Post-Game(s) Reaction: ALDS Games 1&2- Kansas City @ Los Angeles / Detroit @ Baltimore

Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer, seen here seconds away from biting Salvador Perez’s face off.

Suddenly, the American League Division Series just got a whole lot more predictable, as both the Kansas City Royals and the Baltimore Orioles are one win away from heading to the League Championship, thanks to late-inning heroics from Mike Moustakas of the Royals and, well, the entire Orioles offence save for Adam Jones and Nick Hundley in Game 1, and Eric Hosmer of the Royals and Delmon Young of the Orioles in Game 2.

The two series have been  different in the respect that while the Orioles and Tigers games have been characterized by timely offensive outbursts (Mainly by the O’s, obviously) the Royals and Angels pitching staffs have mostly held the other team in check, thanks to great performances from Jason Vargas, Yordano Ventura, Jered Weaver and Matt Shoemaker, and solid relief, which was seen as a weakness of the Angels prior to the playoffs. It still is, really, but hey, they’ve done well until extra innings. As long as someone in their offense not named Kole Calhoun can make literally anything happen, they stand at least a minor shot at maybe winning the next three games.

If you’re betting money on that happening though, you’re either very brave, or very, very, very stupid.

I’m  little less hard on the Detroit Tigers, as their rotation is still really good (Even if Scherzer and Verlander underperformed) and their offense is hitting… Just not as much as the Orioles. Also, their bullpen (Aside from Anibal Sanchez) has been just the worst, with an ERA well over twenty. FUCKING TWENTY.

PLAYER(S) OF THE GAME(S):

Orioles Hitters: Nelson Cruz (Game 1: 2 Hits in 4 At-bats, 1 Home Run, 2 Runs, 3 RBI) Delmon Young (Game 2: 1 Hit in 1 At-bat, 1 Double, 3 RBI)

October is the time of the year when the baseball world takes the time to remember that Delmon Young still exists. And holy shit does he ever exist in a big way for the Orioles.

Orioles Pitchers: Andrew Miller (Game 1: 1 2/3 Innings Pitched, 0 Hits, 0 Earned Runs, 1 Walk, 3 Strikeouts) Kevin Gausman (Game 2: 3 2/3 Innings Pitched, 3 Hits, 1 Earned Run, 1 Walk, 5 Strikeouts)

Kevin Gausman, the young, donut-loving hurler from Colorado, outperformed his predecessor, a horribly out-of-form Wei-Yin Chen, to hold the powerful Tigers offense to a mere 1 run over almost 4 innings.

2nd Orioles Pitcher: Chris Tillman (Game 1: 5 Innings Pitched, 4 Hits, 2 Earned Runs, 1 Walk, 6 Strikeouts) 

I would’ve preferred a 6-inning outing, which is why I ended up giving the “Pitcher of Game 1” title to Andrew Miller, the reliever, but hey, Tillman was pretty great as well.

Orioles Clutch Relievers: Andrew Miller (Game 1), Kevin Gausman, Brad Brach, Zach Britton (Game 2)

Tigers Hitters: N/A (Game 1) J.D. Martinez (Game 2: 1 Hit in 4 At-bats, 1 Home Run, 1 Run, 3 RBI)

Former Houston Astros reject J.D. Martinez has driven in 4 of the 9 Tigers runs in this series with his two home runs. He gave the boys from Detroit a lead in Game 2 with a 3-run blast, but then their bullpen happened.

 Tigers Pitchers: N/A (Game 1) Anibal Sanchez (2 Innings Pitched, 0 Hits, 0 Earned Runs, 0 Walks, 2 Strikeouts)

Sanchez has literally been the only Tigers pitcher to escape the first two games with a good statline.

Tigers Clutch Relievers: Anibal Sanchez (Game 2)

Royals Hitters: Mike Moustakas (Game 1: 1 Hit in 3 At-bats, 1 Home Run, 2 Runs, 1 RBI) Eric Hosmer (Game 2: 3 Hits in 4 At-bats, 1 Home Run, 2 Runs, 2 RBI) 

I could have just as easily gone with “Every KC runner to get on base in these playoffs.”

