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New York Mets @ Chicago Cubs
S. Trachsel (8-4, 4.67) vs. G. Maddux (7-9, 4.89)
The Mets will look to build upon their first-half success and continue to run away with the N.L. East. However, the expected return of ace pitcher, Pedro Martinez, has been delayed further. The Cubs just want to win games, as well as Greg Maddux, who may be traded before the July 31 trade deadline to a contender.
Washington Nationals @ Pittsburgh Pirates
R. Ortiz (6-7, 4.85) vs. Z. Duke (5-8, 5.17)
Kudos to the Nationals General Manager Jim Bowden. I don’t know how you did it, but you were able to steal away Austin Kearns, Felipe Lopez, and Ryan Wagner for a few bullpen arms, a prospect, and Royce Clayton. I’m betting the devil can’t wait to have your soul.
Colorado Rockies @ Cincinnati Reds
J. Jennings (6-6, 3.67) vs. A. Harang (9-6, 3.70)
Aaron Harang is one of the most underrated pitchers in the game, and he’s getting it done pitching half his games at a cigar box of a home stadium. Let’s see if he can shut down a very good young Rockies offense. To be honest with you, I think this series is just going to be a slugfest.
Click to continue reading Dealing To The Dish: National League 7.14.06
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We’re back with a full set of games in both leagues, so let the second half begin!
Chicago White Sox @ New York Yankees
J. Contreras (9-0, 3.38) vs. R. Johnson (10-7, 5.13)
Jose Contreras has won 17 straight decisions and will try to make it 18 against his former team, the New York Bankees. Needless to say, Contreras will be “up” for this game. He goes up against an inconsistent Randy Johnson who the Yankees will need to start a 17-game win streak himself in order for the Yankees to go deep into the playoffs.
Kansas City Royals @ Detroit Tigers
M. Redman (6-4, 5.27) vs. K. Rogers (11-3, 3.85)
It’s an All-Star vs. All-Star matchup tonight, but you better believe that Kenny Rogers and the Tigers will win tonight. In case, you haven’t heard or if you still don’t believe, the Tigers are for real in 2006, my friends.
Oakland Athletics @ Boston Red Sox
B. Zito (8-6, 3.29) vs. J. Beckett (11-4, 4.75)
As some of you may know, I’m a huge Athletics fan (see my comments creaming over Blanton, Haren, and Harden in previous posts) and was ecstatic the A’s took last night’s extra-innings game against the Red Sox. Last night’s win is exactly the way this A’s team can get it going in the second half, per usual, as they came back after being down 3-1 until the 7th inning. Tonight’s pitching matchup sees two excellent youngsters with different styles. Barry Zito can bring the heat, but it’s his curveball that separates him from other pitchers. Josh Beckett is all about the heat and he does it effectively. If he ever mastered an off-speed pitch, he’d be even more effective and straight up devastating.
Click to continue reading Dealing To The Dish: American League 7.14.06
Ay, carumba. What spell is it that the American League holds over the National League? The N.L. can’t beat the A.L. in interleague play and they couldn’t stop the bleeding in this year’s All-Star game. I think it might be destiny that the A.L. team in the World Series will win the whole shebang. I’d recommend that the N.L. get a new mascot - a voodoo witchcraft doctor - in order to break free from the reigns of the A.L.
Houston Astros @ Florida Marlins
R. Oswalt (6-6, 3.15) vs. D. Willis (6-7, 3.94)
Here is the pitching matchup of the night and a pretty good one for the season. Roy Oswalt probably won’t win 20 games again this season, but the guy is a gamer and is still one of the top pitchers in the game. Dontrelle Willis started off slow, but has been rolling as of late. And speaking of gamers, is there anyone more game than Willis? It’d be a shame if Willis gets traded because he could anchor that Marlins pitching staff for years and succeed. The Marlins are on the come up and will be making noise in a year or two. In the meantime, enjoy Willis dealing for the Marlins.
Colorado Rockies @ Cincinnati Reds
J. Francis (6-7, 4.05) vs. E. Milton (5-4, 5.24)
Is Great American Ballpark the new Coors Field? It seems that way since Coors Field isn’t as much of an offensive juggernaut factor this season. Can the Rockies pitching actually be getting better? Or are the bats just sleeping? Well, the answer is a bit of both. Jeff Francis pitches better at home than on the road, an oddity for a Rockies pitcher, and will face one of the better offenses in the majors. I expect he’d get lit, but so will Eric Milton. It’ll be a matter of who gets lit less.
