Mike Gianakos Articles - Page 31

The New York Yankees decided to get creative with the closer role after Clay Holmes blew another save earlier this week. Reliever Luke Weaver got the first opportunity in this new ninth inning era and he made the most of his moment. Yankees manager Aaron Boone turned to Weaver in the final frame on Friday […]

The Arizona Diamondbacks lost two-time All-Star Ketel Marte to an ankle injury on August 10. Marte attempted to play through the pain but re-aggravated the sprain and landed on the 10-day IL on August 18. After nearly three weeks on the shelf, the Diamondbacks are welcoming back their star infielder. Arizona activated Marte from the […]

The Philadelphia Phillies are tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in baseball entering play on Friday. The team is number two in the most recent MLB Power Rankings. The Phillies have dominated in large part due to their pitching. They sent five pitchers to the All-Star Game this season, including three […]

The Toronto Blue Jays are mired in a lost season. After making back-to-back playoff appearances it became clear early in 2024 that the Blue Jays would not reach the postseason for a third-straight year. As the team struggled, the front office considered moving core players Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette at the trade deadline. […]

Prior to the start of this season Seattle Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto was confident the team would make a World Series run in 2024. But after the Mariners collapsed over the second half, Dipoto acknowledged the team’s offensive ineptitude in a disappointing season. In an attempt to shake things up, Seattle fired […]

Blake Snell signed a two-year, $62 million deal with the San Francisco Giants right before the 2024 season kicked off. After a slow start, Snell has regained his dominant form on the mound. It’s widely believed that the veteran lefty will opt out of his contract and test free agency for the second straight offseason. […]

The Chicago Cubs have played their way into the postseason picture as the team has heated up over the second half of the season. On Wednesday the Cubs spun a combined no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Rookie sensation Shota Imanaga tossed seven scoreless frames before Chicago manager Craig Counsell made the difficult decision to pull […]

The Baltimore Orioles appear set up as competitors in the American League East for years to come with a young core of super talented players. From that group, Gunnar Henderson has established himself as the face of the Orioles, as the star shortstop has been sensational in his first two full seasons with the team. […]

The Texas Rangers are slogging through a lost season that general manager Chris Young deemed “embarrassing.” Despite winning the World Series last year the Rangers have given fans little reason to cheer in 2024. Fortunately there’s a celebration in the making this week. The Rangers announced that fan favorite Elvis Andrus will retire on Friday […]

Francisco Lindor is putting together his best season as a member of the New York Mets. His offensive production and excellent work at shortstop have helped to keep New York in the playoff picture while making Lindor part of the NL MVP discussion. However, the 10-year veteran isn’t interested in personal accolades at the moment. […]

The Chicago White Sox are slogging through an historically awful season. The White Sox set a franchise record with their 107th loss of the year Sunday. On Tuesday, the team found a creative new way to demonstrate its remarkable incompetence. In the bottom of the second inning, White Sox starter Nick Nastrini was attempting to […]

The Atlanta Braves are confident that they’ll make the playoffs this season despite being plagued by injuries. The Braves are leaning into their rotation, hoping the team’s pitching can power a postseason run. And Atlanta could have starting second baseman Ozzie Albies back in the lineup in the coming weeks. Albies is set to do […]

The New York Mets are in the midst of a disappointing season. Mets star Francisco Lindor recently conceded the bumpy nature of the 2024 campaign for New York. While Lindor is performing well for an up-and-down team, pitching has been a different story. After an All-Star season in 2023, Mets’ starter Kodai Senga has been […]

The Baltimore Orioles have been devastated by injuries this season, particularly to the pitching staff. The Orioles lost starters John Means, Tyler Wells and Kyle Bradish for the season due to Tommy John surgery. More recently Zack Eflin and Grayson Rodriquez hit the 15-day injured list with shoulder ailments. In Saturday’s game against the Colorado […]

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman missed the team’s three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles with a broken right middle finger. However, the eight-time All-Star made an explosive return from the injury in Friday’s series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks with a first inning home run. In Saturday’s game against the Diamondbacks Freeman would […]

The Seattle Mariners have a problem. Despite sporting one of the best starting rotations in all of baseball, the Mariners have struggled offensively all season. The lack of production at the plate caused the team to lose its lead in the AL West and now Seattle is at risk of missing the playoffs altogether. The […]

The Kansas City Royals have had a busy weekend. The team claimed outfielders Tommy Pham and Robbie Grossman off waivers on Saturday before landing veteran first baseman Yuli Gurriel in a deal with the Atlanta Braves. The Braves and Royals were able to make this deal long after the trade deadline because Gurriel hasn’t played […]

Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase is the frontrunner to win AL Reliever of the Year this season. The three-time All-Star has been so dominant in 2024, he has entered the Cy Young Award conversation. No relief pitcher has won the Cy Young since Eric Gagne in 2003. And Clase’s incredible campaign reached new heights on […]

The Philadelphia Phillies got beat up by the Houston Astros on Wednesday in an ugly game that led to the Phillies demoting Taijuan Walker to the bullpen. The Phillies bounced back against the Atlanta Braves on Thursday with a 5-4 win. However, the team lost starting third baseman Alec Bohm in the process. The 27-year-old […]

The St. Louis Cardinals are long shots to make the postseason but the team did manage to beat the San Diego Padres in dramatic fashion on Wednesday thanks to a Nolan Arenado walk-off single. On Thursday the Cardinals beat the Padres again behind a strong pitching performance by Sonny Gray. After picking up the victory […]

The Houston Astros lost starting right fielder Kyle Tucker to a shin injury in early June. During his near three-month absence from the lineup the Astros have been uncertain about a return timeline for Tucker. However, the latest injury update is encouraging. Tucker said he’s been able to do light running on the bases as […]

The Philadelphia Phillies got blown out by the Houston Astros on Wednesday. The terrible pitching performance by Taijuan Walker caused Phillies manager Rob Thompson to question Walker’s future in the rotation. On Thursday the team announced that Walker would move to the bullpen as a long reliever, per The Athletic’s Matt Gelb. Tyler Phillips is […]

Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani are in the midst of historic seasons. Ohtani has already joined the exclusive 40/40 club and could become the first player ever to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season. Judge is having the best year for a power hitter since Barry Bonds and could become […]

The Los Angeles Dodgers are determined to give the people all the Shohei Ohtani they can handle this season. The Dodgers hosted their second Ohtani bobblehead giveaway of the season Wednesday. This time the collectible features the two-time MVP and his dog Decoy. In honor of his own bobblehead night, Decoy was invited to throw […]

The Baltimore Orioles have been hit hard by injuries as they attempt to chase down the New York Yankees for the division crown. The team lost key rotation pieces Grayson Rodriquez and Zach Eflin to the 15-day injured list with shoulder ailments. While Rodriguez and Eflin are expected to be back with the team in […]

The Los Angeles Dodgers created a sensation with their first Shohei Ohtani bobblehead night earlier this season. Crowds lined the street as more than 50,000 fans packed Dodger Stadium hoping to get their hands on one of 40,000 figurines the team was giving away. On Wednesday Los Angeles will host their second Ohtani bobblehead night […]

After a disappointing first half of the season the Arizona Diamondbacks have caught fire. The team has played its way back into the postseason picture and surged up to number six in the most recent MLB Power Rankings. The Diamondbacks have continued their winning ways despite injuries to All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte and Gold […]

The Cleveland Guardians have dominated the American League Central since mid April. The Guardians have often looked like legitimate title contenders as the top dog in a highly competitive division. However, a late summer swoon has left Cleveland clinging to a one game lead in the AL Central entering play on Tuesday. The team dropped […]

The St. Louis Cardinals upgraded their bullpen at the trade deadline by bringing in reliever Shawn Armstrong in a deal that sent Dylan Carlson to the Tampa Bay Rays. The Cardinals were buyers at the deadline with the hope of making a playoff push over the second half of the season. In a bit of […]

The St. Louis Cardinals lost catcher Willson Contreras to a fractured finger when he was hit with a 95 mph four-seam fastball from the Minnesota Twins’ Pablo Lopez. The pitch tailed inside and caught Contreras on the right middle finger. Now the Cardinals expect to be without their catcher for at least three weeks, according […]

The Philadelphia Phillies were the best team in baseball over the first half of the season. The Phillies sent an MLB-best eight players to the All-Star game, including three starters for the first time in four decades. However, the team has backslid since returning from the All-Star break, going just 15-20. But the Phillies picked […]

The Chicago Cubs are a long shot to make the postseason. The Cubs dropped down to the 19th spot in the most recent MLB Power Rankings and are on the outside looking in at the Wild Card race. But the team brought its running game for the series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cubs […]

After missing out on the playoffs last year, the St. Louis Cardinals are fighting to reach the postseason in 2024. Despite the confidence of starting pitcher Miles Mikolas who believes the Cardinals can win 17 straight if necessary, the reality is St. Louis is a long shot to make the playoffs. The team is trying […]

After a hot start to the season the Pittsburgh Pirates have fallen out of the playoff picture with a rough second half. The brutal drop off will likely keep Pittsburgh out of the postseason for the ninth straight year. Pirates manager Derek Shelton is on the hot seat as the team is on pace for […]

Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez was forced to miss Friday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles due to neck pain. After taking some pregame swings the following day, the pain persisted and Alvarez was held out of Saturday’s game as well. “He’s still a bit uncomfortable in that area. He wasn’t available,” Astros manager Joe Espada […]

The Los Angeles Dodgers broke the bank to land Shohei Ohtani prior to the 2024 season but the two-time MVP has been worth every penny so far. Ohtani joined the ultra-exclusive 40/40 club with a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday. On Saturday, the […]

The Seattle Mariners’ playoff hopes are slowly dwindling. The Mariners attempted to salvage their season by firing long-time manager Scott Servais and replacing him with former player Dan Wilson on Friday. In the first inning of the Wilson era, Seattle lost outfielder Victor Robles to a finger injury. Robles was hit with a 95 mph […]

Toronto Blue Jays fans have had precious little to celebrate this season. The team is out of the playoff picture and sits in last place in the AL East. The Blue Jays were labeled baseball’s biggest disappointment by their own top executive. Still, pitcher Bowden Francis gave Toronto fans something to cheer about when he […]

The Boston Red Sox were forced to scratch outfielder Tyler O’Neill from Friday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks due to inflammation in his finger. The Red Sox just got O’Neill back from the injured list last week. Now the team announced he’ll be out of the lineup again on Saturday, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith. “[O’Neill’s] […]