Scherzer Pitches Well Against the Cards

It was great to see Max Scherzer pitching like an ace today against the Cardinals, as the Nationals won 6-1 and swept the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. It was his best start of the season so far: seven shutout innings with nine strikeouts. A lot of his success can be attributed to his fastball, which was clocked at an average speed of 95.2 MPH and an 80% strike rate (44 of 55 fastballs were strikes). Ten of those strikes were swing-and-misses, meaning that his fastball had some great movement as well. He admits to making a small mechanical adjustment that affects his fastball control (a shortening of his arm action), which shows the kind of work he puts into his craft. Hopefully, he can bring that same fastball domination to bear against the Cubs in Chicago next weekend.

Orpik Suspended 3 Games

So, we just received word that Caps defenseman Brooks Orpik has been suspended three games for his hit to the head of Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta in Game 2. To me, this is a ridiculous decision by the NHL. Sure, it was a hard hit and he should have been suspended. But, three games basically takes him out of the series and swings the momentum of the series in the Penguins favor. There have been hits already in the postseason that have been worse than Orpik's, and the most I have seen is a one game suspension (Yes, I'm speaking about Bellemare). I think it's a little much...

February 2, 2016

We're closing in on the Super Bowl, but we have some great matchups today. First, the Caps will play Florida at home in a nationally televised game (NBCSN). Both teams are at the top of their respective divisions, but the Caps will be resting Holtby and will be without Ovie. So, it will be interesting to see the effort against a top-tier club. The Hokies play Syracuse at the Carrier Dome as a 9.5 point underdog. Also in relevant college action, the Hoyas will play Butler in Indianapolis and the Bulldogs will face South Carolina at home (19-2? Really?) All of my college teams' games look like potential losses, but here's hoping that one of them go against common wisdom. On the national stage, only two games really light up the radar, and they are both 9pm EST tips on the ESPN networks. West Virginia plays Iowa State and Indiana faces Michigan at home.

Fortunately, I don't have to put up with another lackluster effort by Les Bullets. They got smacked in the mouth last night versus the Thunder, and now they can look forward to facing the Warriors at home tomorrow night. Yay. National television audience: Don't watch unless you are a Warriors fan. This could get ugly.

While I'm on a bitter note, did you see what Art Briles said about RGIII and a 'dream' scenario of returning to Dallas? Yeah, it would be a dream for the Skins twice a year! Happy Groundhog Day!

January 24, 2016

Great sports day today! Right now, I'm watching some EPL, with a match between Swansea City and Everton. Not a great match, but it is followed up by Chelsea and Arsenal. Great morning sports action! Then, of course, it's Championship Sunday. Who'll be in the Super Bowl? Personally, I'm taking Carolina and New England (though I'd rather have Denver). Finally, on the local front, UNC visits snowy Blacksburg in a hoops matchup at 3pm. I'll have some more updates later. Stay warm!

Update: Great AFC Championship so far. Denver is up 20 to 12 on the Patriots, with the Broncos defense stepping up big so far. VA Tech put in a great effort vs. UNC, but just couldn't get the job done. More after the football game!

Braves Win

Braves with a nice win over the Mets, 6-4. Wilson Perez is 4-0 on the season, the best start for a Braves rookie starter since Tommy Hanson. Tomorrow is a special 5:05 start for Father's Day, and we'll see if they can sweep the Mets with their best pitcher on the mound, Matt Harvey. Great day of baseball, and nice to watch U.S. Open golf all day! Man, that course in Washington is terrible...

Nearly Perfect Saturday!

Now I see why we picked up Scherzer!!! Last 2 starts, 1 hit total. Today, he was 1 out away from a perfect game before hitting Jose Tabata (Did he lean in?) with a pitch. Truly a dominant performance against a very good team. Earlier in the day, Curtis Joseph and Manny Machado put away the Blue Jays after Darren O'Day performed some tightrope antics in the 8th (bases loaded, nobody out, and struck out three in a row). Truly a great day of baseball for me, and now I'm watching the Braves take on the Mets. 2-2 tie in the 3rd. D.C. fans: Celebrate! And don't forget the free Dominoe's Pizza...

Good Young Pitchers Tonight!

So far, so good for the young starters in Washington and Atlanta. Joe Ross is through 7 innings, allowing one run and striking out 11 as the Nats lead 3-1. Matt Wisler is also through 7 innings, has allowed one run and struck out one in his Major League debut, as the Braves trail 1-0. And Danny Espinosa just tripled in Robinson to pad the score 4-1. Things are looking up! More later...

Oh, and Marco Estrada is no hitting the O's through 7 innings. Just great...