Los Angeles Dodgers @ St. Louis Cardinals
C. Billingsley (0-2, 5.27) vs. J. Marquis (11-6, 5.55)
Jason Marquis is a prime example of how you can’t predict wins. He’s tied with the New York Mets’ Tom Glavine in wins for the lead in the National League, but has a horrendous 5.55 ERA! Marquis is one lucky pitcher to have that much run support. Chad Billingsley, the Dodgers’ uber-prospect is still finding his way in the league, but that’s to be expected considering he just started growing peach fuzz on his face.
And… we’re back! It was a nice All-Star break, okay, maybe not for the National League who are now 0-9-1 in the past ten All-Star games, but it’s back to pennant races and to see which teams will rise up to the occassion and who can’t take the heat and falters.
Texas Rangers @ Baltimore Orioles
V. Padilla (8-5, 4.44) vs. D. Cabrera (4-6, 5.15)
The Rangers did a total rehaul of their pitching staff for this season with Vincente Padilla being a prime acquisition, along with Kevin Millwood and the still-injured, but coming to an A.L. ballpark near you, Adam Eaton. While Padilla did show flashes with the Philadelphia Phillies, he now finds himself doing well with the Rangers. It’s safe to say that Padilla has more than met expectations. On the other hand, with pitching coach Leo Mazzone coming over from the Atlanta Braves, many thought that Daniel Cabrera would go bonkers. The strikeouts are still coming in bunches, but unfortunately, so have the walks. If Cabrera could just reign in the walks, we have a superstar in the making. Right now, all we have is fizzling.
Oakland Athletics @ Boston Red Sox
E. Loaiza (3-5, 6.43 vs. J. Lester (4-0, 3.06)
The Athletics are tied for first in the A.L. West with the Texas Rangers and it’s about that time for another Athletics post-break run. However, they start the second half of the season against a strong A.L. East leading Red Sox team. On the hill for the A’s will be the veteran Esteban Loaiza, who’s been a disappointing free agent pick-up thus far. Jon Lester, on the other hand, has been very solid since being called up from the minors earlier in the season to pick up the slack for the injured David Wells.
Kansas City Royals @ Detroit Tigers
B. Duckworth (1-1, 5.33 vs. J. Bonderman (8-4, 3.46)
Last place versus first place in first place’s ballpark. Good luck, Royals. Brandon Duckworth was once a promising pitcher in the Phillies organization, but just couldn’t put it together. So, he ends up with the Royals, a team that just can’t put it together. Perfect fit. Jeremy Bonderman is a pitcher on the rise, especially if he can stay strong in the second half and not falter like he did last season.
Cleveland Indians @ Minnesota Twins
C. Lee (8-6, 4.76) vs. F. Liriano (10-1, 1.83)
Francisco Liriano is an impressive pitcher. All things considered, he’s arguably better than teammate Johan Santana thus far this season. And Santana is widely regarded as the best in the business. I don’t really know what else to say about Liriano other than the boy is just sick! I’m sure the Indians are disappointed with their season thus far, but they did go on a hot streak at this time last year and can do it again. The Indians have a few mashers in their batting order, so this will be a good test for Liriano.
Ah, breath it in. It’s time for the Midsummer Classic when the National League and American League’s “best” players meet up for their annual contest to theoretically see which is the better league. For the past nine contests, the A.L. has flexed their muscle and shown that they are better than their senior circuit brethren.
Oh, wait, I forgot about that debacle of an All-Star game in 2002 when the A.L. and N.L. played to a 7-7 tie, going 11 innnings. How embarassing was that for baseball. BUT, we’re not here to dwell on the past and certainly the N.L. doesn’t want to, last winning the All-Star game in 1996, 6-0 with Mike Piazza (then with the Los Angeles Dodgers) taking home the MVP hardware.
