batting categories. Blackmon, Donaldon, Gonzalez and Upton combined for 5 Knight stolen bases to take that category, but the Super Sox came out on top overall with solid if unspectacular contributions across the lineup.

Team
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
19
5
20
4
.255
.687
2
5
73
2
4.52
1.23
5
24
8
28
6
.236
.684
5
1
45
2
4.47
1.38
6

The Mighty Slugs held on to top spot in the league thanks to yet another match-up victory, although it was a much closer affair than may have been expected against the previously 11-th placed Isotopes (now up to 10th).

Jose Bautista led the Slugs’ charge with four home runs across a week of punishment dished out to opposing pitchers, with Hamley Ramirez and Evan Gatis getting in on the act too. Adam Jones continued his good season by adding three homers and eight runs to the Isotopes’ cause.

Orpington’s pitching staff won their side of the match-up as Chris Sale (13 K’s), Alfredo Simon (13) and Ryan Vogelsong racked up the strikeouts, whilst Kevin Jepsen and Tyler Clippard added five saves between them.

Team
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
25
6
23
2
.282
.813
3
6
52
2
2.66
6
25
7
26
7
.280
.806
1
0
21
3
5.13
5

Norwich No II couldn’t lift themselves off from the bottom of the standings, but a match-up win against Bits and Bytes gives them something positive to build on.

Bryce Harper had another good week for Norwich, although against his stunning recent form a .333 AVG and 1.012 OPS seems slightly pedestrian. Noah Syndergaard added 10 K’s to the team’s pitching total in what was otherwise a challenging week for the talented young Mets pitcher.

The Bytes benefited from a touch of fortune in grabbing two pitching categories as they passed the minimum innings pitched threshold with contributions from just four healthy and active pitchers.

Team
R
HR
RBI
SB
AVG
OPS
W
SV
K
HLD
ERA
WHIP
Score
32
8
40
4
.242
.736
5
1
68
1
6.24
1.53
5
25
3
22
9
.247
.683
5
1
45
1
6.02
1.19
4

Finally, Jesmond squeaked past Batteries in a 5-4 match-up. Four of Jesmond’s category wins came on the batting side as they received good showings from Andrew McCutchen, Brandon Phillips and A.J. Pollock.

Chris Archer was the undoubted star of the match-up for Jesmond as he gave the team two wins and 26 strikeouts, yet Batteries were able to grab a couple of consolation categories in ERA and WHIP. C.J. Wilson and Madison Bumgarner both got into double digits in the K column on the week.

Week 10 match-ups

Slugs (1st) v Lollygaggers (4th)

Riverkings (2nd) v Maltsters (11th)

Dennings (3rd) v Bytes (12th)

Super-Sox (5th) v Iron Men (7th)

Knights (6th) v Isotopes (10th)

Batteries (8th) v Chasers (13th)

RBI’s (9th) v Norwich No II (14th)