Major League Baseball - Week In Review

Break up the Texas Rangers . . .   They have won six consecutive games and have closed a once seemingly insurmountable gap and are just 4 1/2 games (four in the loss column) behind the Houston Astros in the American League West division.
The Rangers' Joey Gallo has been heating up, slamming a pair of home runs in a recent game during the team's hot streak. Meanwhile, the Astros have been struggling while losing seven of their last ten games. They were swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates in a two-game set this week and were outscored 25-2 in those games.
Speaking of the Pittsburgh Pirates, they have been the hottest team in the National League (8-2 in their last ten games) and are back in the thick of the N.L. Central division race, trailing the first place Chicago Cubs by just four games. That entire division has a meager 5 1/2 game gap between the five teams from top to bottom.
The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox will do battle over in London, England this weekend in a  two-game set at London Stadium, which will feature a make shift baseball field set up in a soccer stadium with the center field fence being just 385 feet from home plate.
The Bronx Bombers continue to dominate the American League East division and have even overtaken the Minnesota Twins for the best record in the junior circuit. The Yankees are 9-1 in their last ten games and lead the fading Tampa Bay Rays by a full seven games in the division race.
The Twins lost to the Chicago White Sox, 6-4 on the road Friday night, but still have an eight game lead over the second place Cleveland Indians, who were pummeled by the league worst Baltimore Orioles, 13-0 on Friday at Camden Yards in Baltimore. The Tribe is in the thick of the wild card chase in the American League, trailing the Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays by only 1 1/2 games for the two post-season spots. The Oakland A's, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels are all right there as well in the race as the season reached the halfway point.
The Atlanta Braves have also opened up a good sized division lead in the N.L. East, leading the slumping Philadelphia Phillies by 5 1/2 games and the surging Washington Nationals by seven games. The Nationals have played themselves back into post-season contention (wild card race) by reeling off a hot streak in June. It's a log jam in the wild card race in the National League, with nine teams separated by just 4 1/2 games.
The Los Angeles Dodgers continue to keep things on cruise control as they have a 12 game lead in the National League's West division, along with a league best 56-28 record. The Colorado Rockies cooled off the Dodgers in a 13-9 home victory on Friday night. Close behind the second place Rockies in the N.L. West are the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks.




AL STANDINGS (through June 28)                                   NL STANDINGS (through June 28)
East                                                                                      East
New York 52-28                                                                 Atlanta 49-34            
Tampa Bay 46-36                                                               Philadelphia 43-39
Boston 44-38                                                                      Washington 41-40
Toronto 30-52                                                                     New York 37-46
Baltimore 23-58                                                                  Miami 31-49


Central                                                                                Central
Minnesota 52-29                                                                  Chicago 44-38
Cleveland 44-37                                                                   Milwaukee 43-39
Chicago 38-41                                                                      St. Louis 40-40
Detroit 26-51                                                                        Pittsburgh 39-41
Kansas City 28-54                                                                Cincinnati 37-42
                                                                                                                                 

West                                                                                     West
Houston 51-32                                                                      LA Dodgers 56-28
Texas 46-36                                                                          Colorado 43-39
Oakland 44-39                                                                      San Diego 41-40
LA Angels 42-41                                                                  Arizona 42-42
Seattle 37-49                                                                         San Francisco 35-46  

Major League Baseball - Week In Review

The New York Yankees have become Major League Baseball's hottest team as they ran their winning streak to seven games with a 4-1 home game decision against the slumping Houston Astros on Friday night. The Bronx Bombers finally have their main lineup intact as outfielders Aaron Judge and Aaron Hicks are back along with OF/DH Giancarlo Stanton following long stints on the injury list.
The Yanks enjoy a 4 1/2 game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East division, thanks to a three-game sweep of the Rays earlier this week in New York. Meanwhile, the Boston Red Sox are sneaking back into contention as they have won eight of their last ten games and are only 2 1/2 games behind the Rays for second place.
The Minnesota Twins suffered two losses at home (three-game series) to the Red Sox this past week but still hold a commanding nine game lead over the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central race. The Tribe has been hot lately, winning seven of ten games and are getting some of their starting pitching back into the fold following some injuries.
In the AL West, the Houston Astros have lost six consecutive games (two game series setback against Cincinnati and dropping first two games of four game set at the Yankees this weekend) and have seen their lead over the Texas Rangers drop to 7 1/2 games. The Oakland A's and Los Angeles Angels are in hot pursuit of the Rangers for second place in the division. Speaking of the A's, they lost starting pitcher Frankie Montas (9-2), who this week has been suspended 80 games for a PED violation.
Over in the National League, the Atlanta Braves have opened up a 4 1/2 game lead on second place Philadelphia in the East division. The Washington Nationals have put together a five-game winning streak and are finally on the brink of the .500 level, trailing the Phillies (five straight losses) by only two games in the race.
The Los Angeles Dodgers became the first team to 50 wins as they have won four in a row and have a comfortable ten game lead over the Colorado Rockies, who are fresh off a road sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier this week.
The Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox split two games at Wrigley Field this past week and the Cubbies have a 1 1/2 game lead in the NL Central race over the Milwaukee Brewers, who have dropped five games in a row. The St. Louis Cardinals are only two game back in the Central battle while the surging Cincinnati Reds (six consecutive wins) are back in the fold, just 4 1/2 games out of first place as they took two from Houston and have won the first two games of a four-game weekend set in Milwaukee.
The All Star Game voting ended its first ever "primary vote" by the fans this week and the finalists for the eight position playing spots will be voted on this coming week for the game being played on July 9 in Cleveland.




AL STANDINGS (through June 21)                                   NL STANDINGS (through June 21)
East                                                                                      East
New York 48-27                                                                 Atlanta 44-32            
Tampa Bay 44-32                                                               Philadelphia 39-36
Boston 42-35                                                                      Washington 37-38
Toronto 27-49                                                                     New York 36-40
Baltimore 21-55                                                                  Miami 28-46


Central                                                                                Central
Minnesota 49-26                                                                  Chicago 41-34
Cleveland 40-35                                                                   Milwaukee 40-36
Chicago 36-37                                                                      St. Louis 39-36
Detroit 26-45                                                                        Cincinnati 36-38
Kansas City 26-50                                                                Pittsburgh 34-40
                                                                                                                                 

West                                                                                     West
Houston 48-29                                                                      LA Dodgers 52-25
Texas 40-36                                                                          Colorado 40-35
Oakland 40-37                                                                      San Diego 38-38
LA Angels 38-39                                                                  Arizona 38-39
Seattle 34-46                                                                         San Francisco 32-42  

Major League Baseball - Week In Review

While the Minnesota Twins and Houston Astros have been coasting along in their division races this season, the American League East race has been much tighter, evidenced again on Friday when the Tampa Bay Rays overtook the New York Yankees once again for the top spot (half-game lead) following a 9-4 win against the Los Angeles Angels while the Yankees were drubbed by the Chicago White Sox, 10-2. ChiSox rookie slugger Eloy Jimenez had a pair of three-run home runs in the win and Sox starting pitcher Lucas Goilito won his tenth game of the season.
The wild card race is much more interesting in the American League as the Texas Rangers have come from nowhere in recent weeks to grab the second spot. The Rangers have gone 17-10 since May 17 and have a slight edge over the Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Oakland A's, Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Angels with just 3 1/2 games separating them all.
Over in the National League, the Atlanta Braves are the hottest team going and now have a 2 1/2 game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies in the East division race. The Braves won their eighth consecutive game as they rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning on Friday night to stun the Phils, 9-8. Atlanta scored seven runs in the final three innings to overcome a 7-2 deficit.
The Los Angeles Dodgers won for the second night in a row in come-from-behind fashion against the visiting Chicago Cubs, 5-3 on Friday as they roughed up Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks to secure the victory. The Dodgers have a 10 1/2 game over the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks in the N.L. West race.
In the N.L. Central, the Cubs and Brewers continue to be neck and neck with Milwaukee up by one game for the top spot. Both teams lost on Friday night. Meanwhile, the St. Louis Cardinals are creeping back up in the division race as they won a pair of games from the host New York Mets to get back to within 3 1/2 games of first place.





AL STANDINGS (through June 14)                                   NL STANDINGS (through June 14)
East                                                                                      East
Tampa Bay 42-27                                                                Atlanta 41-29            
New York 41-27                                                                  Philadelphia 38-31
Boston 37-34                                                                       NY Mets 33-36
Toronto 25-44                                                                      Washington 32-37
Baltimore 21-48                                                                   Miami 24-43


Central                                                                                Central
Minnesota 46-22                                                                  Milwaukee 39-30
Cleveland 35-33                                                                   Chicago 38-31
Chicago 34-34                                                                      St. Louis 35-33
Detroit 25-41                                                                        Pittsburgh 31-38
Kansas City 22-47                                                                Cincinnati 30-37
                                                                                                                                 

West                                                                                     West
Houston 47-23                                                                      LA Dodgers 47-23
Texas 37-32                                                                          Colorado 36-33
Oakland 35-35                                                                      Arizona 37-34
LA Angels 34-36                                                                  San Diego 34-36
Seattle 30-43                                                                         San Francisco 29-38 

Toronto Raptors Win NBA Title

The Toronto Raptors, led by series Most Valuable Player Kawhi Leonard, defeated the two-time defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors, 114-110 on the road to take Game Six and win the

Raptors players celebrate the team's first ever NBA title.

2018-19 NBA Finals. It's the first ever NBA championship in the team's history.
The Raptors squandered a chance to wrap up the Finals in five games on Monday night in Toronto as they lost a one-point decision to force the sixth game back in Oakland and give the Warriors a chance.
But on Thursday night, the Raptors were not to be denied as the Warriors, already without Kevin Durant (torn Achilles tendon), lost Klay Thompson to a knee injury in the third quarter. Toronto showed resolve and rolled to the win as Leonard earned his second NBA Finals MVP in the last six years.


            Congratulations to the TORONTO RAPTORS -  2018-19  NBA CHAMPIONS !!!

St. Louis Blues Win Stanley Cup

The St. Louis Blues won their first ever Stanley Cup title, defeating the host Boston Bruins, 4-1 in Game Seven.
The Blues were dead last overall in the NHL standings in early January and made a coaching change and have since been the best team in the NHL. The Blues blew a chance to seal the deal at home on Sunday night, but on this night in Beantown, the St. Louis Blues are celebrating their first ever Stanley Cup title.



           St. Louis Blues  -  2018-19 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS

NBA Star Tony Parker Calls It A Career

The Spurs "Big Three" of Duncan (21), Parker (9) and Ginobili (20) brought four NBA titles to San Antonio.

The last remaining player of "The Big Three" for the San Antonio Spurs during their glory days of winning NBA championships is calling it a career.
Tony Parker, who was drafted by the Spurs back in 2001 from France, played 18 seasons, 17 of those with San Antonio, announced his retirement from the game on Monday.
For whatever reasons, Parker opted to play with the Charlotte Hornets in his 18th and final season this past year.  However, he will be forever tied to "The Big Three" era along with future Hall-of-Fame players Tim Duncan (retired following 2015-16 season) and Manu Ginobili, who retired last year following the 2017-18 season.
Parker is a future Hall-of-Fame player himself and was part of four championship teams in San Antonio. The Spurs won it all in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014 with Parker playing the point guard spot.

Parker, Duncan (center) and Ginobili celebrate Spurs NBA title in 2014

In fact, T.P. won NBA Finals Most Valuable Player honors when the Spurs swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in four games in the 2007 NBA Finals.

Congratulations on a great NBA career and four NBA championships . . .

Rest well Tony, you have earned it.

Major League Baseball - Week In Review

The Minnesota Twins bounced back from a brief slump which saw their American League Central division lead drop to under ten games over the Cleveland Indians as they won, 5-4 in Cleveland on June 6 which saw outfielder Max Kepler slug three home runs. The Twins currently own baseball's best record and have a 10 1/2 game lead over the Indians.
The Houston Astros won a 4-3 nail biter in 11 innings against the visiting Baltimore Orioles on Friday night, increasing their lead over the second place Texas Rangers to ten full games. The Oakland A's knocked off Texas, 5-3 on Friday and are in third place in the A.L. West race.
The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays continue to be neck and neck in the A.L. East division, separated by just one-half game. The Indians toppled the Yankees, 5-2, spoiling the season debut of Yanks' shortstop Didi Gregorious, who had been sidelined by off-season surgery. The Rays beat Boston, 5-1 in Fenway Park behind stellar pitching by Yonny Chirinos, who went eight innings while limiting the Bosox to just two hits.
Over in the National League, the Chicago Cubs rode eight solid innings by pitcher Cole Hamels, who allowed no runs, three hits, only one walk and ten strikeouts in a 3-1 win at Wrigley Field. The Cubs are tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the N.L. Central division. The Cards slipped to 3 1/2 games back while Pittsburgh is five games back after getting hammered by the Brewers, 10-4 on Friday.
The Philadelphia Phillies remain two games ahead of the Atlanta Braves in the N.L. East after a 4-2 win over Cincinnati on June 7. Outfielder Jay Bruce, acquired from Seattle last week, socked his fourth home run since joining the Phillies, who lost starting OF Andrew McCutchen for the season to a knee injury on June 3. The Braves kept pace with Philly as they rolled the Miami Marlins, 7-1 on Friday. Braves rookie pitcher Mike Soroka improved to 7-1, going eight innings while allowing only three hits and lowered his ERA to 1.38 in the win.
Over in the West division, the first place Los Angeles Dodgers are still on cruise control, leading Colorado by nine full games, even though they lost 2-1 at San Francisco on Friday night. It was the first loss of the season for L.A. starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who had not lost in 21 consecutive starts dating back to last season.
The second place Rockies beat the New York Mets, 5-1 while third place San Diego defeated the Washington Nationals, 5-4 as they rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning against Nats closer Sean Doolittle. The Arizona Diamondbacks blasted the Toronto Blue Jays, 8-2 to get back to the .500 mark and stay close to Colorado and San Diego in the National League Wild Card chase.
There were two big signings this week as the Chicago Cubs agreed to a three-year deal with closing pitcher Craig Kimbrel while the Atlanta Braves inked starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel to a one-year deal. Meanwhile, the Baltimore Orioles selected catcher Adley Rutschman (Oregon State) with the first pick in the MLB Draft on June 3. Kansas city took shortstop Bobby Witt, Jr. (high school player from Texas) with the second pick and the Chicago White Sox made first baseman Andrew Vaughn (California) the third overall selection. 




AL STANDINGS (through June 7)                                    NL STANDINGS (through June 7)
East                                                                                      East
NY Yankees 39-23                                                               Philadelphia 36-27            
Tampa Bay 38-23                                                                 Atlanta 34-29
Boston 33-30                                                                        NY Mets 30-33
Toronto 23-40                                                                      Washington 28-35
Baltimore 19-44                                                                   Miami 23-38


Central                                                                                Central
Minnesota 42-20                                                                 Chicago 35-27
Cleveland 32-31                                                                   Milwaukee 36-28
Chicago 29-33                                                                      St. Louis 31-30
Detroit 23-37                                                                        Pittsburgh 30-32
Kansas City 20-43                                                                Cincinnati 28-34
                                                                                                                                 

West                                                                                     West
Houston 44-21                                                                      LA Dodgers 43-21
Texas 32-29                                                                          Colorado 33-29
Oakland 32-31                                                                      San Diego 33-31
LA Angels 30-34                                                                  Arizona 32-32
Seattle 27-40                                                                         San Francisco 26-36 

Major League Baseball - Week In Review

The Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees continue to be the hottest teams in the American League and along with the Houston Astros continue to dominate the junior circuit of Major League Baseball. The Twins have a 10 1/2 game lead over the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians.
The Astros have a 8 1/2 game lead over Texas and Oakland and the Yankees lead the Tampa Bay Rays by 1 1/2 games.
The Twins are leading all of baseball in home runs and continued their winning ways Friday night in Tampa after losing the first of the four-game set on May 30 with the Rays. The Yankees smacked around the Boston Red Sox, 4-1 in The Bronx Friday night as Bosox pitcher Chris Sale suffered the loss.
In the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers are the top dog and are running away with the West division. Meanwhile, the Chicago Cubs have a slight lead for first place over the Milwaukee Brewers in the N.L. Central and the Philadelphia Phillies have widened their lead on the second place Atlanta Braves in the East division.
The Dodgers beat the visiting Phillies, 6-3 in a battle of division leaders on Friday, increasing their lead in the N.L. West to 8 1/2 games ahead of San Diego. The Colorado Rockies have been hot and slammed the Toronto Blue Jays, 13-6 to get within a half game of the second place Padres in the West.
As for the future of the game, the MLB Draft is Monday, June 3 as the Baltimore Orioles will have the first selection. 



AL STANDINGS (through May 31)                                   NL STANDINGS (through May 31)
East                                                                                      East
NY Yankees 37-19                                                               Philadelphia 33-24            
Tampa Bay 35-20                                                                 Atlanta 30-27
Boston 29-28                                                                        NY Mets 28-29
Toronto 21-36                                                                      Washington 24-33
Baltimore 18-39                                                                   Miami 19-36


Central                                                                                Central
Minnesota 38-18                                                                  Chicago 31-24
Chicago 28-29                                                                      Milwaukee 32-26
Cleveland 28-29                                                                   Pittsburgh 28-28
Detroit 22-32                                                                        St. Louis 28-28
Kansas City 19-38                                                                Cincinnati 27-30
                                                                                                                                 

West                                                                                     West
Houston 38-20                                                                      LA Dodgers 39-19
Texas 28-27                                                                          San Diego 30-27
Oakland 29-28                                                                      Colorado 29-27
LA Angels 27-30                                                                  Arizona 28-30
Seattle 25-35                                                                         San Francisco 22-34