Bang the drum loudly ……..
The second half of the MLB season will get underway with several teams now seeking to make inroads in terms of the divisional races , while at the same time wildcard berths will be up for grabs within the AL and NL . Through the first half of the season, there were no great surprises ,but the Oakland Athletics were proving why they remain one of the best regular season teams in baseball over the past four years. Unfortunately, the regular season is nothing more than the precursor to baseball’s Fall Classic , the World Series ,but also the postseason itself. It would be safe to say, the A’s have seen their share of ups and downs in recent postseason forays. Bob Melvin and his managerial staff will almost certainly be looking to make a better showing for this postseason as they continue to dominate the AL West , without being seriously challenged by any of their divisional rivals .
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Slideshow .
Oakland will resume their schedule with a home game on Friday against the Baltimore Orioles, with Jeff Samadzija on the mound for the home team as he faces Chris Tillman of the Orioles. The O Coliseum is likely to be packed, as the game’s best team embarks on proving their legitimacy as the AL’s top-ranked ball-club at this point of the season. With Yoenis Cespedes coming off another exceptional performance in the MLB All Star Home Run Derby contest where he successfully defended his title. The A’s slugger is perhaps the team’s best offensive player and is certainly proving his worth for the ball-club this season , while being considered a likely candidate for the AL MVP .
Baseball’s mid-season showcase event, the MLB All Star Game played at Target Field in Minneapolis , Minnesota, where we witnessed the AL triumph over their NL counterparts to gain themselves home-field advantage throughout the postseason. Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels signified his status as the heir-apparent to Derek Jeter in becoming the face of baseball for the next decade. Anyone who might a doubt to the claim, might want review the player’s heroics during the All Star Game on Tuesday night.
Trout and the Los Angeles Angels are in the hunt within the AL West, sitting 1 ½ games behind the Oakland Athletics with the Seattle Mariners in third place, followed by the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers bringing up the rear within the division. . It would be fair to say, Angels’ manager Mike Sciocsia and his staff are under a great deal of pressure to succeed this season. An All Star cast in terms of three high-profiled players , led by Mike Trout , Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton have failed to ignite the expectations sought by team owner , Arte Moreno and the front office led by GM Jerry Dipoto . In fact, the Angels’ fans must be wondering if the money spent on Pujols and Hamilton can be justified when the returns have been so meager by way of their output over the last two seasons.
Coming into the All Stat break the Los Angeles Angles were 9-1 in their last ten games, a league leading best among the teams in baseball. The approach of the team and Sciocsia’s staff, has been to play hard, with an emphasis on both offense , pitching and defense . . While I believe Mike Sciocsia’s position as the manager of the Los Angeles Angels remains in jeopardy, the team’s ongoing miscues could lead to Jerry Dipoto making the decision to relieve him of his managerial duties. Trout and his teammates will resume their season with a weekend series starting on Friday, when the Angels play the Seattle Mariners at Angels’ Ballpark in Anaheim , California . Taking the mound for the Mariners will be Hisashi Iwakuma against Jered Weaver of the Angels. . A pitching match-up I believe will bring out the best in these two AL pitchers as both seek to strengthen the presence of their respective teams as the second half of the season begins.
Two decades of witnessing the very best that Derek Jeter has to offer the game of baseball does seem to be something of a privilege for fans of America’s pastime. For the New York Yankees’ captain, this final season has been something of a milestone as he does the rounds being applauded by his peers and fans alike. A five-time winning World Series champion, Jeter and his teammates would like nothing better than to add another title to his list of achievements as well to that of the fabled ball-club. .However, if he and the team are to achieve that goal, then they will most certainly have to raise the level of their play entering the second half of the season . One of two wildcard berths within the AL may well be the best that the Yankees can achieve but I believe they will have set their sights higher and make a bold attempt at winning the AL East division, because the American League has been very competitive this season. Several teams are vying for the two wildcard berths, while the division now appears to be a three-horse race between the Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees.
The Yankees have fared well against their divisional rivals this season, but their issues remain ever-present and the loss of their best pitcher in 2014 has been felt by the starting rotation . Masahiro Tanaka remains on the fifteen day DL , along with a number of teammates familiar in their starting roles for the Yankees’ lineup this season. Yankees Stadium will be packed over the next three days as the team plays host to the Cincinnati Reds in a three-game series beginning on Friday , 18th July. David Phelps of the Yankees will square off against Mike Leake of the Reds in this pitching duel.
