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.

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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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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. 

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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