Archive for October, 2010

MLB – Game 1 Preview – World Series October 27th, 2010

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In recent memory, the 2010 World Series is shaping up to be one of the best World Series. Like Philadelphia, New York or Tampa Bay, this World Series will have its fair share of dramatic moments, while this year’s Fall Classic does not feature any of the powerhouse teams that baseball experts were predicting to make the World Series.

This year’s MLB championship series will keep viewers on the edge of their seats, with star players such as Tim Lincecum, Cliff Lee, Vladimir Guerrero, and Josh Hamilton.

When Tim Lincecum takes the mound to face Cliff Lee of the Texas Rangers, Game 1, which will be played Wednesday, will feature the two best pitchers of this year’s postseason.

To go against Cliff Lee’s even more impressive 0.75 ERA, .151 Batting Average Against, and 0.58 WHIP, Lincecum will bring his 1.93 ERA, .171 Batting Average Against, and 0.81 WHIP with him. You will have to think runs will be at a premium in this contest, with both of these fantastic pitchers on the mound in game one.

Than the Giants, the Rangers’ lineup does have a little bit more power so they are figured to be a slight favorite behind their ace for game 1.

Thanks to the National League winning this year’s All-Star game, the first game of this year’s World Series will be played at San Francisco’s ballpark, which also gives the Giants home field advantage. While, the World Series is sure to capture the excitement of baseball fans around the country this October, these two teams may not be from the biggest baseball markets in the country.

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Series Preview – MLB Playoffs – Giants vs. Phillies October 14th, 2010

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On Monday, the San Francisco Giants knocked off the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS to advance to the National League Championship Series to face the Philadelphia Phillies in what surely will be a battle of pitchers.

The Phillies wasted no time in defeating the Cincinnati Reds in a 3 game sweep behind the no-hitter of Roy Halladay and complete game shutout of Cole Hamels in game 3, while in the NLDS series against the Braves the Giants used spectacular pitching and timely hitting to get past the NL Wildcard team in 4 games.

In recent years, the championship series is set to be one of the better National League Championship Series. Philadelphia, behind their outstanding pitching staff that features Halladay, Roy Oswalt, and Hamels, is hoping to win their 3rd straight NL pennant and hope to improve their World Series odds. In the pitching department, the Giants are no slouch either riding their ace Tim Lincecum in recent weeks. The Giants have the arms to compete in this 7 game series and add in pitchers Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, and Maddison Bumgarner.

Even at 3-3, the season series between these two teams was dead, with both home teams winning 2 games and losing only 1. Leading baseball analysts are the closely contested regular season games that this will be a close series and come down to a 7th game.

Both managers will be able to set their starting rotations the way they want them, with the extra time off between series. In first three games, Chances are the pitching order for both teams will look like this:

Game 1 – Lincecum vs. Halladay
Game 2 – Cain vs. Oswalt
Game 3 – Sanchez vs. Hamels

All pitching rotations have the chance to get thrown out the window as one or both teams may feel that the next game is a must win for their club, once it gets to game 4.

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MLB Playoffs – Braves-Giants series – Preview October 6th, 2010

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Both teams, Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants can now breathe a small sigh of relief knowing that they will be a part of the 2010 MLB playoffs, although it may have taken both the teams until the very last day of the season to secure a playoff berth. The Braves will travel to San Francisco to open the best of 5 NLDS beginning on Thursday, October 7, with Atlanta winning the Wild Card berth.

Atlanta Braves won the season’s head-to-head matchup, 4 games to 3 with 3 of their victories coming at home. as San Francisco sports a 49-32 record at their home ball park, while Atlanta has just a 35-46 road record for the season, home field advantage should play a pretty big role in this series. The Braves will probably end up regretting losing the division crown the Philadelphia Phillies and compare that to the Braves’ 56-25 home record.

Entering this series, San Francisco also has a slight edge with the way they have been playing recently. The last few weeks have forced the Giants to stay sharp and be on top of their game, fighting for their playoff lives every night. The Braves are an even 5 and 5 in their last 10, while the Giants enter this series having won 7 of their last 10 games.

In this NLDS series, the pitching matchup also appears to favor the Giants. Following are the first 3 games’ scheduled starters:

Game 1 – Lincecum vs. Lowe
Game 2 – Hanson vs. Cain
Game 3 – Sanzchez vs. Hudson

San Francisco should have no problem closing out the Braves for the series win, if they can win the first two games at home behind their two best pitchers.

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