Yuuuuuuuuuu!

Most of us younger baseball fans can remember the song "Soulja Boy" where it starts out saying "Youuuuuuu" followed by the beats of a steel drum, this is exactly what I think of when I read Yu Darvish's name in print. If you are unaware of who Yu Darvish is, he is a Japanese pitcher who made his Major League debut last night in Texas. Darvish came over from Japan after the Texas Rangers made a $51.7 million bid offer to him this off season. Then the Rangers had to make actual deal with Yu, which he received a 6-year $60 million contract with them. Darvish has been referred to as "Daisuke (pronounced Dice-k) on Steroids" and as one of the best, if not the best, pitcher in Japan. So for a pitcher who has a total of $111.7 million invested in him, how did he do? Well, he gave up 4 runs in the first inning and then another run in the second. But after some serious offensive firepower, the Rangers tied up and then went ahead thanks to homeruns from Nelson Cruz, Mitch Moreland, and Josh Hamilton. With that, Darvish was on course to gain the win for Texas after only 5 innings, which he only pitched 5 2/3 innings with 111 pitches. Darvish left with a 7.94 ERA and gave up 8 hits, 4 walks, and had 5 strikeouts. Not the most impressive outing for such a hyped-up pitcher, but there is some adjusting coming from Japanese baseball to American baseball. Rangers pitching coaches have been trying to "Americanize" Darvish's pitching to get him ready for the season to start, but still have some kinks to work out. Yu Darvish is the first pitcher in over 100 years in his major league debut to win after giving up 4 runs in the first inning. Manager Ron Washington stated that he wasn't going to take Darvish out after the first inning but was going to let him battle through, find his groove, and work from there, which he did. I feel as though Yu did a great job for his first start, but still has some work to do to become a $111 million pitcher.

What a Weekend...

Cepedes watching his 465 ft. bomb!

Who would've thought that the Mets would be 3-0 and the Yankees would be 0-3? Seriously? Is this some sort of sick dream where New York baseball is completely flipped over? No, definitely not, because the last time the Bronx Bombers lost their first 3 games was 1998, where they went on to win 114 games and also the World Series. The last time the Mets won their first 3 games was 2007, and I think we all know what happened there *Motions for high-five*.  So if the World Series was tomorrow, it would be the Orioles vs. the Mets, or the Tigers vs. the Diamondbacks, but luckily for everyone, there are not 3 games in the season but 159 left to play. Wrapping up this weekend in one blog would be hard, but I'll certainly try my best.

NL East: 1. NYM 2. WSH 3. PHI 4. MIA 5. ATL As stated above, the Mets are 3-0 and that's about it for them, but in other news:

• The Phillies lost 2/3 games to the Pirates in their opening series, once in extra innings, and today in the bottom of the 9th. The Phillies have only had one winning series against the Pirates in PNC Park since 2001, and that was in 2008 when they went on to win the World Series. The bats need to come alive, and Charlie Manuel needs to take David Herndon out.
• The hot, new Miami Marlins are making a "splash" by only wearing new uniforms. Unfortunately those feisty fish from South Beach aren't quite producing the numbers they hoped to have. After being no-hit into the 7th on Opening Night, the Marlins look to bounce back tomorrow in Philadelphia.

NL Central: 1. STL 2. CIN 3. HOU 4. PIT 5. CHC 6. MIL The division with the most teams isn't quite where I'd imagined it to be after the opening weekend:

• The Cardinals won the World Series in 2011 and aren't looking back. They lost Albert Pujols and now are saying, "Who?" Yes the Cardinals are hot right now, but coming down the stretch, you just might need a 3-time NL MVP to come through for you to win some games. Especially when Matt Holiday starts to slump or Lance Berkman possibly gets hurt.
• The BrewCrew. Where to start? Let's start with Prince Fielder hitting homeruns and RBIs for the Tigers, and then bam, we are here at a 1-2 record. Yiovani Gallardo lost to the Cardinals, and the bats are there, but just one big bat shy.

