In a battle of two 90+ win teams and two preseason playoff favorites, the Cardinals and Dodgers are set for a huge matchup in the first round of the playoffs. Here are five things to look out for in their NLDS matchup. The Dodgers’ hitting and speed edge The Dodgers led baseball with a 110 […]

The Tigers have the edge when it comes to offense and starting pitching. The Orioles have the edge in the bullpen and on defense. Something has to give in this ALDS matchup, and Baltimore is hoping that consistency can overtake star power. Here are five things to watch in this series. Expect some homers. The […]

The Pirates are going to the playoffs for the second consecutive year. We know their offense is led by defending MVP and a contender to repeat in Andrew McCutchen, but who has been the best pitcher in Pittsburgh this season? The answer is, somewhat surprisingly, Mark Melancon. Sent away from Boston after an abysmal 45 innings, […]

For whatever reason, Cleveland seems to be the place to be for late 20’s breakouts from starting pitchers. Cliff Lee set the tone for the Indians a few years back, and this year, Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco have followed in his footsteps. It is unfortunate for the Indians that Carrasco’s dominance, along with Danny […]

To say this was a disappointing season for the Atlanta Braves would be an understatement. After surprising the league, overtaking the Washington Nationals last year, and starting this year as the youngest team in baseball, things were looking up for the Braves despite the national media’s love affair with the Nationals. Most picked the Nationals […]

In writing my Wednesday column on bringing the designated hitter to the National League, it brought back some thoughts I had previously had and notes I had previously written on the Major League umpiring system. Mike Petriello at ESPN Insider wrote a great piece on why instant replay is working. Through September 4, over 500 […]

Last week, a writer at The Atlantic, Derek Thompson, wrote about “The Simple Technology That Accidentally Ruined Baseball.” The main gist of the piece, not to skim down Thompson’s post into just one sentence, is that PITCHf/x technology and the Zone Evaluation system that provides incentives for umpires to make correct calls has led to […]