I haven't posted about baseball much, so I just thought I would write a little about what I think are some intriguing storylines in MLB as the season pushes through the second half and begins to round third base in August.
SURPRISING CONTENDERS
Nationals: The city of Washington hasn't hosted a playoff series since 1933. The Nationals are 61-40, a half game up on the Yankees for the best record in the majors. Washington hasn't faltered any this season and has basically been in first place in the NL East since the beginning of the season. The Nationals have been boosted all year by a stellar rotation (currently Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Edwin Jackson, Gio Gonzalez, and Ross Detwiler) and have the majors' best team ERA -- 3.25. Bryce Harper is having a great rookie season in center field and third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who played in college at UVa, is starting to heat up offensively after struggling early in the season. After being a doormat for years, it looks like the Nationals are going to see this through and be there at the end of the year. There is one minor hangup for them though and I get to that farther down this page.
Pirates: These guys are perhaps the biggest surprise of all so far. Pittsburgh has been the pits of MLB for several years. The Pirates infamously hold the record for consecutive losing seasons -- 19 -- by a North American sports franchise. It looks like that is going to change this year. The Pirates teased their fans a little last year by being in first place in the NL Central into July but could not maintain their pace and eventually finished below .500. This year's team is taking it to a whole new level. The Pirates are currently 58-43, three games back of the Reds in the NL Central, and hold the first wild card spot in the NL. Andrew McCutchen has been the breakout star for the Pirates. He leads the majors with a .368 batting average.
Orioles: Just a couple weeks ago, it looked the Orioles were done, doomed for another losing season. Baltimore started the year strong but began the month of July just 4-9. Since a win over the Twins on July 18, however, Baltimore has gone 7-5 and may be reviving its season. The Orioles haven't made the playoffs since 1996 and have had a losing season every year since 1997. This year, the O's stand at 53-49, which puts them two games back of the second wild card. The Orioles are led on offense by center fielder Adam Jones, who has had a breakout season.
Athletics: Oakland was left for dead even more so than the Orioles. At least Baltimore started the year strong. The Athletics were a measley 37-42 through June but are 18-4 in July as baseball fans are hailing a return to Moneyball. They are 55-46 and a half-game ahead of the Angels in the AL West and 4.5 games back of Texas. Currently, they do hold the first wild card, but are surrounded by other good teams in that race such as the Angels, Tigers, Rays, and Orioles, not to mention the division leading Rangers, Yankees, and White Sox.
White Sox: The White Sox lost Ozzie Guillen to Miami and have gotten better. They are 55-46, but lead what is the weakest division in baseball, the AL Central. One would have to think they will get a strong challenge from the Tigers, who are just 1.5 games games back, but for now, the White Sox are in first, boosted by a strong offense (sixth in MLB in runs). Also, after an abysmal 2011, Adam Dunn has revived himself and leads the league with 30 home runs.
DISAPPOINTING TEAMS
Phillies: The Phillies might be seeing their run of five consecutive NL East titles coming to an end. They were just swept by the Braves and sit 45-57 in cellar of the division. They are only 11-25 vs. their division this season. The Phillies have been old and injured this season. Roy Halladay is just 4-6 with a 4.33 ERA. The Philadelphia Enquirer is reporting that Philadelphia is in "full sell mode" after getting swept by the Braves. The non-waiver trade deadline is Tuesday.
Marlins: New manager. New digs. New uniforms. New logo and colors. New team philosophy. Even knew team name. But the same old Marlins. It all started with new manager Ozzie Guillen's insensitive remarks regarding Fidel Castro at the beginning of the season and went downhill from there. They've hung around .500 for most of the season but aren't getting the turn around they had hoped for this year after investing in a new ballpark and some high-priced free agents. Heath Bell has been anything but consistent in the closer role. The Marlins are 6-10 in the second half of the year and 47-54 overall, 10 games out of the second wild card spot.
Red Sox: Similar deal to the Marlins. High-priced club has new manager and disappoints (and even a new GM after Theo Epstein left for the Cubs). Like the Marlins with Ozzie Guillen, the new manager for the Red Sox is quite the character -- Bobby Valentine. He got off on the wrong foot with some of the players by criticizing Kevin Youkilis in early April. The Red Sox have been hovering around the .500 mark all season -- and are currently right on it at 52-52 -- but they are going to need to do more to get to a wild card in the AL.
Brewers: Milwaukee went 96-66 last year in winning the AL Central crown. This year, the Brew Crew is just 45-56, fourth in the division, and 12 games back of a wild card. The problem for the Brewers lately has been the bullpen. Milwaukee hasn't been able to hold a lead to save its life. Last night, the Brewers blew two leads to the Nationals, one in the eighth and one in the ninth, in an 11-10, 11-inning loss. Against Philadelphia July 23 to 25, Milwaukee led late in all three games only to lose all three 7-6. Bullpen coach Stan Kyles was fired today. The Brewers will need an incredible finish to make the playoffs. They are just 5-11 in the second half of the year and haven't been above .500 since April 12 when they were 4-3.
EXCELLENT PITCHING
Now we go from the Brewers' awful bullpen to the pitching highlights of this season. And there have certainly been some gems. There have been two one-pitcher no-hitters this season: the Angels' Jered Weaver (May 2) and the Mets' Johan Santana (June 1). Six Seattle Mariners pitchers, starting with Kevin Millwood, combined for a no-hitter June 8. And there have been two perfect games: the White Sox Philip Humber (April 21) and the Giants' Matt Cain (June 13).
TWO WILD CARD SPOTS
As I have noted in the sections about surprisingly good and bad teams, there are two wild card spots in both leagues this season for the first time. I think this is a good thing for baseball. One of the things that has always made MLB a tougher league to succeed in than other pro sports leagues is only four teams made the playoffs in each league in the past. There are 14 teams in the AL, so about 29 percent of the teams made the playoffs. There are 16 teams in the NL, so that number was 25 percent. Compare that to the NBA -- where 53 percent of the teams in each conference make the playoffs -- and even the NFL -- where that number is about 38 percent. Still, I think only letting deserving teams in the playoffs should be balanced with the need to involve more teams, fans, and markets. And I think baseball will hit a good mid-point by allowing two wild cards in each league. This year, and I think most years, we can expect the second wild card teams to be pretty solid squads. Right now, those two spots would go to the Braves (57-44) and Angels (55-47).
STEPHEN STRASBURG ON A PITCH COUNT
I said there could be a hangup for the Nationals and here it is. Stephen Strasburg is coming off Tommy John surgery and generally, pitchers coming off that kind of surgery are limited to 160 innings their first year back. I suppose the limit is theoretically the same for Strasburg even though he came back and started five times at the end of last season. Projections have Strasburg reaching that limit around early September. Of course, if Washington wasn't a good team again this year, the choice would be pretty simple -- shut him down for the rest of the season. But the Nationals are contenders and have been one of the best teams in baseball all season. So Washington has a bit of a dilemma. Do the Nationals continue pitching their ace and go for a pennant and World Series title? Do they shut him down completely at 160 and just try to win the rest of the year without him? Do they limit him to say, three innings per start to stretch his usage? Do they start him every 10 games as opposed to every five games? These questions will be answered in a month's time I suppose. Luckily for the Nationals, they are not hovering in the wild card race and desperately need wins. They are comfortably in the front of the division and if they keep up their pace, they might be able to shut him down and still make the playoffs. Their offense has picked up recently, too, so that could help.
SURPRISING CONTENDERS
Nationals: The city of Washington hasn't hosted a playoff series since 1933. The Nationals are 61-40, a half game up on the Yankees for the best record in the majors. Washington hasn't faltered any this season and has basically been in first place in the NL East since the beginning of the season. The Nationals have been boosted all year by a stellar rotation (currently Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Edwin Jackson, Gio Gonzalez, and Ross Detwiler) and have the majors' best team ERA -- 3.25. Bryce Harper is having a great rookie season in center field and third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who played in college at UVa, is starting to heat up offensively after struggling early in the season. After being a doormat for years, it looks like the Nationals are going to see this through and be there at the end of the year. There is one minor hangup for them though and I get to that farther down this page.
Pirates: These guys are perhaps the biggest surprise of all so far. Pittsburgh has been the pits of MLB for several years. The Pirates infamously hold the record for consecutive losing seasons -- 19 -- by a North American sports franchise. It looks like that is going to change this year. The Pirates teased their fans a little last year by being in first place in the NL Central into July but could not maintain their pace and eventually finished below .500. This year's team is taking it to a whole new level. The Pirates are currently 58-43, three games back of the Reds in the NL Central, and hold the first wild card spot in the NL. Andrew McCutchen has been the breakout star for the Pirates. He leads the majors with a .368 batting average.
Orioles: Just a couple weeks ago, it looked the Orioles were done, doomed for another losing season. Baltimore started the year strong but began the month of July just 4-9. Since a win over the Twins on July 18, however, Baltimore has gone 7-5 and may be reviving its season. The Orioles haven't made the playoffs since 1996 and have had a losing season every year since 1997. This year, the O's stand at 53-49, which puts them two games back of the second wild card. The Orioles are led on offense by center fielder Adam Jones, who has had a breakout season.
Athletics: Oakland was left for dead even more so than the Orioles. At least Baltimore started the year strong. The Athletics were a measley 37-42 through June but are 18-4 in July as baseball fans are hailing a return to Moneyball. They are 55-46 and a half-game ahead of the Angels in the AL West and 4.5 games back of Texas. Currently, they do hold the first wild card, but are surrounded by other good teams in that race such as the Angels, Tigers, Rays, and Orioles, not to mention the division leading Rangers, Yankees, and White Sox.
White Sox: The White Sox lost Ozzie Guillen to Miami and have gotten better. They are 55-46, but lead what is the weakest division in baseball, the AL Central. One would have to think they will get a strong challenge from the Tigers, who are just 1.5 games games back, but for now, the White Sox are in first, boosted by a strong offense (sixth in MLB in runs). Also, after an abysmal 2011, Adam Dunn has revived himself and leads the league with 30 home runs.
DISAPPOINTING TEAMS
Phillies: The Phillies might be seeing their run of five consecutive NL East titles coming to an end. They were just swept by the Braves and sit 45-57 in cellar of the division. They are only 11-25 vs. their division this season. The Phillies have been old and injured this season. Roy Halladay is just 4-6 with a 4.33 ERA. The Philadelphia Enquirer is reporting that Philadelphia is in "full sell mode" after getting swept by the Braves. The non-waiver trade deadline is Tuesday.
Marlins: New manager. New digs. New uniforms. New logo and colors. New team philosophy. Even knew team name. But the same old Marlins. It all started with new manager Ozzie Guillen's insensitive remarks regarding Fidel Castro at the beginning of the season and went downhill from there. They've hung around .500 for most of the season but aren't getting the turn around they had hoped for this year after investing in a new ballpark and some high-priced free agents. Heath Bell has been anything but consistent in the closer role. The Marlins are 6-10 in the second half of the year and 47-54 overall, 10 games out of the second wild card spot.
Red Sox: Similar deal to the Marlins. High-priced club has new manager and disappoints (and even a new GM after Theo Epstein left for the Cubs). Like the Marlins with Ozzie Guillen, the new manager for the Red Sox is quite the character -- Bobby Valentine. He got off on the wrong foot with some of the players by criticizing Kevin Youkilis in early April. The Red Sox have been hovering around the .500 mark all season -- and are currently right on it at 52-52 -- but they are going to need to do more to get to a wild card in the AL.
Brewers: Milwaukee went 96-66 last year in winning the AL Central crown. This year, the Brew Crew is just 45-56, fourth in the division, and 12 games back of a wild card. The problem for the Brewers lately has been the bullpen. Milwaukee hasn't been able to hold a lead to save its life. Last night, the Brewers blew two leads to the Nationals, one in the eighth and one in the ninth, in an 11-10, 11-inning loss. Against Philadelphia July 23 to 25, Milwaukee led late in all three games only to lose all three 7-6. Bullpen coach Stan Kyles was fired today. The Brewers will need an incredible finish to make the playoffs. They are just 5-11 in the second half of the year and haven't been above .500 since April 12 when they were 4-3.
EXCELLENT PITCHING
Now we go from the Brewers' awful bullpen to the pitching highlights of this season. And there have certainly been some gems. There have been two one-pitcher no-hitters this season: the Angels' Jered Weaver (May 2) and the Mets' Johan Santana (June 1). Six Seattle Mariners pitchers, starting with Kevin Millwood, combined for a no-hitter June 8. And there have been two perfect games: the White Sox Philip Humber (April 21) and the Giants' Matt Cain (June 13).
TWO WILD CARD SPOTS
As I have noted in the sections about surprisingly good and bad teams, there are two wild card spots in both leagues this season for the first time. I think this is a good thing for baseball. One of the things that has always made MLB a tougher league to succeed in than other pro sports leagues is only four teams made the playoffs in each league in the past. There are 14 teams in the AL, so about 29 percent of the teams made the playoffs. There are 16 teams in the NL, so that number was 25 percent. Compare that to the NBA -- where 53 percent of the teams in each conference make the playoffs -- and even the NFL -- where that number is about 38 percent. Still, I think only letting deserving teams in the playoffs should be balanced with the need to involve more teams, fans, and markets. And I think baseball will hit a good mid-point by allowing two wild cards in each league. This year, and I think most years, we can expect the second wild card teams to be pretty solid squads. Right now, those two spots would go to the Braves (57-44) and Angels (55-47).
STEPHEN STRASBURG ON A PITCH COUNT
I said there could be a hangup for the Nationals and here it is. Stephen Strasburg is coming off Tommy John surgery and generally, pitchers coming off that kind of surgery are limited to 160 innings their first year back. I suppose the limit is theoretically the same for Strasburg even though he came back and started five times at the end of last season. Projections have Strasburg reaching that limit around early September. Of course, if Washington wasn't a good team again this year, the choice would be pretty simple -- shut him down for the rest of the season. But the Nationals are contenders and have been one of the best teams in baseball all season. So Washington has a bit of a dilemma. Do the Nationals continue pitching their ace and go for a pennant and World Series title? Do they shut him down completely at 160 and just try to win the rest of the year without him? Do they limit him to say, three innings per start to stretch his usage? Do they start him every 10 games as opposed to every five games? These questions will be answered in a month's time I suppose. Luckily for the Nationals, they are not hovering in the wild card race and desperately need wins. They are comfortably in the front of the division and if they keep up their pace, they might be able to shut him down and still make the playoffs. Their offense has picked up recently, too, so that could help.
Really not expecting the O's to actually make it, but will be thrilled if they do. Just hoping for Game 82, baby.
ReplyDeleteAs for Strasburg, I've said it before and I'll say it again. Why the hell don't they just shut him down NOW? That way, he'll have enough innings left over that he can go all out in the playoffs and give them a chance to win. Seems like a simple solution to me, but maybe I don't get it.
I think it might just be awkward and weird for a pitcher to get out of his rhythm like that. That is all I can come up with but yeah, it seems like that could make some sense.
ReplyDeleteYeah, but it seems to me like the best of a litany of bad solutions. Tbh, I wish they'd just let the man pitch. He hasn't had a lick of an injury and is absolutely dealing. But I understand why they don't want to.
ReplyDeleteDid you see what the Braves did with Kris Medlen? He was coming off Tommy John just like Strasburg and his innings limit is the same but they made him start the year in the bullpen so he will be fine for the rest of the year. He's 7-1.
ReplyDelete