Friday, May 18, 2012

5/18: Brandon Beachy!

Greetings everyone... Let's go...

  • First of all, I won't break down the NBA in-depth in this space because I covered both games over at Soaring Down South. The link is as follows: http://soaringdownsouth.com/2012/05/18/2012-nba-playoffs-round-2-update-517-pacers-shock-the-heat-spurs-cruise-over-the-clips/  
  • While we're here however, here's a brief synopsis. Indiana took it to Miami. Dwyane Wade didn't show up. Tim Duncan is turning the clock back. Chris Paul has been bottled up. And finally, San Antonio is fantastic. Done and done.
  • Braves 7, Marlins 0 - As the title of this post suggests, Brandon Beachy was utterly lights-out last night. In his first career shut-out (and complete game), Beachy threw 122 pitches, scattered 5 hits, didn't walk a batter, and struck out 6 Marlins. It was a dominant performance, and he now leads the major leagues in ERA with an absurd 1.33 mark. Is he this good? Probably not, as he sports a FIP of 2.54 and an xFIP of 3.81, but let's ride it out for now before the regression hits. At any rate, he's established himself as a high-end starter, and for an undrafted former 3rd basemen, that's big news.
  • MLB Check - Aaron Harang threw 7 scoreless innings for the Dodgers, as they moved to 25-13 and continued their early start as the best record in the league. Albert Pujols homered on back-to-back days but the Angels fell 6-1 at home to the White Sox. Baltimore won yet again behind Adam Jones' 13th homer of the year, and the Orioles now shockingly have the AL's best record. And finally, Texas lost a 5-4 decision in 10 innings to the A's to fall to 24-15. After a blistering start, the Rangers are 12-13 in their last 25 games, and while I still believe they are the class of the league right now, visions of 100 wins may have been premature. 
  • Jonathan Vilma is suing Roger Goodell. Yes, you read that right. The suspended Saints linebacker is suing Goodell personally for lost wages and the "inability to make a living" after the commish suspended him for the season. I'm actually riveted to see what happens here because I'm of the mind that the player suspensions for the bounty-gate scandal were outrageously severe, and no one has taken Goodell to task in this form yet.
What to watch for on Friday...
  • MLB - Braves @ Rays - Peachtree TV 7:00 - Hanson vs. Shields - Interleague!! Tampa is one of the most entertaining teams in the league, so this is must-watch TV for a Braves fan.
  • MLB - Red Sox @ Phillies - MLB 7:00 - Bard vs. Hamels - More interleague! 
  • NBA - Celtics @ Sixers - ESPN 8:00 - Celtics lead 2-1 - Absolute must-win for the Sixers here. They must find a way to slow KG, and I think they could steal this one at home.
  • NBA - Thunder @ Lakers - ESPN 10:30 - Thunder lead 2-0 - The front-end of the back-to-back in this series, and LA has their back against the wall. I firmly believe that this series is over unless there's an OKC injury, but LA has come back from the dead in the past.
Enjoy...

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