Kershaw Kershaw Kershaw! There is nothing left to say!

Game Recap

Last nights game was truly entertaining to watch! I know people don't like to see a low scoring pitching dual but those are the most exciting games to watch. It is funny because I was talking about just this thing with another blogger buddy last night. The average fan can't appreciate all the little things that are happening between the lines during a pitching dual, like the one last night. Enough lecturing and on to the game recap. Clayton Kershaw pitched a dominating performance last night that lead the Dodgers to a 3-1 victory.

Kershaw's stat line goes as follows: 7 innings/ 3 hits/ 1 run/ 11 k's/ 83 pitches. The thing that stands out the most to me about that stat line last night is the fact that Kershaw only threw 83 pitches. Some might question why Dave Roberts pulled Kershaw in the 7th inning but I think it was a smart move. First, when you bring in Morrow in the 8th you are preserving Kershaw for a possible Madison Bumgarner World Series performance. Since Kershaw didn't max out last night he is available to pitch on shorter rest and possibly relief appearances. Also, if Morrow struggled that inning the Dodgers would have called on Jansen in relief. Since it paid off the Dodgers can bring Kershaw out of the pin in game 3 if they wanted. The lineup hero's from last night were the same two names we are used to hearing by now in the playoffs. Chris Taylor did his job out of the lead off spot as he finished (1-3) with a homerun and a walk. The man has been a great leadoff hitter and keeps impressing everyone. Justin Turner was the man of the night, besides Kershaw, as he finished (1-4) with the game winning two run homerun. Also, Corey Seager returned to the lineup last night and didn't miss a beat as he finished (2-3). Looks like that extra rest did him some good.

There was little to get excited about if your an Astros fan. The offense struggled again last night as Alex Bregman delivered the only run of the night on a solo homerun. Dallas Keuchel struggled last night as he went 6.2 innings/ 6 hits/ 3 runs/ 3 k's. This would have been a good start if it wasn't the World Series. The good news for the Astros is the fact they are battled tested and this loss won't phase them. Tonight the Astros are throwing the hottest pitcher in the world Justin Verlander. It doesn't matter if Verlander pitches the way he has so far in the postseason if the Astros can't produce runs. It might be a shocker for the Astros but they might want to start playing some small ball to produce runs. The Dodgers are throwing veteran left hander Rich Hill tonight. Just on pitching match up alone I would usually give the Astros the advantage tonight, but I don't know if that is the case tonight. Kershaw dominated the Astros last night with his breaking ball and that is Rich Hill's bread and butter. Rich Hill has pitched very well this offseason with opposing batters hitting only .188 against him. I expect Rich Hill to use a steady diet of curve balls tonight. I have to lean on the Dodgers tonight as they still haven't lost a game at home this postseason and are scoring runs.





The Hollywood Showdown!

The two best teams in baseball this year meet in the World Series tonight, it doesn't get much better than that. This is the first time that two 100 win teams meet in the World Series since 1970. For the Astros they are trying to win their first World Series title in the Franchises 55 years. While the Dodgers are trying to win their 8th World Series title. As a baseball fan you couldn't ask for a better match up in the World Series. Both the starters going tonight are fully rested and ready to potentially make their case for Cooperstown. If the Dodgers were to win this series while Kershaw pitched liked the ace he is, there is no doubt in my mind he is a Hall of Famer. The Dodgers are 7-1 to this point in the playoffs. Both these teams are undefeated at home in the playoffs. So that home field advantage the Dodgers have in this series might be more important than once thought. These are the two best teams in baseball playing in the World Series so this series can go either way. I will list the two advantages I have for both teams going into this series.

 The Astros clearly have the best offense of the two teams and the soon to be MVP of the American League Jose Altuve. The smallest man on the field has come to play in the postseason. Altuve has 16 hits in the 11 games played with 5 home runs and 8 RBI's. Altuve will have to continue this success against the hardest rotation he has had to face in the playoffs. Besides the Astros having the better offensive they are also battle tested after that series with the Yankees. When you are against the ropes for two games against the hottest team in the playoffs, the Yankees, and come back to win that says a lot.

