MSL

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Seattle Mariners are Champs Again!!

Click here for box scores.

Game 1: Los Angeles 2-0

David Phelps vs Justin Verlander

Gregor Blanco leads off the game with a double and John Jaso singles him in the next pitch for quick strike lead against Verlander. Matt Joyce doubles in the second and is knocked in by a Jordan Pacheco single in the second for another Dodger run.

Phelps goes 5 strong innings allowing 3 hits and striking out 6 before leaving handing it off to the bullpen. Five Dodger relievers keep the Mariners off the board and 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position as Verlander loses for the first time in the post season.

Game 2: Seattle 5-2

Matt Garza vs. Felix Hernandez

Albert Pujols put the Mariners out front early with a 3 run blast in the first. Brandon Phillips adds a couple of solo home runs in the 4th and 8th to stretch the lead to 5. King Felix tries to go the distance but tires in the 9th. Dodgers add 2 runs and put a man on first to make it exciting. K-Rod comes and strikes out Justin Ruggiano to end the game.

Game 3: Seattle 6-4

Matt Moore vs AJ Burnett

Yadier Molina opened the scoring with a 2nd inning HR. Mariners add another run in the 4th and 5th to extend the lead to 3. The Mariner hit parade continued against Burnett as every Mariner registered a hit. The 8th inning was especially damaging as the Mariners added three more runs helped by three singles and two walks in the inning to increase the score to 6-0 Seattle. The Dodgers did not give up as they chip away with 2 runs helped by Matt Moore and Jose Reyes miscues. In the 9th, Dodgers show they have more fight. Dodgers manufacture a run and Chase Utley hits a bomb to close within 2. K-Rod comes on and gets Gregor Blanco to ground out to end the game with Miguel Cabrera on deck. Mariners squeak by with a 6-4 victory as they go 5-11 with RISP.

Game 4: Los Angeles 4-1

Justin Verlander vs Mark Buehrle

Dodgers jump on Verlander early again. Matt Joyce hits a 2 run blast in the 2nd inning. Dodgers add 2 more in the 7th with help from a Evan Longoria error, which ends Verlander's day. Albert Pujols answers in the 8th with a solo blast to make it 4-1. Mark continues to utilize his bullpen matchups with five relievers over 3.3 innings to close out the 3 hitter and hold on to the 4-1 Dodger victory.

Game 5: Seattle 5-4

Felix Hernandez vs David Phelps

Jose Reyes leads off the game by clearing the fence against Phelps. After the HR, Phelps settles down by only allowing one more hit over five innings and leaves with the lead, thanks to Chris Nelson. Nelson hits a 2 out, 2 run single in the 5th. Mariners tie it up in the 6th off Sergio Casilla and George Kontos. In the 7th, Mariners try for the lead but Evan Longoria is gunned at the plate by Gregor Blanco. Mariner bats stay hot as they plate 3 in the 8th of Jamey Wright and Jordan Norberto, keyed by a 2 out Jose Reyes double. King Felix starts the 9th but runs into trouble. Gee, did we hear that in game 2? After allowing a hit, he leaves with 10 strikeouts and hands the ball to K-Rod. K-Rod allows a hit to make the game more exciting. The Mariner defense is back which allows the Dodger runners to advance as the next to batters hit ground balls which the batters advance and score 2 runs. Matt Joyce strikes out to end the game as the Mariners win the nail biter 5-4 and the lead series 3-2 going back to Seattle.

Game 6: Los Angeles 7-1

Matt Garza vs Jeff Samardzija

Matt Joyce starts the scoring with a 2 run HR in the second then singled in 2 more in the third inning. Miguel Cabrera hit a 2 run HR in the fifth to make it 6-0 Dodgers. Garza pitches 5 shutout innings and Mark uses bullpen matchups with 4 relievers to finish up the game as the teams trade a run in the 8th. Dodgers coast 7-1. Matt Joyce is the hero 3-3 with 4 RBI to force game 7.

Game 7: Seattle 5-4
AJ Burnett vs Justin Verlander

Dodgers previous two series went 7 games in which they obvious were victorious.

Match up preview: Burnett got hammered in game 3 while the previously unbeatable Verlander has been beat twice by the Dodgers. One of these pitchers has to win!

Dodgers strike early against Verlander again! For the 3rd time! In the 3rd inning, Gregor Blanco walks, Chris Nelson singles, John Jaso singles and knocks in Blanco. Miguel Cabrera doubles which scores Nelson and Jaso. Will Venable misses the cut off man to get Cabrera at third and throw it into the stands as Cabrera circles the bases and gives the Dodgers a early 4 run lead. Mariners answer with one in the bottom half to make it 4-1 after 3.

In the 4th, Venable tries to make up for his miscue and hits a 2 run blast to close the gap 4-3 Dodgers. In the 5th, a Jose Reyes double, Brandon Belt single, set up a 2 run Albert Pujols single to put the Mariners up 5-4. Burnett left after 5 innings allowing the 5 runs and striking out 8. Mark went back to his bullpen match up strategy to keep the game close. George Kontos and Jon Rauch finish up the 6th inning. Mariners continue to ride their SP late into games as Verlander continued to throw heat but did show some control issues with some walks. 7th inning was harmless for the Mariners as Rauch and Jamey Wright shut them down. Verlander allows a walk but no hits in the 7th. Sergio Romo comes in for the Dodgers in the 8th and allows a Brandon Belt single and a Pacecho error but no damage is done. Verlander allows a Justin Ruggiano single in the 8th but finishes the inning with 10 strikeouts and not allowing another run. K-Rod comes in with a 5-4 lead to close out the season...

