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Baseballer.com is Back

February 25th 2010 18:33

Well let me start by saying we are beginning a new season after taking half the season off last year. Went through a bit of a transition again as I move around the country, but now I'm going to start to focus on this blog in 2010.

This is going to be a bit different this season as most of the focus will be on the Cincinnati Reds. There will be news, game recaps, and some opinion with a little twist on my take on the season. I will also touch on news around the league so don't think it's going to be Reds baseball all the time, but will be for the majority of the time.

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Phillies Lead NL Voting and Suspended Manny Still in Hunt

June 1st 2009 21:29

When Phillies manager Charlie Manual fills out his lineup card for the All-Star Game on July 14 he is going to be writing some familiar names in the batting order. Second baseman Chase Utley is leading Dodgers' Orlando Hudson by 625,000 votes so is close to clinching the starting spot. Jimmy Rollins has gained ground after moving into second place in the shortstop voting behind Marlins' Hanley Ramirez. He is less than 20,000 votes from taking the lead, and newcomer to the Phillies' Raul Ibanez leaped from sixth to second in the outfield voting. He is batting .332 with 17 homers and 46 RBIs.

The NL-East leading Phillies might dominate the National League roster, but the story is the emergence of suspended Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez in the voting. Ramirez has been suspended 50 games for violating the league's drug abuse policy and isn't expected to return until July 3 but is fifth among outfielders, trailing Cubs' Alfonso Soriano by just over 200,000 for the final starting spot. Commissioner Bud Selig will have to make a decision if Ramirez gets voted onto the All-Star roster. Selig should implement a rule that states if a player misses a significant amount of time (possibly more than 40 games) then the player is not eligible to participate in the mid-summer classic. This event is suppose to reward players who had a good first half and not players that missed the majority of the season.

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AL outduels NL, but not on east coast

May 23rd 2009 16:01

Interleague play started last night in dramatic fashion and the American League prevailed over the National League, winning eight of the 14 games. The most exciting game in the state of Texas where Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz hit a go-ahead home run in the 10th inning to defeat the Astros 6-5. Cruz was the hero of the night, but the player of the game went to Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus. The rookie had three hits, including his third home run, and made two outstanding defensive plays late in the game. The win for Texas snapped a three-game losing streak.

The American League finished the night with a better record, but the top teams in the AL East were dominated by the leaders in the NL East. The Phillies came into Yankee Stadium and defeated the Yankees, 7-3, to snap the Yankees nine-game winning streak. The Phillies took advantage of playing in the shoebox of the new Yankee Stadium, hitting four home runs that contributed to six of the seven runs scored. Jimmy Rollins actually opened the game with a lead-off home run. Every run the Yankees scored also came on home runs as Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez each hit solo long shots.

Blue Jays pitcher Roy Halladay threw seven scoreless innings, but failed to receive any run suppprt as Toronto was defeated, 1-0, against the Braves. Braves pitcher Kenshin Kawakami outdueled one of the top pitchers in the game, allowing just three hits in eight innings. Mike Gonzalez replaced Kawakami in the ninth to record his seventh save of the season.

Also the Mets went into Fenway Park on a four-game losing streak. and defeated the red-hot Red Sox, 5-3, behind Johan Santana. He held one of the top offenses to three runs, two earned, in seven innings pitched. The Mets' bullpen has the lowest ERA in the National League and continued to improve that statistic as Bobby Parnell and Francisco Rodriguez didn't allow a hit in the final two innings.

The NL East had the upperhand to start the series, but we shall see how it progresses for the next two days. On Saturday, Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte (4-1, 4.18 ERA) faces the Phillies and Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett (4-2, 5.85 ERA) starts against the Mets so the Yankees and Red Sox look to even the series'.

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Peavy turns down Trade

May 22nd 2009 16:14

Thursday afternoon it was reported Padres pitcher Jake Peavy was traded to the White Sox for Aaron Poreda, Clayton Richard, and two other players. However, the deal needed to be approved by Peavy but he blocked the trade with his no-trade clause.

