Is it just me or have there been an awful lot more two-game series than normal this year? All in all, it seems there has been quite a bit more scrutiny about the scheduling than usual. If you're looking for somebody to point a finger at, then take aim at Katy Feeney, a senior vice president for Major League Baseball who is in charge of the scheduling puzzle.
In terms of the rankings, the Mets hold on to their top slot and the Red Sox are still in second. The Braves and Brewers continue to march their way toward the top with impressive starts, while the Royals and Nationals look like they're going to be in a season-long battle for the numero treinta.
In other news "Manny Being Manny" is just another way of describing the constant comedy of Ramirez' play in the outfield; Alex Rodriguez might join the 600-homerun club this year; Torii Hunter could potentially be suspended for three years for a fairly minor rule violation; and both Mark Prior and Kerry Wood are injured, although that should go without saying.
Rank (Pv)
Team
Record
Comments
1 (1)
13-7
The Mets aren't just winning, they're destroying their opponents. They've given up only 69 runs (tied for 2nd best) and have scored 116 runs (2nd best), good for a run differential of +47. The next highest is +25 for the Padres.
2 (2)
12-7
Manny Ramirez might be the most entertaining player in the game today. He's one of the best pure hitters we've ever seen and his antics in leftfield are monumental. Who can forget the diving cut-off of Damon's throw from center, or last year's flailing flip to Coco Crisp instead of tossing the ball into the infield on his own. And now, this year, his nine bounce groundball from leftfield into shallow center.
3 (5)
13-7
The Dodgers are tied for the best record in baseball and their average attendance of 47,632 is tops as well, up about 1,000 per game over last season. It looks like the all-you-can-eat buffet is doing it's job.
4 (7)
13-7
Hard to believe, but Larry Wayne Jones (better known as Chipper) turned 35 on Tuesday. Jones has quietly put up a borderline Hall of Fame career, with almost 2,000 hits, over 1,200 RBI, and 363 homeruns. Although he has never lead the league in hitting, homeruns, or RBI, he has been a five-time All-Star and won the 1999 NL MVP.
5 (4)
8-11
Last week I mentioned that the Yankees' pitching situation could mean an early call-up for phenom Phil Hughes. This week the Associated Press has reported that Hughes has been called up and will make his first career start on Thursday.
6 (3)
11-9
Gary Sheffield looks like a miserable acquisition at this point. He's hitting just .149 and slugging .224, and worse, is that he's struck out 16 times. He looked like a great fit for the strikeout-prone Tigers, but instead, he's become as strike-out prone as the rest of the team. He's on pace for 135 k's, while his career high is 83.
7 (8)
12-8
Is it just me, or is Khalil Greene a dead-ringer for Sean Penn's character Spicoli, from Fast Times at Ridgemont High?
8 (6)
11-9
Torii Hunter gives four bottles of Dom to the Kansas City Royals and then has to ask for it back. Maybe it's against the rules, but that sounds awful nitpicky to me. The gesture was meant to be fun, and MLB's reaction is a lot like the No Fun League's reaction to Chad Johnson wearing "Ocho Cinco" on his jersey- a victimless crime intended for some fun and entertainment. Baseball, however, can't afford the same strict regulations of fun that football can.
9 (9)
11-9
Oakland recorded an amazing stat on Tuesday, by recording a scoreless first inning for the 20th consecutive game to start the season, a Major League record. On the flip-side, the Washington Nationals are yet to score a run in the first inning all season.
10 (10)
10-10
Vlad shows just what he means to the rest of the Angels offense. Last week while he was injured the Halos were in the midst of a losing streak. Since he's returned to the lineup they've won four out of their last five games, and Guerrero leads the team in hitting (.403), homeruns (5), RBI (18), and OPS (1.210). Last year he had the highest average in the league against left-handed pitching (.401).
11 (13)
13-7
I think I've said this before, but I am a big supporter of any team whose nickname has something to do with the production of beer.
12 (11)
10-10
Remember Josh Towers, the right-hander who went 2-10 last year with an 8.42 ERA? He's back with the big club this year and he's not throwing too bad. He's only won one of his three starts, but his ERA is a respectable 3.44 and his 6.87 strikeouts per nine innings is higher than both Roy Halladay and AJ Burnett.
13 (15)
10-7
If you buy into the Pythagorean theorem of a team's projected win-loss percentage, the Indians should have won 88-90 games last season. Instead, they won 78 games and finished fourth in the tough AL Central.
14 (12)
7-13
Stick a fork in him, he's done. Mark Prior will have shoulder surgery and miss the entire 2007 season. He's only 26, but if this most recent surgery doesn't bring his velocity back up and solve his recurring arm troubles, it might be time to hang up the spikes and put his business degree to work. An interesting note on the troubled right-hander is that he was originally drafted out of high school by the New York Yankees, although he opted instead to go to Vanderbilt and eventually USC.
