Archive for September, 2010

MLB: New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox series preview September 30th, 2010

admin

The MLB’s most famous rivalry lost a little bit of its luster for the last weekend of the season. It was an unfortunate news for the baseball betting odds too.

At the beginning of the week it looked like Boston might make a push and get within 3 games of the Yankees for the AL Wildcard spot, but a New York Yankee victory last night coupled with a Boston Red Sox loss at Chicago officially eliminated the Red Sox from playoff contention this season.

While the Red Sox cannot make the playoffs this year, this weekend’s series has not lost all meaning. The Yankees are still battling the Tampa Bay Rays for the AL East division crown, as well as the best record in the American League and the associated home field advantage.

Currently, the Yankees trail the Rays by only .5 games and have a great chance to leapfrog the Rays for first place. The Red Sox would love to beat the Yankees this weekend and ruin their chances of gaining home field advantage during the playoffs.

The Yankees will also take this weekend series to get healthy and set their pitching rotation for the playoffs. The scheduled starters for the series are as follows:

Friday – Nova vs Matsuzaka
Saturday – Hughes vs Buchholz
Sunday – Burnett vs Lackey

No Comments »

Continue reading...


 

History of Atlanta Braves September 10th, 2010

admin

The Atlanta Braves began play in 1871. However, the organization was not always known as the Braves. They were also not always in Atlanta.

In Boston, Massachusetts, the Braves began their play. The team played by the name of the Boston Red Stockings. From 1871 until 1876, they played with that title. The team began playing under the title of the Boston Red Caps, when they joined the National League in 1876. The Red Stockings, Red Caps, Beaneaters, Doves, Rustlers, Brave and Bees are all the names that the team changed over the years.

Before moving on to Milwaukee, the Braves spent nearly 80 years playing in Boston. Before moving to Atlanta, they played in Milwaukee for 13 years. Since 1966, the team has been playing in Atlanta and has been known as the Atlanta Braves ever since. They won the National Association league 4 years in a row before joining the National League.

By winning the National League Pennant, Braves started off by immediately finding success. In the 1870s, the team won two pennants and has been winning them ever since. In their history, they have won the National League Pennant 17 times.

The Braves has won three World Series Titles in 1914, 1957 and 1995.

Without winning a pennant, the Braves went on a streak of more than 30 years. For the Braves, things turned around in 1991.

By way of pitching, the Braves turned things around in the 1990s. Famous pitchers in that decade, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine led the team.

Over the years, the Braves have maintained that focus on pitching and always seem to have a formidable rotation.

No Comments »

Continue reading...


 

MLB Preview: New York Yankees-Texas Rangers series September 9th, 2010

admin

The New York Yankees and Texas Rangers continue their respective marches towards the 2010 postseason when they start a three game series in Arlington this Friday. Currently the Yankees lead the AL East division by 1.5 games over the Tampa Bay Rays and would lead the wild card race should they succumb to the Rays for the division title. The Yankees have always been the baseball betting odds favorite.

While the Texas Rangers still hold a comfortable 7 game lead over Oakland in the AL West, the Rangers are starting to feel a little bit of pressure due to their recent 2-8 record in their last 10 games which includes 5 straight losses. The Rangers will enjoy this upcoming home stand where they are 43-26 compared to 32-37 on the road. However, star slugger Josh Hamilton is expected to miss the series with the Yankees and is continued to be listed as day to day thanks to the rib injury he suffered last week in Minnesota when he crashed into the outfield wall.

One bit of good news for the Rangers is that ace pitcher Cliff Lee is expected to make his return to the starting rotation on Sunday after battling a back injury that forced him from his last scheduled start. Texas appears to have the pitching advantage in this series thanks in large part to the absence of C.C. Sabathia and Phil Hughes for the Yankees. The expected pitching match ups for this weekend series are as follows:

Friday – Wilson vs Vazquez
Saturday – Hunter vs Burnett
Sunday – Lee vs Moseley

Comments Off

Continue reading...


 

Washington Nationals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (7:05 pm ET, FSN) September 2nd, 2010

admin

The Washington Nationals lock horns against Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday (7:05 pm ET, FSN), at PNC Park, Pittsburgh.

This weekend, the two teams are trying to squeeze some positives out of baseball’s marathon season square off, each team is hoping to grasp that winning feeling as September starts to tick away.

During the season, the Pirates got younger with several anticipated promotions of prospects. Stephen Strasburg, Nationals top pitching prospect will undergo Tommy John surgery Friday.

For the Nationals, Veteran right-hander Livan Hernandez will continue his strong season against Pirates left-hander Zach Duke in the opener. This MLB season, the Nationals were among the early surprises but following an 11-18 August, enter this series in last in the NL East. Enter this series in last in the NL East, with just 44 victories but have a lot to play for, as their youthful pool of talent needs to get some experience and learn how to win.

Outfielder Andrew McCutchen said, “Ever since we were playing back home in the [last] homestand, I feel like the intensity has been there. I feel like it’s always been there and eventually it will turn around for us.”

Neil Walker, second baseman, with a 3-for-5 day at the plate at Wrigley Field on Wednesday, extended his hitting streak to nine games and he believes the Pirates have what it takes to give a good accounting of themselves the rest of the way.

Walker said, “I think it would be easy to let yourself slip mentally and physically into that place where when things go bad you kind of crawl into a hole, but I think this group here knows what it’s like to ground it out, even when you’re on the losing end. A lot more times than not, grinding it out is a part of our nature.”

Comments Off

Continue reading...