Mets Make April Very Confusing for Their Fans

As every season comes and goes we all know the optimism that Opening day brings. This year, In particular, has a different excitement. The Mets started off the season in Washington and Atlanta, finishing with a record of 3-3. Not bad but not good. During this time period the Mets lost closer Jenry Mejia to an 80 game suspension. Although most years this would make me nervous this year it did not because Jeurys Familia. He stepped in and promptly made himself comfortable. He would only give up 2 runs in 13 games this season. 

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The Metropolitans then traveled back to Queens for their home opener. The buzz at the stadium was one that I haven’t felt since I attended opening day back in 2007. What happened next was, to Mets fans at least, a miracle. The team would go to win their next ten ballgames. Their streak was at 11. They were pitching amazing. Colon in his first 4 starts won all of them. He looked like a blast from his past. He also didn’t look like a 40 year old over weigh pitcher. De Grom although not at his sharpest still managed to get the win in his first two starts (opening day and home opener). Last but not least Matt “Dark Knight” Harvey made his return to the mound for the amazins’. He looked as if he never missed a step. He is 5-0 with a 2.41 era in as many starts. The other great thing about this is that we lost three key cogs in Wright, D’Arnaud, and Blevins. All of whom were off to flaming hot starts. As Mets fans you felt as if the team would never lose again. Obviously we were wrong.

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The stage was set for this year’s first edition of the Subway Series. The Mets and Yankees both off to good starts were heading for a crash course in the Bronx. The first night De Grom would get lit up in front of a pro-Mets crowd. Harvey would shut down the Bombers the next game. The last game, a ESPN Sunday Night prime time game, would be eventful to say the least but the Mets would eventually fall due to errors by their inept middle infielders (Murphy and Flores). Including that series the Mets would lose 7 of the next 10. Mostly impart to a stagnant offense and terrible infield defense by, you guess it, the middle infielders.

As a Mets fan if I told you in March that we would be 16-10 and 3.5 games in first you’d take it. Although I feel as if we will win a lot of ball games I still feel as if we have major question marks. To start the combination of Murphy and Flores up the middle has been terrible. They have cost us to many games already this season. Flores has shown pop at the plate but not enough to mask his defense. Murphy has been in a slump since day one and his defense isn’t helping.

Next up, The Mets offense at times has shown life. We can get on base and we don’t strike out at a high rate. Duda and Lagares have looked great at the plate. This however has not translated into runs. This past weekend we lost back to back ballgames 1-0. This can’t happen, we have to much pitching to just waste superb starts. 

All in all I still feel confident that this team is for real. It’s just the Met fan in me that makes me worry after ever loss that we may lose ten in a row. If the Rotation and Bullpen hold up and the lineup and young guns can produce life in the offense we could be looking at a 90 win team. For now Mets Fans we shall sit and wait. 

Gallo 

Twitter: @PicoDe_Gallo

Subway Series Over: Yankees and Mets Both in First Place

New York City could enjoy the fact that baseball is still king in the city, that it remains a dominant presence in our lives and in our culture, even on a rich, full weekend, even on a night when the Rangers lit up Manhattan, on a weekend when we may say good-bye to the Nassau Coliseum, when the Nets try to generate a little life in Brooklyn.

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Yankees manager Joe Girardi said: “Its good for the city, good for baseball. I’m sure the atmosphere will be really good the next few days, because of the way we’re [both] playing. Hockey is big in this city, basketball is big in this city. But we have two teams in first place and so we have a lot of people who are very excited about that.”

And here, the people care, they REALLY care. All you had to do was walk around the Stadium yesterday, listen to the buzz, listen to the passion, feel the energy. Baseball. In April. After 17 games.

Image Credit: Uli Seit for The New York Times

“You could sense the energy and the excitement from the beginning,” Mark Teixeira said. “And then to play the kind of game we played, that made it even better.”

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Curtis Granderson opened the game with a leadoff home run off Nathan Eovaldi, taking advantage of the short right field porch at Yankee Stadium as he has so many times before.  Following a single by Juan Lagares, Eovaldi got some help from New York Yankees centerfielder Chris Young, who took extra bases away from Lucas Duda.

Chase Headley also helped limit the damage taking a hit away from Michael Cuddyer.  With two outs and Lagares on second, Eovaldi, who struggled with his command early, allowed a line drive double to Daniel Murphy, scoring Lagares and extending the Mets lead to 2-0.  Following a visit from pitching coach Larry Rothschild, Eovaldi rebounded to get Eric Campbell to ground out to Headley, ending the inning.

