In a season which spans over 162 games it is too early to call teams serious contenders or pretenders after just six.
But this is what we do know after Opening Week:
Top 5 Storylines:
1) The Upton Brothers connect in Atlanta
2) 20-year old Bryce Harper is batting 3rd in the Nationals Lineup
3) Yu Darvish comes as close to perfection as you can
4) R.A. Dickey struggles inside the Rogers Centre
5) Josh Hamilton is really hated in Texas
5) Plain and Simple, Josh Hamilton followed the money this past fall. The former Texas Rangers outfielder signed a 5-year 125 million dollar contract with division rival Los Angeles Angels. Hamilton said he wanted to play with the likes of Mike Trout and Albert Pujols and help the Angels win a World Series. That was after making it to the WS in two of the past three seasons with the Rangers. Hamilton struggled in the opening series against the Cincinnati Reds but what was even worse was his return to Texas later in the week. Not only was he booed (which he must have expected) but it got so bad that his wife had to call for security.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2013/04/06/josh-hamilton-wife-rangers-security-ballpark-in-arlington/2058899/
I know fans are passionate about their teams but sometimes fans will cross the line, and this case was evident of that. After the first week of the season the Angels have matched their record from last year after six games at (2-4).
4) R.A. Dickey is telling the fans not to worry because he is not worried. Baseball is a long season with ups and down, but no one could have for seen Dickey starting from the bottom and having to work his way up. After last year’s magical season that resulted in an NL CY Young with the NY Mets, Dickey was given the tag “Opening Day” starter for the Blue Jays. The first game was against the Cleveland Indians, a team that struggles to put up runs. On opening night the Tribe hit Dickey up for 4 runs over six innings. The Jays bats were silenced as they fell 4-1 and Dickey picked up the loss. Then for his second start last Sunday, this time against Jon Lester and the Boston Red Sox, he was tagged for five runs in the first inning. His final stat line was 8 earned runs, 10 hits over four and two-thirds. The knuckleball looked flat but the 38-year old remains confident.
“I think you try to draw from some of the past experiences and know that a day like today is the anomaly, not the norm," Dickey said. "I've traditionally gotten off to pretty slow starts in the past. I'm not sure why, that's just the way it has been.”
3) The Houston Astros and their minor league lineup moved from the National League to the hard-hitting American League this season. A lot of experts predicted that a no-hitter or a perfect game will be thrown against the lowly Astros but no one said it would come during opening week. Well, Yu Darvish of the Texas Rangers came within an out away of a perfect game, on just the second day of the season. He held the Astros bats at bay and struck out a career high 14 batters. Darvish was way over the 100 pitch mark by the ninth inning (usually spelling the end for a starting pitcher) but his manager Ron Washington could not pull him. That was until a man by the name of Marwin Gonzalez (the 9th batter in the Astros lineup) hit a single up the middle. After the hit, Darvish was shown smiling and laughing, before he got pulled from the game, probably because he realized how close he had come to perfection. After the game he remained optimistic, and with this guys talent, he will probably have more of these chances in the future.
"I think my teammates were more disappointed than I was, he said through a translator.”
2) My birthday is December. 13, 1992. Bryce Harper’s birthday is October.16,1992. We are both turning 21 years old and there is no question this guy is a phenom. Just take a look at his opening day performance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd8PMRewLq0
Harper became the first 20-year old to hit a pair of home runs on opening day all while batting 3rd in the Washington Nationals line-up. The Las Vegas native is off to a great start in his first full season in the bigs. Through the first week he has 3 home runs, 5 RBI’s and is batting .360. If Harper stays healthy, he should be a candidate for the NL MVP. Right now he is on pace for an absurd 80 home runs. It is highly unlikely that will happen, but at this rate he should finish with over 30 home runs though. Not too shabby.
1) When Justin Upton joined his older brother B.J. in Atlanta, it instantaneously made the Braves a World Series contender. Upton has been a force with the Arizona Diamondbacks for years and brought the power the Braves have lacked. If the opening week is and indication of how the brothers season will pan out, then it should be exciting. Justin has 5 homeruns and 7 RBI’s while B.J. has just one of each but has stolen 3 bases. They also did this on April 6th…
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=26078615&topic_id=11493214&c_id=mlb
Games to Watch:
The second week of the season has some intriguing games.
1) Oakland Athletics (5-2) @ Los Angels Angels (2-4)
- Tuesday to Thursday
- Last year’s AL West champs face Josh Hamilton and the Angels.
2) Atlanta Braves (6-1) @ Washington Nationals (4-2)
- Friday to Sunday
- These two teams should be battling all season for the NL East
3) Baltimore Orioles (3-4) @ New York Yankees (3-4)
- Friday to Sunday
- A rematch of last year’s AL Divisional Series
- O’s 1st baseman Chris Davis is off to an impressive start (4HR, 17RBI)
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