Tag Archives: mlb

Can Detroit Win AL Central With Verlander Struggling?

Justin Verlander has been in the running for the Cy Young award in nearly every season for the better part of a decade. In the span of his career, the Detroit Tigers have went from worst to first in the AL Central. They couldn’t have done it without his dominant pitching.

Things aren’t going so well for Verlander this season. He currently has a record of 6-7 with a 4.98 ERA. Detroit is only leading Kansas City by a half game in the AL Central. While the official MLB Futures betting lines have the Detroit Tigers in contention to take the AL Central Division, I am no longer comfortable with their position in the top spot as the Royals look to make their move on them.

Matthew Leach of MLB.com wrote an in-depth article breaking down Verlander’s problems this season. Leach opines that he shouldn’t be breaking down at 31 years old. As a power pitcher, he should actually be firmly in his prime. His velocity has taken a hit and he’s even having issues against players the second and third time through the order. This is new territory for Verlander.

What’s going on with Detroit? What should we expect from them going down the stretch?

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Clayton Kershaw Pitches First Career No-Hitter

Clayton Kershaw, who signed a $215 million contract this offseason, was worth every penny against Colorado. He earned his first career no-hitter and was only a throwing error away from a perfect game. I’m sure Hanley Ramirez would like to have that throw back.

This is the Dodgers second no-hitter this season. Josh Beckett unexpectedly earned one less than a month ago. I wouldn’t be surprised if Kershaw, or another member of their rotation, would notch another one this season.

The Dodgers are currently four games back in the NL West behind the San Francisco Giants.

Kershaw’s next start will be in Kansas City to face the AL Central-leading Royals.

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Chicago Cubs: Trade Candidates

We are a quarter into the 2014 MLB season and the Chicago Cubs are already playing for the 2016 season (yes, not even 2015).

Their farm system is deep, but lacks pitching. They have bats for days (Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Jorge Soler) and have used their high draft picks on position players. I assume they will draft a starting pitcher with the #4 overall pick in the 2014 MLB Amateur Draft, since they desperately need a future ace.

The Cubs currently have a handful of players that contenders would love to have down the stretch.

There is one player specifically that has been the focus of nearly ever Cubs trade rumor, Jeff Samardzija.

Which Cubs players are currently on the trading block? We will list the most likely trade candidates and any players the Cubs have their eye on in return.

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The 50 Best Sports Movies of All-Time

I’m a sucker for a great sports movie. I watch every one that comes out and have been disappointed by so many. It’s because I hold such movies as ‘Hoosiers’ and ‘Field of Dreams’ in such high regard. The bar is set really high.

I brainstormed some blog ideas and realized I’ve never written about the best sports movies of all-time. I spent most of this morning making the list of the top 50 sports movies of all-time.

I didn’t include any documentaries or this list would be loaded (I’ll save them for a future post). So if you’re asking yourself why ‘Hoop Dreams’ didn’t make the cut, now you know. Also, I only listed movie franchises once and only ranked the first movie in the series…’Rocky IV’ and ‘Might Ducks 2’ would have definitely made the list.

Here is our list of the 50 best sports movies of all-time.

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Sweetbob’s Fantasy Baseball F*ck/Marry/Kill – Week 4

This is the first installment of “Sweetbob’s Fantasy Baseball F*ck, Marry, Kill” of the young baseball season. If you have any questions, I will do my best to answer all of them. You can email me at bobbymcrib@gmail.com.

Welcome to “Sweetbob’s Fantasy F*ck, Marry, Kill”…

Before I begin, let’s go over the F/M/K terminology. The guys I list under “F*ck” are guys that are currently hot and you need to pick them up. “Marry”, are guys that you need to stick with, even if they are struggling a bit. “Kill”, are guys that you need to think about dropping for better players in the free agent pool.

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10 MLB Players Who Pronounce Their Name Wrong

Have you ever watched baseball and heard the play-by-play guy say a player’s name and wonder who the hell he is talking about? It even happens to me and I’m a huge baseball fan.

I know the influx of Latino talent has caused some confusion, but this list doesn’t contain anyone from Latin countries. I focused on players that linguistically, it doesn’t make much sense to pronounce their name ‘correct’.