K-Rod walks Andrelton Simmons. Tony Campana pinch runs for Simmons. Has a good chance for lead but can't get it. Gregor Blanco sacrifices him to second. Chris Nelson wiffs on the high heat for the second out. John Jaso then grounds it to Evan Longoria to end the game and a great series as the Mariners hold on to the 5-4 victory and 4-3 series victory.

Fantastic series between these two teams. Dodgers fought to the last out in each game while the Mariners took game 6 off. Bullpen management was the key for the Dodgers which kept them close in the series as their line up did not have the same fire power. In a couple of the games, Miggy was either on deck or in the hole as the game ended. With a game changer like in a close game, it added to the excitement. A fun series in a fun league.

Congrats to the Los Angeles Dodgers on coming within 1 win of their second championship.

Seattle is proud to hoist their 4th championship in the MSL.

Dodgers Win Dramatic 7th Game to Advance to Series

Los Angeles (AP) - Dodger first baseman Jordan Pacheco became an instant hero in Dodgertown as he hit a dramatic walk off homer in game 7 of their semi-final series with the Athletics. Los Angeles will now face Seattle in the 2012 World Series. A recap of the games:

Game 1 - Los Angeles 15, Oakland 5
Dodgers banged out 17 hits and 15 runs as they routed Oakland. Justin Ruggiano knocked in 4 runs with a homer and a pair of doubles.

Game 2 - Los Angeles 7, Oakland 4
Miguel Cabrera belted a three-run homer to highlight a five-run fifth inning as Los Angeles took a quick two game to zero playoff series lead. Matt Garza (1-1) pitched five shaky innings for the win.

Game 3 - Los Angeles 8, Oakland 5
The Dodgers pushed Oakland to the brink of elimination with a 8-5 win in game 3. Miguel Cabrera was the hero again as he hit two homers and drove in 3 runs. Jordan Ruggiano knocked in 3 more runs as A.J Burnett (2-0) picked up the win.

Game 4 - Oakland 4, Los Angeles 2
The A's staved off elimination as Austin Jackson hit a 2-run walk-off homer with one out in the bottom of the 9th. Casey Jansen (1-0) picked up the win in relief. Trailing 2-1 going to the bottom of the 8th, Oakland scored a run in the 8th and two in the 9th for the win.

Game 5 - Oakland 9, Los Angeles 7
With the game tied at 7-7 in the 8th, Oakland scored two runs in the bottom of the 8th (helped by a pinch hit RBI-double from Aramis Ramirez) as the A's now trail LA by 3 games to 2. Jimmy Rollins drove in 4 runs for the Athletics.

Game 6 - Oakland 12, Los Angeles 5
The A's pounded out 16 hits and 12 runs as Oakland routed Los Angeles. The highlight of the game was a pinch hit grand slam by Arasmis Ramirez in the fifth inning. Oakland has now rallied from being down 3 games to 0 by now knotting the series 3 games a piece.

Game 7 - Los Angeles 5, Oakland 4
What a dramatic finish to an exciting series! Jordan Pacheco hit a walk off 2-run homer to propel Los Angeles into the World Series against defending champs Seattle.

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Defending Champs Seattle Overwhelm Angels

Seattle eliminated Anaheim 4 games to 0 in a semi-finals series. While there were many stars for the Mariners in this short series, Yadier Molina had a nice series going 8 for 15 (.533) with 3 doubles, 2 runs and 5 ribbies.

Game 1 - Seattle 5, Anaheim 4
Felix Hernandez pitched 7+ innings for the win, Molina and Braun both had three hits; Chipper Jones hits a homer and collects three hits for the Angels.

Game 2 - Seattle 9, Anaheim 6
Samardzija pitches just good enough for the victory, Fernando Rodriguez picked up his second straight save; Quentin and Phillips homers for Seattle while Moss homers for Anaheim.

Game 3 - Seattle 2, Anaheim 0
Justin Verlander continued his post season dominance with a CG 2-hit shutout. Verlander is 9-0 in the post season over the past two years. Longoria and Pujols hit solo homers to account for all the scoring.

Game 4 - Seattle 7, Anaheim 3
Felix Hernandez pitched 8+ strong innings for the victory while the Mariners jumped on losing pitcher Gio Gonzalez for 6 hits, 7 walks and 6 runs over 6 innings. Molina and Chris Young both drove in three runs for Seattle.

Seattle now will face the winner of the Los Angeles-Oakland series for the 2012 Millennium World Series.

Friday, June 26, 2015

Marlins Will Pick Second

9-1-0.....Congratulations to Drew Stevenson and his Miami Marlins for winning the second pick last night! The Marlins move up from position #7 to win the second pick.

Giants Nab First Pick in 2013 Draft!

The number 9-9-4 was drawn on Wednesday evening......Congratulations to new manager Gene Kipfer and his San Francisco Giants who moved up all the way from the 11th position (!) to snatch the first pick in the 2013 draft. Amazingly, Gene's squad only had 8 chances out of 1,000 to win the pick. Congratulations Gene!

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Dodgers Eliminate D-Backs in Seven Games

A. J. Burnett took a no-hitter into the 8th inning to help the Dodgers defeat Arizona by a score of 7-1 in the final game of their quarter final series. The #2 seed Dodgers will now face #3 seed Oakland in the semi-finals.

Angels Sweep Past Twins

The Angels swept the series, but the first three games were very close. Anaheim pitching was the key, compiling a 1.15 ERA. Gio Gonzalez won twice, striking out 20 (including 13 in the finale).

GAME 1

Anaheim 4, Minnesota 2

Wilson Betemit, who hadn't homered in about 2 months, slugged a 3-run shot in the 4th, and Kenley Jansen recorded a 4-out save.

GAME 2

Anaheim 3, Minnesota 2

Prince Fielder homered in the 12th inning after Kenley Jansen worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the 11th. Ross Detwiler allowed only 1 hit in 7 innings, but it was a 2-run homer to David Freese in the 6th. The Angels, though, clawed back with Miguel Montero's RBI single in the 8th and Alfonso Soriano's sac fly in the 9th.

GAME 3

Anaheim 3, Minnesota 1

Andy Pettitte and the Angels bullpen combined on a 5-hitter, and Nick Markakis delivered a tie-breaking, 2-run single in the 6th.

GAME 4

Anaheim 8, Minnesota 0

Gio Gonzalez scattered 9 hits and struck out 13 to complete the sweep. Brandon Moss belted a 3-run HR in the 3rd, and finished with 4 RBIs. Alfonso Soriano also contributed a 2-run HR.

Defending Champs Seattle Gets By Pesky Nationals Team

Seattle (AP) - After finishing 6-0 in last season's post season for the World Champion Mariners, Justin Verlander is at it again. He won two more decisions for Seattle in an opening round victory over the Washington Nationals. A recap of the series:

Washington #8 vs. Seattle #1

Game 1: Cole Hamels vs. Justin Verlander

Verlander enters the 9th inning with a 5-1 lead but the Nationals manage to score 5 runs of Verlander and K-Rod with the help of errors by Longoria and Brandon Phillips. David Robertson pitches a scoreless 9th to hold the victory for Hamels who scatters 10 hits and 2 National errors to earn the victory 6-5 in game 1.

Game 2: James McDonald vs. Felix Hernandez

Jeff Francouer hit a grand slam in the second inning in a rough inning which also saw a Pujols error and 5 National runs. The Mariners slowly chip away at the lead by adding a couple of runs in the 6th in the 7th inning to make it 6-5. Mike Adams and David Robertson do a good job of not allowing the tying run to score from second in the 7th and 8th innings as the Nationals win another road game 6-5.

Game 3: Jeff Samardzija vs. Stephen Strasburg

Mike Baxter singled in two runs in the 6th. A-Rod pinch hit for Samardzija in the 6th and knocked in a couple more runs for a 5-2 lead. Four relievers combined to hold the lead and give the Mariners their first victory in the series.

Game 4: Justin Verlander vs. Clay Buchholz

Mariners jump out quick with three runs in the first and five in the third for a 8-1 lead. Verlander tires in the 8th inning but asks to keep the ball in the blowout. He allows a couple more runs while he finishes with 12 strikeouts. Mariners win 8-3 and tie the series 2-2 as the road team as won each game so far.

Game 5: Felix Hernandez vs. Cole Hamels

King Felix is hurt by the long ball again. This time, Billy Butler launches a 3 run shot in the first inning. That is all Hamels needs. He allows one hit until the 8th inning. Butler launches another 3 run blast in the seventh. Nationals show everyone the home team can win a game as they coast to the victory, 7-0. They are on the brink of a big upset as the Mariners tied a regular season record for victories at 110.

Game 6: James McDonald vs. Matt Moore

Mariners are inspired by the home crowd and come out hungry. Longoria hits a first inning bomb. They capitalize on a Drew Stubbs error in the second inning and add four runs for a 5 run lead. Gordon Beckham leads off the 7th with a HR to put the Nats on the board. Mike Trout and Billy Butler add a couple of two out RBIs to cut the deficit to 2. Darren Oliver comes in to stop the rally while K-Rod closes out the ninth for the save and 5-3 Mariner victory.

Game 7: Stephen Strasburg vs. Justin Verlander

Mike Trout and Carlos Gonzalez hit back-to back HR in the first inning. Billy Butler just misses making it three in a row. Ryan Braun answers with a solo HR in the second. Mariners add two runs in the third to take the lead. The second run on a GIDP by Longoria. Mariners add 2 runs in the sixth with HRs by Brandon Belt and another by Braun. Verlander goes the distance striking out nine and allowing four hits. 5-2 Mariners.

Washington put up a surprising tough fight. Congratulations to Nats manager Angelo on a great season. He has some fun young players to build around.

Oakland Outlasts Houston in Wild Seven Game Series

Oakland (AP) - Matt Kemp and the Oakland A's eliminated the Houston Astros in a hard fought seven game series:

Game 1 - A's win 9-0 as Clayton Kershaw pitches poorly for Houston. A's OF Josh Willingham went 4-4 with 2 HR's and 2 doubles. Jon Niese pitched like, well, Clayton Kershaw, tossing a 2-hitter and striking out 14.

Game 2 - The Astros bounce back with a 3-1 win, thanks to Homer Bailey's solid start.

Game 3 - The A's win 10-8 in a back and forth game. Giancarlo Stanton homered twice and drove in 5 for Houston, Kendry Morales went 4-5 with 2 HR's for Oakland.

Game 4 - Houston wins 4-1, with all 4 runs scored in the 7th - 9th innings. Josh Hamilton delivered by collecting 2 hits and 2 RBI's.

Game 5 - The Astros retook the series lead with a thrilling 9-8, 10 inning win. A's were winning 8-3 going into the 8th when their bullpen imploded. Scott Hairston had the walk-off single, overall he went 4-6. Astros bullpen pitched 7 2/3, giving up 1 run.

Game 6 - With their backs to the wall the A's pulled out a comeback, 7-5 win in 10 innings. Trailing 5-3 entering the 9th, the A's scored 4 off of Ernesto Frieri. Austin Jackson hit a walk-off 2 run HR after earlier robbing Josh Hamilton of a HR.

Game 7 - The A's take the series with an appropriately tense 3-2 win. Houston scored 2 in the 3rd on G. Stanton's double, but the A's scored 3 in the 6th with help from a throwing error by Josh Hamilton.

Friday, June 12, 2015

2013 Draft Lottery Info

We will be conducting our draft lottery on Wednesday, June 24th and Thursday, June 25th.....

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.

2013 Lottery Drawing Chances:

000 to 249 – Chicago (57-105)

250 to 449 – New York (65-97)

450 to 604 – Cleveland (69-93)

605 to 724 – Boston (71-91)

725 to 814 – Atlanta (72-90)

815 to 879 – Philadelphia (73-89, 37-27 runs scored vs. Miami in tie-breaker )

880 to 924 – Miami (73-89)

925 to 954 – St. Louis (74-88, 4-2 vs. Toronto in tie-breaker)

955 to 974 – Toronto (74-88)

975 to 986 – Kansas City (75-87, 7-5 vs. Pittsburgh & San Francisco in tie-breaker)

987 to 994 – San Francisco (75-87, 6-6 vs. Kansas City & Pittsburgh in tie-breaker)

995 to 999 – Pittsburgh (75-87)

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

Friday, April 10, 2015

Fourth No-Hitter of the Season.......

Houston (AP) - Travis Blackley got his first start of the season and he made it count as the Astros pitcher tossed a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox. Blackley, the Astros 6th round pick in last season's draft, fanned nine and walked just one. The box score can be viewed here.

A's Marco Estrada Pitches No-Hitter

The Athletics Marco Estrada (7-2) pitched the season's third no-hitter by defeating the New York Yankees 9-0. Marco was a fourth round pick for Oakland in the 2011 draft. Estrada walked four and fanned nine in his gem. You can see the box score here.

Nats' Hamels Pitches No-Hitter

Cole Hamels (7-6) thrilled the fans at Tropicana Field as he crafted a no-hit masterpiece against the Minnesota Twins. The Washington Nationals won by a final score of 4 to 0. Hamels had overwhelming stuff tonight. He simply never gave the Minnesota batters a decent pitch to drive. He walked three Minnesota batters. Hamels recorded 12 strikeouts. The box score can be seen here.

Dan Haren Fires Perfect Game

Kansas City's' Dan Haren retired 27 straight batters to record MSL's first perfect game since Noah Lowry in the 2005 season. Haren struck out six in recording his gem. He has struggled this season with just a 2-5 record and a 6.94 ERA. But, tonite he was on the top of his game as he breezed through the Indian lineup in a 5-0 victory. You can see the box score here.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Seattle Mariners are 2011 Champions!

The Seattle Mariners won their third Millennium League World Series over the Oakland Athletics. A recap of the series:

Game 1: Chris Carpenter of OAK vs. Justin Verlander of SEA.

Albert Pujols started the scoring with a 2 run HR in the first inning. In the fourth inning, Verlander walks Matt Kemp, Aramis Ramirez, and Gaby Sanchez to load the bases before giving up his first hit to Nolan Reimold who doubles in all three for the A's first lead. In the bottom of the 8th, Wil Venable hits a 2 run blast of Carpenter to chase him and pull out a 4-3 Seattle victory as K-Rod pitches the 9th for the save.

Game 2: Tim Hudson of OAK vs. Felix Hernandez of SEA.

Jimmy Rollins leads off the game with a single and Todd Helton singles him in three batters later. Helton would add a home run later in the game as Tony Gwynn Jr contributed 2 hits and 2 runs as well while Tim Hudson cruises to a 5-0 victory by only allows 3 hits without walking a batter.

Game 3: Jon Lester of SEA vs. Brandon Beachy of OAK.

This was quite the pitchers duel as both teams traded zeros for the first 7 innings. Lester lasted 6 1/3 IP with 2 hits, 3 walks and 6 k's while Beachy went 7 IP allowing 1 hit with 3 walks and 7 k's. In the 8th inning, Carlos Quentin delivers a PH single of Cassey Janssen and Jose Reyes doubled him home for the 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the 9th, George Kottaras doubles of K-Rod, Bryan Petersen strikes out, Nick Punto delivers a PH triple to tie the game, Todd Helton PH and is intentionally walked to face Austin Jackson who chokes in the clutch. Jackson hits a slow roller to A-Rod at 3rd base but he dropped the ball on the exchange for the error to end the inning and Punto scored from third to end the game. Oakland steals one 2-1 and goes up in the series 2-1 as each team only manages 4 hits.

Game 4: Justin Verlander vs. Chris Carpenter

Gaby Sanchez starts the 2nd innings with a double and Reimold knocks him in with a single to give the A's a quick 1-0 lead. Albert Pujols hits a 2 run homer in the 4th to give Seattle the lead. Seattle adds another run in the 5th with a A-Rod single, stolen base and K. Fukodome single for a 3-1 Mariner lead. John Buck tries to keep it close for the A's by saving a run in the 7th by blocking the plate but Verlander remained untouchable in the postseason by scattering 3 hits through 8 innings before giving way to K-Rod in the 9th who add two strikeouts in an uneventful save opportunity to tie the series at 2 and secure the 3-1 Mariner victory.

Game 5: Felix Hernandez vs. Tim Hudson

Tim Hudson carried over his groove from game 2 but King Felix was there to match him each inning as each team exchanged goose eggs early. In the 6th, Austin Jackson reached on a Jose Reyes error and sped around to score on a Jimmy Rollins single for the first score of the game. In the bottom of the 7th, Oakland threatened to add to their one run lead. With runners in scoring position they decided to let Hudson bat and trust his arm the rest of the game. He didn't come through with a RBI in the 7th and he was stuck to protect a one run lead. Leading off the 8th inning, Jose Reyes doubled, Wil Venable singled in Reyes to tie the game, stole second, scored on a Pujols single for the Mariner 2-1 lead. Yadier Molina silenced the crowd with a 2 run blast off Hisanori Takahashi to open up the game 4-1. Seattle steals one late and head to Seattle up 3 games to 2.

