Winter Meetings=Lots of Deals!

So far, the winter meetings have had lots of trades, and signings. Here's a run down on trades and signings!

1. White Sox acquire Jeff Sammardzija.

I like this move. The White Sox add another decent arm to their rotation.

He should be a #2 guy behind Sale.

2. Cubs acquire Miguel Montero.

Wow. Looks like the Cubs are doing some work. Also, great move.

3. Jason Hammel signs with Cubs.

Looks like Hammel is going back to the Cubs. He's a pretty decent arm. Good buy low pitcher.

That's about it so far! More updates soon!

 

Any video game fans? Read this.

One of the most popular games on Playstation, is the MLB The Show series. One of the things about the game is getting to see who's on the cover. On this years cover of MLB The Show, it was Miguel Cabrera. Next years game, MLB The Show 15, can you guess who's on the cover? It's Yasiel Puig. It was announced he was gonna be on the cover last Friday. MLB The Show 15 will be on sale March 31st, available on PS4, PS3, and PS Vita.

MLB.com's 6th Best Blog has moved to MLBlogs

Once again, please visit Peppermlb.mlblogs.com for more Mets action.

Pepper Show Season 2 returns today!!!!!

Pepper Mets Blog is the place for Mets action

Have you been on Pepper Mets Blog lately? Well, if you have you will notice that lead writer Niko Goutakolis is recapping previewing and sharing his opinions!







peppermlb.mlblogs.com

Expect a start up soon

Hey fans! Peppermlb.mlblogs.com (this blogs successor) has become one of the most successful blogs on MLB.com . I didn't want to ditch this blog however, so I expect to start it up real soon with the playoffs on the horizon. For the latest Mets news, please go to peppermlb.mlblogs.com

We've Moved to MLB.com!

Hello viewers. Welcome to the old Pepper Mets/MLB Blog. Recently the mainstream blog was transferred to http://peppermlb.mlblogs.com - where you can find all you need to know about the New York Mets! You can view the old Blogs archives where you can watch Pepper Shows, MLB Daily's and Windups . Thanks to the 20,000 of you that made this blog so special!

MetsFinal

Z4 out of 5 baby! Not shabby eh? Well, the wins sure haven't come easily. 48 innings later, the Mets have won 3 out of 4 in Philly, and 5 out of 6 respectfully. Change really wasn't necessary for this club, but the new faces sure haven't hurt. Carylile, Edgin and Black have all been impressive. Also, what a shot by Duda. Amazing how a 2 out no one on inning can end so quickly!

<u>Monday:</u> Colon takes the mound in the series finale

Recap of the last 24 hours

Geez, the last 2 games sure have been a doozy. Carlos Torres has combined for 3.2 innings, Buddy Carylile for 3.0 innings, Matsuzaka for 3.0 innings and he's starting Wednesday!  Recker was the next in line to pitch in both of the 14 inning games. In today's game, David Wright came up very clutch, driving in the Go-ahead run and eventually the winning run. Dana Evelend has been dispatched to Philly. A corresponding roster move will have to be made, but no official announcement yet.

<u>Tommorow</u>  - Niese vs Hamels. We saw this matchup on Mother's Day, another long extra inning game, in which Ruben Tejada walked off.

A Post just for my Blogger viewers

Dear readers,

Change has occurred on Pepper the last 3 months. We were invited on to MLB.com Blog Network in March and graciously accepted, yet never "ended" the blogger blog. I always planed to someday, and I think people have "converted" as the Blogger views have decreased while MLBlogs went up. For those of you unaware, we moved to peppermlb.mlblogs.com ! Today I decided never to end the blogger blog. Maybe in the future I will re-direct it, but I will never let it out to dry. Pepper Blogger will always be re-updated, I will make it a point don't worry, but lets make sure we're all on the same page, MLBlogs is the future, so I really want to make you guys switch over. When I stop getting Blogger Pageviews then I will consider stoping blogger, but even if one person likes blogger, I'll be there...

MetsFinal: 3 In a row! 4-1 Win

Good job fellas, today the Mets preformed well! Wheeler, arguably had his best performance as a Met, Chris Young had a good game, and the bullpen was spot on.

On Deck: The Mets face the Phills tomorrow at 7:10 pm. 

Towing the Rubber: Burnett vs Montero

When can I be Critical?

Ok let's face it, this year has had its high ups and it's unremarkable downs. Here's my 3 biggest ups:

A. The Awesome Rotation- You've got to be happy with the pitching. Besides Zack Wheeler, the Mets rotation has an average starter ERA in the 2's. The Mets have been so strong with the arms that we average a Loss from a starter once a week.

