Scott Feldman posted by Astros Fan

Born February 7, 1983, Scott Feldman plays Major League Baseball for Houston Astros as their starting pitcher. He started playing baseball for his college team and earned an excellent record of 25-2 in two seasons. In 2002 and 2003, Feldman was honored with the Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year award and All American as well.

In 2004, Feldman had to undergo elbow surgery, and he could not score in that season. In 2005, he was with Bakersfield Blaze, Single-A team, but again had scoreless innings. However, in July, he managed a perfect nine-inning game against Corpus Christi Hooks. In August 2005, Feldman also made his MLB debut, when he played for Texas Rangers, against Chicago White Sox. He had eight relief appearances and managed a 0-1 record, and 0.91 ERA in 9.1 innings.

In 2007, Feldman was chosen for the final spot in the Texas Rangers bullpen, and earned his first MLB victory in April. However, in that season he was sent down and called up many times. In September, Feldman started changing his delivery, and began raising the angle of his arm and throwing the delivery at three-quarters, instead of throwing sidearm.

In that season, he made 5.77 ERA and 1-2 record in 29 games. In October 2012, Feldman became a free agent when the Texas Rangers declined his option for $9.25 million. In November 2012, he signed a one-year contract with Chicago Clubs for $6 million. In May 2013, Feldman made his first home run of his career against pitcher Bronson Arroyo of Cincinnati Reds. In July 2013, Feldman was traded to the Baltimore Orioles, and was able to finish the season with 12-12 record and ERA of 3.86. For 2014 season, Feldman has signed a contract for three years with Houston Astros, which is worth $30 million. 

Bet To Win On The Astros This Season posted by Astros Fan

There are a few things more exciting than putting your money on your favorite baseball team. The Houston Astros may not be the most dominant franchise in the MLB but it has its own share of fans. If you happen to be one of them, why not root for your team and win a good amount of money at the same time?  Try the MLB run line betting and see how far your luck would take you. 
MLB run line betting is a simple game to play. Here, you will place a wager on a favored team to win by two or more runs, or the underdog squad to lose by one run.  This essentially means that the team with the higher odds of winning must win by two runs or more to cover the 1.5 run line, while the team which is against the odds can lose by just a run and still win the betting game. 
For instance, if the Houston Astros are favorites of the bookies to win over the Minnesota Twins, your team should win by two or more runs in order for you to win the betting game. But if they win by just a single run, those who bet on the Minnesota Twins will win instead of you and other bettors for the Astros. 
The rules are pretty simple, so you should have no problem at all in understanding how the MLB run line betting game is played. In case you like the excitement and fun brought by MLB sports betting, then you may also like to explore other betting options that are available online.  The face of the gambling industry has been changed with the recent influx of smartphones into our society, seeing many people opting to play in online casinos like the  android casino. The online casinos share similar advantages to those held by the online bookmakers. Players can play wherever and whenever they wish from their smartphone without having to glam up and attend land-based casinos like you might expect in a Hollywood blockbuster. Online casinos are not only highly entertaining and engaging, but also yield high pay-offs especially if luck smiles at you. Sports fans are in for a treat too - in an attempt to break into the target audience of online bookmakers many have developed sports themed betting slots. Not a bad call until the season starts!
Continue reading "Bet To Win On The Astros This Season"

Who ever said pitchers can’t hit? posted by David

While it should come as no surprise that a professional baseball player holds the state of Georgia's high school home run record, it may come as a shock that the record-holder is not a slugging outfielder like Jason Heyward, Mike Cameron, Jeff Francoeur, Nick Markakis, or J.D. Drew.  It isn’t a catcher with pop like Buster Posey or Brian McCann.  It isn’t even “The Big Hurt” Frank Thomas or “The Georgia Peach” himself, Hall of Famer Ty Cobb.  In fact, the record-holder isn’t a position player at all: it’s Diamondbacks pitcher Micah Owings.

Owings’s 69 career high school home runs are fourth in the United States behind Jeff Clement (75), James Peterson (73), and Drew Henson (70), who have combined to hit a grand total of 14 in the majors.  Peterson hit 11 in the minors but never even played in the big leagues, and Henson collected one hit in eight major league at-bats before deciding he had a better chance of succeeding as a quarterback in the NFL.  Clement has shown decent power in the minors but has yet to prove he can hit major league pitching.  If he doesn’t do it soon, Owings – who won a Silver Slugger as a pitcher during his rookie year (2007) and has hit nine homers in his brief big league career – will likely pass him.

