Friday

Posted: June 10, 2016 by Sports Time Radio in baseball, fantasy, post season, sports, Sports Time Radio
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The Cubs are entering game 4 of their 9 game road trip taking on the NL East in Atlanta.  Jason Hammel is looking for his 8th win of the season while the Braves starter Bud Norris is looking to not get his 8th loss of the season.  He starts the game off by striking out the first two batters of the game and a flyout ends the top half of the 1st.  Hammel follows in suit but only getting one strikeout.  Ben Zobrist leads off the 2cd with a single followed by Miguel Montero’s single.  Javier Baez sends a ground ball to short to second to first for a double play.  Russell ends the inning by striking out.  Hammel would get the first out of the bottom half of the second with Nick Markakis’s fly ball into foul territory.  However, he gives up back to back solo home runs to Adonis Garcia and Tyler Flowers.  He does give up singles to Bud Norris and Mallex Smith but gets out of the inning.  Braves up 2-0.

Albert Almora, Jr leads off the top of third with his first double of his career and a wild pitch would push him to third.  Dexter Fowler would ground out to second that scores Almora.  Heyward ends the inning with a ground out.  Chase d’Arnaud reaches on a fielding error by Russell and steals second base.  Hammel would give up one more hit to Adonis Garcia but gets out of the inning striking out Tyler Flowers.  Cubs 1 – Braves 2.

Bud Norris makes the top of the 4ht a 1-2-3 inning.  Jason Hammel hits Jace Peterson who moves to 2cd on Norris’s sac bunt.  Mallex Smith singles pushing Jace to third who then scores on Ender Inciarte’s sac fly to left.  Mallex Smith gets caught trying to advance to second to end the inning.  Cubs 1, Braves 3.  Both men would have easy 1-2-3 innings.  Norris would give up a double to Fowler in the 6th but that would be all the action for the Cubs.  Jason Hamel would give up two singles in the bottom half but after two outs, Maddon would have seen enough and bring Travis Wood into the game to end the inning.  Bud Norris continues with another 1-2-3 inning in the seventh.  Wood would get into to enough trouble putting two men on but with two outs, Maddon  brings in Adam Warren who loads the bases but gets out of the inning.  Jim Johnson replaces Norris for yet another 1-2-3 inning on the Cubs.

Justin Grimm enters the bottom of the 8th loading the bases with two singles and a walk.  Clayton Richard enters the game gives up a single to Inciarte adding to the Braves lead.  Richard old strikeout d’Arnaud but gives up a sac fly to Freddie Freeman but Nick Markakis ends the inning with a ground out.  Cubs 1, Braves 5.  Former Cub, Aroydis Vizcaino comes to close the game and get a win for the Braves and he does so, getting Fowler to ground out and then striking out both Heyward and Bryant to end the game.  This was not the pretties of the Cubs losses this season but that’s why there’s 162 games plus Rizzo is out with some back issues.  The Cubs may have a rough trip East but I wouldn’t worry until after the All Star break.  Go Cubs Go!

@DanZeeeMan

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Lackey Lucky 7

Posted: June 8, 2016 by Sports Time Radio in sports
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The three game series in the city of brotherly love wrapped up this afternoon with John Lackey taking on former Astro Vince Velasquez.   Vince would get Dexter Fowler to fly out deep to right field for the first out of the game but would leave he game due to a bicep injury.  Brett Oberholtzer enters the game and gets the next two batters out.  Lackey doesn’t start off that smoothly giving up back to back singles to Odubel Herrera and Cesar Hernandez.  With an on first and third, Freddy Galvis sends one to Albert Almora on his first day starting for the out, throwing Herrera out at home scored as 7-2 double play.  Lackey gets Maikel Franco to fly out to end the first.  Both men would have a quick second inning with Lackey giving up the only hit of the inning.

Montero leads off the 3rd with a single to center and moves to third when Baez does the same.  Lackey steps in the box and sends a sharp ground ball right to second baseman Hernandez who immediately throws home to catch Montero trying to score for the first out of the inning.  Fowler comes up to bat with two men on but grounds into a 4-3 double play.  Lackey gets his first 1-2-3 inning of the game.

Brett starts the fourth inning by walking Jason Heyward but with Bryant lining out, Rizzo grounds into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.  Lackey continues into the fourth retiring six consecutive batters.  Ben Zobrist leads off the fifth with a leadoff single to center.  Almora flys out but Montero reaches on an error by the pitcher.  Baez sends a single to left scoring Zo for the first run of the game.  Andrew Bailey enters the game for the Phillies striking out Lackey then getting Fowler to ground out to end the inning.  Lackey takes it to nine consecutive batters to close the fifth inning out.  Heyward leads off the sixth with a single to right and then scores on Kris Bryant’s 14th home run of the season.  Rizzo grounds output Zo hits his 8th home run of the season.  That would be all for the Cubs but they are up 4-0.  Lackey is now at 12 retired in a row.

