White Sox Will Pick 2nd......

6-1-6......Chicago will get the second pick in the 2011 draft.....congrats Bob!

Nats Snatch First Pick

8-9-8......Rookie Coach Angelo Primo hit the jackpot as the Washington Nationals moved all the way up from the 7th position to grab the 1st pick in the 2011 Draft.  The Nationals are very lucky when it comes to winning the draft lottery - this is the fourth time that the Washington/Montreal franchise has won the first pick in the draft.

We will select the 2nd pick in the draft tomorrow night.......

2011 Draft Lottery Info

We will be conducting our draft lottery on Wednesday, December 11th and Thursday, December 12th.....

The “Pennsylvania Daily Number Evening” lottery (http://www.palottery.state.pa.us/) on subsequent nights (7PM EST) will be used to decide who gets the #1 and #2 picks in the first round only. If the second pick yields the same result as the first night, then a third night’s lottery drawing will be used. The remaining ten teams will draft in reverse order of record. So, the team with the poorest record can do no worst than pick third in the first round.


2011 Lottery Drawing Chances:

000 to 249 – Philadelphia (60-102, 4-2 vs. San Francisco in tie-breaker)

250 to 449 – San Francisco (60-102)

450 to 604 – Houston (67-95)

605 to 724 – Chicago (71-91)

725 to 814 – Florida (72-90, 8-4 vs. Toronto & Washington in tie-breaker)

815 to 879 – Toronto (72-90, 7-5 vs. Florida & Washington in tie-breaker)

880 to 924 – Washington (72-90, 3-9 vs. Florida & Toronto in tie-breaker)

925 to 954 – Minnesota (73-88)

955 to 974 – Boston (75-87)

975 to 986 – Oakland (79-83)

987 to 994 – Atlanta (81-81)

995 to 999 – Cleveland (82-80)


(Click here for a history of previous lottery numbers selected.)

D-Backs are going to the World Series!

Jered Weaver won two decisions to help the Arizona Diamondbacks eliminate the Seattle Mariners in a short five game series:

AZ 6, SEA 5 - Carlos Pena hit two homers and drove in  3 runs, Weaver gets win over Mariners ace Felix hernandez

AZ 5, SEA 2 - Martin Prado went 3-for-5 with 4 RBI's; lefty Dallas Braden baffled Seattle's powerful right handed lineup of Pujols, Braun and ARod to get the victory

SEA 7, AZ 2 - Mariners get back in the series as Jon Lester fanned 9 for the win; Ryan Braun went 3-for-3 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI's

AZ 5, SEA 4 - Jered Weaver picked up his third post season win with another gutting pitching performance - this time over the other Mariner ace Justin Verlander.  Arizona rallied in the bottom of the 8th for three big runs off Seattle's Billy Wagner.  Martin Prado hit a solo homer in the 8th.

AZ 3, SEA 1 - Barry Zito got his first start in the series and he did not disappoint as he pitched seven strong innings for the win.  Zito only allowed one run.  Felix Hernandez, who had two losses in the series, was the hard luck loser as he only allowed two runs over seven innings.

Arizona now meets Los Angeles for the Championship.....

Dodgers Eliminate Yankees - Going to the Series

For the first time in their Millennium League history, the Los Angeles Dodgers are heading to the World Series.  Los Angeles defeated New York in a tense seven game series:

Game 1
LAD 4 NYA 0
Game Story

First baseman Miguel Cabrera smashed 2 homeruns as the Los Angeles Dodgers outscored the New York Yankees 4 to 0.

 

Los Angeles tallied 2 runs in the 4th inning.  Los Angeles finished with 6 hits while New York ended up with 2.  C.J. Wilson(3-0) went 6 and 1/3 innings allowing no runs for the victory. Tim Lincecum(1-1) absorbed the loss.  

What the Game Story doesn't tell you

I asked John for one piece of advice. He said don't let Miggy beat you. I don't listen.  Only 2 hits but NYA is not discouraged


 

Game 2
LAD 6 NYA 0
Game Story

Right fielder Carl Crawford hit one over the fence and Daniel Hudson didn't allow a hit until the 7th inning at Dodger Stadium where the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees 6 to 0.

 

Hudson(1-0) was on top of his game.  He didn't allow much, just 2 hits and 1 walk in 9 innings.  The right-handed Hudson lost his no-hit bid when Ichiro Suzuki singled with nobody out in the 7th inning.  Los Angeles managed 7 hits in their victory. 

