Hello readers! Another week of Major League Baseball action is in the books! With the week's passing more teams start to look legit, others not so much, and for the rest well, the end of the season can't come sooner. In this week's column, I'll talk about the state of baseball at the moment, a recap of all 30 teams this past week, and a great pitching performance in the "Final Out." Let's get started.
The state of baseball right now is at a crossroads. On one side, you have the owners that are more than willing to change the game, like putting in a pitch clock, limiting commercial breaks between innings, and limit how many batters a pitcher has to face. On the other, you have the players that aren't willing to take that change to heart.
This battle between owners and players is nothing new to baseball. In an era when the owners were more conservative and the players more progressive, you had playeres wanting to end the Reserve Clause, end segregation in the game (although Branch Rickey was the one that was more progressive in getting Jackie Robinson to the Major leagues), and give the players more money.
Back to today, the game is much more slower, with managers going more to their bullpens often, frequently changing their pitchers to only face one batter for matchup purposes, batters often battling against the pitcher to get the right pitch they want, less balls in play, and more home runs (though I can definitely say that I like home runs). I hope the game becomes faster as its games often run a lot longer than the 2 1/2 time window for a game. It won't matter unless both sides come together on an agreement, forcing these new rules won't help much. Often times the players are the game's worst enemies when it comes to change. If it means shortening the schedule, so be it.
American League
American League East (2nd Inning):
Baltimore Orioles (5th in AL East; Week Record: 1-5; Overall Record: 15-31; Week Runs Scored: 17):
The Orioles took 0 out of 2 (2nd game of series was postponed; make-up date for 8/12) against the Yankees and took 1 of 4 against the Indians. Baltimore had another rough week and they took on some tough competition. At least you're not the Marlins, though you're pretty much the American League's version of the Marlins. Sorry Baltimore.
This week: 4 games vs New York (AL); 3 games @ Colorado
Boston Red Sox (3rd in AL East; Week Record: 2-3; Overall Record: 24-22; Week Runs Scored: 18):
The Red Sox took 1 of 2 against the Rockies and took 1 of 3 against the Astros. The team still can't consistently win strings of games. Earlier in the season its the starting pitching, now its the bullpen causing many Red Sox fans headaches. Offense is still doing well in getting runs but its hard to get enough runs when your pitchers give up so many. The team will get better but this is something that needs to be addressed now.
This week: 4 games @ Toronto; 3 games @ Houston
New York Yankees (1st in AL East; Week Record: 4-1; Overall Record: 28-17; Week Runs Scored: 26):
The Yankees took 2 of 2(2nd game of series was postponed; make-up date for 8/12) against the Orioles and took 2 of 3 against the Rays. Up and down week between the Rays and Yankees for 1st and 2nd place in the division with the Yankees taking sole possession of first place. The Bombers are at a good spot right now with some of their key players coming back like James Paxton and Troy Tulowitski later in the week. I still feel that this battle for first will rage on until possibly July. Definitely not over.
This week: 4 games @ Baltimore; 3 games @ Kansas City
Tampa Bay Rays (2nd in AL East; Week Record: 3-2; Overall Record: 27-17; Week Runs Scored: 15):
The Rays took 2 of 2 against the Marlins and took 1 of 3 against the Yankees. The Rays have been a nice surprise on the year with dominant pitching but would ran into a hungry, damaged Yankees team. Tampa gave the Bombers somewhat of a fight but would ultimately lose. I feel if the Rays can get a bat or two prior to the deadline they can get a postseason berth.
This week: 2 games vs Los Angeles (NL); 4 games @ Cleveland
Toronto Blue Jays (4th in AL East; Week Record: 3-3; Overall Record: 19-27; Week Runs Scored: 28):
The Blue Jays took 1 of 2 against the Giants and took 2 of 4 against the White Sox. It was a better week for Vlad Guerro Jr as he keeps on getting homers and solid defense, which the Blue Jays sorely needed. I don't see Toronto getting back into the division race but if Vlad Jr keeps giving the fans a show, they'll keep coming back. He can be someone that this team can build around.
This week: 4 games vs Boston; 3 games vs San Diego
American League Central (3rd Inning)
Chicago White Sox (3rd in AL Central; Week Record: 3-3; Overall Record: 21-24; Week Runs Scored: 17):
The White Sox took 1 of 2 against the Indians and took 2 of 4 against the Blue Jays. It was an average week for the Southsiders. They have a great team batting average but they don't get runs and they can't keep opposing bats from getting runs. It's a hot mess.
