BY J.A. SCHWARTZ The National League West was home to the two best teams in the majors last year during the regular season. The San Francisco Giants set a franchise record with 107 wins, and won the division by a single game over the Dodgers. The Giants finally wrested the …
Read More »October Baseball: Let the games in the National League begin
BY J.A. SCHWARTZ Following yesterday’s American League preview, we now turn our focus to the National League, with the 106 win Los Angeles Dodgers hosting the St. Louis Cardinals, winners of 19 of their last 22 games (including a franchise record 17 in a row), Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium. …
Read More »A’s survive Bauer, beat Dodgers in tenth for first win of season
BY SEAN WATKINS Oakland defeated the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers 4-3 on Wednesday afternoon to end their season opening six-game losing streak with a walk-off single from newly acquired Mitch Moreland and strong pitching from Jesus Luzardo against reigning NL Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer. The A’s pitching staff …
Read More »Dodgers – Pads Heavyweight duel expected to decide NL West
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 …
Read More »Rebuilding Giants hope to be competitive in a top-heavy division
BY ALEX NAVARRO With Gabe Kapler having the opportunity to manage his first full season with the Giants, what are San Francisco’s expectations in 2021 ? The club hasn’t made the playoffs in four seasons, including Kapler’s first year managing the team. However, he squeezed the most out of the …
Read More »Thriving Dodgers-Padres rivalry shaping up as best in baseball
BY J.A.SCHWARTZ Only in the feverish cogitations of San Diego Padres General Manager AJ Preller could a plan to transform his nondescript baseball team into a legitimate threat to win a championship in 2021 be imagined. To contemplate the plan is but the first step in the process. Preller has …
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 »A different perspective on the trade deadline – five years later
BY J.A. SCHWARTZ Most of the attention around the trade deadline is rightfully focused on the teams that are in contention for a playoff berth, and whose roster machinations in search of the perfect combination of talent and opportunity drives the news cycles in late July. It was wonderful theatre …
Read More »A’s add, Giants punt at deadline as Greinke, Puig, Bauer move
BY J.A. SCHWARTZ With the A’s standing at 61-47, holding the second Wild Card position in the American League, just 1/2 game ahead of Tampa and 7 1/2 games behind the West leading Astros in the division race, Oakland GM Billy Beane has made multiple efforts to strengthen his team’s …
Read More »Laureano’s blooper leads A’s to another walk-off against Indians
BY DANIEL GLUSKOTER Ramón Laureano’s bloop single against the Indians A.J. Cole in the bottom of the ninth inning led the A’s to their second consecutive walk-off victory against Cleveland Saturday on a sun-splashed afternoon at the Coliseum by a score of 3-2. ©DANIEL GLUSKOTER Ramón Laureano of the A’s …
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