Royals Pitchers: Jason Vargas (Game 1: 6 Innings Pitched, 3 Hits, 2 Earned Runs, 1 Walk, 2 Strikeouts) Yordano Ventura (Game 2: 7 Innings Pitched, 5 Hits, 1 Earned Run, 1 Walk, 5 Strikeouts)

“You put your right leg in, you put your right leg out, you put your right leg in and you shake it all about…”

Royals Clutch Relievers: Brandon Finnegan, Wade Davis, Tim Collins, Jason Frasor, Danny Duffy, Greg Holland (Game 1) Wade Davis, Jason Frasor, Brandon Finnegan, Greg Holland (Game 2)

Angels Hitters: N/A

Angels Pitchers: Jered Weaver (Game 1: 7 Innings Pitched, 3 Hits, 2 Earned Runs, 2 Walks, 6 Strikeouts) Matt Shoemaker (Game 2: 6 Innings Pitched, 5 Hits, 0 Earned Runs, 0 Walks, 6 Strikeouts)

Grrr!!!

Angels Clutch Relievers: Joe Smith, Huston Street, Kevin Jepsen (Game 1) Jason Grilli, Joe Smith, Huston Street (Game 2)  

@ The All-Star Break! (American League)

So, what have we learned during the All-Star Break?

1. The Home Run Derby is still tons of fun.
2. Yoennis Cespedes rules.
3. Wherever there is a ballplayer living in the United States who speaks poor English and needs a translator, lowlife rednecks will call him out for “ruining Americas pastime”.

Seen Here: America’s pastime.

4. Prince Fielder is capable of hitting triples. However, in doing so, the resulting tremors usually result in the complete destruction of a small Asian country. Nice knowing you, Singapore.

God forbid he slide.

5. Mariano Rivera is awesome and his last All-Star Game was quite heartwarming. However, if he pulls an un-retirement (Andy Petitte style) let’s all agree not to do that again, okay?

However, the All-Star Break is also a fantastic moment to take stock of the season do far. It’s not the halfway point that everyone keeps calling it for some reason, but who’s got time to calculate half of 162?

“Fuck math! From now on, dealing crack is the life for me!”

So, here are the current standings and my predictions for the major award winners and division/league/World Series champions.

AL EAST

My Pre-Season Prediction:

1.  Toronto Blue Jays
2. Tampa Bay Rays (Wild Card)
3. Baltimore Orioles
4. New York Yankees
5. Boston Red Sox

Current Standings:

1. Boston Red Sox (58-39)
2. Tampa Bay Rays (55-41, Wild Card)
3. Baltimore Orioles (53-43)
4. New York Yankees (51-44)
5. Toronto Blue Jays (45-49)

Well, this division is stacked.

Biggest Surprise: That would be the Red Sox who, in the wake of the tragic Boston Bombings, have been exceptionally good even after injuries to Clay Bucholz and Joel Hanrahan, putting together a great (Likeable!) team. While it’s kinda tough to determine what exactly made this team click, I’m pretty sure it was getting Alfredo Aceves to fuck right on off to AAA that relaxed the mood.

And to think it took the Canadian national team to kick his ass before…

Biggest Disappointment: Well fuck, I don’t really need to say it, do I?

Alright, fine. The biggest disappointments are my beloved Toronto Blue Jays. As it turns out, assembling a whole shitload of talent and throwing them onto a baseball field isn’t always the way to go.

On the positive side, we didn’t take the Marlins logo along with Emilio Bonifacio.

MVP: Dustin Pedroia, 2B, Red Sox

I will probably get brutalized for not picking Chris Davis (Or not, considering how much people read my blog) and for picking a Red Sox when I am a Certifies Red Sox Nation Hater, but goddammit, I LIKE Dustin Pedroia! A .316 Batting Average and excellent fielding don’t hurt, either.

Cy Young: Clay Bucholz, Red Sox

Even with his recent DL stint, Bucholz was leaps and bounds over any other AL East pitcher in the first half.