NL West: 1. ARI 2. LAD 3. COL 4. SD 5. SF In my opinion, I'd say, yeah that's about right:

• The Arizona Diamondbacks are looking to reclaim their 2011 title as the NL West division champions and with a stunning performance against the Giants, I don't think they will have any problem doing so. The Diamondbacks have the full package of starting pitching, a solid bullpen, and an offense that drives in runs. I see the D'backs at the top of the NL West at the end of the 2012 season.
• On the other side of the Diamondbacks success was the Giants failure. Tim Lincecum got ROCKED by the D'backs, doing things that he didn't do in all of 2011. He gave up two homeruns in one inning, and gave up a homerun in the first inning. The Giants finished 2nd to last in runs scored, and they need to step up their game especially if their prized rotation is not producing like before. Side note: Buster Posey is back!

AL West: 1. SEA 2. TEX 3. LAA 4. OAK The AL West certainly has possibilities for exciting baseball this year, especially with some pretty big newcomers:

• The Seattle Mariners are atop the AL West at the current moment after playing the Oakland A's for 4 games, two of which were played in Japan. Yoenis Cepedes has already hit 3 homeruns against the Mariners pitching, and yesterday's was a monster shot that traveled 465 ft. With this in mind, the Mariners will have to hope to solidify their lineup that has Ichiro now batting third.
• The Angels are off to a somewhat slow start, especially after having Jered Weaver already pitch and Albert Pujols only having 1 hit in 7 at-bats. When asked about his slow start, Albert replied that he's gone 0-3 before, and probably will do it again at some point in his career, so everyone should get off his back.

AL Central 1. DET 2. KC 3. CHW 4. CLE 5. MIN With these standings, who knows:

• With the way the Tigers are playing right now, I wouldn't be surprised if they won the World Series this year. After a blown save by Valverde on Thursday, the Tigers came back and won. After Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder both hit 2 homeruns on Saturday, the Tigers shut out the Red Sox and won. And after Miguel Cabrera tied up the game in the 9th today with a homerun, and Alex Avila hit a homer in the 11th, the Tigers won. Winning is the theme here. 
• The Twins were looking to bounce back after a subpar 2011 season. And starting off the season getting swept by the Orioles really isn't the best way to do so. What has happened to a team that has an All-Star catcher like Joe Mauer and still manages to get almost no-hit by the Orioles?

AL East 1. BAL 2. TB 3. TOR 4. BOS 5. NYY The AL East certainly has people watching but let's examine a little bit closer:

• The Orioles are notorious for starting off the season strong and then unfortunately tailing off midway through the season, or towards the end of April. This is sad to see but after sweeping the Twins, the Orioles have the bats and stellar pitching from Jason Hammel who no-hit the Twins into the 7th really shows that the Orioles have potential this year.
• The Boston Red Sox start off the season 0-3 for the second straight year. Two walk-off losses in Detroit, both of which done by poor closers has Red Sox fans wondering if they should have kept Papelbon. Bobby V is staying hopeful for the team, as is the rest of Boston, but Yankee fans everywhere are hoping for a repeat of last year's collapse. 

Well blog readers, thank you for reading all of that if you did. I put a lot of effort into it and hope that you enjoyed! Please pass on the good news of the blog, and if you would like press the Google+ button at the top or side. :)

Jamie Moyer looks to break the record

Jamie Moyer is 49 years young. To put things into perspective, Jamie Moyer was pitching before the Rockies were a franchise within Major League Baseball, and as of right now, he's been pitching longer than players have been alive. Moyer will take the mound for the Colorado Rockies tonight against the Houston Astros and if he wins, he will break the record for oldest pitcher in MLB to record a win. Lucas Harrell will be pitching for the Astros tonight, Harrell was only 13 months old when Moyer made his Major League Debut. Tonight's game is a big night for Moyer, not only can he break the record, but this will be the first time he's pitched in a regular season game since pitching for the Phillies on July 20, 2010. Moyer also will be proving himself against a former manager Chad Mills. When Moyer was pitching for the Cubs Triple-A affiliate in Iowa, Mills cut Moyer from the team, Moyer instructed him that he'd be back, and he certainly is. To really understand what Jamie Moyer has been through would be hard, especially after having Tommy John surgery at the age of 48. Tonight would be win number 268 for Moyer if he wins, a pitcher who has recorded more wins in his 40s than in his 20s, a pitcher who has beaten every single team in baseball, something only 5 other pitchers have done, and lastly a stand up guy whose love for the game has brought him back time and time again. Jamie Moyer's fastball normally hits around 80 mph on a good night, which can hurt him as a pitcher, but his 2.50 ERA this spring has scouts wondering what he will do throughout the rest of the season. Its hard to think that there is a pitcher out there who is old enough to by my father, yet pitches against people who are younger than me. I wish him luck tonight against the Astros and hopes he gets his win.