Owings’s high school stats are staggering.  As a sophomore, he hit .630 with 21 homers.  As a junior, he “slumped” to .469 with 15 homers while going 12-1 with 69 strikeouts and a 1.85 ERA in 60.2 innings pitched.  As a senior, he hit .448 with 25 home runs; on the mound he went 12-1 with a 1.03 ERA, striking out 121 while surrendering a measly three walks in 75 innings.  Given his propensity for tearing the cover off the ball, you have to wonder why opposing teams did not simply refuse to pitch to Owings.

Bagwell has one more stop in baseball career posted by David

It’s hard to believe, but Jeff Bagwell has not played in the majors in five years.  That means, of course, that in the upcoming election, he is eligible for the Hall of Fame.

Bagwell’s stats speak for themselves: 449 home runs, four All-Star appearances, and several notable awards: three Silver Sluggers, Rookie of the Year (1991), and MVP and a Gold Glove in the same year (1994).  He is the Houston Astros’ career leader in Home Runs, RBIs (1,529), Walks (1,401), Sacrifice Flies (102) and Intentional Walks (155).  Additionally, he is second in franchise history behind former teammate Craig Biggio in Games, At-Bats and Plate Appearances, Runs Scored, Hits, Doubles, Extra-Base Hits, and Total Bases.

He also holds 11 of the team’s single season records: Batting Average (.368 in 1994), On-Base Percentage (.454 in 1999), Slugging Percentage (.750 in 1994), OPS (1.201 in 1994), Runs (152 in 2000), Total Bases (363 in 2000), Home Runs (47 in 2000), Walks (149 in 1999), Times on Base (331 in 1999), Intentional Walks (27 in 1997) and At-Bats per Home Run (10.3 in 1994).

Bagwell’s most impressive season was 1994, when the players’ strike limited him to 39 home runs and 116 RBIs in 110 games.  He hit .368 but lost the batting title to Tony Gwynn, whose .394 average is the highest since Ted Williams’s .406 in 1941.  His .750 Slugging Percentage not only led the majors, but is also the 11th highest in big league history.  Only five players topped Bagwell’s Slugging Percentage; two have been linked to steroids, and the other three (Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Rogers Hornsby) are already in the Hall of Fame.

Hard work pays off for career minor leaguers posted by David

Reds rookie Mike Leake went from Arizona State to the majors without throwing a pitch in the minor leagues.  Stephen Strasburg spent two months split between Double-A and Triple-A before making his big league debut in front of the entire baseball world.  The rise to the top does not come so easily – or at all – for others who share the dream of playing in The Show.  Two such players are John Lindsey, who was drafted way back in 1995, and Max St-Pierre, who had played 978 games in the minors – nearly all of them as a catcher – before getting called up this month to the Dodgers and Tigers, respectively.  Lindsey had played for five different organizations and even tried independent ball in 2005.  St-Pierre had spent 14 seasons in the minors, including 13 in the Tigers organization, and was one of the Toledo Mud Hens' backstops in 2010.  He probably did not expect the promotion after starting the year at Double-A.  It’s always exciting for any minor leaguer to find out he's going up to the big leagues, but for a 33-year-old first baseman and a 30-year-old catcher going up for the first time, it has got to be the greatest feeling in the world.

How 'bout that?

How about Troy Tulowitzki?  The Rockies shortstop is having a September to remember, launching 14 home runs, slugging a ridiculous .884, putting together four multi-homer games, and collecting 34 RBIs.  If he can drive in 10 runs in Colorado's last nine games, Tulo will finish with 100 RBIs despite spending six weeks on the DL in June and July.  Along with Carlos Gonzalez, Tulowitzki is leading the Rockies in their hunt for another Rocktober.

Another Triple Crown candidate storms to the top posted by David

Albert Pujols and Joey Votto have been battling each other all year, but Carlos Gonzalez has leap-frogged the front-runners in the Triple Crown race.  Gonzalez leads the National League in hitting (.337), is tied with Votto for the league lead with 100 Runs Batted In, and with 32 home runs is just five back of Pujols, two behind Adam Dunn, and tied with Votto and Mark Reynolds.  While he may have the best shot at the Triple Crown, I suspect Gonzalez’s home-road splits (.387/.435/.783 at Coors Field, .288/.310/.450 on the road) will keep the voters from naming him the NL MVP.

How 'bout that?

