Talkin' Baseball...

Welcome to my new blog, let's talk some baseball...

Well, it's been two weeks since the 2010 baseball season has started, how's your team doing.?
My team, the Detroit Tigers, started out 6-2, then proceeded to go 1-3, and now set at 7-5, still good enough for second in the American League's Central Division, 1 1/2 games behind the Minnesota Twins, who continue to play good ball, even without their great closer, Joe Nathan, who will miss the entire 2010 season with an elbow injury.
Did you happen to catch the marathon 20 inning game on Saturday between the Mets and Cardinals.?
The FOX Saturday Game of the Week came on the air at 4 PM Eastern time, and seven hours later, pre-empting local programming, and two hours of Cops and America's Most Wanted, the Mets had a 2-1 victory. The game was scoreless until the top of the18th, when the Mets took the lead, only to have the Redbirds counter with a run of their own in the bottom of the 18th.
Eleven games started at 3 PM, or later, and finished, before the Mets Francisco Rodriquez closed out St. Louis. One of those games saw the season's first no-hitter, as the Colorado Rockies Ubaldo Jimenez's blanked the Atlanta Braves 4-0 at Turner Field in Atlanta. Jimenez is 3-0 so far this season, with a 1.29 ERA, and a WHIP of 1.19. The Rockies are 6-6, 1 1/2 games behind the National League West leading San Francisco Giants. With Ubaldo's no-no, there are now only three teams that have never had a no-hitter by one of their pitchers, the Tampa Bay Rays, the San Diego Padres, and the New York Mets....The last no-hitter in the big leagues was tossed by the ChiSox Mark Buehrle last July 23rd, 5-0 over the Rays.

How about the Tampa Bay Rays. The 2008 A.L. Champs have started the season strong, and after today's Patriot's Day bashing of the Boston Red Sox, the Rays are 10-3, and in first place in the A.L. East. The Rays swept the four game series with Boston, have won seven straight games, all on the road, tying the longest road streak in team history.
The other surprise in the A.L. are the Oakland A's. The West Division leading Athletics are 9-5, and have a 2.5 game lead. The A's have been lead by their pitching staff, who lead the A.L. with a 2.90 ERA, and are 2nd in WHIP, at 1.23 through Sunday.

A.L. Individual Leaders...through Sunday, April 18th...
Batting...
Batting Average... Scott Posednik(KC).. .457, Franklin Gutierrez(SEA).. .404, Derek Jeter(NYY).. .380.
Home Runs...Nelson Cruz(TEX)...7, Vernon Wells(TOR)...6, Dustin Pedroia(BOS)...5.
Runs Batted In...Nelson Cruz(TEX)...15, Miguel Cabrera(DET)...14, Dustin Pedroia(BOS)...13.

Pitching...
ERA...Matt Garza(TB)... 0.75, Dana Eveland(TOR)... 1.35, Andy Pettite(NYY)... 1.35.
Wins...Matt Garza(TB)...3, Colby Lewis(TEX)...2, Dallas Braden(OAK)...2.
K's...Brian Matusz(BAL)...23, Ricky Romero(TOR)...22, Jered Weaver(LAA)...21.

A.L. Notes...The Tigers Miguel Cabrera celebrated his 27th Birthday yesterday in Seattle with a 3-run HR, the 212th round tripper of his 7+ year career...The Orioles defeated the A's on Sunday, 8-3. The win raised the Birds record to a MLB worst 2-11...The Indians Shin Soo-Choo is hitting a brisk .350 for the Tribe...2009 A.L. Cy Young Winner Zack Grienke is off to a slow start, 0-2, with a 3.57 era in his first 3 starts.
 On Tuesday, a look at the National League.