Announcement

**Udog** · 07-13-2015, 07:16 AM

Armadillo: Monday's six-pack

What college football expert Phil Steele thinks about the Pac-12 South Division

6) Colorado-- Other five teams in division finished in top 25 last year.

5) Arizona-- Only 6 starters back; 49-45 win over Cal LY was an amaziing game.

4) Utah-- 14-22 in Pac-12; eight offensive coordinators in last 11 years.

3) Arizona State-- 16 returning starters, plus some quality JC players were added.

2) UCLA-- 18 returning starters, but a new QB. Hopefully the celeb parents won't get in any more scuffles with the strength coach.

1) USC-- Senior QB, sanctions are over but they're still under 85 scholarship limit.

**********

Armadillo: Monday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports weekend......

13) Pirates head into All-Star break 35-13 in their last 48 games, winning in walk-offs the last two nights against St Louis. Why did Colorado fire Clint Hurdle?

12) Cardinals haven't scored a first inning run in their last 23 road games.

11) Mets 5, Arizona 3-- New York is 34-5 when they score 4+ runs. Nieuwenhuis hit three homers Sunday; he came into the game with 13 HRs in 613 career PAs.

10) Dodgers have used 11 different starting pitchers this year; considering they have Kershaw/Greinke, that is nine guys for the other three slots.

9) Amir Garrett is a Cincinnati farmhand who was in the Futures Game yesterday; he used to be a bigtime basketball recruit at St John's, who later transferred to Cal-Northridge to play for Reggie Theus, but he never played for the Matadors.

8) Marlins' TV showed an interesting side-by-side yesterday of Johnny Cueto's windup and how similar it is to Luis Tiant, who was an excellent pitcher in the 70's for the Red Sox. Good piece of hustle that shows why Marlins' TV games are more fun to watch than most teams.

7) Kansas City Royals announcers are becoming ridiculous homers; they talked about the KC fans voting for all the Royals in the All-Star balloting and one of them actually said, "Well, thats too bad", basically thumbing his nose at the process.

They'd be the first people to gripe if the fans lose the right to vote for All-Stars.

6) Tough loss for the Braves; closer Jason Grilli tore his achilles tendon covering first base in Saturday night's loss in Colorado. Grilli is 38, his career could be over.

5) Tremendous finish to a semi-final game of the AAU Peach Jam Classic on ESPNU Sunday; kid from St Louis knocked down a contested, leaning 3-pointer at buzzer to give his team the win. If it was an NCAA tournament game, that shot would be on TV for the next thirty years. St Louis team lost in the finals, though.

4) St Louis beat a team Chris Paul sponsors with that 3-pointer; Paul was actually there, sitting right behind his team's bench, talking to the coach during breaks.

3) Tired of hearing high school players being referred to by their numerical ranking by so-called experts. It is an exercise in futility to rank every HS senior in America.

Case in point: In 2001 I as an assistant coach for a team that won the NY State public high school state championship, a pretty big deal. We had many good players, but our best guy was Jason McKreith, who went on to play for Rice-- he was really, really good, but none of these so-called experts had Jason ranked in the top 300 nationally, which was malpractice. Jason was a top 100 player.

These geniuses do their ranking by which colleges are recruiting the kids. #65 on one list was a 7-footer from a team in our area. He was being recruited by Syracuse, so they put him high on the list, an act of incompetence. Rankings sound good, but in reality how do you differentiate between #75 and #76? Or #65 and #365? It is guesswork.

2) Golfer Tom Gillis turns 47 on Thursday; in 171 previous PGA events, he had nine top 10's, but no wins. After years of struggle, he won $3M+ from 2010-12, but then had a bum shoulder and missed last year.

In his career, he won a Nike Tour event in 2009 and an international tourney in Jamaica in 1994-- he's played pro golf in 27 different countries, but Sunday, he was the leader in the clubhouse at the Quad Cities Open. What must he have been thinking?

This was it, the career/life-changing moment he had worked for since the early 90's, but instead he lost a playoff to Jordan Spieth, who was born in 1993, Gillis' first year as a golf pro. Gillis hit his second shot on the second playoff hole into the water; what must he have been thinking walking up that fairway? I can't even imagine.

1) If baseball playoffs started today.......
NL-- Washington-St Louis-Los Angeles. Wild Card: Cubs @ Pirates
AL-- Bronx-Kansas City-LA Angels. Wild Card: Astros @ Twins

**Udog** · 07-13-2015, 07:21 AM

Sizing up the sluggers and odds for the 2015 MLB Home Run Derby

The Monday during Major League Baseball's All-Star break is a dark day in the sportsbetting landscape.

There is one CFL game on the board Monday, but baseball is on hiatus. The entertaining Women's World Cup is in the rear-view mirror. Wimbledon is over. Football is still over a month away. There's not even any any MLS or WNBA to fill that void. We can however, wager on the annual MLB Home Run Derby.

In case you were unaware, the Home Run Derby has undergone a bit of a facelift. This time around, the Derby is single-elimination format and hitters now have a five-minute clock to mash as many dingers as possible.

