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New York Yankees: In Defense Of A-rod Part Deux

Posted by on 22 October 2011, 3:33 am
Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees at Amer...

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October 6, 2011 – It was the bottom of the ninth inning, and the Yankee stadium scoreboard read 3-2. With two out already posted, the fate of the season lied in the bat of baseball’s richest, three-time MVP New York Yankees Alex Rodriguez.

That was the calm before the storm in Game 5 of the ALDS, as Detroit Tigers Jose Valverde went on to strikeout A-rod, as Yankee fans couldn’t even muster the strength to boo.

That was the second time A-rod struck out in key spots that Thursday night, as well as the second season he would shoulder the majority of the blame for the Yankees early October exit.

If I were A-rod, I would have tried to run out the side door and avoid the counterattack that was about to in the Yankees clubhouse. Instead A-rod faced the media head-on and made no excuses:

“When you have opportunities like that, we talk about keeping momentum going, even if it’s a sac fly to at least get one run in there,” Rodriguez said. “I didn’t get the job done.”

He went on to say:

“It’s devastating. This is going to hurt for a long time. This one stings, especially at home.”

Now, fast-forward to the top of the ninth in Game 2 of the 2011 World Series.

With no outs, the Cardinals were trying to hold a one-run lead, until Texas Rangers Elvis Andrus hit a line drive into center-field.

The single moved teammate Ian Kinsler from second to third-base, and just as Andrus was about to comfortable on first base, the unthinkable happened.

Cardinals fist baseman, Albert Pujols missed a textbook cut-off throw from the centerfield, and Andrus took off to second base, now leaving the Rangers with two runners in scoring position. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: In Defense Of A-rod Part Deux’ »

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New York Yankees: Opting In Or Optioned Out

Posted by on 20 October 2011, 2:34 am

OPTING IN:

Ben Nicholson-Smith at MLBTradeRumors.com has reported that New York Yankees reliever Rafael Soriano has no plans on using his contract’s opt-out clause.

Not officially confirmed, according to ESPN New York, but there is no reservation that Soriano will play out the 2-years left on his contract, which earns him a $25 million paycheck.

In his first season with the Yankees, Soriano pitched just shy of 40 innings, posting an ERA of 4.12, with 36 strikeouts, 18 earned runs, four home-runs and 18 walks.

Those numbers are not reflective of how Soriano did after he returned from a two-month long DL stint after the All-Star break. In August and September, Soriano showed signs of the 2010 pitcher that led the AL with 49 saves. He pitched 24 innings, fanned 26 batters and his strikeout per nine-innings went from 6.0 in the first-half to 9.6 in the second.

Considering Soriano agreed to take a demoted role to come to New York, and the attitude he displayed in beginning of the 2011 season was certainly not there in the end. The extraordinary amount of money the Yankees are tied to with Soriano is definitely a good reason to stay too, but I think this partnership will continue to get better and be viewed as a success when done. 

Soriano-Robertson-Mariano was a great late inning threesome, and with Joba Chamberlain returning from Tommy John surgery in 2012, the Yankees bullpen should be tops in baseball once again. And if the latest post season tells baseball fans anything, it is that the role of the bullpen is no longer an unheeded group, but a pivotal one.

OPTIONED OUT: Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Opting In Or Optioned Out’ »

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2011 WS Rangers vs. Cardinals: Impartial Prediction

Posted by on 19 October 2011, 2:35 am

The battle for the title of 2011 World Series Champion starts tonight, as the St. Louis Cardinals will duke it out with the Texas Rangers in a match-up that you won’t want to miss.

The only sure thing is the one team will be crowned the champs, while the other will join the long list of World Series meltdowns.

Before getting to my prediction, read my posts about the good, the bad and the ugly about both the RANGERS and the CARDINALS. (Click on team name to read previews.) Click HERE for TV schedule for all World Series games.

So, who do think has the upper hand in this battle royal?

MY 2011 WORLD SERIES PREDICTION:

On paper the Rangers have a slight edge over the Cardinals, but neither team has an overwhelming advantage over the other.

Both teams have gotten sub-par performances in the postseason thus far from their starting pitchers, so look for the team whose rotation steps it up to play a big part of the series.

Looking at the regular season numbers, the Rangers have better starting rotation, but not as much vs. the Cardinals. See, the strength of the Cardinals hitters is the long-ball and the Rangers starters have given up 16 of the team’s 20 home-runs this postseason, with six off Rangers ace CJ Wilson. Wilson only gave up 16 homers in the regular season, so they need a big start from him in Game 1.

The Cardinals fate hangs on the Game 1 performance of ace Chris Carpenter, who is now suffering from elbow soreness but says he is good to go, but what else is he going to say.

Since Game 1 is in St. Louis, it gives the Cardinals home field advantage to start this World Series. The Cardinals are slightly better defensively than Texas, and have a better bench.

While the Rangers have the edge in their starting rotation, as they feature three lefties, which could make it tougher for the Cardinals righty dominate bats to get going. This is pending on at least two of the three lefties kicking it up a notch. Continue reading ‘2011 WS Rangers vs. Cardinals: Impartial Prediction’ »

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2011 WS Preview: St. Louis Cardinals

Posted by on 18 October 2011, 8:33 am
Tony La Russa

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The 2011 World Series kicks off on Wednesday night, with the St. Louis Cardinals hosting the Texas Rangers to start this best of seven series.

Which team has the advantage?

I have watched both teams throughout this postseason and they match up well. So instead of going stat crazy, below are my cut and dry observations of the St. Louis Cardinals.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS:

The Good:

There is no denying that something special is going on in St. Louis. Remember the Cardinals were not supposed to be here. Actually the Cardinals were not supposed to make the post season, beat the Phillies or the Brewers either but this team continually defies the odds. Regardless that the Cardinals have the best player on earth, Albert Pujols, it is a total team effort in St. Louis and this team is hot. And when a team continually believes in themselves when no one else does, that is a team that will be hard to beat.

Also, the over-managing by skipper Tony La Russa has worked on all cylinders this post season. The sometimes-irritating La Russa is now baseball’s Einstein. The mixing and matching of his bullpen, after not one St. Louis starter in the ALCS pitched five innings, was beyond impressive. Not to mention his unconventional genius of carrying eight relievers just to make sure St. Louis didn’t get blown out by the bats of Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. La Russa has been this team’s MVP this post season.

The Bad:

Thus far, the Cardinals starting pitching has gotten away with doing the bare minimum this post season because the bullpen has saved their behinds, and quite well. Still, the bullpen cannot be the Cardinals crutch, which means the starters have to contribute at least five innings because the relievers could easily run out of steam. This could be the difference maker as the Rangers hard-hitting bats can easily knock out any starter. Also, the Cardinals had a regular season record of 65-42 when a starting pitcher threw six or more innings. Continue reading ‘2011 WS Preview: St. Louis Cardinals’ »

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2011 WS Preview: Texas Rangers

Posted by on 18 October 2011, 7:32 am
CJ Wilson of the Texas Rangers pitching

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The 2011 World Series kicks off on Wednesday night, with the St. Louis Cardinals hosting the Texas Rangers to start this best of seven series.

Which team has the advantage?

I have watched both teams throughout this postseason and they match up well. So instead of going stat crazy, below are my cut and dry observations on the Texas Rangers.

TEXAS RANGERS:

The Good:

The Rangers bullpen is one of the best in baseball, thanks to the mid-season upgrades of Mike Adams, Koji Uehara and Mike Gonzalez to complement Scott Feldman, Darren Oliver, Alexi Ogando and Neftali Feliz. Also, moving Ogando out of a starting roll gives the Rangers depth as he can pitch multiple innings out of the bullpen if needed. The Rangers have the type of bullpen that turns games into a six-inning affair, which makes an opponent’s job all that much harder.

Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus have 67 steals combined on the season, so look for both to be running machines

The Bad:

Just like the Cardinals, the Rangers starters have to be better, specifically the three lefties CJ Wilson, Derek Holland, and Matt Harrison. Wilson and Harrison gave up just 16 and 13 homers respectively and can shutdown the homer-happy St. Louis bats if they can get back on track. Wilson is supposed to be the ace, so his 0-2 record and 8.04 ERA this post season is unacceptable. Wilson will face Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter in Busch Stadium in Game 1 and the Rangers need a big performance from him. The Cardinals righty dominate line-up is a .500 team against lefty arms, so it could be a big advantage if they can step up and thus far that has not been the case. Continue reading ‘2011 WS Preview: Texas Rangers’ »

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2011 World Series: Rangers vs. Cardinals Game Schedule

Posted by on 17 October 2011, 12:39 am

 

2011 World Series Schedule
Series Date Match-Up Network Air Time (ET)
Game One Wednesday, October 19 Texas Rangers at St. Louis Cardinals FOX TBA
Game Two Thursday, October 20 Texas Rangers at St. Louis Cardinals FOX TBA
Game Three Saturday, October 22 St. Louis Cardinals at Texas Rangers FOX TBA
Game Four Sunday, October 23 St. Louis Cardinals at Texas Rangers FOX TBA
Game Five* Monday, October 24 St. Louis Cardinals at Texas Rangers FOX TBA
Game Six* Wednesday, October 26 Texas Rangers at St. Louis Cardinals FOX TBA
Game Seven* Thursday, October 27 Texas Rangers at St. Louis Cardinals FOX TBA
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New York Yankees: Fans Say On Road To A Championship

Posted by on 28 September 2011, 2:54 am

Baseball fans everywhere have spoken and New York Yankees was their answer.

At least according to the Marist Poll’s latest nationwide survey conducted on September 13th and September 14th, where baseball fans were asked who they favored to win the 2011 World Series.

The Marist Poll results were reported as follows:

Well there is a lot of baseball to be played before the World Series Champs hoist a trophy up.

As a Yankee fan, I can’t deny that the added faith from this poll isn’t agreeable, but it is undoubtedly unexpected. Not many baseball analysts, fans and even the Yankees own GM Brain Cashman thought the 2011 Yankees were the complete package. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Fans Say On Road To A Championship’ »

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