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 Strasburg vs. Atlanta

 

Last Monday June 28, was a great baseball game to watch. It was a real pitchers dual until the top of the seventh when the rookie came undone and the veteran came through. It was my first real chance to get to watch Stephan Strasburg in action. I kept hearing how great he had been doing in his four previous starts and was waiting to see what he could do against the Braves.

It was a great game between pitchers thru a great six innings with Strasburg and Tim Hudson. When the seventh came around it was a whole new story. Throughout the game Strasburg had been relaying on his changeup and when the batting order came around the third time the Braves had an idea of what he was going to do. Chipper started off the seventh with a walk and then things seemed to change with Strasburg. After Chipper got on base it seemed as though Chipper was getting in Strasburg’s head and messing with him.  Things started unraveling after Chipper got on first, McCann singled; Glaus reached on by an error which got the bases loaded. When Hinske did a sac fly which got Chipper in, then Escobar singled and got McCann home which was Strasburg’s end. Starasburg gave three earned runs in 6.1 innings pitched. He threw 92 pitches, two walks, 4 runs, 6 hits and 7 k’s with a 2.27 ERA. This also marked his second loss in a row, but showed a lot of talent and promise up to the seventh. In his interview after the game he had talked about how he was frustrated with himself and how he had struggled.

 

I think this game was a true test to see what he could do and how well he could face a great team and he had shown that for most of the game I just believe our veteran is better. It was a great learning experience for Strasburg, give him more time and hard teams that he will face he will do just fine. We just had the upper hand and great playing by Chipper who seemed to be able show he still has a few tricks in his age.

 

As a side note a team that has been proving to me great compared to last season since we’re now close to halfway would be the Reds. When we played them and when I’ve caught Sportscenter I keep hearing good things. They are leading the NL Central right now and have improved well from last year where they finished below .500 overall. I will predict they will get a playoff spot this year.

NASCAR Thoughts

6/3/10- When it comes to the chase in NASCAR I see three drivers fighting head-to- head, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Kevin Harvick. Harvick has been a great surprise this year compared to last year with finishing 19th in the standings. I could see him giving Jimmie a great run for his money. Then you have teammates Jeff and Jimmie. They had a great battle last year and Gordon is still hungry for another championship. Right now Jimmie seems to be having a bad streak of luck, but what driver doesn’t have that.

      Some other drivers I can see making the chase would be Jamie McMurray, Tony Stewart, and Ryan Newman. I think that Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, and David Reutimann are going to fall just short of the chase.

      Drivers/teams that have surprised me this year have been Jamie McMurray, RCR and MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing). You have Harvick leading the points with Burton eight, and Bowyer in thirteenth for RCR. MWR has been doing great this year. Truex Jr. and Reutimann seem to be having some very fast cars and pulling off some great finishes the past few weeks. Then there is Jamie McMurray, last year I don’t think he was sure where he was going to go but Chip Ganassi sure did want him back. I think Chip made a very smart move getting him back and it’s paying off.

      There are a few teams that seem to be hot then cold like Richard Petty Motorsports, and Juan Montoya. Kasey and AJ seem to be fast then something brakes. Things need to be figured out; they will be fast one week and suck the next. With Juan he can be fast but then he seems to get annoyed with the car or other drivers and looses focus. He needs to figure out what he really wants and what works.

 

  


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Cassie is a BIG sports fan to the point she has a degree in Sports Management. To help her pass time she is writing some articles on different sports and teams. Please read and send her your comments.

THOUGHTS ON THE ATLANTA BRAVES 

6/2/10- Just before the baseball season got under way I had made a point to see what the so-called experts had to say when they made their predictions for the year. Being a Braves fan, I made sure I had paid attention when the NL East came up. I found it interesting when they said Phillies were going to win and Braves were going to be third and get the wild card. I knew they were wrong.

Braves this year are making it a point to say this one’s for Bobby. My prediction from the beginning has been that they are going to win the division and make the World Series.

The so-called experts have forgotten about the players we have and some that they got during the off season. The pitching has been great with Hudson having a strong year so far with only one loss and an ERA just over 2. That doesn’t even say what he has done with bat. He’s batting almost .300 for the year. The experts weren’t sure how our rookie and number one prospect was going to do. I would say that they didn’t know that Heyward was going to be leading the rookies in all categories. The experts were also concerned that Troy Glaus would have issues being a first baseman. But these have been put to rest.

Some might have been concerned when they saw the standings May 17th when Phillies were on top 6 ½ games over Braves who were at the bottom. Now tables have turned and were on top a game and a half over the Phillies and have won 7 games in a row looking for an eight and to sweep the Phillies today.