BY J.A. SCHWARTZ The NL Central has been a two team race between the Cardinals and Brewers in recent seasons and will likely be again in 2023, with the rebuilding Cubs probably still a year away and the frugal Reds and Cubs barely competitive. This is the third of six …
Read More »The cultural significance of sports to Martinez
BY RICK PORCARO So many of our country’s big sports stories and histories tend to focus on the East Coast, the Midwest and the South. The small states of New England have a disproportionate number of the professional sports teams in America clustered close together. The obsession with teams such …
Read More »Brewers, Cards hoping to take it to the next level in NL Central
BY J.A. SCHWARTZ The Cubs were the last team to represent the National League Central in the fall classic in 2016, bringing home the World Series trophy for its long-suffering fans for the first time in 108 years. In the five seasons since, no Central team has managed to win …
Read More »Mediocre but competitive NL Central figures to be a dogfight
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 …
Read More »NL playoffs shaping up as a race to topple the Dodgers
BY J.A SCHWARTZ The National League playoffs will kick off tomorrow and will do so without the reigning World Series Champion Washington Nationals, who will not have the opportunity to defend their title. Baseball has not seen a repeat champion since the 1998-2000 New York Yankee dynasty won three straight. …
Read More »National League gearing up for a truncated 60-game sprint
BY J.A. SCHWARTZ As of this writing, the delayed MLB season is set to commence in a matter of days. It’s still entirely possible that circumstances driven by the COVID-19 pandemic may prevent games from actually being played, but until that becomes reality, a preview of what the season may …
Read More »Cubs early homers put streaking Giants run on hold 4-1
BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER Home runs by Javier Báez, Kris Bryant and Albert Almora Jr. set the tone for an off day for Tyler Beede and the Giants Wednesday afternoon as the Chicago Cubs salvaged the final game of their three game series with a 4-1 win at Oracle Park. Cubs scheduled starter Jon Lester was a …
Read More »Giants continue to Pose as a contender, walk-off on Cubs in 13
BY ANTHONY SOSA Buster Posey ripped a ball off the right field wall over the head of Kris Bryant on a 2-2 count with two outs in the bottom of the 13th inning to drive in the winning run and deliver a 5-4 San Francisco Giants walk-off victory over …
Read More »Samardzija shelved, but Stratton impresses in Giants Walk-Off
BY ANTHONY SOSA Jerry Sands didn’t enter the game until the eighth inning, but he came through with a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning during his only at-bat of the game to give the San Francisco Giants a 4-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs on …
Read More »Bumgarner and Pablo help Giants wrap up strong homestand
BY RYAN LEONG For the last week and a half, the Giants have both looked and played like a winning team. Perhaps their rivalry with the A’s in the annual Bay Bridge series has given the orange and black a bit of a spark as they won six of the …
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