So, how does tonight’s matchup look? Here’s the batting order and since the game is taking place in Pittsburgh’s beautiful and basically new, PNC Park, there is no designated hitter (and unfortunately, no deserving Travis Hafner!) and pitchers will bat:
American League
Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners
Derek Jeter, Yankees, SS
David Ortiz, Red Sox, 1B
Alex Rodriguez, Yankees, 3B
Vladimir Guerrero, Angels, LF
Ivan Rodriguez, Tigers, C
Vernon Wells, Blue Jays, CF
Mark Loretta, Red Sox, 2B
Kenny Rogers, Tigers, P
National League
Alfonso Soriano, Nationals, LF
Carlos Beltran, Mets, CF
Albert Pujols, Cardinals, 1B
Jason Bay, Pirates, RF
Edgar Renteria, Braves, SS
David Wright, Mets, 3B
Chase Utley, Phillies, 2B
Paul Lo Duca, Mets, C
Brad Penny, Dodgers, P
My prediction? The American League continues its dominance over the National League, beating the senior circuit 5-3 with David Ortiz taking the MVP going 2-2 with two dingers and four RBI. Now if only Pronk could have played, I’m sure he would have hit a grand slam to take the MVP award… I mean, the guy does have five already in half a season! Sorry, no more Hafner propaganda.
Enjoy the game! (Pronk, you were robbed!)
Read More 
| Yahoo Sports MLB
The mighty homerun. Nothing leaves a fan, and even players, more in awe than a ball hit hard and far. And to provide some entertainment during the All-Star festivities, MLB brings us the Home Run Derby. This year’s participants are a good mixture of a former Derby Champ and MVP (Miguel Tejada), a Derby runner-up (Lance Berkman), World Series MVPs (Troy Glaus and Jermaine Dye), the current major league leader in dingers (David Ortiz), and the next generation of superstars (Miguel Cabrera, David Wright, and Ryan Howard).
There three rounds to determine the winner with the top four scores of the first round advancing to the second round, the top two scores in the second round advancing to the championship to claim the title of “Mr. Crush-A-Lot.” Each hitter will have ten outs in each round with an out being either a swing and a miss or anything that doesn’t leave the yard in fair territory.
Here are the participants and their power numbers - homeruns and slugging percentage:
Lance Berkman - 24 HR; .607 SLG
Miguel Cabrera - 15 HR; .566 SLG
Jermaine Dye - 25 HR; .646 SLG
Troy Glaus - 23 HR; .518 SLG
Ryan Howard - 28 HR; .582 SLG
David Ortiz - 31 HR; .609 SLG
Miguel Tejada - 17 HR; .510 SLG
David Wright - 20 HR; .575 SLG
Who do I think is going to take the Derby? You’re looking at his picture. If Howard does win, hopefully it doesn’t drain all of his power in the second half as it did last year when teammate Bobby Abreu won the contest, but was never the same power-wise afterwards, hitting only six homeruns after the All-Star break. Before the break last year, he had 18 dingers. How many does Abreu have thus far in this first half of 2006? A pedestrian eight homers.
Hopefully the Curse of the HR Derby only lasts one year for whomever wins.
Fantasy Baseball First-Half-Bests: National League
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Editorial, Fantasy, MLB,
BEST FANTASY HITTER: Alfonso Soriano, 2B/OF, Washington Nationals
.272 BA, 27 HR, 56 RBI, 63 R, 20 SB, .887 OPS
I’m a huge Albert Pujols fan and it pains me to choose someone other than Pujols, but you can’t deny the value that Soriano has as a 2B. Unless Soriano gets traded to another team and plays second again, this will be his last season to qualify as a 2B, so let’s all bow down and praise him. Of course, if Pujols didn’t get hurt, he probably would have better numbers and this Best Hitter designation… sorry, just had to make an argument for my main man.
Others considered: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals; Jose Reyes, SS, New York Mets; Carlos Beltran, New York Mets
BEST FANTASY PITCHER: Chris Capuano, SP, Milwaukee Brewers
129.0 IP, 10 W, 3.21 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 112 K
What? Who? Sure Capuano isn’t really a “top” name, but he’s getting results like one. If you were like me and thought that Capuano’s 2005 season, especially the wins total, were fluky, you and I were wrong to doubt Capuano and his abilities. If anything, he’s just gotten better from last season.