Opening Day 2012

Today is "Opening Day" in Major League Baseball, although three regulation games have already been played. There was the "Opening Series" in Japan between the Mariners and Athletics last week, and there was "Opening Night" last night between the Marlins and Cardinals, but today is the true Opening Day. Why you ask? Because today is the day that Cincinnati Reds play. It may look foolish to read, but the Cincinnati Reds start every Opening Day at home, making today the true Opening Day. Since 1876 the Reds have been granted the privilege to open every game at home and they have done just that. Opening Day brings something to the table, there is electricity in the air, and everyone can feel it. As the old cliche says, "Everyone starts at the same spot" and everyone has the ability to start their trip to the World Series on Opening Day. So what is the appropriate response to Opening Day? Excitement, hope, and the chance at winning 162 games! So today we see a lot of different changes, some old faces brought into new positions. AL MVP and AL Cy Young winner Justin Verlander, newly acquired first baseman Prince Fielder take on the Boston Red Sox, now managed by Bobby Valentine. Johan Santana returns to the mound for the Mets, the first time since 2010. Stephen Strasburg returns to the "beefed up" Nationals hoping to get them above the .500 mark for the first time. After suffering a loss to the Cardinals last night, the Miami Marlins look to rebound in Cincinnati, placing new pitcher Mark Buehrle on the mound. NL Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw looks to take the Dodgers to the playoffs, and after the $2 billion purchase of the Dodgers by a group led by Magic Johnson, maybe the Dodgers can regain their former glory. Last and certainly not least, the Philadelphia Phillies look to take a lineup, tattered by injuries, into the City of Bridges against those ruthless Pittsburgh Pirates. A team that won 102 games and the NL East last year will hope to reclaim that title and maintain it without Ryan Howard and Chase Utley for an unforeseen amount of time. Unfortunately for the Phillies, in the past 5 years, they are 6-10 versus the Pirates, and the Pirates had their best year since 2004 last year, and are still improving. So what will happen today on this Opening Day? Last year the Phillies had a walk-off win and the Texas Rangers had their own homerun derby. This year, who knows?

Ubaldo Jimenez: Public Enemy #1

I've seen a lot intentional throws at players throughout my baseball watching "career," but for some reason, this throw just seems to be even more cowardly then any other. Indians pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez intentionally threw at Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki the other day in a Spring Training game at Salt River Fields. The pitch hit Tulo square in the back with a pitch that ended in a benches clearing incident. When looking at it, Jimenez states that Tulowitzki is a a good hitter, he was trying to get the ball inside, and it got away from him when he was releasing it. But if that were true Ubaldo, then why did you immediately look at the plate, then throw your glove down looking for a fight? In my opinion, and obviously in MLB's opinion, the pitch was intentional because Jimenez has been suspended for 5 games for the incident. Just look at the body language of the situation, Jimenez was looking to start something. Many will say that Ubaldo Jimenez still resents the fact that Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez received large contract extensions last year and he did not, which is why he went to the Indians. Jimenez was their best pitcher at the time, so why not lock him up until 2017 like they did with the other two? The fact is that many Rockies stated that Ubaldo's body language was no longer with the team in 2011, and he was just waiting to be moved to another team. In his mind, Cleveland was a Godsend. I don't know why anyone would think that, but I guess that's just how baseball works. Indians manager Manny Acta is furious with Major League Baseball for their decision to suspend Jimenez for 5 games, but he is happy that there will be an appeal. With the appeal going through, that means that Ubaldo Jimenez will be able to start on Saturday versus the Blue Jays. In my mind, I just keep thinking about how stupid Ubaldo looks right now, everyone saw him throw down his glove and look for a fight, challenging Tulowitzki to come at him. Grow up Ubaldo Jimenez.