During the final minute of the five, the clock will stop with each homer and start back up with a non-homer or a swing and miss. Furthermore, hitters can get bonus time: one minute for two homers that travel over 420 feet and 30 seconds for one homer of at least 475 feet. Participants will max out at 1:30 of bonus time.

There is no Stanton, no Trout and no Bryce, but there is a good list of sluggers that present some solid value.

Here’s a look at the field and their odds to win the 2015 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby:

Todd Frazier, Cincinnati Reds (5/1)

Frazier is absolutely mashing the ball this season and the hometown Cincy crowd will out in full force cheering on their guy. But the Derby has not been kind to participants slugging on their home turf. Only one hitter has won the Derby in their home park: Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg at Wrigley Field back in 1990.

Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs (5/1)

Everyone recalls Bryant tearing up spring training, slugging nine homers in 40 at-bats before starting 2015 at Triple-A Iowa. That stint was short lived, however, and the phenom has 12 home runs in 77 games for the Cubbies. He'll be familiar with Great American Ball Park as he has nine plate appearances, but zero home runs.

Albert Pujols, Los Angeles Angels (5/1)

The veteran slugger is having a tremendous 2015 season, mashing 26 home runs, just two back of his total from all of 2014. Pujols has participated in this event three times and boasts the eighth-most dingers in the history of the competition. He's never won, but did make the final in the 2003 version, where he lost to Garret Anderson.

Prince Fielder, Texas Rangers (6/1)

Fielder knows what it takes to win this event having slugged his way to victory in 2009 at Busch Stadium and 2012 at Kauffman Stadium. Though in 2015, it's not necessarily the home run count that has Prince making noise, it's the .343 batting average which is good for second in the American League.

Josh Donaldson, Toronto Blue Jays (6/1)

Somehow, the Jays fleeced the Oakland A's by acquiring Donaldson for a group of players including Brett Lawrie and Kendall Graveman in the offseason. Donaldson has only gone on to rack up the most All-Star votes in history, rank eighth in the Major Leagues in WAR (4.65) and hit 21 dingers through 89 games for the powerful Jays lineup.

Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs (6/1)

Rizzo has tallied 16 homers so far this season and even belted one in Cincinnati in a 5-0 Cubs' win back on April 15. The vast majority of Rizzo's home runs have been pulled to right field, all of which would have had no problem leaving Great American Ball Park.

Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles (7/1)

Machado's power numbers have been a real revelation for the Orioles as the 23-year-old's 19 home runs are already a career high. Machado won't be tampering with his swing in an effort win the Derby, however, as he told the Baltimore Sun, "[I'm] just mainly going to try to keep my same swing and try to hit the ball hard somewhere. If they go out, they go out. If they don't, I guess I'm going to be the one with no homers there."

Joc Pederson, Los Angeles Dodgers (7/1)

The young Dodgers slugger went on an absolute tear earlier this season, mashing 16 of his 20 home runs in May and June. Pederson has put up a goose egg in the home run department in July and is hitting just .118. Gross. That said, of the eight Derby participants, Joc has six of the 10 furthest home runs this season.

Here is a list of the first round matchups:

KRIS BRYANT -110
ALBERT PUJOLS -110

PRINCE FIELDER EVEN
TODD FRAZIER -120

ANTHONY RIZZO -110
JOSH DONALDSON -110

MANNY MACHADO -110
JOC PEDERSON -110

**Udog** · 07-13-2015, 07:29 AM

MLB

Monday, July 13

MLB roundup: Nieuwenhuis hits 3 HRs, Mets sweep D-backs

NEW YORK -- Kirk Nieuwenhuis became the first New York Mets player in the franchise's 54-season history to hit three home runs in a home game Sunday when his unexpected power surge lifted his team to a 5-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Mets swept the three-game series and finished the first half with four straight wins to hit the All-Star break with a winning record for the first time since 2012. The Diamondbacks were swept for the first time since losing three straight to the Los Angeles Dodgers from June 8-10.

Nieuwenhuis, who entered the game hitting .106 with no homers and three RBIs in 66 at-bats in games between the Mets and the Los Angeles Angels, homered to left off Diamondbacks right-hander Rubby De La Rosa leading off the second to give the Mets a 1-0 lead.

Nieuwenhuis hit a two-run, two-out homer to left-center off De La Rosa in the third inning to extend the Mets' lead to 4-1 and blasted a leadoff homer off right-hander Randall Delgado in the fifth inning to put New York ahead 5-2. He received a curtain call after his third homer and was showered with applause while warming up in left field prior to the top of the sixth.

Nationals 3, Orioles 2

BALTIMORE -- Max Scherzer allowed two runs over 8 2/3 innings and Washington took the three-game series against its regional rival.

After enduring three straight losses, Washington has won back-to-back games entering the All-Star break. The Orioles have lost 10 of 13 and fell to .500 for the first time since June 2.