Hal Steinbrenner and GM Yankees’ GM Brian Cashman have come a long way since the death of George Steinbrenner , but the fact remains the ball-club’s wish to be seen as being financially expedient has fallen on deaf ears within the organization. Other than the Los Angeles Dodgers , the New York Yankees are the only other team in Major League Baseball with a payroll above $200 million for this season. Hal Steinbrenner promised and failed in the attempt to lower the figure in 2013 and it seems for this year even in falling behind the Dodgers in the payroll sweepstakes , financial expediency no longer seems to be a major concern for the front office.
While the New York Yankees will not have to worry about a financial commitment to now disgraced star Alex Rodriguez for this season , the issue remains theirs is one of bloated salaries where a number of their players are among the highest paid in all of baseball, with the scenario unlikely to change . There will come a point where Hal Steinbrenner will have to show financial restraint, rather than showing the pretext of saying one thing and doing the complete opposite.
A postseason match-up between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers would be something that all of baseball would definitely relish. The two most storied franchises in the game meeting in World Series would be a considerable boost for MLB , given baseball’s inept handling of a litany of issues over the past decade. Unfortunately, such a scenario would allow Bud Selig to ride out on a psychological high with his taking credit for the creation of such a showcase . The Dodgers for their part having caught and now past the San Francisco Giants within the NL West are now proving why they are best team within the division and one of the best in the National League.
If ever there was a time for Don Mattingly to prove himself as a manager, then now would be it. Having won the NL West crown in 2013 with a great deal of ease the Dodgers being dismantled in the NLCS by the St Louis Cardinals showed why having a team of stars lacking in leadership was a sure way of being completely embarrassed. There was a great deal of complacency among the players , managerial staff as well as within the front office as senior partner Magic Johnson was simply making promises that his team would never keep. Disappointment and abject failure, pretty much summed up the NLCS series for the Dodgers against Mike Matheny’s Cardinals.
The maturation of Yasiel Puig remains a work in progress with the young player making a name for himself among his peers and the opposition faced this season. Puig like his teammates, are among the most explosive teams from an offensive standpoint within the game, but not to be left out of the equation, has to be the pitching of the Los Angeles Dodgers , with both Clayton Kershaw and Josh Beckett this season, having thrown no hitters for the team . The Los Angeles Dodgers have played with a great deal of presence and dominance against their opposition.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and St Louis Cardinals will renew their acquaintance when these two teams meet at Busch Stadium in St Louis , Missouri in a three-game series , starting on Friday, through until Sunday . Dan Haren of the Dodgers, will be on the mound when he takes on Lance Lynn in what is sure to be a great game between these two teams. . I believe the Dodgers are capable of winning the NL Pennant for this season , but the issue to my mind remains , who can anyone point to as being the vocal leader on this team? There are seasoned veterans such as Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Kemp , Carl Crawford , Dan Haren, Paul Malholm and Brian Wilson , but when it comes crunch time, are any of the players in question likely to step up to the plate? There was no evidence there to suggest they are capable doing so especially in light of the failures of last season in the NLCS series against the St Louis Cardinals. The Dodgers are simply a safe bet during the regular season but they have been ’ fool’s gold’ during the postseason in recent years.
If someone had suggested to me Oakland Athletics’ starting pitcher Scott Kazmir would be among the best pitchers in baseball this season while leading the A’s starting rotation in wins and ERA(earned run average), I would have stated they are out of their mind ! Yet lo and behold Kazmir seems to have resurrected his career and found the form that saw him once spearhead the Tampa Bay Rays . Scott Kazmir’s former team are having their own issues this season, much of it of their own making and the mistaken belief among the Rays’ fans baseball analysts alike , they would be among the favorites to win the AL East and AL Pennant this season. Nothing could be further from the truth at this juncture, in spite of the ongoing optimism of Joe Maddon who believes the division still remains a wide open race.
Oakland has a slight lead (1 1/2 games) over the Los Angeles Angels within the AL West, with both teams scheduled to resume their respective schedules today. Bob Melvin will lead his team against the Baltimore Orioles when they meet at the O Coliseum in Oakland, California. Chris Tillman will be on the mound for the Orioles as they take on the division leading A’s, with Jeff Samardzija being the opposing pitcher . Contests between these two teams tend not to be close affairs, but I believe with both ball-clubs now riding high and their being so much at stake we are likely to see a competitive game and series .
Mike Trout I believe to be the most dominant force in the game today as an offensive player and granted , many are likely to view the reigning two-time AL MVP Detroit Tigers’ slugger Miguel Cabrera set about trying to prove which of the duo just happens to be the most dominant player. Within the NL I certainly do not believe there is a player the equal of either Cabrera or Trout in terms of productivity over the past two years . The singular awards for this season are up for grabs and I believe the races for those crowns will carry on until the end of the season. As to who those winners are likely to be, will be dependent upon the play of the presumptive frontrunners.
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Picture gallery .
Through the first half of the MLB season which teams or players do you believe have provided the best highlights ? As baseball resumes play, how do you see the rest of the schedule playing out and which ball-club is likely to be the most dominant and be seen as a firm favorite to win the World Series ?
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Picture and slideshow details below .
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(1) Oakland A’s manager Bob Melvin ,left, is seen here with the team’s general manager Billy Beane . The duo have seen the A’s become the leading frontrunners within the AL for the AL Pennant but their greatest wish has to be, bringing back a World Series’ title to the state of California and to their loyal fans . AP Photo / Mark Edmonds …
(2) Jeff Samardzija of the Oakland A’s has been one of the main reasons the team has been consistent within the AL West this season . Getty Images / Chris Jones …
(3) Jul 15, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; American League infielder Derek Jeter (second from right) of the New York Yankees greets all star teammates Robinson Cano (22) of the Seattle Mariners and Mike Trout (27) of the Los Angeles Angels before the 2014 MLB All Star Game at Target Field . Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports …
(4) Los Angeles Dodgers’ manager Don Mattingly is seen here with All Star player Yasiel Puig ,left . Getty Images / Hector Gonzalez …
(5)The Los Angeles Dodgers’ Matt Kemp chats with Magic Johnson before Game 2 of the 2013 National League Division Series in Atlanta. With almost one-quarter of a billion dollars ($250,000,000) invested in the team’s payroll for the 2014 season, Johnson hopes the fortunes of the Dodgers will be far more fruitful than during the 2013 MLB postseason. Getty Images / Christina Martin ….
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That’s a slight of hand trick , I definitely like !
One more reason to love Scarlett Johansson
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Tophatal's Blog 
Now that the NBA season and Playoffs are over , let’s get back to serious business of baseball and not deal with an @ss wipe such as LeBron James .
“It was my decision to leave and in two years when my contract is up I’ll be moving on again , even if we don’t win a title ” . LeBron James
At this point last season the standings in baseball , divisional and wildcard looked like this . News’ stories evolving were as follows . Today’s standings in the divisions and wildcard standings .
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Are her cups half-empty or half-full ?
tophatal ……………
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MLB results 18th July , 2014
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So the Yanks have lost Tanaka and now Sabathia for the season?
I’m not sure I recall a season when the AL East was this atrocious.
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Chris Humpherys (SportsChump)
Not only is the AL East truly bad but I believe to be an affront with the divisional winner there , actually avoiding a bye in terms of the wildcard round of the postseason ! And to top it all, was the idiocy of claims that the Rays’ rotation was the best in baseball altogether . What was that premise based on, when in reality the form of the rotation was not that impressive when you look at their record and the results last season .
Clearly idiots are giving their prognosis without knowing what the f#ck they are talking about .
tophatal ……………..
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MLB schedule 19th July and probable starters
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tophatal …………
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Other than Masahiro Tanaka , the Yankees’ pitching this season has truly been dire . No way in hell the team is actually capable of winning the AL Pennant , much less a wildcard berth or the AL East .
MLB injuries’ list
New York Yankees’ DL
tophatal ………..
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I am hoping the Pirates at least get into theplayoffs.
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Al Clements
Consistency seems to be lacking with the Pirates this season and they will be hard pressed to make the playoffs by way of the division or a wildcard berth .
tophatal …………
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Chris Humpherys
With the loss of Ivan Nova , Michale Pineda , Sabathia and Tanaka , the Yankees’ season is in essence a is done . They will struggle as current rotation is simply not good enough to guide them through until the end of the season . They relied to heavily on a staff that was past its sell by date in terms of pitching with the exception of the rookie , Tanaka . In terms of the team’s offense I have not been impressed with the hitting overall .
Joe Girardi and his managerial staff will be tested as the Yankees enter the second half of the MLB season with their being so much hanging on the line . Bear in mind the organization and their fans wanted Derek Jeter to go out on a high .
Yankees starters and how they have fared this season in games .
tophatal …………..
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All of this continued horse $hit about the Astros and Royals being contenders nor developing players for the long term to be competitive . Who now actually believes in that bull$hit and can they show me the evidence bearing out those claims ? I mean it’s not as if the Houston Astros or Kansas City Royals have done anything of note in the last six years in terms of a divisional series , pennant race or the World Series much less contest within their respective divisions .
MLB Draft 2008 debuts in 2009 , 2010 , 2011 and 2012 .
Tim Beckham was the top player taken in the 2008 MLB Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays . Beckham and his career has prospered about as much as the candidacies of Mitt Romney and John McCain in their Presidential ambitions as GOP candidates .
Tim Beckham in the minors , his debut for the Rays in 2013 and somehow baseball can find something great as it relates to their developmental system at the Minor League Level ?