15 (16)
8-11
Don't look now, but the Phillies have won four in a row and are climbing their way back toward .500.
16 (18)
11-8
Although Darren Erstad has admirably filled the Sox' hole in center field, he probably should not be hitting in the two-spot, with an offense as potent as theirs. When you consider that the two-spot gets about 20 more at-bats in a season than the three-spot and the three-spot 20 more than the four and so on, it would make sense to get your big guns like Konerko, Thome, and Dye as many at-bats as possible. It might be worthwhile to consider moving Konerko or Thome up to the two-slot, although they don't fit the prototypical two-hitter.
17 (14)
9-10
The Astros, much like the Athletics and Phillies in past seasons, have always seemed to be slow starters who pick up the pace later in the season, but right now, the `Stros are the coldest team in the game with a four game losing streak and the worst batting average in the NL (.236).
18 (17)
10-11
Jose Valverde might be the most unheard of closer in baseball. He has an ERA of 1.13, and he's converted seven of eight save opportunities. His seven saves rank second in the league, and better than 20 teams combined (including the Yankees, who have the best closer ever and 0 saves).
19 (19)
8-11
After 8+ seasons as a relief pitcher, Braden Looper has adjusted incredibly to his new role as a starter. He is 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA in four starts. However, it will be interesting to see how he holds up later in the year. With 26 innings, he is already just 60 innings shy of his career high.
20 (20)
6-9
The "Fire Bill Bavasi" campaign is heating up like a Gilbert Arenas hibachi. The three starting pitchers Bavasi acquired in the off-season (Haracio Ramirez, Miguel Batista, and Jeff Weaver) have a combined record of 2-6 and ERAs of 6.30, 8.83, and 13.91 respectively. I know it's atypical to fire the general manager in the middle of the season, but I whole-heartedly think Bavasi's personnel moves warrant his immediate dismissal. He got them into this mess, and I do not trust him to adequately get them out of it.
21 (21)
8-11
The Padilla Flotilla appears to be sinking. Vicente Padilla's ERA is a stout 6.00 and he is winless in four starts. He had a couple good years with Philadelphia, but his ERA has hovered around 4.50 for the past three seasons.
22 (22)
10-10
Last year the Great American Ballpark was the best hitter's park in the game, with a park rating of 1.153, up from 1.128 in 2005, when it was third. This year, it's currently the fourth best hitters park, with a rating of 1.278.
23 (27)
10-8
It's easy to forget how well Barry Bonds swung the bat last year, after struggling with injuries early. He lead the NL in hitting with runners in scoring position (.423). This year, he looks healthy, which is a scary thought for both opposing pitchers and sacred homerun records. At his current pace, he'll break Henry Aaron's record before the All-Star break.
24 (24)
9-11
No sophomore slump for former Red Sox prospect and last year's Rookie of the Year, Hanley Ramirez. He's hitting .388 (2nd in the league), slugging .657 (2nd), and leads the league in runs (22) and on-base percentage (.488).
25 (25)
9-11
The Devil Rays score a lot of runs, but they give up even more. Closer Al Reyes has an ERA of 1.80, but no other Tampa Bay pitcher has an ERA under 4.40. However, the Rays can bask in the glow of avoiding the cellar of the AL East for at least a day or two. The Yankees are in last place for only the second time in the Joe Torre era.
26 (26)
11-9
The Orioles have been twice blessed with shortstops who show up to work day-in and day-out. Obviously Ripken's record will stand for generations to come, but Miguel Tejada is working his way up the ranks of the consecutive games list with 1,100, tops amongst active players.
27 (23)
9-13
Last year, three young hitters gave hope to a franchise that has only made the playoffs once in its entire existence. This year, however, Brad Hawpe and Garrett Atkins are both hitting under .260 and two homeruns combined. On the other hand, Matt Holliday is leading the NL, hitting .388 and leading the Rockies with 11 RBI.
28 (28)
8-10
Despite a couple rough outings, Salomon Torres has adapted to the closer's role admirably. He's converted six of eight save opportunities. The rubber-armed Dominican has thrown 90+ innings of relief for each of the past three seasons.
29 (29)
6-14
The Nationals are seriously missing their best player Nick Johnson, who is still recovering from a badly broken leg he suffered last season. There really is no accurate timetable for his return, although he mentioned it could be as late as June. Johnson has a career on-base percentage of .395.
30 (30)
6-14
The Royals have a payroll of $67 million, 22nd in the league. Their payroll isn't so bare-bottom that they shouldn't be able to compete, but their money is poorly spent: Mike Sweeney ($11 million) hit .258 in 60 games last year and is hitting .255 this year in 16 games; Odalis Perez ($7.75 million) had an ERA of 6.20 last year and is weighing in at 8.64 this year; and Jason LaRue ($5.5 million) has a career average of .238 and is currently slumping badly with a .138 average and just 2 RBI.