Scherzer (10-7) allowed a two-out homer to Adam Jones in the first inning. From there, the right-hander retired the next 14 batters. Scherzer, who entered the game with opponents batting just .188 against him, gave up four hits and struck out seven. Jones, who has 14 homers on the season, went deep again with two outs in the ninth to cut the margin to 3-2. Right-hander Drew Storen entered and struck out Chris Davis to pick up his 27th save.

Athletics 2, Indians 0

CLEVELAND -- Sonny Gray pitched a two-hit shutout and Stephen Vogt's two-run home provided all the runs as Oakland beat Cleveland.

The only hits allowed by Gray, the American League earned run average leader at 2.04, were singles in the fourth and eighth innings. In his first complete game of the season, Gray (10-3) struck out six and walked one.

Right-hander Corey Kluber (4-10), started for the Indians, and got no run support. Kluber came into the game with the worst run support, 2.4 runs per game, of any starting pitcher in the AL.

Marlins 8, Reds 1

MIAMI -- Justin Bour had three hits and three RBIs to lead Miami past Cincinnati.

The Marlins took three out of four in their series against the Reds, scoring a total of 22 runs in the last two games. Cincinnati closed the first half of the season in disappointing fashion, losing six of its final nine games.

Marlins starter Dan Haren (7-5) earned the win, allowing five hits, three walks and one run in six innings. Reds starter Johnny Cueto (6-6) took the loss, allowing seven hits, one walk, five runs (three earned) in five innings.

Rays 4, Astros 3

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Tampa Bay hits the All-Star break with positive momentum, having completed a three-game sweep of Houston.

The Rays twice rallied from one-run deficits, spoiling a homecoming for Tampa's Lance McCullers, who struck out 10 batters but couldn't get the Astros out of their offensive slump. The Astros scored seven total runs in their six-game losing streak.

Rays starter Matt Moore (1-0), in his second start back after Tommy John surgery, got his first win in 21 months, since September 2013.

Cubs 3, White Sox 1

CHICAGO -- Right-hander Jake Arrieta tossed a two-hitter and contributed his first career home run as the Chicago Cubs beat the Chicago White Sox to salvage the finale of a three-game series.

Arrieta (10-5) tied a career-high for victories and became the first Cub with 10 wins before the All-Star break since 2008. Arrieta worked his second complete game of the season and struck out eight while walking none in front of a season-best Wrigley Field crowd of 41,688.

White Sox left-handed starter Jose Quintana (4-9) had limited run support once again while allowing three runs on eight hits and striking out nine in 7 1/3 innings.

Twins 7, Tigers 1

MINNEAPOLIS -- Kyle Gibson threw seven innings of one-run ball, leading Minnesota over Detroit.

Buoyed by a pair of first-inning runs, Gibson was cruising from the get-go, allowing just one unearned run in the second inning and four singles on the day. The victory was Gibson's eighth and lowered his season ERA to 2.85. The right-hander has allowed three runs or less in each of his last six starts and has won four consecutive outings.

Miguel Sano gave Gibson all the support he would need four batters into the game, hitting a two-run shot over the left field fence for his second home run.

Yankees 8, Red Sox 6

BOSTON -- Alex Rodriguez capped off a big weekend with another pivotal hit, driving in the go-ahead run with a sixth-inning double as New York beat Boston in the series finale.

Rodriguez's shot into the gap in left-center was one of three doubles in the Yankees' three-run sixth. Rodriguez, who hit first-inning solo home runs in each of the first two games of the series, drove in four of the Yankees' 16 runs over the weekend.

Nathan Eovaldi (9-2) earned the win for New York, which won two of three against Boston to win its fifth straight series at Fenway. The right-hander allowed three runs on seven hits and struck out four in five innings.

Royals 11, Blue Jays 10

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kendrys Morales and Paulo Orlando homered and Lorenzo Cain had three hits as Kansas City outslugged Toronto.

Orlando's eighth-inning solo blast turned out to be the winning run. Morales hit a three-run homer in a six-run first inning, pushing his RBI total to 61.

The Royals blew a 7-0 lead, as the Blue Jays sent a dozen men to the plate in an eight-run sixth. Danny Valencia and Jose Bautista contributed two-run doubles in the inning. There were 27 hits and seven errors in the game.

Angels 10, Mariners 3

SEATTLE -- The Angels' Andrew Heaney outdueled the Mariners' Taijuan Walker in a battle of two of the top young starting pitchers to help Los Angeles get the victory.

Heaney (3-0) threw seven scoreless innings, allowing five hits, to earn his third win in four starts this season. The 24-year-old former Miami Marlin has yet to allow more than two runs in a start since making his American League debut June 24.

Los Angeles (48-40) surpassed the Houston Astros to take over first place in the American League West heading into the All-Star break. Los Angeles was six games behind Houston after the games of June 3.

Rockies 11, Braves 3

DENVER -- The Rockies used a five-run sixth inning to complete a four-game series sweep.

Center fielder Charlie Blackmon, who matched his season-high with four RBIs, broke a tie with a two-run single in the sixth, and two batters later, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki hit a three-run homer.

