60 Feet, 6 Inches

Today's pitching matchups: April 13

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 11:00:16 -0400

Here are two games that I’ll be keeping an eye on

Best matchup: Rays LHP David Price (1-0, 2.84) vs. Red Sox RHP Josh Beckett (0-1, 13.50), 2:05 p.m. ET

Price is coming off a win over the Yankees and has always pitched well against AL East foes. Beckett is hoping to rebound from a shellacking (five homers) by the Tigers last weekend.

A’s RHP Bartolo Colon (1-1, 5.84) vs. Mariners RHP Felix Hernandez (1-0, 4.40), 10:10 p.m. ET

This is an odd one because both starters are making their third starts of the year … and all three starts have come against the other team. It’s fairly common for a pitcher to face the same opponent in back-to-back starts, but two starters in the same game facing the same opponents for the third straight start is very rare.

Source: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/probable_pitchers/?tcid=nav_mlb_news

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Today's pitching matchups: April 12

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:44:05 -0400

Here are two mound matchups I like today.

Best matchup: Angels RHP Dan Haren (0-1, 8.44) vs. Twins LHP Francisco Liriano (0-1, 11.25), 1:10 p.m. ET

Both are coming off rough first starts, Haren against the Royals and Liriano against the Orioles. Control in and out of the zone hurt both in their losses.

Brewers RHP Zack Greinke (1-0, 0.00) vs. Cubs RHP Matt Garza (0-0, 3.00), 2:20 p.m. ET

Greinke is coming off a strong first start, but struggled on the road last season. Garza had a lead when he left his start, but the bullpen couldn’t finish the job.

Source: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/probable_pitchers/?tcid=nav_mlb_news

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Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:25:33 -0400

Today's pitching matchups: Wednesday, April 11

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:33:38 -0400

Here are two matchups I like today.

Best matchup: Red Sox LHP Jon Lester (0-0, 1.29) vs. Blue Jays LHP Ricky Romero (0-0, 7.20), 12:37 p.m. ET

I love watching these two lefties pitch. Lester is coming off a strong start (7 IP, 1 run) against Detroit on Opening Day. Romero had one bad inning against the Indians in his first start.

Nationals RHP Stephen Strasburg (0-0, 1.29) vs. Mets LHP Johan Santana (0-0, 0.00), 1:10 p.m. ET

I’m a Mets fan, so of course this makes my list. Strasburg looked strong in his first start while Santana was very strong in his return from shoulder surgery that cost him all of 2011.

Source: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/probable_pitchers/?tcid=nav_mlb_news

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Today's pitching matchups: Tuesday, April 10

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 10:54:24 -0400

Two pitching matchups I like today …

Best matchup: Rays LHP Matt Moore (1-0, 2.89 in 2011) vs. Tigers RHP Rick Porcello (14-9, 4.75), 1:05 p.m. ET

Moore was all the talk in the ALDS last year when he threw a gem for the Rays’ only postseason gem. Porcello enters his fourth Major League season at the age of 23 and already has 38 career wins.

Diamondbacks RHP Trevor Cahill (12-14, 4.16 in 2011 with Oakland) vs. Padres RHP Edison Volquez (0-1, 3.60), 10:05 p.m. ET

Cahill makes his first start after being traded to Arizona for pitching prospect Jarrod Parker. Volquez starts for the second time with San Diego since being part of a deal that sent Mat Latos to Cincy.

Source: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/probable_pitchers/?tcid=nav_mlb_news

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Why you should love Bubba Watson

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 20:50:07 -0400

If his tear-filled victory at the Masters today wasn’t enough, there are plenty of other reasons you should love Bubba Watson. I won’t go into all of them because every columnist with a media pass at Augusta will do that for me.

But the one thing about Bubba Watson that very few, if any, of them will write about is how engaging he was on Twitter when the social media tool first became popular in 2009 and 2010. It’s minor, which is why it won’t be written about, but it’s the main reason I became a huge fan of the guy.

He was funny, he was engaging, he interacted with fans, and most of all, he was creative. Case in point, the numerous videos he posted. I’m going to link to a few of my favorites, but you can pick any link and look through all of his videos on the left hand side of the page. They’re all there and almost every one will make you smile and/or laugh. Check ‘em out.

Trick shot from inside the house, over the pool, over the pond, scaring the bird (much like in Tin Cup): http://tweetreel.com/?9t3st
Game of horse: http://tweetreel.com/?nd44r
A chip in with the ol’ niblin on the plane: http://tweetreel.com/?nmaxm
The ol’ wooden stick plays No. 7 at Pebble Beach: http://tweetreel.com/?5ydhk
And one of my absolute favorites — some cake for the ol’ wooden stick: http://tweetreel.com/?bt16q

You’re welcome.

Today's pitching matchups: Sunday, April 8

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 09:10:00 -0400

Happy Easter. Here’s a look at two pitching matchups I like today.

Best matchup: Royals LHP Jonathan Sanchez (4-7, 4.26 in 2011) vs. Angels RHP Ervin Santana (11-12, 3.38 in 2011), 3:35 p.m. ET

Kansas City hopes Sanchez avoids the injury problems that plagued him last season and returns to his often-dominant strikeout form. Santana pitched very well last season despite the losing record, even tossing a no-hitter.

Rockies RHP Juan Nicasio (4-4, 4.14 in 2011) vs. Astros RHP Bud Norris (6-11, 3.77 in 2011), 2:05 p.m. ET

Nicasio was pitching fairly well as a rookie last season before a line drive to the head resulted in a broken neck and the end of his season. Norris pitched well at times last year, but didn’t have the wins to show for it.

Source: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/probable_pitchers/?tcid=nav_mlb_news

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Today's pitching matchups -- Saturday, April 7

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 06:32:00 -0400

Rough day for Yankees fans last night with Mo hanging sliders at 89 mph. And not a good sign for the Giants with Tim Lincecum getting hit hard and his fastball topping around 92. Add in that he’s scrapped his slider right now to protect his elbow, and his health has to be a bit of a concern.

Also, if you haven’t seen the home run by A’s Cuban slugger Yoenis Cespedes last night, check it out here. You may have to scroll through the videos at the bottom to get to it.

OK, on to a couple of pitching matchups to watch …

Best matchup: Cardinals RHP Adam Wainwright (DNP in 2011) vs. Brewers RHP Zack Greinke (16-6, 3.83 in 2011), 4:05 p.m. ET

Wainwright returns after Tommy John surgery kept him out all of last year. He won 50 games from 2008-2010. Greinke won 16 of his 28 starts last year while striking out 10.5 per nine innings.

Red Sox RHP Josh Beckett (13-7, 2.89 in 2011) vs. Tigers RHP Doug Fister (11-13, 2.83 in 2011), 4:05 p.m. ET

Beckett takes his balky thumb to the mound against the powerful Tigers offense. Fister has allowed just 20 homers in 71 career games. My money’s on the Tigers here.

Also, watch 49-year-old Jamie Moyer when he starts for the Rockies against the Astros tonight at 7:05 p.m. ET.

Source: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/probable_pitchers/?tcid=nav_mlb_news

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Today's pitching matchups

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 17:25:29 -0400

Yesterday was a pretty good pitching day, with gems from Halladay, Cueto, Strasburg and others. Hopefully today brings more of the same. Here are my two favorite matchups.

Best matchup: Yankees LHP C.C. Sabathia (19-8, 3.00 in 2011) vs. Rays RHP James Shields (16-12, 2.82 in 2011), 3:10 p.m. ET

Sabathia continues to be a rock for the Yankees despite lacking the accolades. He leads the majors in wins over the past five seasons on a team that’s struggled to fill out the rotation after him. Shields was great last season and easily could’ve won 20 games.

Giants RHP Tim Lincecum (13-14, 2.74 in 2011) vs. Diamondbacks RHP Ian Kennedy (21-4, 2.88 in 2011), 7:10 p.m. ET

Lincecum had an odd 2011, struggling at times while dominating at others. Kennedy enjoyed a breakout year, fulfilling the promise that made him a top prospect in the Yankees organization along with Phil Hughes just a few years ago.

Source: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/probable_pitchers/?tcid=nav_mlb_news

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sportspage: ilovecharts: Opening Day! Who would have ever...

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 10:59:03 -0400

sportspage:

ilovecharts:

Opening Day!

Who would have ever have guessed that the Mets were the highest percentage on opening day? That should be their slogan, “Opening Day, the day the Mets are champion”, which slightly beats out “Opening day, it’s all down hill from here”.

Today's pitching matchups

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 07:55:00 -0400

Well, I ripped Kyle Lohse yesterday and he went out and threw an absolute gem. So I’ll save the editorial comments today and just give you my favorite pitching matchups for the day.

Best matchup: Red Sox LHP Jon Lester (15-9, 3.47 in 2011) vs. Tigers RHP Justin Verlander (24-5, 2.40 in 2011), 1:10 p.m. ET

Lester is about the only constant in a very volatile Red Sox pitching staff. They need him to be good. Verlander is the AL’s best pitcher right now and has a powerful lineup behind him.

Nationals RHP Stephen Strasburg (1-1, 1.50 in 2011) vs. Cubs RHP Ryan Dempster (10-14, 4.80 in 2011), 2:20 p.m.

Strasburg’s starts are always a show. Add in that it’s Opening Day and the Nats are a trendy playoff pick and there’s plenty of excitement in D.C. Dempster has been a steady innings eater the last four years, but he had an ERA over nine in April last season.

Source: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/probable_pitchers/?tcid=nav_mlb_news

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It's the season opener! ... And we get Kyle Lohse??

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 09:39:38 -0400

Tonight is the season-opening game for Major League baseball, at least on American soil. We get the new-look Miami Marlins in their brand new ballpark against the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals. So we would expect a great pitching matchup, right? Wrong, sort of.

Yes, Josh Johnson will throw the first pitch of the game for Miami, making his third straight Opening Day start. He is a bit of a question mark after shoulder trouble limited him to nine starts last year, but he’s still a bona fide Opening Day ace.

On the other hand, St. Louis starts Kyle Lohse. Yeah, he went 14-8 with a 3.39 ERA last season, but is he really anything more than an average No. 3 starter? After all, he has a career record of 102-106 with an ERA of 4.64.

There will be much better matchups than this tomorrow. Count on it.

Photo

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 22:29:27 -0400

Pitching coach CRUSHES his pitching staff This is the absolute...

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:39:00 -0400

Pitching coach CRUSHES his pitching staff

This is the absolute greatest video I’ve ever seen. Unfortunately, that’s because I know exactly how he feels.

Because we all know Bobby Hurley is the true crying Dookie

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:11:00 -0400

Thomas Hill wasn’t actually crying when CBS cameras caught him on the sidelines after Christian Laettner’s shocking (and stopwatch-defying) shot to beat Kentucky in 1992. Deadspin has the full story here.

Here's what happens when a high school girls' soccer game goes wrong

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 09:59:37 -0400

Apparently this high school girls’ soccer game in South Carolina went from seemingly innocent mid-season match to a teenaged version of Fight Club. Check it out.

http://deadspin.com/5897742/

stadium-love-: Pittsburgh, PA by Kurt Miller PNC Park: Home of...

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:05:51 -0400

stadium-love-:

Pittsburgh, PA by Kurt Miller

PNC Park: Home of the Pittsburgh Pirates

nevver: Calvin and Hobbes

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 08:13:35 -0400

nevver:

Calvin and Hobbes

Joba's ankle -- not a pretty sight

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 10:39:44 -0400

Looks like the Yankees may have lost Joba Chamberlain for the season after he suffered an open dislocation of his ankle while playing with his son yesterday. Yes, an open dislocation is exactly what you think it is — similar to a compound fracture. Bone sticking through the skin, all that not-so-good stuff.

According to my buddy Chad Jennings at The Journal News, Chamberlain is still in the hospital this morning. Here’s Chad’s preliminary story — http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2012/03/23/chamberlain-hospitalized-with-ankle-injury/

60 Feet, 6 Inches

Today's pitching matchups: April 13

Today's pitching matchups: April 12

Photo

Today's pitching matchups: Wednesday, April 11

Today's pitching matchups: Tuesday, April 10

More Bubba Watson video comedy! Not sure how I’d never...

Why you should love Bubba Watson

Today's pitching matchups: Sunday, April 8

Today's pitching matchups -- Saturday, April 7

Today's pitching matchups

sportspage: ilovecharts: Opening Day! Who would have ever...

Today's pitching matchups

It's the season opener! ... And we get Kyle Lohse??

Photo

Pitching coach CRUSHES his pitching staff This is the absolute...

Because we all know Bobby Hurley is the true crying Dookie

Here's what happens when a high school girls' soccer game goes wrong

stadium-love-: Pittsburgh, PA by Kurt Miller PNC Park: Home of...

nevver: Calvin and Hobbes

Joba's ankle -- not a pretty sight