B. Murphy &amp; Wright- The teams powerhouse, sure Wright started off weak, but if you compare Wright's April to his average August's , this April was better.

C. Juanderful- Hasn't Juan Lagares come out of nowhere? I mean this guy has been awesome. He might be the Third best offensive player on this team!

My Downs...

A. The not-so-clutch Hitters- Chris Young, Lucas Duda, Ruben Tejada and Travis d'Arnaud are all Mets starters that have been batting close to the Mendoza Line (200 AVG). And their all Mets  Starters... Sad.

B. Luck- I'll admit, with a little bit of luck, the Mets win at least 3 more ballgames, hard hit balls that get turned into Double Plays, amazing defensive plays, have all cost the Mets early. Oh well, at least luck can change without an increase in payroll!

C. Park Factor- While as a fan, I love Citi Field, it's near impossible for a team to score more than 10 runs, it's such a pitchers park, too much of a pitchers park!! So many balls narrowly miss getting out, yet get converted into outs.

This should be an interesting week, 8 games against last place teams in hitters parks. We were good in Yankee Stadium, maybe we can catch lightning in a bottle one more time! #PepperMets

<em>Article written by Niko Goutakolis</em>

MetsFinal: 4-2 Victory

Good game for us tonight as we salvage the middle game of this 2 Game set. Niese pitched 5.2 quality innings, and got quality relief from Vic Black and Mejia. Also, stellar defensive plays contributed to the win!

Collins should get out of town

The Terry Collins epidemic continued yesterday with a painful loss versus the Pirates. I had Collins back for the better part of 4 years, but now things have changed. I'm sick of Collins and his "we had some chances" approach. After Recker's big day (4-4), he benches him for Juan Centeno. Campbell has done nothing bad since his promotion yet relentlessly chooses Chris Young and Lucas Duda. I mean are you kidding me? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? When was the last time Chris Young got a hit? When was the last time Duda drove somebody in? When was the last time a non Murphy,Wright or deGrom got two hits in a game? When was the last time Terry Collins managed a team above 500? The anwser is never for a lot of those questions. Collins head gets more red by the day!!! Every team Wally Backman manages win. Collins obviously does not supply any motivation, and should be cut ASAP. Valverde wasn't the problem, neither was Hudgens. #FreeWally #FireCollins

@Mets Lineup

https://twitter.com/mets/status/470934380223815680

Tonight's Game postponed / Doubleheader Sunday

Tonight's D-Backs vs Mets game has been Postponed due to rain. We played until the middle of the fourth when the rain came down hard. The score was 2-0 D-Backs, highlighted by a vanished Arron Hill 2-run homer. The series will pick up tommorow at 4:10 PM, then game 2 and 3 will be played on Sunday at 1 pm and the finale succeeding the 1 pm game. Banner Day will still be held. 

What's next: Pepper takes you to the Hall Of Fame Classic live in Cooperstown tomorrow, with former Mets like Edgardo Alfonso, Brady Clark, Jeff Conine and Pedro Martinez taking the field from Doubleday Field!

Mets Lineup vs D-Backs

The Mets start a 3 game Weekend series vs Arizona tonight at 7:10

1. Juan Lagares – CF
2. Daniel Murphy – 2B
3. David Wright – 3B
4. Curtis Granderson – RF
5. Chris Young – LF
6. Lucas Duda – 1B
7. Wilmer Flores – SS
8. Juan Centeno – C
9. Bartolo Colon – RHP 

MetsFinal: Mets Win 5-3

Big win for the Metzies tonight, Recker and Niese hit back to back doubles in the 5th to get the Mets ahead, and with the game tied in the 7th, Juan Lagares hit a single to right field to get the Mets ahead 4-3. Defense also helped and hurt tonight's game. 2 of the best plays were made today while 2 of the worst were made as well, Puig was seamlessly in the middle of all of them.  In the 2nd, Puig went back on the ball and made an amazing backwards shoestring catch. Likewise, Eric Campbell made an amazing Double Play catch in Left Field, he doubled off Puig. Now to the blunders, on an Infield Fly, Murphy dropped the ball, yet Puig had no idea what was going on and was standing 8 feet from second base. Flores, the ball holder, who was on Second Base, did not tag Puig until Murphy walked up too him to tell him what was going on. The was also a poorly executed ground ball that would have been a double play, had Murphy caught the Ball, because of that, Puig was safe. It's fair to say I enjoyed the Yasiel Puig show!

Dodgers vs Mets lineups

Mets 

Juan Lagares, cf 

Daniel Murphy, 2b 

David Wright, 3b 

Curtis Granderson, rf 

Campbell, lf 

Lucas Duda, 1b 

Wilmer Flores, ss 

Anthony Recker, c 

Jonathon Niese, lhp 

Dodgers 

Chone Figgins, 2b 

Yasiel Puig, rf 

Hanley Ramirez, ss 

Adrian Gonzalez, 1b 

Matt Kemp, cf 

Scott Van Slyke, lf 

Justin Turner, 3b 

A.J. Ellis, c 

Zack Greinke, rhp

So... Who's fault is it? (Part 1)

The Mets May struggles continue, as they are now 5-15 in May. Yup, 5-15, it's sad to see a good start go down the drain, but that what's happened in Queens. I've been reading a lot of Mets articles here, and Mets articles there, and everyone's pointing fingers at Terry Collins, and while all the Mets owned sites, Radio and TV used todisregard this, even they are surprised at what they see. It's really easy to point fingers, write a nasty comment, and believe me, I do it too in the heat of the moment, but after the game, you have to sit down and look at the numbers. Terry Collins was presented with a Garbage team, and that's Alderson's fault, but that dosent mean Collins is off the hook. Take the Flordia Marlins for example, Jose Fernandez is injured just like Matt Harvey. Giancarlo Stanton's equivalent is David Wright, then the Marlins names basically end, with the only other notables being Casey McGhee, Henderson Alvarez and Salty, while the Mets list goes on from Jose Valverde, Chris Young, Lucas Duda, Juan Lagares, Daniel Murphy, Curtis Granderson, Zack Wheeler, Jon Niese, Bobby Abreu, Travis d'Arnaud ( I guess..) and Dillon Gee. Both big stadiums, same divisions... yet the Marlins find themselves 24-23 while the Mets are 20-25. The Mets fail to make the ballpark their friend, they always have, maybe change the batter's approach or something, but when your playing at Citi Field, the stadium where nothing ever goes your way, you need to defend it. You play 81 games there per year, Figure out where to drive the ball, and enough of this lefty-righty bullpen stuff, Collins does this a lot, and I mean a lot. Another key component to a winning ballclub are roles. Let's head on over to Houston, another struggling franchise. The Astros have an established closer (Chad Qualls), a leadoff man (Dexter Fowler), and a quality bench. Catch Part 2 Tommorow...

MetsFinal: Dodgers win 4-3

The Mets, a team that got 14 hits, only scored 4 times. The Dodgers only compiled 5 hits, yet scored 3 runs. The Mets made various fundamental mistakes that cost them in tonight's ball game. For example, in the bottom of the 7th, Wright hits a line drive to right that gets behind a diving Puig. Murphy, who was on first, did not crash on contact, and even though he was on third before Puig got his hands on the ball, Teufel stopped him. I understand if Miggy is up next, but Chris Young? The Mets would do anything for a run, being aggressive is a key component to a winning team. Then with the Dodgers threatening with 1st and 3rd and 1 out. Familia double clutches a bounce back hit, and throws to second base, he has to go Home if the DP is lost. A came we could have won, but didn't deserve.

Mets GameDay Notes

-Juan Lagares, is currently in the Domminican Republic, and won't return until Thursday, due to a family issue.

-Wilmer Flores and Juan Centeno will both get starts in tonight's game.

- Sandy Alderson addressed the Media before tonight's game. The context in which he spoke about is currently unknown.

- You can watch tonight's game Live! on SNY and hear it on WOR

Dodgers vs Mets (7:10 pm) Lineups

Mets 
Eric Young Jr., lf 
Daniel Murphy, 2b 
David Wright, 3b 
Curtis Granderson, rf 
Chris Young, cf 
Lucas Duda, 1b 
Wilmer Flores, ss 
Juan Centeno, c 
Rafael Montero, rhp 

Dodgers 
Dee Gordon 2B 
Yasiel Puig, rf 
Hanley Ramirez, ss 
Adrian Gonzalez, 1b 
Matt Kemp, cf 
Carl Crawford, lf 
Juan Uribe, 3b 
A.J. Ellis, c 
Josh Beckett, rhp

Dodgers vs Mets preview

The Dodgers (23-22) face the Mets (20-23) for the first time this year. Below is a schedule of the meetings this week:

Tomorrow		Dodgers	@	Mets		7:10 PM
Wed, May 21		Dodgers	@	Mets		7:10 PM
Thu, May 22		Dodgers	@	Mets		7:10 PM

For the Mets Rafael Montero will pitch in his second game. Montero comes off a quality start of 6 innings, 3 runs and 5 hits. Montero lacks a put-away pitch in my eyes, and it might be difficult against a Dodger team that packs a punch.
Pitchers:
Tues- Beckett  vs Montero
Wed- Ryu vs deGrom
Thurs- Grenkie vs Niese

Who's smokin? - Daniel Murphy has been sound smart with the bat this whole month. He leads the team with 16 extra base hits, and has rased his average all the way up to 318.
Who's not... - Bobby Abreu has not earned his spot on the Mets as of late, while going 3 for his last 15, Abreu has shown us some terrible swings, and cuts the much needed playing time of players like Juan Lagares!
Mets Trivia: Who was the Mets starting 2B'man in 2011?

