MLB - NEWS & NOTES

I will put a blood bank guarantee that the Pirates have service time at least in the back of their heads with Glasnow.

 

Its here, it's on... TripleHeader Today...

The long-awaited slate features a nationally televised tripleheader, beginning with the Cardinals and Pirates in Pittsburgh on ESPN and MLB.TV at 1 p.m. ET, followed by the Blue Jays at the Rays on ESPN2 and MLB.TV at 4 p.m. The action concludes with the main event -- a World Series rematch of the Mets at the Royals on Opening Night at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN.

 

PITTSBURGH​

 

Adam Wainwright's day is done. Final line: 6 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 3 K, 3 BB, 96 pitches.

 

Liriano's 10 K's, RBI send Bucs past Cards

PITTSBURGH -- Lifting the curtain on the 2016 regular season with a matchup between the Majors' winningest teams over the last three years, the Pirates beat the Cardinals, 4-1, on Sunday afternoon at PNC Park.

Francisco Liriano tied a Pirates Opening Day record with 10 strikeouts, held the Cardinals scoreless for six innings and drove in the Bucs' first run of the season -- the first in baseball this year -- with a second-inning RBI single to right field. The lefty didn't allow a hit until the fourth inning, when he escaped the first of two bases-loaded jams.

Matt Carpenter drove in a run with a two-out RBI single in the ninth off Pirates closer Mark Melancon in a non-save situation to cut the deficitto to three runs, but Melancon then retired potential tying run Matt Adams for the final out.

Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright allowed three runs on six hits over six innings, permitting two runs in the second inning and another -- after a Francisco Cervelli triple and a sacrifice fly by Josh Harrison -- in the sixth.

 

Stroman sets tone for Jays, outlasts Archer, Rays

ST. PETERSBURG -- Chris Archer was good on Sunday afternoon. Marcus Stroman was better, leading the Blue Jays to a 5-3 Opening Day win over the Rays, with a sellout crowd of 31,042 watching at Tropicana Field.

Stroman held the Rays to three runs on six hits in eight-plus innings to pick up the win. Prior to the ninth, the only blemish to his line came via Evan Longoria's RBI single in the third. Perched on the brink of a complete game, Stroman got chased in the ninth after Corey Dickerson homered to lead off the inning and Desmond Jennings followed with a single. Jennings scored on a Kevin Kiermaier single off Roberto Osuna, who got Hank Conger to end the Rays rally.

Meanwhile, Archer struck out 12 and allowed three runs -- two earned -- in five innings, but came away with the loss.

 

Liriano's slider was on today and he was conveniently wild. He's tough to hit in those conditions.

 

Royals beat the Mets, 4-3 last night.
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Big day around MLB today as it's Opening Day for a bunch of teams... gotta love it.

 

Thats not much of a guarantee Mut with Locke as the 5th starter......

 

Cubs open much-anticipated season with 9-0 win over Angels

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) ? Thousands of Chicago Cubs fans filled the stands at Angel Stadium with raucous chants and cheers, the usual optimism of opening day compounded by unusual excitement for their talent-laden team.

Jake Arrieta and his lineup of heavy hitters gave those fans every reason to hope they had just watched the start of something special.

Arrieta yielded two hits over seven dominant innings, Miguel Montero homered and drove in three runs, and the Cubs began a season of high expectations with a 9-0 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night.

"I think we set the tone pretty nicely for ourselves," Arrieta said.

Anthony Rizzo and Jorge Soler drove in early runs and Villanova product Matt Szczur added a three-run double in the ninth for the Cubs, who excelled in every area. Chicago couldn't wait to get going again after an exciting 97-win season ended with a dismal four-game loss to the Mets in the NL Championship Series last fall.

"We've prepared for this for a long time," said Arrieta, who has a 29-inning scoreless streak stretching to last season. "The last game we played was in the NLCS. We were ready for this moment. Guys came into camp ready, with a game plan. Everybody executed appropriately."

Chicago's anguished fans believe this team really might end the franchise's 108-year championship drought this season, and they packed the seats in Orange County to herald an auspicious start to the quest.

"We travel well," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "It's exciting to see everybody out there. It's the Cubs, man. It's pretty cool."

 

Chase Utley starts the season with another illegal slide... this guy needs to sit it out for a long time.

 

? he didn't take the catcher out? how is this illegal when no contact was made ?

 

If you read the rules... you are no longer allowed to attempt to knock the ball from the catchers mit and his feet are out of the base path to name two that i can clearly see.

 

Here's a rule i think he violated... A runner attempting to score may not deviate from his direct pathway to the plate in order to initiate contact with the catcher (or other player covering home plate). If, in the judgment of the Umpire, a runner attempting to score initiates contact with the catcher (or other player covering home plate) in such a manner, the Umpire shall declare the runner out (even if the player covering home plate loses possession of the ball).

 

my apologies Will. I didn't know the rule advanced that far beyond the Posey rule and plowing a guy over and taking out his knees when he doesn't have the ball etc.

so in the rule you posted - yes utley is guilty of 2 fouls and should sit down! *REF* *REF*

 

anybody know of any good sites that stream baseball