Rookie of the Year: Jose Iglesias, Red Sox

After a (Very) unimpressive cup of coffee in 2012, Iglesias got himself a starting job this year, with both Will Middlebrooks and Stephen Drew on the DL, and has run with it so far, hitting .367 in 180 At-Bats while playing excellent defense.

My All-Star Break Prediction:

1. Boston Red Sox (98-64)
2. Tampa Bay Rays (95-67, Wild Card)
3. Baltimore Orioles (93-69, Wild Card)
4. New York Yankees (81-81)
5. Toronto Blue Jays (79-83)

AL CENTRAL

My Pre-Season Prediction:

1. Detroit Tigers
2. Kansas City Royals
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Cleveland Indians
5. Minnesota Twins

Current Standings:

1. Detroit Tigers (52-42)
2. Cleveland Indians (51-44)
3. Kansas City Royals (43-49)
4. Minnesota Twins (39-53)
5. Chicago White Sox (37-55)

Biggest Surprise: Cleveland Indians

The Indians have beat the odds by proving that you can stay over .500 despite having an aged, 250 pound Jason Giambi on your team.

Biggest Disappointment:

Fuck, I dunno. The White Sox, I guess? Truth be told, I just really wanna get to the AL West.

MVP: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers

Well duh.

Cy Young: Max Scherzer

I don’t take too much stock in wins and losses, mainly because they’re bullshit, but thirteen straight wins is nothing to thumb your nose at.

Rookie of the Year: David Lough

Who? David Lough? Really? Fuck it, okay, let’s roll with it.

My All-Star Predictions:

1. Detroit Tigers (93-69)
2. Cleveland Indians (87-75)
3. Kansas City Royals (69-93)
4. Minnesota Twins (69-93)
5. Chicago White Sox (61-101)

Lessons Learned: 1. The Detroit Tigers don’t have to do too much to win this division and 2. The White Sox suck pretty bad.

AL WEST

My Pre-Season Predictions:

1. Los Angeles Angels
2. Oakland Athletics
3. Texas Rangers
4. Seattle Mariners
5. Houston Astros

Current Standings:

1. Oakland Athletics (56-39)
2. Texas Rangers (54-41, Wild Card)
3. Los Angeles Angels (44-49)
4. Seattle Mariners (43-52)
5. Houston Astros (33-61)

Biggest Surprise: N/A

There haven’t been many positive surprises in this division. The A’s and Rangers have been as good as expected, and the Mariners and Astros have both been bad and terrible, respectively.

Biggest Dissapointment: Los Angeles Angels

It just wasn’t a very good offseason to spend big, huh?

MVP: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels

He probably should have won MVP last year, but Superfish (A nickname that I really want to have catch on) hasn’t ;et his lack of a trophy slow him down. He may be the best all-around player in the game at the age of 22.

Cy Young: Hisashi Iwakuma, Seattle Mariners

His fellow countryman Yu Darvish gets most of the credit (And he is really, really good) so it’s easy to forget that Iwakuma has been just as or almost as good in his Big League Career. It was almost a tie, but I went with Iwakuma for the reason that he has played more games than Darvish.

Rookie of the Year: Nick Franklin, Seattle Mariners

With all due respect to Nick Franklin… I think the AL West might have blown their prospect wad last year with Trout and Cespedes.

Damn you, Superfish, you ruin everything!!!

My All-Star Predictions:

1. Oakland Athletics (99-63)
2. Texas Rangers (91-71)
3. Seattle Mariners (77-85)
4. Los Angeles Angels (73-89)
5. Houston Astros (53-109)

Yeah, I’m feeling the A’s. The Angels, not so much.

AL AWARDS

Manager of the Year: John Farrell, Red Sox

I hate this motherfucker. He openly stabbed the Jays in the back and half-assed it in 2012 after not getting his dream job that year instead of when his contract was up. Not that he did a great job managing the team anyways, but still.

That said, raise your hand if you thought the Sox would be a great team this year.

No you didn’t, you fucking liar.

Rookie of the Year: Jose Iglesias, Red Sox

Cy Young Award: Max Scherzer, Tigers

I may reconsider if Clay Bucholz stays excellent when he comes back from his injury.

MVP: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers

Mike Trout may have deserved it last year, but this year, it’s all Miggy.

Tune back in soon for the National League and my playoff picks.

AL All-Star Ballot Update!

Well, it’s been a few weeks since I last checked out the All-Star Vote standings for the AL and the NL. I’d say we’re probably overdue for another tirade against ballot-stuffers, eh? Well, as soon as I tear my eyes away from the mean-spirited ugliness that is the MLB.com comments section. Is it just me, or do all people named “commenter” have some form of mental instability issue?

 

AMERICAN LEAGUE ALL-STAR VOTING
(as of June 15)

FIRST BASE
Chris Davis, Orioles 2,999,094
Prince Fielder, Tigers 1,980,129
Mike Napoli, Red Sox 744,334
Albert Pujols, Angels 693,062
Mitch Moreland, Rangers 645,071

My Vote: Chris Davis, Orioles

It’s good to see that at least one of the starters will be deserving. Chris Davis is absolutely killing it in Baltimore. Really, if anybody has a .330+ average and is on pace for 40+ home runs, then they better be the ASG starter.

I’m kinda dissapointed that Adam Lind isn’t getting any love, and especially dissapointed that Albert Pujols is seen by some as an All-Star. I can’t really complain otherwise.

SECOND BASE
Robinson Cano, Yankees 2,409,512
Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox 1,635,674
Ian Kinsler, Rangers 1,123,654
Omar Infante, Tigers 872,142
Jose Altuve, Astros 734,896

My Vote: Robinson Cano

Man, was probably the most difficult position to vote for. I mean, in the top 3 spots are three EXTREMELY good ballplayers in Robbie Cano (Who will almost certainly be voted in) Dustin Pedroia (Who may be having a better season, and Howie Kendrick, who- wait a minute. Where’s Howie? Howie!? HOWIE!?!?

Wrong one, asshole.

In the end, I voted for Cano, but going back on it, I think Howie Kendrick was the better choice. I can live with Cano starting though.

However, the fact that Kendrick isn’t in the Top 5 is inexcusable.

SHORTSTOP
J.J. Hardy, Orioles 1,871,010
Elvis Andrus, Rangers 1,358,412
Jhonny Peralta, Tigers 1,322,791
Jed Lowrie, Athletics 1,019,861
Derek Jeter, Yankees 669,698

My Vote: Jhonny Peralta.

My God, there were slim pickings at this position. The only truly worthy contenders (That I remember) are Hardy, Peralta, and Lowrie. This seems as good a time as any to speculate on why exactly Elvis Andrus is here. I must have been asleep when a sub .600 OPS was declared an acceptable quality for an All-Star. Bot his OBP and his Slugging Percentage are under .300. Stop. Voting. For. Him.

As for Derek Jeter, i’m not going to bother  chastising the idiots who voted for the guy who hasn’t played a single game this season and  probably won’t play in the game anyways. I just find it weird that in the comments section, nobody seems to own up to voting for him. Does this mean that whoever’s voting for him is embarrassed that they voted for him? I mean, they should be, but they should be able to put their money where their mouth is, right?

THIRD BASE
Miguel Cabrera, Tigers 3,277,890
Manny Machado, Orioles 1,626,209
Adrian Beltre, Rangers 1,105,706
Evan Longoria, Rays 898,422
Josh Donaldson, Athletics 500,773

My Vote: Miguel Cabrera

What can I possibly say about Miguel Cabrera that hasn’t been said already? I can really only express my condolences for Machado, Beltre, Longoria and Donaldson. Any one of them (Mainly Machado) would have had a decent shot had it not been for Miguel Cabrera existing.

CATCHER
Joe Mauer, Twins 2,127,175
Matt Wieters, Orioles 1,615,625
A.J. Pierzynski, Rangers 885,137
Carlos Santana, Indians 864,779
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Red Sox 748,725

My Vote: Joe Mauer

My only two complaints here are: a) That Matt Wieters has more than a million votes and b) That Jason Castro is nowhere to be see on the list. This is mostly as a result of the obscurity that comes with working in Houston.

