After four no-hitters (one in the post-season), two perfect games and another should-be perfect game, MLB’s Year of the Pitcher in 2010 ended when the San Francisco Giants capped off the season with a World Championship.

If 2011 is any indication, we may be entering the era of the pitcher. Barely into the season’s second month; two American League starters have tossed no-hitters.

On May 7^th Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers threw the second no-hitter of the season ending with a near perfect game (one walk). The gem was the second no-hitter of Verlander’s career and with that feat the right-hander became only the 30^th pitcher in MLB history to have multiple no-nos.

The first of this 2011 season belonged to Francisco Liriano of the Minnesota Twins. Despite walking six batters and throwing less than half of his pitches for strikes, Liriano got the job done where many others have failed this year.

Already, a number of pitchers have taken no-hitters late into the game. Anibal Sanchez, Yovani Gallardo, Derek Lowe, Josh Johnson and Tim Lincecum have all taken no-hit bids into the seventh inning this year only to fall short. Sanchez was the only one of the group to make it to the ninth inning before allowing a hit.

Additionally, Dan Haren and Tim Hudson have thrown one hitters already this year.

While the 2011 season is still young, it may end up being an even better year for pitchers. In 2010, the league average ERA was 4.08 but it has dropped to 3.81 so far this year.

The Philadelphia Phillies received a lot of press this off-season when Cliff Lee gave them a staff with four aces.

Thus far though, the Oakland Athletics (2.62) and Atlanta Braves (2.85) are leading their leagues in team ERA. All five of the Braves starting pitchers rank in the top 50 in ERA. The Athletics would be in the same situation except they don’t have enough qualified starters.

As the season progresses, offenses may begin to catch up, but the early results in 2011 show that 2010 may have been the start to a new era in baseball.

Related MLB:

Verlander near perfect in second career no-no – Sports Climax

MLB Pitching Stats – MLB.com

Used with permission of the author.

Along with contributing to Sports Climax, Brett Kettyle is the Atlanta Braves Community Leader on Bleacher Report and maintains a Braves column for MTR Media. Follow Brett on Twitter.

Copyright ©2011 Sports Climax, LLC

Despite offense being down across Major League Baseball, a number of hitters have started off the year sending balls into the outfield seats. While some of the top homerun hitters making the list (with seven or more this season) include Albert Pujols and Mark Teixeira, others like Jeff Francoeur are complete surprises.

Chicago Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano is the current MLB leader in bombs with 11. Since signing with the Cubs, Soriano has been rapidly declining and has one of the worst contracts in Major League Baseball. His overall season numbers aren’t great outside of the power (.275 OBP) but he is currently on pace to hit 61 homeruns this year, a stat that would make Cubs fans happy.

Another surprise among the NL homerun leaders is Lance Berkman. After a horrendous season that marked him as a dwindling star, Berkman has been off to a torrid start for his new team the St. Louis Cardinals. His nine homeruns put him on pace for almost 50 on the season and he currently has the highest OPS in the National League.

Not everyone on the NL leader-board is a surprise. Ryan Braun (10) and Albert Pujols (7 despite his slow start) are well known power hitters who haven’t slipped this year. Braun is on pace to break his career high of 37 and Pujols could improve his totals since bouncing back from a slow start.

Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitski has slowed down after a hot start and remains on pace to hit more than 40 out of the park this season. With Hanley Ramirez struggling, Tulo may stake claim as the best shortstop in the majors if he can stay healthy for a full season.

The other two NL players with seven homeruns are Chris Young and Jason Heyward. Young hit 27 last year and is on pace to break his career high of 32 this season. Heyward may have been the best rookie in the NL last year and is on pace to improve on his strong 18 homerun campaign from 2010. Heyward opened his inaugural season with a homer his first career MLB at bat and copied that feat when he opened this season with another dinger in this season’s first at bat.

The American League has also seen its share of surprises so far this year. Newcomer to the league Jeff Francoeur and Ben Zobrist have hit seven each after long struggles at the plate. Both players are on pace for 40 homeruns which would easily set new career highs.

Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays, who led MLB with 54 long balls last year, is out to prove that season was no fluke. Currently, he is leading the AL with nine homers and is on pace for another 50 homerun campaign.

Some usual suspects among the AL leaders include Paul Konerko (who hit 39 last year) and Miguel Cabrera, who has hit more than 30 in six of the last seven years. Both players are on pace for career highs despite being well known as power hitters.

A pair of Texas Rangers have seven each; Nelson Cruz is looking to stay healthy for a full season and prove he belongs among the game’s best homerun hitters while Adrian Beltre is proving that he can play after signing a big contract. Beltre hit a career high 48 back in 2004.