  

Change

Change. That's whats happening to Pepper. You can tweet out #NewPepper later, but first read this. I've been posting about all 30 MLB teams for a long time. World Series? Fun. Offseason? Fun. The 2014 season? Torture. Why, well take this, all I've been doing lately is score update here, score update there and then a show. Not fun, when you lose your passion you simply cannot continue. So Pepper:MLB Blog is no more, i'm sorry to all the 29 fanbases that will no longer read Pepper. But wait, I said 29, and theirs 30 teams...... Pepper is now a New York Mets Blog. You heard me right NY Mets!!!!!!! Get ready for scores, updates, highlights, previews and recaps! #MetsOnPepper #NewPepper !

Baseball Blog Kids : May 2014

Lets check in with the Youth Baseball Bloggers!

-Over at Baseball With Matt, we learn  more about the definition of a Quality Start

-Cover Those Bases Checks in with Heath Bell

-Matt's Bats favorite post  is his Nats Fest Review, and I don't blame him! Sounds like fun....

- Side of Nattitude tells fans to calm down over the rocky start of Doug Fister

- Gabe Alge and the Tribe Bulletin rage over the recent preformance by the Indians!

And Pepper... well your viewing it!!!! But do check out our new MLB.com blog at peppermlb.mlblogs.com

Game Thread

Post Comments, Questions or debate hear in the Pepper Thread. Any Baseball question will be answered personally, in the Pepper Chat 

Pepper Show (e22)

Pepper Archives: 2013 All Star Game

Minor League Favorites

I can't wait for Brooklyn Cyclones season to start, their my favorite MILB team, and because their local. I go to Cyclones Games every year, so look for me if you go out to a game!  

#OffTheBat on Tuesdays on MTV-2

Off The Bat, hosted by Fat Joe, Sway, Chris DiStefano and the un-intelligent Melanie Iglesias is cracking windows, pulling stunts and all sorts of cool Baseball things. The series is set in the MLB Fan Cave, so you know it's a cool show. I've watched a couple episodes, and it really does have an awesome baseball element to it that some "baseball" shows don't give. The Pop Culture "stuff" barely cuts in, yet it's inviting to a non baseball fan, just knock out Melanie Iglesias please, she knows zippo about Baseball, and this whole "romance" with Drew Smyly is plain stupid. Not to mention she's practically reading off a card. Buy and Large it's a good show, and hey, David Ortiz produces it!!

 

Jose Fernandez will require TJ Surgery

One of Baseball's best pitchers is the latest victim of the infamous Tommy John, which has been spreading like plague this year. Basically all of the NL East is being stung hard by Tommy John, with each team losing at least a player.

R.A. Dickey will be better

R.A Dickey, Blue Jays "ace", has had a rough season, putting up a 3-3 record with a Upper 4 ERA. Dickey, who had a CY Young, all star season in 2012 with the NY Mets, has struggled since playing up north. From what I remember, Dickey did well in Climate controlled stadiums, so I'm surprised that Dickey isn't producing more. He's the only knuckler in MLB, so it's not like other batters can catch on. I expect him to at least get his ERA to something in the 3's and give the Jays 13 wins. 

Game Time: Presented by BlogTalkRadio

Tonight: Some of the Best series will go down under the lights such as Mets- Yankees, Detroit versus Baltimore and Blue Jays versus Angels. 

Towing the Rubber: Some of the days best pitchers include Mark Buehrle, who is 6-1 and 1.91 ERA so far this year. The Blue Jays are 18-20 so far this season.

Transactions: Phillies designate Jason Nix for assignment. Nix has 72 hours to decide wether to report to Minor League camp or elect Free Agency. The Mets will call up R.Montero, one of the Amazin's best prospects, in time for Wednesdays game in Citi Field. 

Upcoming: 1) Pepper's first heritage post!  2) Baseball BlogKids for May! 3)  New episode of The Windup on Thursday

Pepper Bet!: Subway Series

As most of you know, The Mets and the Yankees square off in a crosstown matchup starting tonight! And so is the second annual Subway Series Bet!!!! For this year, if Borja's Yankees win the series, all I have to do is by Borja 40% Reduced Fat Deep River Oroginal Flavored Kettle Cooked Chips. I however, upped the anty. Making Borja wear a Mets hat on an upcoming Pepper Show!! For those not in the NYC area, you can watch Tuesday's marquee matchup on MLB Network

11 O'Clock Russo

Probably the last thing you want to hear at 11 at night. But it's funny regardless!

D-Backs struggle out of the gate

It's no secret that Matt Williams squad has had it's fair share of trouble early this season, but it looks like things have turned for the worse. 10 Games below 500, and sitting in the cellar of the NL West, the D-Backs can't catch a break. The Snakes have lost pitcher Pat Corbin to Tommy John Surgery, and have got slow starts from multiple other pitchers. I expect pitchers like Bolsinger, Bradley and Collmenter to lead the way in the future, but only time will tell.

Pepper Archives: 1991 World Series Game 7

Nolan Arenado : The Future

The Mets recently got Rocked in Colorado. The best hitter there wasn't Charlie Blackmon, Corey Dickerson, Carlos Gonzalez or Tulo, it was Gold Glove award winner Nolan Arenado. Nolan practically makes every play, and it's AWESOME. Not to mention his bat. His bat was so hot, he came halfway to the record for hitting streak. And it wasn't a cheap hit here and their. It's bang zoom bombs. His power has surely helped the Rockies post their 23-16 record.

Pepper Heritage Week!

Three Heritage weeks!
Female Baseball Week
Military May Week
Social Media Week
More info on @NikoMLB

Baseball Prime Special

Little League Baseball 101

Since this blog is written by Youth Baseball writers, I thought I would take some time to reflect on my days as a little-leaguer. I was one of the "middle guys" in everything. Age, Ability and Lineup Spot. My coach was one of those "Baseball Dads" that was very enthusiastic. I have memories of stepping on the rubber for the first time, and having long conversations with the sky in Right Field, I was a rover per se. The Ben Zobrist equivalent. While I still play baseball, it's on a much smaller scale. I love the game from all aspects of the field. Tweet or comment your #YouthBaseball experience! 

May Heritage Weeks Start Sunday on Pepper

The Windup Episode 1

Click Here to Listen
Video Not Yet ready

Stephen Drew will wait at least until June

You know things have changed in the Baseball world when you have a free agent in June. This is because teams are refusing to give up a Third round draft pick in this years draft. Something GM’s wouldn’t have to do after the draft. Catch more Drew Reaction on The Windup

#PepperTrivia

Today's Trivia question!!!! Which Marlins Player has the most Hall of Fame apperences? Hint: He no longer plays for the Marlins, but is active. Reply in the Comments section for a mention on the Pepper Show!!!!

MLB Predictions for May

I know that we are already one week into the month of May, but lets try this!

1.- Dan Uggla gets released

I like Dan Uggla. Ive been watching him since his Marlins days, yet something must give. Uggla has not been solid once since coming over to Atlanta. I heavily doubt we'll see Uggla much longer. 

2.- The Padres fire Bud Black

I like Bud, but the Padres are the worst in most offensive categories, something has to happen. Black is a good manager by trade, but regardless of your personality, when your team is last, your always on the hot seat. 

3.- The Cardinals rise and the Crew Collapse

#BrewTheCrew #ShuffleTheCards are your Pepper hashtags for when you face these two teams. But honestly, the Cardinals offensive numbers will rise sooner or later, and the Brewers wont be able to keep there bats hot much longer.

The Windup: Tomorrow LIVE! @5:30 Blogtalkradio.com/peppermlb

Game Of the Night 5-6

Royals vs Padres is the sight of tonight's Game Of the Night. Guthrie will oppose Erlin. Both players with sub-par averages. Neither team has been "amazing" out of the gate, but there is still recovery time. Today is Taco Tuesday and First Responder night.

New Show! The Windup

Starting this Thursday, Pepper's new podcast show debuts!!!! The Windup will be the latest addition to Pepper's lineup airing Primetime at 5:30! The Show will air live on BlogTalkRadio and will be posted later on Pepper's You Tube feed! Enjoy live audio look ins, MLB Daily and the most pressing Baseball topics http://www.blogtalkradio.com/peppermlb/2014/05/08/the-windup--episode-1

Game Of the Night 5-5

Today's Game of the Night comes from Philly where the Blue Jays face the Phillies. JA Happ opposes Kyle Kendrick in this inter league matchup. The Blue Jays are looking to rebound from their 14-17 record, while the Phillies are trying to get only .5 games out of 1st Place. 