On the other side the Dodgers cruised through the playoffs with a 7-1 record. They haven't battled to get to this point, which makes me a little nervous. The good news is the Dodgers do have a couple advantages over the Astros. The first advantage is the Dodgers have the better pitching. I would say its a scratch with the first two people in both teams starting rotations. It's when you get to the 3 and 4 guys in the rotation that gives the Dodgers the advantage. Alex Wood and Rich Hill are better than Charlie Morton and Lance McCullers. There is a good chance that one of these pitchers for both teams won't even start a game in this World Series. Where the Dodgers have the big advantage is the bullpen. The Dodgers only need 5 good innings out of their starters before than can start using their bullpen, while the Astros don't have that luxury. The other Advantage the Dodgers have is their defense. The Dodgers had the best defense in baseball this year and that has continued into the postseason. The Dodgers are also getting Corey Seager back for this series, which will bolster there offense and defense. I have already picked the Dodgers to win the World Series and I am sticking to that. Pitching and defense is the key to a title, which the Dodgers have the advantage. Tonight I am going with the Dodgers because I will not bet against Kershaw and the Dodgers haven't lost a game at home this postseason.

Choke Cubs Choke! Recap on last nights game and what to expect tonight.

Dodgers vs. Cubs

The Dodgers have returned to the World Series for the first time since 1988. Last night was a great night to be a Dodgers fan. Not only did they win, but they kicked the Cubs ass. Just about everyone in the Dodgers lineup produced for them in the 11-1 victory last night. There are 3 people I want to talk about in the game last night and I will start with the MVP from last night Kiki Hernandez.

I have said it before and will say it again the most unlikely of hero's step up for you in the playoffs. Hernandez went off last night with 3 hits, all 3 of them were homeruns, and finished with 7 RBI's. Hernandez was locked in last night and lead his team to victory single handedly. Chris Taylor is well known in Los Angeles, but soon the world will know his name. Taylor went 2-4 last night with a walk and 2 runs scored. This guy has been an incredible leadoff hitter every since he took Joc Pederson's job in centerfield. No matter who the Dodger's face in the World Series, Yankees cough cough, I don't see him slowing down. The last person I want to talk about is Clayton Kershaw. Well everyone can shut up now about Kershaw being a choke artist in the playoffs. He wasn't great versus the Diamondbacks in his first start, but has been lights out ever since. Last night he went 6 strong innings with 5 strikeouts, and only surrendered one run. What I liked the most about last nights start was Kershaw only threw 89 pitches. He didn't over work himself, and so he will be able to start 3 games in the World Series if 7 games is needed. The only thing I can say about the Cubs is good luck over the offseason as they are bound to lose Arrieta and Lackey out of their starting rotation. They barely have any prospects in their farm system, but do have some trade pieces in their lineup they can work with. Theo Epstein will have to earn that title of best GM in baseball this offseason if the Cubs want to be contenders again next season.

Yankees vs. Astros

The match up tonight will be Justin Verlander vs. Luis Severino. There are two outstanding stats for both teams going into tonight, which will make predicting this game very difficult. Verlander has not lost a start since he was traded to the Astros. In his last start against the Yankees Verlander only gave up one run and struck out 13 people.

Verlander is undoubtedly the hottest pitcher in the postseason and probably baseball since the trade. On the other side, Severino is coming off an okay start where he only threw 4 innings, had 0 strikeouts, but only gave up one run. The one stat going for the Yankees is the Yankees have won 3 straight games. So who do you pick? The hottest pitcher in baseball or the hottest home team in baseball. I am going to pick the team that is playing the best, and not the one guy that is pitching the best. The Yankees have out scored their opponents 19-5 in 3 games at home. In game 4 the Yankees scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 8th to lead them to a 6-4 victory. I think this will be in the back of the Astros mind when the game starts to get in the later innings. With the Astros bullpen struggling they will be leaning heavily on Justin Verlander. I think Verlander can dominate the game tonight, but he will have to leave the game at some point. I honestly think the Astros are going to be a little down on themselves after winning the first two games and losing the last 3. It's time to see the major market showdown between the Yankees and Dodgers. 