Finally, the Yankees have a trio of sluggers with eight homers. Mark Teixeira is off to one of the best starts in his career which could spell doom for the AL if he heats up as the summer moves on.

Robinson Cano, who hit a career high 29 last year is on pace to beat that by 20 homeruns this year as he continues to prove he may be the best second baseman in the AL.

Finally, Curtis Granderson, who struggled in his first year with the Yankees, is slugging .620 and is on pace to hit 49 homeruns this year. The former Detroit Tiger had eight at the time of this article.

As the season goes on, some of the early homerun leaders will undoubtedly fall off the pace like Jeff Francoeur but it’s important to remember that the current AL homerun leader came out of nowhere last year and shocked all of baseball.

So who will be sitting at the top of the list at season’s end?

It’s hard to call which makes MLB’s HR race one of the fans favorite to watch in all of sports.

More MLB: MLB first no-h

Used with permission of the author.

Along with contributing to Sports Climax, Brett Kettyle is the Atlanta Braves Community Leader on Bleacher Report and maintains a Braves column for MTR Media. Follow Brett on Twitter.

Copyright ©2011 Sports Climax, LLC

Bobby Cox will enter the Hall-of-Fame as one of the greatest managers of all time. Known as the ultimate player’s manager, Cox retired with more wins than all but three other managers.

Fredi Gonzalez, the man in charge of replacing Cox, compared it to replacing legendary Alabama football coach Paul Bear Bryant. When Bryant retired, the coach that replaced him angered some fans by removing a famous tower from Alabama’s practice field.

In his first month at the helm, Gonzalez has made it clear he isn’t afraid to change things.

The changes started in spring training, where the Braves really took advantage of the extra practice fields at their Spring Training complex. Said Eddie Perez, “We did work the same way, [but] we’re doing it quicker. There’s always something for the players to do. You don’t have to wait your turn to do something.”

The team now stretches before games on the field. While it’s impossible to tell whether or not this has affected things, the Braves are hoping that players will stay healthier over the course of MLB’s 162 game marathon.

Another big change is the infield practice that the Braves now take. In the past, the team took some infield during batting practice but never focused solely on fielding. With the Braves defensive woes in the recent past, it seems focusing on fielding was long overdue.

One of the most noticeable differences thus far under Gonzalez is his style of bullpen management.

In the past couple years, Cox relied on a select few arms a large amount of the time and they always ended up among the league leaders in innings pitched and games. Last year, many dubbed rookie Jonny Venters “Everyday Jonny” because he appeared in 79 games.

Additionally, Peter Moylan appeared in 85 games, the second most of any player in the majors. The year before, Moylan was also second in appearances despite coming off surgery. That year (2009) the Braves had four relievers finish in the top 10 in appearances.

So far just a few weeks into the 2011 season, all of the Braves relievers that started the year with the club have appeared in at least six games.

While Cox is still around the team all the time (a situation which Gonzalez doesn’t mind) there are changes happing in Atlanta. Braves fans can only hope that Fredi can enjoy the same success that Cox did in his time as manager of the Braves.

Used with permission of the author.

Along with contributing to Sports Climax, Brett Kettyle is the Atlanta Braves Community Leader on Bleacher Report and maintains a Braves column for MTR Media. Follow Brett on Twitter.

Copyright ©2011 Sports Climax, LLC

Texas Rangers star Josh Hamilton left yesterday’s game against the Detroit Tigers in the first inning with a broken arm and will now miss 6-8 weeks.

The injury occurred when Hamilton was on third base and Adrian Beltre hit a popup in foul territory between home plate and third base. Tiger’s catcher Victor Martinez gave chase although the ball was eventually caught by Brandon Inge.  Brad Penny, who was pitching for the Tigers, didn’t move a step, leaving home plate completely empty and prompting Ranger’s third base coach Dave Anderson to have Hamilton tag up. The end result was Hamilton getting tagged out by Martinez, who raced back to home after the catch was made. To make matters worse, Hamilton made an awkward head-first slide resulting in a broken arm that will sideline the reigning AL MVP for up to two months.

Following the game, Hamilton immediately threw his third base coach under the bus, calling the play “stupid” and saying that he knew something bad would happen. While the call to tag on an infield popup certainly was questionable, Hamilton was completely classless in blaming the coach for his injury. The Rangers have lived and died by playing aggressive baseball over the past year, and the Texas front office has already encouraged Anderson to continue being aggressive.

While the Rangers lose big without Hamilton in the lineup (David Murphy will replace him) they should be able to continue scoring runs with their talented collection of hitters.

The biggest loser is Hamilton, who not only will miss time (which has happened seemingly every year) but also comes off as classless. He could have been hurt on any similar play, the fact that it was a fly ball to the infield had nothing to do with his injury (his awkward slide did, however).

While Hamilton is undoubtedly frustrated and upset at being injured, to blame the coach on a play showed terrible character. With the front office and manager supporting their coach, some amends may have to be made for the organization to stay happy.

It will be interesting to see if Hamilton calms down and apologizes for those remarks.

Used with permission of the author.

Along with contributing to Sports Climax, Brett Kettyle is the Atlanta Braves Community Leader on Bleacher Report and maintains a Braves column for MTR Media. Follow Brett on Twitter.

Copyright ©2011 Sports Climax, LLC

The hype surrounding the reunion in Tampa Bay sure didn’t last long. When Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon were reunited with the Rays, I doubt if anyone saw it ending this fast.

Manny Ramirez abruptly retired this week when he was informed that he tested positive for performance enhancing drugs during Spring Training. Ramirez already served a 50 game suspension for taking a female fertility drug (a known PED masking agent) and would have faced a 100 game suspension this time around. Yes Manny retired and avoided the lengthy suspension but he did not duck earning our Bitch Slap of the Week.

With career numbers that include a batting average of .312 and 555 homeruns, Ramirez would likely be heading to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown if not for the recent PED issues.

Despite his impressive stat totals on the field, Manny was best known for his antics which can best be summed up by “Manny being Manny.” Manny was adored by Red Sox Nation for helping bring them the World Series title in 2004 and ending the so-called curse. He typically had somewhat funny on-field mental lapses and received lots of attention for going to the bathroom in the Green Monster during a game.

All didn’t end well for Manny in Boston however. He held the Red Sox hostage (refusing to play because of an “injured” knee) until they were able to ship him to the Los Angeles Dodgers. After a rocky stint there that included that failed drug test and 50-game suspension, he eventually ended up in a Chicago White Sox jersey at the end of the 2010 season and later signed a $2 million dollar contract to be with the Rays this year.

While Manny ends up with great career numbers, the positive test will damage his reputation. The first time he was suspended, there was room (albeit very little room) to believe that Manny wasn’t actually on PED’s. This time around, it’s been confirmed.

Instead of being remembered as one of the greatest right handed hitters of his generation who also made some comical fielding gaffs, Ramirez will be remembered along with Bonds, McGwire, Sosa and Palmeiro as cheaters who reached their star status with some outside illegal help.

Looks like yet another asterisk will be making its way into MLB record books and for that Manny, you get our Bitch Slap of the Week.

Used with permission of the author.

Along with contributing to Sports Climax, Brett Kettyle is the Atlanta Braves Community Leader on Bleacher Report and maintains a Braves column for MTR Media. Follow Brett on Twitter.

Copyright ©2011 Sports Climax, LLC

After their biggest off-season story line was losing out in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes to a surprise bidder the Texas Rangers came into 2011 with plenty to prove.  Although they picked up Adrian Beltre, many questioned the team’s rotation and ability to get quality starts on a consistent basis and back up their high octane offense that helped them win the AL Championship last seasontook them to the World Series in 2010.

The Boston Red Sox came into the 2011 season in the opposite position. After missing the playoffs last year, they traded for Adrian Gonzalez and signed Carl Crawford to a huge contract to put together the most dominant offense in the league (on paper).

The two teams met opening weekend and it was Texas, not Boston who made a statement that the rest of the American League better look out.

On Opening Day the Rangers took an early lead over the Sox but had to break a tie in the eighth inning against Daniel Bard to secure the victory. The following day, Texas rocked Boston starter John Lackey (a big free agent acquisition just a year ago) and ended up hitting four homers en-route to a 12-5 blowout.

In the final game of the series, Texas got a huge boost from pitcher Matt Harrison. With Cliff Lee, Harrison would have been a seemingly unimportant starter pitching out of the bottom of the rotation. Without Lee, Harrison was one of the guys who needed to step up most, and did so in a big way against the Red Sox.

Harrison tossed seven innings of one run ball against the league’s best (on paper) offense. The Rangers tagged Clay Buchholz for four solo homeruns (including the third in three games from Nelson Cruz and Ian Kinsler) en route to a 5-1 win.

Is it time to press the panic button in Boston?

Probably not.