 

Jorge De La Rosa(1-1) ended up with the loss.  Despite losing, he struckout 8 Los Angeles batters in 5 innings.

What the Game Story doesn't tell you

 ......4 hits in 2 games.  Wow this team is loaded. Hopefully some home cooking will help. 
Game 3
NYA 3 LAD 2
Game Story

The New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers locked up in an exciting one-run game at Petco Park.  The final score was the New York Yankees 3, the Los Angeles Dodgers 2.

 

New York went ahead for good in the bottom of the 7th inning scoring one runner.  Los Angeles threatened in the 9th but New York was able to put down the rally. 

 

Ryan Franklin(1-0) allowed no runs in 1 and 1/3 innings, and picked up the victory. Mariano Rivera earned the save, his 4th.  Brandon Lyon(0-1) was the loser in relief. 

What the Game Story doesn't tell you

A hard fought game where the Dodgers and Yankees traded leads. Once the Yanks took the lead in the 7th it was Rivera time for 2 innings. They were not easy with 3 hits allowed in the 3 innings.  Mark made some great moves but NY just held on.

Cabrera came to the plate after going 4-4 with 2 runners on and 2 outs in the ninth. Rivera on the mound and the next batter behind was a L 9R so Rivera pitches to him and gets him to fly out WHEW!!!!!!

Game 4
NYA 5 LAD 4
Game Story

In the bottom of the 7th inning New York went on top for good as they scored 2 runs on 2 base hits.  The highlight belonged to Carlos Ruiz who brought a roar from the partisan Petco Park fans when he doubled scoring two base runners.  Los Angeles had a chance in the 9th but they came up short.

 

The victory was credited to Eric O'Flaherty(1-0) who went 1 inning, allowing no runs. O'Flaherty was helped out by Mariano Rivera who recorded his 5th save.  Brandon Lyon(0-2) was given the loss in relief. 

What the Game Story doesn't tell you

Where to start. Any runner that went for an extra base was thrown out, EXCEPT for a hit and run that missed and a 40% chance steal was safe.  That was the difference. LA got to Rivera in the 9th and on a 1-17 chance the tying run was thrown out at the plate on an amazing play by CHOOCH, AKA Carlos Ruiz.

With a trip back to LA guaranteed NYA started feeling good but the veteran Dodgers were still not worried.

Game 5
LAD 4 NYA 2
Game Story

The Los Angeles Dodgers came roaring back in the top of the ninth to spoil the anticipated celebration of the hometown fans.  The final score, was 4 to2.

 

Los Angeles won the game with a rally in the 9th inning when they tallied 4 runs on 1 hit.  The critical plate appearance was by Geovany Soto who silenced Petco Park as he quieted the crowd by clouting a Grand Slam.  Los Angeles won despite being out-hit by New York 6 hits to 2. 

 

The victory went to Neftali Feliz(1-0) who went 1 and 1/3 innings, allowing no runs. Dennys Reyes recorded his 1st save.  Eric O'Flaherty(1-1) was tagged with the loss in relief. 

What the story doesn't tell you

There was not a run till the 9th.  Lincecum got pulled in a 1 hitter after 7 to try to get some offense. The only other hit the Dodgers got was a GRAND SLAM by Soto, against a Righty. NYA fought back to get 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th, but came up short. The Dodgers fly home needing only 1 win to celebrate in front of their adoring fans and go to the World Series

Game 6
NYA 7 LAD 3
Game Story

Second baseman Robinson Cano homered and had 2 RBI as the New York Yankees topped the Los Angeles Dodgers by a score of 7 to 3 at Dodger Stadium.

 

Los Angeles was unable to claim the lead after New York went ahead in the topo f the 7th inning as they scored 3 runs on 2 base hits.  The highlight belonged to Cano who deflated the spirits of the home town crowd when he popped a two-run clout over the fence.  New York had 10 hits for the

afternoon while Los Angeles had 7. 

 

Ryan Franklin(2-0) was the winner allowing no runs in 1/3 of an inning. Javier Lopez(0-1) took the loss in relief.  He pitched 1/3 of an inning and surrendered 1 hit and no walks.

What the Game Story doesn't tell you

NYA had had NO homers in the first 5 games. Finally in the 7th inning of game 6 (after me realizing this had happened) Cano drives one deep to take the lead and Encarnacion hits one in the 8th to make the lead stick.  It all comes down to 1 game for the right to go to the World Series

Game 7
LAD 6 NYA 3
Game Story

Carl Crawford had 3 base hits and C.J. Wilson took a no-hitter into the 8th inning at Dodger Stadium as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees by the count of 6 to 3.