DESIGNATED HITTER
David Ortiz, Red Sox 2,488,451
Lance Berkman, Rangers 1,239,521
Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays 769,322
Mark Reynolds, Indians 745,058
Mark Trumbo, Angels 722,667

My Vote: David Ortiz

Big Papi’s monster season took me completely by surprise. How often does an obese, non-juiced 37 year old put up a .900+ OPS?

Ha. No.

On a bitter note, how the fuck did more people think that Lance Berkman deserves the vote more then Edwin Encarnacion?

OUTFIELD
Adam Jones, Orioles 2,740,505
Mike Trout, Angels 2,710,115
Nick Markakis, Orioles 1,463,392
Torii Hunter, Tigers 1,425,571
Jose Bautista, Blue Jays 1,379,251
Nelson Cruz, Rangers 1,310,079
Nate McLouth, Orioles 1,300,158
Alex Gordon, Royals 1,040,685
Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox 1,004,434
Yoenis Cespedes, Athletics 926,611
Coco Crisp, Athletics 869,153
Josh Hamilton, Angels 726,485
Austin Jackson, Tigers 712,623
Shane Victorino, Red Sox 682,220
Ichiro Suzuki, Yankees 620,734

My Vote: Adam Jones, Mike Trout, Jose Bautista

This list starts off strong (With the exception of Torii Hunter and Nick Markakis over Jose Bautista) but gets dodgy near the end. Angels fans can’t stop spewing hatred at Josh Hamilton, and yet, they keep voting for him. And it boggles the mind to ponder how Ichiro got here. I love the guy too, Yankee fans, but come on. He’s a defense only ballplayer nowadays, and God bless ’em (I may be the world’s biggest John McDonald fan) but  he’s definitely not an All-Star

Tomorrow, be sure to check in for the NL ballot update and my thoughts.

AL All-Star Ballot Update!

Let the popularity contest begin!

The All-Star voting campaigns have been upon us for a while, and the rampant ballot stuffing has already begun! For those of us who actually want to see a good, competitive All-Star Game with deserving, not necessarily popular players, this can be an especially painful time of the season. But hey, maybe I`m just not laid-back enough to accept an injured Derek Jeter at shortstop.

The All-Star Game: A magical time of year where all the players voted in are magically healed up so they can play. Of course, by “all the players”, I mean “the New York Yankees.”

But hey, who am I to overthrow a democratic system? I`ll be damned if I don`t still vote for the ASG every year. And I don`t just ballot stuff for my Blue Jays every year either. (Though at this point, who would?)  I believe that each league should field its best players, no matter how unpopular, unattractive, or NL East-y they are.

Today, MLB.com released the first ballot update. Here`s my knee jerk reaction to the races at each position.

CATCHER:

1. Joe Mauer, Twins: 863,450
2. Matt Wieters, Orioles: 715,055
3. Carlos Santana, Indians: 547,873
4. A.J. Pierzynski, Rangers: 510,434
5. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Red Sox: 331,344

This list actually isn’t that bad. While I don`t think that Wieters or Saltalamacchia are All-Stars, Joe Mauer is by far the best candidate for the starting job. Santana and Pierzynski would be my second and third choices, should Mauer get injured.

FIRST BASE
1. Chris Davis, Orioles: 1,176,016
2. Prince Fielder, Tigers: 1,059,300
3. Mike Napoli, Red Sox: 380,448
4. Albert Pujols, Angels: 374,538
5. Mitch Moreland, Rangers: 371,806

Thank GOD. I was worried that Chris Davis would be forgotten. Yes, I, too think that Davis is currently the best option at the not-so-hot corner.  Two complaints though: 1) Prince Fielder has not justified being that close behind, and 2) What the HELL is Albert Pujols doing here when Adam Lind is hitting .323?

SECOND BASE
1. Robinson Cano, Yankees: 1,235,230
2. Ian Kinsler, Rangers: 656,827
3. Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox: 642,419
4. Omar Infante, Tigers: 417,333
5. Brian Roberts, Orioles: 291,756

Robbie Cano takes second base, easy. The only thing stopping him from being a 5-Tool player is his lack of good speed.