The homer came against David Carpenter, who had just relieved A.J. Wood (6-6). Drew Stubbs hit his fifth homer, a two-run shot in the seventh that also came against Carpenter.

Dodgers 4, Brewers 3

LOS ANGELES - Adrian Gonzalez's two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning sent Los Angeles into the All-Star break with a victory.

The Dodgers took two of three in the weekend series. In both wins, they had to come from behind late in the game. They are 9-26 this season in games they trailed after six innings. A year ago, they went 2-54 in those situations.

The Brewers led 3-2 when second baseman Howie Kendrick led off the Dodgers' eighth inning with a single and advanced to second when center fielder Carlos Gomez misplayed the ball. Left-hander Will Smith came in to face Gonzalez, but Smith gave up the decisive home run on a slider.

Giants 4, Phillies 2

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants finished off a three-game sweep of the Phillies as catcher Andrew Susac belted a three-run home run in a four-run fourth inning, and rookie Chris Heston won his ninth game.

The Phillies lost their fifth in a row and completed a 2-8 trip. Their 29-62 record is the worst in the majors, and the 62 losses are a pre-All-Star-break franchise record.

Padres 2, Rangers 1

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Tyson Ross pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings, and the Padres took advantage of a Texas miscue to beat the Rangers and win the series.

San Diego hadn't won a series since taking two of three from the Arizona Diamondbacks from June 26-28. The Padres wrapped up a 4-6 road trip with consecutive wins.

San Diego scored its first run in the second inning on center fielder Will Venable's triple and shortstop Will Middlebrooks' run-scoring fielder's choice grounder off Yovani Gallardo (7-8).

Second baseman Jedd Gyorko knocked in the Padres other run with a single in the seventh.

Pirates 6, Cardinals 5 (10 innings)

PITTSBURGH -- Gregory Polanco lined a game-winning single to right field to cap off Pittsburgh's three-run rally in the 10th against Trevor Rosenthal, and the Pirates won their second dramatic game against the St. Louis in as many nights.

Randal Grichuk's two-run double broke a tie in the 10th inning and put the sliding Cardinals in position to split the four-game series, but the Pirates scored all three runs against Rosenthal with two outs.

Jung Ho Kang hit an RBI single ahead of Francisco Cervelli's tying single to right. Polanco then won it with a line shot to right, his first career walk-off hit. Polanco had two RBIs in the game.

Braves closer Grilli suffers ruptured Achilles

Atlanta Braves closer Jason Grilli suffered a ruptured left Achilles tendon on Saturday night and is expected to miss the rest of the season.

The right-hander was injured while trying to cover first base on Colorado Rockies left fielder Drew Stubbs' bouncer to first base in the ninth inning.

Grilli ran to cover first but went down suddenly in severe pain and had to be taken off the field on a cart.

"The pain he was in on the field was cruel," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said.

Stubbs was credited with an infield single, and the Rockies ended up walking off with a 3-2 win later in the inning.

Grilli's injury likely scuttles any trade talks. The Braves reportedly had been in serious discussions about dealing Grilli, who is 3-3 with a 2.67 ERA and 24 saves in 35 appearances this season.

Grilli is due $3.5 million next season, and the Braves have a $3 million option, with a $250,000 buyout, for 2017.

A's recall RHP Otero, option Bassitt to Nashville

The Oakland Athletics recalled right-hander Dan Otero from Triple-A Nashville on Sunday.

The team also optioned right-hander Chris Bassitt to Nashville.

Otero joins the A's for the second time this year. He began the year with Oakland and was 2-3 with a 6.29 ERA in 23 relief appearances. Otero was optioned to Nashville June 5 and was 1-0 with a 1.08 ERA in nine relief appearances for the Sounds. He has not allowed a run in his past six games and 11 innings.

Bassitt was recalled from Nashville for his third stint with the A's on Saturday and had a no-decision in Oakland's 5-4 win against the Cleveland Indians. He pitched 6 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on seven hits. He is 0-2 with a 2.93 ERA in three starts for the A's.

**Udog** · 07-13-2015, 07:45 AM

New format promises an energized Home Run Derby
Tournament-style seeding, other enhancements should create more excitement in showcase event

CINCINNATI -- It's not a matter of marketing to suggest the 2015 Gillette Home Run Derby presented by Head & Shoulders is a Derby unlike any other.

Literally, fundamentally and unmistakably, the Derby -- which takes place today at 8 p.m. ET at Great American Ball Park and will be broadcast live on ESPN and MLB.com -- has never looked quite like this.

We've got brackets. We've got a clock. We've got incentives on the line -- not just for swinging for the fences, but for swinging well beyond the fences. We've got rookies who rock and old dudes who can still belt 'em -- all seeded and greeted by a ballpark that loves the long ball.

We've got, yes, a Derby unlike any other before it.

