Max Sherzer Makes History

Before him, 13 times had someone accomplished what he did with his win last night. McNally did it, Allen did it, Clemens did it twice. He won his first 10 decisions of the season. A 10-0 start. Sherzer accomplished this with a his Tigers beating the Orioles 5-1 last night.

"Yeah, you have to savour this a little bit because of the history of this organization," explained Sherzer. "It's special to be 10-0. But at the end of the day, I don't measure my success on being 10-0. I measure my success on everything else I do on the mound."

This is the first time a pitcher has gotten of to a 10-0 start since Roger Clemens got of to an 11-0 start in 1997 for the Toronto Blue Jays.

June 17th Prediction Results

Scoring: 1 point for team, two extra poits for score.

1. Chicago Cubs 2, St. Louis 5
Prediction: Chicago Cubs 6-2
Result: 0 Points/ 0 Points

2. Kansas City 2, Cleveland 1
Prediction: Kansas City 5-4
Result: 1 Point/ 1 Point

3. Philadelphia 5, Washington 4
Prediction: Washington 3-0
Result: 0 Points/ 1 Point

4. Colorado 0, Toronto 2
Prediction: Toronto 7-4
Result: 1 Point/ 2 Points

5. Baltimore 1, Detroit 5
Prediction: Baltimore 3-1
Result: 0 Points/ 2 Points

6. New York Mets 1, Atlanta 2
Prediction: Atlanta 11-1
Result: 1 Point/ 3 Points

7. Pittsburgh 1, Cincinnati 4
Prediction: Pittsburgh 4-3
Result: 0 Points/ 3 Points

8. Oakland 7, Texas 8
Prediction: Oakland 7-5
Result: 0 Points/ 3 Points

9. Chicago White Sox 4, Houston 2
Prediction: Houston 1-0
Result: 0 Points/ 3 Points

10. Miami 3, Arizona 2
Prediction: Arizona 4-2
Result: 0 Points/ 3 Points

11. Seattle 3, Los Angelas Angels 11
Prediction: Los Angelas Angels 8-6
Result: 1 Point/ 4 Points

12. San Diego 5, San Francisco 3
Prediction: NONE

Result: 4 Points/ 36 Points, 11.1 %

June 17th- MLB Predictions

Chicago Cubs (28-39, 4th NL Central) vs. St. Louis (44-25, 1st NL Central)
Probables:
CHC: Wood (5-5, 2.65 ERA)
STL: Miller (7-4, 2.21 ERA)

Prediction: Chicago 6-2

Kansas City (33-34, 3rd AL Central) vs. Cleveland (34-34, 2nd AL Central)
Probables:
KC: Shields (2-6, 2.79 ERA)
CLE: Carrasco (0-2, 15.26 ERA)

Prediction: Kansas City 5-4

Washington (34-34, 2nd NL East) vs. Philadelphia (33-37, 3rd NL East)
Probables:
WSH: Haren (4-8, 5.70 ERA)
PHI: Lannan (0-1, 6.14 ERA)

Prediction: Washington 3-0

Colorado (37-33, 2nd NL West) vs. Toronto (32-36, 5th AL East)
Probables:
COL: De La Rosa (7-4, 3.49 ERA)
TOR: Johnson (0-2, 5.40 ERA)

Prediction: Toronto 7-4

Baltimore (40-30, 2nd AL East) vs. Detroit (38-29, 1st AL Central)
Probables:
BAL: Arrieta (1-1, 6.63 ERA)
DET: Scherzer (9-0, 3.19 ERA)

Prediction: Baltimore 3-1

New York Mets (25-39, 4th NL East) vs. Atlanta (41-28, 1st NL East)
Probables:
NYM: Gee (5-6, 4.84 ERA)
ATL: Hudson (4-6, 4.41 ERA)

Prediction: Atlanta 11-1

Pittsburgh (41-28, 3rd NL Central) vs. Cincinnati (42-28, 2nd NL Central)
Probables:
PIT: Liriano (5-2, 2.36 ERA)
CIN: Leake (6-3, 2.76 ERA)

