Evan Longoria

, who came within two strikes of throwing a no-hitter against the Tampa Bay Rays last Sunday before Evan Longoria’s infield single with two outs in the ninth.  Morrow threw 137 pitch

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The Rays’ first baseman leads his team in home runs (15), and his 46 RBIs are second only to Evan Longoria’s 51.

How about the Braves?  Atlanta won only nine of 23 games in April but is 31-14 since the beginning of May and leads the NL East by a half-game over the Mets, who have won eight in a row.  The Braves have been particularly strong at home, evidenced by a 22-7 record at Turner Field.

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r all week and was able to attend two Rockies games at Coors Field.

Among the highlights:

I saw Evan Longoria hit home runs – his 15th and 16th - on back-to-back nights.  The first shot got the Rays on the board in the first inning on Tuesday en route to their 12-4 win over the Rockies, whose 11-game winning streak came to an end.

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How about Evan Longoria stepping it up against the Red Sox?  In 10 games against Boston this season, the Rays’ slugger has hit five home runs and five doubles, driven in 21, and slugged a Ruthian .875.

Continue reading "Put me in, Coach! I’m ready to…pitch?"

The one good thing about early voting is that maybe the fans will show some support for Evan Longoria over the injured Alex Rodriguez and vote the reigning Rookie of the Year starting third baseman for the American League.

Continue reading "All-Star balloting reminds me of the Iowa Caucus"

Aki moved from third to second this season to make room for superstar callup Evan Longoria, currently mashing the ball at a .270/.342/.579 clip (.309/.379/.609 in June), with 41 R and 47 RBI, while playing Gold Glove defense.

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Here is part six of my preview of the 2008 season for Major League Baseball. This time I’ll look at the key questions for each team in the American League East.

Baltimore Orioles

Is Adam Jones ready to be a star?

Continue reading "MLB 2008 Season Preview: American Leauge East"

Nonetheless, I can understand Yankees pitcher Heath Phillips throwing at Evan Longoria in retaliation the next time the two teams met, that at least sends a statement to your teammates that you’ve got their backs. However, when Shelley Duncan slid into second base with his spikes high, that is just plain dirty and something that is unacceptable at anytime in the season. The home plate collision was a young kid trying to make a play, done with no malicious intent. Sliding into a base with your spikes in the air can only be seen as trying to injure another player.

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erience their share of growing pains, but one cannot doubt their talent and potential, headlined by Evan Longoria, Baseball America's number one prospect in the country. BJ Upton seems ready to emerge as the star he is projected to be now that he is settled into centerfield and Carl Crawford returns as one of the most exciting players in the game. Scott Kazmir and James Shields will anchor a young rotation and will be joined by former Twins prospect Matt Garza. Carlos Pena, Cliff Floyd and Troy Percival should provide veteran leadership to help this young team through the grind of the Major Leage season. The Rays won't contend for the division this year, but could finish around .500 and prove to be problematic for the teams at the top of the division. With more talent from the minors on the way, especially top pitching prospects Wade Davis and David Price, Tampa Bay might be able to contend with the big boys in a couple of years.

Continue reading "American League East is a Beast of a Division"