Colton Murray enters the game for the Phillies giving up a double to Javier Baez but gets the next three batters out.  Lackey pushes it to 15 straight batters retired.  Bryant leads off the 8th with a single to right and scores on Rizzo’s 12th double to left field.  With one out, Almora sends one right back at the pitcher deflected by he pitcher giving Albert his first RBI of the season.  Montero gets on by a base on balls.  Colton throws a wild pitch moving both men up  base each.  Baez sends one up the middle for a two RBI single, trying to make it two, Herera throws it to Freddy Galvis who flips it to Herrera for the second out of the game.  The Cubs are up 8-0.

Pedro Strop replaces Lackey striking out the side.  Elvis Araujo enters the top of the ninth getting Fowler to ground out.  Heyward would grab a single but Bryant and Rizzo would strike out to end the inning.  Clayton Richard enters the game for the Cubs walking Tommy Joseph who ends up at second on a passed ball by Montero.  Herrera sends Joseph to third but gets the first out of the inning.  Hernandez grounds out but pushes Joseph across home for the Phillies first run of the game.  Freddy Galvis steps into the box sending a ground ball to Bryant to Rizzo to end the game.  Cubs win 8-1

@DanZeeeMan

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Let’s call it Wednesday 

Posted: June 8, 2016 by Sports Time Radio in baseball, basketball, sports, Sports Time Radio, Uncategorized
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It had to be a bit of a surprise when the Los Angeles Dodgers designated outfielder Carl Crawford for assignment. Crawford has about a year and a half left on the 7 year $142 million dollar deal he signed with the Boston Red Sox back in 2010. Los Angeles will be on the hook for about $35 million left on Crawford’s contract. The Dodgers do have a lot of outfielders and with Andre Either working his way back from injury and the fact that Howie Kendrick has been able to move to the outfield there just weren’t enough at bats to go around. The Dodgers have quite a few young outfielders as well. Enrique (Kiki) Hernandez and Joc Pedersen are 24, Yasiel Puig (who is out injured right now) and Trayce Thompson are both 25 and Scott Van Slkye is 29. While it’s fair to say that Crawford got caught in a numbers game he wasn’t really producing when he was playing. Crawford appeared in 30 games and was hitting .185. Injuries really took away the speed part of Crawford’s game. While he still was a double digit a year steals player with the Dodgers, he was nowhere close to the 60 steals a year player he was with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2009. You have to think that once Crawford clears waivers and a team can bring him in for the league minimum there will be a team or two that will be willing to take a look at him and see what he has left.

Jhonny Peralta has returned to the St. Louis Cardinals after fracturing his left thumb in spring training. Now to make room on the roster for Peralta the Cardinals sent 2nd baseman Kolten Wong to Triple-A Memphis. Wong finished 3rd in the Rookie of the Year voting in 2014 and last season hit .262 while playing in 150 games. With Wong hitting just .222 in 49 games this season and the good play of shortstop Aledmys Diaz it was Wong headed to the minors. Peralta will be asked to play 3rd base and Matt Carpenter will be moved to 2nd base. The Cardinals are 30-28 and find themselves 10 1/2 games out of 1st place.  Will Peralta’s return give the Cardinals a little bit of a jump start or are they going to be looking to make a trade to try and improve there team.

Has Jurickson Profar finally arrived? Believe it or not Profar is just 23 years old, but it seems like baseball people have been talking about him for 10 years already. The Texas Rangers signed him as an amateur free agent in 2009 and looked to be on the fast track to the majors. Profar had a brief 9 game stop at the major league level in 2012 before appearing in 85 games in 2013. As it was looking like Profar would be an everyday player for the Rangers, he lost the entire 2014 season to injury. The injury was so bad that Profar player just 12 games during the 2015 season. Finally healthy Profar started the 2016 at AAA-Round Rock and was brought up by the Rangers when Roughned Odor was suspended 8 games. Profar has appeared in 11 games for the Rangers this season and is hitting .380. Even with Odor back from suspension the Rangers found a spot for Profar in the line up by playing him at 1st base. It might make it easier for the Rangers to keep Profar at the major league level because he is a true utility player. In his short major league career Profar has played 1st base, 2nd base, Shortstop, 3rd base as well as leftfield. Texas of course is an American League team and while he wouldn’t be the prototypical guy for it Profar could be used as a DH at times. We’ll have to wait and see how the Rangers handle him.

Tonight we get Game 3 of the NBA Finals and if you’ve been listening to The Podcast, you know I just don’t care. Anyway, the Golden State Warriors won the first two games on their home court and they’ll look to take Game 3 tonight in Cleveland. Kevin  Love was hit in the back of the head during Game 2 and did not practice with the Cavaliers on Tuesday. Love is in the NBA’s concussion protocol and while no decision has been made on his availability for Game 3 the term that’s being thrown around is that the Cavaliers are “optimistic” Love will play. The Cavaliers officially listed Love as questionable for Game 3. Before Love can return to action there are several steps that the NBA requires a concussed player to complete before he returns to the court, including tests of physical exertion, agility work and non-contact team drills. Love got his concussion when Golden State’s Harrison Barnes collided with him as the two went for an offensive rebound with five minutes remaining in the second quarter Sunday. No foul was called on the play.

Is Game 3 a must win for Cleveland? Golden State is coming in on a 5 game winning streak since being down 3 games to 1 to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Golden State cruised to easy wins in the first two finals games and a lot of that had to do with the fact that the Cavaliers shot just 35.6% in those games. A return to their home court should help the Cavaliers shooting, but will that be enough to get the Cavaliers a win. Cleveland is undefeated at home in the 2016 playoffs. Don’t forget that Golden State won Game 6 in Cleveland to win the title last season. Who else from the Cavaliers needs to step up and help LeBron James out for the Cavaliers to get a win at home in Game 3. Is a healthy Kevin Love a key or do they need Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson or J.R. Smith to step up tonight. Can the Cavaliers find a way to hold down the outside shooting of Golden State. What seemed to be the downfall of Oklahoma City in there series against Golden State was they seemed to trade two-pointers for three-pointers.  Can the Cavaliers stop that from happening to them in Game 3 and get their first win in the NBA Finals?

@Burketime

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No Brotherly Love for Kyle

Posted: June 7, 2016 by Sports Time Radio in sports
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E Game two of the series in Philly has Kyle Hendricks looking for his 5th win of the season against the 25 year old right-hander from Evansville, Indiana, Jerad Eickhoff.  Eickoff would get through the first with only a single by Kris Bryant but Kyle wouldn’t be so lucky.  With two outs, he gives up a double to Freddy Galvis who scores on Maikel Franco’s single to Heyward in right.  He walks Ryan Howard but gets Tyler Goeddel to ground out to end the inning.  Cubs 0, Phillies 1.

Both men would cruise through the second and third innings each with three strikeouts a piece, but Jared would show Kyle up in the fourth with three straight strikeouts to close out the top half.  Kyle would get two strikeouts in the bottom half of the fourth but not before giving up a solo home run to Howard.  Phillies 2, Cubs 0.

The top of the fifth and Ben Zobrist would lead off with a walk and move to third on Tommy La Stella’s single to right.  Zo them scores on Miguel Montero’s ground ball to second baseman, Cesar Hernandez who throws it Howard at first then to Galvis the shortstop for the tag and an unorthodox double play.  Addison Russell grounds out to end the inning but the Cubs score 1 run.  Hendricks has a 1-2-3 fifth but is immediately taken out of the game in the top of the sixth for pinch hitter, Albert Almora for his first at bat of the season which turns out to be a ground out to third.  Jerad gets out of the inning but walks Heyward in the process.

Adam Warren enters the bottom half of the inning for a 1-2-3 sixth as does Jerad in the top of the seventh.  Warren gets the first out in the bottom half but gives up a single to Carlos Ruiz who steals second base after Jimmy Paredes strikes out and Montero tries to pick him off.  Clayton Richard enters the game and gives up an RBI single to Odubel Herrera putting the Phills up by 2.  Maddon has Hernandez intentionally walked, the brings in Justin Grimm to end the inning.  Phillies 3, Cubs 1.

Hector Neris enters the game for Eickoff, allowing a ground ball to second but Hernandez’s throwing error would make Montero safe at first.  He advances to second on Russell’s single to left.  Javier Baez would pinch hit for Grimm as Matt Szczur pinch runs for Miguel.  Baez singles to load the bases.  With bases loaded, Phillies bring in Andres Blanco enters the game allowing an unearned run on Dexter Fowler’s sac fly to left field.  The Cubs are rallying and with one out Heyward steps into the box, however, he grounds into an inning ending double play.  Cubs 2, Phillies 3.

Trevor Cahill enters the bottomsees four batters, walks one but doesn’t let a runner cross the plate.  Jeanmar Gomez enters the top of the ninth to close out this game and starts in the right foot striking out Bryant   Anthony Rizzo would single to right but Zobrist’s ground ball to first would force him out at second.  Tommy makes it exciting sending Zo to third on his single to right but Tommy is pinch ran for Travis Wood.  A quick visit to the mound befor Ross steps in the box who ends the game with a soft grounder to shortstop.  Better luck tomorrow morning!

@DanZeeMan

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8 great by Lester

Posted: June 6, 2016 by Sports Time Radio in baseball, fantasy, post season, sports, Sports Time Radio
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Game 2 of the 9 game road trip for out East started in Philly with Jon Lester going up against Adam Morgan.  Dexter Fowler is the first one to see Morgan and sends a line drive to left field for a lead off double, making that his 16th of the year.  Heyward would pop out for the firs.  Up next is Kris Bryant sends a 3-1 pitch deep to right field what appears to be a Home Run but is in the field of play making it a triple.  The play would be looked at and overturned due to fan interference scoring it as a double but would still get the RBI.  Anthony Rizzo and Jorge Soler would hit back to back singles to load the bases but Morgan would strike out Baez and Russell.  Lester would come out in the bottom half and Ceasar Hernandez would challenge Lester with a bunt but David Ross would pick it up and throw him out.  Freddy Galvis would strike out and Tommy Joseph would fly out to end the inning.

Morgan would have somewhat of a better second inning but he’d give up a single to Fowler and hit Heyward but get out of the inning with out adding any runs.  Lester would give up a lead off single to Maikel Franco but would double him up with Cameron Rupp at the plate for the old strike’em out, throw’em out double play.  Lester would then give up back to back singles to Goeddel and Bourjos but get Jimmy Paredes to fly out to left to end the inning.  Jorge Soler would get the only hit of the top half of the third but would suffer the old hamstring issue and be replaced by Matt Szczur.  Morgan gets Baez and Russell to fly out to end the top half of the third.  Lester comes in and gets a ground out and two strikeouts to end the inning.

In the top of the 4th with one out, Lester steps in the box and sends a line drive to right field for his second double of the season and would remain there until with two outs , Jason Heyward cranks his third home run of the season to right field.  Bryant flies out to end the inning but the Cubs are up 3-0.  Jon would continue the fourth with a strike out, fly out and groundout.  Morgan eases down a bit and throws his first perfect inning.  Lester would almost exactly mirror the 1-2-3 inning that Morgan had. The top of the sixth is another 1-2-3 inning for Morgan and would be his last as he is pulled for a pinch hitter, Cody Asche, who would strikeout to start the inning.  Lester would get a line out and another strikeout to end the sixth.

Elvis Araujo enters the game for the Phills givin up a lead off single to Fowler but gets Heyward to line out.  Kris Bryant gets a single sending Fowler to third.  Rizzo would send one to the opposite field for a single that would score Fowler adding to the Cubs lead.  Matt Szczur would step into the box and lay down a bunt, which was scored as a sac bunt, but what still confuses me, is that he reached first base with out being tagged out; hence he did not sacrifice an out for a run.  Baez and Russell would continue their in game streak of ending the inning with the last two outs.  Lester would give up a single to start the inning but gets Franco to ground into a 5-4-3 double play.  Rupp flys out to end the inning.

Andrew Bailey enters the 8th getting the first two batters out, hits Fowler, but gets Heyward to ground out to the first baseman.  Lester remains in the game just dominating the Phillies getting another 1-2-3inning.  We go into the ninth with the Cubs looking to add to their lead.

Brett Oberholtzer comes into the top of the ninth to hold the Cubs to 5 but gives up a lead off double left-center that just misses being a home run.  Rizzo sends a line drive single just out of the reach for the shortstop scoring Bryant.  Szczur would fly out to right for the first out.  Baez really trying to get his first hit of the game strikes out losing his bat just into right field.  Russell would fly out to right to end the ninth.  Justin Grimm comes into the bottom half of the ninth to finish the game for Lester giving up a lead off single to Andres Blanco, pinch hitting for Brett.  Hernandez sends a slow bouncer to Rizzo which should have been the first out but with his speed, he turns it into a single.  Two on, no outs Freddy Galvis swings on the first pitch sending high and deep to right field for his sixth home run of the season, prompting Maddon (the look on his face) regretting pulling Lester but forcing him to bring in Hector Rondon for the now save situation.  Tommy Joseph would send one deep to center field just over Fowler’s head his 5th home run of the season.  Rondon strikes out Rupp for the second out of the inning.  Odubel Herrera would swing on the first pitch sending a bloop single just into left field for a single.  Ryan Howard would enter the game pinch hitting for Bourjos.  Howard swings on the first pitch pulling a line ground ball straight to Rizzo, he would tag first base to end the game.  Cubs bullpen almost blows the game but they win 6-5 putting them 10 games ahead of the Pirates in the standings.