In a radical new tournament-style format, the first round will pit Albert Pujols (No. 1 seed) against Kris Bryant (No. 8), Todd Frazier (No. 2) vs. Prince Fielder (No. 7), Josh Donaldson (No. 3) vs. Anthony Rizzo (No. 6) and Joc Pederson (No. 4) vs. Manny Machado (No. 5). The seedings were based on each player's 2015 home run total through July 7.

It's pretty simple. The winner of each head-to-head matchup will move on to the semifinals, while the loser will be eliminated. The two players who emerge from the semifinals will square off in a third and final round. Ties will be broken by a 90-second swing-off. If there's still a tie after that, the batters will engage in successive three-swing swing-offs until a winner is declared.

The other big alteration to this year's Derby is the timer that will start with the release of the first pitch. Each batter will have five minutes to hit as many home runs as possible. However, batters can extend their time in four ways:

1. Utilizing their one "time out" per round
2. Hitting a home run in the final minute, which pauses the clock until the batter hits a ball that does not land in home run territory or swings and misses at a pitch
3. Hitting at least two homers that equal or exceed 420 feet (as calculated by MLB.com's revolutionary Statcast™ technology), earning one minute of bonus time
4. Hitting a home run that travels at least 475 feet, earning 30 seconds of bonus time

The distance-related bonus time will be capped at one minute, 30 seconds.

The most compelling pairings could be the two with the farthest distance between seedings. Pujols vs. Bryant pits a legendary, sure-fire Hall of Famer against a kid whose raw power has captivated the baseball world. Frazier vs. Fielder pits the "hometown" hero against the two-time Derby champ (Fielder won it in 2009 and '12).

But don't sell the other guys short. Donaldson, Rizzo and Machado are three of the game's great corner-infield bats, and Pederson is the early favorite for National League Rookie of the Year honors. And in a building sometimes jokingly referred to as "Great American Small Park," it's possible that no lead, as it were, will be safe.

The 86th All-Star Game presented by T-Mobile will be televised nationally by FOX Sports (7 p.m. ET air time, 8:15 first pitch), in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network and SiriusXM will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage.

**Udog** · 07-13-2015, 01:28 PM

Grading all 30 teams: Royals, Astros ace first half

Shrewd offseason shopping set expectations higher for the San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox, two teams picked by some pundits to be among the biggest winners this season.

At the break, neither team is out of it, but the White Sox are in wildcard talk and the chatter in San Diego isn't much more optimistic after disappointing starts.

The defending champion Giants are ahead of the Padres at 46-43 but consistency kept Bruce Bochy's boys well back of the Dodgers.

The Kansas City Royals are in the running for another pennant based on their first half play.

TSX correspondents in every MLB market grade the league's 30 teams at the break.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

C-plus -- The Diamondbacks lead the National League in runs and have one of the most potent top-four punches in LF Ender Inciarte, CF A.J. Pollock, 1B Paul Goldschmidt and RF Yasmany Tomas. Pollock, an All-Star, already has career highs in homers, RBIs and stolen bases. After a so-so spring while trying third base and adapting to a new culture, Tomas blossomed in right field. RHP Brad Ziegler shined after taking over the closer's role, but the rotation needs more consistency.

COLORADO ROCKIES

C-minus -- While the Rockies' results this season aren't great, they essentially match the expectations. Few picked Colorado to compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants -- and even the revamped San Diego Padres -- in the National League West, and indeed, the Rockies hit the break in last place in the division. While the offense is passable, led by strong work from 3B Nolan Arenado, SS Troy Tulowitzki, CF Charlie Blackmon and (when they were healthy) 1B Justin Morneau and LF Corey Dickerson, the pitching is woeful. The Rockies' 4.82 ERA is better only than the Phillies' 4.83 mark.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS

B-minus -- After starting the season with 20 wins in their first 30 games, the Dodgers largely were a .500 team. They built their record by dominating the lower-level teams in the National League while going just 8-18 against teams with winning records. That should be good enough to win a weak NL West, where only the San Francisco Giants seem capable of mounting any kind of a threat. However, it is not what a $270 million payroll is supposed to produce.

SAN DIEGO PADRES

D-minus -- Nothing went as planned, leading to the firing of Bud Black as manager after eight-plus seasons. However, the Padres' tailspin only worsened (9-16) after Pat Murphy was appointed the interim manager. The team that led the National League in runs scored throughout most of the first month of the season has been shut out 12 times at the break. The offensive upgrades were only on display at times, making the Padres something of an enigma. The defense also performed poorly, which combined with inconsistent pitching dug a hole for the Padres.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

C-plus -- The Giants learned five years ago that they don't have to start studying for final exams until September, so it is no surprise that they are barely better than average at the midterm break. Their 46-43 record at the All-Star break is just 3 1/2 games off last year's championship pace (53-43), and even closer to the marks that produced titles in 2010 (47-41) and 2012 (46-40). With RF Hunter Pence back in action, LF Nori Aoki progressing nicely toward an Aug. 1 return and two key pitchers -- RHP Tim Hudson and LHP Jeremy Affeldt -- scheduled back before the next homestand, San Francisco could have all hands on deck well before the stretch run. The Giants, who own the seventh-best record in the National League at the break, would not make the playoffs if the regular season ended Sunday.