Quick Recap of last night and MVP award winners!

Well you can't get them all right and last night I went 0-2 with my predictions on the games outcomes. I still look good with my overall predictions that the Yankees and Dodgers will move on to the World Series, so I am not sweating. The Yankees came to play last night and were able to get the best of Dallas Keuchel. The one person I want to point out on the Yankees is Greg Bird. This guy battled injuries all season and struggled when he did play finishing with an average of .190. The Yankees didn't have many options at first so they rolled the dice on Bird this postseason and it has paid off big. He has hit 3 homeruns in the playoffs and his current average is .308. Like I said yesterday the least likely of players come through big for a team trying to make the World Series. The Cubs vs. Dodgers game last night was a lot of fun to watch. Jake Arrieta looked like the old Cy Young award winner last night. His fastball had so much movement hitters were not able to barrel it up. The off speed pitches were filthy and all of them were working for him last night. The only thing I want to say is the Cubs better get more than 3 runs if they expect to beat Kershaw in their next game. Also, this Chris Taylor kid is very entertaining to watch right now in the playoffs. This kid swings so hard every single time he swings the bat. Normally this would mean he is a hit or miss kind of player, but not for Taylor. He works the count and constantly is fouling pitches off. He will need to continue to stay hot in an offense that doesn't have a lot of fire power right now. On to the main discussion.

NL MVP Award

There are three players in the race for the NL MVP award this year. Giancarlo Stanton, Charlie Blackmon, and Nolan Arenado. To the naked eye people would think Giancarlo should win this award hands down, but I am going to tell you why he shouldn't This is a painful thing for me to say because Giancarlo Stanton is my favorite player in baseball to watch. This season he finished with 59 homeruns, 132 RBI's, a .281 average, and was an All Star. The last time we saw a power season like this was 2006 when Ryan Howard finished with 58 homeruns. I think everyone was hoping Stanton would break the (none steroid) record for most homeruns in a season, but he fell 3 short. Now with that said I will tell you who I think should win the award and it's Charlie Blackmon. What Blackmon did out of the lead spot this year has to be one of the greatest lead off seasons, if not the greatest, of all time. Blackmon finished with a league high in runs with 137, league high in hits with 213, and league high in triples with 14. He also finished with 37 homeruns, 104 RBI's, and a .331 average. The first 3 stats I named sounds like it would come from a leadoff hitter. But the homeruns and RBI's sound like a 3 hole hitter. He took a dip in stolen bases this year and finished with 14. This man did more for his team than any other player in baseball. Stanton lead in 2 categories compared to Blackmon's 3 but the big difference is Blackmon finished respectfully close in homeruns and RBI's while Stanton didn't come close to Blackmon in the 3 categories he lead the league in this year. The third man in the race is Nolan Arenado. He finished with 37 homeruns, 130 RBI's, .309 average, and he lead the league in doubles with 43. Those are great offensive numbers to go with the Gold Glove he will undoubtedly win for the 5th year in a row. Great numbers over the course of the year for Nolan, but he is going to hurt Blackmon in the polls. I expect the experts to split the votes up between Blackmon and Nolan. Which means that Giancarlo Stanton will win the MVP award. It is unfortunate when two members of the same team have MVP seasons because they will steal votes from each other and hurt the others chances of winning. But hey that's baseball.

AL MVP Award

This race will be a little closer because there are only 2 stand out players that will win this award in the AL. Jose Altuve and Aaron Judge are the two contenders. Altuve finished the year with 204 hits, 24 homeruns, 81 RBI's, 32 steals, and a league high .346 average. What a fantastic overall season for Altuve. He is the heart and soul behind the Astros team this year. Other than average he didn't stand out in any one category but he did but up good enough numbers in those other categories. When you look at Judge he finished with 52 homeruns, 114 RBI's, league high 127 walks, league high 208 strikeouts, and a .284 average. This was a remarkable rookie season and I don't know if we will ever see one better. Well, maybe if there is an international signing like Ichiro Suzuki. Anyways, both these players are a huge reason why there teams are facing each other in the playoffs right now. I think the award will be given to Jose Altuve. They are two reasons why I pick Altuve. First, Aaron Judge had a league high in strikeouts and went through some slumps during the year. This was not the case for Altuve as he was consistent all year long. Second, I think the panel will pick Altuve because Aaron Judge is a rookie. It might be a dumb reason but I think the experts will say Judge has plenty of years ahead of him to win this award. Not the best of reasoning, but think about it. Altuve is such a great story for the game of baseball. He is the shortest player in the game, but yet plays with the biggest heart. This is the age old story about how it doesn't matter how big you are you can be successful in the game of baseball. Altuve is already an inspiration so a lot of shorter players and I bet all those short players are just happy to make a big league team. Well if Altuve wins the award it gives all those same players the hope that if they work hard enough they can win an MVP award no matter how big you are. That is all I got for today!

I love it when I am right! Recap of last night and predictions for tonight.

Yankee's vs. Astros

Ooo I love it when my predictions come true. The Yankee's come back to tie the series at 2-2 last night. To a lot of people the Yankee's comeback is a surprise, but not to me. Let me tell you why. This Yankee's team is playing with so much heart and passion right now. You can see it in the field and in the stands. Every year a team gets hot against a power house team and pulls a miracle comeback. The Yankee's are that team this year because you can tell they want it more than the Astros. I hate seeing this because I am not a fan of the Yankee's they have won enough as an organization. This team can only get better in the offseason, but that is something I will talk about in the offseason.

Tonight is the battle of the aces Dallas Keuchel vs. Masahiro Tanaka. The Yankees have struggled trying to figure out Keuchel over the years. The Astros are 5-0 this postseason when Keuchel and Verlander pitch. The Astros are clearly at their best when one of these two men are on the bump. In Keuchel's last start he was dominate going 7 scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts. After giving up two straight to the Yankee's I expect the Astros to be fired up tonight at home with their ace on the mound. Tanaka's last start was solid as he gave up 2 runs over 6 innings, but ended up losing. I know the Yankee's are lighting the world on fire right now, but I am going to have to pick the Astros to win tonight. The Astros are just to good of a team to lose 3 straight in the playoffs.

Dodgers vs. Cubs

It is over for the Cubs, of course, how I predicted lol. Last night was more of the same from the Cubs offense. The Cubs were the hottest hitting team entering the playoffs, but you wouldn't of guessed that from watching them in the postseason. The Dodgers on the other hand are getting production from everyone in the lineup, which has made the world forget that Corey Seager is injured. Last night the hero's were Chris Taylor and Andre Either. Almost every World Series team I can remember has the least likely guys coming through big for them on there way to a title. This Dodgers team is no different.


We saw another classic Puig moment last night as he bat flips on a ball he thinks is a homerun and turns out to be foul. The Cubs had some fun with this the rest of the game. Kyle Schwarber hits a homerun the following inning and does the same bat flip. Wilson Contreras even bat flipped on a base hit to right field. The best was the slide into second base by Puig and Baez shakes his finger at him indicated no no no lol. I love seeing this in baseball without it turning into a fight. Puig is a character and honestly good for the game of baseball. The older generation might think he is a showboat and a egomaniac (which is true). The young generation loves the bat flips, and licking the bat thing Puig has been doing this playoffs. It's fun to see those little rivalries in a baseball game.

Okay to tonight's game and the last game for the Cubs this playoffs. Why I say that is because I have no confidence in Jake Arrieta. He has only started one game this postseason and lost. The thing that stood out the most in his last start is he walked 5 batters. The way the Dodgers are playing right now you can't afford to give them free base runners. On the other side the Dodgers are throwing Alex Wood who is coming off the best season of his career. The thing Wood needs to focus on is not giving up walks and avoid the big inning. I expect Wood to be on a longer leash than Arrieta tonight but I would be surprised if any pitcher made it past the 6th inning tonight. With all that being said you know I am picking the Dodgers to finish off the series tonight and sweep the Cubs 4-0.