Prediction: Pittsburgh 4-3

Oakland (42-29, 1st AL West) vs. Texas (38-31, 2nd AL West)
Probables:
OAK: Straily (4-2, 4.45 ERA)
TEX: Tepesch (3-6, 4.30 ERA)

Prediction: Oakland 7-5

Chicago White Sox (28-38, 5th AL Central) vs. Houston (26-44, 5th AL West)
Probables:
CWS: Quintana (3-2, 3.86 ERA)
HOU: Norris (5-6, 3.47 ERA)

Prediction: Houston 1-0

Miami (21-47, 5th NL East) vs. Arizona(37-32, 1st NL West)
Probables:
MIA: Turner (1-0, 1.80 ERA)
ARI: Cobin (9-0, 2.28 ERA)

Predition: Arizona 4-2

Seattle (31-39, 3rd AL West) vs. Los Angelas Angels (30-39, 4th AL West)
Probables:
SEA: Harang (3-6, 5.60 ERA)
LAA: Vargas (5-4, 3.74 ERA)

Prediction: Los Angelas Angels 8-6

San Diego (35-34, 4th NL West) vs. San Francisco (35-33, 3rd NL West)
Probables:
SD: Volquez (5-5, 5.87 ERA)
SF: Zito (4-5, 4.79 ERA)

Jays Starting Turn-Around

The Jays got off to a terrible start this season. It was supposed to be "the year". Their problem was simple.
Their hitting and pitching were terrible. You don't have to go to far back. On June 11th they were 27-36, 10 games out of a playoff position. They ranked 9th in the AL in runs scored and batting average, and 12th in ERA. Today, just a week later they are 32-36, 5.5 games out of a playoff position. Today they still rank 9th in batting average, but they've climbed two spots in runs scored, scoring 31 this week. They climbed 3 spots to 9th in ERA, lowering it by 0.23 ER. Finally, although they still rank 12th, and their WHIP has only gone down 0.01 points, they have improved that stat as well.

What will it take to get into the playoffs: If the Yankees and Rangers maintain their winning percentage of .551, they would win 89 games. With 94 games remaining in their season, the Jays will need to finish with a 62-32 record. A .660 winning percentage. I don't know if they can do that but it is possible, they're 8-2 in their last 10 games.

Thrilling Day of Baseball

There was an 18 inning, 14 inning, and 13 inning game last night. But they were just three of six one-run games. There were also a few blowouts, two teams scored 10 runs. The only game that wasn't either a blowout out or a one-run game was the Toronto-Texas game, that Toronto won 3-1. Thursday was certainly an exciting day. In the two days prior, 30 games saw 9 one-run games (there were nine games Thursday), along with just 2 extra-innings games. Neither of which went past the 10th inning.

Oakland and Yankees Play in Extra Inning Thriller

It wasn't the most exciting game you'll ever see, the two teams combined for 22 hits and 5 runs, but it was 18-innings. 5 hours and 35 minutes. Oakland tied it at 2 in the 3rd, which were the last runs scored by either team untill Oakland won it in the 18th.

This game has summerized these teams play recently. Oakland has won 21 of their last 26 games, and 108 games of 162 games since this time last year, while New York's loss resulted in getting swept by Oakland. New York will try to end that streak against the Angels tonight, while Oakland will look to continue their great play against Seattle.

Grading MLB Teams- American League

AL East
1. Boston Red Sox
Hitting: A
Pitching: B
Overall: A-

2. NY Yankees
Hitting: B-
Pitching: A
Overall: B+

3. Baltimore Orioles
Hitting: A+
Pitching: C
Overall: B

4. Tampa Bay Rays
Hitting: A-
Pitching: B
Overall: B+

5. Toronto Blue Jays
Hitting: B-
Pitching: C-
Overall: C

AL Central
1. Detroit Tigers
Hitting: A-
Pitching: A+
Overall: A

2. Cleveland Indians
Hitting: B+
Pitching: B-
Overall: B

3. Kansas City Royals
Hitting: C
Pitching: A
Overall: B

4. Minnesota Twins
Hitting: C
Pitching: C
Overall: C

5. Chicago White Sox
Hitting: F
Pitching: B+
Overall: C-

AL West
1. Oakland Athletics
Hitting: B+
Pitching: A
Overall: A-

2. Texas Rangers
Hitting: B+
Pitching: A-
Overall: A-

3. Seattle Mariners
Hitting: D
Pitching: A-
Overall: C+

4. LA Angels
Hitting: B
Pitching: D
Overall: C

5. Houston Astros
Hitting: D
Pitching: F
Overall: F

Yogi Berra

Yogi Berra has come up with some of the great baseball quotes, here are some of his best. Most of them have nothing to do with baseball.

"Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half physical"
"Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't come to yours"
"Half the lies they tell about me aren't true"
"If you come to a fork in the road, take it"
"I never said most of the things I said"
"The future ain't what it used to be"
"If the world was perfect, it wouldn't be"
"Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded"
"He hits from both sides of the plate. He's amphibious"
"It gets late early out here"

CY Young Picks- June

AL
1. Clay Buchholz, Boston
1.62 ERA, 1st AL
8 Wins, 1st AL
1.02 WHIP, 5th AL

2. Yu Darvish, Texas
2.77 ERA, 8th AL
7 Wins, 5th AL
0.93 WHIP, 4th AL

3. Hisashi Iwakuma, Seatle
1.94 ERA, 2nd AL
6 Wins, 10th AL
0.83 WHIP, 1st AL

NL
1. Patrick Corbin, Arizono
2.06 ERA, 3rd NL
9 Wins, 1st NL
1.05 WHIP, 9th NL

2. Shelby Miller, St. Louis
1.91 ERA, 1st NL
7 Wins, 5th NL
0.90 WHIP, 1st NL

3. Clayton Kershaw, LA Dodgers
1.93 ERA, 2nd NL
5 Wins, 15th NL
0.96 WHIP, 5th NL

My MVP Picks

AL
1. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit
.373 AVG, 1st AL
17 HR, 2nd AL
66 RBI, 1st AL

2. Chris Davis, Baltimore
.357 AVG, 2nd AL
20 HR, 1st AL
52 RBI, 2nd AL

3. Edwin Encarnacion, Toronto
.265 AVG, 47th AL
17 HR, 2nd AL
48 RBI, 3rd AL

NL
1. Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona
.336 AVG, 5th NL
14 HR, 4th NL
53 RBI, 1st NL

2. Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado
.349 AVG, 1st NL
15 HR, 3rd NL
48 RBI, 2nd NL

3. Adrian Gonzalez, LA Dodgers
.328 AVG, 7th NL
8 HR, 25th NL
43 RBI, 5th NL

Miami Clinic Linked to Drug Scandal Involving Big-Name Players

Baseball has for years been considered the biggest sport for using PEDs (Performance Enhancing Drugs). This however reached a all-time high when Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun, Nelson Cruz, and Melky Cabrera were involved in yet another drug scandal. Reports claim that Anthony Bosch, the founder of a Miami anti-aging clinic supplied the players with the PEDs. Until recently, Bosch had denied the reports, but after newer reports stated that he didn't have the money to support his defence, he decided to cooperate.

If the MLBPA didn't exist, then these players are most likely gone for the rest of their life. In my opinion the should be. Its not official yet, but all four players are looking at 100-game suspensions. 100 games is alot for any professional athlete to have to watch on TV, but as I said before it isn't enough.

Left-Right: Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun, Nelson Cruz, Melky Cabrera

What Impact Will There be On the Affected Teams

Alex Rodriguez: A-Rod will be the only player of the four that has no impact on his team because of his injury, and the Yankees have an all-star filled line up.

Ryan Braun: Milwaukee will probably have the largest affect of the four teams with Braun's departure. He ranks 5th on the team with a .292 BA, 2nd with 9 HR, and 1st wirh 35 RBI.

Nelson Cruz: Cruz's numbers, despite being better than Braun's, won't have as large of an impact because Texashas a much better line up. He ranks 1st on the team in both HR and RBI, with 14 and 40 respectively. He also ranks 9th in BA at .268.

Melky Cabrera. Although he won't have the impact of losing Brun and Cruz, his departure will be a huge loss to Toronto's line up. He ranks 5th in BA at .284, 9th in HR with 2, and 5th with 29 RBI.



2013 Postseason Predictions- June

AL East

1. NY Yankees (1)

2. Boston (5)

3. Toronto

4. Baltimore

5. Tampa Bay

AL Central

1. Cleveland (3)

2. Detroit

3. Chicago White Sox

4. Minnesota

5. Kansas City

AL West

1. Texas (2)

2. Oakland (4)

3. LA Angels

4. Seattle

5. Houston

NL East

1. Washington (3)

2. Atlanta

3. Philadelphia

4. NY Mets

5. Miami

NL Central

1. Cincinnati (1)

2. Pittsburgh (4)

3. St. Louis

4. Milwaukee

5. Chicago Cubs

NL West

1. San Francisco (2)

2. Colorado (5)

3. LA Dodgers

4. Arizona

5. San Diego

WILD CARD GAMES
4. Oakland
5. Boston

4. Pittsburgh
5. Colorado

ALDS
1. NY Yankees (3)
4. Oakland (0)

2. Texas (1)
3. Cleveland (3)

NLDS
1. Cinncinnati (2)
5. Colorado (3)

2. San Francisco (3)
3. Washington (1)

ALCS
1. NY Yankees (4)
3. Cleveland (2)

NLCS
2. San Francisco (4)
5. Colorado (0)

WS
AL1. NY Yankees (4)
NL2. San Francisco (1)

3 Things That Need to Change in Current Playoff Format

1. Home Field Advantage in Divisional Series

In the current format, the higher seeded team plays the first two games on the road, followed by the remaining three at home, which puts the higher seeded team at a huge disadvantage. A perfect example is last years ALDS between Oakland and Detroit. Oakland was the 2nd seed, while Detroit was the 3rd. Detroit however got to play the first two games at home, winning both, 3-1 and 5-4. Because of this Detroit had a 2-0 strangle-hold in the series. When Oakland won their first two at home, 2-0 and 4-3, you had to feel that series would have gone differently if Oakland started at home. Oakland went on to lose game five, 6-0. There is no true way to know if that made a difference, they could have blown that 2-0 series lead like Detroit almost did, but that doesn't make the format right. A best-of-5 series is bad enough to begin with, but it makes it even less fair hor a higher seeded team. If the lower seeded team wins both at home, they essentially had home field advantage.

How it Should be Fixed: They should return to the old 2-2-1 format. That format guarentees that the higher seeded team can't play more road games than home games.

2. Divisions Determining Playoff Teams

Even with the one wild card format, this system was bad. Now with the two wild card format this has become very unfair. A perfect example of this happened in the American League last year. Detroit qualified for the playoffs with the lowest record amoung AL qualifiers, 88-74, and even recieved the 3rd seed as the AL Central champion. Tampa Bay finished with a 90-72 record. They however failed to win their division, five games behind the Yankees. They also didn't get into the wild card game, as they were three games behind both Texas and Baltimore. Also last year, Texas and Baltimore were the 4th and 5th seeds, and Detroit was the 3rd seed despite having five fewer wins.

How it Should be Fixed: Either let the top four teams get into the playoffs regardless of their division. If there has to be a division qualifier, seeding shouldn't be determined by whether or not a team wins their division, but by record.

3. One Game Wild Card Playoff

 Far too much can happen in one game to be fair in determining a 162-game season. The 163rd game was guarenteed between Texas and Baltimore anyway, as they both had 93 wins. The NL wild card provided a perfect example of its unfairness. In 2011 Atlanta would have been guarenteed a spot in the NLDS against Washington. They had six more wins than St. Louis, but Atlanta's season ended (most likely, although there is no way to know for sure) because of umpire Sam Holbrook's infamous infield fly rule call. That game also marked the end of Atlanta all-star Chipper Jones' career. That call not only cost him an appearance in the NLDS, but also a shot at his second World Series Title.

How it Should be Changed: They need to return to the one team wild card format, that had worked well for years. Forcing teams into a one game playoff to determine the fate of their season isn't worth adding one team in each league to the playoffs.