Kuzul

The 2013 Chicago White Sox are going improve upon their record in 2012. Matter of fact, the White Sox will make the playoffs in 2013.The White Sox are not going to get there because of the recent addition of Jeff Keppinger. Rather, it is their pitching that will take them to the postseason in 2013, starting at the top.Chris Sale (17-8, 3.05 ERA) stands to build upon his breakout 2012 season. He is taking steps to ensure that his arm is stronger going into the 2013 season after setting career high in starts (29) and innings pitched (192) last year.First-year manager Robin Ventura and pitching coach Don Cooper seemed to do a very good job ensuring that Sale was not overworked. They gave the left-hander extended periods of rest between starts multiple times last year, which will pay dividends in 2013.Following Sale at the top of the rotation will be Jake Peavy. Fresh off a two-year, $29 ...

Tim Lincecum went through the worst season of his career in 2012, losing 15 games with a 5.18 ERA.And, once he struggled and got the loss in a start in Game 4 of the NLCS, that was it for him starting. But luckily, the former ace and two-time Cy Young winner has found some success...out of the bullpen.Out of the bullpen, Lincecum has allowed one run in 10 and two-thirds innings. He came in during Game 1 of the World Series with two on and two out in the sixth inning, and he struck out Jhonny Peralta. He struck out five of the seven batters he faced, twirling two and one-thirds perfect innings.Lincecum was perfect, as he commanded his change-up and used his slider more freely, not worrying about the potential risk of getting tired from overuse of the pitch later in the game. He is now throwing everything he ...

The 35-year-old journeyman pitcher enters Game 6 of the NLCS with a chance to propel his team one step closer to winning their second NL pennant in three seasons. Ryan Vogelsong will take the ball at AT&T Park this Sunday night in what will be the biggest start of his major league career. Don't expect Vogelsong to back down, especially in front of what will be a raucous home crowd. Vogelsong dominated Game 2 en route to a 7-1 Giants win. He'll try to duplicate that performance against former ace Chris Carpenter, who earned the loss in their first matchup. Vogelsong has allowed just 12 runners to reach base in 12 innings pitched this postseason while surrendering only two earned runs. Vogelsong doesn't overpower hitters with velocity; his two-seam fastball ranges from 89-91mph with hard downward movement, forcing batters to hit the ball on the ground. He mixes that pitch with a nasty cutter, painting ...

ST. LOUIS–The St. Louis Cardinals are back at it again—defying all the odds to keep driving deeper into October. They met a hiccup in their plans on Friday night when they lost Game 5 of the NLCS to the San Francisco Giants. When your team has a pair of Mr. Octobers, the chance to keep a game or series alive is always present. The Cardinals have been quick to credit their success so far in 2012 to rookie manager Mike Matheny for his methods and positive attitude. “I was thinking about Mike Matheny and he's a man of very few words, compared to a lot of people,” David Freese said prior to Game 5 of the NLCS. “But, when he speaks, it's meaningful.” Freese, like most members of the team, has an immense respect for Matheny both as a manager and a man. “He's got our back, from day one,” he ...

Heading into 2012, Barry Zito had not won more than 10 games since 2007, and his last winning season was in 2006. As age continued to creep in and on the heels of his worst season in the MLB, expectations for Zito were at an all-time low this season.Consider those expectations met and surpassed.Zito has had a complete resurgence this season, cemented by his dominant performance against the St. Louis Cardinals Friday night.With control pitchers like Zito, the numbers don't tell the whole tale, but they do help to illustrate the strides he has made this year. His ERA of 4.15, while hardly stellar, is his second-best mark as a San Francisco Giant. More impressively, Zito has cut his walks down to the lowest mark in his career over a full season.The stats are not dominant, but watching Zito reveals a vastly improved pitcher from just a year ago. He ...

The Los Angeles Dodgers didn’t have Carl Crawford available to help their playoff push this season, but his return in 2013 will help L.A. avoid missing the postseason for a fourth consecutive year.  Crawford underwent Tommy John surgery on his left elbow in July, shortly before being traded to the Dodgers from the Boston Red Sox in a blockbuster trade in August. The surgery reduced his 2012 campaign to a mere 31 games played, but he’s expected to be fully recovered by the beginning of June at the absolute latest. Once Crawford returns, he’ll provide another offensive weapon toward the top of a Los Angeles lineup that’s loaded with All-Star-caliber players. He will give the Dodgers five hitters that have made at least two All-Star game appearances since 2009.  The Dodgers' lineup will be tough on opposing pitchers with Crawford hitting out of the two-hole. His ability to get on ...

This was not a good night for the slugging New York Yankees' third baseman Alex Rodriguez.His team dropped a close 2-1 game to the Detroit Tigers in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series to fall into a 3-0 hole.Two of New York's tabloids have reported that he was flirting with female fans after being subbed for Saturday and—despite hitting two home runs off of Justin Verlander in his career—was benched Tuesday night like he was for last Friday's deciding ALDS game against Baltimore.While Rodriguez smiled broadly at times in the dugout during Game 3, there now is a pretty substantial rift between the prized slugger and the Yankees' brain trust of manager Joe Girardi and General Manager Brian Cashman.The public words for the benching were said to be for performance as the Yankees tried to put a lineup for Game 3 that featured speed and small ball.The simple ...

Even though the St. Louis Cardinals have developed a penchant for comebacks when they are down to their last out in postseason series over the past few seasons, Game 3 of the 2012 NLCS against the San Francisco Giants is a must-win game for St. Louis. After the two teams split the first two games in San Francisco, the series has shifted to St. Louis for the next three games. Since each team has an outstanding pitching staff, momentum is tremendously important. Following their Game 2 win, the Giants have the edge in this category and they will be looking to build on it. Things have begun to click for the Giants offensively, as Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence have gotten a lot of support from the likes of Angel Pagan and Gregor Blanco. Pagan has two home runs and five RBI this postseason, while Blanco has driven ...

This looks, well it looks far too easy. Justin Verlander was dominant again this postseason, going the 8 1/3 innings of three hit ball for his third victory in these playoffs, as the Detroit Tigers defeated the New York Yankees 2-1.With the win, the Tigers moved to within one game of a stunning sweep and their second World Series berth since 2006.Delmon Young's second solo-blast of the series, making it 1-0 off Phil Hughes in the fourth inning, gave Verlander all he would need for eight innings. Hughes would depart shortly thereafter with a back injury. And while the Yankee bullpen was solid the rest of the night (5 IP, 4 hits, 2 walks, one unearned run), it ultimately did not matter because Verlander stymied New York's offense.As a matter of fact, the only hitter to reach base until the ninth inning was Ichiro Suzuki, who went 2 for 3 with ...

The Detroit Tigers took a commanding 3-0 ALCS lead over the New York Yankees with a 2-1 victory behind a dominant performance from Justin Verlander Tuesday night.With rain beating down on Comerica Park, the Tigers took one more giant step toward a World Series berth.The Yankees tried to fight back in the ninth with an Eduardo Nunez solo home run, knocking Verlander out of the game in the process. Mark Teixeira followed that with a single up the middle, and Robinson Cano followed that with another single.But with two runners on and two outs, Phil Coke was able to strike out this year's Mr. Clutch, Raul Ibanez to end the game.Despite the dramatic ending, Verlander did his usual thing, allowing one run in 8.1 innings, striking out three and walking no one. If it wasn't for Nunez's solo shot, Verlander would have been flawless.He was so strong to start the ...