Pepper Archives: Game 6 2013 World Series

Pineda could miss significant time

After being suspended for the use of pine tar, Bombers prospect Michael Pineda could miss up to a month because of a Shoulder issue. Adam Warren is the lead contender to temporarily replace Pineda. While Suspended, the Yankees were forced to use a 24 Man Roster. It is still unknown what impact Pineda will have when he comes off the DL.  

Pepper News & Notes

Here are some of the latest headlines from around MLB:

- The Braves have lost their last 4 Games, and are trailing the Giants.

- Nolan Arenado has proven to be a quality Third Baseman for the Colorado Rockies.  

-  Tim Lincecum's decline has been staggering, read more about it later this week on Pepper.

- The Mets and Yankees have matched victories over the last week, if the Mets win, the streak will be extended.

- Youth All-Stars (youth.mlblogs.com) is your place to read about the 2014 Regular Season, writen by the best Kid Writers.

Stat Of The Day- The Mets pitchers have gone hitless in their last 46 At-Bats. This has never been achieved in the Modern era.

- the Pepper Show Fan Show will be posted tomorrow, due to tech difficulties.

Game Of the Night 5-3-14

Tonight's Game of The Night comes from Giants-Braves down in Turner Field, GA. Cold Ryan Vogelsong will go for the Hot Giants as they oppose Hot Julio Tehran and the Cold Atlanta Braves. Both First Place teams are looking to establish leads in their respective division. Giants vs Braves goes live at 7PM est. You can watch it on Comcast Bay Area and Fox Sports South.  

5 Fun Facts about Pepper:MLB Blog

Hey Guys, for today's evening original, I'll post about the 5 things we bet you didn't know about Pepper!!!

1. Pepper was launched ahead of schedule- In our Pre- Planning Stage, we had the idea of a right after the World Series launch, however, we wanted to grow a Blog audience, so we launched at the tail end of September.

2. We had a unprecedentedly good Offseason stats wise- Looking back at this year, things have been pretty amazing. We've become a Youth All-Star, a Baseball Bloggers Alliance Member and got on MLB.com. Best of all, we got great support from you guys! 20K Views!!!

3.The Original Name for the Failure that was MLB Daily was called PepPod. Regardless of the name, it only took us Two weeks to figure out that MLB Daily wasn't going to be your source for scores. It was a show that was left out to dry. Both the Launch and the Re-Launch were un-successful. And no, there are no plan's for a Re-Re Launch yet there are some "minor" plans for another "show".

4. We are currently in a blogger transition. You may have noticed the absence of Ben Grieco and Borja Rebaza lately. Their not "completely" gone, but they do have a lesser role on the blog. We are incorporating some new Bloggers to contribute as well. 

5. The Pepper Show was very make-shift upon launch. We had very little TV Production experience, but now! Things have changed in the Pepper Family of Blogs! 

Game of The Night- 5/2

Today's Game of the night is D-Backs vs Padres out in Pecto Park. Bronson Arroyo will head out the the hill for the D-Backs. Arroyo started 2014 on the Disabled List, and has not been able to locate his pitches, he has posted a 7.77 ERA. The Diamondbacks early struggles have given them low attendance, and they could use a nice win or two. The Padres, have also been underwhelming this year, after a very good Opening Day Comeback, Cashner has pronounced himself the Padres ace, posting a 2.68 ERA, yet only having 2 Wins to show for it. The Padres could get back to 500 with a sweep.

April lessons

Though it seems that opening day was just happening, we are one month into what seems like an exciting baseball season. Here are 5 things we have learned so far:

1: Replay is still a work in progress

It has made the game better, but MLB still has a few kinks to work out. It has been pretty good in its first month

2. Masahiro Tanaka is the real deal

After many questioned if it was a good idea for NYY to pay that much for a pitcher whos never played in the bigs, it seems as if the Yankees made the right move with this Japanese import

3. Tommy John is going up

TJ surgery has become fairly more common in recent years but this season we have seen a record number of hurlers go down with this surgery. Too many patients for Dr. James Andrews

4. Brewers will be there

The Milwaukee side is the best the league so far. While it is early and it's to hard to tell, it has become evident that the Crew will be in the penant hunt for the majority of the season

5. Reynolds/Verducci combo a good replacement

After the retirement of Time McCarver after the fall classic. Harold Reynolds and Tom Verducci were asked to fill his spot in the booth. I believe they have done an admirable job.

Braves and Chris Johnson agree to extension

According to MLB Network's Ken Rosenthal, the Braves have agreed to a 3 year extension with 3B Chris Johnson. Johnson is a good Baseball player, but wasn't viewed as the replacement to Chipper Jones. Chris Johnson is one of the keys to the Braves success in 2014.

Youth.mlblogs.com

It's THE PLACE to get THE INFO on the THE TEAM from THE BEST youth bloggers in THE WORLD.

Don't forget, Youth All-Stars launches tomorrow at 5 pm, so please follow them on twitter @YouthASBlog and click the link for the best! 

MLB April Review - 2014

I was reading into the guys a OLBG, and they wrote this interesting article: 

A quick look at the standings shows that no team has a Division lead bigger than 2.5 games and declaring a team as running away with a Division is far too bold a statement to make after just 3 weeks.
At the other end of the scale however, it’s possible to list a handful of teams who won’t contend for a postseason place even before the season has started. Take Houston for example. They are in the middle of a rebuilding project that is adding depth and prospects to their minor league system and this is just another season in that process. Any success they have this year is a bonus. No surprises then that they have fallen 7.5 games back in the AL West and have the second worst run differential in baseball. 
Over in the National League, each Division has a team that is 5 or more games back. Philadelphia in the East, Chicago Cubs in the Central, and the current worst team in baseball, Arizona in the West. Arizona is perhaps the most surprising of these teams given they finished with 81 wins in 2013 but they have been terrible this season with a league worst minus 48 run differential and an ERA amongst their starting pitchers of 7.50 (a full 2 runs worse than the 29th ranked team). Philadelphia and Houston are also ranked in the bottom 5 in ERA whilst Houston are ranked last in batting average with a dreadful average of .195. 
Getting decent odds against any of the above teams is always going to be difficult but at odds of around 4/5 or higher for their opponents, I would be looking to back against them this week. The only exception is when Arizona visit Chicago for a 4 game series against the Cubs (at least one of them will win some games this week!).

Niko here, good article all around, it makes you wonder the truth about when standings can give you a clear picture of the playoff race.

Pepper Re-Post ~ Movie Review: 42

The movie "42" starring Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford. Chadwick plays Jackie Robinson, the second African American player in Major League Baseball. Robinson starts the movie playing with the Kansas City Monarchs. Robinson gets visited by a Brooklyn Dodgers scout, informing him that he has been invited to play for the Dodgers. The next thirty minutes focuses on the 1946 Baseball season in which he plays for the Dodgers minor league affiliate in Montréal. The following Spring Training turns out controversial when the Dodgers sign a petition stating they don't want to play with Robinson. As the 1947 season approaches, he gets called by Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford), telling him that he has a contact for Jackie to sign. During that year, Jackie's Dodger teammates start to embrace the fact that Jackie is a teammate. Especially Pee Wee Reese (Lucas Black), who tells Robinson in Cincinnati (Reese's hometown), that he is proud to be on the same team with Robinson despite family members calling Reese a disgrace for playing with him. Out of all the racist mini-plots in the movie, the most symbolic one was when Phillies manager Ben Chapman (Alan Tudyk) constantly called Robinson a "nigger" while at bat. His Dodger teammates eventually stick up for Robinson. The movie fashionably ends with Robinson hitting a home run to clinch a NL Pennant for the Dodgers. I give the movie 4.5 out of 5 stars. I praise Harrison Ford's performance as Branch Rickey, he did a phenomenal job. 

Rocky Road

The Colorado Rockies have won 8 out of their last 11, and have had some hot hitters lately, no one better than Charlie Blackmon, who is currently batting above 400!! In a hitters ballpark, many question if the Rockies can have an 85-90 win season. 3 Things will have to happen. 1) Carlos Gonzalez must hit 30+ homeruns. 2) Pitching will have to stay strong in Coors Field. 3) Charlie Blackmon needs to bat 290 through the season. If these things can happen, then I expect to see them in top of the Wild Card Standings come Late September

Youth All-Stars - Written by the Kids of The BBA

This May 1st, the Kids of the BBA will be launching a brand new blog called "Youth All-Stars". The blog will include the best from around the World! Pepper and 6 other blogs will be giving you the best of their blogs! Don't forget to read the new blog this Thursday!!!!!!!!!

All Star Game voting

2014 All-Star Game Ballot Selections

Your Ballot:

American League

• 1B - Abreu, Jose - CWS
• 2B - Dozier, Brian - MIN
• SS - Jeter, Derek - NYY
• 3B - Donaldson, Josh - OAK
• C - Wieters, Matt - BAL
• DH - Joyce, Matt - TB
• OF - Bautista, Jose - TOR
• OF - Ellsbury, Jacoby - NYY
• OF - Trout, Mike - LAA

National League

• 1B - Gonzalez, Adrian - LA
• 2B - Utley, Chase - PHI
• SS - Tulowitzki, Troy - COL
• 3B - Ramirez, Aramis - MIL
• C - Molina, Yadier - STL
• OF - Blackmon, Charlie - COL
• OF - Harper, Bryce - WAS
• OF - Stanton, Giancarlo - MIA

Change your selections » 
These are me current picks for this year's Midsummer Classic. Please understand that this will not be the last time I vote and I will likely change these picks in between now and July. What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment on what you would change.

Pepper is at the Hall Of Fame Classic!

This Memorial Day weekend, Pepper:MLB Blog will be LIVE! From the Hall of Fame Classic. We will provide interviews like you've never seen before, live shows and more! Who: Hall of Famers Roberto Alomar, Andre Dawson, Rollie Fingers, Eddie Murray, Phil Niekroand Ozzie Smith will serve as managers/coaches for the Classic. Former big leaguers slated to participate include Vinny Castilla, Brady Clark, Jeff Conine, Adam Everett, David Eckstein, Steve Garvey, Alex Gonzalez, Luis Gonzalez, Scott Hatteberg, Livan Hernandez, Todd Hollandsworth, Todd Jones, Mark Kotsay, Hideki Matsui, Carl Pavano, Kerry Robinson, Ivan Rodriguez, Aaron Rowand, Kirk Rueter, Reggie Sanders, Mike Sweeney, Jim Thome, Dan Wheeler and Jack Wilson. We can't wait!

Is Masahiro Tanaka the real deal?

Masahiro Tanaka is a sight for sore eyes. When the Yankees signed him last winter, they clearly weren't expecting what they got. In fact, Tanaka has been so good as of late, that he is an early candidate to start the All Star Game. Tanaka's velocity has been up as of late, and he is showing me that he can pitch in clutch situations. With all the Yankees pitching issues as of late, I wouldn't be surprised if Tanaka becomes the Ace and future Captain. 

Pepper Fan Show This Saturday

Tweet your questions into @NikoMLB! Using the Hashtag #AskBorja or #AskNiko . Also, which Hat Should Niko wear for the Special? A Mets alternate or a Red and Gray E hat?

This all leads up to an exiting round of Pepper Trivia, and the introduction of our new blogger, you won't want to miss this exulsive special.

Citi Field Candids 4/26/14

Pepper Show E21

Baseball Prime!

Baseball BlogKids April 2014

Welcome to a new feature of Pepper! As some of you know I was recently named the “Youth Blogger Outreach Guy” of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance. These kids write some very impressive articles! So, like my chapter president William Tasker from Flagrant Fan does with his “linkfest” , I will be doing a monthly ” BlogKids Whiparound” post! Lets get started:

Devan from Cover Those Bases composed this great post on the latest about Pineda and Pine Tar in Baseball.

Side of Natitude’s own Will has an interesting idea on what to do with the Nats 5th Starter.

Are you an Indians Fan? Well check out The Tribe Bulletin!

BBA’s youngest member, Matt Eisner is previewing the Padres-Nats series!

Matt Nadel covers the 1981 strike in this post

Well, that’s all! Tweet Pepper @NikoMLB for any questions!

Was Matt Carpenter's extension really worth it?

Pepper Inisder Ben Grieco reported on the Matt Carpenter extension back in March, here's what he said: 

Carpenter signs 6-year extension

The St. Louis Cardinals and their third basemen, Matt Carpenter, have agreed to an extension worth $54 million over 6 years. Carpenter is still 4 years away from free agency, and is only 28 years old, but this big extension is worth the gamble. Carpenter is coming off a huge breakout season in 2013 in which he matured into one of the best hitters in baseball, helping lead the Cardinals to the World Series. He made the 1st all star game of his career, and was a catalyst atop St. Louis' lineup, hitting .318 with 11 homers, and drove in 78. He also lead the NL in hits with 199 and doubles with 55. Carpenter also has value with his versatility, as he played solid defense at second base all year long despite being a natural third basemen. But with David Freese gone, Carpenter will move back third base in 2014.

While I agree with Ben that it was a fair deal, I Woudnt invest so much into a player with minimal defense and no power. Currently, Matt Carpenter is batting 282, which is fine, but for the price, I just dosent add up. Alas, players earn more these days, I guess I'll just have to go with it!