Hello,
On Monday LA beat New York 4-2 in the first game of their 3 game series.
The Dodgers have 2 games left until they get a day off finally. Even in the era of private air flight, nice comfortable clubhouses etc. playing 26 games in 27 days is still a lot to ask of a team. LA looks to be able to emerge from this run with quite a bit of momentum, although I'm sure they'll be glad for the day off.
LA plays the New York Mets for 2 more games. The first game in that series was Monday, LA won 4-2 and continue their extremely hot streak. LA has won 6 straight games and 9 of their last 10 games. Adrian Gonzalez was 3 for 4 as he continues his season long flirtation to hit .300, Gonzalez is hitting .297 as of Monday. Ricky Nolasco did just enough so that he could get the win. In 6.1 innings pitched Nolasco allowed 7 hits, 2 runs and 2 walks. He improved his overall record to 9-9 and lowered his ERA to 3.62. Kenley Jansen came in and closed down the Mets at the end of the game. He pitched 1.1 innings, throwing 3 strikeouts and decreasing his ERA to 1.96. That was his 18th save of the season.
LA is 68-50 and has a 96.5% chance of reaching the playoffs. However the Diamondbacks also won, they beat the Orioles 7-6. Arizona's victory was in spite of Chris Davis' 43rd home run of the season. Anyway the Diamondbacks remain 7.5 games behind LA, they are 60-57 and have a 17.6% chance of reaching the playoffs. In other words it ain't going to happen.
Along with Davis hitting 43 homers, he also has 110 RBIs and is hitting exactly .300. Meanwhile the Orioles are still within striking range of the Red Sox to finish first in the AL East. However a hot streak very soon would certainly help the Orioles make the playoffs. Currently the Orioles are 65-53 and have a 39.4% chance of reaching the playoffs. They're third place in the AL East, 5 games behind the Red Sox. Baltimore trails second place Tampa by 2 games, the Rays have lost 5 games in a row. Neither Tampa or Boston played on Monday.
I'm enjoying this Dodgers run a lot, for some reason I can't shake the feeling the bottom will eventually drop out. Perhaps that won't happen and I'm just being a pessimist. I really do hope this feeling is wrong as I would love for one of my teams to win the World Series. Go Dodgers!
After the Braves won 14 straight games, they've lost 2 of their last 3 games. After this recent "struggle", their chances to reach the playoffs have dropped all the way from 99.9% to 99.9%. In other words the Braves continue to coast to the NL East title. I don't think they need to be nervous of the second place Nationals, even though the Nationals have won 3 straight games. Washington is still below .500 and trail Atlanta by 14 games.
Miguel Cabrera continues his attempt to win his second consecutive triple crown, a feat that defies all logic and history. Yesterday was his 4th straight game with a home run, the second time this season he's done that. Cabrera is 9 homers ahead of his last season's triple crown winning pace. He leads all of MLB with a .366 batting average and is hitting .28 points better than second place Christ Johnson. In RBIs Cabrera has 111, he's leading Davis by 1 RBI. The only triple crown stat that Cabrera doesn't lead all of MLB in is home runs. Davis has 43 homers and Cabrera has 37 homers. Would anyone disagree that Cabrera is the best hitter of his generation?
Meanwhile Alex Rodriguez continues his poor imitation of King Midas, who everything he touched turned into gold. However everything Rodriguez touches he tarnishes. I was very irritated when I read that Rodriguez was getting close to tying the great Willie Mays in number of career home runs. But I also wanted to learn more about Willie Mays the person and the player. I found a great quote in James S Hirsh's biography of Mays "Willie Mays The Life, The Legend". this is a quote I predict no one will ever say about Rodriguez.
About Mays, Hirsh wrote "No one ever doubted Willie Mays. He not only played the game as well as anyone who's ever taken the field but he also played it the right way. He is now revered for capturing the joy and innocence of a bygone era, a transcendent figure who is compared to the most important men in American history. In the presidential campaign of 2008, Barack Obama emphasized his biracial appeal by pairing John F. Kennedy with Martin Luther King Jr.; Abraham Lincoln with Willie Mays".
Further sportswriter Jim Murray said of Mays, "The first thing to establish about Willie Mays is that there really is one."
themusicaddict
No comments:
Post a Comment