Game 6: Erik Bedard of OAK vs. Roy Oswalt of SEA

Both teams went with their weakest starters in this game as it was clear both teams were prepared to use their bullpens in this one. Each team put one on the board in the first inning and A's added a second run in the second inning. A's add two in the fourth while the Mariners answer with one in the fourth and one in the fifth. After six innings, Oakland clung to a 4-3 lead as Casey Janssen was on the mound relieving Bedard and Alfredo Aceves was keeping it close for Seattle in relief of Oswalt. Oakland added another run in the seventh to chase Aceves. Seattle finds an answer in the 8th with a hit of Sean Marshall and three consecutive hits off Joel Hanrahan to tie the score at 5 Marco Estrada came in mitigate the damage and get out of the inning. Oakland posed a threat in the 9th with two walks of Al Alburquerque but was unable to score. In the bottom of the 9th Estrada allowed a Pujols single and got Yadier Molina to line out. Takahashi came in to relieve Estrada and face a cold Brandon Phillips who was 3-18 in the series against Oakland. Phillips took his series frustrations out on Takahashi's pitch and put in the bleachers for a season walk-off victory. Clinching the pennant and the Mariner's first title since 2008.

World Series MVP goes to Albert Pujols who had 2 big HR and some other big hits.

Justin Verlander collects the trophy for outstanding playoff MVP (if it exists) as he collects half of the team's 12 playoff victories. No wonder Kate Upton likes the guy.

Congratulations to Jack Mudd and the stellar season his A's had. It was a fun series. On to 2012!

Friday, September 19, 2014

Giants Take Second Pick

The San Francisco Giants moved up to the second spot in the 2012 draft with a winning lottery number of 5-0-9.

Marlins Nabs #1 Pick

Congrats to Drew Stevenson and his Miami Marlins who snatched the 1st pick in the 2012....The winning number was 3-5-6.

Hudson Leads Oakland into World Series

In a close series Oakland beat Los Angeles in 7 games to advance to the World Series. Most of the games were suspenseful with many pitching changes and pinch hitters. A's CF Austin Jackson had one of the greatest defensive performances in baseball history in game 5. Overall the A's defense was excellent, they did not commit an error in the series and their OF's robbed LA of 4 HR's.

CO-MVP's - Matt Kemp and Tim Hudson. Kemp went only 8-31 at the plate but hit 3 HR's, had 5 SB's and was usually in the middle of A's rallies. Hudson went 2-1, pitching 20 1/3 innings and giving up 4 runs while hurling a one-hit gem in game 7. Austin Jackson almost deserves MVP solely for his incredible game 5 but didn't do much the rest of the series.

For the Dodgers Daniel Hudson was very good in both of his starts. LA star Miguel Cabrera underperformed, going 4-26 with 2 HR's and committing 2 costly errors in LA's game 7 meltdown.

Game 1: LA 3-1 The Dodgers took game 1 thanks to the pitching and hitting of C.J. Wilson. Wilson had 2 RBI singles along with giving up 2 runs in 6 innings. Both team's hurlers combined to walk 14 hitters, leading to both managers griping about Mike Everett's umpiring skills.

Game 2: Oakland 9-2 A.J. Ellis smacked a pinch hit grand slam to break open a close game. Brandon Beachy pitched 7 shutout innings while LA SP Matt Garza allowed 14 base runners and 5 runs in 5 2/3.

Game 3: LA 4-3 The Dodgers regained the series lead with a walk off win. Oakland lead 3-2 going into the 8th but LA scored single runs in the 8th and 9th with Brent Morel's RBI single off of Casey Janssen setting off the LA celebration.

Game 4: Oakland 3-1 Matt Kemp homered in the 1st inning to give the A's a lead they would not give up. SP's Tim Hudson and C.J. Wilson each pitched 6 innings and gave up only one run but Hudson got the win.

Game 5: Oakland 5-3 Oakland scored 3 runs in the 9th for a comeback win in pivotal game 5. The A's carried a 2-1 lead into the 8th when Dodger OF Matt Joyce hit a rare HR off of a left-handed pitcher (Erik Bedard) to tie the game. However, LA pitcher Tyson Ross was wild in the 9th, walking 2 and throwing a wild pitch before giving up RBI singles to Matt Kemp and Aramis Ramirez. The story of the game was Austin Jackson. The A's CF jumped over the Dodger Stadium fence to rob 3 HR's from LA and saved another run with a diving catch. To top it off he added an RBI triple and an important sac bunt. After the game A's manager Jack Mudd said that A-Jax deserved at least a small vanilla ice cream cone for his efforts.

Game 6: LA 4-1 The Dodgers stayed alive thanks to a 4 run 1st and Daniel Hudson's excellent pitching performance. Miguel Cabrera blasted a 3 run HR off of Brandon Beachy, D. Hudson went 7 1/3 and gave up only an unearned run.

Game 7: Oakland 8-0 Game 7 was ironically the only game of the series that had no drama. A's hurler Tim Hudson threw 8 shutout innings while allowing only a single by Matt Joyce in the 6th. Matt Kemp hit a 3 run HR to key a 7 run 3rd for the A's, who were assisted by LA 1B Miguel Cabrera's 2 errors.

Seattle Heading to the World Series

Jose Reyes and the Seattle Mariners advanced to the Fall Classic with a convincing 4 games to 1 victory. A summary of the series:

Game 1: Mariners 6, Yankees 5

Fernando Rodriguez picks up a 4 out save as the Yankees press late one run in each of the last five innings as the Mariners put 3 across in the 5th and 7th. Mariners are led by Jose Reyes 2-4 day with 3 RBI.

Game 2: Mariners 6, Yankees 2

Justin Verlander goes the distance allowing solo homeruns to Pablo Sandoval and Troy Tulowitzski. Jose Reyes goes 2-4 again and Albert Pujols launches a 3 run homerun for a 6-2 Mariner victory.

Game 3: Mariners 2, Yankees 0

Jon Lester pitches a 3 hit shutout. Jose Reyes has another tremendous game going 3-4. K. Fukodome also collected 3 hits and A-rod hit a homerun for a 2-0 Mariner victory.

Game 4: Yankees 7, Mariners 6

Yankees knock out Felix Hernandez early with 5 runs in the first 2 innings for a 5-1 lead. Ryan Braun hit his second homerun of the game in the 8th for 2 runs and tie it at 5 off Johnny Venters. Robbie Cano led off the 8th inning with a triple off Christian Martinez. Darren Oliver wasn't able to help out the situation and allowed a double and another hit which led to a total of 2 Yankee runs in the inning. Mo Rivera was brought in to close it out and made it exciting by allowing 3 hits and a run but was able to finish the Yankee victory 7-6 and avoid the sweep. Edwin Encarnacion went 2-3 with 2 RBI and a HR for the pinstripes.

Game 5: Mariners 3, Yankees 0

Justin Verlander scattered 3 hits for a CG shutout with 12 punchouts to close out the series. Albert Pujols hit his 3rd HR of the series while Brandon Phillips went 3-3 to pace the Mariners in a 3-0 victory. Yankees had some trouble in the field with 3 errors.

Friday, September 12, 2014

2012 Lottery Info

2012 Draft Lottery Info

We will be conducting our draft lottery on Wednesday, September 17th and Thursday, September 18th.....

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.

2012 Lottery Drawing Chances:

000 to 249 – Atlanta (45-117)

250 to 449 – Miami (58-104)

450 to 604 – San Francisco (59-103)

605 to 724 – Cleveland (62-100)

725 to 814 – Pittsburgh (70-92)

815 to 879 – Boston (75-87)

880 to 924 – Philadelphia (77-85)

925 to 954 – Washington (79-83)

955 to 974 – St. Louis (83-79)

975 to 986 – Toronto (84-78)

987 to 994 – Chicago (85-77, 11-7 vs. Minnesota in tie-breaker)

995 to 999 – Minnesota (85-77)

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Monday, September 08, 2014

Defending Champs Dodgers Moves to Second Round

The defending champions Los Angeles Dodgers eliminated the #1 seed Kansas City Royals with a 4 games to 2 series win. A recap of the series:

LA 4, KC 3 - In the 4th inning Los Angeles scored 2 runs. Matt Downs led off and got things going when he ripped a single. After an out was recorded, Brent Lillibridge stepped up to the plate and he clubbed a two-run home run. One out later, Cliff Pennington was a strikeout victim, unable to help out. Kansas City threatened in the 9th but their rally came up short.

The victory was credited to Matt Garza(1-0) who went 7 innings, allowing 2 runs. Garza got help from Santiago Casilla who was credited with his 1st save. Cliff Lee(0-1) was the loser. Despite taking the loss, he whiffed 10 batters in 7 innings.

LA 4, KC 3 - Matt Joyce hit 2 doubles and had 2 RBI as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the
Kansas City Royals by a score of 4 to 3.

Los Angeles took the lead off Dan Haren in the first inning plating 2 runsusing 3 hits. Jamey Carroll led off and he delivered a single. After an out was recorded, Miguel Cabrera came to bat and singled. Joyce then doubled. Kansas City had a chance in the 9th but they came up short.

Tommy Hanson(1-0) picked up the victory, allowing 2 runs in 5 and 1/3 innings. Neftali Feliz gained credit for his 1st save. Haren(0-1) was charged with the loss.

LA 2, KC 1 (13) - Daniel Hudson went 7 solid innings at Dodger Stadium as the Los Angeles
Dodgers beat the Kansas City Royals in 13 innings by the count of 2 to 1.

Both teams were tied at 1 runs apiece after nine innings. Los Angeles was victorious in the 13th inning. After an out was recorded, Miguel Cabrera laced a base-hit. After another out, Matt Downs came to the plate and doubled giving Los Angeles the victory and sending the 52,549 home-town fans home happy. Los Angeles totaled 10 hits on the night.

Neftali Feliz(1-0) went 2 innings allowing no runs for the win. Guillermo Moscoso(0-1) was the loser in relief. He pitched 1 and 2/3 innings giving up 2 hits and 1 walk.

KC 8, LA 6 - The Kansas City Royals got by the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. The
final score was 8 to 6.

Los Angeles was unable to recover after Kansas City went ahead in the top of the 7th inning plating an isolated run. A wild affair, this game saw the lead change 5 times.

The victory went to Guillermo Moscoso(1-1) who went 2 innings, allowing no runs. Moscoso got help from John Axford who was credited with his 1st save. Tyson Ross(0-1) was the losing pitcher in relief. He surrendered 3 runs and 4 hits in 1 inning.

KC 7, LA 0 - Left fielder Matt Holliday went yard and had 3 RBI and Dan Haren came through
with a solid 8 innings as the Kansas City Royals outscored the Los Angeles Dodgers 7 to 0.

Kansas City drew first blood jumping out to an early lead in the first inning plating 2 runs. Joe Mauer started the inning off right when he drew a walk. Holliday followed and he doubled. After an out was recorded, Ryan Zimmerman then would ground out. Matt Garza then bounced one in the dirt for a wild pitch. Jayson Werth got his turn next, but he was a strikeout victim. That early run support was enough for Haren(1-1) and Kansas City. Kansas City had 9 hits for the game and Los Angeles had 3.

Garza(1-1) absorbed the loss. He pitched 6 innings allowing 4 hits and 1 walk.

