Week One part 1
(March 31st – April 3rd)
“Whew! It’s Opening Weekend”
New York Mets
(0 – 0)
Game 1: Mets @ Marlins on Friday April 1st at 7:10pm
Mike Pelfery (15-9 3.66ERA) vs. Josh Johnson (11-6 2.30ERA)
Game 2: Mets @ Marlins on Saturday April 2nd at 7:10pm
J. Niese (9-10 4.20ERA) vs. Javier Vazquez (10-10 5.32ERA)
Game 3: Mets @ Marlins on Sunday April 3rd at 1:10pm
R.A. Dickey (11-9 2.84ERA) vs. Rickey Nolasco (14-9 4.51ERA)
Projected Lineups
METS MARLINS
1. Jose Reyes SS 1. Chris Coghlan CF
2. Angel Pegan CF 2. Omar Infante 2B
3. David Wright 3B 3. Hanley Ramirez SS
4. Carlos Beltran RF 4. Mike Stanton RF
5. Jason Bay LF 5. Gaby Sanchez 1B
6. Ike Davis 1B 6. Logan Morrison LF
7. Josh Thole C 7. John Buck C
8. Brad Emaus 2B 8. Matt Dominguez 3B
Beltran could be ready to play, if not it really won’t surprise any Met fan at the start off the season. One trend here, by looking at the predicted starting pitchers and lineups of both teams, I feel the Mets will continuously look much better on offense then their pitching match-ups throughout the season.
Game One will be tough for the Mets to get base runners at a regular because not only is Josh Johnson a force on the mound, but he plays real well against the Amazin’s posting a (7 – 1 record with a 2.74 ERA) lifetime against the Mets. With that said he is also use to going up against Johan Santana the past couple of years, but no no no my friend…Big Pelf is the Mets stand-in #1 this year.
Game Two will be very interesting to see if Javier Vazquez can bounce back from an up and down, but mostly down season with the team across the bridge. He was lights out for Atlanta two years ago, but can and will give up home runs if he gives up anything at all. It’ll be like a two for one deal, get a hit and add a run all at the same time. Mr. Niese will have some proving to do this year being a part of the five man rotation from the beginning and a good start will obviously hold off any question marks to be blurted out so early in the season.
Game Three might be the best match-up of all three games. Dickey vs. Ricky, oh I had to say it. Of course, this dynamic of a hilarious matchup will change if Terry Collins decides to put R.A. Dickey in the 2 spot of the rotation, but let’s all hope not…oh and if this pitching match-up does occur and Keith Hernandez doesn’t have fun with Dickey verses Ricky from the SNY booth I’ll be utterly disappointed. Mets have the upper hand here if R.A. is for real and not just blowing smoke up every New Yorkers ass.
I think the Mets will have a tough time in game one against Johnson, especially if they go quietly in the first few innings. Josh is not known for going well over 100 pitches a game and the fact that its game one I’ll bet the pitch count is stricter than strict. Pelfery is going to struggle and it doesn’t look good after day one. However, the Mets offense will greet 2011 in games 2 and 3 by putting up some runs and most importantly letting Terry Collins round out and straighten out the batting order. There is a ton of talent in the Mets lineup they just need to be patient, hit line drives and master the “small ball” aspect of the game. Step one: get their first traveling series win over quickly facing a Florida team who has a weaker lineup and an over-all mediocre young looking club. It’s always important to start the season out on the right foot because the Mets will be flying to Philadelphia for a four game series starting on Tuesday and as we all know the opposing pitching will only get tougher.
(2 – 1 after the three game series in Florida)
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New York Yankees
(0 -0)
Game 1: Tigers @ Yankees on Thursday March 31st at 1:00pm
Justin Verlander (18-9 3.37ERA) vs. C.C. Sabathia (21-7 3.18ERA)
Game 2: Tigers @ Yankees on Saturday April 2nd at 4:10pm
Max Scherzer (12-11 3.50ERA) vs. A.J. Burnett (10-15 5.26ERA)
Game 3: Tigers @ Yankees on Sunday April 3rd at 1:10pm
B. Penny (3-4 3.23ERA)/Rick Porcello (10-12 4.92ERA) vs. Phil Hughes (18-8 4.19ERA)
Projected Lineups
TIGERS YANKEES
1. Austin Jackson CF 1. Brett Gardner LF/CF
2. Ryan Raburn LF 2. Derek Jeter SS
3. Magglio Ordonez RF 3. Mark Teixeria 1B
4. Miguel Cabrera 1B 4. Alex Rodriguez 3B
5. Victor Martinez DH 5. Robinson Cano 2B
6. Jhonny Peralta SS 6. Nick Swisher RF
7. Will Rhymes/Scott Sizemore 2B 7. Jorge Posada DH
8. Brandon Inge 3B 8. Curtis Granderson CF (A. Jones)
9. Alex Avila C 9. Russell Martin C
Can anyone really look at this Yankee lineup and tell me where the hole is? It’s an absolutely ridiculous top to bottom order of danger at every at bat. Regardless of what Yankee comes out of the dugout, doing the usual slow walk up to the batter’s box, there is the potential of the opposing starter having immediate problems in the inning. All you heard in the off season in the New York area was Bernie Madoff when gossiping about the Mets and oh woe-is-me in the pitching situation for the Yankees. Well, let’s sit back, look up a few lines on this computer screen and go over the Bronx Bombers batters 1 thru 9 again…do it…I’ll wait…
Now, where do you see worry? This team will be an offensive powerhouse eighty percent of the time, leaving in a few spoiled moments for your yearly draught/slump from players here or there. It’s a long season and shit happens. To have the Grandy-man batting 8th (hopefully if feeling healthy) with power and speed and have Russell Martin as your 9th batter is unheard of. We seem to forget Martin was batting in the 3rd or 6th slot for most of his time in LA and won a Silver Slugger award during that stint in Hollywood. I mean just look at the bottom four for Detroit. Apples and oranges my friends…apples and oranges. Plus to be quite honest, I like the top three in the Yankees rotation, I’ve said it before.
