My Life According To Baseball

test?

mlblogstwinslove — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 21:39:09 +0000

does this still work?

Predictions 8/14/07

mlblogstwinslove — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 10:44:50 +0000

ARI v. FLA
NYM v. PIT
PHI v. WSH
SF v. ATL
CIN v. CHC
STL v. MIL
COL v. SD
HOU v. LAD

BAL v. NYY
DET v. CLE
TB v. BOS
LAA v. TOR
KC v. TEX
CWS v. OAK
MIN v. SEA

9 Home, 6 Away

Results:

6-9 .400

29-50 .367

Home Team Record: 13-26 .333
Visiting Team Record: 16-24 .400

AL: 14-23 .378
NL: 15-27 .357

Predictions 8/13/07

mlblogstwinslove — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 04:39:55 +0000

SF v. PIT (gm1)
SF v. PIT (gm2)
HOU v. LAD

BAL v. NYY
OAK v. DET
TB v. BOS
TOR v. KC
MIN v. SEA

5 Home, 3 Away

Results:

3-5 .375

23-41 .359

Home Team Record: 10-20 .333
Visiting Team Record: 13-21 .382

AL: 10-20 .333
NL: 13-21 .382

I’m not sure why the Home/Visitor and AL/NL numbers are the same…

Predictions 8/12/07

mlblogstwinslove — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 12:24:34 +0000

FLA v. NYM
SD v. CIN
ATL v. PHI
MIL v. HOU
LAD v. STL
CHC v. COL
WSH v. ARI
PIT v. SF

BOS v. BAL
NYY v. CLE
OAK v. DET
TOR v. KC
SEA v. CWS
TB v. TEX
MIN v. LAA

Home Team: 9
Visiting Team: 6

Record:

7-8 .467

20-36 .357

Home Team Record: 7-18 .280
Visiting Team Record: 13-18 .419

AL: 8-18 .308
NL: 12-18 .400

A good day…

Predictions 8/11/07

mlblogstwinslove — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 11:06:43 +0000

FLA v. NYM
SD v. CIN
ATL v. PHI
MIL v. HOU
LAD v. STL
CHC v. COL
WSH v. ARI
PIT v. SF

BOS v. BAL
NYY v. CLE
OAK v. DET
TOR v. KC
SEA v. CWS
TB v. TEX
MIN v. LAA

5 Home, 10 Visitors

Results:

3-12 .200

13-28 .317

Home Team Record: 2-14 .125
Visiting Team Record: 11-14 .440

AL: 5-14 .263
NL: 8-14 .364

I’m really bad at this…

Belated

mlblogstwinslove — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 14:21:12 +0000

I know I said I would write about my road trip, and I did… just not very much. My summer got too busy to finish writing the recap, but here is what I did manage to finish…

It all started a few months ago when my dad came to me with a proposal: a baseball road trip for my graduation present. I was elated to say the least.

We started to map out the trip and throw some dates around. The first step was to look at the schedules of teams from here to Minneapolis to see which ones were playing at home. Early June was the obvious timeframe because it had the most teams on their home stands. The trip was decided to start on June 3 (the day after my graduation) and we would return home on June 11. My brother Thomas is in middle school and didn’t get out until later in June so he couldn’t join us on the trip. However, he did come with us to the first stop: Philadelphia – June 3.

Philadelphia: Citizens Bank Park, June 3. Phillies v. Giants

My dad, my brother, and I hopped in the car after church in the morning rushing to Philly for the 1:35 P.M. game. The gates open two hours prior to the game but we got there around noon. It didn’t matter much though because batting practice was rained out. The rain was supposed to start falling in the early innings and rain out the game but it actually held off so they could get all nine innings in.

Snagging wise, Philly was very dead. Very few players throwing before the game + my lacking a Giants hat = no baseballs from Citizens Bank.

The game featured Tim Lincecum starting against Freddy Garcia. The game got off to an exciting start when Randy Winn deposited the second pitch of the game into the right centerfield seats. Garcia went on the strike out the next three hitters and sent the Phils up to bat in what became an uneventful bottom half of the first. Bengie Molina led off the second inning with a home run and then Garcia settled down for the next few innings until the Giants put up a three run fourth then a two run fifth.

The only real excitement for me during the game was when Barry Bonds was a pinch hitter in the top of the seventh. We were sitting in the cheap seats over the first baseline when Bonds came up the dugout steps. He hadn’t been standing in the on deck circle so I didn’t know he was going to hit, leaving me in foul territory (and two decks too high). But the baseball gods answered my prayers and the Phillies changed pitchers, giving us enough time to run to right field in case Bonds sent one deep…

He didn’t. But it was exciting anyways.

The Phillies answered the Giants’ two long balls with four of their own, including a walk off home run by Shane Victorino. A fitting end to Shane Victorino Hula Figurine Day.

Final score: Giants – 8, Phillies – 9
Oh, and it was very, very rainy.

Pittsburgh: PNC Park, June 4. Pirates v. Dodgers

My dad and I checked into our hotel after a four hour drive across Pennsylvania’s wonderful, never ending road construction. We headed over to the stadium as soon as we dropped our bags in the hotel room. Parking was very easy with all of the lots right next to PNC, making for a short walk to the ticket booth. We bought $27 tickets right behind the plate. What a deal. The Dodgers were on the field taking BP when we walked in so I ran out to right field to start begging for baseballs and competing for home runs. Unfortunately only one ball made it’s way into the right field bleachers and it landed 10 rows above me and then bounced 10 feet to my left into the hands of an unsuspecting lady. Chad Billingsly completely ignored my requests for a ball as did Rudy Seanez and Takashi Saito… if only I knew another language besides English and Spanish. No balls from PNC. Tragic, I know.

Derek Lowe started against Paul Maholm. Maholm wasn’t much to speak of, going 6.2 giving up four earned runs on eight hits while striking out three. However, Derek Lowe WAS much to speak of as he carried a no hitter through the sixth inning. He unraveled in the seventh, giving up three runs and even a home run to Xavier Nady. The Bucs rally fell short in the end, losing six to five.

Final Score: Dodgers – 6, Pirates – 5

After the game we got lost for about five minutes in Pittsburgh’s confusing highway jumble. After going right to bed, we woke up early and drove to Cleveland.

That’s all for now, I’ll try to post the rest of the trip but I’m leaving for college in five days so I can’t promise anything…

Go Twins

Predictions 8/10/07

mlblogstwinslove — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 14:14:06 +0000

FLA v. NYM
SD v. CIN
ATL v. PHI
MIL v. HOU
LAD v. STL
CHC v. COL
WSH v. ARI
PIT v. SF

BOS v. BAL
NYY v. CLE
OAK v. DET
TOR v. KC
SEA v. CWS
TB v. TEX
MIN v. LAA

Results:

7-8 .467

10-16 .385

Home Team Record: 2-9 .182
Visiting Team Record: 8-7 .533

AL: 2-10 .167
NL: 8-6 .571

Predictions 8/9/07

mlblogstwinslove — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 14:05:57 +0000

LAD v. CIN
ATL v. NYM
WSH v. SF
FLA v. PHI
SD v. STL
CHC v. COL
PIT v. ARI

TB v. DET
MIN v. KC
SEA v. BAL
CLE v. CWS

Results (first result is that day’s games, all others are season stats):

3-8 .273

Home Team Record: 0-5 .000
Visiting Team Record: 3-3 .500

AL: 0-4 .000
NL: 3-4 .429

Some Pictures

mlblogstwinslove — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 01:54:02 +0000

Here are some pictures from the trip. The post about the trip will be up in the next few days, I started writing it already and I’m at about 1,000 words but only through Pittsburgh…

Sweet Santana

mlblogstwinslove — Wed, 23 May 2007 13:06:12 +0000

Johan is back (although his record may not show it). Despite the Twins being 5-5 in his 10 starts, Santana could easily be 8-2 or 7-3. He just isn’t getting run support.

In his 10 starts, the Twins have scored 36 runs, 3.6 runs per game. The only player who seems to be helping Santana is Justin Morneau, he has homered six times in the 10 starts.

In WINS: 25 runs, 5 runs per game
In LOSSES: 8 runs, 2 runs per game
In NO DECISION: 3 runs, 3 runs per game

I’m not saying Santana should be 10-0, just maybe 7-2.

But his wins should start reflecting his stats because he is pitching phenomenally again…
May (last four starts)
25 IP
21H + 7 BB = 1.12 WHIP
2.16 ERA
35 SO
6 ER (4 by way of the long ball)

So if Santana eliminates the gopher ball, he would be really close to pitching shut-out baseball.

11 days until Philly…