@DanZeeeMan

The Podcast

Diamondbacks rattle the Great One

Posted: June 5, 2016 by Sports Time Radio in baseball, fantasy, post season, Sports Time Radio, Uncategorized
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The Diamondbacks/Cubs series wraps up with Patrick Corbin taking on Jake Arrieta looking for his 10th win of the season.  He starts off the first inning with a K followed up by a walk and then two more strike outs to end the inning.  Corbin would get the first two outs of the bottom half but then gives up a single passed shortstop to Kris Bryant who would advance to second when Jorge Soler gets hit by a pitch.  Javier Baez would ground out to end the inning.

The second inning, The Great One off his game gives up two singles to Chris Herrman and Chris Owings.  Yasmany Thomas would see the first pitch as a ball but then takes the next one to right center scoring both Chris’s making it a two RBI double.  Jake would settle down by striking out the next three batters to end the top half of the second.  Arizona 2-0.  With one out in the bottom half of the inning, Matt Szczur would send a line drive to left for a single but would be forced out when Miguel Montero sends a ground ball to Goldschmidt who throws it to short for the force.  With two outs, The Great One steps in the box and sends a double to center scoring Montero.  Fowler would end the inning with a ground out to third.  Cubs 1, Arizona 2.  The top of the third and Jake only strikes out two batters and gets the other to ground out.  Corbin would only have one K in the bottom half but it would be a 1-2-3 inning for him also.

Arreita would again strike out three batters to end the inning but not before giving up another single to Chris Owings.  Corbin repeats his third inning with one K and 1-2-3 inning.  The top of the fifth would see Jake giving up lead off single to his counter part Corbin, and then three straight singles to Michael Bourn, Phil Gosselin and Goldschmidt, which his would score an RBI.  He would get Jake Lamb to strike out for the second out of the inning.  Chris Herrmann would get his second single of the game but Phil would get caught in a run down for the third out.  Arizona 3, Cubs 1.  The bottom half, Montero would lead off with a single and then advance on Jake’s sac bunt but he wouldn’t cross home as Fowler and Zobrist would both ground out.

Trevor Cahill would enter the game in the top of the sixth and get the first two batters out, gives up a walk to Brandon Drury but ends the inning striking out Corbin.  Corbin stays in the game get the first two batters to ground out.  With two outs, Javier Baez would send one just over the right field basket for his fourth home run of the season.  Russell would ground out to end the inning.

Cahill still in the game strikes out the first two batters and then appears to strike out Goldscmidt on a check swing, but it turns out to be ball 4.  Joel Maddon walks out of the dug out and questions the call no before even making it to the field is ejected.  He “gets his money’s worth” making his case for a short delay.  Justin Grimm comes into the game getting Jake Lamb would ground out to end the inning.  Corbin still in the game, strikes out two and gets one batter to ground out.

Travis Wood comes into the 8th giving a lead off single to Hermann who advances on Ahmed’s sac bunt.  Wood gets Tomas to strike out then intentionally walks Drury.  Rickie Weeks, Jr, pinch hits for Corbin to pop out to end the inning.  Tyler Clippard enters the bottom half of the 8th getting Fowler to fly out to left.  Zobrist walks, but Bryant strikes out and Soler grounds out to end the inning.

Wood stays in for the ninth, striking out Michael Bourn to be replaced by Adam Warren.  Adam gets Gosselin to ground out but walks Goldshmidt.  He does end the inning by getting Jake Lamb to line out.  Brad Ziegler enters the game for the Dbacks getting the first two batters out.  Anthony Rizzo walks to breath some life into Wrigley.  With two outs and Rizzo on first Miguel Montero steps into the box and sends a soft grounder to Goldscmidt to end the inning.

Although the Cubs lost 3 to 2, Arreita strikes out 12 in 5 innings walking 1 but giving up an unusual 9 hits that would score the 3 runs.  The bullpen really kept things together with four innings giving up only 1 hit on 6 strike outs.  The Cubs embark on a 9 game road trip headed east, #LetsGoCubs.

@DanZeeeMan
The Podcast

Direct Hit

Posted: June 5, 2016 by Sports Time Radio in sports
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This has not been a good week for the San Francisco Giants. Not only did the team lose Hunter Pence for two months, but it has also seen back-to-back starts by Jeff Samardzija, alarmingly featuring the pitcher we saw last season, instead of this season’s savage Shark.

Though still in first place by four-and-a-half games, the Giants did drop one full game with Saturday night’s loss to St. Louis, coupled with LA’s win over Atlanta. Hey, no big deal, right? 
Fans with not-so-long memories might think back to only last season, when Preacher Pence’s absence arguably cost them a playoff berth, and disagree. With the hustling right fielder in the lineup, San Francisco posted a 34-17 record; without him, they went 50-61.

