Results tagged ‘ Tampa Rays ’
MLB 2013 Season Predictions
AL East: We all know everyone is discounting the Yankees completely and already trying to anoint the Blue Jays as World Series favorites, but for what exactly? I have been saying since December that Reyes and Buehrle didn’t exactly do much to create wins in Miami and Dickey & Johnson give them a nice 1 – 2 at top of the rotation (provided Johnson stays healthy) but this is still a team that needs its previous players to take that next step.
Nope, it is going to be a tight race with all five teams in the mix but I like teams with great starting pitching…and that ain’t Toronto.
1. New York 2. Tampa 3. Toronto 4. Boston 5. Baltimore
AL Central: Tigers – Do I even need to explain this one? Unless the Royals see HUGE leaps forward by three or four guys AND find a legitimate No. 2 & no. 3 starter between now and opening day nobody will come within a half-dozen games of them this year. And don’t be surprised if it is more like 10 games.
1. Detroit 2. Chicago 3. Kansas City 4. Cleveland 5. Minnesota
AL West: The Angels made a big splash this off-season by signing Josh Hamilton away from their division rivals, but none of that is enough to overcome the fact that their pitching is just not good. Weaver is fantastic, though he comes up short versus better teams (his ERA versus Yankees, Rangers, Rays & Tigers is in the mid-4.00′s), but beyond that they have a lot of hopes & dreams. Wilson is a stat compiler who owns an abysmal playoff record and has even worse numbers than Weaver versus the cream-of-the-crop. Blanton & Vargas are cast-offs. Bottom line, this team’s pitching just isn’t good enough.
1. Texas 2. Anaheim (I refuse to call them anything else) 3. Oakland 4. Seattle 5. Houston
AL Wild Card Numero Uno: Rays
AL Wild Card Numero Dos: Angels
AL Champion: It’s a crapshoot but I’ll say Yankees over Rays. It’s all about the pitching and these teams have the deepest staffs from their ace to the closer.
NL East: The Nationals have tons of pitching and just enough offense to get it done. The Braves will keep them honest, but their outfield is so over-rated it hurts. You have a young group full of potential but also full of questions about attitude, work ethic and mental fortitude. Side note: B.J. Upton has his first full blown “idiot” moment by Memorial Day.
1. Washington 2. Atlanta 3. Philadelphia 4. New York 5. Miami
NL Central: It’s hard to bet against the Reds. They have decent pitching, Chapman is a monster as a closer and they can put up runs in bunches. Cardinals will, as always, be in the mix but I don’t think they can hang over a full season.
1. Cincinnati 2. St. Louis 3. Milwaukee 4. Pittsburgh 5. Chicago
NL West: The Dodgers have spent a ton of money but I think they have done little more than line themselves up for a metric truckload of ridicule when it is all said and done. Crawford, League, Eithier, Beckett & even Adrian Gonzalez are all grossly overpaid. Kemp needs to show he is A. healthy and B. the monster of a player he has only been for about one & a half seasons.
1. San Francisco 2. Los Angeles 3. Arizona 4. San Diego 5. Colorado
NL Wild Card Numero Uno: Atlanta
NL Wild Card Numero Dos: St. Louis
NL Champion: Washington over San Francisco in a close NLCS.
World Series: Yankees over the Nationals in a pitching fan’s paradise.
Cody Ross strikes out. Sorta.
This screen cap came from @Detroit4Lyfe, and it’s pretty good unless you happen to be a Red Sox fan. It’s Fernando Rodney‘s pitches to Cody Ross, who struck out looking on a 2-2 pitch to end the Sox-Rays game.
Though, really, it’s kinda hard to blame him for not swinging at these:
Eric Gregg looked down from umpire heaven, saw that and said “damn.”
And in case you think that maybe the Red Sox TV thing just had it wrong, here’s the plotting of it from Brooks Baseball:
Source: Hardball Talk
Rays Luke Scott on Fenway ‘It’s a dump’
Think Orioles fans were happy to see this douche bag Luke Scott go?
By: Jerry Spar
“As a baseball player, going there to work, it’s a dump,” Scott told MLB.com.
Added Scott:
“I mean, it’s old. It does have a great feel and nostalgia, but at the end of the day, I’d rather be at a good facility where I can get my work in. A place where I can go hit in the cage. Where I have space and it’s a little more comfortable to come to work.
“You’re packed in like sardines there. It’s hard to get your work in. … You have to go to their weight room if you want to lift. From a fan’s perspective, it’s probably pretty cool to go se a game at a historic park. But from a player’s point of view, it’s not a place where you want to go to work.”
Scott, the former Oriole who recently criticized Red Sox fans for their behavior at games in Baltimore, did offer a compliment to the Fenway Faithful, saying he expects the home team will receiver a wam welcome despite the 1-5 start.
“The Red Sox fans will be out there to support their team,” Scott said. “They support their team through thick and thin. They have a good fan base, and they come out and support them.”
As for Josh Beckett, scheduled to start Friday’s home opener after an offseason of discontent, Scott said he doesn’t expect many boos.
“Josh Beckett’s done a great job for that organization, won a lot of big games for them. I think that wouldn’t be right. That’s just my opinion. [I'm] curious to see what happens.”
Scott is no stranger to controversy, stating two years ago that President Barack Obama does not represent America and being accused of racism for throwing banana chips at a Dominican teammate to discourage him from acting like what Scott referred to as an “animal” and a “savage.”