 

Wilson(4-0) pitched a solid game.  He was reached for 2 hits and 2 walks in 7 and 2/3 innings.  The left-handed Wilson lost a no-hitter when Carlos Beltran doubled with one out in the 8th inning.  New York could do no damage in the 9th. 

 

Neftali Feliz earned his 1st save.  Andy Pettitte(1-1) suffered the loss.  He pitched 4 and 2/3 innings giving up 4 hits and 3 walks.

What the Game Story doesn't tell you

A couple errors and some great hits and LA opened up a 6 game lead and had a no hitter through 7.  NYA doesn't give up and scores 3 in the 8th, However the Dodgers are too good and hold on to win the series.  Second game in the series where a team has more runs than hits.

Well played, managed and fun.

STATS
Batting Average
LAD .239
NYA .173

ERA

LAD 2.66
NYA 3.90

LOB

LAD 56
NYA 33

Mariners Outlast Buccos in Seven

Seattle (AP) - Jon Lester and the Seattle Mariners defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in seven games.  A recap of the series:

Game 1
SEA 5, PITT 3 - Felix Hernandez pitched seven strong innings and Pujols and Braun not hit homers.

Game 2
PITT 8, SEA 7 - Neil Walker hit a grand slam in the 2nd to help Pittsburgh take an early lead; but starter Shawn Marcum faltered as Seattle led after three innings 7-6.  The Pirate bullpen pitched scoreless relief the rest of the way as the Pirates scored single runs in the 4th and 6th for the win.

Game 3
SEA 6, PITT 2 - Jon Lester got Seattle back on track by tossing seven brilliant innings of 2-hit shutout ball.  The heart of the Seattle order, Braun/Pujols/Arod, went 7 for 14 with 4 runs scored and 4 ribbies.

Game 4
PITT 5, SEA 4 (10) - Scrappy Pittsburgh again knotted the series by scoring two runs off Francisco Rodriguez in the 9th and then scoring the game-winner off Billy Wagner in the bottom of the 10th.  Freddie Sanchez hit the walk-off homer vs. Wagner to send the Bucco faithful crazy.

Game 5
SEA 2, PITT 1 - In this back-and-forth series, Felix Hernandez outdueled Johan Santana for a tense victory.  Seattle relievers of O'Day and F. Rodriguez combined to pitch three scoreless innings as Seattle held on for the win.

Game 6
PITT 14, SEA 1 - Justin Verlander got roughed up by the Pirate attack as he gave up 7 runs over 3+ innings.  Pirate starter Shawn Marcum pitched a CG as the Pirates banged out 7 homers off the Mariner pitching staff.

Game 7
SEA 8, PITT 6 - Trailing 5-2 going to the bottom of the 7th, Seattle scored 3 runs in the 7th and 2 in the 8th to finally put away 8th seeded Pittsburgh.  Jose Reyes went 3 for 3 and Y. Molina drove in 3 runs.

Seattle will now face Arizona in the semi-finals..... 

Yanks Eliminate Redbirds

The New York Yankees defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in a quick four game series:


Game 1
NYA 5 STL 3

Second baseman Robinson Cano connected with a 'big fly' and had 3 RBI at Chase

Field as the New York Yankees beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5 to 3.

 

Tim Lincecum(1-0) had a solid outing for New York.  He went 6 and 1/3 innings

and surrended up 7 hits and 1 walk.  Lincecum whiffed an impressive total of

7 St. Louis batters.  New York totaled 11 hits on the night. 

 

Lincecum got help from Mariano Rivera who was credited with his 1st save.  The loss was charged to Ubaldo Jimenez(0-1).  He gave up 4 runs and 8 hits in 7 innings. 

Game 2
NYA 6 STL 3

At Chase Field the New York Yankees outscored the St. Louis Cardinals 6 to 3.

 

New York took the lead off Ian Kennedy in the first inning when they tallied 3 runs on 3 hits.  The critical plate appearance was by Troy Tulowitzki who quieted the home crowd when he popped a two-run clout over the fence.  St.Louis went down without a fight in the bottom of the 9th. 

 

Jorge De La Rosa(1-0) got credit for the victory, pitching 6 and 2/3 innings and allowing 2 runs. De La Rosa got help from Mariano Rivera who was credited with his 2nd save.  Kennedy(0-1) ended up with the loss.  He was not very effective, surrendering 4 runs in 3 innings. 

