Ok let’s finish our look at the 1996 league with the NL west.
NL West
W
L
PCT
GB
San Diego
13
3
.813
——
Houston
8
7
.533
4 1/2
Los Angeles
8
8
.500
5
St. Louis
5
11
.313
8
San Diego: 13-3 .813 1st place
The good news : San Diego is hitting .303 AS A TEAM! Kenny Lofton is leading the majors in runs (21) and is 2nd in the NL in stolen bases. Mark McLemore is tied for the NL lead in doubles and Ken Caminiti leads the NL in Homers and the majors in RBI’s Ron Karkovice and Todd Huntley are both hitting .400 or better. Darryl Strawberry is hitting .385 And the pitching staff has a team ERA of 3.29 best in the NL. .
The Bad News: Not much to choose from here but starters John Burkett (2-2 5.93 ERA and 5 HR given up in 27 1/3 innings) and Ariel Prieto (0-0 7.59 ERA WHIP 2.06 and .341 avg against are underperforming dramatically.
Didn’t see that coming: Tony Gwinn hitting .297 is not a big surprise SD having six starters hitting better than him is.
Medical Report: The only thing healthier than San Diego’s batting avg is their health.
Coming Attractions: It’s off to Boston for two and Houston for four before coming home to face Chicago and Atlanta. .
Houston: 8-7 .533 2nd place 4 1/2 games out
The good news : Dante Bitchette has been dynamite .333 4 HR 11 RBI. Biggio has hit .346 and stolen 10 bases in 13 attempts while driving in 13 without going yard.. Otis Nixon has stolen 22 more leading the majors. Houston’s 41 walks allows is the 2nd lowest among major league teams.
The Bad News: While the bullpen has been spectacular the starting pitching has been meh. Tom Glavine is 1-2 with a 5.19 ERA Jamie Navarro is 0-1 with hitter batting .313 against him and a 5.56 ERA and Mike Hamptons start was so bad (0-1 6.48 ERA and .375 avg against he ended up dealt to Baltimore along with Quintin McCracken (.077 avg till he went to Baltimore hitting .333 in the AL) Meanwhile Terry Steinbach is hitting a mere .204 and so is Matt Williams .204 with only 2 HR & 5 RBI.
Didn’t see that coming: Houston relivers Pedro Borbon, Mark Dewey, TJ Matthews , Mike Munoz and Paul Spoljaric in a combined 15 appearances and 24 innings have yet to give up a run..
Medical Report: All quiet on the Injury Front.
Coming Attractions: After a quick trip to NY to face the Yanks for 2 they return for a 9 game homestand with 4 against San Diego, 2 vs Seattle and 3 vs Florida
Los Angeles: 8-8 .500 3rd place 5 GB
The good news : Mike Piazza is hitting .322 with 3 HR and 8 RBI and has scored 11 while throwing out 13 runners. Brian Hunter is batting .359 Jessie Orosco has 3 saves in three chances. Starter Ismael Valdez has a WHIP of 1.02 6th in the league.
The Bad News: Piazza may have caught 13 runners but he’s let 47 steal. Steve Decker has already committed 5 errors at third to go along with his .170 avg. Rafael Bournigal has been not committed an error in the field but is also hitting a mere .169 and Travis Fryman .175 Avg and a .197 OBP runs)
The Meh News: In 13 starts 4 of Houston’s five starters have ERA’s between 4.26 & 4.76.
Didn’t see that coming: While LA’s avg against is the worst in the NL their staff’s 124 K’s in the 2nd best in the majors with three of their starters in the top 10 in K’s of the NL. Travis Fryman’s miniscule batting and OBP avgs has not stopped him from driving in 11 runs so far this season..
Medical Report: All present and accounted for
Coming Attractions: LA has one more to play in Baltimore before they head home for 4 against the Cards, two against the blue Jays and 3 vs the Pirates before an 11 game road trip.
St. Louis: 5-11 .313 4th place 8 GB
The good news : Ray Langford is leading the majors in triples with 3. Julio Franco is leading the NL with a .403 avg, leads the majors in hits (27). Brian Jordan is hitting .303 with 2 HR and 10 RBI. David Cone is is only allowing a .191 batting avg with a 1.12 WHIP and while being 3rd in the league in innings has yet to give up a home run.
The Bad News: The Benes Brothers have been a disappointment on the mound. Andy is 0-2 with a 6.62 ERA and Alan while 1-2 has an ERA of 7.04. Willie McGee has had a horrendous .190 0 HR 1 RBI Tim Rains is even worse hitting only .071 with an OBP of .133 with only a solo HR and RBI to his name. .
Didn’t see that coming: St. Louis has only five home runs in 596 at bats
Medical Report: Mark Langston came out of his first start of the season and will not be back till late July. .
Coming Attractions: St. Louis visits Cleveland for 2 and LA for four before coming home for 3 vs Cincy and then it back on the road for 2 in Boston before hosting Houston for another 4.
The St. Louis Cardinals were up 2-0 in the top of the 9th of game 1 when a graphic came up on the screen saying that the Cardinals had never lost a postseason game when up 2-0 in the ninth. The Phillies ended up scoring 6 runs winning the game and the series.
Yesterday the Astros were up 5-0 going into the 4th when on the screen came a graphic saying the Houston Astros have never lost a postseason game when up by five. The Phillies tied the game by the 5th and won in extra innings.
As Yogi Berra said, “It ain’t over till it’s over”.
As of yesterday Justin Verlander who got a no-decision in yesterday’s game is 0-7 in World Series play and holds the highest ERA of pitchers with more than 30 innings pitched in World Series history.
I find that rather incredible. Verlander is without question a first ballot hall of famer1. He led the league in Wins, ERA WHIP and hits per 9 innings last year With 244 wins he has an actual chance of getting to the 300 win mark and if you watch him pitch over the years the person who most comes to mind in terms of style is Curt Schilling. Throws strikes and strikes out a ton of guys, walks very few but on the down side gives up HR’s and doubles on occasion to guys who can make contact.
Yet Schilling is legendary in World Series 4-1 with two more rings (3) than Verlander (1).
Given the similarity of stuff, style and grit I just can’t see how Verlander and Schilling produce such different results in World Series play.
Of course if Hoston wins this series nobody will be talking about or worrying about Verlander’s series stats except Verlander.
1Subject of course to having acceptable political beliefs in the eyes of the liberal sports media
How DARE Tom Brady decide to honor his contract and all those fans who bought season tickets to watch him play this year! No wonder his wife left him!
Gisele will of course land on her feet. She’s much richer than him and will have no shortage of a choice of rich accomplished men who will want her to choose from.
That she would break up their family over a season of football when Brady had stated that he would be playing through age 45 for years and for which he had a contract to play, is to me a narcissism on a huge scale. Would it really have been that hard to wait three more months?
This goes to show that wealth and fame does not guarantee happiness.
It’s day three of the Musk Era on Twitter and if you want to see the difference in real terms here it is explained in one tweet:
Update Free Twitter:
I've now gained 60,000 followers today since @elonmusk replied to me this morning.
FYI – Elon replied to me two other times in the past and I barely got a follower bounce. So that’s not it.
I’ve never got beyond 3500+ followers myself despite questioning Trump at press conferences and long interviews with Ted Cruz and some serious coverage of presidential campaigns and given that the blog is not of the scale it once was I likely will never reach the numbers other have but I’ve always presumed that was on me.
A lot of people think the return of Donald Trump to Twitter will be the sign that the era of censorship will be done. The moment I’m waiting for is different.
I use tweetdeck and because I follow Stacy McCain so closely I kept a column of his tweets up. On the day he was suspended the error messages: User has been suspended came up.
Stacy had 80,000+ followers at the time and his blog is his primary source of income. This was a direct attack on a conservative with six children’s ability to support his family by a bunch of leftist apparatchiks out to crush dissent and was the herald of what cumulated in the banning of Trump
Rather than remove the @rsmccain column I’ve left it there all those years and every time I open tweetdeck the “User has been suspended” message has come up and it refreshes several times an hour while I’m on the page.
When that column is populated again then I’ll know that free speech has returned to twitter.
The latest in our series of write-ups of the various leagues I am running. If you wish to inquire about future openings (all current spots are filled) contact me via the Dynasty system or leave a request in comments.
This weekend the All Futility 100 loss league West divisions. These results and standings were all current at the time of this writing
American League West
2008 Seattle Mariners 86-65 1st place
With three games to go and a two game lead Seattle has control of their own destiny. Will they be able to hold off the final late surge?
Heroes: Jose Lopez in addition to leading the league in hits & doubles is 4th in batting. Ichrio Suzuki is 3rd in runs and stolen bases and is top ten in the league in hits & triples with 9 OF assists thrown in. Seattle Closer Brandon Morrow is 3rd is saves (25) but more importantly has only blown 5 in 30 chances which makes all the difference.
Zeros: If Starter Miguel Batista had managed better than a 6.26 ERA and a 1.79 WHIP in 21 starts Seattle would already be resting starters for the playoffs. The same goes for Carlos Silva who with 30 starts is just under .500 thanks to a 5.58 ERA a .312 avg against plus almost 50 more hits given up than innings pitched
Wild Cards: There is no better illustration of the difference between getting good defense & run support and not than the contrast between starters Jarrod Washburn & Felix Hernandez both have a .260 avg against but Washburn is 13-7 despite a 4.63 ERA while Hernandez leads the league with a 2.96 ERA but is 10-14 with a full dozen unearned runs scored off him vs only 2 vs Washburn.
Coming Attractions. Seattle heads home to finish their season vs the 1982 Minnesota Twins. If they can win sweep the twins it’s a clinch no matter what.
Injury Report:Erik Bedard who has been out since July will not play again this season but if Seattle hangs on will be recovered in time for the playoffs.
1973 Texas Rangers 83-66 2nd place 2 GB
The Texas comeback from the bottom of the standings to within 2 games (and only one behind in the loss column) with 5 to play is one of the great stories of the season.
Heroes: Jeff Burroughs & Bill Sudakis are 1 & 3 in HR in the AL and in a 4 way tie for the RBI lead going into the final four games. Meanwhile the starting pitching duo of Jim Bibby & Jim Merritt are in a 4 way tie for the lead in wins & are sitting at 2-3 in League ERA. Bibby is also 1st in Avg against while Merritt is 2nd in WHIP.
Zeros:Jim Mason’s .212 avg with 0 HR & 18 RBI in over 200 ab isn’t impressive but if you want to know why Texas is still 2nd look no further than starter David Clyde (6-11 6.16 ERA ) in 25 starts and Charlie Hudson whose 6-4 record and 3.70 ERA in 43 appearance (4 starts) look good but six blown saves vs 7 converted saves is the difference between being 2 behind in the loss column and 0.
Wild Card: Texas has feasted off of AL East teams a full 20 games over .500 against them but they have not been so successful against left handed pitchers against whom their record is just below .500.
Coming Attractions: Texas Season is going to come down to their final two home games vs the 2005 Kansas City Royals and then a trip to Tampa Bay to finish their season with 3 games against the big bats of the 2002 Devil Rays.
Injury Report: Texas makes its dash with nobody on the DL but with a pitching staff desperately in need of a rest particularly Sonny Siebert.
1982 Minnesota Twins 79-72 3rd place 7 GB ELIMINATED
When last we left the Twins they were battling Seattle neck and neck, however a late 4-6 run has been just enough to put them five to go a single game too far back.
Heroes: There may be recriminations in Minnesota over their finish but Kent Hrbek Certainly did his part .343 (3rd) with 36 HR (6th) and 128 RBI’s (2nd) plus top 7 in Triples, Hits, Runs OBP, Slugging and OPS. On the Mound Robert Castillo is 1st in WHIP, tied for the league lead in wins 6th in ERA 3rd in Innings pitched 5th in strikeouts and 2nd in best avg against (.242) And Ron Davis’ 28 Saves vs 3 blows is pretty solid.
Zeros:Frank Viola may have a great future but his 7-11 record with a .325 avg against and 5.45 ERA is a big reason why Minnesota is eliminated today. It also doesn’t help that Terry Felton (5 saves in 9 chances) and Jeff Little (4 saves in 8 chances) couldn’t do the job when Davis wasn’t available.
Wild Cards: Nobody closed out games like Minnesota. They were 1st in the majors in saves while tied for the fewest blown saves in the AL. Unfortunately it’s a little tough to get to that save situation when you lead the league in both walks and Home Runs allowed.
Coming Attractions: Minnesota might be out of it but with their season finishing in Seattle against the 1st place 2008 Mariners they hold the destiny of the division in their hands.
2005 Kansas City Royals 76-73 4th place 8 GB ELIMINATED
Kansas City is playing for pride. One win secures at least a .500 record and they are but a single game behind Minnesota in the loss column. Can they manage to get out of the cellar in their final five games?
Heroes:David DeJesusis currently tied for the AL lead in doubles 4th in triples 10th in OBP & 7th in walks. Matt Stairs is 2nd in OBP 4th in Slugging and only injuries kept him out of bigger categories and Mike Sweeny’s .309 avg 33 HR & 122 RBI’s are nothing to sneeze at. Andy Sisco in 51 games out of the pen went 8-2 with 3 saves in as many chances & a 2.85 ERA
Zeros: Practically the entire Royals starting rotation can quality with only one starter managing an ERA under 5 but the worst offenders of the lot have to be Runelvys Hernandez (3-15 6.72 ERA .321 avg against & over 50 more hits than innings in 32 starts) and Jose Lima (8-12 7.03 ERA .315 avg against in 26 starts)
Wild Card: It certainly wasn’t offense that put Kansas City in last. They led the league in Runs, doubles, RBI’s OBP and OPS and led the majors in Avg and Slugging. However while they hit .290 as a team they also allowed their opponent to hit .290 against and converted the fewest saves in the AL while being near the bottom of almost every AL pitching category.
Coming Attractions: Kansas City’s offense will have a chance to decide how the division finishes as they play a pair in Texas against the 1973 Rangers before closing out their season against the AL East champion Chicago White Sox.
Injury report: The good news for KC is all of their potent bats are available for the close of the season, the good news for their opponents is so is all their pitching.
National League West
2012 Houston Astros 77-74 1st place
Houston won their two biggest games of the season sweeping Arizona for a pair giving them a 2 game lead with three to play. But with both San Diego and Arizona still alive with 3 to go they’ll have to go all out to guarantee a playdate against the 100 win Nationals.
Heroes: You won’t find a lot of Astros on the various leader boards but one is Wilson Lopezwhose 16 saves are 2nd in the league. Another is Scott Moore whose .327 avg is 2nd in the league But Justin Maxwell’s 32 HR and steady pitching from folks like starter Jordan Lyles (14-8 1 sv 3.93 ERA 1.32 WHIP) and reliever Fernando Rodriguez (10-4 3.85 ERA in relief) played their part.
Zeros: If Xavier Cedeno (52 games 1 start 4-3 2 saves in 8 chances 5.58 ERA) .292 avg vs) Fernando Abad (33 games 6 starts 3-8 1 save in 4 chances 6.64 ERA .323 avg vs) & Rhiner Cruz (43 games 3 starts 3-5 0 saves in 2 chances .7.76 ERA .327 avg vs) had been even slightly better the NL West would be sown up today.
Wild Cards: Despite a -58 run differential (No team with a record better than 25 games under .500 has worse) and the worst fielding percentage in the majors (.977) the 2nd most blown saves in the NL and more of their batters striking on than on any other team they are two wins from a division title. Perhaps being 2nd in HR & RBI, in the NL have something to do with it.
Coming Attractions: It all comes down to a three games series in Milwaukee vs the 2002 Brewers. Win two and Houston punches their ticket to a series vs the Nationals.
Injury Report: Fortunately for Houston all three zeros on their list Fernando Abad, Rhiner Cruz and Xavier Cedeno are out till next year along with Buck Travis are out for the season and playoffs although there is a Tiny chance that Cedeno could be well enough to play before the end of the World Series. Francisco Cordero won’t be available vs Milwaukee but if Houston makes the Playoffs he might be able to be activated late in the Washington series if another Astro is injured.
2004 Arizona Diamondbacks 75-76 2nd 2 GB
Arizona managed to climb all the way from last to a tie for first with five games to go only to lose 2 straight to Houston. Can they pull off one final miracle in their last series?
Heroes: The question isn’t if Randy Johnson will win the NL CY Young. With the exception of Home Runs per 9 Innings (4th in majors 2nd in NL) and Innings Pitched (1st in NL 2nd in Majors likely to be 1st soon) he leads leads the majors in every non relieving pitching Category and by a lot. His 1.88 ERA is a full run better than the #2 his 335 K’s is 85 better than the 2nd best and he’s hte only pitcher with a WHIP under 1.00 (0.80) the question is does he win MVP too? Luis Gonzalez Brandon Webb and reliever Mike Koplove did their part but Johnson is the best in the majors period!
Zeros: To say that reliever Randy Choate (58 gm 3-10 1 sv in 3 chances) and starter Edgar Gonzalez (12 starts in 13 games 3-7 6.36 ERA .301 avg against 11 HR in 58 innings) have been bad is true but Casey Fossum line of 29 starts, .337 avg against 8.38 ERA 1.82 WHIP and a 5-13 record takes the cake. If they had collectively been 2 games better over their 41 starts and 59 relief appearances the Diamondbacks would control their own destiny.
Wild Card: If Arizona makes the playoffs Randy Johnson is the wildest card there is capable of beating any team at any time. Arizona as been a doubles machine leading the majors and it’s a good thing too because their 13 steal attempts (10 sb) are the fewest in the NL. On the mound they lead the majors in ERA (3.97) WHIP (1.33) avg against (.246) K’s (1259) fewest Runs & Earned runs (674/600) fewest hits (1282) and lead the NL in completed games. One guess why.
Coming Attractions: It comes down to a 3 game series vs the 1973 San Diego Padres. at home. Johnson will pitch once so it will come down to if the remainder of the staff can come through. Two wins forces Houston to win one. 3 forces them to win two
Injury Report:Danny Bautista will not be available for the SD series but if the team makes the playoff he’ll be recovered sufficiently to make the roster.
1973 San Diego Padres 74-77 3rd place 3 GB
It’s a credit to the relevancy of this Padres team that with a single series to play they are still in the playoff hunt but they not only need Houston to be swept they will need to beat Randy Johnson. Can they do it?
Heroes:Willie McCovery still has an excellent batters eye leading the league in walks and OBP. while hitting a solid .298 with 25 HR & 99 RBI. Young Dave Winfield has been a liability in the field (10 OF errors) & doesn’t have McCovey’s patience at the plate (31 BB vs 139K’s) but with 25 HR & 105 RBI he’ll do. On the Mound Dan Spillner has been the best of a good rotation 11-8 with a 3.78 ERA and a save in his only chance.
Zeros: Of all the teams I’ve written this is the hardest to pick out zeros because while many have performed below avg, no regulars stats have been horrible, but it’s fair to say that while their numbers aren’t horrible the inability of Padres relievers to convert saves like Bill Laxton (7 of 12 ) Lowell Palmer (4 of 8) and Mike Corkins (6 of 10) are a big reason why SD is a game away from elimination.
Wild Cards: No team has a more consistent set of starters 1-4. Spillner, Randy Jones (.261 avg 4.52 ERA) Dave Freisleben 4.72 ERA, and Bill Grief (4.91 ERA) have consistently kept SD in games. If only their manager’s health has been as consistent as their rotation.
Coming Attractions: It all comes down to the final three games against the 2004 Arizona Diamondbacks. One loss (or one Houston win) and they’re done.
Injury Report: San Diego goes into their final Do or die series with all hands healthy and on deck.
2002 Milwaukee Brewers 61-90 4th place 16 GB Eliminated
It’s been a disappointing season for Milwaukee which started strong but now could finish with the worst record in the majors. However they will play the deciding series for their division.
Heroes:Eric Young has been a runs machine scoring 104 while stealing 56 bases (3rd in the league) Despite 200 k’s Jose Hernandez 32 HR (4th in the league) & 94 runs makes him feared but not as feared as Rickie Sexton whose 25 HR 53 doubles (2nd in league) 112 RBI’s and 90 runs scored means he’s a danger both at the plate and when he’s on base.
Zeros:Ruben Quevedo’s 3-18 record in 34 starts is well earned with a 7.14 ERA a .291 avg against and a WHIP of 1.67. Nick Neugebauer 2-11 record .279 avg against 6.84 ERA & 1.86 ERA is only better because he’s had just 18 starts to do it. At the plate Ronnie Belliard at .218 2 HR 24 RBI & only 23 runs & a .281 OBP inspires little fear for a 3rd baseman.
Wild Cards: Milwaukee has earned their place in the league. They have the worst batting avg in the majors and the fewest hits which is trouble. Perhaps if they were on base more they’d be a tad more careful as they also lead the majors in being caught stealing. However in the field they don’t make such mistakes their fielding percentage of .985 leads the NL but it’s not enough to overcome NL’s worst ERA (5.07).
Coming Attractions: Milwaukee final three games at home will not only decide if they finish with the worst record in the majors but will also decide the fate of the NL West as they finish against the 2012 Houston Astros who need w wins to clinch without help.
Injury Report: Geoff Jenkins, Valerio de los Santos and Mike Matthews will all miss the final series of the season. Slugger Matt Stairs just might be healthy in time to play in the last game of the year
The weekly update of the various Dynasty Leagues that I run. This week Division C in the All Time Any Time Great Teams League. (Note this post was written before the results of Saturday’s games were complete). All individual stats were current at the time of writing.
American League
1924 Washington Senators 29-25 1st
The fight for the top of the AL “C” Division has been an up and down affair Washington has lost 5 of it’s last 6 but still clings to a half game lead pending one series for their Rival Kansas City can their hitting and pitching come together to keep the lead?
Heroes: Walter JohnsonContinues to impress after a slow start currently 3rd in ERA tied for 1st in wins and innings pitched, with the best batting avg against (.201) & 2nd best WHIP 1.09 in the league. Sam Rice has also bounced back leading the league in triples 4th in hits and 5th in batting
Zeros: While he’s been phenomenal behind the plate (.993 FPCT 5.57 Ranger factor) Muddy Ruelhas been a disaster as the #2 hitter with a .204 avg and only 13 RBI in 186 ab and that’s with Sam Rice hitting ahead of him. Joe Martinahas been getting a little more work but that’s added up to an 0-2 record with a blown save in his only chance a 6.67 ERA and seven round trips allowed in only 28 1/3 Innings
Wild cards: Like last year the Senators are dead last in the majors in homers (16) but are 1st in triples with 35. They are also almost impossible to steal against with an .833 caught stealing avg with only Toronto’s Ricky Henderson managing to swipe a base (while being caught twice) against them. The Senators are the only team in the majors with a winning record AND a negative run differential (-3).
Coming Attractions: The Senators finish their 12 game road trip in the division with 3 at the 2002 Anaheim Angels and then fly into the Bronx to take on the red hot 2009 New York Yankees before starting June with a brief 3 game home stand vs the 1998 Oakland A’s
Injury Report: Washington remains one of the least injured teams in the majors with a clean bill of health and with only 24 men on the roster that’s critical.
2015 Kansas City Royals 27-24 2nd place 1/2 game out
A dip from the best record in the league during a Washington winning streak was followed by a 7-3 surge while Washington went 4-6. This has them on the brink of 1st again and a game up for the last wild card. Will Kansas City ride that see-saw all season or can they break away from an increasingly crowded AL C pack?
Heroes: Lorenzo Cainis not only 2nd in runs in the league and 1st in triples on the team but it’s Ben Zobrist (.312 avg 13 HR 43 RBI) & Kendrys Morales. While the bullpen is strong Johnny Cueto(7-1 2.93 ERA 6 GG in 12 starts) is the ace that makes it easy for them
Zeros: While the bullpen overall is strong Madison Ryan has been a disappointment 2-2 5.40 ERA and most importantly 4 blown saves in four chances. Of course the starting pitching must take some blameEdinson Volquez (1-7 5.43 ERA) Danny Duffy (5-4 7.28 ERA .332 avg against) and Jeremy Guthrie1-2 8.65 ERA .353 Avg against) make the pens job much harder.
Wild Cards: Only Toronto has stolen more bases in the AL than KC (30) and only Texas and the Senators have more hits but nobody AL team out homers them. But their .143 Caught stealing rate is one of the worst in the league.
Coming Attractions: A critical 3 game home series with the 1954 Cleveland Indians will determine if they will hold 1st place and it gets no easier with 3 as the 2010 Texas Rangers come to down with division rival 2002 Angels to follow.
Injury Report: KC remains healthy and they’ll need it with those two big series coming
2009 New York Yankees 27-27 3rd 2 GB
The Yanks 8-2 run including winning their last 5 straight (including a sweep of their arch rival Red Sox) has put them at .500 and right back in the race. Can this run continue or will it run out of breath as it reaches the pack in front?
Heroes: C.C. Sabathiahas been a monster and a half leading the league in WHIP (1.05) 2nd in wins (7-2) and 4th in ERA (2.63). Meanwhile Robinson Cano.317 Avg 7 HR 32 RBI is leading the league in runs and 2nd in hits. Oh and Mark Teixeria .296 17 HR (2nd) 49 RBI (4th) impresses too
Zeros: Nobody can call Brian Bruney lazy with 22 appearances in 54 games but with an 0-1 record 8.49 era and a blown save in his only chance, you can’t call him good either. Meanwhile A. J Burnett’sstarts have not quite been an exercise in futility but with a 4-6 record 6.63 ERA and an .302 avg against, it’s pretty close to one. Meanwhile Mariano Rivera has blown a full third of his save chances
Wild Cards: The Yanks are right now 2nd in runs and HR in the AL but their 4.71 ERA is the worst of any team not under .500 in the majors and are having trouble finishing games with the most blown saves in the majors (11) in 21 chances with Mariano Rivera leading the AL in saves (10) and the majors in blown saves (5)
Coming Attractions: The Yanks end a 30 game homestand with 3 vs the 1968 Detroit Tigers, 3 vs the 1st place 1924 Washington Senators and 3 vs the 2015 Kansas City Royals before they set off for a 9 city Jaunt to almost every city in the league.
Injury Report: Catcher Jose Molina has missed the whole month of May with injuries and is expect to miss the whole month of June as well which means a lot more work for everyone else behind the plate.
Anaheim Angels 18-33 4th place 9 1/2 GB
The Angels woes were compounded by a 10 game winning streak but they’ve won their last 3 series including a set against the formidable 2016 Cubs. Has the worm finally turned for the struggling halos?
Heroes: Garret Andersonhas been a bright spot on a bad season leading the league in double while leading the Angels in RBI’s (45) and knocking 7 HR over the fence and 4th in ERA (2.63). Donnelly Brendan has done fine work out of the pen with a 5-2 record a 2.31 ERA and a .218 avg against. in 19 appearances
Zeros: Alas the agony of choice remains. Kevin Appier (3-8 6.50 ERA .281 avg against ) andJon Lackey( 1-5 7.39 ERA .362 avg) have actually improved their lines since last time but not enough to get off the list. Nor has Ben Molina whose line of .184 1 HR & 7 RBI is better but still horrible.
Wild Cards: With the worst ERA in the AL (5.08) and the 2nd worst batting avg in the AL The Angels don’t take a lot of leads into the 9th but when their .900 save conversion percentage all via Troy Percival which is odd given his 6.11 ERA. The question is can Anaheim’s new manager get them to that 9th with a lead?
Coming Attractions: The Angels get a chance to continue their series winning streak vs the 1968 Detroit Tigers and the 1924 Washington Senators before hitting the road to face the 2015 Kansas Royals.
Injury Report: Kevin Appier and Darin Erstad will both be sidelined for the Detroit series but will make it before the Senators leave town, however reliever Dennis Cook likely won’t be available till the last game in Kansas city.
National League
2016 Chicago Cubs 36-18 1st
Chicago has not only broken their tie with San Francisco for sole possession of 1st place in Division C but holds the best record in the majors and the largest lead of any division leader and the formula has been solid pitching. Can the staff hold the line as the weather get warmer?
Heroes: With a team ERA of 2.85 the choices are wide. There is Aroldis Chapman with a league leading 13 saves & a 3-0 record. John Lester (6-1 2.05 ERA over 12 starts ) and Hard Luck Jake Arrieta (5-6 2.16 ERA .136 avg against and anemic 0.82 WHIP in 12 starts) who are 2-3 in league ERA.
Zeros: On a team with a TEAM avg of .241 Javier Baez line of .220 1 HR & 19 RBI isn’t scaring anyone. On almost any other team Kyle Hendricks 5-5 record .233 avg against & 4.08 ERA would be avg but on a team with a TEAM avg against of .194 & 2.85 it stinks.
Wild Cards: Despite having NO player in double digits in HR the Cubs are thriving in Wrigley with the best home record in baseball (24-6) and while the team’s offense is anemic they are 14-5 against left handers this season. Of course giving up the 2nd fewest HR in the league (39) helps a lot.
Coming Attractions: It’s on the road to Houston to face the 2005 Astros then to the west coast vs the 1962 San Francisco Giants, before stopping home just long enough for 3 with the 1975 Cincinnati Big Red(s) Machine.
Injury Report: All present and accounted for. It will be interesting to see how the pitching holds up if that changes.
1962 San Francisco Giants 30-24 2nd place 6 GB
In any other NL division the Giants Record would have them either tired for 1st or just 1/2 game out. But with the Cubs pitching shutting everyone down the Giants will have to play even better if they want to avoid a one game wildcard playoff.
Heroes: It will surprise nobody that Willie Mays 46 runs 2nd in NL is coupled with 13 HR 42 RBI and perfect defense but Willie McCovey’s 47 RBI’s (3rd vs Mays 8th) 15 HR (4th vs Mays 7th comes with a .390 avg that would lead the league if he wasn’t 12 plate appearances short to qualify.
Zeros: Jose Pagan’s .190 avg 1 HR & 14 RBI with only 18 runs scored in 66 more at bats than McCovey is nasty but not as nasty as the Giants Bullpen who with the exception of Stu Miller has been horrible. Mike McCormick (5.35 ERA .304 avg against 1-2 1 sv) Don Larson ( 7.20 ERA .333 avg against 1-0 2 BS ) Gaylord Perry ( 7.31 ERA .319 avg against 1-3 1.84 WHIP) and Bobby Bolin (10.40 ERA .393 avg against 2-3 2.31 WHIP) are the primary reason why the Giants are back in the pack.
Wild Cards: The Giants team ERA is 4.59 but their 1-4 starters all with 11 or more starts hold ERA’s of 2.78, 3.55, 3.77 & 3.86. It’s a good thing too because the Giants +6 Run differential is the smallest of any NL team with a winning record.
Coming Attractions: The Giants have nine at more before a long 27 game road trip welcoming the 1957 Milwaukee Braves, then the 2016 Chicago Cubs and finally the 2008 Phillies before hitting the road in June.
Injury Report: Reliever / spot starter Gaylord Perry won’t be available till the final game vs the division leading Cubs. Given how he’s pitched that won’t hurt much.
2008 Philadelphia Phillies 24-33 3rd place 13 1/2 GB
A month ago the Phillies were right in the NL C mix now they find themselves 9 games below .500, with a new manager and struggling to get back in the mix in a tough decision. Is this drop a crash or just on a blip in the road back to contention.
Heroes: Ryan Howard‘s 22 Homers leads the majors and his 47 RBI’s are good enough a tie with SF’s Willie McCovey’s for 4th in the NL On a team with a weak bullpen J.C. Romero has appeared in half of Phillies games only allowing a .209 avg & a 1.09 WHIP. Although Brad Lidge has blown 4 his 8 saves are 3rd in the league
Zeros:Rudy Seanez has worked in even more games than JC but without the success with a 5.89 ERA, a 2-4 record and only one save in 4 chances Pat Burrell’s .189 avg 7 HR 19 RBI aren’t going to get the Phillies where they need to be. Chris Coste’s .234 avg 7 HR & 25 RBI is better than Burrell but when you’re a catcher & gun down only 8 of 87 people trying to steal that’s a recipe for disaster.
Wild Cards: Philly’s batters are the easiest K’s in the league whiffing 453 times so far this season but when they connect the ball travels far, their 80 Home Runs lead the majors and while their pitching has been terrible their team ERA of 4.99 is 2nd worst in the NL, when the ball is hit to their players they make the play, their fielding percentage of .989 is 2nd in the NL But it’s lefites (7-14) and road games (6-15) that are most hazardus to their record.
Coming Attractions: Philadelphia finishes their homestand with 3 vs the 2005 Houston Astros before going on the road for a bit starting in San Francisco to face the 1962 Giants before heading to Cincinnati to face the 1975 Reds run by the Phillies former skipper.
Injury Report: All hands are on deck and healthy.
2005 Houston Astros 22-32 4th place 14 GB
With the top of the division surging Houston’s needs to make a move soon before the Giants and Cubs get too far to catch, can their good pitching make the difference?
Heroes: Roger Clemens leads the majors in ERA. In the NL he’s is 2nd in Innings & wins, 3rd in batting avg against and 6th in K’s. Meanwhile out of the pen Dan Wheeler’s has done his job with a 2.13 ERA a .198 avg against and a WHIP even better than Clemens 1.00 at .067.
Zeros: Despite their record the starting rotation has put up good numbers been fine with two exceptions Wandy Rodriguez 6.14 ERA .313 avg against with a 1.88 WHIP means no trouble at the plate. Andy Pettitte isn’t doing much better with a 5.14 ERA a dozen homers given up and a 2-8 record to go with it Unfortunately they aren’t facing any Houston batters Adam Everett has been the worst of the lot a .187 avg 2 HR & 6 RBI.
Wild Cards: With a 3.81 ERA (3rd in NL) and a .990 fielding PCT (1st in NL ) you would think Houston would be right in the thick of things. But add in a .230 batting avg , .301 OBP & .347 slugging pct .648 P{S (all worst in the majors) coupled with only 36 HR (worst in the NL) and you get a last place team 14-22 on the road and & 5-11 vs lefties.
Coming Attractions: Houston takes a shot against the even better pitching of the 2016 Chicago Cubs who come to town finishing their homestand. Then it’s off on the road first to Philly to take on the 2008 Phillies and then to Brooklyn to take on the 1955 Dodgers.
Injury Report: There might be reason for the Astros lack of punch, but injury isn’t one of them.
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