LA 2, KC 0 (10) - Tommy Hanson whiffed 11 batters as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Kansas City Royals in 10 innings by a score of 2 to 0.

No runners had crossed home plate after the regulation nine. Los Angeles won the game in the 10th inning. Miguel Cabrera started the inning off right when he reached on an error. After an out was recorded, Chris Heisey stepped in and he popped a two-run clout over the fence. Geovany Soto followed, but he was set down on strikes. Los Angeles had only 6 hits for the game.

The winning pitcher was Hanson(2-0) who allowed no runs in 9 innings. Neftali Feliz was credited with his 2nd save. The losing pitcher was Josh Tomlin(0-1). He allowed just 6 hits and no walks in 9 and 1/3 innings.

Seattle Eliminates D-Backs Behind Justin Verlander

Justin Verlander won 3 games as the Seattle Mariners beat the Arizona Diamondbacks in a tough seven game playoff series:

Game #1: Seattle 6-3
Justin Verlander fanned eight in eight innings and F. Rodriguez allowed two
hits before recording the save.

Game #2: Arizona 6-5
The Diamondbacks rallied with three runs in the top of the ninth off a David Ross 2-run homer and a Shane Victorino game winning RBI-single.

Game #3: Arizona 10-2
Jamie Garcia pitched a CG and hit a 2-run homer. Former post season hero Roy Oswalt was rocked for 9 runs in 3+ innings.

Game #4: Seattle 5-0
Mr. Verlander fired a brilliant 3-hitter as Seattle shuts out the D-Backs. Reyes hits a double and a triple.

Game #5: Seattle 4-2
Felix Hernandez pitched 8 strong innings by only allowing 4 hits and 2 runs. Jered Weaver kept his team in the game to take the tough luck loss.

Game #6: Arizona 4-2
Jamie Garcia pitched 8 2/3 innings and struck out 10 for the win. Pedroia, batting .360 in the series, hit his second homer.

Game #7: Seattle 5-1
Justin Verlander pitched another CG as he finished the series with 3 wins and a 1.38 ERA. Pujols hit his second homer and drove in 2 runs.

Yankees Knock Out Angels

Troy Tulowitski hit .458 and drove in 6 runs as the New York Yankees downed the Arizona Diamondback 4 games to 2 in their quarter-final playoff series. A recap of the games:

Game 1 Anaheim 4 New York 3
Gio Gonzalez came through with a solid 8 innings as the Anaheim Angels beat the New York Yankees by a score of 4 to 3.

Gonzalez(1-0) was solid in the win. He didn't allow much, just 5 hits and no walks in 8 innings. New York made it exciting in the 9th, but they were unable to push the needed runs across.
Gonzalez got help from Kenley Jansen who earned his 1st save. The losing pitcher was Tim Lincecum(0-1). He allowed 8 hits and 1 walk in 5 innings.

What the article doesn’t say: Anaheim came right out of the box scoring runs and had a 4-1 lead going into 9th where JJ Putz had some issues and Jansen had to come in to make the save.

Game 2 New York 2 Anaheim 1
Luke Hochevar(1-0) and Alexi Ogando(0-1) dueled it out with Hochevar and the New York Yankees coming out on top of the Anaheim Angels by the score of 2 to 1.

New York came up with 1 run in the bottom of the 6th inning when they had 3 base hits. That wound up as the winning run. Anaheim had a chance to come back in the 9th but they came up short.
Mariano Rivera got the save, his 1st.

What the article doesn’t say: A well pitched game by both teams. Ogando let up 2 runs in 5.1 innings and the bullpen held NY scoreless the rest of the game but 2 runs was enough for Hochever and the bullpen. Yankees got half there hits in the 6th to steal game two and make the flight to Cali more fun

Game 3 Anaheim 4 New York 2
Marco Scutaro had 2 base hits and 2 RBI at Angels Stadium as the Anaheim Angels beat the New York Yankees 4 to 2.

Anaheim had 2 runs cross the plate in the 5th inning with the help of 3 hits. The crucial at-bat was provided by Scutaro who made the crowd happy when he laced a single bringing home two baserunners. For the game Anaheim out-hit New York 8 to 3.

Joe Smith(1-0) went 3 innings allowing no runs for the win. Smith got relief help from Kenley Jansen who gained credit for his 2nd save. Jake Peavy(0-1) was tagged with the loss. He gave up 7 hits and 1 walk in 6 innings.

What the Article doesn’t tell you: Blaise makes the managing move of the series pulling his starter with the bases loaded and 1 out in the 4th with a 2-1 NY lead and shuts down the Yankees in that inning and the rest of the game. 1 hit the rest of the game. Anaheim takes a big game and a 2-1 lead in the series.

Game 4 New York 4 Anaheim 1
The New York Yankees defeated the Anaheim Angels by a score of 4 to 1 at Angels Stadium.

New York had the winning rally in the top of the 8th inning with 3 runs utilizing 4 base hits. Carlos Ruiz led off and he ripped a base-hit. Carlos Beltran stepped into the batter's box and he cleared the fences for a two-run home run. Edwin Encarnacion then delivered a single. Troy Tulowitzki stepped in and he singled. After an out was recorded, Don Kelly came up and he drew a walk to load the bases. Lucas Duda got his chance to keep things going, but he went down on strikes. Ramon Santiago stepped up next and he drew a walk. Overall New York out-hit Anaheim 11 to 4.

Tim Lincecum(1-1) was the winner allowing 1 run in 7 innings. Mariano Rivera earned his 2nd save. Cory Wade(0-1) was the loser in relief.

What the Article doesn’t say: For 7 innings the two aces shut down the offense until the 8th. NY’s bullpen shut down Anaheim after the big inning to even the series at 2-2. NY’s bullpen has been dominant and the key in the series so far

Game 5 New York 5 Anaheim 4
Troy Tulowitzki had 2 base hits at Angels Stadium as the New York Yankees came back dramatically to top the Anaheim Angels by the score of 5 to 4.

New York came through with the game-winning runs in the 9th inning with 2 runs. Lucas Duda kicked off the action when he drew a walk. David Dejesus next to the plate and he grounded into a double play. Edwin Encarnacion then drew a walk. Robinson Cano followed next and he clubbed a two-run home run. Garrett Jones struck out, unable to help the rally. Anaheim was retired without difficulty in the bottom of the 9th.

The win was credited to Jonny Venters(1-0) who went 2 innings allowing no runs. Mariano Rivera preserved the game for Venters, recording his his 3rd save. Kenley Jansen(0-1) absorbed the loss in relief.

What the article didn’t say: WOW!! New York takes an early 3-0 and looks to cruise to a win but Anaheim scores in the 4th, 5th and 6th innings to take the lead. Nova is pulled and shuts down Anaheim but not till they take a 4-3 lead. In the ninth a lead off single by Duda is erased by an Anaheim DP. At this point I said I am not getting the breaks tonight (we talked on phone entire series). With 2 outs Encarnacion singles and Cano hits one that looks like and is a no doubter. Rivera gets his 3rd save and the series heads to NY

Game 6 New York 4 Anaheim 3
The New York Yankees put 4 runs on the scoreboard in the 5th inning and edged the Anaheim Angels at Petco Park by the score of 4 to 3.

New York scored all of the necessary runs in the 5th inning when they came up with 4 runs on 5 hits. The biggest moment was provided by Troy Tulowitzki who elicited a roar from the hometown fans when he clubbed a three-run home run. Anaheim threatened in the 9th but their rally came up short.

The victory was credited to Jonny Venters(2-0) who went 2 innings, allowing no runs. Mariano Rivera got the save, his 4th. Alexi Ogando(0-2) was the loser. He got hammered, allowing 8 hits and 4 walks in 4 innings.

What the Article doesn’t say: Anaheim took an early 3-0 lead and momentum seemed to be squarely with Anaheim. Playing Earl Weaver baseball we get a 3 run homer from Tulo and scratch out another run. From there the bullpen shuts down Anaheim and Mariano gets a 2 inning save to get all 4 saves in the series.

Notes:
Great series. Blaise managed well but 2 big breaks in games 5 and 6 made all the difference. Earl Weaver baseball was the key for this New York team. Thanks to Blaise and Anaheim for playing and we await our next series....

Stats
BA/OBP/SLG
NY .233/.294/.323
ANA .209/273/.356

ERA Total/Start/Relief
NY 2.89/4.15/0.49
ANA 3.29/3.31/3.26

Other Stats:
DP’s Turned
ANA 9 NY 3

HR’s Hit
ANA 6 NY 4

Runs NY 20 ANA 17
Ball Park Homers NY 1-4 Ana 0-6

Oakland Advances to Second Round

Todd Helton batted .412 with 5 RBIs's to help the A's advance with a deceptively close 4-1 series win over Houston.

Game 1 : Houston 3-1 - Astro ace Clayton Kershaw pitched 8 scoreless innings and Freddie Freeman smacked a 2-run HR. Astro closer Ryan Madson walked in a run in the bottom of the 9th but managed to escape with the save.

Game 2 : Oakland 3-1 - Oakland scored 2 runs in the 7th to win it.

Game 3 : Oakland 7-3 - The game was tied 2-2 going into the 9th when each team scored a run to send the game into extra innings. The A's scored 4 in the 10th to win it, with Austin Jackson's 2 run pinch hit single the winner. A's OF Bryan Petersen went 5-6 while Astros iron gloved 3B Mark Reynolds put on an clinic on how not to play 3B.

Game 4 : Oakland 5-3 - The A's were leading 2-0 after 5 and scored 3 in the 8th to take a seemingly safe 5-0 lead but the Astros scored 1 in the 8th and 2 in the 9th before A's reliever Casey Janssen managed to finish it out. Astros OF Josh Hamilton went 4-5. Astros infielders Freddie Freeman and Ian Desmond committed costly errors that led to 3 Oakland runs.

Game 5 : Oakland 2-1 - The A's scored a run in the top of the 9th to break a 1-1 tie and clinch the series. With 2 outs and no one on Aramis Ramirez doubled, Todd Helton then singled home pinch runner Bryan Petersen.

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Playoff Spots Going Down to the Wire....

We have a good race for the eight playoff spots this season.....With just 12 games remaining, here are the current standings:

Division Leaders
1. Seattle (97-53) - clinched division
2. Kansas City (94-56) - magic number 7
3. New York (88-62) - magic number 4
4. Oakland (86-64) - magic number 7

Wild Card Playoff Spots
5. Houston (88-62)
6. Anaheim (84-66)
7. Toronto (82-68)
8. Arizona (80-70)/Los Angeles (80-70)

Still in the Hunt
Chicago (79-71)
Minnesota (78-72)
St. Louis (76-74)
Washington (74-76)

Friday, March 07, 2014

Dodgers Take Title!

The Los Angeles Dodgers won their first Millennium League Championship by defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks in five games:

Game 1 - LAD 5 ARI 0

Daniel Hudson pitched 4 strong innings as the Los Angeles Dodgers topped the Arizona Diamondbacks by a score of 5 to 0 at Dodger Stadium.

Arizona found themselves trailing quickly as the Los Angeles bats came through in the first inning plating an isolated run using 2 hits. The pitchers took over after the 4th inning as neither team was able to score again.

Brandon Lyon (1-2) picked up the victory, allowing no runs in 2 innings. Jered Weaver (3-2) took the loss. He was touched for 3 homeruns in his 4 innings of work.