Game One will be a fantastic season opener for Yankee fans and ESPN. Two big teams with plenty of playoff potential, multiple on each squad and a pitching matchup that should make you feel the intensity like its August instead of April…well March really. The only problem is that C.C. is known to have a bit of a slow start and I hope that doesn’t dwindle any spirits in the stands at the home opener in the Bronx.
Game Two has another good matchup in my eyes with the young strikeout pitcher Max Scherzer going for Detroit and "the return” of A.J. Burnett. I placed quotations around (the return) because I think he will pitch much better than his disastrous 2010 campaign. He will gain four more victories at the least and I think Yankee fans will enjoy a 14 win season. Just do yourself a favor while you’re watching him Saturday and you see A.J. getting a little wild and lose around the strike zone early in the game stare at your TV and repeat…settle down big boy…find your happy place…like a tattoo artist’s chair. And he’ll be all right.
Game Three should be Phil Hughes’ game to win or lose. Not to put down whoever starts for Detroit whether it is Penny or Porcello, but it’s game three…a Sunday afternoon and the beginning of Phil’s walk into Yankees history. I think he’ll be here for a while. He was real reputable last year in his first full year. Yeah, he slowed down towards the end of the season, but that’s expected from any one pitching over 176 innings for the first time in his career. He’s fresh, he’s healthy, his ball moves a ton no matter what pitch he throws and I think he improves mightily in 2011 while gaining more experience. The only bashing I can make for this guy is that the game is in Yankee Stadium where he went (11 – 4 record with a 4.66 ERA) last season. (Really not as bad as all the papers made it sound last year.) Two responses to that…Detroit will put up runs, it’s just how many? And two, the past is the past…possibly.
I see the Yankees trying to kick start the AL East race with a bang out of the box. If that offense begins to roll and the fans spit there love early and beastly to let the multi-million dollar players know that this needs to be a better year than last year (as the Bleacher Creatures always do) then I see nothing but good things this opening weekend. I would like to give the Yankees all three because I really feel a blunt-type start from them sending a message to Boston quickly, but to be safe I give one game to Miguel,…I mean Leyland, oh damn…Detroit.
(2 -1 after the home opener series)
TRADE UPDATE: The Yankees traded Sergio Mitre to Milwaukee for Chris Dickerson, leaving an open spot in the Yankee’s bullpen. Bartolo Colon will now start the season in the bullpen and Freddy Garcia will win that #5 spot in the rotation like the Doctor prescribed.
Living in a Fantasy 1-2-3:
- Who (will) kill it? NL - 1. Obviously, Albert Pujols is the definition of this category and will be seen here quite a bit throughout the season. 2. Roy Halladay is of course a two start pitcher this week and as of March 22 he’s posted a 0.45 ERA in spring training. 3. Jason Hayward started off his rookie season by showing the country the “pop” on his bat was no farce writing by journalists vacationing at spring training last season…he will now open up his sophomore season with more. AL - 1. Alex Rodriguez, which if he turns into a major bust this year I’m considering myself a failure, so Go Get’um A-Rod! Everyone, including myself said he had a quiet year last year mainly focusing in on his lower than normal .270 AVG which in the long run is not too shabby. He also posted 30HRs and 125 RBI’s, come to think of it not too quiet Alex just not Babe Ruth enough I guess. 2. Jon Lester is another two start pitcher in this gigantic first week of baseball and anytime this guy is pitching there are people striking out. 3. I had to give the third slot to Manny Ramirez/Jake Peavy. Manny will do big things in a quiet town because pitchers will still walk him before throwing strikes. Manny knows how to make contact and everyone seemed to forget about him on draft day because of his DH status. Jake Peavy was another forgotten soul on Draft day until the late, late rounds because of his problems with injury. Understandable from any perspective. This year he should be a solid #3 starter over in Chi-town and if he makes his scheduled starts opening week I think the numbers will be worthy.
- Who (will) thrill it? AL – If last year has any indication on this year I was told by a colleague that Oakland A’s manager Bob Geren reveres the way of speedsters on the base paths...or is Billy Bean the one who finally said to start running. The A’s should aggressively scurry around the base path constantly keeping the opposing defense in Seattle on their toes. Coco Crisp could be a boneafied sleeper and Cliff Pennington is quick. As situation has it these young guys need to get on base frequently and have the want of the famous racecar driver Ricky Bobby…to wanna go fast. NL - Let’s just do it, just to see how it goes…The Phillies will be playing the lowly Houston Astros on opening weekend at home and the new and improved starting 5 for that cracked bell city might shut them down completely. To see Roy Halladay open the season then get a look at the new comer/former teammate Cliff Lee pitch on day two and have that followed by either Roy Oswalt or dare I say the best #4 starter in the majors right now Cole Hamels you got yourself some old-fashioned “must-see-TV” if you’re a baseball fan.
- Who’s on Deck? This section will work better when you see what players are starting to heat up on the horizon and ready to break out. Be careful what you wish for, but the only thing on deck for me is tickets to a Houston/Mets game in April and my favorite headache a Pirate/Mets game in May. Can’t afford the 35 dollar parking in the Bronx so I’ll just stay local and trek up the Grand Central Pkwy to witness first hand of how the Mets approach this season. Parking at Citi Field I’m sure will be at least 20 bucks, but me and my lady tend to save money by bringing in our own hero sandwiches. Plus I scored the two tickets on Stubhub for 70 bucks, 4 tickets two games…beat that Mr. Steinbrenner*.
Adam Hammer’s Loose Lips
- “It looks like Bartolo Colon will win a spot in the Yankees rotation. And no, I'm not going to make a fat joke, that is way too low class. I'm going to make a lazy eye joke, here it is:
Bartolo Colon's eye is so lazy, if it were a person, it would be as fat as Bartolo Colon!”
- “Unlike the police in the Jon Benet Ramsey case, we are about to close out Spring Training. The grueling 4 hour workouts, the agonizing 3PM tee times, tube after tube of sun screen, it's all coming to an end. Players will soon be flying to their first series, but not the Phillies. They will have to take ambulances back to Philly.”
Best Series you Missed – Obviously none yet my friends, unless you count the battle between my mind and my fingers as I wrote my silly-ass predictions last week. Now that was a series of disasters. It sure wasn’t a baseball series in the definition of a three or four game matchup, but I sure did battle with my thoughts.
Best Series for you to Catch – I won’t always provide you with two possible gems in the baseball world, but since there were no series last week to miss, I’ll start you out with two.
SERIES 1: The 2010 World Champion S.F. Giants start out away this year. Sad, but nonetheless makes their first series even more enticing to watch. They travel to the city of angels to face the L.A. Dodgers. This is a classic rivalry and great pitching matchups to start off a season with an extra game in it to make it a four game series. What these two teams were going to do was play one game in SF (I guess to raise the banner and accept the rings) celebrate last season in front of their arch-nemesis’ and then travel down to LA for the rest of the three games. I don’t know who decided that this idea was as well thought out as Kate Gosling’s idea of having a million children, dumping her sperm donor husband and then realizing she liked fame better then family all along. So, as it should be all four games will be played in Dodger town and should be a solid opening series for viewers. Probable for the Giants is Lincecum, Sanchez and Cain facing the Dodgers Kershaw, Billingsley and Lilly.
SERIES 2: Staying in the National League another great division matchup is Cincinnati vs. Milwaukee. Both teams have young talent and I picked both to be on top of the NL Central come late September. The ball in known to fly out of Great American Ballpark repeatedly and both squads have power hitters that will put on a show and beef up their stats early in this three game series to open up 2011. Braun, Fielder and Hart should smack a few, while reigning NL MVP Joey Votto will try and counter punch with Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips as well. The only thing missing from this series will be two good pitchers from each side in Johnny Cueto for the Reds most likely sitting out to soreness in his pitching arm and Zack Greinke on the Brew-Crew taking an early seat because of a slightly cracked rib. Whatever that means… still with all that said the series should be electrifying with one team trying to make a statement early on. First game is Thursday the 31st with Yovani Gallardo probable for the start against I would think Edinson Volquez coming back for what hopes to be his first full year pitching since coming over from Texas in the Josh Hamilton trade a few years back. They have an off day Friday night then back for two Saturday and Sunday with the likes of 17 game winner Bronson Arroyo and Travis Wood for Cincinnati taking on the newly acquired Shawn Marcum (if healthy) and Randy Wolf.
And now for your reading pleasure…
***
The Future; According to the Late-Great George Carlin
- “All people will speak the same language, but no one will speak it well”
NEXT WEEK
Monday April 4th
(Week One part 2)
“Opening Week (the extended version)”
: Thank you all for lending your eyes and minds, and enjoy the first weekend of the 2011 baseball season.
Last Quip by Doctor KAS - “Gas prices will thrive this summer surpassing 4 bucks a gallon. When can we stop caring about the hippies and far, far left-wing lunatics and start drilling in Alaska? It’s safe, its local money, and oh wait…maybe it’ll help us leave the Middle East and the 3 wars we are currently fighting. The day will never exist when America starts caring about Americans first.”
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