It is quite difficult to argue with this logic.
The Giants have replaced Pence for the moment with Jarrett Parker (13 G, .191, 7H, 1 HR) and have recalled Mac Williamson. Fortunately, Gregor Blanco is the consummate fourth outfielder, and has been filling in for both Angel Pagan, due back in just over a week, and now Pence.
Ultimately, as the Giants get closer to the trade deadline, Bobby Evans will have to evaluate Pence’s progress, with how well the team is performing, and make a decision. If the team is struggling, particularly with the bats, then Giants management will be looking at possible fits with such players as Matt Kemp, Ryan Braun and Jay Bruce.
My take is that Pence’s absence, despite being a direct hit, will not sink the ship. The primary reason for this is the Giants’ strong pitching. Last season it was MadBum and Heston, and hope for the best, um. This season, assuming that the Shark is just going through some temporary rough waters, Giants pitching is the team’s strongest suit.

The Giants’ big three of Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and Samardzija, not to mention the surging Jake Peavy, will all help to overcome feelings of apprehension as the ensuing eight weeks proceed.

When he went down Tuesday night in Atlanta, Preacher Pence was leading the team with 36 RBIs and seven home runs. Since then, Buster Posey has hit three big flies, no coincidence I suspect, and has taken over the team-lead with eight. Brandon Crawford is second on the club in RBIs with 30.

The Giants have not been flashy on offense. MLB averages 60 home runs per team; going into the series in St. Louis, the Giants had slugged 48. On the other hand, MLB averages 468 hits; the Giants have an even 500. MLB averages 238 runs scored; the Giants have scored 253. MLB averages 228 RBIs; the Giants have 242. MLB averages ten triples; the Giants have hit nineteen.
 They are getting it done on a more even basis, with all team members contributing, not just a few hot players. That is one reason the club will not suffer inordinately from the absence of Pence. On top of that, much of what he contributes comes in the form of his support from the bench, and he will be able to continue to provide that support.

Defensively, San Francisco has committed 25 errors, compared to MLB’s 31 average. That’s a .989 fielding percentage. Pence has yet to commit an error this season, but the Giants rank fifth in MLB in this stat, so it is an overall strength that will help them cope with life without Pence-for at least two months anyway.
I am not trying to downplay Pence’s importance to the team; even as we speak, Bobby Evans and the Giants braintrust, are scouring the ranks MLB for available options to replace Pence during this time. Evans has made it clear that he will not go overboard on spending, for a short-time fix.
The Cubs are not unfamiliar with this situation. The loss of Kyle Schwarber so early forced the Cubs to insert Matt Szczur, who has responded by batting .348 in thirty games. Let’s compare that .348 average with Jarrett Parker’s .191. Oops.
Moving right along, one other reason for thinking the Giants will survive the absence of Pence, besides strong pitching and a more-balanced offense, is the fact that Los Angeles has not been applying any pressure on San Francisco, currently sitting at three games above .500.
That could change, of course, just as any of the above scenarios could change. But at least the Giants are in a better position this season to deal with adverse conditions than they were last season.
Great pitching will do that for a team.
@BellSpringsMark

Cubs round the Diamondbacks

Posted: June 4, 2016 by Sports Time Radio in baseball, fantasy, post season, sports, Sports Time Radio
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Game 2 of the the series with the Cubs taking on the Diamondbacks who would send Edwin Escobar to the rubber against Jason Hammel.  Hammel would start the game off getting the first two men out.  He would give up a two out walk to Paul Goldschmidt.  With Paul on first Jake Lamb with a 1-0 count, Jason tosses one up and Lamb sends one to right center for his 10th home run of the year.  Dbacks up 2-0.

Bottom of the first, Dexter Fowler takes Edwin to a full count and sends one deep to left field for his 7th home run of the season but that would be all for the Cubs after 1, it’s a 2-1 ball game.  Both men would calm down in the second not putting a base runner on.  In the top of the third, Hammel would give up a two out walk to Brandon Drury but that would be all the action.  Fowler would get a 2 out single but that would be all the action for the Cubs.  Jason continued to keep the Dbacks at bay.