A few of these players have even played on my favorite team and thought their name was pronounced a lot different than what ‘correct.’

We list ten didn’t baseball players and spell out their pronunciation phonetically. Do you agree with this list?

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2014 MLB Team Preview: Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals season ended when Bryce Harper went ‘balls out’ crashing into the outfield wall. He injured his knee and just about everything else. The injuries lingered and was never the same. He gained muscle this offseason and looks like he should go pee in a cup for someone. He’s bound to have a breakout year.

The Nationals missed the playoffs by a few games and they kept every key player. They didn’t go out and break the bank on free agents. The front office knows that they just had a down year and the current roster could compete for a World Series ring this season.

Can Stephen Strasburg’s new slider be the missing piece for a Cy Young award-winning campaign?

Here is the 2014 MLB season preview for the Washington Nationals.

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2014 MLB Team Preview: Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays were the popular pick to make a big leap in 2013. Well, we got the right division for the surprise team (Boston), but Toronto found themselves in the basement of the AL East.

The additions of Jose Reyes, R.A. Dickey and Josh Johnson didn’t pay off at all. Reyes broke his ankle and was out until almost the All-Star Break, Johnson looked like a Four-A pitcher and then Jose Bautista suffered an injury that ended his season early. Can Toronto be a playoff team if both stay healthy all season?

Can R.A. Dickey regain control of his knuckleball?

Here is the 2014 MLB season preview for the Toronto Blue Jays.

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2014 MLB Team Preview: Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers couldn’t make it out of Spring Training unscathed. Geovany Soto and super prospect Jurickson Profar are expected to be out at least three months with injuries. They aren’t a deep team, so these injuries will be felt early.

Texas made some big moves by acquiring Prince Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo to compete with the Joneses in the AL West. Oakland and Los Angeles will be pests and stay in the race all season.

Ian Kinsler was a big piece in Texas’s resurgence. Prince Fielder will be a nice source of offense, but will his weight become an issue late in the season?

Will the Rangers starting rotation be good enough to make the postseason?

Here is the 2014 MLB season preview for the Texas Rangers.

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2014 MLB Team Preview: Tampa Bay Rays

All offseason we talk about the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, but the Tampa Bay Rays always end up in the discussion at the end of the season. They build through the draft and develop their own, so they stay quiet while the Sox and Yanks throw around big money.

The Rays were second in the AL East, just behind the World Series champs. Matt Moore had a career year with 17 wins and they called up their gem prospect, Wil Myers. With all the young arms in the rotation, it’s hard to predict a win total this season. They could all have double-digit wins and lead the team to a 100-win season or a few could implode. I think it’s fair to say the Rays will land somewhere in the middle

Here is the 2014 MLB season preview for the Tampa Bay Rays.

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2014 MLB Team Preview: St. Louis Cardinals

As a Cubs fan, I really hate seeing the St. Louis Cardinals do well. They’re so stacked and seem to have a bottomless pool of elite pitchers they can call up from the minors.

Shelby Miller and Michael Wacha could both be at the top of the rotation for the next decade. Also, Matt Adams, Kolten Wong & Oscar Tavares could all be future All-Stars. They pick at the bottom of first-round in every MLB Draft. How do they always have one of the best farm systems?

The NL Central will be one of the most competitive divisions in the Majors. The Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates both have playoff-caliber teams. Can either team knock off St. Louis?

Here is the 2014 MLB season preview for the St. Louis Cardinals

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2014 MLB Team Preview: Seattle Mariners

The Mariners went on a spending spree this offseason. The started the offseason by giving Robinson Cano the ‘godfather offer’ and couldn’t refuse. They then added Corey Hart, Logan Morrison and Fernando Rodney.

The AL West is loaded this season (if you omit the Houston Astros). The Rangers, A’s and Angels are all expected to battle for the division crown and AL Wild Card spots. Is there room for Seattle in that race?

Players often have a down year immediately after they sign a huge long-term deal. Will Robinson Cano be an exception?

Here is the 2014 MLB season preview for the Seattle Mariners.

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