How about Joakim Soria?  The Mexicutioner has very quietly put together an outstanding season in Kansas City – a 1.71 ERA, 37 saves, and 63 strikeouts compared to just 14 walks.  The Royals’ closer allowed zero runs in the entire month of August (12 innings, 12 strikeouts, eight hits, and two walks) and has continued his scoreless streak through the first week of September.  Though Mariano Rivera is having one of his finest seasons at the age of 40, Soria has been the best closer in baseball this year.

How about Nelson Cruz?  Three trips to the Disabled List have kept him from putting together an MVP-caliber season, but the guy can flat out hit the ball, and despite his size (6’2”, 240), Cruz can run pretty well too – he’s racked up 15 stolen bases to go with his .313 batting average, 17 home runs, and .567 slugging percentage.  If anybody likes playing at Rangers ballpark, it’s Cruz, whose line at home is a robust .359/.414/.660 – a sure way to become a hometown favorite.

Jason Heyward: Instant Hit posted by David

When the Atlanta Braves announced during the last week of spring training that Jason Heyward had made the big league roster, it made headlines in part because both Stephen Strasburg and Aroldis Chapman were being assigned to the minors.  However, after winning the starting right fielder’s job in Atlanta, the 20-year-old phenom wasted no time before impressing the baseball world by launching a three-run home run in his very first major league at-bat.  Batting seventh in the lineup behind Chipper Jones, Brian McCann, and others has limited the pressure on the 14th overall pick in the 2007 draft, but before long, you can expect to see Heyward taking his hacks in the cleanup spot.

How ‘bout that?

How about Albert Pujols?  Picking up where he left off at the end of the 2009 season, Pujols collected four hits – including two home runs – on Opening Day.  The Cardinals slugger has been nothing but superhuman in the batter’s box; unless he suffers an injury, he will likely win his third straight (and fourth overall) Most Valuable Player Award.

How about Vernon Wells?  Looking to bounce back from a disappointing season (.260/.311/.400), Wells has already hit four home runs and boasts a .600 batting average.  The centerfielder became the first Blue Jay in history to homer in the team’s first three games of the year and played a major role in Toronto winning its first series of 2010 over Texas.

How about the Giants?  Led by shortstop Edgar Renteria’s .727 batting average (eight hits in 11 at-bats), San Francisco has continued to play well, sweeping a three-game series in Houston following a 23-12 record in spring training.  Not only are the Giants the only team yet to lose a regular season game, they have not even trailed at any point.  Though it is far too early to call a winner, the Giants will hope their fast start is a sign of things to come as they eye their first division title since 2003.

"The Braves will Pose a Tougher Test for the Giants this weekend" posted by Michael McGauley

AT LAST, regular season baseball to discuss! I wasn't too shocked by the final roster moves, and like the veteran additions to the bull pen with Mota, and to the starting staff with Wellemeyer. More on that in a minute. Not to bring up a sore point right out of the box, but I saw that Brad Penny pitched very well (seven strong innings and a no decision) in his St.Louis debut Thursday -- a 2-1 loss to the Reds. Hey, nice start for the Giants in Houston, and a rock-solid start for Lincecum, Zito, and (almost) Cain. The "Cainer" got burned by a couple of bad breaks Wednesday, and pitched better than the final stat line may indicate (notice zero walks in the stat line). Timmy and Barry though were quite good. I expected as much from the two-time defending Cy Young winner (seven shutout innings), but Zito has been consistently bad in the early stages of the season, only to finish with a flurish. He leaves us wanting more through a long off-season only to disappoint all over again in April. Well, at least for one start, we as fans definitely got some pleasure with five k's and just three hits allowed in six shutout innings. The Astros are wounded without Lance Berkman in the middle of that line-up, and the Giants needed to and did take advantage. However, they also beat a pair of top-notch starters in Roy Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez with just enough offense.  The Giants were putting rallies together in the first couple of games that make a baseball geek like me excited. Sustained rallies, advancing the runner, taking some walksContinue reading ""The Braves will Pose a Tougher Test ..."

Two more great careers reach the end of the line posted by David

Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas officially announced their retirements this week, ending speculation that either one would attempt a comeback in 2010 after not appearing in a big league game last season.  Glavine was a great finesse pitcher of his generation, and Thomas was a premiere slugger of the nineties.