CHICAGO CUBS

B-plus -- The Cubs and manager Joe Maddon earned an elevated grade for executing a turnaround from the team's historic misfortunes. They've combined exceptional young talent like third baseman and All-Star Kris Bryant, second baseman Addison Russell, outfielder Jorge Soler -- either drafted or otherwise acquired during lean years -- with veteran infielders Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro and starting pitchers like Jake Arrieta to create not just a contender today but perhaps an NL Central Division power tomorrow.

CINCINNATI REDS

C -- The rash of injuries aren't an excuse, but rather a reason why the Reds entered the All-Star break 7 1/2 games behind the first-place St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central. Despite losing some key components due to injury, manager Bryan Price managed to keep the club afloat. The arrival of several rookie pitchers was necessitated by the injuries but also provided a glimpse into the club's future.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS

F -- No doubt about it, this Brewers team is a colossal failure. Whether the blame lies on the players for not executing, management for not blowing up the 2014 squad that collapsed over the final month or ownership that didn't make changes at the top, absolutely nothing has gone right for the Brewers in 2015

PITTSBURGH PIRATES

A -- The Pirates were expected to contend but it would have been a stretch at the beginning of the season to predict they would have the third-best record in the major leagues after losing C Russell Martin to the Toronto Blue Jays in free agency during the offseason and missing RHP Charlie Morton for the six weeks of the season while he recovered from offseason hip surgery.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

A -- This team deserves an A, given its ability to win games despite losing its No. 1 starter (Adam Wainwright) for the season in April and its cleanup hitter (Matt Adams) for the season in May. It's also dealt with absences for its No. 3 hitter (Matt Holliday), its No. 2 starter (Lance Lynn) and its setup man (Jordan Walden), as well as the yearly Jaime Garcia DL stays. This is without question the best job that manager Mike Matheny has done in his four years.

ATLANTA BRAVES

C-plus -- It is hard to give the Braves more than a C-minus grade because of their sub-.500 record, but they overachieved most of the first half. The young rotation was good and the offense not as bad as expected thanks to clutch hitting and a lack of strikeouts. A shortage of power and bullpen breakdowns hurt, but this team was really never geared for 2015. Director of Baseball Operations John Hart is building toward 2017, and manager Fredi Gonzalez did what he could to keep the team moving forward and positive.

MIAMI MARLINS

F -- The Marlins spent a ton of money in the offseason and came in with high hopes, which was unusual for a fan base that has a hate-hate relationship with owner Jeffrey Loria. The $325 million contract given to Stanton was the first big shocker of the offseason, and suddenly the Marlins were buyers and not sellers. But their high hopes quickly faded, and manager Mike Redmond was fired after a 16-22 start. Redmond joined the other competent managers fired by Loria, a list that includes Joe Girardi and Fredi Gonzalez. The Marlins brought in rookie manager Dan Jennings, who has never coached above high school, serving instead as a scout and GM for over 30 years. Jennings struggled at first, but by the time he got settled in, the Marlins had already dug too deep a hole for themselves due to injuries and under-performing veterans. So far, at least, this has been a lost season.

NEW YORK METS

B-minus -- A loud segment of Mets fans want Terry Collins fired on a daily basis, but he should be up for Manager of the Year and a contract extension for coaxing a winning record out of a squad that has been outscored 312-310. Pitching-wise, Collins has been aggressive in pushing the starters -- who have pitched into the seventh inning 43 times in 89 starts -- in order to shorten the bridge to Familia. Offensively, he has been dealt a terrible hand by general manager Sandy Alderson, who either can't (thanks to broke ownership) or won't (thanks to a desire to dominate every trade) upgrade a lineup that has been missing third baseman David Wright and catcher Travis d'Arnaud for most of the first half and has been hampered by the extended struggles of first baseman Lucas Duda and LF Michael Cuddyer. But Collins' mixing and matching and constant cajoling of players has generated just enough offense for the Mets, who ended the first half by scoring at least four runs in four straight games for the first time since April. Now it's time for Alderson to go get some offensive firepower to support Collins and a championship-level starting rotation.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

D-plus -- You would expect a harsh grade for a team on the verge of franchise infamy, but the Phillies conceded a rebuild last offseason. Gillick said the team wouldn't contend in 2015 or 2016. Vegas projected Philadelphia to have the lowest win total at 68.5. So losing was expected, but this bad? The Phillies have endured embarrassing defeat after embarrassing defeat. But again, this shouldn't come as a surprise. Although it's tough to see amid the rubble, the Phillies are headed in the right direction and their performance at the July 31 trade deadline will go a long way in the move forward.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS

B -- The Nationals may be in first place, but they haven't been the runaway favorite that many pundits thought would cruise to a division crown. Harper and Scherzer have lived up to expectations, and the Nationals made a great pickup in third baseman Yunel Escobar, but injuries have left Washington without several of its biggest offensive weapons and relying on unheralded players like Clint Robinson and Michael A. Taylor. Still, it would be shocking not to see the Nats in the postseason when all is said and done.