Beckham of the Rays .
In 2008 the Astros draft was meaningful but it has led to absolutely nothing . Likewise with the Royals and their continued quest for legitimacy within the AL .
tophatal ……..
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Tiger Woods is clearly under the misconception that he is deserving of a place on the US Ryder Cup Team this September when Team USA takes on Europe in the international team competition . Woods’ performances this season on the PGA Tour have been lackluster to say the very least .
US Team Captain Tom Watson really does need to think long and hard about Woods’ inclusion on the team because as good as the player’s Ryder Cup record appears to be , a great deal of that success came when Tiger was playing at his very best and was extremely dominant . Over the past four years he has been nowhere close to being dominant, especially in the Majors ( Masters , US Open , British Open and PGA Championship) .
Courtesy of The Boston Globe
More narcissism from someone , who has now become one of the most despised athletes in North American sports .
tophatal ……………….
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‘The measure of man is not judged by the color of his skin but in his deeds and what is in heart
” ! Quoted by Alan Parkins aka tophatal ……………… .
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Important upcoming dates including the trade deadline .
tophatal ………………
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Brad Asmus’ and the Detroit Tigers have struggled this season and now it appears their AL Cy Young winner could be lost to them for a number of weeks .
Max Scherzer turned down the Tigers’ six-year $125 million deal hoping instead test the free agency market at the end of the season . Scherzer’s agent Scott Boras cannot be entirely happy with the decision made by his client .
The Tigers are likely to win their division with ease but the knock against the team has been their recent postseason performances over the past six years .
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Tigers’ remaining schedule for the month of July
tophatal …………..
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As an avid Atlanta Braves’ fan , I have to admit I have been somewhat disappointed with the team’s play over the course of the season . Expected a great deal more from Fredi Gonzalez and his managerial staff in demanding more from the players . The team is good enough to win the division with ease but their play at this point of the season belies that very fact.
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tophatal
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The AL East has been hideous and I do not believe the team winning the division actually has a credible chance of winning the World Series title . All of the optimism of even Joe Maddon is somewhat overzealous, albeit , the Tampa Bay Rays have one of the best records in the MLB over their last ten games have gone seven and three (7-3). They still remain firmly rooted at the bottom of the AL East and 6 1/2 games out of a wildcard berth within the AL . A decision will have to be made by Joe Maddon , his managerial staff and by GM Andrew Friedman on whether or not they should consider trading their 2012 Cy Young Award winning pitcher David Price .
The player (Price) was retained up to this point, with the hope the team would be competing for the divisional crown, but their play has been far too inconsistent for them to be seen as a likely winner of the division much less gaining one of the two available wildcard berths .
” Thanks Dave , but you’re now the weakest link ” Joe Maddon and David Price .
Tampa Bay Rays’ free agents
Tampa Bay Rays’ team payroll (2014)
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The Boston Red Sox as the defending World Series champions are having a horrific season . I certainly did not expect the team to be performing so poorly on all fronts in comparison to their divisional rivals and within the AL altogether . It is unlikely they will be able to make the postseason by claiming one of the two wildcard berths within the American League .
John Farrell , his managerial staff as well as the front office have to be extremely unhappy with the play of the team over the course of this season .
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tophatal …………..
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Another poor showing by a number of teams yesterday as they sought to make their presence felt in the divisional and wildcard races in baseball .
tophatal …
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The Orioles just got through a tough ten game road stretch out west, where the team finished 6-4, and blew two games late and could have been easily gone 8-2. Not bad for a team that is still missing a clear ace and is desperately looking to find one without sacrificing its future – which is borderline impossible.
Speaking of aces the Rays are on fire and I think they should hold onto David Price. Wait for a mutiny if he gets moved.
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KP/ thewifehatessports
What I like about the Baltimore Orioles is the grittiness shown by Buck Showalter and his managerial staff ! He has the players playing hard and it shows in recent run as you state . Were it not for a few missteps the recent ten game streak would have been far more impressive.
I don’t believe that the Toronto Blue Jays have enough in the tank over the remainder of the season to challenge the Orioles much less win the AL East . A wildcard berth might be their best bet , but even that is going to be hard to come by given the standings in the AL .
The Tampa Bay Rays have lived and died by their pitching over the last five years and it has taken its toll on the organization. If they fail in gaining an AL wildcard berth then this off-season they have to do the right thing and not resign David Price . He has been a great member of this organization but even you and I know the Rays simply haven’t the means to pay this guy anywhere near market value by way of a contract or even annual salary exceeding $15-$18 million a year . I hear all of this buffoonery from the likes of SportsChump forever the Rays’ apologist and opportunist , but even he has no real idea what he is talking about concerning the team.
tophatal ………………
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