Major League Baseball: 2016 Season

[Dolph Drago]

12-1

That would be the score the Reds got smashed by in Washington. We allowed 6 more dingers to go out of the park today. I don't know how many we've given up total this year, but it is a staggering (and I believe record pace) number. In fact, the Nationals had twice as many home runs today as Reds' hits. Ridiculous.

 

[IforceV8]

Dont look now but the bucco's are not dead yet. The cubbies are going thru their correction and the Bucs are back to .500 at the halfway point of the season and the 2nd half on paper is much easier.
16 games with Mil
11 with Cin
7 with Phi
3 @ Atl
3 vs SD
2 vs Sea

42 of the last 81 vs teams with a combined record of 208-285 .421. This week is critical with 4 in Stl and 3 vs Chi before the All-Star break. 10 games left with Chi with 7 at home, 3 and 3 with Stl after the break. Other tough games include 3/3 with Wash, 3 vs Mia, and a trip to LAD and SF for their only trip past the west side of Stl for the remainder of the season.

 

[JohnBM01]

Happy Independence Day, GTPlanet! Recently wrapped up...

We welcomed the Seattle Mariners for a three-game set. Both teams came in with the same 43-39 record. Only one will improve to 44-39. And that team was the Houston Astros. We won 2-1. Lance McCullers was the Winner for HOU and getting the Save was HOU's Will Harris. Former Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Wade Miley was the loser for SEA.


Congratulations to all other winners on this Independence Day Monday. According to a commercial, MLB Network is going to show a game between the Cubs at Pirates this Friday night. And check this out- Bob Costas and Mike "Doc" Emrick will be on the call. So if you're a hockey fan, you know what you're getting when Doc calls a game. Doc is a big Pittsburgh Pirates fan. So this is something you may want to check out on Friday night.

 

[JohnBM01]

I GOT to give a shout out to the New York Mets on their 8-6 win hosting the Miami Marlins. The Kings of Queens defended their throne nicely rallying from 6-3 down. It was an awesome win after the New York Mets swept the Cubs over the weekend. Jerry Blevins was the winner for NYM and gets a Save from Jeurys Familia. It was Fernando Rodney who was MIA's losing pitcher.

But again- just wanted to show some love for the Mets on their win today.

 

[JohnBM01]

Right now, two LONG standing teams are battling in Chicago as the Cincinnati Reds are at the Chicago Cubs. Up 5-0 in the Top of the 3rd, the Cubbies banged a solo homer to get on the board. That then became back-to-back jacks to cut the spread to 5-3. After that, the Reds deliver a four-pitch Walk which then lead to a two-run bomb by the Cubs now has this game at its current score of 5-4 at the end of the 3rd Inning as of this post. Man... the Reds can't buy a break.


Well... enjoy your Tuesday of Major League Baseball. Or at least, try to.

 

[IforceV8]

Stupid ass. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...sexual-assault-in-chicago-20160705-story.html

 

[Dolph Drago]

Iglesias came in from the pen and shut the Cubbies down for stellar 3 innings. Votto added an RBI double in the 7th, and Bruce hit 2-run an oppo homer in the 9th to extend the lead to 9-5 in the 9th. Cingrani finished them off with a scoreless final frame. Cozart hit a long ball for the second game in a row. He had been slumping since his hot start to the season. Hamilton collected 3 hits and stole 3 bases. I'll tell you, when he gets on, he's exciting to watch and a huge distraction to the pitchers. After a few years of subpar play, I really hope the success he's found this year is legit and continues into the future.

 

[JohnBM01]

The Houston Astros Baseball Club picked up another win. This time, 5-2 hosting Seattle. Mr. Dallas Keuchel picked up the win for HOU and gets a Save from Will Harris. It was Taijuan Walker who took the loss for SEA.


