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At the one quarter point, I offered a brief synopsis on each of the 30 MLB teams. Today, I will do the same. My comments at the 40 game point will remain in black while my All-Star break remarks will be in blue. All won-loss records and division ranks are as of the morning of Friday, July 8, 2011.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
AL East
Tampa Bay Rays (25-19) – After losing Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, and Matt Garza to free agency, they did not “rebuild”. They “reloaded”.
(49-39, 3rd place) They're still in a three way dogfight and probably will be until September. If Evan Longoria can regain more of his pre-foot-injury form, perhaps they can gain an inch or two in this race of inches. If Matt Joyce can keep stepping his game up, Longoria may be able to afford to pace himself instead of press himself.
New York Yankees (23-19) – First rate payroll…second place record…third rate starting pitcher consistency.
(51-35, 2nd place) They are still in second place as of Friday morning, but that could have changed multiple times over the weekend. Now that Derek Jeter has recorded his 3,000th hit, plus several more, the pressure is back on the Yankees, as a team, to regain first place footing in the division race.
Boston Red Sox (23-20) – I suppose they decided it was unfair that they were anointed AL East champs before the season started and dug themselves into an 0-6 hole to give the team a real challenge. They have won 6 straight. I would say they are up to the challenge.
(52-35, 1st place) The Red Sox appear to be the strongest of the three team battle royale of the Yankees, Rays, and themselves. Still, the season is L..O..N..G and the recent injuries to Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz could be a crippling blow to the starting pitching rotation, in a race with little margin for error or injuries. That said, at the rate of which the Sox are smacking the ball all over every park everywhere, the muscular injuries to Lester and Buchholz may be minor speed bumps.
Toronto Blue Jays (22-21) – Once again, they aren’t that bad. They aren’t that good either. How much longer before Triple Crown candidate Jose Bautista asks for a trade?
(42-47, 4th place) Stick a fork in 'em. They're done.
Baltimore Orioles (19-23) – They got off to a great start. They won’t suck as much as they usually have and that is a moral victory for manager Buck Showalter in 2011.
(36-49, 5th place) The Orioles are the most competitive cellar dweller in the majors. It is of little consolation as they are still in last place.
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| Derek Jeter is on the cusp of history. 2 |
AL Central
Cleveland Indians (26-15) – Best record in the majors...biggest surprise in the majors... among the lowest attendance in the majors.
(47-39, 1st place) The Tribe is still in first place in the division, but the cream of the AL East has risen to the top of the league. Asdrubal Cabrera is making his case for AL MVP. Attendance: still in the crapper, selling less than half of the seats in Progressive Field this season.
Detroit Tigers (22-21) – If Jim Leyland stops smoking, will Miguel Cabrera stop drinking? Good starting pitchers…underachieving bats…undesirable bullpen.
(47-42, 2nd place) Justin Verlander is an inning eating, batter killing monster, a monster helping to keep the Tigers within striking distance of the AL Central lead.
Kansas City Royals (21-22) – That Kansas City has lost 7 of their last 10 and is just one game below .500 is cause for celebration, unless you’re Vin Mazzaro.
(36-52, 5th place) ♫ Back to life! Back to re-al-i-ty! ♪♪
Chicago White Sox (20-25) – I don’t know what is more disappointing, that the White Sox are playing so badly or that Ozzie Guillen hasn’t give us a vault of soundbites expressing that disappointment.
(43-46, 3rd place) At nearly a million dollars per home run, do you think they over-reached for Adam Dunn? This team's execution is consistently inconsistent, but if manager Ozzie Guillen can help they guys bring everything together and go on a second half run, the Sox could make the division race very interesting.
Minnesota Twins (15-27) – Minnesota will not be successfully defending its back to back American League Central Division titles.
(39-47, 4th place) The Twins may have come back from the dead. Their 15-2 run (before their 6 game losing streak, followed by a 7-2 run) has breathed life into a team that was circling the drain in May.
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| NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND! 3 |
AL West
Texas Rangers (23-21) – Making an impressive push to repeat as division champs, the first step to repeating as American League champions.
(48-41, 1st place) Josh Hamilton is back and the Rangers are still in first, for now (as of Friday morning).
Oakland Athletics (22-22) – They have a shot at a return to the playoffs this year. They’d have a better shot if they swung the bats like bats and not garden hoses.
(39-50, 4th place) See my remarks on the Kansas City Royals.
Los Angeles Angels (22-23) – The Angels no longer have the vice grip on the division that they used to, but that doesn’t mean they can’t return to the top. Not having Kendrys Morales at all, this season, is going to make that task more difficult, though.
(47-42, 2nd place) The Halos are red hot and breathing fire on the backs of the first place Rangers. If they can get a power surge in their lineup from the likes of Torii Hunter, there could be yet another epic division battle shaping up in the majors this season.
Seattle Mariners (19-24) – No wonder Ken Griffey, Jr. fell asleep on this team….
(43-45, 3rd place) Like the Twins, this team has suddenly come to life. If the M's could just start hitting the ball...at all...they could be a legitimate threat to reach the playoffs for the first time since their record breaking 2001 season. If hitting great Ichiro Suzuki could fully regain his form, perhaps it could be the push that the Mariners need to get ahead, as they are at or near dead last in nearly every major team hitting category.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
NL East
Philadelphia Phillies (26-17) – I would say, “Why not just stop the season and hand them the National League pennant now?” but I said that last year and, well, that’s why they PLAY the GAMES!
(55-33, 1st place, best record in MLB) No team is bulletproof, but the Phillies could fool quite a few people into thinking so.
Florida Marlins (24-18) – Josh Johnson would win the Cy Young if the season were only 40 games long. The Marlins have an excellent opportunity to return to the playoffs for the first time since winning the World Series in 2003.
(40-48, 5th place) Losing 17 of 18 and the manager, Edwin Rodriguez, would have been enough adversity to sink the 1927 Yankees like the Titanic.
Atlanta Braves (25-21) – The tomahawk chops on! Bobby Cox may be retired, but the Braves remain competitive. Jair Jurrjens could challenge for the National League Cy Young.
(53-36, 2nd place) The Braves are hot on the Phillies' trail. Jair Jurrjens is one of two front runners for the Cy Young (Roy Halladay, Phillies) and is a big cog in the Braves pitching machine.
New York Mets (21-22) – The Mets are a hot mess, but their record is surprisingly not vomit-inducing…yet.
(45-43, 3rd place) The Mets got a little hot, but cooled off again. A 2011 playoff run in a major longshot, but they have a change to have a respectable, winning third place record, giving Jose Reyes a reason to think about remaining in New York after the season.
Washington Nationals (20-23) – The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. This perennial laughing stock may be in the cellar, but they a re much more competitive than in years past. When cannon-armed starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg comes back next year, watch out!
(45-44, 4th place) In spite of the sudden resignation of manager Jim Riggleman, the Nats are playing very good baseball and have a real change to earn the first winning season for the team in Washington, D.C.
NL Central
St. Louis Cardinals (26-19) – If you’d have told me 35 year old Lance Berkman would be in the running for the National League Triple Crown before the season started, I’d be looking for the Candid Camera.
(47-42, 1st place - tie) It's a good thing Albert Pujols recovered from his wrist injury ahead of schedule, because the division race is so tight that the top four teams in this division are already at the "every game counts" point of the season.
Cincinnati Reds (25-19) – The Reds key batters are as strong as last year, setting the defending National League Central Division champs up for a dogfight with the Cardinals this season.
(44-45, 4th place) Pitching trumps hitting. The pitching talent is there, but it isn't translating on to the field. It had better do so soon, for the Reds' sake.
Milwaukee Brewers (21-23) – The best position players…not some of the best pitchers. Enjoy Prince Fielder while you have him because it wouldn’t surprise me to see him join fellow big bellied Brewer turned Yankee C.C. Sabathia in pinstripes after this season.
(47-42, 1st place - tie) Prince is on a mission to go out with a bang. The pitching staff has not been spectacular, but they have put up a lot of innings of work and kept games close enough to give the Brew Crew's bats a chance to carry the team every night.
Pittsburgh Pirates (20-23) – Gimme a light! “Suck Lite”! Just because they’ve improved doesn’t mean they’re relevant.
(45-42, 3rd place) This is more than three sentences, but is worth stating. If you are reading this and have been in a coma since April, you may want to have someone in the room with you. You may faint from shock and need someone to pick you up off of the floor after reading the following. Halfway through the season, the Pittsburgh Pirates are one game out of first place.
That is not a typographic error. This is not a late April Fools joke. There is no candid camera. At the weekend before the All Star break, THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES ARE ONE GAME OUT OF FIRST PLACE. Last playoff appearance: 1992. There is an entire generation on Pittsburgh residents who have never seen their baseball team in the postseason and, frankly, there has never been much hope after the All Star break since '92. Are times a-changin'?
Chicago Cubs (19-23) – 1908 was a long time ago. Cubs fans will continue to think that in the coming offseason.
(36-53, 5th place) They could save payroll money on pitchers and just set the ball on a tee for their opponents. Same difference....
Houston Astros (15-29) – Owner Drayton McLane could have sold the club after its World Series appearance in 2005 and made a lot more money if he planned on doing nothing afterwards.
(30-59, 6th place) The Astros are my favorite MLB team. I sure can pick 'em, eh?
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| Brewers fans will be really sad when they don't have the big fella to poke fun at anymore. 4 |
NL West
San Francisco Giants (24-19) – Lights out pitching can always compensate for anemic batting. The Giants are making a solid bid for a second straight National League pennant.
(50-39, 1st place) This team is going to continue to look over its shoulder in the NL Central race if its bats do not pick up soon.
Colorado Rockies (23-19) – Every year this team looks solid. Last year, they sputtered late. Can they make it back to the playoffs after a 2010 absence?
(41-47, 3rd place) They are fading fast. It is one thing to give up a lot of runs in the most hitter-friendly park in the majors. It is another when your bullpen gets called into action too soon, too often. The Rockies are guilty of both.
Arizona Diamondbacks (20-23) – Yawn....
(48-41, 2nd place) Open mouth...insert foot.
Los Angeles Dodgers (20-25) – Divorce really hurts everyone: the players who don’t know if their paychecks will clear or bounce, the Dodgers fans of Los Angeles, the Giants fan who got the crap beaten out of himself by frustrated Dodgers fans, and said Dodgers fans whom the LAPD identified and will soon be spending quality time behind bars.
(38-51, 5th place) At least Frank McCourt hasn't consulted O.J.Simpson Divorce Settlement Solutions.
San Diego Padres (19-25) – Last year the Padres made a strong run on a skeleton payroll to come within one game of reaching the playoffs. ♫ Back to life! Back to re-al-i-ty! ♪♪
(40-49, 4th place) Good news: The Padres pay their bills. Bad news: They are getting exactly what they are paying for this year.
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| As tempted as Frank McCourt could have been, I doubt he would go through with the OJ plan. 5 |
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1) Image from sportslogos.net; the Major League Baseball logo is a trademark of Major League Baseball.
2) Image from nydailynews.com
3) Image from image from christyvault.com
4) Image from stuffandthingsblog.wordpress.com
5) Image from terezowens.com
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