A month ago, we challenged readers to predict the eight major league teams that would make the postseason. Most of the races seemed easy to call at that point. But… Nearly everyone got the American League right, but the NL’s wild finish tripped up most contestants. Just four people—about 10 percent of the entrants—were able […]

When the Philadelphia Phillies take the field against the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night, they will have officially accomplished a minor feat that no other franchise can lay claim to: they’ll be the only team to participate in the last four postseasons. Yes, that’s a cherry picked stat. Another cherry picked stat I could use […]

As promised, here’s the first of some daily doses of AfterGlow. Let’s start by previewing two of the AL’s playoff contenders, the Yankees and Rays. Both teams find themselves in a very similar place but have gotten there in very different ways. The Rays have had a dramatic rise to prominence, with sweeping improvements in […]

Happy Friday. Here’s a new visual that I’d like to take for a spin today. It’s pretty simple, plotting a team’s trajectory over the last five seasons in terms of runs scored and run allowed. Here’s a sneak peek at a team that has been heading in the wrong direction for several years. During the […]

Cubs 1, Padres 0: It’s not the end, but it certainly is the beginning of the end for the Padres. They need to sweep the Giants to force a playoff for the NL West. They need to sweep the Giants and hope that the Braves lose 2 of 3 in order to get the Wild […]

Last night in Cleveland, Justin Verlander made his final start of 2010. His stuff was outstanding and he located his big curveball for called strikes. He gave up seven hits and ended up allowing four runs in seven innings, but there was something else. Verlander did something in that game that was as impressive as […]

Braves 5, Marlins 1: Sometimes there’s a man. I won’t say a hero, ’cause, what’s a hero? But sometimes, there’s a man. And I’m talkin’ about Brooks Conrad here. Sometimes, there’s a man, well, he’s the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that’s Brooks Conrad, in Atlanta (1 for […]

The best part about being a writer for THT is that I get to be part of the Yahoo! Group. Over the last few weeks, we’ve had our version of The Stephen Strasburg Talk and I wanted to share my own reactions. Let me warn you and make this clear, this is a completely subjective […]

Reds 3, Astros 2: If you’re gonna clinch the division, do it on a walkoff jack. Way to go Jay Bruce. Way to go Cincinnati Reds. Cincinnati was a great baseball town. Maybe still is a great baseball town. Definitely can be a great baseball town going forward. But it needed this division title to […]

Phillies 8, Nationals 0: Fitting. Fitting that it was Halladay on the mound, throwing bullets and likely clinching the Cy Young Award (CG, SHO 2 H, 6K). Fitting that it came in Nats Park in front of thousands of friendly fans, just as the season began. This one also clinches the best record in the […]