Congratulations to Tuesday's other winners. I COMPLETELY forgot today was the announcing of the 2016 All-Stars! So allow me to salute the All-Stars. You can read this article for more info on this year's All-Star cast: http://m.mlb.com/news/article/188071682/2016-mlb-all-star-game-rosters-announced/

 

[AnthonyD1993]

I knew not watching the Tigers would be a good. Just like I figured- they sucked against Cleveland like they have all season.

 

[JohnBM01]

You Detroit Tigers finally figured out the 2016 Cleveland Indians, huh? With authority and absolution, too- a 12-2 flattening of the Cleveland Indians. Congratulations to the Tigers on finally taking down Cleveland.

I'm pleased my Astros will send José Altuve and Will Harris to the MLB All-Star Game. George Springer is still eligible. The Final Voting ends this Friday. So get your favorite player(s) to the All-Star Game if they can still go!

 

[Blitz24]

Mets win again as Jose Reyes gets his first hit back on the Mets and Familia records his 30th save of the year.

 

[AnthonyD1993]

The Tigers blowing out the Indians is akin to hell freezing over.

 

[Dolph Drago]

Zach Cozart hit a home run for the 3rd straight game, and Tucker Barnhart added a 3 run bomb himself to help the Reds knock off the Cubbies up in Wrigley today. DeSclafani pitched 6 innings of 3 run ball, and the bullpen somehow closed it out without giving up a run for the second consecutive day. It's nice to beat good teams. Of course, with each win, we're just helping the Cardinals inevitably catch back up to take the division by the time the season is over.

 

[JohnBM01]

The series finale tonight between Seattle Mariners at the Houston Astros became an offensive shootout. Defense was overrated as the game ended 9-8 in favor of the Houston Astros. So we end up sweeping the Seattle Mariners here in H-Town in this three game set. Ken Giles picked up the win and gets a Save from Luke Gregerson (who usually is the Save man for us). Not so fortunate was Edwin Diaz of SEA, taking the loss. We are now 46-39 on the season after this win.

Up next for the Houston Astros... we're hosting the Oakland Athletics starting tomorrow night for a four-game series. It is our final series before the All-Star Break.


Congratulations to all other winners from Wednesday, including the Cincinnati Reds knocking down back-to-back wins.

 

[JohnBM01]

The 46-39 Houston Astros completed their 85th game of 162 tonight hosting the Oakland Athletics. Unfortunately, we failed 3-1 tonight here in Houston. So make that our 40th loss of the season. OAK's winner was Rich Hill along with a Save from Ryan Madson. Doug Fister was HOU's loser. The two teams tangle again Friday night for Game 2 of this 4-game set.


Congratulations to all other winners from Thursday, including the New York Mets winning a home run slugfest at home over Washington.

 

[JohnBM01]

Right now on MLB Network, it is the tandem of Bob Costas and Mike "Doc" Emrick calling the Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates game tonight. It is so fascinating to hear of Doc's love of Pirates baseball apart from being a legendary hockey announcer. This is the first time he's on the call for a Major League Baseball game. I heard he even got some advice from another Hall of Fame announcer- Vin Scully. So this is something you may want to check out, especially if you're a hockey fan and/or a fan of Doc Emrick.

Enjoy the weekend series. Good luck to all of your favorite teams.

 

[IforceV8]

Right now on MLB Network, it is the tandem of Bob Costas and Mike "Doc" Emrick calling the Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates game tonight. It is so fascinating to hear of Doc's love of Pirates baseball apart from being a legendary hockey announcer. This is the first time he's on the call for a Major League Baseball game. I heard he even got some advice from another Hall of Fame announcer- Vin Scully. So this is something you may want to check out, especially if you're a hockey fan and/or a fan of Doc Emrick.

Enjoy the weekend series. Good luck to all of your favorite teams.

This bucco fan who is living in cubbie blue land is blacked out because MLB blackout rules are beyond stupid.

 

[JohnBM01]

Sorry to read that, lforceV8. Mike "Doc" Emrick is actually sort of calling the action since the 4th inning. Not bad in his commentary and in his debut in calling a Major League Baseball game! You know Doc has to provide some witty insight in his commentary, so this is just just Doc being Doc. Vintage Doc.

One note I forgot to mention... I'd be remiss to wish Matt Harvey of the New York Mets well in his surgery and his recovery.

 

[GTPorsche]

This bucco fan who is living in cubbie blue land is blacked out because MLB blackout rules are beyond stupid.

I can't even watch Mets coverage in Nationals land because of it.

 

[IforceV8]

I can't even watch Mets coverage in Nationals land because of it.

That game is my alternate on MLB network tonight.

 

[JohnBM01]

Game 1 of 4 went to Oakland. Tonight was Game 2 of this 4-game set, and this time, the victory went the Astros' way. We won 10-9 here in H-Town against the A's. Yep- 19 runs total by both ball clubs. In the end, it was Michael Feliz picking up the win for HOU. OAK's loser was Ryan Madson. You mad, Madson? The remaining games in this set are afternoon games. So Game 3 of this four-game set is tomorrow afternoon.


Congratulations to Friday's other winners, including the Pittsburgh Pirates doubling up the Chicago Cubs in Pittsburgh. Congratulations also to those who got the Final Votes to go to the All-Star Game.

 

[IforceV8]

On June 19th the Bucs were swept in Chicago and 15 games back. 17 games later they have cut that gap to 7.5 games and if they sweep the Cubs will be only 5.5 games back going into the all-star break.

 

[JohnBM01]

Down 3-0 in the Bottom of the 9th hosting the Oakland Athletics, the Houston Astros decided NOW was the time to score. Unlike last night, however, we failed in the Bottom of the 9th. Our latest loss is a 3-2 defeat at the hands of the Oakland Athletics. It was Kendall Graveman getting the win and a Save from Ryan Dull as part of the OAK winning tandem. Lance McCullers was the HOU loser. So this series will either be a split or a series loss for the Astros.


Congratulations to all other winners from Saturday, including the Detroit Tigers grounding the Toronto Blue Jays, snapping TOR's seven-game winning streak. Yep- Detroit vs. Toronto isn't just a hockey rivalry.

 

[IforceV8]

The NL All-Star teams loses again, say hello to Josh Bell.

 

[JohnBM01]

Our final game before the All-Star Break was played today here in Houston. "Don't worry- we got this." That's probably what the Astros were thinking. And... they were right. We won 2-1 and have a series split of this four-game set. We couldn't settle this one in nine, so this game needed 10 innings to settle the score. It was Will Harris who got the win (No Decision for Dallas Keuchel) for HOU. The Oakland Athletics' losing pitcher was Liam Hendriks.

The Houston Astros Baseball Club finish this stretch of the season at 48-41, 2nd Place in the AL West.


Elsewhere...

One note I wanted to make before I close this post... that was an awesome moment for Josh Bell to hit that Grand Slam in that video (Post #414). That's like a minor league pitcher playing his first Major game and throwing a Perfect Game. Awesomeness by the Pittsburgh Pirates in that game.


Congratulations to Sunday's other winners up to and beyond the time of this post.

 

[IforceV8]

Chalk one up for the all-stars who managed to salvage the final game of the series in Pittsburgh. The Cubs have a 7 game lead over Stl and 7.5 over Pit.

NL wild card race

SFG W 57 33 +9.0
CHC C 53 35 +6.0
WSN E 54 36 +6.0

LAD W 51 40 +2.5
MIA E 47 41 --
NYM E 47 41 --
STL C 46 42 1.0
PIT C 46 43 1.5

AL wild card

TEX W 54 36 +3.5
CLE C 52 36 +2.5
BAL E 51 36 +2.0

BOS E 49 38 --
TOR E 51 40 --
HOU W 48 41 2.0
DET C 46 43 4.0
KCR C 45 43 4.5
CHW C 45 43 4.5
SEA W 45 44 5.0
NYY E 44 44 5.5

 

[JohnBM01]

Home run. Homer. Dinger. Bomb. Jack. Long ball. Going yard. Back, back, back, back, back, back, back, back... GONE!!! Whatever you call them, balls will flying out of San Diego's Petco Park (which is one of my personal favorite ballparks) for the Home Run Derby. Who will win the 2016 Home Run Derby? We'll see tonight (weather pending).

 

[JohnBM01]

Last night's Home Run Derby was won by Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins. He banged over 60 homers in the Home Run Derby.

Tonight is the MLB All-Star Game, the 87th annual All-Star Game. The winning League gets Home Field Advantage in the World Series. It's Chris Sale (CHW) vs. Johnny Cueto (SF) as the pitching duel. Will the American League or National League win the All-Star Game? Or in the words of our Omnis- money (AL) or baseball (NL)? We shall see.


Good luck to both the American League and National League in this latest All-Star Game.

 

[Dolph Drago]

It's Chris Sale (CHW) vs. Johnny Cueto (SF) as the pitching duel.

Oh, how I do wish we had re-signed Cueto instead of Bailey...

 

[JohnBM01]

The American League defeated the National League 4-2 yesterday in the 87th MLB All-Star Game. Corey Kluber was the winner for the American League. Former Cincinnati Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto was the losing pitcher for the NL All-Stars. So the AL will have the home field advantage in the 2016 World Series. That would mean even if the World Series somehow came down to Minnesota vs. Atlanta, the Twins would have the home field advantage.

Do you believe in expansion of Major League Baseball? Well according to something I read on CBS Sports Network, there seemingly won't be any expansion unless the Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland Athletics both get new stadiums. Both play at boring ballparks.

The teams don't go back to work until Friday. So until that time, here is what all of the teams are looking at as every game from here on out is important. Find your favorite team(s) here:


--- AMERICAN LEAGUE ---
AL EAST: Baltimore (51-36), BOS (49-38), TOR (51-40), NYY (44-44), TB (34-54)
AL CENTRAL: Cleveland (52-36), DET (46-43), CHW (45-43), KC (45-43), MIN (32-56)
AL WEST: Texas (54-36), HOU (48-41), SEA (45-44), OAK (38-51), LAA (37-52)

--- NATIONAL LEAGUE ---
NL EAST: Washington (54-36), MIA and NYM (47-41 each), PHI (42-48), ATL (31-58)
NL CENTRAL: Chicago Cubs (53-35), STL (46-42), PIT (46-43), MIL (38-49), CIN (32-57)
NL WEST: San Francisco (57-33), LAD (51-40), COL (40-48), SD (38-51), ARI (38-52)

--- OTHER OBSERVATIONS ---
RECORDS...
...BEST RECORD: San Francisco (57-33; .633 percentage)
...WORST RECORD: Atlanta (31-58; .348 percentage)

HOME AND AWAY...
...BEST HOME: Baltimore (33-14)
...BEST AWAY: San Francisco (28-16)
...WORST HOME: Atlanta (13-34)
...WORST AWAY: Minnesota (13-29)

STREAKS...
...LONGEST WINNING: Boston and San Francisco (4 straight wins each)
...LONGEST LOSING: Tampa Bay (6 straight losses)

CURRENT TEN-GAME STRETCH...
...BEST 10 GAME STRETCH: Toronto, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco (each 8-2 currently)
...WORST 10 GAME STRETCH: Tampa Bay (1-9 currently)


There's still hope for all teams to make the postseason. The leading teams may falter. The floundering teams may make an epic comeback and snatch playoff spots. Those in the middle may either stay there, get better, or get worse. Nobody's been eliminated from the postseason. Keep faith in your team(s)!

So having said all of this, good luck to all of your teams moving forward.