Hello readers! Another week of the Major League Baseball season has come to a close. April has brought some good vibes to some teams while some have had bad. In this week's column I'll talk about the week that was for all 30 teams as well as injury news and stats leaders. Let's get to work!
American League
American League East (2nd Inning):
Baltimore Orioles (T-3rd in AL East; Week Record: 2-5; Overall Record: 6-10; Week Runs Scored: 35):
The Orioles took 1 of 4 against the Athletics and currently have taken 1 of 3 (4th game of the series will be on Monday but that game will on next week's column) against the Red Sox. The Orioles offense has been active but not a lot of wins to show for it. Chris Davis finally got his first hit out of 55 at-bats. Maybe his funk can be figured out.
Next week: 1 game @ Boston, 3 games @ Tampa Bay; 3 games vs Minnesota
Boston Red Sox (T-3rd in AL East; Week Record: 3-2; Overall Record: 6-10; Week Runs Scored: 27):
The defending champs had a better week in the win column for most of the week. They split a 2-game series against the Blue Jays and have taken 2 of 3 (4th game will be played on Monday but that will be on next week's column). The bright spot has been Mitch Moreland who has gotten the Red Sox out of jams and is certainly the reason why they have six wins. Then you have to go on another road trip after Monday's Patriots Day game.
Next week: 1 game vs Orioles, 2 games @ New York (AL), 3 games @ Tampa Bay
New York Yankees (2nd in AL East; Week Record: 1-5; Overall Record: 6-9; Week Runs Scored: 22):
The Yankees got swept against the Astros in 3 games and took 1 of 3 against the White Sox. The Yankees this week ran into a buzzsaw in the Astros who haven't had a great start to the season either. The pitching has kept them in ballgames and certainly you could say the same for their offense but in order to win games you need to have solid pitching and great hitting and a little luck. The Yankees don't seem to have that at the moment. Still Domingo German has 3 wins on the young season.
Next week: 2 games vs Boston; 4 games vs Kansas City.
Tampa Bay Rays (1st in AL East; Week Record: 5-1; Overall Record: 11-4; Week Runs Scored: 44):
The Rays swept the White Sox in 3 games and took 2 of 3 against the Blue Jays. One of the crazier stats is that they have the best team ERA in the majors but in general their pitching staff isn't loaded with Cy Young caliber players. Jose Alvarado is a save machine, Tyler Glasnow and Charlie Morton both have 6 wins and 42 strikeouts combined. Its preposterous how good the Rays are playing right now.
Next week: 4 games vs Baltimore; 3 games vs Boston
Toronto Blue Jays (5th in AL East; Week Record: 2-3; Overall Record: 5-11; Week Runs Scored: 27):
The Blue Jays split a 2-game series against the Red Sox and took 1 of 3 against the Rays. Their offense had a better week this week compared to last week, just not a lot of wins to show for it. Matt Shoemaker is a bright spot on the Blue Jays starting rotation. Their offense has abysmal numbers with their offense batting .201 and scoring 52 runs (28th and 23rd in the majors respectively). Still Vlad Jr is possibly coming up.
Next week: 4 games @ Minnesota; 3 games @ Oakland
American League Central (3rd Inning)
Chicago White Sox (4th in AL Central; Week Record: 2-4; Overall Record: 5-9; Week Runs Scored: 21):
The White Sox got swept by the Rays in 3 games and took 2 of 3 against the Yankees. Tim Anderson is still having a great year along with productive offense from his fellow teammates. The White Sox still have a problem with their team's ERA which is currently dead last with 5.56, can't win games with that high of an ERA. Still to take a series victory in New York has to say a lot.
This week: 3 games vs Kansas City; 4 games @ Detroit
Cleveland Indians (2nd in AL Central; Week Record: 2-4; Overall Record: 8-7; Week Runs Scored: 22):
The Indians took 2 of 3 against the Tigers and get swept by the Royals in 3 games. The Indians this week looked good to start the week and then ended bad at the end of the week. Their offense took a nap during the two games of the Royals series before scoring 8 on Sunday. Even that was not enough. Doesn't help that their team's batting average is .185 which is 30th in the majors. Not looking promising for the Chief Wahoo Crew.
This week: 3 games @ Seattle; 3 games vs Atlanta
Detroit Tigers (T-2nd in AL Central; Week Record: 1-4; Overall Record: 8-6; Week Runs Scored: 13):
The Tigers took 1 of 3 against the Indians and got swept in 2 games (the 3rd game will be made up on May 11th) against the Twins. The Tigers on offense showed some fight more in the Twins series than the Indians series but they need to get more runs as they are dead last in runs scored. Their pitching is doing well enough as Shane Greene has 8 saves in the season. Certainly if the Tigers can get to the 9th inning with a lead they can get a win. That's a big if unto itself there.
This week: 2 games vs Pittsburgh; 4 games @ Chicago (AL)
Kansas City Royals (5th in AL Central; Week Record: 3-4; Overall Record: 5-10; Week Runs Scored: 39):
The Royals got swept in 4 games against the Mariners and swept the Indians in 3 games. The brooms were the story for the Royals this week. They were the victim of the sweeping and they returned the favor. Their offense has picked up a bit since last week and a pitching staff to match. Alex Gordon has 13 RBI's on the year and Jorge Soler and Adalberto Mondesi has 12 RBI's and 11 RBI's respectively. The pitching's ERA can get better.
This week: 3 games @ Chicago (AL); 4 games @ New York (AL)
Minnesota Twins (1st in AL Central; Week Record: 3-1; Overall Record: 7-4; Week Runs Scored: 30):
The Twins took a split against the Mets and swept the Tigers in 2 games (the 3rd game will be made up on May 11th). The Twins are doing well on both pitching and batting. Good performances by Michael Pineda and Jose Berrios show that the Twins have one of the best rotations in baseball and an offense that can get them wins. The sky is the limit for them.
This week: 4 games vs Toronto; 3 games @ Baltimore
American League West (4th inning)
Houston Astros (2nd in AL West; Week Record: 6-0; Overall Record: 11-5; Week Runs Scored: 24):
The Astros swept the Yankees in 3 games and swept the Mariners in 3 games as well. The only team that posted a perfect record on the week. After a slow start for the Astros they proved to be what most people expected them to be, solid pitching, great offense and solid bullpen play. Exhibit A for bullpen: Roberto Osuna with 7 saves.
This week: 2 games @ Oakland; 3 games @ Texas
Los Angeles Angels (3rd in AL West; Week Record: 4-1; Overall Record: 8-7; Week Runs Scored: 27):
The Angels swept the Brewers in 3 games and took a 2-game split (3rd game was postponed due to inclement weather, no makeup date planned yet) against the Cubs. The Angels offense did very well despite the loss of Mike Trout on the injury front. Their pitching had a great week as well holding opponents to 22 runs for the week.
This week: 3 games @ Texas, 4 games vs Seattle
Oakland Athletics (4th in AL West; Week Record: 4-2; Overall Record: 10-9; Week Runs Scored: 50):
The Athletics took 3 of 4 against the Orioles and took 1 of 2 (3rd game of the series will be played on June 8th) against the Rangers. The Athletics on offense features a great offense and a solid defense with Ramon Laureanado. You need to see highlights of him! Shoutout to Blake Treinen getting saves.
This week: 2 games vs Houston; 3 games vs Toronto
Seattle Mariners (1st in AL West; Week Record: 3-3; Overall Record: 13-5; Week Runs Scored: 28):
The Mariners swept the Royals in 3 games and got swept by the Astros in 3 games. The Mariners did some sweeping and were victims of the sweeping. The offense is still having a field day going yard in 18 straight games. Unfortunately their offense outside of home runs has been lacking. Still they have the best record in the majors right now.
This week: 3 games vs Cleveland; 4 games @ Los Angeles (AL)
Texas Rangers (Week Record: 2-2; Overall Record: 7-7; Week Runs Scored: 22):
The Rangers split a 2-game series with the Diamondbacks and took 1 of 2 (3rd game of the series will be played on June 8th) against the Athletics. The Rangers are nearly at the bottom third in pitching and offensive rankings but they are still at .500 at the end of this week. Joey Gallo still continues to do damage at a low batting average.
This week: 3 games vs Los Angeles (AL); 3 games vs Houston
National League
National League East (5th inning)
Atlanta Braves (3rd in NL East; Week Record: 4-2; Overall Record: 9-6; Week Runs Scored: 38):
The Braves took 2 out of a possible 3 (3rd game will be played on August 26th) against the Rockies and took 2 of 4 against the Mets. The Braves offense had a good week and certainly you can say their pitching has done well too. They had good offensive performances by Nick Markakis and Dansby Swanson their mainstay players. Shoutout to Josh Donaldson who has hit in 7 straight games.
This week: 3 games vs Arizona; 3 games @ Cleveland
Miami Marlins (5th in NL East; Week Record: 1-5; Overall Record: 4-12; Week Runs Scored: 13):
The Marlins got swept by the Reds in 3 games and took 1 of 3 against the Phillies. The Marlins this week were terrible to say the least. The Marlins continued the week with a 5-game losing streak before breaking out in a 10-3 victory against Philadelphia on Saturday. The pitching can keep them in games. The offense needs to show up when the Marlins got shut out twice against the lowly Reds. Need more than 13 runs for sure.
This week: 3 games vs Chicago (NL); 3 games vs Washington
New York Mets (T-1st in NL East; Week Record: 3-3; Overall Record: 9-5; Week Runs Scored: 36):
The Mets took a 2-game split against the Twins and took 2 of 4 against the Braves. The Mets have been doing well on offense and their pitching has well not done so well. Jacob DeGrom has fallen back to earth going 2-0 with his 0.82 ERA last week, he is now at 3.18 ERA to end the week. Still a good week staying with the Phillies for that first place mark.
This week: 3 games @ Philadelphia; 3 games @ St. Louis
Philadelphia Phillies (T-1st in NL East; Week Record: 3-3; Overall Record: 9-5; Week Runs Scored: 28):
The Phillies took 1 of 3 against the Nationals and took 2 of 3 against the Marlins. The pitching took a beating in a 15-1 loss against the Nationals on Wednesday but would still hold steady at the offensive game. Its more on the bat of Rhys Hoskins and not of Bryce Harper so far this season for the Phillies.
This week: 3 games vs New York (NL); 4 games @ Colorado
Washington Nationals (4th in NL East; Week Record: 3-3; Overall Record: 7-7; Week Runs Scored: 37):
The Nationals took 2 of 3 against the Phillies and took 1 of 3 against the Pirates. The Nationals on offense was stellar posting two 10+ run games against the Phillies. Their offense took a nap a bit against the Pirates but the pitching needs to improve on ERA as they have a team ERA over 5.00, not a good mark.
This week: 3 games vs San Francisco; 3 games @ Miami
National League Central (6th inning)
Chicago Cubs (T-4th in NL Central; Week Record: 3-2; Overall Record: 5-9; Week Runs Scored: 24):
The Cubs took 2 of 3 against the Pirates and split a series against the Angels (the 3rd game was postponed due to inclement weather, no plans have been made to make it up). The Cubs offense took off with a 10-0 victory against Pittsburgh on Monday. The pitching too was improved as they posted another shutout and a 1-run game. They needed a better week and it showed.
This week: 3 games @ Miami; 3 games vs Arizona
Cincinnati Reds (T-4th in NL Central; Week Record: 4-1; Overall Record: 5-9; Week Runs Scored: 31):
The Reds swept the Marlins in 3 games and split a 2-game series against the Cardinals. Another team that did well this week. The Reds offense scored 14 runs on the Marlins. You could say that the Bengals scored two touchdowns on the Dolphins in this one. Their pitching has been their go to for victories but their offense has done enough to give them W's.
This week: 3 games @ Los Angeles (NL); 4 games @ San Diego
Milwaukee Brewers (1st in NL Central; Week Record: 2-4; Overall Record: 10-6; Week Runs Scored: 25):
The Brewers got swept by the Angels in 3 games and took 2 of 3 against the Dodgers. The Crew didn't get to Josh Hader this week but still managed to play average. The offense has been damaging but their achilles heel has certainly been their starting pitching. Christian Yelich has cooled off this week as well.
This week: 3 games vs St. Louis; 4 games vs Los Angeles (NL)
Pittsburgh Pirates (T-2nd in NL Central; Week Record: 3-3; Overall Record: 8-6; Week Runs Scored: 17):
The Pirates took 1 of 3 against the Cubs and took 2 of 3 against the Nationals. The week was an up and down one for the Pirates. They win a game, they would lose a game, and so forth. The Pirates were shutout twice in their series against the Cubs so certainly their offense needs to step up better as their pitching is doing their job well.
This week: 2 games @ Detroit; 3 games vs San Francisco
St. Louis Cardinals (2nd in NL Central; Week Record: 5-1; Overall Record: 9-6; Week Runs Scored: 37):
The Cardinals swept the Dodgers in 4 games and split a 2-game series against the Reds. The Cardinals this week played really well against my self-proclaimed "best team in baseball right now" team in the Dodgers. Their offense has had a slow start but they have been picking it up this week and their pitching as well has improved.
This week: 3 games @ Milwaukee; 3 games vs New York
National League West (7th inning)
Arizona Diamondbacks (3rd in NL West; Week Record: 2-4; Overall Record: 7-9; Week Runs Scored: 25):
The Diamondbacks split a 2-game series against the Rangers and took 1 of 4 against the Padres. The offense has been better than expected when they lost two of their position players in the offseason. The pitching has been laxing a bit, near the bottom third of home runs given up and ERA. Rough season in Arizona.
This week: 3 games @ Atlanta; 3 games @ Chicago
Colorado Rockies (5th in NL West; Week Record: 1-5; Overall Record: 4-12; Week Runs Scored: 15):
The Rockies got swept in 2 games (3rd game will be made up on August 26th) against the Braves and took 1 of 4 against the Giants. Their offense still continues to haunt them but their pitching has been up to par so far this season. Hopefully when the weather gets warmer the Rockies bats can get going but if there was a chance to get started, now would be good.
This week: 2 games @ San Diego; 4 games vs Philadelphia
Los Angeles Dodgers (2nd in NL West; Week Record: 1-6; Overall Record: 9-8; Week Runs Scored: 25):
The Dodgers got swept by the Cardinals and took 1 of 3 against the Brewers. I give them a great compliment last week and they shit the bed the next week. Their offense didn't get the job done and their pitching laxed a lot. Still Cody Bellinger is one heck of a baseball player.
This week: 3 games vs Cincinnati; 4 games @ Milwaukee
San Diego Padres (1st in NL West; Week Record: 5-2; Overall Record: 11-6; Week Runs Scored: 29):
The Padres took 2 of 3 against the Giants and 3 of 4 against the Diamondbacks. The nicer stories of the year is out in San Diego where the Padres have taken sole possession of 1st place in the NL West. I can't say that Machado has been a factor but it is nice to have him as a player for them. Kirby Yates has 9 saves with a 0.90 ERA, not too bad.
This week: 2 games vs Colorado; 4 games vs Cincinnati
San Francisco Giants (4th in NL West; Week Record: 3-3; Overall Record: 7-10; Week Runs Scored: 22):
The Giants took 1 of 3 against the Padres and took 3 of 4 against the Rockies. Offense still hasn't shown signs of improvement but their pitching enough has gotten them wins. Not much to really say else.
This week: 3 games @ Washington; 3 games @ Pittsburgh
League Leaders & Notes (8th Inning)
In the American League your batting leaders are: Tim Anderson with .444 batting average, Khris Davis with 10 home runs, Domingo Santana with 22 RBI's. Your American League leaders in pitching are: Marco Gonzales with 4 wins, Tyler Glasnow with 0.53 ERA, and Shane Greene with 8 saves.
In the National League your batting leaders are: Cody Bellinger with .422 batting average, Bellinger with 9 home runs, and Bellinger with 22 RBI's, certainly he is having a good season so far. The National League leaders in pitching are: Sean Doolittle with 3 wins, Joe Musgrove with 0.00 ERA, and Kirby Yates with 9 saves.
The week that was brought some injuries to some key players. Gary Sanchez was injured with a left calf strain earlier this week that will be a 10-day stint in the Injury List, should be back later this month. Mike Trout is day-to-day with a right groin strain and he should be back to the lineup any day. Rougned Odor was injured on Saturday with a right knee sprain with no possible return date planned yet.
German Marquez had a possible no-hitter going into his start on Sunday. Evan Longoria ended any hope for the Rockies pitcher to get one in the 8th inning off a 0-2 pitch. The Rockies would still get a 4-0 shutout victory, ending their 8-game losing streak.
The Final Out (9th inning)
Baseball will be celebrating an anniversary on Monday, April 15th. The date marks the first game that Jackie Robinson would play as a major league player. Since that day 72 years ago in 1947, the game of baseball and certainly civil rights in the United States would not be the same. The coaches and players of all 30 clubs will wear Jackie Robinson's number, 42, in rememberance of the event. Here's a little video one of Robinson's famous moments as a player, The Steal Home. Enjoy and I'll see you guys next week for another recap.
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