The southpaw won 305 games, two Cy Young Awards, and four Silver Sluggers.  He was a 10-time All-Star, had five 20-win seasons, and was named the 1995 World Series MVP for leading the Braves to victory.  Glavine’s Fall Classic performance included eight innings of one-hit, shutout ball in a decisive Game 6 against the Cleveland Indians.  In addition to cleanup man Albert Belle, the Cleveland lineup featured the likes of Kenny Lofton, Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez, and then-future Hall of Famer Eddie Murray.  Meanwhile, Braves hitters were only able to put a single run on the board in the bottom of the sixth, leaving Glavine with no margin for error.  Among his lesser-known achievements, Glavine allowed just one grand slam in 682 games – all starts – over his 22-year major league career.  Finally, at the time of his retirement, he was second only to Omar Vizquel in sacrifice bunts among active players, with 216.  (The next-closest – pitcher or position player – is longtime teammate John Smoltz, with 136.)

Thomas hit 521 home runs, collected 2,468 hits, and finishes with an impressive line of .301/.419/.555.  He won back-to-back MVP awards, four Silver Sluggers, and one batting title.  Additionally, he had 11 seasons with 100+ RBI’s and was named to five consecutive All-Star teams (1993-1997) at a very competitive time for American League first basemen.  (Mark McGwire, John Olerud, Mo Vaughn, Tino Martinez, Cecil Fielder, Will Clark and Rafael Palmeiro were perennial contenders.)  The Big Hurt’s best year came in 1994, when he set career highs in batting average (.353), on-base-percentage (.487), and slugging percentage (.729), and despite being limited to 113 games by the players’ strike, hit 38 home runs and drove in 101 runs.  Thomas’s monstrous slugging percentage that season puts him in a club with guys named Ruth, Gehrig, Williams, Hornsby, and Foxx.

A vote for Alomar posted by David

Should Roberto Alomar be elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility?  The spitting incident with umpire John Hirschbeck does not help his case, but it really has nothing to do with his success on the field.  Fans may also remember that Alomar’s career ended with a couple of mediocre seasons, but when you look at his statistics, it’s a no-brainer.

Alomar won 10 Gold Gloves, compiled a .300 lifetime batting average, stole 474 bases, and was a 12-time All-Star.  He represented four different teams over 12 consecutive years in the Midsummer Classic and was named All-Star Game MVP in 1998.  Alomar was also the 1992 ALCS MVP and had a monster World Series in 1993 (.480/.519/.640, six RBI and four stolen bases).  He would have been named MVP of the ’93 Fall Classic had it not been for teammate Paul Molitor, who was even better (.500/.571/1.000, two home runs, eight RBI and 10 runs scored).  Roberto Alomar was the best second baseman – both offensively and defensively – of the nineties, and should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

How ‘bout that?

How about Albert Pujols’s dominance in the NL MVP balloting?  Not only did he win by a wide margin, but Pujols claimed the award by unanimous decision – 32 first-place votes.  His numbers speak for themselves: .327 batting average, 47 home runs, and 135 RBI’s, good for third, first, and third, respectively, in the National League.  As if he weren’t contributing enough with the bat, Pujols helped his team on the bases, stealing 16 while being caught just four times.  He led the majors in intentional walks (with 44) and had twice as many as the nearest competition, Adrian Gonzalez, who finished with 22.  Around the majors, Pujols is both feared and respected.

Astros call up top prospect Alex Bregman after rout of Angels (Big League Stew)

You could argue that the Houston Astros won twice on Sunday. The first win came during a 13-3 rout over the Los Angeles Angels. The second came hours later, when the team announced top prospect Alex Bregman would make his major-league debut Monday. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports

Ten players who should bounce back in the second half (Big League Stew)

Things were much simpler in March. New Boston Red Sox ace David Price looked poised to contend for the American League Cy Young, but only if Houston Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel would give up the crown. In the National League, Pittsburgh Pirates superstar Andrew McCutchen looked like an excellent MVP choice and Giancarlo Stanton was going to take the Miami Marlins back to the playoffs. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports

Relievers in outfield: Could Maddon Medley occur more often? (The Associated Press)

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Mark Melancon thought back to 2010 or '11, when he was with the Houston Astros. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports

White Sox first to turn trio of triple plays in same season since 1979 (Big League Stew)

In a span of 86 games, the White Sox have turned not one, not two, but three triple plays, with the latest coming during Friday’s wild 11-8 loss to the Atlanta Braves. It all started on April 22, when Chicago turned the craziest triple plays we’ve seen in a long time against the Texas Rangers. Then, on May 18, they did it again against the Houston Astros, though that time in a more traditional manner. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports