MLB Power Rankings: Week 17

forbes.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

MLB Power Rankings: Week 17

1.) St Louis Cardinals (62-40) – A tough weekend series for the Cardinals getting swept in Atlanta, but they still hold the best record in baseball, and they did also get Outfielder Matt Holliday back in the lineup which will help them as they continue a tough part in their schedule.

2.) Boston Red Sox (63-43) – Boston saw their AL East lead slip away for a day, but they were able to get it back on Sunday with a win against the Orioles, which was an impressive series win on the road against a division rival. David Ortiz was a big part of Sunday's win going four for four with a home run.

3.) Tampa Bay Rays (62-43) – The Rays are looking like one of the best teams in baseball, as they had a good week on the road against the Red Sox and Yankees. A makeup game on Monday in Boston could allow the Rays to be in first place in the AL East with a win.

4.) Pittsburgh Pirates (61-42) – A huge home-stand starts on Monday for the Pirates, as they will host the Cardinals who they are trying to catch in the NL Central for five games, and then have two three-game series against the Rockies and Marlins.

5.) Oakland Athletics (62-43) – The A's are in first place in the AL West behind some great pitching in the last few months, and an offense that is in the top-10 in runs scored. Bartolo Colon amidst possibly being suspended is having a great season going 14-3 with a 2.54 ERA.

2013 NFL Previews: New York Jets

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

With training camps opening throughout the NFL the past week we will take a quick look at previewing some teams for the upcoming season; giving a rundown of the 2012 one, some off-season moves and an outlook of this season. It is time to get excited as there will not be another Sunday without NFL football until February 2014. Here is the 2013 preview for the New York Jets.

New York Jets AFC East (6-10)

2012 was a rough season for the Jets as they looked to have hit rock bottom. They made headlines before the season by trading for Tim Tebow, the second consecutive time they traded for a big name quarterback following a New York Giants Super Bowl victory. The Jets were able to stay in the limelight during the season but not for anything positive.

Alfonso Soriano Traded to Yanks

By John Alvarado (@theeinfamouss)

Early Friday morning it was announced that the Chicago Cubs finalized a trade that would send Alfonso Soriano to the New York Yankees; after a week of rumors the trade finally went through. The Cubs will receive class A pitcher Cory Black from the Yankees and cash considerations. 

Soriano started his major league career with the Yankees back in September 14, 1999, becoming a fan favorite and seeming to come through with a big hit whenever the club needed him to. We all remember the 2001 world series when he took Curt Schilling deep with a solo homer to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead in the 8th inning of game 7. 

Soriano is a seven time all star and two time world series champion, winning with the Yankees in 1999 & 2000. 

In 2004 Soriano was traded from the Yankees to the Rangers in exchange for 3B Alex Rodriguez. Since then Soriano has played for the Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals & most recently the Chicago Cubs. But now in 2013 his career has gone full circle as he is back where it all began for him; wearing pin stripes. 

Soriano is batting .254 with 17 home runs and 51 RBIs this season and has heated up in July, with eight homers and 16 RBIs. He's 11 hits shy of 2,000 for his career and 11 home runs short of 400.

Since June 28 the Yankees have only hit eight homeruns, while Soriano has hit 10. "We've obviously been trying to improve our offense this season, to no avail," said Yankees GM Brian Cashman. "By far, he was the best available bat to date."

The Cubs are going to pick up about $17.7 million and the Yankees will cover the remaining $6.8 million of the estimated $24.5 million Soriano is owed through the end of next season. Soriano is scheduled to make $18 million next season, $5 million of which will be paid by the Yankees.

It is reported that Soriano is close friends with Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Robinson Cano, so coming back to the Bronx should be like a homecoming. The Yankees have Soriano in Friday's lineup, where he is batting fourth and playing left field. I assume he will get a standing ovation as most Yankee fans are thrilled to have him back on the team. 

Kuroda Dominates in Yankees Win

yankees.lhblogs.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

July 25^th, 2013

New York Yankees Texas Rangers Post Game Recap

Final Score: Yankees 2 Rangers 0

The New York Yankees were able to a big win on Thursday afternoon in Texas against the Rangers behind a strong pitching performance by Hiroki Kuroda, which allowed the Yankees to split the four-game series. The win moves the Yankees to (54-48), and are now 6.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox in the AL East.

Offensively the Yankees weren’t very good, but the two runs they scored were enough to get the win in this game against Derek Holland. It took until the sixth inning for the first run of the game, but a Brent Lillibridge double scored Austin Romine for the first run of the game. The second and final run for the Yankees came in the eighth inning giving the bullpen a nice insurance run to work with, as Eduardo Nunez grounded into a fielders choice which scored Robinson Cano. For Holland he picked up his six loss of the season, but he did pitch well enough to earn the win, as he went 7.1 innings allowing just two runs on eight hits and one walk.

Garza Shines in Debut with Rangers

sbnation.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

July 24^th, 2013

New York Yankees vs Texas Rangers Post Game Recap

Final Score: Yankees 1 Rangers 3

After a great come from behind win on Tuesday night the New York Yankees offense was shutdown on Wednesday in the loss to the Texas Rangers. The loss moves the Yankees to (53-48) on the season, and with the Boston Red Sox losing the Yankees stay at seven games behind them.

Andy Pettitte gave the Yankees a very good start, but like so many times this season the Yankees offense couldn’t help a Yankees Starter get a win, and for Pettitte he got his eighth loss of the season. The Rangers got to Pettitte in the first inning, as A.J. Pierzynski had a RBI single to score Ian Kinsler for the first run of the game. Pierzynski would get the best of Pettitte again in the sixth inning for the Rangers final run off the lefty, as Pierzynski hit a solo-home run, which was his 10^th of the season.

Yankees Rally in 9th to Get Victory in Texas

msn.foxsports.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

July 23^rd, 2013

New York Yankees vs Texas Rangers Post Game Recap

Final Score: Yankees 5 Rangers 4

The New York Yankees were able to snap their two-game skid on Tuesday night against the Texas Rangers, as they had the come from behind win after giving up a nice lead in the sixth inning. The win moves the Yankees to (53-47), which keeps them seven games behind the first place Boston Red Sox.

Rangers Starter Alexi Ogando didn’t have a very good start against a sub-par Yankees offense, but he didn’t factor in the decision of the game. The Yankees got to Ogando in the third inning, as Austin Romine doubled home Melky Mesa for the first run of the game. Romine would come around to the second run of the inning on an Ichiro Suzuki infield single. The final run off Ogando would come in the fourth inning, as Brent Lillibridge grounded into a fielders choice that score Vernon Wells. Ogando ended up going just five innings allowing three runs on six hits.

Dustin Pedroia's Contract With the Red Sox Directly Impacts Robinson Cano

USATSI

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

On Tuesday the Boston Red Sox and second baseman Dustin Pedroia agreed to a seven-year contract extension that is worth $100 million. The deal will start in 2015 and run through the 2021 season, paying Pedroia approximately $14 million per season for the length of the contract. Pedroia is currently playing out a six-year $40.5 million contract he signed in 2005.

This will be the fourth time the Red Sox gave a $100+ million contract to a player; the other three all eventuallyended up with the Los Angeles Dodgers via trades in Manny Ramirez, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford.

Yankees Get Shutout in Texas

nytimes.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

July 22, 2013

New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers Post Game Recap

Final Score: Yankees 0 Rangers 3

The New York Yankees series against the Texas Rangers didn’t start very well on Monday night, as they were shutout in the loss. The loss to the Rangers moves the Yankees to (52-47) on the season, and is seven games behind the Boston Red Sox for first place in the AL East.

Ivan Nova gave the Yankees another good start, but with the Yankees anemic offense he got his third loss of the season. The Rangers offense gave Darvish a quick lead, which he never looked back after, as Adrian Beltre had a RBI single to score Ian Kinsler for the first run of the game. Geovany Soto would get the next run for the Rangers, by knocking in Elvis Andrus with a double in the sixth inning. In the seventh inning Nelson Cruz would get the final run of the game for the Rangers with a solo-home run, which was his 23rd of the season. Nova finished the day going seven innings allowing three runs on seven hits, one walk, and had three strikeouts.