Others considered: Brandon Webb, Arizona Diamondbacks; Bronson Arroyo, Cincinnati Reds; Carlos Zambrano, Chicago Cubs
BEST FANTASY ROOKIE: Dan Uggla, 2B, Florida Marlins
.307 BA; 13 HR; 51 RBI; 57 R; 5 SB; .875 OPS
Dan Uggla. Dan Uggla? Yes, Dan Uggla. Uggla came out of nowhere (just like the rest of the young Marlins) to actually be considered as one of the best players at his position… as a rookie. Uggla is on pace for the following numbers - .300/25/100/110/10. By far, he is the best waiver wire pick-up of the season.
Others considered: Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins; Josh Johnson, Florida Marlins; Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals; Takashi Saito, Los Angeles Dodgers
Click to continue reading Fantasy Baseball First-Half-Bests: National League
Fantasy Baseball First-Half-Bests: American League
Posted by Tom Massimo Categories: Editorial, Fantasy, MLB,
BEST FANTASY HITTER: Carl Crawford, OF, Tampa Bay Devil Rays
.319 BA, 13 HR, 46 RBI, 55 R, 32 SB, .880 OPS
Is he the best hitter in the American League? Certainly not, pitchers fear David Ortiz much more. But for fantasy production, nobody puts up points in all five categories like Crawford.
Others considered: David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox; Alex Rodriquez, New York Yankees; Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners; Grady Sizemore, Cleveland Indians
BEST FANTASY PITCHER: Johan Santana, SP, Minnesota Twins
131 IP, 9 W, 2.95 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 138 K
He is as close as you can get to a five category pitcher. Too bad they can’t bring him in on off-days to close games.
Others considered: Jon Papelbon, Boston Red Sox; B.J. Ryan, Toronto Blue Jays; Bobby Jenks, Chicago White Sox; Francisco Liriano, Minnesota Twins
BEST FANTASY ROOKIE: Francisco Liriano, SP/RP, Minnesota Twins
88 IP, 10 W, 1.83 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 102 K
Tough call with Jon Papelbon converting 26 of 29 saves opportunities, while sporting a microscopic 0.59 ERA. But Liriano’s complete dominance is too hard to ignore.
Others considered: Jon Papelbon, Boston Red Sox; Kenji Johjima, Seattle Mariners; Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers; Jered Weaver, Los Angeles Angels
Click to continue reading Fantasy Baseball First-Half-Bests: American League
Final MLB All-Stars: A.J. Pierzynski and Nomar Garciaparra
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Kudos, MLB, News,
Yet another White Sox player makes the American League All-Star squad! Catcher A.J. Pierzynski joins teammates Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye, Jose Contreras, Bobby Jenks, and Mark Buerhle. Pierzynski can thank his spot to the Final Vote option that fans could choose, online, the player that deserved a spot in the Midseason Classic that wasn’t chosen before. For the National League, 1B Nomar Garciaparra, usually a mainstay as an All-Star during his Boston Red Sox days, get’s the fans’ vote to represent the Los Angeles Dodgers in the “game that counts.”
Read More | Yahoo Sports - MLB
Pittsburgh Pirates @ Philadelphia Phillies
I. Snell (7-6, 5.00) vs. J. Lieber (3-5, 5.79)
The Battle for Pennsylvania! Okay, maybe it’s not all that dramatic and besides you need the Amish as part of the battle for PA. At this point with both teams slumping or just playing beneath their talent level, the Amish might lose to the Amish.
San Diego Padres @ Washington Nationals
W. Williams (3-1, 3.04) vs. R. Ortiz (6-6, 4.90)
These are two of the most boring teams in the league, possessing only one player that makes you stand up out of your seat with your mouth agape and that’s Jake Peavy (Padres) and Alfonso Soriano (Nats). If the Nats were in the N.L. West this would be more interesting as every team in the division has a shot to finish in first place… except the Diamondbacks who, lately, look like they don’t want anything to do with the N.L. West crown. In any case, this is a boring series with no substantial ramifications.
Florida Marlins @ New York Mets
D. Willis (5-7, 3.96) vs. J. Lima (0-3, 8.79)
Joe Girardi, Manager of the Year. Don’t laugh because not only are the Marlins doing well lately, but they’re young, improving, and on the cusp of contending for a Wild Card spot despite their youth and inexperience. However, they will be facing the N.L. East leading New York Mets and will probably have the door slammed on them. If the Marlins can take the series or even split it, as they are on the road, it can go a long way in how the Marlins play for the rest of the season.
Click to continue reading Dealing To The Dish: National League 7.7.06
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