Game 3
NYA 2 STL 1

Troy Tulowitzki had 2 base hits as the New York Yankees topped the St. Louis Cardinals by a score of 2 to 1 at Petco Park.

 

New York came up with 1 run in the 3rd inning.  That early scoring was all that Andy Pettitte(1-0) needed.  Neither team managed to score after the 3rd inning. 

 

Pettitte got help from Mariano Rivera who was credited with his 3rd save.  Yovani Gallardo(0-1) was hit with the loss.  He pitched 7 innings giving up 6 hits and 5 walks.

Game 4
NYA 4 STL 3

The hometown crowd was rewarded with a dramatic ending, as the New York Yankees staged a comeback win over the St. Louis Cardinals by the count of 4 to 3.

 

New York had the winning rally in the 9th inning with 2 runs utilizing 2 base hits.  After an out was recorded, Garrett Jones jump-started the rally as he doubled scoring the final run of the inning.  New York had only 5 hits for the afternoon. 

 

Matt Albers(1-0) got credit for the victory, pitching 1 inning and allowing no runs. Ubaldo Jimenez(0-2) was the loser.  'That was exciting!,' Troy Tulowitzki said.  'I would have paid money to watch this one.'

Dodgers Sweep Defending Champs

What a difference a year makes.....Last season, the Kansas City Royals were riding high as they knocked out a very tough Seattle squad to capture the World Series.  But, the champs will not be repeating as the upstart Los Angeles Dodgers eliminated the Royals in four games.  A recap of the series:

(Game #1) LA 5, KC 1  - CJ Wilson gets the win by pitching 5 innings of 1-run ball.  Then, six Dodger relievers shut out KC the rest of the way.  Miguel Cabrera hit a homer and drove in 2 runs.  Hanley Ramirez went five-for-five for KC.

(Game #2) LA 4, KC 3 (12) - Carl Crawford hit the game winning single in bottom of the 12th.  Cabrera drove in 2 more runs and nine LA pitchers saw action in this one.  Hanley Ramirez drove in 2 runs with a homer for the Royals.

(Game #3) LA 8, KC 2 - Tommy Hanson pitched a complete game striking out 8.  Jamey Carroll hit a double and triple for LA.

(Game #4) LA 14, KC 3 - Danny Haren gives up 7 runs in the first two innings as the Dodgers roll.  Cabrera hit two homers and drove in 5 runs.  CJ Wilson notches his second win of the series.

Dodgers now await the winner of the Cardinal-Yankee series.......

Diamondbacks Eliminate Angels in Six Games

The Arizona Diamonbacks, behind strong starting pitching, eliminated Anaheim in six games.  A recap of the series:

 

 

GAME 1

Arizona 2, Anaheim 0

Jered Weaver and Jose Valverde combined on a 5-hitter. Jose Bautista homered in the 4th and Shane Victorino added an RBI single in the 5th.

 

GAME 2

Anaheim 8, Arizona 6

The Angels rallied from a 4-0 deficit after Carlos Pena capped a big 1st inning with a 3-run HR. But Mark Teixeira hit a 2-run HR in the 4th, then highlighted a 5-run 5th with a 2-run single. Dustin Pedroia made it interesting in the 9th with a 2-run HR for the D-backs.

 

GAME 3

Arizona 4, Anaheim 0

The D-backs recorded their second shutout in three games as Jaime Garcia and Jose Valverde scattered 7 hits. Shane Victorino homered and Jose Bautista added a pair of RBI singles for the winners.

 

GAME 4

Anaheim 2, Arizona 1

Bobby Abreu snapped a 1-1 tie with a HR in the 11th. Casey McGehee homered in the 2nd for the Angels while Kosuke Fukudome tied it with a round-tripper in the 8th. Jered Weaver went the distance for the D-backs, allowing just four hits.

 

GAME 5

Arizona 4, Anaheim 3

Jose Valverde worked out of a 2-on, 2-out jam in the 9th for his third save of the series. Shane Victorino's RBI single snapped a 3-3 tie in the 6th.

 

GAME 6

Arizona 3, Anaheim 1

Diamondbacks pitching, which had a 1.95 ERA for the series, was dominating in the clincher as Dallas Braden and three relievers held the Angels to 4 hits. A.J. Pierzynski snapped a 1-1 tie with a HR in the 7th. Jose Valverde, meanwhile, added his fourth save.

2010 Final Team Bullpen Stats

Strat-O-Matic Report

---

ZTeam Bullpen
Team                        ReERA ReW ReL Sv
--------------------------- ----- --- --- --
Arizona Diamondbacks (ARN)    2.17  25  20 52
Anaheim Angels (ANA)          2.62  27  11 55
Los Angeles Dodgers (LAN)     2.85  26  17 55
Seattle Mariners (SEA)        3.01  23  19 55
New York Yankees (NYA)        3.32  17  12 40
Atlanta Braves (ATN)          3.33  27  18 43
St. Louis Cardinals (SLN)     3.36  18  15 43
Kansas City Royals (KCA)      3.39  21  23 44
Boston Red Sox (BOA)          3.60  20  28 43
Florida Marlins (FLN)         3.78  18  22 45
Oakland A's (OAA)             3.94  20  17 35
Houston Astros (HON)          4.04  17  25 38
Cleveland Indians (CLA)       4.14  23  19 50
Washington Nationals (WAN)    4.16  19  23 43
San Francisco Giants (SFN)    4.28  16  12 17
Minnesota Twins (MNA)         4.48  15  14 34
Toronto Blue-Jays (TOA)       4.61  11  28 41
Pittsburgh Pirates (PIN)      4.87  24  20 40
Chicago White Sox (CHA)       4.97  16  26 43
Philadelphia Phillies (PHN)   5.34   8  26 29

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2010 Final Team Clutch Hitting

Strat-O-Matic Report

---

Team Clutch Hitting
Team                        ClAB ClH ClHR ClRBI ClAvg
--------------------------- ---- --- ---- ----- -----
St. Louis Cardinals (SLN)     651 176   32   237  .270
Anaheim Angels (ANA)          656 177   19   234  .270
Oakland A's (OAA)             655 171   19   227  .261
Los Angeles Dodgers (LAN)     708 182   24   262  .257
Pittsburgh Pirates (PIN)      603 148   11   179  .245
Kansas City Royals (KCA)      673 165   25   213  .245
Cleveland Indians (CLA)       653 160   19   205  .245
Houston Astros (HON)          574 139   29   189  .242
Florida Marlins (FLN)         613 147   21   199  .240
Arizona Diamondbacks (ARN)    725 173   25   229  .239
Toronto Blue-Jays (TOA)       590 140   16   176  .237
Chicago White Sox (CHA)       612 142   25   193  .232
Atlanta Braves (ATN)          707 164   17   208  .232
Philadelphia Phillies (PHN)   645 149   12   177  .231
Seattle Mariners (SEA)        666 152   18   183  .228
New York Yankees (NYA)        599 136   17   183  .227
San Francisco Giants (SFN)    607 135   14   161  .222
Minnesota Twins (MNA)         605 134   21   177  .221
Washington Nationals (WAN)    624 134   10   149  .215
Boston Red Sox (BOA)          589 126    9   160  .214

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Astros' Hamilton Chasing League Records

Josh Hamilton is  chasing the record book.  Has an outside chance of a triple crown.  Leading in Average, tied for 2nd in HR (1 behind) and 4th in RBI (6 RBI behind).  Put some slow on base monsters in front of Hamilton for the final block to get him some more RBI chances.  In addition to it, letting him bat against lefties.  There in lies the rub.  His .383 batting average puts him in the running for the single season record for batting average as well.  If he got 40 ABs in the last 12 games he would need 18 hits to go to .388 to best Albert Pujols' record of .387 he set in 2003.  With batting against lefties probably won't happen.

Royals Are Champs!!

Kansas City (AP) - The Kansas City Royals dispatched the defending champion Seattle Mariners in five games to win the 2009 Millennium League World Series.  A recap of the games:

Game 1 - KC scores 5 runs in the top of the 9th to come back and win 7-4. Belisaio gets the win. Hoffman gets the loss. Broxton with the save.

Game 2 - Another comeback win for the Royals. 1 run in the 8th and 3 in the 9th to take an 8-6 lead. Belisario shut down the Mariners in the 9th after pitching the 7th and 8th to earn the victory. K-Rod was roughed up for the loss allowing 3 runs on 3 hits and not registering an out.

Game 3 - To KC! Royals pull ahead in the bottom on the 6th and the bullpen held on and shut out the Mariners the rest of the way. Drew has 2 HR's.

Game 4 - Pujols comes up big for the M's and they are able to hold on to win 8-7.

Game 5 - KC has a big inning in the 6th scoring 5 run on 6 hits including a 2 run HR by Adrian Gonzalez. Troncosco came in in the 5th inning and threw 3 solid innings in relief and Broxton got the save in the 9th.

Mariners Will Face Royals in World Series

Mariner ace Felix Hernandez came through with a clutch performance in game 7 as Seattle beat Arizona 5-2 to advance to the World Series.  A recap of the series:

Game 1: Felix Hernandez vs Brad Bergesen
Diamondback grabbed a couple of runs early against Felix Hernandez while Bergesen shut down the Mariners. Steven Jackson came in relief in the seventh inning and continued to put down Mariner hitters until running into some trouble in the 9th. Jose Valverde came in to save the game but allowed a 2 run homerun by Alex Rodriguez with 2 outs in the ninth inning to tie it. Valverde beaned Brandon Phillips in the 10th. Phillips then stole second and third and was singled in by Brendan Ryan to take the lead. Francisco Rodriguez struck out the side to earn the save as the Mariners steal a 3-2 victory in 10 innings.

Game 2: Justin Verlander vs Randy Wells
Randy Wells had a strong pitching performance while Adam Jones had a good day at the plate. The D-back put up four runs in the 3rd to take a 4-1 lead. Seattle closed the gap by one in the top of the 5th but Jones blasted a 2 run homer in the bottom half to provide some breathing room. Yunel Escobar and Martin Prado also went yard to help the Diamondbacks win game 2 easily 8-3.

Game 3: Jon Lester vs Jered Weaver
Shane Victorino hit Lester’s first pitch over the fence for a quick lead and Rafael Furcal hit another solo homerun in the 2nd to make it 2-0 but Seattle quickly tied it two in the bottom half with a Travis Hafner homerun. Alex Rodriguez hit a 2 run blast in the 5th for a 2 run lead but the Diamondbacks got two of their own in the 7th after Rafael Furcal led off the inning with a triple. Brandon Phillips answered in the 8th with 2 run shot and mid-season acquisition Trevor Hoffman proved valuable by keeping Arizona scoreless the last 2 2/3 innings for a 6-4 Mariner victory.

Game 4: Felix Hernandez vs Barry Zito
The winds were blowing out at Safeco as both starters got chased early. Zito allowed 8 runs in less than 5 innings while Hernandez left a little less damage for his team by allowing 6 runs in less than five. The Mariners put up 10 runs in the first 6 innings helped by a 5 run fifth inning which included a 3 run Alex Rodriguez homerun. Brandon Phillips and Rodriguez each contributed 3 RBI. Randy Johnson pitched 4 2/3 in relief allowing only 1 run to earn the victory in his farewell tour. Mariners coast 10-6.

Game 5: Justin Verlander vs Dallas Braden
Seattle asks a struggling Verlander to close out the series at home against Braden. Verlander struggles continue early as the Diamondbacks put up six in the first 3 innings led by Dustin Pedroia and Yunel Escobar, and Oscar Salazar each adding 2 RBI. Braden didn’t allow a run in 6 innings and gave way to Doug Mathis who allowed four runs in the last 3 innings to earn the save.

Game 6: Roy Oswalt vs Brad Bergesen
Oswalt closed out round 1 in the sixth game for Seattle and was asked to do the same while Bergesen tried to continue his magic from game 1. As usual, Arizona struck first with 2 runs in the second with a Adam Jones 2 run homer. Seattle answered back with 2 in the fifth to tie hit but Pedroia had a RBI single the same inning to give Arizona the lead back at 3-2. His next at bat in the seventh, Pedroia blasted a 2 run homer for a 6-2 lead. Doug Mathis picked his second save as the Diamondbacks don’t allow an earned run in their 6-4 victory to force a game 7.

Game 7: Felix Hernandez vs Randy Wells
Wells pitched well in game 2 while Hernandez was rocked his last start in game 4. Hernandez came ready this time. King Felix pitched 7 scoreless innings with 7 strikeouts. Albert Pujols and Carlos Quentin each had quiet series but finally contributed when it mattered by hitting homeruns. Faced with a 5-0 deficit in the 9th inning, the Diamondbacks started a rally against David Aardsma and Francisco Rodriguez before leaving the tying run at the plate as Seattle wins 5-2 and moves on to the championship.

Royals Advance to Series

The Kansas City Royals eliminated the Anaheim Angels in five games in their semi-final playoff series.  A recap of the series:

Game 1 - KC 14, ANA 4 - Magglio Ordonez drove in 5 runs with a homer and a double to jump start the Royals attack

Game 2 - KC 7, ANA 5 - Luis Castillo goes 6 for 6; Haren pitches 6 innings for hard fought win

Game 3 - ANA 9, KC 2 - Series returns to Anaheim and Teixera kncoks in 4 runs to lead Angels toi victory

Game 4 - KC 11, ANA 7 - Royals score 3 runs in both the 7th and 8th innings to break open a 5-5 tie; Hanley Ramirez knocks in 3 run and Jonathan Broxton picks up his 5th save of the post season

Game 5 - KC 10, ANA 3 - Kansas City jumps out to early 10-0 lead as Dan Haren (3-0 this post season)pitches 6+ strong innings to close out the series

Victorino Scores Winning Run in Playoff Series for D-Backs

 

Dustin Pedroia knocked in Shane Victorino in the bottom of the 9th of Game 6 to give Arizona a series win over the Cleveland Indians.  A recap of the games:

Game 1 - CLE 5, AZ 0:  Dempster and Cleveland's pen holds Arizona to 5 hits enroute to a 5-0 shutout to take the series opener.

Game 2 - AZ 7, CLE 6:  Randy Wells struggles, but goes the distance for Arizona, notching the complete game victory. A lot of clutch hits by the Arizona line-up in this one! Series tied 1-1.

Game 3 - AZ 8, CLE 2:  Carlos Pena slugs 2 dingers to lead Arizona to the 8-2 victory.

Game 4 - CLE 4, AZ 1:  Cleveland ties the series up. Danks pitches a 3-hit, 1-run effort for the win.

Game 5 - AZ 7, CLE 2:  A solid offensive effort again by Arizona as they bang out 12 hits and breeze to a 7-2 victory.

Game 6 AZ 7, CLE 6:  A 6-6 tie in the 9th is broken up in the bottom of the 9th for a walkoff series victory by Arizona. Victorino doubled and was brought home by Pedroia,

Astros Hold on to Second Pick

2-4-5 was drawn tonite which allowed Houston to hold on to the second pick in the 2010 draft.

Marlins Snatch #1 Spot

The number 447 was very good news in Florida tonite as the Marlins won the #1 pick in the 2010 draft.  So who will it be?  Strasburg, Posey, Stanton? or someone else?

Seattle Over New York in Six

Brandon Phillips (.318, 3 homers and 6 RBI's) helped lead the Seattle Mariners knock out the New York Yankees in six games. New York was making their first post season appearance since 2002. Seattle's potent offense only got 37 hits, but 18 of them were for extra base hits (10 homers). A recap of the series:

NY 3, SEA 2 - Tim Lincecum out dueled Felix Hernandez in a tight opening game. Mariano Rivera survived a shaky ninth to pick up the save. Both Ichiro and Garrett Jones had a pair of hits for New York.

SEA 3, NY 1 - Justin Verlander stopped New York on just one run allowed as Seattle hit three solo homers: Albert Pujols, Brendan Phillips and Brandon Ryan.

SEA 8, NY 5 - Ryan Braun hit a homer and drove in 3 runs as Jon Lester survived a shaky start for the win.

SEA 5, NY 3 - The Mariners got to Lincecum this time as they rallied for three runs in bottom of the 8th for the win. Brandon Phillips drove in 3 more runs for the Mariners.

NY 7, SEA 1 - New York Stayed alive as Jake Peavy tossed a masterful complete game while fanning 10. Justin Verlander took the loss.

SEA 2, NY 0 - The defending champs closed out New York as one of last season's post season heroes, Roy Oswalt, shut out the Bronx Bombers for 7 innings. Andy Pettite pitched strong - but still took the loss for New York.

Seattle now advances to face the winner of the Arizona-Cleveland series.....

Angels Knock Out Braves in Five Games

Joe Nathan (1 win, 2 saves) helped the Anaheim Angels eliminate the Atlanta Braves in five games. A recap of the series:

Angels 7, Braves 3 - John Lannan pitched 7 2/3 strong innings and Adam Lind drove in 4 runs off 3 hits.

Braves 9, Angels 7 - Nick Swisher hit 2 homers and had 4 RBI as Atlanta toppled Anaheim. Josh Johnson(1-0) went 7 innings allowing 3 runs for the win.

Angels 4, Braves 0 - Cahill, Saito and Nathan shut down Atlanta on just one hit. Bobby Abreau hit a 2-run homer in the 7th to break a scoreless game.

Angels 6, Braves 4 (15) - Nick Markakis hit a 3-run homer in the top of the 15th for the game winner.

Angels 4, Braves 2 - Angels closed out the series with a win in Atlanta. Winning pitcher Zach Miner helped his own cause by hitting a 2-run single in the 2nd inning.

Angels willl now face Kansas City in the Semi-Finals.......

Mauer Leads Royals Over Dodgers in Exciting Series

The Kansas City Royals rallied for two runs in the top of the 9th to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 7th game.  A recap of the series:


KC 15, LA 10: The boxscore does not do this game justice. 3 GRAND SLAMS! LA has 2 of them and lost 15-10. Mauer went 5 for 5! What a game. Haren was solid the first 4 1/3 innings with 8 K's but then gave up a grand slam To Chase Utley after hitting and walking a batter and was sent to the dugout. Things looked good for the Dodgers with a 4-1 lead after the bottom of the 5th. But KC came up and scored 9 runs in the top of the 6th including a pinch hit grand slam by Adrian Gonzalez! LA scored 2 more in the bottom of the inning to make sure score 10-6. KC couldnt do anything in the top of the 7th but in the bottom half LA managed to get the bases loaded and hit ANOTHER GRAND SLAM off of Calero to tie the game at 10. The 8th was pretty quiet and neither team managed to score. In the top of the 9th KC managed to pull away for good after scoring 5 runs to make the score 15-10. Broxton closed out an very long exciting game!

KC 5, LA 3:  The Kansas City Royals tallied 4 runs in the 8th inning and got by the LosAngeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. The final score was 5 to 3.Kansas City had the winning rally in the 8th inning when they came up with 4 runs on 6 hits. The crucial at-bat was provided by Joe Mauer who helped quiet the crowd when he smacked a three-run homer. Los Angeles tried unsuccessfully to come back in the 9th.

LA 3, KC 2:  Carl Crawford and Nate McClouth go deep for Los Angeles.  Huston Street picked up the win in relief.

KC 4, LA 3:  Kansas City won behind JD Drew's HR and the bullpen shut down the Dodgers after the 5th inning.

LA 5, KC 4 (10):  Game 5 was an exciting game that ended in 10 innings when Miguel Cabrera went deep with a 2 run HR in the 10th inning. KC tried to come back in the bottom half but was unable to pull it off. This game was exhausting for the LA bullpen and just about every player was used. They were happy to have the next evening off to prepare for game 6 back in LA.

LA 7, KC 5 (10):  Game 6 also went into extras. KC tied up the game in the top of the 8th at 5-5 and the bullppens were able to keep the game tied heading into the 10th. KC was not able to manufacture any runs in the top of the inning. LA came up in the bottom half and after a Miguel Cabrera single and a sac bunt Nate McLouth came up and hit a walk off homer to keep the team alive for another game!

KC 3, LA 2:  Kansas City advances to the next round of the playoffs by winning a nail biter of a game 7. Down 2-1 in the 9th Ryan Zimmerman came up and smacked a triple. He eventually scored on a pinch hit single by Adrian Gonzalez. With a runner on first and 3rd with one out, Jim Thome pinch hit and hit a soft ground ball that looked like it was going to be a double play. The LA defense was able to get the runner at 2nd but Thome hustled down the line and beat out the throw allowing the runner on 3rd to score and gave KC the lead. Broxton came in for the 9th and sent the home team to the showers and Kansas City is on it's way to the next round.

2010 Draft Lottery Info

We will be conducting our draft lottery on Wednesday, March 6th and Thursday, March 7th.....

The “Pennsylvania Daily Number Evening” lottery (http://www.palottery.state.pa.us/) on subsequent nights (7PM EST) will be used to decide who gets the #1 and #2 picks in the first round only. If the second pick yields the same result as the first night, then a third night’s lottery drawing will be used. The remaining 10 teams will draft in reverse order of record. So, the team with the poorest record can do no worst than pick third in the first round.


2010 Lottery Drawing Chances:

000 to 249 – Houston (52-110)

250 to 449 – Florida (63-99)

450 to 604 – Minnesota (67-95)

605 to 724 – Washington (69-93)

725 to 814 – Pittsburgh (70-92, 28-18 runs scored vs. St. Louis in tie-breaker)

815 to 879 – St. Louis (70-92)

880 to 924 – San Francisco (73-89)

925 to 954 – Boston (74-88, 4-2 vs. Philadelphia in tie-breaker)

955 to 974 – Philadelphia (74-88)

975 to 986 – Chicago (76-86)

987 to 994 – Oakland (79-83, 29-24 runs scored vs. Toronto in tie-breaker)

995 to 999 – Toronto (79-83)

(Click here for a history of previous lottery numbers selected.)