No Hit Homer Bailey

On Friday night there was not a single homer as his name implies or a single hit. Homer Bailey pitched the 7th no hitter of the 2012 season. Facing the Pirates, Bailey entered the game knowing that it doesn't matter if the Reds win or lose, because they had already clinched. Bailey was cruising through the Pirates lineup. Walking just one, striking out 10, and not allowing a hit. Congratulations to Homer Bailey.

An Update

So these teams paid heavy loads of money and prospects to acquire impact players at the trade deadline. So how have they been performing for their new teams?

Hunter Pence was traded to the San Francisco Giants from the Philadelphia Phillies at the deadline and has not performed to his potential. For the Giants he has a .233 AVG and a .295 OBP. On the other hand he has driven in 37 runners in 52 games, but his numbers aren't up to par. The biggest part of this trade for Pence was that he will still be on the Giants in 2013. So even though Pence isn't performing now, the Giants have an All Star Right Fielder for 2013.

Shane Victorino, an ex-teammate of Pence was also traded at the deadline to the Dodgers. Believe it or not, but Victorino has not come through either. With a .227/.302/.304 slash line (AVG/OBP/SLG) Victorino has been ineffective.

Zack Greinke has been a big success in Anaheim. Pitching to a  3.40 ERA over 82 innings Greinke has been everything the Angels wanted for a number 2 starter. Although the Angels' playoff picture isn't looking the brightest, It is safe to say it was not Greinke's fault.

When the Yankees traded for Ichiro, it shocked all of baseball. No one heard any rumors about it and an iconic player was switching teams. Ichiro has a .328/.351/.472 slash line as a Yankee including 12 stolen bases and 5 home runs. He provides a spark on the base pads and an energy that was lacking in the Yankee Clubhouse.

The trade that was done right before the deadline was over has not been good. Ryan Dempster has not played well for the Rangers. Holding a 4.48 ERA over 60 innings pitched is not what the Rangers expected. The Rangers needed a pitcher to shut down the opposing offense every time he pitched. With Darvish in a slump, probably due to fatigue the teams division lead may be in jeopardy to the Oakland Athletics.

The Races

The races for the division and wild card are getting hot. Both the Giants and the Reds clinched their respected divisions yesterday. All three American League divisions are still very interesting and the Wildcard races is the most interesting of them all.

The things I can find on the internet. And yes that is Vin Scully
for the Dodgers

The American League East has come to the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees. The Yankees lead the division by one game and the Orioles currently have possession of the first wild card spot. Last night both teams won in extra innings. This may come down to the end.

The White Sox have just a half game lead over the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers have Cy Young Award candidate Justin Verlander and probable MVP Miguel Cabrera who is chasing the triple crown. For the White Sox and Tigers it is win the division or go home, because they are both out for wild card contention.

The Oakland Athletics are just four games behind the division leading Rangers in the West. The A's just won't quit. The Rangers have been slumping and the back to back American League Champions may be in trouble.

The Nationals have a five and half game lead over the Braves in the National League East and have already clinched the a Wild Card spot, but the winning the division also looks very possible.

The Reds clinched the Nationals League Central yesterday. Aroldis Chapman closed the door, Brandon Phillips showed some power and defense, and Matt Latos came through with a great pitching performance.

The Giants clinched the National League West yesterday. Their pitching has been strong and Tim Lincecum has showed signs of the two time Cy Young Award winner he is. MVP candidate Buster Posey and the Kung-Fu Panda carried the team offensively.

The Baltimore Orioles have a two game lead in the wild card and the Oakland Athletics have a two and half game lead over The Los Angeles Angels for the second Wild Card. The Angels, The Rays, and The Tigers are still within five game of the second Wild Card spot.

The Atlanta Braves have a six game lead over The Cardinals in the wild card race. The Cardinals have a two and a half game over the Brewers for the second wild card spot, but The Brewers, The Dodgers, The Phillies and The Diamond Backs are within five games of the second wild card.

These final ten games will be very interesting.

He's As Hot As They Come

It seems like everything Ichiro hits he is going to be safe on. In his past 4 games he is 11 for his last 15. Lets not forget the 5 stolen bases he has over those 4 games as well. On Wednesday, in the night cap of a double header he had the go ahead hit that scored Curtis Granderson. On Thursday night's game he had a home run and a go ahead 2 run run double.

Yesterday Ichiro went 2 for 3 and didn't have any important hits, but they were comical. The first one was hit right back up the middle and went into the shirt of starting pitcher Jarred Parker. The second was a ball that looked foul but just continued to stay fair and landed in shallow left field. I guess when you're hot, these things happen to you.

When the Yankees traded for Ichiro, they knew they were getting an all star and he has performed like one. With the Yankees he is hitting .321, with 4 home runs, 22 RBI, and 10 stolen bases.

Passing Willie

In case you haven't heard, on Friday Derek Jeter passed Willie Mays on the all time hit list. Jeter now holds 10th place on the list. It must be a huge honor to be compared to a great such as Willie Mays.

Records are meant to be broken. When a rookie comes up for his first at bat, it is the first step to success. He can only hope to one day be compared to a legend. In 1995 Derek Jeter got an infield single for his first hit and in 2012 he got an infield single to pass Willie Mays for his 3284th hit.

Baseball has been around for over 120 years and to be in the top 10 of anything is just a huge  accomplishment. It is kind of difficult to fathom, but Derek Jeter could pass MLB all time hit leader Pete Rose one day.

2013 Schedules

In 2013 the Astros will move to the American League West. That made some difficulty in the schedules. Now there are 15 teams in each league and 5 teams in each division. Think about it... 15 teams in one league and they each have to play each other, that means one team is not playing. So scheduled inter league games are unavoidable throughout the whole season. For example The Yankees play The Diamond Backs April 16-18 and The Giants September 20-22.

With the new schedule a team will play 76 games against their own division (19 games against each rival), 66 games against other teams in their league, and 20 inter league games.

The schedule makes division races more intense, while allowing fans to see other teams in the MLB. The schedule works out nicely and 2013 looks like a promising season. To see your team's schedule for 2013 click HERE.

The 2013 All Star Game will be at the home of the New York Mets, Citi Field.

Jerry Meals

It's not often that an umpire would get so much attention, but Jerry Meals is the most hated man in New York today. Last night Jerry Meals was the umpire at first base for the Yankees-Orioles game. If the Orioles won the game, the two teams would be tied for first. If the Yankees won, they would have a two game lead over the Orioles and a three game lead over the Rays.

The game came down to the top of the 9th inning. The Yankees were finally rallying and they got to a point where it was 5-4 with runners on first and third with one out. Mark Teixeira was back in the game since straining his calf and wasn't running all that well. The Yankees' first baseman hits a ground ball to second and the Orioles record the out at second and then the throw to first. Teixeira slid into first base and was obviously safe. Click Here to view the play.

A still shot of the play

It is true that umpires can't get the plays right all the time, but that play he has to get right. Umpires are just like players. They can make 999 great calls and then 1 bad call in a big situation. In 1986 Bill Buckner had a .989 fielding percentage and missed one ball in the playoffs. That one botched play will now leave Buckner associated with terrible fielding forever, even though he is one of the best first baseman ever.

The same can be said for umpires. Jim Joyce is one of the game's best umpires. He blew one call in the famous "Imperfect Game." Now the veteran umpire is associated with umpires making terrible calls. People just have to realize that players aren't perfect and the same goes for umpires.

Then there is the ongoing debate about instant replay. If instant replay was added to the game, the game would be extended to probably 4 hours. The managers would want to abuse it, on every close call the instant replay would be used. I recommend that there be a 5th umpire (7th in playoff games). This umpire would sit in the video room and review every play to make sure that it was the right call. If a manager protests a call, 3 out of the 4 umpires on the field (4 out of 6 in play off games) would have to agree to review it. The 5th umpire would then be notified and then review the call. A phone similar to the phone to the bullpen would be installed in every home dugout and that is how the on field umpires would contact the review umpire. The review umpire would then reveal his call via telephone and the call will remain the same of be changed.

He's Back!

Tim Lincecum is back. The two time Cy Young Award winner is once again pitching like he used to. Before the All Star Break Lincecum's ERA was 6.42 and now it is down to 5.11. It may not seem like a big jump, but the more game you pitch the harder it is to lower a stat. Since the All Star Break Lincecum has a 3.22 ERA, but has come up big in important games. He pitched in both games that were a must win against the Dodgers. The end result was not necessarily a win for Lincecum, but a win for the Giants.

The Giants no longer allow Buster Posey to be the catcher in games that Lincecum pitches. I stated this in one of my previous posts, but I don't like to brag. This system works well for everybody. Lincecum pitches better, Sanchez gets some playing time, and Posey moves to first base to get his bat in the lineup more often.

Lincecum's next start is in Colorado. Now you know where to go, to see the Tim Lincecum Show.

The Beast in the East

Who will win the American League East?

Will the Rays put the arrow in the Yankees?

The New York Yankees have been injury plagued, but reinforcements may not be far away. The Orioles are flying high with the best record since the start of August. And The Rays are still shining, just 1.5 games out of first place.

The Blue Jays and the Red Sox are still respectable ball clubs, even though they are far out of competition. They can play playoff spoiler for the three teams competing to be the Beast in the East.

It will be fun to watch these three teams battle it out and the possibility of a game 163 is still eminent. Just think about the possibility of a team losing the tie breaker game 163 and then winning the wild card playoff game and going on to win the World Series. It would be incredibly difficult, but definitely possible.

Vote in the poll on the right side of the page.

The GranderDunn Effect

It is a familiar sight in baseball. At least one player every year is a victim of the GranderDunn effect. The effect can be explained as a fast player who stops utilizing their speed once they begin to hit home runs.

Granderson (Left) and Dunn (Right) at the 2012 All Star Game

Curtis Granderson has stolen 20 or more bases in a season in three different seasons. When Granderson was traded to the Yankees he took advantage of the short porch in right field. In 2010 Granderson hit 24 home runs and stole 12 bases. In 2011 he played a full season, and was rather successful, hitting 41 home runs and stealing 25 bases. The 2012 season is where the GranderDunn effect enters play. Granderson is now known as a power hitter and he hit 34 home runs over 131 games in 2012, but has stolen just 8 bases.

Granderson has not only given up his speed to the power of home runs, but also his batting average. In 2012 he has a career low .235 batting average. Curtis Granderson is slowly becoming Adam Dunn.

This can also be seen in players such as Grady Seizmore, Corey Hart, and Alfonso Soriano. Andrew McCutchen may also be sacrificing stolen bases for home runs to the GranderDunn effect in seasons to come.




Thanks and credit to Mark Suleymanov for contributing the witty name .