Anthony Rizzo would get a 1 out single to left field, then Ben Zobrist would walk.  Jorge Soler sends a deep fly ball to left-center that bounces off the warning track and gets stuck in the ivy for a ground rule double giving him an RBI scoring Rizzo.  Arizona decides to intentionally walk David Ross to get to Jason Hammel.  Hammel would turn it against them by sending one right up the middle adding two more runs to the board.   After 3 and 2/3, Edwin would be pulled from the game for Randall Delgado who would end the inning striking out Fowler.  Hammel would continue to hold the Dbacks with out a base runner.  Delgado copies Hammel in the bottom half of the inning.  Hammel continues the same in the top of the 6th.  In the bottom half of the 6th, Delgado gets the first two batters out but gives up a single to Addison Russell but would get Ross to line out to center to end the inning.  Cubs up 4-2

Jason Hammel would continues into the 7th mowing down 12 consecutive batters.  Josh Collmenter enters the game for the Diamondbacks and would get all three batters out in a row.  Pedro Strop enters the game in the 8th inning for Jason Hammel and gives up a lead off home run to Yasmany Tomas but would get the next two batters out.  However, he would give up singles to Jean Segura and Brandon Drury.  This would prompt Maddon to bring in Trevor Cahill who would walk Goldscmidt only to get himself pulled from the game for Travis Wood who would get Rickie Weeks to line out to end the inning.  Cubs are still up 4-3.

The bottom half of the 8th inning would see Daniel Hudson enter the game for Arizona striking out Kris Bryant but would give up a solo home run to Anthony Rizzo, his 13th of the year.  Zobrist would walk and Javier Baez would reach first on a fielding error by shortstop Nick Ahmed but would get Russell and Ross to strike out to end the inning.

Hector Rondon enters the 9th with the save opportunity on the line.  He gets Wellington Castillo to fly out to right for the first out, then gets Chris Herrmann to fly out to left.  Yasmany would be the Dbacks last hope but would line out to Zobrist to end the game.

@DanZeeeMan

The Podcast

How was your Week?

Posted: June 4, 2016 by Sports Time Radio in baseball, Boxing, sports, Sports Time Radio, Uncategorized
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I don’t sleep a whole bunch. I don’t know if it’s my work schedule that I’ve been on for 20 plus years or if I’m just wired like that, but if I get 3 or 4 hours of sleep in a row I’m lucky. When that 5 hour night of sleep comes through it’s amazing. When I wake up in the middle of the night I fire up the computer and catch up ion what’s going on in the sporting world. Sometimes it’s as easy as checking a box score or going through my fantasy line up to see how my night went. Other nights it’s looking up an injury to see ow long a player might be out or looking for blog material. The times I hate it the most is when I turn on the computer and I see a headline like I saw early this morning; Muhammad Ali passes away at 74.

No questions asked Muhammad Ali was “The Greatest”. He referred to himself as that all the time in his interviews and the bottom line is he’s the best boxer of all time. There will always be people out there with arguments for other boxers, but as great as those guys where they don’t compare to Ali. Not only was Ali great in the ring, but the promos he did for his fights where incredible and some of the things he’d do with Howard Cosell where legendary.  Ali was also a social activist. Don’t forget that in 1967 Ali was stripped of the heavyweight title for refusing to serve in the U.S. Army and was looking at a possible prison sentence. Due to that legal trouble it was 3 1/2 years before Ali would fight again. Ali had some of the most talked about fights in the heavyweight division and boxing as a whole. He had the Rumble in the Jungle against George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire as well as the Thrilla in Manila against Joe Frazier. Ali won both of these high profile fights by the way. It seemed as though the bigger the stage the better Ali performed. Ali was a 3-time heavyweight champion and don’t forget that he also won an Olympic gold medal as a light heavyweight when he beat Zbigniew Pietrzlowski of Poland in September of 1960.  Ali had many nicknames for himself or the things he’d do in the ring and if he didn’t live up to them he got closer than anybody else could. Sadly I wasn’t even 10 years old when Ali had some of the biggest fights of his career, but looking back at what he did in the ring and what he stood for outside of the ring he was far and away “The Greatest” and he lost his final fight early this morning at 74 years old.

