Preview/Prediction

Expectations were high coming into the 2014 Major League Baseball regular season for the Pittsburgh Pirates.  After all, the team made it back to the playoffs in 2013 for the first time since 1992. 

Now, although it is hard to believe, it is a fact that the Pirates are currently on pace to lose 100 games in 2014.  That's right, 100 losses. 

FINAL

New York Mets 6 - 1 Philadelphia Phillies

Pitchers

WP: Jon Niese (2-2, 2.20 ERA)

LP: Cole Hamels (0-2, 6.75 ERA)

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The Los Angeles Dodgers have their sights set on reaching the World Series this year thanks to a roster full of experienced veterans and All-Star-caliber talent at nearly every position. Veteran teams with championship aspirations don’t normally rely heavily on minor league talent—the 2013 St. Louis Cardinals notwithstanding—and Los Angeles is no different in that regard.

Manny Machado is back.

The Baltimore Orioles are expected to activate the 21-year-old third baseman before the series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. With Tuesday's game being postponed because of rain, it's expected that Machado will make his season debut on Wednesday.

New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia is 8-0 with a 1.36 ERA in his last nine outings against the Seattle Mariners, which is important to consider when making your MLB picks on Tuesday when the two teams face off at Yankee Stadium.

Sports bettors will find that the Yankees are minus-175 home favorites in the pro baseball odds, with the betting total sitting at eight in the market.

Baseball is a very tough sport to predict on a long-term basis, as so much can change in a year. Injuries, unexpected steps forward and backward by established players and the yearly influx of rookies leave the MLB landscape looking significantly different on a year-in and year-out basis.

With that being said, what follows is my attempt to predict who will be the 25 best players in MLB when the 2019 season rolls around five years from now.

A division cannot be won for a team in April, but it can certainly be lost. Such is the case for the 2014 Pittsburgh Pirates, who fell to 9-14 and 7.5 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers. 

New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia was 2-2 with a 7.22 ERA in five outings against the Boston Red Sox last season, which is important to consider when making your MLB picks Friday, as the two teams face off at Yankee Stadium.

Sports bettors will find that the Yankees are plus-110 home underdogs in the pro baseball odds, with the betting total sitting at 8.5 in the market.

The Pittsburgh Pirates were dealt a blow Monday when Tom Singer of MLB.com reported that pitching prospect Jameson Taillon opted to have Tommy John surgery on his injured throwing arm.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are off to one of the club’s worst starts in franchise history, starting 2-7 for the first time since 2003.

After having an off-day on April 7, the D’Backs begin a three-game series at the San Francisco Giants on April 8. The Giants have already beaten the D’Backs three times after playing a four-game series last week.