This week: 4 games @ Houston; 3 games @ Minnesota
Cleveland Indians (2nd in AL Central; Week Record: 4-2; Overall Record: 25-20; Week Runs Scored: 40):
The Indians took 1 of 2 against the White Sox and took 3 of 4 against the Orioles. Shane Bieber had a great start on Sunday throwing the rubber for the Wahoo's, striking out 15 batters. Granted it was the Orioles. The Indians offense, quiet before the week, got into a slugfest this week putting up 40 runs, helping out their pitching. It was badly needed.
This week: 3 games vs Oakland; 4 games vs Tampa Bay
Detroit Tigers (4th in AL Central; Week Record: 0-6; Overall Record: 18-26; Week Runs Scored: 12):
The Tigers took 0 of 3 against the Astros and took 0 of 3 (4th game was suspended; to be completed on September 6th) against the Athletics. Getting hits is a part of offense, leaving men on base isn't. The Tigers offense is in dire straits and I don't think its improving until later in the future. The loss of Tyson Ross will be a factor as he is hit with an arm injury in the week. No saves for Shane Greene, obviously.
This week: 3 games vs Miami; 3 games @ New York (NL)
Kansas City Royals (5th in AL Central; Week Record: 2-4; Overall Record: 16-31; Week Runs Scored: 23):
The Royals took 1 of 3 against the Rangers and took 1 of 3 against the Angels. Danny Duffy got the only two wins that the Royals got this week. Outside of him, their rotation is not that great. Their offense is better than the Orioles but not by much since the Royals have one more game than the O's.
This week: 2 games @ St. Louis; 3 games vs New York (AL)
Minnesota Twins (1st in AL Central; Week Record: 5-2; Overall Record: 31-16; Week Runs Scored: 52):
The Twins took 2 of 3 against the Angels and took 3 of 4 against the Mariners. Nelson Cruz gets hit with an injury of the wrist and will spend time on the injury list. Their offense in runs scored is astonishingly good. Just about as good is their pitching who can get quality starts which means more healthy bullpen.
This week: 3 games @ Los Angeles (AL); 3 games vs Chicago (AL)
American League West (4th inning)
Houston Astros (1st in AL West; Week Record: 5-1; Overall Record: 31-16; Week Runs Scored: 37):
The Astros took 3 of 3 against the Tigers and took 2 of 3 against the Red Sox. Houston continued its win streak into this week until they lost to Boston on Sunday. The loss of George Springer could be huge but it was only a lower back injury that will put him out until Tuesday. This team looks really good and only bad luck could derail this team from reaching back to the World Series.
This week: 4 games vs Chicago (AL); 3 games vs Boston
Los Angeles Angels (2nd in AL West; Week Record: 3-3; Overall Record: 22-24; Week Runs Scored: 27):
The Angels took 1 of 3 against the Twins and took 2 of 3 against the Royals. Mike Trout hit his 250th home run of his career before turning 28. Matt Harvey could become a bright spot on the Angels rotation as he picked up his 2nd win of the season. If he becomes even a sliver of the stuff that he had during the glory days as a Met, the Angels hit a bargain with him as he is what the Angels desperately need, starting pitching!
This week: 3 games vs Minnesota; 3 games vs Texas
Oakland Athletics (5rd in AL West; Week Record: 3-2; Overall Record: 22-25; Week Runs Scored: 36):
The Athletics took 0 of 2 against the Mariners and took 3 of 3 (4th game was suspended; to be completed on September 6th) against the Tigers. Good to see Khris Davis back to the A's lineup after suffering a sore hip. The Athletics had a better week putting up offense against some weaker clubs but if you want to get back to the postseason you need to get series victories against these teams.
This week: 3 games @ Cleveland; 3 games vs Seattle
Seattle Mariners (4th in AL West; Week Record: 3-3; Overall Record: 23-26; Week Runs Scored: 28):
The Mariners took 2 of 2 against the Athletics and took 1 of 4 against the Twins. The Mariners have fallen off quite a bit since their hot start back in April. They're supposed to be getting some fresh talent in Tommy Milone who has posted a 4-2 record in their Triple-A affliate to start on Tuesday. Unfortunately I don't see them making a Wild Card berth.
This week: 3 games @ Texas; 3 games @ Oakland
Texas Rangers (3rd in AL West; Week Record: 4-2; Overall Record: 21-23; Week Runs Scored: 41):
The Rangers took 2 of 3 against the Royals and took 2 of 3 against the Cardinals. Their offense won't give up until the last out. They have played some tight baseball so far this year. The rough part is their division is the Astros and mostly non-contenders.
This week: 3 games vs Seattle; 3 games @ Los Angeles (AL)
National League
National League East (5th inning)
Atlanta Braves (2nd in NL East; Week Record: 4-2; Overall Record: 25-22; Week Runs Scored: 35):
The Braves took 2 of 3 against the Cardinals and took 2 of 3 against the Brewers. Atlanta took on some top contenders in the Brewers and Cardinals this week and they stepped up for the opportunity. They did lose Jacob Lindgren from the bullpen due to an elbow injury but will return on the 24th. Freddie Freeman is a workhorse carrying his team throughout the season. He leads the team in batting average, home runs and runs scored. He has also hit a home run consecutively for 4 games.
This week: 4 games @ San Francisco; 3 games @ St. Louis
Miami Marlins (5th in NL East; Week Record: 3-2; Overall Record: 13-31; Week Runs Scored: 13):
The Marlins took 0 of 2 against the Rays and took 3 of 3 against the Mets. You actually read that right, folks! The Marlins swept a team. They still have the potential to have a 100+ loss season but they might as well have fun and get wins. Should be noted that the Marlins posted two shutouts during that series. Good job Miami, you actually had a good week out of mostly bad weeks so far.
This week: 3 games @ Detroit; 3 games @ Washington
New York Mets (3rd in NL East; Week Record: 1-5; Overall Record: 20-25; Week Runs Scored: 19):
The Mets took 1 of 3 against the Nationals and took 0 of 3 against the Marlins. You read that right, the Mighty Mets got swept by the Marlins! Their offense is so quiet and can't get anything right. First the New York Jets GM gets fired and then the Mets get swept by the worst team in the majors. Poor New Yorkers.
This week: 4 games vs Washington; 3 games vs Detroit
Philadelphia Phillies (1st in NL East; Week Record: 4-3; Overall Record: 27-19; Week Runs Scored: 27):
The Phillies took 1 of 4 against the Brewers and took 3 of 3 against the Rockies. Philadelphia had a week of ups and downs dropping a series victory against the Brewers but would take down a below average Rockies team, sweeping them in style. Bryce Harper still hasn't gotten his batting average above .240 but did have hits in the last 4 games which should help his confidence.
This week: 4 games vs Chicago (NL); 3 games @ Milwaukee
Washington Nationals (4th in NL East; Week Record: 3-3; Overall Record: 19-27; Week Runs Scored: 30):
The Nationals took 2 of 3 against the Mets and took 1 of 3 against the Cubs. The distance between them and the Marlins is about 6 wins which is to most a safe distance. A lot of pundits had them winning the division and their predictions so far have backfired, Brian Dozier is not the same player that he was when he was a Twin and their bullpen combusts faster than a wildfire.
This week: 4 games @ New York (NL); 3 games vs Miami
National League Central (6th inning)
Chicago Cubs (1st in NL Central; Week Record: 3-3; Overall Record: 27-17; Week Runs Scored: 32):
The Cubs took 1 of 3 against the Reds and took 2 of 3 against the Nationals. It was an average week for the Cubbies. They would certainly be the best team in baseball but I somewhat question that. They got beat by a cellar team in the Reds and they took down a rather below average Nationals team. They did beat some quality competition earlier this month but I question how good they can be.
This week: 4 games vs Philadelphia; 3 games vs Cincinnati
Cincinnati Reds (5th in NL Central; Week Record: 3-3; Overall Record: 21-26; Week Runs Scored: 18):
The Reds took 2 of 3 against the Cubs and took 1 of 3 against the Dodgers. Cincinnati breathed a breath of relief after Yasiel Puig getting injured during Sunday's game and will be back on Tuesday. It was a meh week taking on the class of the division and getting a series victory to show for it. Unfortunately they ran into the best team in the league and got clobbered.
This week: 2 games @ Milwaukee; 3 games @ Chicago (NL)
Milwaukee Brewers (2nd in NL Central; Week Record: 4-3; Overall Record: 0-0; Week Runs Scored: 0):
The Brewers took 3 of 4 against the Phillies and took 1 of 3 against the Braves. Christian Yelich having a great season would be an understatement. Yelich hit his 19th home run on the season, and its past mid-May! The unsolved mystery remains whether or not the Brew Crew can get a solid starter to help them get quality starts come October.
This week: 2 games vs Cincinnati; 3 games vs Philadelphia
Pittsburgh Pirates (3rd in NL Central; Week Record: 4-3; Overall Record: 0-0; Week Runs Scored: 31):
The Pirates took 1 of 3 against the Diamondbacks and took 3 of 4 against the Padres. The team is very strange. They can take it to the Cardinals and Padres but would lose to the Diamondbacks. I feel that their pitching is one of the better in the division and can get them far when their offense is hitting it off. Credit to Starling Marte to getting two stolen bases.
This week: 3 games vs Colorado; 3 games vs Los Angeles (NL)
St. Louis Cardinals (4th in NL Central; Week Record: 2-4; Overall Record: 24-23; Week Runs Scored: 31):
The Cardinals took 1 of 3 against the Braves and 1 of 3 against the Rangers. In the month of May, the Cardinals are 5-13. Pretty bad record. The offense is there to help them out its more on the bullpen to close out when they need it. Hopefully maybe this week they can get back to a winning track.
This week: 2 games vs Kansas City; 3 games vs Atlanta
National League West (7th inning)
Arizona Diamondbacks (2nd in NL West; Week Record: 3-3; Overall Record: 25-22; Week Runs Scored: 36):
The Diamondbacks took 2 of 3 against the Pirates and took 1 of 3 against the Giants. Eduardo Escobar is having quite a season in Arizona and he has been a big component to an offense that had lost quite a few quality position players in the offseason. It was an average week for the Dbacks who could use some help in the pitching department. Their offense is fun to watch.
This week: 3 games @ San Diego; 3 games @ San Francisco
Colorado Rockies (T-4th in NL West; Week Record: 1-4; Overall Record: 20-25; Week Runs Scored: 20):
The Rockies took 1 of 2 against the Red Sox and took 0 of 3 against the Phillies. Colorado held off the onslaught that Chris Sale gave them and eked out a victory in Boston and then their week was awful after that. Trevor Story has been struggling and their pitching that should've been good just hasn't been getting it done. I'm starting to regret picking them to win the division. They're just not there.
This week: 3 games @ Pittsburgh; 3 games vs Baltimore
Los Angeles Dodgers (1st in NL West; Week Record: 4-1; Overall Record: 31-17; Week Runs Scored: 22):
The Dodgers took 2 of 2 against the Padres and took 2 of 3 against the Reds. The class of the league had another great week as they kept pulling off wins on their pitchers arms and the bats of their position players. Cody Bellinger having a good year as well.
This week: 2 games @ Tampa Bay; 3 games @ Pittsburgh
San Diego Padres (3rd in NL West; Week Record: 1-4; Overall Record: 23-24; Week Runs Scored: 12):
The Padres took 0 of 2 against the Dodgers and took 1 of 3 against the Pirates. The team is getting there but not at the cusp of a postseason contender, yet. The offense needs to show up and get them runs on the board. Their pitching will be there to get outs but Manny Machado can only do so much and baseball is a team game despite all the talk of individual numbers.
This week: 3 games vs Arizona; 3 games @ Toronto
San Francisco Giants (T-4th in NL West; Week Record: 3-2; Overall Record: 20-25; Week Runs Scored: 18):
The Giants took 1 of 2 against Toronto and took 2 of 3 against the Diamondbacks. It was a good week for the Giants on offense, not great but not the awful expectation that we normally see from them so far this year. If they can get enough runs on the board, they're pitching can take care of the rest as they have one of the better rotations in the league. Cool to see Bruce Bochy at a San Jose Sharks game.
This week: 4 games vs Atlanta; 3 games vs Arizona
League Leaders & Notes(8th Inning):
In honor of Armed Forces Day, Major League Baseball wore specialized caps in honor of the event.
In the American League, your batting leaders are: Michael Brantley (Astros) with a .331 batting average, George Springer (Astros) with 17 home runs and 42 RBI's. Their pitching leaders are: Domingo German (Yankees) with 8 wins, Tyler Glasnow (Rays) with 1.86 ERA, and Shane Green with 15 saves.
In the National League your batting leaders are: Cody Bellinger (Dodgers) with .409 batting average, Christian Yelich (Brewers) with 19 home runs, Josh Bell (Pirates) with 43 RBI's. The pitching leaders are: Brandon Woodruff (Brewers) and Zach Greinke (Diamondbacks) with 6 wins, Zach Davies (Brewers) with 1.54 ERA, and Kirby Yates (Padres) with 17 saves
The Final Out (9th inning):
In an era where the home run and offense is the name of the game, its often overlooked when you see a great pitching performance by a starter or by the bullpen. On Tuesday night last week, Chris Sale had a great night throwing the rubber striking out 17 Rockies in 7 innings. While Sale would get a no-decision in the game its still fun to watch. That and I'm a Red Sox fan and I couldn't think of anything worthy for a video other than this. I'll see you all next week for another recap!
No comments:
Post a Comment