The San Francisco Giants are 35-22 and have a 5 1/2 game lead in the National League West. On Wednesday Hunter Pence was running down the 1st base line when he suddenly stopped and grabbed the back of his right leg. Pence came out of the game immediately and was diagnosed with a torn hamstring that will require surgery. Pence is scheduled to be out about 8 weeks. Pence was hitting .298 with 7 home runs and had driven in a team leading 36 runs. While it appears that Pence will return in August the question is; do the Giants need to look into the trade market for an outfielder? San Francisco has veteran Gregor Blanco on the roster and 25 year old Mac Williamson was called up from Triple-A Sacramento to fill Pence’s roster spot. Don’t forget that outfielder Angel Pagan has also had some injuries this season. Pagan has what I believe is his second strained left hamstring of the season and the Giants are hoping he can recover without having to go on the disabled list. Pagan was unable to stay off the disabled list as the Giants put him on it May 24th and called up Jarrett Parker to take his roster spot. Also 2nd baseman Joe Panik was dealing with a sore groin earlier in the week, but has returned to the starting line up. San Francisco is currently carrying 4 outfielders on their roster. They have Williamson, Parker, Blanco and Denard Span. They do have some flexibility as Brandon Belt has spent time in the outfield. If Belt is needed in the outfield that would allow San Francisco to give Buster Posey a break from behind the plate as he would most likely fill in for Belt at 1st base. So looking at what the Giants have here we go back to the question of; do they need to deal for an outfielder? Of course with the season only being about 1/3rd of the way over which teams are ready to start making deals and would San Francisco look for a high profile outfielder or just a guy who could be used in a rotation when Pence returns. There are always the rebuilding teams like the Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves. I’m not sure if the Braves have an outfielder that would fit the Giants needs and would they want to pay the price for a high salaried player like Jay Bruce or even Ryan Braun. Could the New York Yankees Carlos Beltran be an answer. While Beltran is making $15 million this season it is the last year of his deal. Of course Beltran does have a history of injuries himself and you have to wonder if he could play everyday. I think if the Giants decide to make a trade it will be for a player along the lines of Oswaldo Arcia of the Minnesota Twins. Arcia has struggled to start the season; hitting just .217, but did hit .276 in limited time last season. He hits left handed and is just 25 years old. Now I’m not saying that Arcia will be the player that San Francisco acquires, but I think if they do deal for an outfielder it will be a player like Arcia.

What do you think? Do the Giants need to go out and get the top outfielder on the market or can they get by these 8 weeks with just the players they’ve called up from the minors?

You can listen to The Podcast by clicking the link and you can follow me on Twitter @Burketime

Cubs rule the Diamondbacks

Posted: June 3, 2016 by Sports Time Radio in sports
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The Arizona Diamondbacks enter the friendly confines with sophomore Archie Bradley at the rubber taking on John Lackey who’s looking for his sixth win of the season.  Lackey would start the game off with a strikeout and knock out the rest of the batters to end the top of the first.  The young right hander strikes out Fowler & Heyward but gives up a two out double to Kris Bryant.  Bryant wouldn’t score as Rizzo grounds out to end the inning.  In the second, Lackey would give up a single to Wellington Castillo and would walk Chris Owings but gets the next two batters out to end the inning.  Zobrist leads off with a ground out.  Tommy La Stella sends a double to left but stays there as Miguel Montero walks.  Archie does strike out Baez & Lackey to end the inning.  Both men would have a perfect third inning. 

The top of the fourth would see Jake Lamb & Wellington but Chris Owings grounds into a inning ending double play.  Rizzo leads off the bottom half with a walk but Ben grounds into a 4-6-3 double play and La Stella strikes out to end the inning. 

The fifth would have both pitchers almost mirroring each other getting the first batter out and striking out the next two batters to end the inning. 

Lackey continues with a perfect sixth in the top half.  Archie strikes out Fowler but gives up a single to Heyward.  Then he strikes out Bryant but then gives up a two out double Rizzo, his 11th of the year scoring Jason.  The Diamondbacks intentionally walk Zobrist but strikes out La Stella again.  Cubs up 1-0

Lackey comes back out for the seventh getting the first two men out but walks Owings.  Yasmany Tomas singles giving Arizona some hope but Maddon brings in Adam Warren who ends the inning.  Jake Barrett replaces Bradley striking out the first two batters but walks Soler.  With two men out and a man on first, Fowler pops out to end the inning.  

Pedro Strop enters the eighth inning scoring a 1-2-3 inning.  Zac Curtis enters the game in replace of Barrett.  He gets Heyward to ground out but hits Bryant.  Rizzo singles but trying to make it a two bagger is tagged out.  Maddon challenges the tag but it’s upheld. Zobrist is intentionally put on.  Silvio Bracho comes in and gives up a huge two out double to Addison Russell putting the Cubs up by 3.  They decide to walk Montero.  Javier Baez is up with two outs and two men on and sends a sharp line drive to center scoring two more runs.  Tim Federowicz reaches on an error and Fowler is hit by a pitch but Heyward strikes out to end the eighth.  Cubs 6-0. 

Justin Grimm enters the top of the ninth giving up a leadoff double to Paul Goldschmidt.  But then shuts down any hope for the Dbacks by getting Lamb to ground out and striking out the next two batters to end the game.  

Lackey goes 5 2/3 innings striking out 9 walking 2 and giving up 5 hits.  Warren, Strop and Grimm finish the game giving up only one hit and striking out 3.  

@DanZeeeMan
The Podcast

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