Baseball

Matt Garza allowed a leadoff home run to Felix Pie in the first inning and that was IT as he nearly threw a complete game.  Garza scattered six hits and three walks over 8.1 innings and struck out five.  This is two straight awesome starts for Garza and the second time that he pitched eight innings.  For those who might not remember, Garza was a major pitching prospect in the Twins’ organization and this success shouldn’t be unexpected.  I don’t think he will become a top ten pitcher in 2010, but I expect improvements in all of his stat

The debut of Target Field could not have gone much better for the Minnesota Twins.

Joe Mauer christened the field with a three hit game that was matched and surpassed by Jason Kubel who, also with three hits, claimed Target Field's first regular season home run.

After defeating the Boston Red Sox 5-2 in the Regular Season debut of Target Field, there are a few surprises with the 2010 version of the Minnesota Twins.

Tops among them: Tied for the American League lead in home runs.

Hey Jo-Jo,

Long time, no see.

Through the first week of the season, one glaring deficiency is cutting down the Dodgers' success, and their record.

Of the four losses the Dodgers have suffered this season—the Dodgers are 2-4—three belong to relief pitchers. George Sherrill currently sports a 22.50 ERA in just two innings pitched. He has accounted for five earned runs, four walks and a hit-by-pitch. He is the lone lefty in the Dodgers bullpen and has not been reliable when called upon.

He's got no range.

Not an accurate arm.

Getting too old.

I hear it all the time. It makes me sick.

Derek Jeter is always either adored or hated. Those haters keep inventing new stuff to make him look bad.

Well here's my say.

First off, I'm not even going to use stats, because Jeter's stats aren't even half of what he is to a team.

We'll start with the physical game.

I'll make this clear right now, he is one of the best defensive shortstops in the league.

When the Astros scheduled their “Turn Back The Clock Night” for the middle game of the team’s series against the Phillies at Minute Maid Park, I highly doubt anyone thought Houston would still be winless at 0-5 come final pitch.

Two games later, and it’s not much better–with Houston’s Astros being blanked by the St.

This is a weekly focus on the hurlers that dominated their adversaries. These pitchers put up nasty numbers this week and made big league hitters wish they were playing T-Ball again.

SP Jorge De La Rosa (Col)

9 K, 0.00 ERA, Win            

The baseball season has begun in earnest on the South Side of Chicago, and like every team that has not sprung ahead to a division lead in the five or six games since the season started, the White Sox have been met with criticism for their seemingly lackluster start to the 2010 season.

Admittedly, I am one of those prone to being critical of the Sox, sometimes undeservedly so.

The first week of the Major League Baseball season is in the books.

For the Pittsburgh Pirates, struggling to end 17 seasons of ceaseless losing, it was a week of ups and downs, star performers and awful performances, and a .500 record.

There were some surprises, both good and bad, and a few beliefs confirmed upon closer inspection.

Here's a look at the week that was and what we can take away from it.

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In this morning's paper, six games into the season, the order of the six National League Central division teams was listed as the St. Louis Cardinals, the Cincinnati Reds, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Chicago Cubs, and the Houston Astros.

That looks like the season-end order to me.

With an offense led by Albert Pujols and a sturdy rotation, the Cardinals figure to top the National League Central again. The main question is how far they will get in the post-season.