After quickly retiring Brett Gardner and Young, New York Mets starter Jonathon Niese allowed a home run to Alex Rodriguez, the 659th of his career, cutting the lead to 2-1, and leaving him one shy of Willie Mays.  Mark Teixeira reached on an error by Mets third baseman Campbell, but was left stranded as Niese struck out Carlos Beltran looking.

Eovaldi recovered in the top of the second inning, retiring Wilmer Flores on a fly out to right field, and striking out Danny Muno and Kevin Plawecki.  After a lead off ground out by Headley, John Ryan Murphy ripped a double down the third base line, past a diving Campbell.

After Stephen Drew struck out looking, Gregorio Petit drove Murphy home with an RBI double over a leaping Campbell, tying the score at 2-2.  Gardner picked up the Yankees third double of the inning, past a diving Duda, giving the Yankees their first lead at 3-2.

Gardner was driven home on a slow shift beating single by Young to where the second baseman should have been, extending the lead to 4-2.  In his first chance to catch Mays, Rodriguez doubled to left field, and Young scored on a horrible throw by Cuddyer, giving the Yankees a 5-2 lead, but Rodriguez was thrown out at third base ending the Yankees threat.

Eovaldi struck out Granderson and Lagares to start the third, and looked to have settled down, but Duda singled and was driven home on an RBI double by Cuddyer, who advanced to third on a throwing error by Drew.  Murphy picked up his second RBI double of the game, cutting the lead to 5-4.  After another visit from Rothschild, Eovaldi got Campbell to ground out, limiting the damage to two runs. Following a 1-2-3 bottom half of the third, which saw Niese make a great play on a liner from Teixeira, Eovaldi recovered to once again set Flores, Muno, and Plawecki down in order, picking up his fifth strikeout.  Leading off the fourth, John Ryan Murphy looked to once again start a Yankees rally, picking up an infield single.  Drew put an end to those thoughts by grounding into a double play, and after a Petit fly out the inning was over.

Eovaldi struck out Granderson, picking up his sixth strikeout of the night.  Lagares hit a slow chopper to Headley, which the Yankees third baseman barehanded and almost made a great play on, but instead threw it short of Teixeira picking up an error, which allowed Lagares to reach second base.

With left-handed hitting Duda coming up, Yankees manager Joe Girardi went to southpaw Chasen Shreve, and Eovaldi’s night was over after 4 1/3 innings.  He allowed four runs, all earned, on seven hits, finishing with six strikeouts and no walks.

Shreve hit Duda in the back with a slider on his first pitch, putting the go-ahead run on base.  He recovered to get Cuddyer to hit into an inning ending double play.

Gardner led off the bottom of the fifth with a chopper to shortstop Flores, in which he was called out.  Girardi challenged the play, and the call was overturned, giving Gardner an infield single.  Young reached on a fielder choice’ but Mets second baseman Murphy committed an error, allowing Gardner to go to third, giving the Yankees runners on the corners.

Rodriguez hit into an RBI fielder choice’ which should have been a double play, but shortstop Flores threw the ball into the stands, allowing Rodriguez to go to second base, and giving the Yankees a 6-4 lead.  After a walk to Teixeira, Beltran hit into an inning ending double play, continuing his season long struggles.

Following a leadoff walk to Daniel Murphy, Shreve was replaced by Chris Martin.  Campbell grounded to Drew, who flipped the ball with his glove, and was saved of an error on a heads up play from Petit, who tagged Murphy causing a force out.  On a one out fly ball to Beltran, Campbell made a mental blunder, rounding the bases thinking there were two outs, and was thrown out at first base, ending the inning.

Erik Goeddel replaced Niese to start the sixth.  Niese went five innings, allowing six runs (four earned), on eight hits.  He struck out three (Beltran twice), and walked one.  Headley greeted Goeddel with a leadoff double, and John Ryan Murphy grounded out to third, failing to advance Headley.  Goeddel struck out Drew and Petit to end the inning, stranding Headley at second.

Martin returned for the seventh, retiring Muno and Plawecki.  Girardi then brought on southpaw Justin Wilson to face Granderson, and the move worked as Granderson popped out to third to end the inning.  Following a fly out by Gardner to start the bottom half of the inning, Goeddel struck out Young for the second out.  Rodriguez then lined out to right field for the third out of the inning.