Peavy and his agent have repeatedly said they wanted to stay in the National League and would most likely approve the deal if he was able stay out of the American League. Eveybody is in need of pitching so it's difficult to pinpoint where Peavy will be headed. According to Peter Gammons, teams don't have the resources to acquire Peavy. The Braves have enough pitching and Cardinals aren't a good fit. Most likely the Padres will not trade Peavy within the division so don't expect the Didgers to be in the mix. That leaves the Cubs and possibly the Brewers competing for Peavy

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A Very Bazaar Weekend in Baseball

May 20th 2009 13:52

Did you ever go away for a few days and not pay as close attention to baseball as you would while you were home, and then when you got home you realized how much you missed by not keeping up with the game. Well that happened to me this past weekend.

In a three-day span we had Angels pitcher John Lackey return from the disabled list and get ejected after throwing just two pitches. Then the Rays incorrectly filled out the lineup card and had Evan Longoria and Willie Aybar playing third base so therefore they lost the designated hitter and Andy Sonnanstine was inserted into the third spot in the lineup, replacing Longoria. When you thought things couldn't get more bazaar, on Monday night the Mets took the lead against the Dodgers in the 12th inning, but Ryan Church missed the third base bag and was called out after the Dodgers appealed. The Dodgers eventually won the game in the bottom of the inning

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Dontrelle Willis is Back

May 20th 2009 02:04

Tigers pitcher and former Rookie of the Year Dontrelle Willis returned to form tonight after struggling the last few seasons. He allowed one hit in six-plus innings and shutdown the Rangers, 4-0. Texas was on a seven-game win streak and a top offense in the league. If it wasn't for Michael Young's double in the first inning the Tigers would have combined for a no-hitter.

In his previous start this season, Willis allowed four runs in four-plus innings against the Twins on May 13 after returning from the disabled list. This was his best start since 2007. Could Willis be back or was this start just a fluke?

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Clemens is back in Spotlight

May 12th 2009 21:21

Roger Clemens broke his silence today on ESPN's "Mike & Mike In The Morning", but he continued to deny drug use. This comes on the same day the book "American Icon: The Fall of Roger Clemens and the Rise of Steroids in America's Pastime" was released. The book, written by four New York Daily News reporters, recaps previous reports in the newspaper about Clemens' alleged drug use. In his interview this morning, Clemens again denied Brian McNamee injected him with performance-enhancing drugs.

Clemens is under investigation by a federal grand jury to determine whether he lied to the congressional committee that he did not use performance-enhancing drugs. Clemens said he has not been summoned to testify before the grand jury

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Manny being Manny

May 7th 2009 19:08

What was Manny Ramirez thinking? It's public knowledge on which substances are legal and which ones are inot so how can Manny get suspended for 50 games? He should have checked the list before taking the medication from his physician if this statement is true that he received the medication for a personal health issue. Ramirez doesn't have a build for somebody that has taken steroids. This is surprising to see his name on this list. Now this is going to hurt the Dodgers and baseball.

Ramirez has been an important factor in the Dodgers having the best record in baseball. Ramirez is batting .348 with six home runs and 20 RBIs. He is among the leaders in slugging and on-base percentages. The Dodgers are 20th in the league with 24 home runs so most of their power in the lineup is from Ramirez. This is also going to hurt marketing for the Dodgers as they have a sign "MannyWorld" in the left-field box seats. He is the face of the franchise, and has taken Los Angeles by storm ever since he acquired last July, so I don't know what they are going to do now

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Zack Greinke Exposed

May 4th 2009 20:45

The quiet and shy Royals pitcher Zack Greinke can’t hide anymore after having his picture on the cover of Sports Illustrated last week. Publicity has found the 25-year-old pitcher.

Greinke became the first Royals player since David Cone in 1993 to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Cone was on the cover previewing the baseball season. The last Royals’ player to make an in-season cover was Bo Jackson in 1989

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Ollie Must Go

May 4th 2009 13:06

It is time for Mets pitcher Oliver Perez to accept an assignment to Triple-A to gain his confidence back and fix his mechanics. Saturday he was removed in the third inning after allowing six walks, including a walk to opposing pitcher Jamie Moyer with the bases-loaded. This was his shortest outing this season, but he has only pitched through the fifth inning once this season.

This isn’t a surprise to the Mets. Perez has been known to be irratic at times throughout his career, but the Mets knew this. It wasn’t like they signed him with the intention of changing him. It seemed like he was becoming more consistant the last few years, but now he has taken a major step back. The Mets are stuck with his four-year contract that he signed this past offseason. There is no way the Mets can send him back out there in five days. Look for his next start to be in Buffalo for the Triple-A team

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February 2010

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