BY SEAN WATKINS Houston abused the A’s beleaguered pitching staff for the third day in a row to start the season Saturday afternoon, riding a strong start by Lance McCullers and a monster three-run homer by Yordan Alvarez to romp past Oakland 9-1 at the Coliseum. The Astros were able …
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BY J.A. SCHWARTZ After topping the National League West for eight straight seasons, the Los Angeles Dodgers finally won the World Series in 2020, their first championship since 1988. They chased the demons associated with thirteen straight playoff appearances without a title, firmly establishing the franchise as the best in …
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BY SEAN WATKINS The A’s organization faces the challenging task of replacing the talent of shortstop Marcus Semien, DH Khris Davis and closer Liam Hendriks in the upcoming season. Despite the fact that each played pivotal roles in contributing to the club’s recent success, all but Hendiks showed a decline …
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BY J.A.SCHWARTZ The NL Central doesn’t feature a team projected to win more than 82 games, and that mediocrity may create a thrilling four-team division race that could end up being decided by which front office is able to make the most significant in-season trade acquisitions. The Chicago Cubs were …
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BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER John Collins and Trae Young combined to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 124-108 win over the Warriors Friday evening at Chase Center. With the Warriors playing their fifth straight game without Steph Curry, Atlanta never trailed in handing Golden State their fourth consecutive loss. Collins scored …
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BY J.A. SCHWARTZ The New York Mets and their fans have labored under the ignominious reign of the Wilpon family for the past 19 years, but they were finally liberated this winter when Steve Cohen purchased the franchise, and immediately set about trying to position the club to steal the …
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BY J.A.SCHWARTZ The Oakland A’s are the defending AL West champions, and are coming off their third consecutive postseason berth. Despite an offseason of player movement that saw Marcus Semien decamp to Toronto and Khris Davis move to Texas in a salary relief trade, Oakland should be in contention to …
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BY J.A. SCHWARTZ The Minnesota Twins won the AL Central last year on the strength of a lineup heavy with HR hitters and a deep bullpen. Those same attributes should return for the Twins in 2021. They retained the ageless Nelson Cruz on a one-year deal to anchor the middle …
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BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER In their first home game in over two weeks, the Warriors scored an impressive 131-119 victory over the Utah Jazz in a Sunday afternoon matinee at Chase Center. The win came against the team with the best record in the NBA (28-9) and snapped a four game …
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BY J.A.SCHWARTZ The Tampa Bay Rays are the defending American League champions, and they pushed the Dodgers to six games in the World Series before being defeated. Despite their achievements in 2020, the Rays enter the 2021 season no better than the fourth choice to represent the AL in this …
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