More Home Runs as Yankees Beat the Twins 4-3

post from Bronx Baseball Daily on 04 April 2011 11:31:37 PM. © Bronx Baseball Daily

[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://bronxbaseballdaily.com/?p=13824

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!

Morton pitches Pirates to third road win (AP)

post from MLB News Blog on 04 April 2011 11:29:37 PM. © MLB News Blog

Charlie Morton won his first road game since the end of 2009 in a 47-degree chill and the Pittsburgh Pirates stunned Kyle Lohse with a four-run sixth inning in a 4-3 victory Monday night. In a span of four pitches, Lohse (0-1) issued his first walk all year, then allowed Neil Walker’s two-run double and [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2011/04/05/morton-pitches-pirates-to-third-road-win-ap
/

Digg this

Cruz homers again, Rangers stay unbeaten (AP)

post from MLB News Blog on 04 April 2011 11:20:45 PM. © MLB News Blog

Nelson Cruz became the third player in major league history to homer in the first four games of a season, Derek Holland pitched six effective innings and the Texas Rangers remained one of four unbeaten teams with a 6-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Monday night. Texas (4-0) is off to its best start [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2011/04/05/cruz-homers-again-rangers-stay-unbeaten-ap/

Digg this

Visitor on an Important Day - Barry Enright f/x

post from Cubs f/x on 04 April 2011 11:01:54 PM. © Cubs f/x

Cubs will get a shot at getting above .500 and clinching a series win on Tuesday. The weather is[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Cubsfx/~3/hv9ugMMl_L4/visitor-on-important-day-bar
ry-enright.html

Digg this

Kansas City Royals News Roundup: A Happy Weekend,
Contraction Talk, Susan Sontag

post from Royals Review on 04 April 2011 11:01:53 PM. © Royals Review

Royals:

Rany on the Royals: Not A Prediction.

Live In the Moment - Royals Authority

Storm Chasers win Futures Game against the Naturals ~ Omaha Baseball 360

AL Central In Focus: Royals Rookie Relievers On A Roll

Baseball:

Grab Bag:

Read The Full Article:
http://www.royalsreview.com/2011/4/4/2091377/kansas-city-royals-news-roundup-a-ha
ppy-weekend-contraction-talk

Digg this

Baker's Base Runners

post from Nick's Twins Blog on 04 April 2011 11:01:53 PM. © Nick's Twins Blog

The Twins lost 4-3 in New York tonight, with all four of the Yankees' runs coming on homers against Scott Baker. I know a lot of fans are upset about the bombs, which came on grooved pitches to Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada, but those weren't the real issue for the Twins' starter. Heck, two is about where we should set the over/under for homers allowed by an opposing starter at Yankee Stadium.

No, the mistakes I would point to would be the runners Baker put on base beforehand. He preceded Rodriguez's home run by plunking Mark Teixeira with an 0-2 pitch, and preceded Posada's shot by issuing a lead-off walk to Nick Swisher in the next inning. It's those sorts of lapses -- and not the home runs -- that will determine Baker's fate this season.

By now, we've come to accept Baker for what he is: a fly ball pitcher through-and-through who gives up home runs. It's always been the case, and while it would be nice if he could reinvent himself as someone who isn't so susceptible to the long ball that's not very likely.

Baker can succeed in spite of this flaw. The key is limiting base runners so the damage from those homers is minimized. In 2008, the righty posted a 3.48 ERA despite allowing 20 home runs over 172 innings. We can largely attribute the positive results to his outstanding 1.18 WHIP. Last year, Baker posted a 1.34 WHIP -- the worst full-season mark of his career. It only follows that he also posted his worst full-season ERA (while allowing homers at the exact same rate he's allowed them throughout his career).

The home runs weren't what sunk the Twins tonight. If Baker doesn't give first base to Teixeira and Swisher, he leaves the game with a 3-2 lead.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.nickstwinsblog.com/2011/04/bakers-base-runners.html

Digg this

How Confident Are You In the Florida Marlins

post from Fish Stripes on 04 April 2011 11:01:49 PM. © Fish Stripes

I suppose that the day after a loss as sorry as the Marlins/Mets series finale may be the wrong time to ask you how "confident" you're feeling in the Florida Marlins. But we're gluttons for punishment at FishStripes, so here we go.

Now, before you prepare a rant in the comment section regarding how ridiculous it is for our confidence to have taken a hit from three measly games, relax for a second. Of course three days into a 162-game season is not the time to start panicking. (But if you've spent any fair amount of time around the certain South Florida sports fans, you'll know that one series loss is usually all that's necessary to get some folks scrambling for that big red panic button, or demanding a trade of the entire roster, or both. I'm looking in the general direction of about 83% of 790 The Ticket's call-in commenters.)

The latest FishStripes fan confidence poll will close on April 6th, and we're curious to see whether or not the first three games of the 2011 Marlins season have had an effect on that squiggly teal line that represents how fans are feeling about the Fish. Now that we've actually seen the team in regular-season action, has your confidence been boosted, or has it taken a nosedive? Has Matt Dominguez's, Mike Stanton's, Edward Mujica's or Donnie Murphy's injury changed anything in your mind at this point? Did watching our number three starter struggle to get through two innings raise any concern, or just your blood pressure?

After the jump, go ahead and give us your two cents by casting your "vote of confidence" in the Fish. (Sadly, your cents have precisely zero bearing on the Marlins season. But charts are fun and stuff.)

Vote:

Read The Full Article:
http://www.fishstripes.com/2011/4/4/2091166/how-confident-are-you-in-the-florida-
marlins

Digg this

Slow Starts Abound With 1-3 Tigers

First off, the 1-2 start by the Tigers didn’t worry me too much. The Yankees are still an elite team and that lineup is just brutal. I knew we were in trouble when the pen didn’t get the job done after Justin Verlander’s solid start. Throw in one game against a better then usual Orioles [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.tigerblog.net/slow-starts-abound-with-1-3-tigers/

Digg this

Yankees continue home dominance of Twins (AP)

Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada both hit a two-run homer, rookie Ivan Nova kept New York ahead and the Yankees made it another tough visit for Minnesota, beating the Twins 4-3 Monday night. Joba Chamberlain, Rafael Soriano and Mariano Rivera each pitched a scoreless inning to close the Yankees’ 14th victory in their last 15 [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2011/04/05/yankees-continue-home-dominance-of-twins-ap
/

Digg this

New York Yankees: A New Hughes Problem

New York Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes has not looked like the 18-game winning player from 2010, not even for a moment.Hughes did not have a good Spring Training, but to be fair that is what the time is allocated for, guys to get ready for the regular[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ladylovespinstripes/~3/h_zpkVUNpUM/york-yankees-hu
ghes-problem

Digg this