David Ortiz at Red Sox opener with Aly Raisman for Girl Power!

windeguy

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Very doubtful the fast start will be a sign of things to come...


Go Yankees.
 

chico bill

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This may have been an more of a dramatic home opener for the Seattle's Mariner's pitcher:

[video]http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2018/04/06/bald-eagle-lands-on-seattle-mariners-pitcher-james-paxton-prior-to-start-national-anthem.html[/video]
 

windeguy

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This year for the AL East it is between the Yankees as the current favorite and Boston. So many of these guys get injured that the outcome is never certain until the fat lady sings.

The American League East is shaping up again to be the most competitive division in the AL. With two of baseball’s major markets competing for the top spot, it’s no wonder that teams like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox will back up the Brinks truck and try to retool each offseason to own the AL East crown.

Online sportsbook Bovada has released AL East divisional odds for bettors to cash in on. Below is a team-by-team breakdown to see which club deserves your hard-earned dollars and which ones aren’t worth a pinch of pine tar.

NEW YORK YANKEES -140
THE YANKEES FINISHED TWO GAMES BACK OF BOSTON FOR THE DIVISION LEAD WITH 91 WINS LAST SEASON.

After a few years of building up their farm system and developing within, the Yankees took a page out of the Evil Empire playbook and traded for reigning NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton. Pairing Stanton with Aaron Judge has not only made New York the favorite to win the AL East but also one of the favorites to win the World Series.

The Yankees finished two games back of Boston for the division lead with 91 wins last season and made it all the way to the ALCS as a wild card.

New York didn’t really lose any of its key players and hired Aaron Boone to replace Joe Girardi as manager. On paper, this team is a juggernaut.

BOSTON RED SOX +130
Despite winning 93 games, the vibe of the 2017 Boston Red Sox was one of underachievement. Boston was searching to fill the David Ortiz-sized hole in its lineup but may have found the answer by signing power hitter J.D. Martinez to suit up at Fenway Park. Martinez clobbered 45 home runs last season and should stabilize the middle of the order for Boston.

The Red Sox may not be done tinkering with their roster and could add more firepower to the lineup if they’re to compete with the Yankees. The Sox also need to perform better vs their divisional rival if they plan to claim another division title as they finished 8-11 SU in 19 games vs New York last season. With plenty of youth in the batting order along with Chris Sale and David Price at the top of their rotation, the Red Sox won’t be a pushover.

https://www.oddsshark.com/mlb/american-league-east-division-odds
 

chico bill

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The Red Sox may not be done tinkering with their roster and could add more firepower to the lineup if they’re to compete with the Yankees. The Sox also need to perform better vs their divisional rival if they plan to claim another division title as they finished 8-11 SU in 19 games vs New York last season. With plenty of youth in the batting order along with Chris Sale and David Price at the top of their rotation, the Red Sox won’t be a pushover.

https://www.oddsshark.com/mlb/american-league-east-division-odds

Are you placing any early season bets in Vegas ?
Yankees may have the bets but I say pitching is the key in this league, with solid bullpens and managers & good pitching coaches who can rotate them properly
 

windeguy

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Are you placing any early season bets in Vegas ?
Yankees may have the bets but I say pitching is the key in this league, with solid bullpens and managers & good pitching coaches who can rotate them properly

I NEVER bet money on anything. Just using the analysis provided by those that do.

I agree that good pitching can beat good hitting. I had hope that the Yankees would get another good pitcher, but they did not. And I agree that is their weak point. Then again, Price was not stellar for Boston last year, will he be great this year?
 

chico bill

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Time will tell but seems the pitchers don't last as long as they used. I remember the old Yanks of Whitey Ford, Ralph Terry, Al Downing and Louis Arroyo pitched for years and many times for complete games.
A complete game in the majors nowadays is a rare bird
 

windeguy

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Time will tell but seems the pitchers don't last as long as they used. I remember the old Yanks of Whitey Ford, Ralph Terry, Al Downing and Louis Arroyo pitched for years and many times for complete games.
A complete game in the majors nowadays is a rare bird

I too recall those days. Not sure why , with all the new sports medicine and advanced training that pitchers are perceived as more frail than ever. Perhaps it is because they are training them in ways to throw a pitch that the speeds and rotations are way up, but the damage to the arm is more severe. Or they just feel that it is better to go to relief pitchers any time there is trouble. Here are some discussions on the matter.


https://www.fangraphs.com/tht/have-pitchers-become-more-fragile/
 

chico bill

Dogs Better than People
May 6, 2016
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I too recall those days. Not sure why , with all the new sports medicine and advanced training that pitchers are perceived as more frail than ever. Perhaps it is because they are training them in ways to throw a pitch that the speeds and rotations are way up, but the damage to the arm is more severe. Or they just feel that it is better to go to relief pitchers any time there is trouble. Here are some discussions on the matter.


https://www.fangraphs.com/tht/have-pitchers-become-more-fragile/

As the author of the article said one reason maybe:

"This decline in innings pitched coincides pretty well with a startling inflation in baseball salaries. Perhaps as teams have invested more and more in pitchers, managers have been pressured to push them less, as injuries become costlier."