As has been the case all season, Dellin Betances was brought in for the eighth inning and looked sharp, striking out Lagares, Duda, and Cuddyer, though Cuddyer reached on a wild pitch.  Betances recovered to get Murphy to ground out to second base.  He continued his dominance of the Mets, who are now a combined 0-9 with 8 K’s against Betances in his short career.

Alex Torres came on for the Mets in the bottom of the eighth, quickly retiring Teixeira, Beltran, and Headley in order, sending the game to the ninth inning with the Yankees ahead 6-4.  Unofficial closer Andrew Miller entered for the Yankees and after retiring Campbell, hit Flores in the ankle with a fastball.

John Mayberry Jr. came on to pinch hit for Muno with Flores on first with one out.  Miller struck out Mayberry, leaving the Mets down to their final out.  Plawecki then grounded out to shortstop, giving the Yankees the 6-4 victory.

Shreve picked up the victory, the first of his career, while Niese took the loss.  Miller picked up his seventh save in as many chances, and Martin, Wilson, and Betances all received holds.

The Mets and Yankees took their battle from the field to Twitter.

It all started when the Mets mentioned the Yankees in a play-by-play tweet, referring to them as "NY (AL)." Makes sense. The Yankees are in New York and the American League, but they weren't having it. To the pinstripe crew it was a sly way of talking about them without using the team name.

The crosstown rivals meet again at Citi Field in September.

Image Credit: twitter.com/Yankees

While October is forever away, what is at hand is the Yankees (11-8) are tied for first place in the AL East with the Rays, who are in The Bronx for three games starting Monday night. Also in the present is Alex Rodriguez being one homer away from tying Willie Mays for fourth place on the all-time list after homering off the top of the right-center field fence in the first inning Sunday.

Image Credit: deadspin.com

Christine O'Connor

Highlights of MLB Opening Day 2015 in the National League.

The Dodgers have won five consecutive season openers for the first time in franchise history. The announced crowd of 53,518 was the largest for a regular-season game in all of baseball in 2 1/2 years.

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Adrian Gonzalez was a triple short of the cycle. Gonzalez homered in the third inning, singled in the fifth and then doubled in the seventh, when he scored the tying run on a double by Howie Kendrick, the team's new second baseman. Kendrick, who batted cleanup, tripled and scored in the fourth inning, on a double by Carl Crawford.

Newcomer Jimmy Rollins broke a 3-3 stalemate by blasting an eighth-inning offering by Shawn Kelley into the seats by the right-field foul pole for a three-run home run. This marked the fourth time Rollins has homered on opening day. Rollins, who spent his previous 15 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, has hit safely in his last 11 season openers.

The Padres, newly dangerous, looked the part, contributing to a sub-par start for Kershaw. The left-hander struck out nine but allowed three runs over six innings. Arguably, he was out-pitched by the Padres' new No. 1, James Shields. By then, Kemp was 2-for-3, having driven in all of the Padres' runs.

The numbers told the Dodgers to put the shift on in Kemp's first official at-bat for the Padres. This is a different Dodgers club now, driven by analytics, still armed with boundless resources. So when Kemp fought off an inside fastball from Clayton Kershaw, his former, Cy Young-winning teammate, sending a nubber the other way for a run-scoring single, Dodger Stadium groaned. In his third at-bat, Kemp lashed a two-run double to left.

Image Credit: AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

Jason Heyward went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and a stolen base in his Cardinals debut and Adam Wainwright blanked the Cubs over six innings in a 3-0 victory on Opening Night in Chicago on Sunday. The Cubs had plenty of opportunities to score, but went hitless in 13 at-bats with runners on scoring position.

The Cardinals took an early lead with a one-out double to right field in the first inning by Heyward, followed by a Matt Holliday single, also to right field. Heyward doubled again in the third and singled in the fifth, but was stranded both times. The Cardinals scored once in the second inning on a Matt Carpenter RBI single and again in the fifth inning on another Holliday RBI single to right field to take a 3-0 lead. The Cardinals’ 1-through-3 hitters combined to go 7-for-14 with two doubles, three RBI, and two runs scored on the evening.

Cubs starter Jon Lester, making his debut with his new club after signing a six-year, $155 million contract in December, lasted only 4 1/3 innings. On 89 pitches, the lefty allowed eight hits, walked two, and struck out six. Phil Coke relieved Lester with runners on second and third and one out, sandwiching an intentional walk around two strikeouts to exit the frame.

Wainwright, meanwhile, threw 101 pitches over his six innings of work, yielding five hits and no walks while striking out six. The right-hander had minor elbow surgery in October and dealt with a minor abdominal injury shortly after pitchers and catches reported in February, but looked completely healthy facing the Cubs. He unleashed a handful of devastating curves during the course of the evening.

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Braves relievers Luis Avilan and Jim Johnson worked out of a bases-loaded, no-outs jam in the seventh inning to protect a 2-1 lead, after starter Julio Teheran gave up three hits to start the inning. Avilan induced a 5-2-3 double-play grounder by Jarrod Saltalamacchia, with catcher Christian Bethancourt showing off his cannon of an arm on the throw to first to complete the game’s most important play. Johnson got Adeiny Hechavarria to pop up foul to end the inning and pitched a perfect eighth, and Jason Grilli pitched a perfect ninth with two strikeouts for the save.

The Braves used “small ball” to manufacture each of their first two runs of the 2015 season, something they’ve said all spring that they would focus on doing, after trying and failing with an all-or-nothing offense in 2014 that was plagued by too many strikeouts and not enough home runs. Rookie second baseman Jace Peterson played big parts in each of those two runs, singling and scoring on a Nick Markakis single in the first inning, and laying down a sacrifice bunt to move Eric Young Jr. to third base in the sixth inning before he scored on Markakis fielder’s choice grounder.

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The Mets didn't have an easy start for the season. They were playing the powerful Washington Nationals, and their new $210 million ace, Max Scherzer, in front of a pumped-up crowd of Nationals fans with visions of a World Series in October.

In the Mets’ favor was that they do have a strong record on opening day — a lot better, in fact, than what they have usually done in the 161 games that followed. Still, this was, by any measure, a daunting assignment.

And it grew more difficult when Scherzer carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning and looked as if he might just keep the Mets hitless the entire game. But for one game at least the Mets showed that they had the talent and fortitude to stand up to a Nationals team that has bullied them around the National League East for years. The Mets capitalized on two errors by the shortstop, Ian Desmond. Lucas Duda and Travis d’Arnaud delivered big hits. Bartolo Colon, the doughy 41-year-old starter, kept the Nationals off balance for six innings.

The Mets ended up with a 3-1 victory that reinforced the idea that this season might be the one in which all the losing finally stops and a contender actually emerges in Queens. Playing well against the Nationals was going to be a good measuring stick of the Mets’ progress. Over the last three years, the Nationals had beaten the Mets 41 times in 55 meetings and had dominated them in every aspect of the game. Then, for good measure, the Nationals added Scherzer to a rotation that was already one of the best in baseball.

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Todd Frazier hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning on Monday, overcoming another stumble by the bullpen and rallying the Cincinnati Reds to an opening 5-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Billy Hamilton and Joey Votto singled before Frazier connected against Tony Watson (0-1), snapping a 2-2 tie.

Johnny Cueto, the Reds' 20-game winner in the final year of a contract, opened his uncertain season with another dominating performance against the Pirates. He fanned 10 batters in seven innings before turning a 2-0 lead over to a bullpen that was a big problem last season.

Andrew McCutchen tied it with a two-run shot off newcomer Kevin Gregg.

Jumbo Diaz (1-0) got the final out in the eighth. Aroldis Chapman fanned two of the three batters he faced for the save.

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The Rockies pounded the Milwaukee Brewers 10-0 at Miller Park, getting seven shutout innings from newcomer Kyle Kendrick in the most impressive opening-day victory in club history. They cranked out 16 hits, including two-run homers by Corey Dickerson and Nolan Arenado.

"Our confidence is out the roof, for sure," said Dickerson, who drove in four runs. "I think other teams see this lineup and know it's dangerous. We are a confident team."

According to Milwaukee catcher Jonathan Lucroy, Dickerson broke his bat on his line-drive home run. Dickerson claimed otherwise, but the raw power he displayed was symbolic of the Rockies' onslaught.

For a team that limped to a 21-60 road record last season, Monday's romp was a welcome changeup. Colorado scored 10 runs or more in a road game just twice last season. Monday's game produced the most runs the Rockies have ever scored in an opening-day road game.

Kendrick, the Rockies' new $5.5 million right-hander, not only pitched seven shutout innings, he went 2-for-4 with a double and scored a run. He mixed and matched his pitches masterfully, relying primarily on sinkers and changeups thrown over the inside corner.

"This was great, but I just came in here thinking I'd do what I did in (Philadelphia), and that's give my team a chance to win," said Kendrick, who credited catcher Nick Hundley for devising the game plan that kept Milwaukee hitters off balance. "You don't really think about the results, you just go out and execute pitches. Today it really worked out."

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Madison Bumgarner pitched seven strong innings and the San Francisco Giants opened defense of their third World Series title in five years with a 5-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night.

Bumgarner (1-0) was the NLCS and World Series MVP last year and was sharp to start the 2015 season, allowing a run on six hits.

The Giants lost power-hitting Pablo Sandoval during the offseason and were without injured right fielder Hunter Pence, but made up for it by stringing together 10 hits in four-plus innings against Josh Collmenter (0-2).

Angel Pagan had a pair of run-scoring singles and Brandon Crawford hit a two-run double for the Giants.

Diamondbacks pinch-hitter Jake Lamb hit a three-run double off Sergio Romo in the eighth, but Jeremy Affeldt stranded two runners to end the inning. Santiago Casilla worked a perfect ninth for the save.

Bumgarner had one of the best postseason runs in major league history, earning two wins in the World Series and a five-inning save in Game 7 on two days' rest.

Bumgarner left a pitch up in the third inning to Mark Trumbo, who hit a run-scoring triple that nearly went out in the deepest part of the park. Other than that, Bumgarner had the Diamondbacks under control, aided by double plays in the fifth and sixth.

Collmenter has been Arizona's jack-of-all trades during his four seasons in the desert, filling in wherever the Diamondbacks needed him, whether it was as a starter or long relief. Collmenter allowed five runs in 4 2-3 innings. The over-the-top-throwing right-hander was rewarded for his workmanlike efforts by getting the ball on opening day.

San Francisco's top three hitters, Nori Aoki, Joe Panik and Pagan, greeted him with one hit after another, going a combined 8 for 9 through the first five innings. Pagan had a pair of run-scoring singles, Buster Posey hit a sacrifice fly and Crawford a two-run double in the fifth to put San Francisco up 5-1.

Christine O'Connor

@christineeeeO

METS SEASON PREVIEW: Is the Magic Back?

​In the spring of 1980, The Mets brass and Marketing people came up with this slogan, "The Magic is back." It was cheesy and a few years to early. The Mets were horrible for the next few years, finally turning the corner in 1985 and breaking through for the magical 1986 season. Now that the history lesson is done, it begs to ask the question this question, “Is the Magic Back?”

​After the Metropolitans sixth straight losing season where they went 79-83, we wonder what’s in store. This has been the year that we have been waiting so long for. This year is the year, Mets fans, are supposed to be expecting improvement. The cold winter has past and the spring is starting and that means baseball is back!

​The Mets went into the season with major holes. They needed a corner outfielder with some pop, a SS to who can field and produce in the lineup, and to sure up the bench and bullpen. They made waves or at least a splash early in the offseason when they signed veteran outfielder Michael Cuddyer to a two year 21 million dollar deal. They 35 year old outfielder won the Batting Title two seasons previous to this year. He is also coming off a season where he only played in 49 games. He will definitely bring improvement to an outfield that struggled to hit for much power at all. He will also play in games at first base against lefties on days the Mets want to give Lucas Duda a day off. Cuddyer is coming off a strong spring where he hit 6 home runs, hopefully this is an indication that his bat will help this stagnant offense.

Photo Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets spent most of the offseason talking to teams about acquiring a Shortstop. Nothing ever manifested from these conversations so the Mets will go into the season with once promising prospect Wilmer Flores starting at short. Flores has been a name that you heard out of the farm system for the last few years. He will enter the season with 105 games under his belt as a big leaguer. This means that he still has a lot to prove and it leaves some mystery to his ability. He started the spring off hot, he eventually cooled down after a minor foot injury. He finished the spring hitting .266 and 2 homers in 64 at bats. Flores bat isn’t the biggest question mark about the young ball player, it’s his glove. Last year his range and ability to just flat out play defense came under fire. This spring he has looked like a more capable player at what some call the most important position on the field. His teammates are confident in him, “After this year is over, I foresee everybody saying, ‘I’m really glad we didn’t make a move at shortstop because this guy was really good,” David Wright said of Flores in an article written by Matt Ehalt of northjersey.com. If Flores could keep his strike outs down and his average around .250 while playing serviceable defense he will be just fine as the Mets SS.

​The Mets, outside of their starting pitching, where not a very deep team. This winter Sandy Alderson addressed these concerns. First, he made an addition to the bench with the signing of John Mayberry Jr. Mayberry once a top prospect in the Phillies system played in 78 games for both the Phillies and Blue Jays. He will mostly play outfield and a little first base for the Mets. He can provide some pop off the bench and fill in when needed. The Mets also needed to sure up the bullpen. Josh Edgin was supposed to be the go-to lefty out of the pen but his season came to an end when he suffered an injury which has resulted in him having Tommy John surgery. This created a vacant spot in the bullpen. The Mets select Sean Gilmartin in the rule 5 draft. This move was not the last they would make. Alderson waited till late in the spring and made a pair of moves to acquire lefty pitchers Jerry Blevins from the Nats and Alex Torres from the Padres. Both have plenty of experience and both can help the big league club.

​Even with the moves the Mets made there are still plenty of question marks on the roster. The Mets lost young stud pitcher Zack Wheeler for the season to Tommy John. They have a number of pitchers coming back from the same surgery. Closer Bobby Parnell and the Mets own Dark Knight Matt Harvey. Parnell is not due back till mid-april and Harvey has had an amazing spring. The Mets ace finished the spring with 22.2 innings pitched striking out 21 and only giving up 3 earned runs. The Mets will have plenty of Starting Pitching to go around this year. They have plenty of prospects in the wings, Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz to name a couple.

​When it comes to the returning offense your first thoughts are David Wright and Curtis Granderson. They both are coming off very poor seasons. Wright had his worst season to date where he battled injuries and hit only 8 homers. Granderson had a typical season hitting 20 home runs and 20+ doubles but his average was sub .230 and he struck out way too much. The Mets must also see more consistency out of Travis D’Arnaud in the catcher spot and center fielder Juan Lagares who hits leadoff. The Mets brought in Yankees former hitting coach Kevin Long. This spring the team has looked stronger offensively. The Mets players have had nothing but great things to say about the new coach. “He’s one of the best at his job in the league,” the Mets’ David Wright said of Long. “He commands respect from Day 1. He’s an attention grabber. As hitters, we tend to gravitate toward him because he’s worked with some of the best players in the game.” This coming from Tim Rohan of the NY Times.

Image Credit: Ryan Stone; NY Times

​With The Nationals boosting their pitching staff and the Marlins retooling the Mets will have some serious competition in the division. The Padres and Cubs are two other NL teams that improved drastically this winter. I still believe the Nationals will win the East but the Mets will have a chance at one of the two Wild Card spots. I believe that the Mets will win anywhere from 83-86 games this year. The wild card winner has averaged around 88 wins the last few seasons.

​When it comes down to it this is the best Mets team we have had since the opening of Citi Field. With an offense hopefully improved and a pitching staff ready to take over baseball we can have a ray of hope. These Mets will be relevant and we hope this season is Magical. The Future right now is bright.

 

BY: Gallo @PicoDe_Gallo

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Clayton Kershaw and Matt Harvey Impressive This Spring, Justin Verlander and Nick Swisher Starting the Season on the DL and More

Kershaw had a 1.61 ERA this spring. He gave up just 15 hits and struck out 22 in 22 1-3 innings this spring.

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Kershaw, the 2014 National League MVP and Cy Young Award winner, threw 45 pitches while facing 11 batters and gave up one hit and an unearned run. He’ll next face the San Diego Padres on April 6.

Kershaw says he, physically, felt good this spring, but lacked the command that he desired. Still, if the spring is any indication, he appears to be headed towards another typical, Kershaw-type season.

Image Credit: AP Photo | Jeff Roberson

As he sat out last year after having Tommy John surgery, Matt Harvey missed the subtle parts of being a professional baseball player, like being around his teammates for trips like these. Spring training can be grueling, but Harvey embraced the minutiae this year with a smile, perhaps because his comeback has gone so well.

He pitched well, again, in his sixth and final spring start Thursday, throwing four scoreless innings against the St. Louis Cardinals to lower his exhibition-season E.R.A. to 1.19.

Image Credit: whatproswear.com

New Balance announced a multiyear endorsement deal with Cano in a Thursday press release. As part of the deal, New Balance will provide Cano with shoes and apparel both on and off the field. They will also outfit children attending Cano’s RC22 Dream School, which is scheduled to open this fall in his hometown of San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic.

New Balance also released the first images of the custom 3000v2 baseball spike they designed for Cano, which features a Mariners color scheme, Cano’s number, personal logo and references to his family, including his grandfather Olividio, who died last month after a yearlong battle with lung cancer.

Cano joins a rapidly growing roster of All-Star athletes at New Balance. For the 2015 season, 530 professional players will sport New Balance cleats each time they take the field. This list includes All Stars Miguel Cabrera, Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, Jonathan Lucroy, RA Dickey, Evan Longoria, Salvador Perez, Jose Bautista, Yadier Molina, and Hanley Ramirez.

Image Credit: Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

The Detroit Tigers manager Brad Ausmus announced that Justin Verlander will start the 2015 season on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Saturday, because of a triceps strain. Reliever Bruce Rondon is also will start the season on the 15-day DL, with biceps tendinitis.

Verlander is expected to stay in Lakeland to continue throwing. He is optimistic that he'll be able to make his season debut April 12, against the Cleveland Indians.

"It just works out that it allows the team to have an extra bullpen guy," Verlander said of his first stint on the DL. "You know, it's kind of a crappy way to have it go, but it helps the team so … "

This season starts the $28-million part of Verlander's contract. He signed an extension in spring 2013 that replaced two existing years at $20 million apiece and added five more years (2015-19) at $28 million apiece.

"His arm will let us know when he can get back on the mound," Ausmus said. "Cautiously optimistic he'll get back on the mound Saturday or Sunday."

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Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Doug Fister and Gio Gonzalez are, without question, "the best rotation in the game," said Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Jeff Francoeur. The only question is the order of the five, which is what makes it so special, so potentially dominant.

Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo had to forfeit the Nats first round pick in this summer’s MLB draft with the signing of free agent supreme Max Scherzer, a steal of a deal indeed. What now? Holdovers Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister stand to be free agents at the end of this season and will be very pricy. With six proven starters and only five spots in a rotation, a deal appears to be looming.

Even before the Nats added the top free agent in the game, they possessed the top rotation in baseball. Four starters were among the top-16 in ERA in the National League. In case you are wondering, Gio was the only member not among the league leaders. In a staff of aces, Zimmermann wrapped up the 2014 season with a no-no, Fister walked only 24 batters in 164 innings, Tanner Roark was one of the biggest breakout, success stories last season and then there is Stephen Strasburg.

"I've never seen anything like this,'' said veteran second baseman Dan Uggla, who is in camp with the Nationals. "In 2012, this team really started something by getting Gio, then adding Fister. And they keep doing things to make it even better. But this is just crazy.''

Image Credit: espn.com

The Padres were terrible last season, even by their standards. Not only did they finish below .500 for the fourth straight year, but they were dead last in every significant offensive category.It's one thing to be bad. But when you’re in the entertainment business, like the Padres, losing can't be matched by dullness.

Sadly for the fans, the team excelled in both of those categories, which explains why the Padres’ owners did a makeover of historic proportions.

A new ace in James Shields joins an already strong rotation. Matt Kemp, Justin Upton and Wil Myers make for a brand new power-hitting outfield. Derek Norris is now catching. Newcomers Yangervis Solarte and Will Middlebrooks have had great springs as they compete at third base.

Setting the transformation in motion was the hiring of General Manager A.J. Preller on Aug. 6. A first-time GM, Preller spent the end of last season getting a feel for the under-performing roster.

The players he went out and got were a cut above — and better paid — than the Padres of old. This year’s payroll will be around $100 million, about $10 million more than in 2014.

Image Credit: Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Dellin Betances, who burst onto the scene last year with the Yankees throwing 90 innings with a 1.40 ERA, has run into a little trouble this spring with a 6.75 ERA. 

He says he's a slow starter but a few mechanical issues are keeping him from producing the results of a year ago.

"It's just one small adjustment," Betances said. "I feel like I'm drifting too much with both my fastball and off-speed [pitches] and that's causing me to leave the ball up at times, and the breaking ball not being as sharp at times."

Through just seven innings of work this spring Betances has allowed five earned runs on eight hits while striking out six but walking five.

"I'm going to get stronger," he said. "I just feel like my command in spring hasn't been where it needs to be."

The Yankees are still trying to figure out their closer role. Betances and Andrew Miller will, for now, double-team the role until manager Joe Girardi decides who is a better fit. Miller was signed from Baltimore in the offseason to a four-year, $36 million deal.

Christine O'Connor

@christineeeeO

Some Tips for Fantasy Baseball in 2015

March is fantasy baseball draft month. So I'll be giving a few hints that I've learned over the years while running fantasy baseball teams. 

Image Credit: SI.com

1. Don't obsess over a player:

For some reason, us baseball fans like to get emotionally attached to certain players. It's a beautiful game full with colorful and admirable personalities. But statistics speak for themselves. Don't hone in on building a team around one player. If the player isn't the shell of a player he used to be, do not draft him.

2. Don't let your favorite team effect your draft:

Every league has one. The all-too-loyal team owner that lets their loyalty to their favorite team get in the way of drafting a good fantasy team. 

You know them. They will have Chase Utley as their second baseman, Ryan Howard as their first baseman, Ben Revere in the outfield, and Cliff Lee and Cole Hammels as two of their starters. They probably have their team named "The Phanatics."

There isn't a team in Major League Baseball chock-full of fantasy stars, so don't bother to reason having more than three players from the same team. You want a balanced team that doesn't have 5 players missing due to a rain-out. 

Also, make sure your team's rival doesn't deter you from drafting some good players. If you're a Yankees fan, don't be afraid to draft a Red Sox player if he has some value.

3. Wait to draft pitchers:

This strategy is similar to the "wait-on-the-quarterback" approach in fantasy football. Yes, Los Angeles Dodgers left-handed ace Clayton Kershaw is the best pitcher in baseball, and it isn't close. However, you'll have to draft him within the first couple of picks, but his price is too much when factoring in that pitching is usually available during the late rounds. Reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber of the Cleveland Indians was taken late during nearly every draft last year, and ended up leading many people to a fantasy baseball championship. He's a rare case, but with all 30 teams in MLB having five-man rotations, it's a lot easier to find a handful of starters to help your team. 

Also, factor in the percentage of starting pitchers who get injured (New York Mets right-hander Matt Harvey in 2013; Miami Marlins right-hander Jose Fernandez in 2014; Chicago White Sox left-hander Chris Sale in 2014; and Texas Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish in 2015), and the risk to draft an ace early is not worth the reward. Another point to consider is a starting pitcher will only help in four of the five categories (no saves), while a strong hitter can help in all five categories.

4. Draft Multiple Category Players:

This is what separates fantasy baseball from fantasy football. In the five-by-five league format, players compete against everyone in the league for the entire season and not against a different opponent every week like football. The key is to draft a player who helps in multiple categories, not just one. For example, Houston Astros first baseman Chris Carter is a home run machine and will help you in that one category. But his career batting average is .222, which will destroy a player in the batting average category. Instead, target a guy like Texas Rangers outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, who has a much lower average draft position and will help in multiple categories. 

5. Draft Multi-Position Players:

It works well if you draft players that could be plugged in at multiple positions in your roster. It helps in time of injuries when you a need a roster spot filled. Players like Josh Harrison (Pirates), Ryan Zimmermann (Nationals), Ben Zobrist (Athletics), and Martin Prado (Marlins) are available late in the draft and can be insurance plans for some of your starters. 

6. Don't equate a player's contract with his fantasy baseball value:

Many fantasy owners over the past few years have shunned Jayson Werth and bought Evan Longoria by subconsciously thinking their overpriced/team-friendly contracts equated with their fantasy values.

There a lot of great fantasy players that aren't always the highest-paid or the fan-favorite of their team. However, that doesn't mean the player isn't consistently productive in fantasy baseball (like Jason Werth).   

Christine O'Connor

@christineeeeO

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with Bizzaro Zaun!

Back once again, with yet ANOTHER exclusive interview! I recently got a chance to sit down with none other then "Bizzaro Zaun." If you are a Mike Francesa fan, you probably know who he is. If not, let me tell you a little bit about him. Bizzaro Zaun is the man behind the infamous YouTube Mike Francesa mock videos. 

With a wig, fat suit, SUNGLASSES, and even Francesa's voice and accent down pat, he has got this impersonation to the T!

If you haven't seen his videos, take a look at his YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/WaitUhSeckin

And when you're done, check out my interview with him as we talk about HOW and WHEN he came up with this brilliant idea. We also discuss Francesa Con, his favorite sports, and more!

By:: Dana P. (Blog Owner/Editor in Chief)