We are only three games into the season and the Red Sox should be able to overcome the slow start. The offense was mediocre (11 runs in three games isn’t horrible) but the pitching looked terrible. Aside from Jon Lester, the rotation is full of question marks which grew larger after the first series.

Of the two teams, Texas made the bigger statement. Although they lost out of Cliff Lee, the team still is the favorite to take the AL West and shouldn’t be treated lightly. The offense is unbelievable, perhaps the best in the league, and should continue to be terrific if Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz stay healthy. Cruz hit his fourth home run in as many games last night.

The biggest surprise was the pitching of Matt Harrison. He was shipped to Texas from Atlanta in the Mark Teixeira trade but never hit his stride in the majors. If he can continue to dominate teams like he did the Red Sox, the American League better watch out.

Used with permission of the author.

Along with contributing to Sports Climax, Brett Kettyle is the Atlanta Braves Community Leader on Bleacher Report and maintains a Braves column for MTR Media. Follow Brett on Twitter.

Copyright ©2011 Sports Climax, LLC

Luis Salazar, a minor league manager in the Atlanta Braves organization lost his left eye this week, six days after being struck in the face by a foul ball during a Braves Spring Training game. Although Salazar lost his eye, he is fortunate to be alive after a ball hit by Brian McCann knocked him unconscious for about 20 minutes and gave him multiple facial fractures.

Originally, it looked like the injury might be fatal, but Salazar was airlifted to the hospital and had multiple surgeries performed. Miraculously, Salazar didn’t suffer any brain damage following the incident.

Brian McCann, who hit the foul ball, was visibly shaken after the incident. When the game resumed, he continued his at-bat but just got in the batters box to take strike three. Following the conclusion of the at-bat, McCann headed to the clubhouse and left the ballpark for the hospital. When speaking about the incident, McCann said, “You feel hopeless.”

Braves coach Eddie Perez has spent a lot of time in the hospital with Salazar, and the Braves organization clearly seems shaken by the incident.

Salazar was talking to Braves centerfielder Nate McLouth when the ball was hit. McCann managed to pull the ball all the way into the first base dugout (despite being a lefty) and Salazar was unable to react in time. The impact knocked him off his feet and he fell on the hard dugout floor (there is a small rubber layer to prevent slipping, but it doesn’t provide much cushion).

During yesterday’s Spring Training game against the Red Sox, McLouth seemed somewhat shaken when Buster Olney asked him about the incident. The Braves have announced that Salazar still plans on managing their High-A Lynchburg affiliate in the coming season, but he will likely be able to take his time getting back into the game.

A major league pitcher back in the 1980’s and early 90’s, Salazar is in his first season with the Braves.

While the MLB season is just kicking into gear, what happens to Luis Salazar is a good reminder that baseball is just a game and there are many more important things to worry about. Although baseball has taken measures to protect its coaches in recent years, more may need to be done to prevent serious injury on the sidelines.

Used with permission of the author.

Along with contributing to Sports Climax, Brett Kettyle is the Atlanta Braves Community Leader on Bleacher Report and maintains a Braves column for MTR Media. Follow Brett on Twitter.

Copyright ©2011 Sports Climax, LLC

For most teams, a closer who punches people in the face and two of the worst players in the MLB (Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo) making a combined $18 million would be too much to handle. For the Mets, that barely breaks the surface, as owner Fred Wilpon is being sued for up to $1 billion for his reported involvement in Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme.

Although he said he will be “vindicated” because he, team COO Jeff Wilpon and team President Saul Katz knew nothing about the fraud, he has considered selling a minority stake in the team in order to fund a settlement.

Among those contacted was famed businessman Donald Trump, but the Mets have yet to reach an agreement on selling a minority stake. Trump is interested in buying a majority stake in the team, but Wilpon who wants to maintain control of the team said that won’t happen.

Trump taking a play out of LeBron James’ third person delivery style said:

“If you look at Trump’s record, he is only interested in things he can control.”

Other potential buyers, including Vitaminwater founder (and Queens native) Mike Repole have also admitted interest to buying a majority stake in the team.

Steve Greenberg, who is in charge of selling the minority stake in the team, has said things are going well, so the Mets likely have a number of potential buyers that haven’t made the cover of the New York papers.

With all the distractions and a seemingly makeshift pitching staff, it’s looking like another lost season for the Mets. Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and potentially Francisco Rodriguez (if he finishes less than 55 games this season) will all be free agents following this season. Castillo and Perez will also hit the market, freeing up a ton of money that the Mets could use to go after a number of free agents.

While 2011 will be the first year for the Mets new regime, it looks like Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins won’t be able to make an impact until 2012 when the Mets are free of bad contracts and ownership problems.

Used with permission of the author.

Along with contributing to Sports Climax, Brett Kettyle is the Atlanta Braves Community Leader on Bleacher Report and maintains a Braves column for MTR Media. Follow Brett on Twitter.

Copyright ©2011 Sports Climax, LLC

Fresh off a phenomenal season in which he completed his turnaround from staying in a federal penitentiary and won the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year Award, Michael Vick will be staying with the Philadelphia Eagles when the team uses its franchise tag on their starting quarterback.

For the first time since 2006, when he was a member of the Atlanta Falcons, Vick took control of a team’s offense and put up stats that were better than any expected. Known as a below average passer in Atlanta, Vick posted impressive numbers in 2010.

He set career highs in TD Passes (21), TD/Interception Ratio (7:2), Completion Percentage (62.6%), Passing Yards (3,018), Yards per Attempt (8.1) and QB Rating (100.2). Vick also continued to run the ball well, scoring nine times on the ground and averaging 6.8 yards per rush.

Vick’s 2010 season will be remembered for his memorable performances against the Washington Redskins (in which he had over 400 yards of total offense and a combined 6 touchdowns) and the New York Giants (which has become known as the second Miracle in the Meadowlands).

With the franchise tag, Vick will make more than $20 million in 2011, a large portion of which will be used to pay of his pre-prison debts.

With Vick firmly entrenched in the Eagles future plans, teams around the league will likely be lining up to inquire about back-up Kevin Kolb. Kolb was the starter at the beginning of 2010 but left the team’s first game with an injury.

The free agent market for quarterbacks in 2011 includes mediocre options at best (technically Peyton Manning is a free agent but he won’t be leaving Indianapolis) so Kolb will likely be the most sought after QB this summer.

Kolb is only slated to make $1.4 million in 2011, so team’s will be more than willing to give up good players or draft picks to acquire his services.

What the Eagles do with Kolb will show what they are planning beyond this coming season. If they choose to keep him, it’s almost certain that he is still their QB of the future and Vick will be hitting the open market (and a likely big payday) in 2012. Should the Eagles trade Kolb, they likely will look to lock Vick up for the foreseeable future as there is no other back-up plan in place.

Used with permission of the author.

Along with contributing to Sports Climax, Brett Kettyle is the Atlanta Braves Community Leader on Bleacher Report and maintains a Braves column for MTR Media. Follow Brett on Twitter.

Copyright ©2011 Sports Climax, LLC

Brett Favre is finally retiring from the NFL, we think.

After a season in Atlanta, sixteen in Green Bay, one with the New York Jets and two in Minnesota, the Vikings quarterback has decided to call it quits after an injury forced him to miss time toward the end of the 2010-2011 season.

For most of us, Favre’s retirement is a welcome sign after we waffled over whether or not he would return following each of the past three seasons. Granted, the story wouldn’t be on our minds as much if not for the sports media, but Favre didn’t do us any favors.

Known as a Gunslinger who “played like a kid out there,” Favre will retire as one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in NFL history. He leaves the game as the career leader in passing touchdowns, interceptions, completions, attempts, passing yards and games started at quarterback. His never-to-be-broken record of 297 consecutive games at quarterback equates to over 18 seasons without missing a start. Favre also owns a career playoff record of 13-11 and has a ring from his one Super Bowl win.

Favre drew the ire of many fans following his initial un-retirement when he came back to play for the Jets. He lost most of his Packer fans when he once again unretired to become a member of the rival Minnesota Vikings.

Favre had other off the field issues this past season when he was accused of sending inappropriate text messages to Jenn Sterger while he was a member of the Jets.

When asked who he thought would win the Super Bowl this year, Favre replied:

“I think [The Green Bay Packers] will win it all! I hope they do.”

While he may have lost the Packers fan base, Favre seems to still have a lot of Packer in him as he complimented Aaron Rodgers, the Packers receiving corps and defense when giving his prediction.

It’s truly the end of an era in the NFL now that Brett Favre is no longer starting for somebody. Love him or hate him, he is one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in the history of the league and will be seen in Canton in the not too distant future.

And BTW, Favre also officially submitted his retirement papers to the league after his one season with the Jets before reneging on that and returning to play a few more seasons. That said, stay tuned for any potential Favre roller-coaster ride during the offseason.

Used with permission of the author.

Along with contributing to Sports Climax, Brett Kettyle is the Atlanta Braves Community Leader on Bleacher Report and maintains a Braves column for MTR Media. Follow Brett on Twitter.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC