Hello readers! The 2nd week of the 2019 Major League Baseball season is past us. With it harrowing baseball, with slugfests, pitching duels, and home openers for the teams that haven't had the chance to play at home for Opening Day.
The column is a little different this week as each segment will have a particular inning associated with it. The 1st inning will be a sort of introduction into the week's column and then the 2nd through 7th innings will have a recap of all 30 teams this week. The 8th inning will be for League Leaders and Notes. Finally, the 9th inning will have a sort of final out to it, like a sort of "goodbye" to it.
American League
American League East (2nd Inning):
Baltimore Orioles (3rd in AL East; Week Record: 2-4; Overall Record: 4-5; Week Runs Scored 22):
The Orioles took 2 of 3 against Toronto and got swept in a 3-game set against the Yankees at home. The Orioles had a promising start when they took 2 of 3 against New York. Trey Mancini is off to a great start with four home runs so far this season. Not also to mention he has 9 RBI's. That 15-3 drubbing on Sunday doesn't help with morale.
This week: 4 games vs Oakland; 3 Games @ Boston
Boston Red Sox (4th in AL East; Week Record: 2-5; Overall Record: 3-8; Week Runs Scored: 21):
The defending champs took 1 out of 4 against Oakland and took 1 of 3 against Arizona this week. The starting pitching struggles continues for the Red Sox as they couldn't keep the opposing bats in check. The offense couldn't get a lot going during most of the week, especially the back-to-back shutouts on Monday and Tuesday. On Sunday the Red Sox did get a 1-0 win to finish off a rough road trip. The hangover is certainly real in Beantown.
This week: 2 games vs Toronto; 4 games vs Baltimore
New York Yankees (2nd in AL East; Week Record: 4-2; Overall Record: 5-4; Week Runs Scored: 34):
The Yankees took 1 out of 3 against Detroit and swept the Orioles on the road. The Yankees on offense struggled against an average team in the Tigers but the Yankees would rebound on Friday with a 8-4 win, scoring 8 unanswered runs. The Yankees on offense are a formidable force with Luke Voit's 8 RBIs and DJ LeMahieu's .458 batting average so far this season.
This week: 3 games @ Houston; 3 games vs Chicago (AL)
Tampa Bay Rays (1st in AL East; Week Record: 4-2; Overall Record: 7-3; Week Runs Scored: 23):
The Rays took 2 of 3 against Colorado and took another 2 of 3 against San Francisco. The nicer stories so far this season is the team in Tampa. The Rays are hitting it off nicely with all facets in the game playing to their potential and beyond. Tyler Glasnow is so far 2-0 with a 0.82 ERA and an offense that is top to bottom competing for runs. Such bats like Kevin Kiermeier, Austin Meadows and Ji-Man Choi. Time will tell how well this team does come August and September but you gotta feel good if you're a Rays fan.
This week: 3 games @ Chicago (AL); 3 games @ Toronto
Toronto Blue Jays (5th in AL East; Week Record: 1-6; Overall Record: 3-8; Week Runs Scored 17):
The Blue Jays took 1 of 3 against Baltimore and got swept in 4 games against the Indians. The Blue Jays were mostly picked to finish last in the division and they certainly appear to be heading that way. Bar some continuous shitting the bed with Boston. The team has a bright spot with Matt Shoemaker who has two wins and a 0.00 ERA so far this year. Richard Urena and Freddy Galvis has a batting average above .300 and the rest are below .250, certainly their hitting needs to be improved as well.
This week: 2 games @ Boston; 3 games vs Tampa Bay
American League Central (3rd Inning)
Chicago White Sox (4th in AL Central; Week Record: 2-2; Overall Record: 3-5; Week Runs Scored: 29):
The White Sox took a split against the Indians in 2 games and lost 1 of 3 (the April 4th game was postponed) to the Mariners. The White Sox on offense can either have a good day or a bad one. Score 10 runs one day, and then 2 the next. The team on pitching still has a lot of question marks. Still a ripe division for the taking for the Sox, should they take the opportunity.
This week: 3 games vs Tampa Bay; 3 games @ New York (AL)
Cleveland Indians (2nd in AL Central; Week Record: 5-1; Overall Record: 6-3; Week Runs Scored: 25):
The Indians took a split against the White Sox and they swept the Blue Jays in 4 games. The better teams to finish the week was Cleveland. The offense was back to normalcy and the pitching outside of Kluber is doing well. Jon Edwards has two wins in relief and Carlos Santana putting up a .444 batting average with 7 RBI's so far this season. They did play some weak competition but if they play this well against other top teams they have the tools to do well.
This week: 3 games @ Detroit; 3 games @ Kansas City
Detroit Tigers (1st in AL Central; Week Record: 5-1; Overall Record: 7-3; Week Runs Scored: 20):
The Tigers took 2 of 3 against New York and swept the Royals in 3 games. The team's success seems to be their pitching holding down the fort against some really tough offenses like New York. Their MVP right now is Shane Greene who has 7 saves in 7 opportunities. Insane stuff! Christin Stewart is a nice story as well with a grand slam on Saturday. The Tigers need him to stay on top of offense with his bat for sure.
This week: 3 games vs Cleveland; 3 games @ Minnesota
Kansas City Royals (5th in AL Central; Week Record: 0-5; Overall Record: 2-6; Week Runs Scored: 19):
The Royals were swept in a 2-game series vs Minnesota and then swept against Detroit. The one of two teams this week to not post a win. The offense couldn't quite put up enough runs to give their starters a chance and vice versa to their pitching. Their lone bright spot has been Alex Gordon who has put up 6 RBI's this week (7 in total this season).
This week: 4 games vs Seattle; 3 games vs Cleveland
Minnesota Twins (3rd in AL Central; Week Record: 3-2; Overall Record: 5-3; Week Runs Scored: 23):
The Twins swept the Royals in a 2-game series and took 1 of 3 against the Phillies. The Twins on offense has been great with Nelson Cruz's 6 RBI's and Michael Pineda's 2.00 ERA. The team's ERA is a bit high for most folks but you somewhat forgot they went toe to toe against a good Phillies team this past week.
This week: 2 games @ New York (NL); 3 games vs Detroit
American League West (4th inning)
Houston Astros (3rd in AL West; Week Record: 4-2; Overall Record: 5-5; Week Runs Scored: 24):
The Astros took 1 of 3 against rival Texas and swept the Athletics in a 3 game series. The week started off weak for the Astros but finished strong. The offense is being led with George Springer's 7 RBI's and Michael Brantley's 6. The pitching is still a question mark but they are showing improvements especially against a good offense like Oakland's.
This week: 3 games vs New York (AL); 3 games @ Seattle
Los Angeles Angels (5th in AL West; Week Record: 3-3; Overall Record: 4-6; Week Runs Scored: 23):
The Angels were swept against the Mariners and took 3 of 4 against the Rangers. The story this week for LA is Mike Trout. The man has 10 RBI's so far this season and the closest guy is Kole Calhoun with 4. Certainly Trout can will his team to victory but can doom it if he goes 0-for-4. They need better performances from their offense. Justin Anderson has certainly showed some flash on the mound in relief. He has two wins so far this season.
This week: 3 games vs Milwaukee; 3 games @ Chicago (NL)
Oakland Athletics (4th in AL West; Week Record: 3-4; Overall Record: 6-7; Week Runs Scored: 28):
The Athletics took 3 of 4 against the Red Sox and would get swept by the Astros in 3 games. The week started good for the A's but would finish in tremble. The A's on pitching were dominant against a juggernaut in the Red Sox but would have no answer for the Astros, same story for the offense. Still Stephen Piscotty and Khris Davis are having great starts to the season so far and Mike Fiers and Brett Anderson both have 2 wins each and a manageable ERA.
This week: 4 games @ Baltimore; 3 games @ Texas
Seattle Mariners (1st in AL West; Week Record: 4-1; Overall Record: 9-2; Week Runs Scored: 37):
The Mariners swept the Angels in 2 games and took 2 out of 3 (the April 4th game would be postponed) against the White Sox. The league's best offensive team has to certainly be the Mariners so far this year. Four players have 10+ RBI's so far this season. Insane stuff. Certainly Marco Gonzales is happy with the production as he has 2 wins so far this season. Time will tell if this team has the stuff to stay on top.
This week: 4 games @ Kansas City; 3 games @ Houston
Texas Rangers (2nd in AL West; Week Record: 3-4; Overall Record: 5-5; Week Runs Scored: 26):
The Rangers took 2 of 3 against the Astros and took 1 out of 4 against the Angels. The strength for the Rangers this week has been their bats, at least when they had a 3-game winning streak. The bats were shutdown in the series against the Angels. Shawn Kelley has two wins in relief so far this season. Not bad. Joey Gallo has 9 RBI's so far. Hard to say how well this team can do with such offense.
This week: 2 games @ Arizona; 3 games vs Oakland
National League
National League East (5th inning)
Atlanta Braves (3rd in AL NL East; Week Record: 5-1; Overall Record: 5-4; Week Runs Scored: 33):
The Braves swept the Cubs in a 3-game series and took 2 of 3 against the Marlins. The Braves rebounded quickly after getting hammered against the Phillies last week. Their offense was a big factor. One of the driving forces was Dansby Swanson's 5 RBI's this week (7 in total). Their pitching put up two shutouts. That helps as well.
This week: 3 games @ Colorado; 4 games vs New York (NL)
Miami Marlins (5th in NL West; Week Record: 1-5; Overall Record: 3-7; Week Runs Scored: 19):
The Marlins got swept by the Mets and took 1 of 3 against the Braves. The Marlins on offense were in general inept but it was the pitching that couldn't give their offense a chance to get them a win. Martin Prado has 9 hits on the year but no Marlin batsmen has more than 7 RBI's as Jorge Alfaro has 6. It's a long season.
This week: 3 games @ Cincinnati; 3 games vs Philadelphia
New York Mets (Week Record: 4-2; Overall Record: 6-3; Week Runs Scored: 34):
The Mets swept the Marlins in 3 games and took 1 out of 3 against Washington. The Mets on pitching has been stellar with Jacob DeGrom posting a 2-0 record with a 0.00 ERA along with 24 strikeouts. The offense has been off the charts as well as Peter Alonso's 8 RBI's. Need to do well in your division games though.
This week: 2 games vs Minnesota; 4 games @ Atlanta
Philadelphia Phillies (1st in NL East; Week Record: 3-2; Overall Record: 6-2; Week Runs Scored: 30):
The Phillies split a 2-game set against the Nationals and they took 2 of 3 against the Twins. The Bryce Harper return to Washington was somewhat of a success as it seemed to be the start of a long time of Harper coming to the Capital (at least 200+ games worth). The offense outside of Harper has been doing well as Maikel Franco has 10 RBI's and Rhys Hoskins has 11. The pitching is a bit of a question mark as Jake Arrieta has a 1-1 record with a 2.77 ERA with 9 walks. Aaron Nola has an ERA of 7.00 with a 1-0 record so far.
This week: 3 games vs Washington; 3 games @ Miami
Washington Nationals (4th in NL East; Week Record: 3-2; Overall Record: 4-4; Week Runs Scored: 32):
The Nationals split a 2-game series against the Phillies and took 2 of 3 against the Mets. The Nationals took it to heart when their former star Bryce Harper came to town. They gave him an earful of boos. The pitching this week has been a bit off but Max Scherzer did get his first win on the year on Sunday in a 12-9 win. The offense has been doing very well as Ryan Zimmerman got 4 RBI's this week. The loss of Trea Turner could be a factor as he was placed in the 10-day Injury List.
This week: 3 games @ Philadelphia; 3 games vs Pittsburgh
National League Central (6th inning)
Chicago Cubs (4th in the NL Central; Week Record: 1-5; Overall Record: 2-7; Week Runs Scored: 28):
The Cubs got swept against the Braves in 3 games and took 1 of 3 against the Brewers. The Cubs are certainly a shocker to some people's eyes. The pitching has been dismal while the offense has been doing well enough to keep them in competitive games. When you have Jason Heyward on your team and have 8 RBI's so far this season, you won't get shutout a lot.
This week: 3 games vs Pittsburgh; 3 games vs Los Angeles (AL)
Cincinnati Reds (5th in the NL Central; Week Record: 0-7; Overall Record: 1-8; Week Runs Scored: 16):
The Reds would get swept in 3 games vs the Brewers and then by the Pirates in 4 games. The team in general needs help after looking promising to start the week, the team would get shutout for 3 straight games. Their pitching can keep them in games but you can't possibly think you can scrap by with the lineup you have. Having a Team Batting Average of .165 isn't good.
This week: 3 games vs Miami; 2 games vs St. Louis
Milwaukee Brewers (1st in NL Central; Week Record: 5-1; Overall Record: 8-2; Week Runs Scored: 34):
The Brewers swept the Reds in 3 games and would take 2 of 3 against the Cubbies. The Brewers continue their success this week. Their bread and butter has been their bullpen with Josh Hader having 5 saves so far this season even Alex Wilson would get some love with a save for himself. The NL MVP Christian Yelich continues to have a hot start with his 10 RBI's and 4 homers.
This week: 3 games @ Los Angeles (AL); 3 games @ Los Angeles (NL)
Pittsburgh Pirates (2nd in NL Central; Week Record: 4-2; Overall Record: 5-3; Week Runs Scored: 26):
The Pirates got swept by the Cardinals in 2 games and would sweep the Reds in 4 games. The pitching got two shutouts against the Reds (Yes its against the Reds but still) and would get some timely hitting from Josh Bell's 5 RBI's this week. Not too impressed but the Pirates have a winning record right now.
This week: 3 games @ Chicago (NL); 3 games @ Washington
St. Louis Cardinals (3rd in NL Central; Week Record: 3-2; Overall Record: 4-5; Week Runs Scored: 21):
The Cardinals swept the Pirates in a 2-game series and would take 1 out of 3 (the April 4th game was postponed) against the Padres. The Cardinals looked good against the Pirates on offense but came up limping against a Padres team that was on the verge of becoming good in a few years. Certainly Paul Goldschmidt hasn't been a disappointment with his 9 RBI's and five home runs, despite posting a .219 batting average.
This week: 4 games vs Los Angeles (NL); 2 games @ Cincinnati
National League West (7th inning)
Arizona Diamondbacks (3rd in NL West; Week Record: 4-2; Overall Record: 5-5; Week Runs Scored: 39):
The Diamondbacks took 2 of 3 against the Padres and 2 of 3 against the Red Sox. The Diamondbacks looked really good against two offensive teams. Adam Jones, the one free agent that no one wanted has been putting up numbers in Arizona with his 6 RBI's, 16 hits, and .400 batting average. It certainly helps when you have that and an offense that puts up 5+ runs a game. They are 28th in ERA though.
This week: 2 games vs Texas; 4 games vs San Diego
Colorado Rockies (5th in NL West; Week Record: 1-5; Overall Record: 3-7; Week Runs Scored: 16):
The Rockies took 1 of 3 against the Rays and got swept by the Dodgers in 3 games. The Rockies looked to be a division winner on paper but on the field, not so much. I feel its more on the pitching staff of the Rockies than the batting. Certainly the batting could be better but pitching matters in baseball. Though a Team batting average of .207 is not going to get you a lot of wins, an era of 4.56 certainly has to be improved. David Dahl is a nice piece of hitting though.
This week: 3 games vs Atlanta; 4 games @ San Francisco
Los Angeles Dodgers (1st in NL West; Week Record: 5-1; Overall Record: 7-2; Week Runs Scored: 42):
The Dodgers took 2 of 3 against the Giants and swept the Rockies in 3 games. The story for the Dodgers this week is pretty much their consecutive home-run streak. As well as Cody Bellinger's hot streak. One could certainly say that they're the best team in baseball right now. Pitching is doing well, their offense is putting up runs, their fielding is holding steady. All this without Clayton Kershaw. I was certainly shocked by how well the Dodgers are playing right now. Of course baseball always changes, and you can't crown yourself a champion this early in April.
This week: 4 games @ St. Louis; 3 games vs Milwaukee
San Diego Padres (2nd in NL West; Week Record: 3-3; Overall Record: 6-4; Week Runs Scored: 24):
The Padres took 1 of 3 against the Diamondbacks and 2 of 3 against the Cardinals (the April 4th game was postponed). The offense has been shown as promised, a good offense. The pitching is promising as well. Joey Lucchesi record of 2-0, and an ERA of 0.00 is noteworthy. He also has 13 strikeouts too. Decent week for the Padres, but I can't imagine them to take the league by storm. at least not yet.
This week: 3 games @ San Francisco; 4 games @ Arizona
San Francisco Giants (4th in NL West; Week Record: 2-4; Overall Record: 3-7; Week Runs Scored: 20):
The Giants took 1 of 3 against the Dodgers and then 1 of 3 against the Rays. Brandon Belt has been an offensive force for the Giants with his 8 RBI's and 8 hits. The brighter side is that the pitching has improved in terms of ERA even though the staff haven't had a lot of success in terms of wins. For example Madison Bumgarner who has a 0-2 record but a 1.38 ERA (harkoning back to the 2014 World Series with an ERA like that). The Giants on offense is just meh compared to their championship teams earlier in the decade.
This week: 3 games vs San Diego; 4 games vs Colorado
League Leaders & Notes (8th Inning)
Now it is time for some leaders and notes. This is where each category is lead by which player on which team. I will feature both offensive and pitching stats.
Leading the majors in offensive categories are: Tim Anderson (White Sox) in batting average of .560, Cody Bellinger (Dodgers) leads the majors in runs, Home Runs, and RBI's (17, 7, and 18 respectively) and Dee Gordon (Marlins) leading with 5 stolen bases.
Leading the majors in pitching: Marco Gonzales (Mariners) leads in wins with 3, Shane Greene leads the majors in saves with 7, 6 pitchers lead in ERA with 0.00 (Not gonna tell you who but you can read them on this column), and Max Scherzer (Nationals) leads the majors in strikeouts with 28.
In the notes segment I'll talk about news and notable things that happened in the majors this week. This would include historical milestones, suspensions, etc. Or anything out of the ordinary in the world of baseball.
In Sunday's Reds-Pirates game, 5 players were ejected after a brawl that involved players from both benches. The brawl started after a thrown pitch by Pirates starter Chris Archer towards Reds batter Derek Dietrich. Dietrich who had hit a home run ball earlier in the game took a while to get around the base paths and thus the Pirates retaliated. Hard to say if there's gonna be fines or suspensions but certainly there has to be some disciplinary action from the league office.
During the 5th inning of the Rangers-Angels game on Sunday, there was a delay due to the fact that bees invaded the bullpens of both teams. You could say it was quite a buzzkill to the game at hand. I'll stop.
The Final Out (9th inning)
To close out the week's column, I though I'd share a player that deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. A player who started up with the Dodgers organization in 1998 and finished his career with the Rangers in 2018. He has put a remarkable resume of a lifetime batting average of .286, 3,166 hits, 477 home runs, and 1,707 RBI's. Did I also mention that he has a birthday today (April 7th)? Cheers to the birthday boy and welcome to 40!
See you guys next week!
Tom
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