MLB: Major League Baseball Can’t Be Predicted, That’s Why They Play the Games
April 7, 2011 · Mike Stainkamp · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
After last year and this past offseason, who would have thought New York Yankees starter A.J. Burnett would be 2-0 and that the Boston Red Sox would go 0-6 to kick off the 2011 Major League Baseball season?
Who would have thought the Milwaukee Brewers would start the season 0-4, then win three straight games against the Atlanta Braves?
Burnett was one of the most disappointing pitchers in 2010, going 10-15 with a 5.26 ERA. So far this year, he has looked great for the Yankees, a team with questions surrounding their starting rotation after seeing Cliff Lee take his talents back to Philadelphia and losing Andy Pettitte to retirement on the eve of Spring Training. In 11 innings in 2011, Burnett has 11 strikeouts and just three walks. He has given up 10 hits, but only five earned runs. In his latest outing, he worked a solid six innings before giving way to the trio of Joba Chamberlain, Rafael Soriano and Mariano Rivera, who took care of the three remaining innings to give the Yanks a 4-3 win over the Twins at Yankee Stadium.
The Red Sox had one of the most productive off seasons in recent memory, adding Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford to an already powerful lineup and adding Bobby Jenks to an impressive bullpen. The “Sawx” have been the most disappointing team thus far in 2011, after most experts said they would be the favorite come October. Adrian Gonzalez is hitting .304 in the team’s first six games, with one home run and five RBI. Crawford, on the other hand, is hitting .174 with no home runs and just one RBI.
The Brewers completed the sweep of the Braves after starting the season 0-4, improving their record to 3-4. In the offseason, the Brewers acquired Zack Greinke from the Kansas City Royals, but he is on the disabled list with fractured ribs after injuring himself playing a pick-up game of basketball in the offseason. On Thursday, Greinke threw his first bullpen session since suffering the injury in February. He reportedly hopes to return to Milwaukee sometime in early May.
Baseball is a game unlike any other.
Any team can go out on any day and beat any team.
This is why they play the game.
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