HOUSTON ASTROS

A -- Most preseason projections had the Astros flirting with a .500 record this season, therefore their 87-win pace represents significant overachievement and warrants an A. Many expected the bullpen to showcase improvement and the 2.67 ERA of the Astros' relief corps validates the offseason investment made by general manager Jeff Luhnow. The same could be said of the offseason acquisitions of third baseman Luis Valbuena and designated hitter Evan Gattis, whose 34 combined home runs have lifted the Astros to the top of the power heap.

LOS ANGELES ANGELS

B -- Contradicting the Angels' strengths are weaknesses in the same departments. Despite excellence from CF Mike Trout and 1B Albert Pujols, the Angels offense ranks in the bottom half of the major leagues in seven categories. OF Matt Joyce's season-long funk is a major drag on the lineup. Despite solid pitching from LHP Hector Santiago and RHP Garrett Richards, the Angels' starters have fought inconsistency all season. 2B Johnny Giavotella has been a pleasant surprise at the plate. The 28-year-old, who never played in more than 53 major league games in any one season, became the starter in spring training and ended April batting .317. But Giavotella shares the American League lead in errors at his position and has the second-lowest fielding percentage among the league's second basemen. Giavotella and Joyce have played the most among the Angels' offseason acquisitions. LHP Andrew Heaney, acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers for 2B Howie Kendrick, could make the difference in the second half.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

F -- The A's have overachieved for so long, the bar no longer is set at low-hurdles height. Arguably the best team in baseball at one point last season is all of a sudden just another club bound to be playing out the string in August and September in half-filled stadiums. Every encouraging stretch in the season's first 91 games was more than offset by two back-to-Earth doses of reality. Bottom line: A team that was 59-36 at the break a year ago is 16 games worse (41-50) this season. That's an utter failure.

SEATTLE MARINERS

D -- This was supposed to be the year that the Mariners broke their 14-year playoff draught and actually competed for a World Series. Very rarely did Seattle look like a legitimate contender over the first 89 games. The problem seemed to turn over on a weekly basis, from 2B Robinson Cano's prolonged slump to closer Fernando Rodney's disastrous ninth innings to a bench full of underachieving veterans and overworked relievers. The only constant seemed to be Seattle's inability to hit with runners in scoring position. While the Mariners are not entirely out of the race, they'll have to make a pretty miraculous run -- perhaps as improbably as they did 20 years ago, during the historic 1995 season -- to live up to expectations.

TEXAS RANGERS

C -- If you were in school and doing average, you would earn a C, and a Texas team that hovered around .500 for the last month is about as average as it comes. The rotation carried the team during May and June when it was at its best, but the starting pitching came back some. The team struggles to hit left-handed pitching, and its bullpen is one of the worst in baseball, with the highest ERA in the AL. The Rangers made mistakes on departed bullpen arms such as LHP Ross Detwiler, RHP Kyuji Fujikawa and RHP Neftali Feliz to put themselves in this spot.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX

D-plus -- A recent hot run and improved play lifts the White Sox toward a barely passing grade, with the opportunity to either rise or crash over the next two-plus months. They dug a deep hole early with 14 losses in their first 22 games and often feeble offense that managed two or fewer runs in 32 of 86 games.

CLEVELAND INDIANS

C -- Expectations were high coming into the season. Many felt the Indians would reach the playoffs; some even predicted a World Series appearance. Instead, the team has languished below .500 for virtually the entire first half. The only time the Indians were over .500 was after three games when their record was 2-1. The front office deserves credit for assembling an excellent starting rotation, but the offense has been a major disappointment.

DETROIT TIGERS

C-minus -- Detroit entered the season expecting to contend for a fifth straight American League Central Division crown but entered the All-Star break far closer to last than first. After winning its first six games and 11 of 13, the club has the worst record in the division. Injuries to 1B Miguel Cabrera, RHP Justin Verlander, DH Victor Martinez and C Alex Avila have been a factor but pitching has played the bigger part. RHPs Alfredo Simon and Shane Greene imploded after good beginnings and Verlander failed to record a win in five starts following his return. Manager Brad Ausmus deserves credit for deft handling of a bad bullpen but took too long to make corrections to the batting order. GM Dave Dombrowski has a tradition of making superb mid-term acquisitions but will have to exceed that to get his team back on track.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS

A -- The Royals went 34-21 the final two months of the regular season last year and carried that right into Game 7 of the World Series. With the core group returning, the Royals are braced to return to postseason and win their first division crown since 1985. The rotation is not that strong, lacking a proven No. 1, and it has been riddled by injuries with Yordano Ventura, Danny Duffy and Jason Vargas all having stints on the disabled list, but the bullpen is so strong that if the Royals have a lead after six innings, it is apt to go in the 'w' column.

