GIANT YEAR: 2012 was a year to remember in MLB from Triple Crowns to super rookies and playoff comebacks
MLB: 2012 Year In Review
by PlayNowSports in baseball, mlb

BY JEFF ANGUS

After looking back at 2012 in the NFL and the NBA, today is the day to look back at the year that was for Major League Baseball. The MLB had a great year in 2012 – we were witnesses to some impressive performances from players and teams both the American and National Leagues. The San Francisco Giants captured their second World Series title in three years. And the Toronto Blue Jays shocked the baseball world with an incredibly busy off-season, and the team is relevant as a […]

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THE STRAW THAT STIRS THE DRINK: Wily veteran and ageless wonder Darren Oliver may hold the key to the Jays bullpen success
MLB: Five Areas of Concern For The Blue Jays
by PlayNow Sports in baseball, mlb

BY THOMAS DRANCE

We’re a month and a half away from the opening of Spring Training, and the Blue Jays, with two big blockbuster trades and a bold free agent signing, have improved to the point that they are among the favourites to win the World Seriesand probably the “top dogs” in the AL East (on paper) headed into the season.

But there is still work to be done, and there are still a few troubling areas of concern on the Blue Jays roster (even if you have to squint really […]

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ALL AFLUTTER: Reigning NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey and his knuckle ball are officially Blue Jays
MLB: Reasons R.A. Dickey Makes the Blue Jays The Best Team In The AL East
by PlayNow Sports in baseball, mlb

 BY THOMAS DRANCE

On Monday, Blue Jays General Manager Alex Anthopolous concluded his whirlwind month of mega-transactions (during which he remade the Blue Jays roster and gave desperate sports fans in Toronto a much needed cortisone shot) by acquiring and extending 2012 Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey.

The improvements to the Blue Jays starting rotation this summer have been substantial. The Jays were one of the league’s worst pitching teams last season and now boast one of the deepest, most impressive rotations in the major leagues. Ricky Romero, for example, […]

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ROYAL DEPARTURE: The Rays traded Steve Shields to Kansas City, but how will departure of Shields' solid pitching impact the rest of the AL East?
MLB: The Impact of the James Shields Trade On The AL East
by PlayNow Sports in baseball, mlb

BY THOMAS DRANCE

When I listed five reasons for Blue Jays fans to remain pessimistic this season, in spite of the big splash the team made in mid-November, one of the major things that made my list was the fact that the team still plays in the AL East. Though it’s only mid-December, the evidence is clear: the AL East remains the toughest division in baseball and the Jays will be in tough to compete this season and longer-term.

Sure, the Yankees and their deep pockets have mostly remained on […]

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BEING A DOWNER: The Blue Jays have the pieces and now it is a matter of meeting expectations rather than being buried by them
MLB: Reasons To Be Pessimistic About The Blue Jays
by PlayNow Sports in baseball, mlb

 BY THOMAS DRANCE

Baseball fans in Toronto are excited about the Blue Jays, and it’s hard not to be in the wake of the Reyes-Johnson-Buehrle trade, the Melky Cabrera signing and the re-hiring of manager John Gibbons. Following the big press rollout on Tuesday morning, we touched on five reasons to be optimistic about the Jays going into next season (that list could’ve been twice as long realistically).

But amidst the post-coital gooey-eyed satisfaction shared by Blue Jays fans across the country, there are still some major holes on the […]

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GETTING DOWN AND DIRTY: The Blue Jays have made it obvious that they are serious about contending in the AL East in 2013
MLB: Reasons To Be Optimistic About The Blue Jays
by PlayNow Sports in baseball, mlb

BY THOMAS DRANCE

At the Blue Jays Press Conference on Tuesday morning, General Manager Alex Anthopolous was boastfully introduced as the “busiest man in baseball.”

It wasn’t an empty boast. Clearly Alex Anthopolous has earned that title (and then some) over the past week. First, Anthopolous completed a 12-player trade that netted the Blue Jays two elite pieces, a quality utility player, a reliable middle of the rotation starter, and an overpaid backup catcher from the Miami Marlins. Arguably he didn’t even give away any of the team’s most highly […]

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MLB: 2013 World Series Odds
MLB: 2013 World Series Odds
by PlayNow Sports in baseball, mlb

Even though the 2012 MLB season just ended on Sunday, it is never too early to look ahead to next season. With proper research and a bit of luck, a preseason bet can deliver huge returns, as the odds to win the next season’s championship trophy are quite high for most teams (unless there is a clear cut favourite).

Let’s break down the 2013 World Series odds by looking at the favourites, as well as a few sleepers.

THE FAVOURITES
New York Yankees (+540 to win the 2013 […]

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FALLING FLAT: After failing to create any sort of offense in San Francisco, the Tigers look to heat up the bats back in Detroit
MLB: World Series Game 3 – Giants at Tigers
by PlayNow Sports in baseball, mlb

What better way to enjoy the weekend than with a pair of World Series games? The series shifts to Detroit for the next two games (and potentially Game 5 as well).

The Giants won the first two games of the series at home, setting themselves up nicely to capture their second World Series in the past three years. Teams that win the opening two World Series games have won 29 out of a possible 36 World Series.

San Francisco Giants at Detroit Tigers (-175, 7.5)
5PM, Sportsnet

STARTING PITCHERS

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