Orioles with a Winning Season

Day in and day out, I spend my time with Orioles fans, and if you have recently looked at my Facebook, you will notice that I am also a fan. Now I know, "Taylor, you like the Phillies." True, but I am a Phillies fan raised by my parents who are a Phillies fan and an Orioles fan. My first baseball game that I can remember was at Camden Yards, and I have always had a love for the Orioles as far as I can remember. Are the Orioles a fan of me? Do the Orioles care about my wants and needs? My wants and needs as an Orioles fan is that I want them to succeed, I want them to have a winning season, and I want them to move out of the "cellar" of the American League East. But the front office of the Orioles keeps going against that dream, they keep making trades that help other teams, but not their own. What am I supposed to think when the Orioles are shopping around for offers for both Mark Reynolds and Kevin Gregg. The team cannot be based around Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, and Mark Reynolds. That's not a strong enough core of players, but hopefully with the return of an always ailing Brian Roberts, and a strong season from Nolan Reimold might help out the O's cause. With the addition of Chris Davis at first, and J.J. Hardy returning at shortstop, the Orioles are still in a desperate need for pitching. Find me one pitcher on the Orioles starting rotation that is the "ace" or find me a definite closer on the team. ERA's are through the roof on that team and in the AL East, there's probably a good reason way.

It's hard to succeed in a division that has the competing rivalry of the Yankees and Red Sox. The Tampa Bay Rays have been strong ever since 2008, and the Blue Jays want to become contenders. Last year, the Yankees had 97 wins, the Rays 91, the Red Sox 90, and the Blue Jays finished at .500 with 81 wins. The Orioles need to step up their game, and having Buck Showalter as a manager certainly does help, but the absolutely need, need, need to obtain some serious pitching both in the rotation and in the bullpen. I for one am willing to have Cal Ripken Jr. come back as a coach, as a manager, as a consultant, and if the "Iron Man" is willing to, get onto the field and play. The last time the Orioles had a winning season was in 1997 and their best player was Mike Mussina. Ouch. So now, it is time to take back Camden Yards from all the New Yorkers and Bostonians that flock down to Baltimore! It is time to make a stand with the Orioles front office to force them to make the team succeed! And it is certainly time to see the Orioles win the American League East because: THIS IS BIRDLAND!

The Mexicutioner in Trouble

Many know the nickname, "The Mexicutioner" being Manny Pacquiao, but in Kansas City, Missouri, that nickname belongs to closer Joakim Soria. Soria just returned from a visit in Los Angeles to see a specialist and was told the he has damage to the ulnar collateral ligament. What exactly does that mean? It means that Soria's biggest option to return to baseball is Tommy John surgery. The right-handed pitcher stated that he would speak to his family in Arizona before ultimately deciding what to do, but surgery is most likely the answer. With Tommy John surgery, Soria would be knocked out of the entire 2012 season just as he missed the 2003 season with the same surgery. How exactly do you have Tommy John surgery twice? Well apparently the same problem arises and once again the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) needs to be repaired. Losing Soria would be a great loss to the Royal's bullpen, mainly because he has been known to be such a great leader to a relatively young group a pitchers. And without him, the Royals will be forced to have a "closer by committee" set up in which Jonathan Broxton, Greg Holland, and Aaron Crow will be the frontrunners for the job. People don't realize just how important Joakim Soria is, the 27 year-old closer averages 37 saves a season, those numbers are similar to closers like Jonathan Papelbon and Brian Wilson. Soria unfortunately had one of the worst seasons this year in terms of saves with only 28, with missing time in May and also the last two and a half weeks of the season. In the 2012 season, "The Mexicutioner" had 43 saves, and the Royals had 67 wins, meaning that Soria saved 65% of the Royals wins. He finished second in saves that year, only behind Rafael Soriano with 45. Hopefully Joakim Soria can recover from his almost inevitable Tommy John surgery and come back healthy in the 2013 season. But as of right now, the Royals are just waiting to see what Soria wants to do.