MINNESOTA TWINS

A-minus -- Coming off a fourth consecutive 90-plus loss season, the Twins were expected to finish last in a competitive American League Central race. Thanks to an improved rotation and better outfield defense, the Twins are in the thick of the division race and have been in the driver's seat for one of the two wild-card spots almost all season. GM Terry Ryan's signature offseason move was signing RHP Ervin Santana. An 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs has limited Santana to just two starts before the break, but his fresh arm could prove beneficial down the stretch. The signing of Torii Hunter has also been savvy; with a young clubhouse, Hunter's veteran presence -- and surprising first-half power -- have been welcome additions. First-year manager Paul Molitor has helped change a losing culture into one that believes it can win and win now.

BALTIMORE ORIOLES

C-plus -- This team could and should be doing better. Injuries definitely have hurt, but GM Dan Duquette and manager Buck Showalter rolled the dice on a number of role players repeating their 2014 seasons and that has not happened (see Alejandro De Aza, Steve Pearce, Delmon Young). But they've brought in enough talent over the past few years at the major and minor league levels that Showalter has been able to shift around to keep the Orioles close.

BOSTON RED SOX

D -- If not for the last few weeks, the Sox would get a failing grade. Despite a club-record payroll, they are in last place and, incredibly, haven't been above .500 since May 1. Manager John Farrell has been criticized for being too passive in dealing with underachieving players, while GM Ben Cherington has struggled to find the right mix.

NEW YORK YANKEES

B-plus -- The expectations had the Yankees pegged for a team with a grade of C but the reality is they've exceeded that and played more like a team that gets a grade of B bordering on B-plus. While they have been streaky at times, the Yankees have played well enough to be in first place. Joe Girardi has managed 46 players so far this season and has handled them well from the biggest names to the countless amount of relievers that have been promoted. General manager Brian Cashman made a smart move in getting Andrew Miller and his spending spree of the 2013 offseason seems to paying off now with how Brian McCann has performed and Jacoby Ellsbury's showing when healthy. Additionally, Cashman and the front office have done nicely in drafting or signing enough arms to field the roster of Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and provide the Yankees with depth in the bullpen when reinforcements have been necessary. If there is a move to knock, it might be re-signing Stephen Drew but despite his low batting average, he has played a solid second base and hit his share of home runs. Another move that the jury is out on is RHP Nathan Eovaldi, who throws hard but can't seem to get pitches by people but he's young enough that he might be able to become more consistent.

TAMPA BAY RAYS

B -- With a rookie manager and general manager and more injuries than any team in baseball has had to overcome, it's hard to give the Rays anything less than a B for collecting a 46-45 record going into the All-Star break. Kevin Cash has shown a penchant for tweaking lineups, shifting defenses, overcoming a constant slew of injuries and getting the most out of a bullpen that's been among baseball's busiest.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS

C-minus -- The Blue Jays enter the All-Star break 45-46 despite outscoring the opposing teams 486-404. The wins are not out of line with expectations, but the potent offense might be surprising. The run differential should translate into a better record, but a lack of consistent pitching, other than LHP Mark Buehrle in the rotation and RHP Roberto Osuna in the bullpen, has the team near the break-even point. Although the offense means the Blue Jays are seldom out of a game, it has come with a cost to the defense, particularly at left field and shortstop. INF/OF Chris Colabello has been a pleasant surprise with the bat, but he is miscast as a left fielder and costs the team runs there. He also plays first base, where he is adequate. SS Jose Reyes has been substandard defensively for years.

**BettorsChat** · 07-13-2015, 07:44 PM

Great Info!

**Udog** · 07-13-2015, 10:48 PM

MLB

Monday, July 13

All-Star Game starting pitchers announced

Los Angeles Dodgers righty Zack Greinke and Houston Astros southpaw Dallas Keuchel have been named starting pitchers for the National League and American League respectively.

Greinke has put up ridiculous numbers in his first 18 starts of the season, posting a personal record of 8-2, 1.39 ERA and microscopic 0.84 WHIP. Perhaps more impressive is the fact that he heads into the game riding a 35 2/3-inning scoreless streak.

Keuchel is 11-4 and sports a 2.23 ERA and 1.00 WHIP through 19 starts for the Astros. Keuchel does rank 13th in our MLB starting pitcher money standings, earning bettors $505 if wagering $100 in each of his starts this season.

The National League is a slight fave at -115 and oddsmakers have sent out a total of 7 for the Mid-Summer Classic.

Will Greinke or Keuchel record a first inning K?

Now that the All-Star Game starters have been announced, books have begun adding more props to spice up your Mid-Summer Classic betting.

Online shop TopBet.eu has opened a prop on whether or not National League starter Zack Greinke and American League starter Dallas Keuchel will record a strikeout in the first inning. Greinke fanning a hitter in the first is offered at -125, while Keuchel is priced at -130.

Elsewhere, the American League, who hits first in Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park, is -160 to get the first hit, with the NL team +130.

Announcement

Monday's MLB Trends and Indexes - 7/13

Monday's MLB Trends and Indexes - 7/13

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment