MLB has concocted and now released the full regular-season schedule for 2013. For starters, here's the Opening-Day lineup for April 1, 2013: Angels @ Reds Red Sox @ Yankees Giants @ Dodgers Padres @ Mets Marlins @ Nationals Royals @ White Sox Tigers @ Twins Cardinals @ Diamondbacks Mariners @ Athletics Phillies @ Braves Rockies @ Brewers Cubs @ Pirates Yes, that is indeed an interleague clash -- Angels vs. Cincy -- on opening day. Other schedule highlights ... There will be a Sunday-night ESPN game on March 31 to kick off the season, but the combatants have not yet been determined. The Astros will play their first game as an American League franchise on April 2 when they host the Rangers in Houston. The Dodgers will host the Padres on Jackie Robinson Day (April 15). May 24: Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen (we're assuming he'll still be the manager) returns to Chicago to face his old team, the White Sox. The First-Year Player Draft (also incorrectly known as the "Amateur Draft") will go down on June 6. On July 2, the Cardinals encounter Albert Pujols for the first time, although this series will be in Anaheim. That same day, the Cubs will pay their first visit to Oakland and in doing so play in their 114th different ballpark as a franchise. The All-Star Game at Citi Field, home of the Mets, is scheduled for July 16. Some intriguing interleague match-ups at various points in the season include Dodgers-Orioles, Yankees-Dodgers, Yankees-Padres (1998 World Series rematch), Giants-Yankees, Giants-Rays, Phillies-Tigers, Rangers-Cardinals and A's-Pirates. The final day of the regular season -- Sept. 29 -- features a number of series that could have playoff implications: Angels-Rangers, Red Sox-Orioles, Phillies-Braves, Pirates-Reds, Padres-Giants (yes, the Padres can contend next season), Nationals-Diamondbacks and Rays-Blue Jays. While the exact dates of the World Baseball Classic have not yet been announced, the primary tournament will unfold in March, prior to the start of the regular season.
Wow, what has happened to King Felix past 3 games....yowza! No way to attack the Cy Young......and that's why its a long season.
yeah lets reward a guy who made one of the worst trades in baseball history....I can see the Dodgers are vastly becoming comical in their new ownership....this extension solidifies their thinking that "he made a good deal".....awwww man....
Yeah I don't really get it either, Colletti hasn't had a very good track record even before this year with trades and poor FA signings.
Speaking of Ned Colletti, again small sample sizes but Anthony Rizzo has 14 home runs in 301 plate appearances while Adrian Gonzalez has 16 home runs in 621 plate appearances. I'm starting to get bitter we traded for Gonzalez in the first place now, hopefully Webster and De La Rosa snap me out of it. But only 1 home run with the Dodgers in almost 100 PAs, he doesn't have Fenway Park to blame anymore.
Right I wanst laughing at the slur...I was laughing at the audacity of this jerkball..... But hey he is out for the Yanks series so yay me...
In an unprecedented agreement between Major League Baseball and union officials, suspended Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera will be ruled ineligible to win the 2012 NL batting title, sources told CSNBayArea.com. Cabrera asked to be removed from consideration on Wednesday, when his representatives sent a letter to union officials. The Players’ Association worked out a one-time amendment to Rule 10.22(a) with MLB officials on Thursday, one day after Commissioner Bud Selig said publicly that he was not likely to take action on the matter.
Oh the irony. This isn't a subjective award like the MVP or Cy Young. Either you have the best qualifying batting average in the league or not.
Wow, this would floor me.... Some talent evaluators believe Rays left-hander David Price could be traded this winter, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports. Price’s trade value will never be higher than it will be this winter, Olney writes. However, the left-hander’s salary will rise considerably from $4.35MM following his Cy Young-caliber 2012 season. This means the budget-conscious Rays will probably decide to part with Price at some point between now and when he hits free agency after the 2015 season. “There will be a day when the Rays trade him,” Olney writes. and this.... Could the Mariners trade Jesus Montero? Dave Cameron of the U.S.S. Mariner blog thinks the M's should consider the possibility, given that the team has John Jaso and Mike Zunino at catcher and Montero's bat projects as a long-term project, according to Cameron's metrics. If they do, while many think Yankees drew the shortstraw when they consummated the trade by adding Hector Noesi in the mix to the Seattle Mariners and acquiring Jose Campos (minors) and Michael Pineda (DL). Its reasonable that 2013, with or without Montero being moved once again, could signal the start of a major return on investment for Brian Cashman and the pinstripes in the longterm on what Pineda and Campos will provide for them from the arms race over what Noesi or Montero would have contributed in the smallterm for Bronx Bombers in 2012.
Fun fact.....Blue Jays have promising shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria So at the Game on Wednesday afternoon, my oldest and I see this kids name on the Yankees scoreboard....I wager he has the most US State Abbreviations in his name in the history of MLB. 7 total for this kid!! First Name DE = Delaware IN = Indiana NY = New York Last Name VA = Virginia AR = Arkansas RI = Rhode Island IA = Iowa
This coming offseason's free agent class is strong in the outfield and really unremarkable in most other areas.
Congrats to Adrian Gonzalez for hitting 2 home runs for the Dodgers yesterday! It was the first time all year that he homered 2 times in a game, the last time he hit 2 or more home runs in a single game was August 25, 2011. He needs 2 more home runs to reach 20 this year. His stat line now stands at .291/.337/.461/.798.
Former Cy Young winner Eric Gagne admits in his biography that he used human growth hormone and estimated that 80 percent of his Dodgers teammates were using performance-enhancing drugs. Gagne, though, didn't name names and by doing so, tarnished the names of 100 percent of his teammates from his Dodgers days. According to ESPNLosAngeles.com, writes in his new biography, "I was intimately aware of the clubhouse in which I lived. I would say that 80 percent of the Dodgers players were consuming them." Gagne's biography, Game Over: The Story of Eric Gagne, is written in French. He wrote that he used HGH over five cycles in a three-year period toward the end of his career. The 2003 Cy Young winner hasn't pitched in the major leagues since 2008. He first admitted to HGH use in 2010.
Since the nine-player deal with the Red Sox, the Dodgers have gone 11-17. Since the non-waiver trade deadline, the Dodgers are 23-26. Here's a look at how the new Dodgers have fared since coming to Los Angeles, as well as how they'd fared with their previous teams. [TABLE="width: 635"] [TR] [TD="width: 150, bgcolor: #cccccc, align: center"]Player [/TD] [TD="width: 200, bgcolor: #cccccc, align: center"]Dodgers stats[/TD] [TD="width: 200, bgcolor: #cccccc, align: center"]Stats with previous team[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="width: 150, bgcolor: #ffffff, align: center"]Hanley Ramirez [/TD] [TD="width: 200, bgcolor: #ffffff, align: center"]56G .262/.314/.457 10 HR [/TD] [TD="width: 200, bgcolor: #ffffff, align: center"]93G .246/.322/.428 14 HR [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="width: 150, bgcolor: #ffffff, align: center"]Randy Choate [/TD] [TD="width: 200, bgcolor: #ffffff, align: center"]34 G 0-0, 4.26 ERA [/TD] [TD="width: 200, bgcolor: #ffffff, align: center"]44 G 0-0, 2.49 ERA [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="width: 150, bgcolor: #ffffff, align: center"]Brandon League [/TD] [TD="width: 200, bgcolor: #ffffff, align: center"]24 G 1-1, 2.70 ERA [/TD] [TD="width: 200, bgcolor: #ffffff, align: center"]46 G 0-5, 3.63 ERA [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="width: 150, bgcolor: #ffffff, align: center"]Shane Victorino [/TD] [TD="width: 200, bgcolor: #ffffff, align: center"]45 G .227/.302/.304 1 HR [/TD] [TD="width: 200, bgcolor: #ffffff, align: center"]101 G .261/.324/.401 9 HR [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="width: 150, bgcolor: #ffffff, align: center"]Joe Blanton [/TD] [TD="width: 200, bgcolor: #ffffff, align: center"]9 G 1-4, 5.57 ERA [/TD] [TD="width: 200, bgcolor: #ffffff, align: center"]21 G 8-9, 4.59 ERA [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="width: 150, bgcolor: #ffffff, align: center"]Josh Beckett [/TD] [TD="width: 200, bgcolor: #ffffff, align: center"]6 G 1-3, 3.16 ERA [/TD] [TD="width: 200, bgcolor: #ffffff, align: center"]21 G 5-11, 5.23 ERA [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="width: 150, bgcolor: #ffffff, align: center"]Adrian Gonzalez [/TD] [TD="width: 200, bgcolor: #ffffff, align: center"]28 G .263/.315/.430 3 HR [/TD] [TD="width: 200, bgcolor: #ffffff, align: center"]123 G .300/.343/.469 15 HR [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="width: 150, bgcolor: #ffffff, align: center"]Nick Punto [/TD] [TD="width: 200, bgcolor: #ffffff, align: center"]17 G .263/.391/.316 0 HR [/TD] [TD="width: 200, bgcolor: #ffffff, align: center"]65 G .200/.301/.272 1 HR [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] Gonzalez, Victorino and Blanton have been worse than they were with their previous teams. Ramirez, Beckett and League have been better, but not up to their usual standards. Carl Crawford in on DL. Too often at the trade deadline, the names involved get more attention than what those players are actually doing at that point. The Dodgers didn't improve themselves as much as expected. They just added starpower -- and payroll.
Nice bounce back year for this cat.... wonder if he gets Comeback PoY http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=150359
I always thought the Comeback PoY award is funny. I mean do you give it to someone who simply had a down year and rebounding the following year? Do you give it to someone that was out with injuries the whole year then rebounded the next? Do you give it to someone who was an afterthought maybe out of MLB (either in the minors or out of the game all together) and comes back and has a good year.
To me I think it is a guy who went from bad to good.... Lets say Papi misses all of NEXT year, comes back 2014 and lights it up.....well he never really dropped off.... like does Mo get it next year if he plays and does well?? I dont think he should.....a guy like Burnett is ideal for it...
Oh I think someone like Rivera is perfect for the award. Guy gets hurt and misses all but 1 month of the season, then comes back like he didn't miss a beat (assuming he's still a robot and not an actual human next year). The problem with the award is there is no set rules for who a person can vote for. Either way I don't really care about the awards, this one is just as meaningless as gold gloves are.
Triple Crown watch: let's look at the triple crown categories with two games remaining… Batting average Cabrera .329 Mike Trout .325 Joe Mauer .322 Like Cabrera, Trout went 4 for 5 on Monday, finishing a homer short of the cycle against the Mariners. Trout improved his average to .325, while Mauer went 1 for 5, allowing the rookie to leapfrog the three-time batting champ. Home runs Cabrera 44 Josh Hamilton 43 Edwin Encarnacion 42 Adam Dunn 41 Curtis Granderson 41 Of the three categories, this is the only one that's unsettled, but with Cabrera in the lead, it's looking good. RBI Cabrera 137 Hamilton 127 With two games left, this one's in the bag.
GREAT NEWS: In new deal w/FOX starting in 2014, no more Saturday blackouts of out of market games for MLB EI & MLB.TV customers now they just have to review and correct the errors of what is an IN MARKET team.
Great news. I can't count how many Saturday afternoon Braves games I've missed the past two seasons because of Fox's love affair with NY and Boston.
Dodgers officially eliminated from the playoffs last night. So if that move of taking on all that money for Gonzalez, Beckett, Crawford and Punto was for this year's playoff run was it worth it?
So Ive been having an argument with a few friends. Most of them college baseball coaches. AL MVP Trout or Cabrera. And why. Go
Old schoolers will vote Cabrera especially with Triple Crown New breed Sabermetrics folks will vote Trout regardless based on WAR, etc.
Cabrera hands down forget sabermetrics......The Angels didnt even make it into the playoffs..... Btw Nappy you cant be disappointed with what TB did this year....solid effort....hottest team in MLB for the last month...
Whoever votes for Trout because his WAR is higher than Cabrera who will have won the TC should have their credentials taken away...
Triple Crown is hard to argue as its the best in the AL against all comers....but Trout is amazing with his #'s while missing 1st month, etc. Tough vote. Just saying how I see it breaking down. Big deal about playoffs, DET got in via crappy division and weak opponents vs division and Angles and TB had more wins and deserve Playoffs over DET for that matter....but Triple Crown is crazy against AL arms too over a full season. Nope, Trouts #s are historic and some would argue equally as historic and unreal as Triple Crown. I think its a fair vote and will look forward to seeing it argued from both sides.
MVP award does have a GREY area unlike Silver Slugger say....Miggy was and is more valuable to his team that actually made the playoffs in the last 2 weeks of the season as opposed to Trout, whom admittedly had a mind-blogging year as well, but in hindsight were never in it..... Without Miggy the Tigers DONT make the playoffs regardless of the wins being less than LAA... Without Trout the Angels dont make the playoffs by an even wider margin than they already DIDNT make it by....
Again, what margin is that...it aint wins...cause Miggy did crap to get them total victories in comparison. Big deal Miggy made DET the tallest Midget of the short AL Central. Hooray!