Kinsler, Pedroia and Infante are all viable backup candidates, though I`m puzzled as to what exactly Brian Roberts is doing in the Top 5 instead of Jose Altuve or Howard Kendrick.

THIRD BASE
1. Miguel Cabrera, Tigers: 1,500,165
2. Manny Machado, Orioles: 723,943
3. Adrian Beltre, Rangers: 600,271
4. Evan Longoria, Rays: 454,047
5. Kevin Youkilis, Yankees: 235,388

Poor Manny Machado. If only the only thing blocking his way to having an All-Star start to his excellent season wasn’t the best hitter in the known universe.

Anyways, no complaints here except for Kevin Youkillis over Kyle Seager.

SHORTSTOP
1. Elvis Andrus, Rangers: 727,555
2. J.J. Hardy, Orioles: 717,103
3. Jhonny Peralta, Tigers: 540,581
4. Jed Lowrie, Athletics: 523,743
5. Derek Jeter, Yankees: 380,445

Alright, what the FUCK, fellow fans? Elvis Andrus? Seriously? The man has an OPS of .626! Granted, stats aren’t always the be-all-end-all, but in this case, it should be! .626!

And Derek Jeter? What?! I love the guy as much as the next fan, but Come ON! He hasn`t even played a game this season, and 380, 000 people want him to start at shortstop! Jetes does not need to have a perfect All-Star attendance record. He`s a fucking baseball player. Baseball players get hurt. If they`re hurt, they miss All-Star Games. Deal with it.

And would everybody please give a little more love to Jhonny Peralta? Jesus Christ…

OUTFIELD
1. Mike Trout, Angels: 1,190,676
2. Adam Jones, Orioles: 1,181,875
3. Torii Hunter, Tigers: 761,937
4. Nelson Cruz, Rangers: 712,320
5. Jose Bautista, Blue Jays: 653,475
6. Nick Markakis, Orioles: 595,698
7. Nate McLouth, Orioles: 559,751
8. Alex Gordon, Royals: 522,483
9. Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox: 473,877
10. Josh Hamilton, Angels: 404,597
11. Austin Jackson, Tigers: 400,019
12. Yoenis Cespedes, Athletics: 395,475
13. Coco Crisp, Athletics: 392,202
14. Shane Victorino, Red Sox: 341,733
15. Ichiro Suzuki, Yankees: 337,654

As you may or may not know, I am a huge Jays fan. (Judging by the amount of people who read this article, you probably didn,t know. Read it. It’s good.) This is the only list that has a Jay on it, and I gotta say, I`m kinda dissapointed with the fact that he`s only in fifth. Jose Bautista has been really, really good this year (Padres series notwithstanding) and definitely merits an All-Star start, in my book. I also voted for Mike Trout and Alex Gordon, who I`m surprised to see is so low on the list, under Torii Hunter, Nelson Cruz, and Nate McLouth (!!!). Ellsbury, Hamilton, Jackson, Cespedes, Victorino, and especially Ichiro do NOT deserve to be here.

DESIGNATED HITTER
1. David Ortiz, Red Sox: 1,045,283
2. Lance Berkman, Rangers: 672,547
3. Mark Reynolds, Indians: 452,708
4. Mark Trumbo, Angels: 376,574
5. Victor Martinez, Tigers: 340,967

Why oh why must you anger me so, baseball fans? Sure, David Ortiz deserves first place, and I voted for him, but MARK REYNOLDS over Mark Trumbo (Whose very last name echoes with power)? And what the hell is Victor Martinez doing on this list? What makes me most angry is that Edwin Encarnacion is having so, so much more of a better season then Victor Martinez or Reynolds and (arguably) Berkman. And yet, the guy with the 16 home runs and a .260’s aerage is actually perceived to be INFERIOR to the guy with the .599 OPS? This is why we can`t have nice things!

Well, that`s all for today. Prepare have me get even more pissed about the NAtional League tomorrow. That or an article about the life cycle of pop stars. either or.