A Game of Catch Up - MLB Edition
It has been a busy week in life and in sports. Had to make some decisions on coverage this week and when I’m comparing NHL playoffs and early regular season baseball, srynotsry, the hockey coverage gets precedent. Above that you get life, which I had a good week this week in the world. I’m back now and I wanted to get some quick thoughts down on the world of baseball, so here we go.
Toronto Blue Jays
Their record of the last six games has not been great but the brand of baseball they have played has been good. The starting pitchers are playing to a level I expect to see and I feel good about where the team, particularly the starting staff is headed going into the rest of the season.
Jays’ thoughts about another 10 games: The Jays had another record of 6-4 in the second set of 10 games. I have to remind myself that it’s a long season and the Rays will not keep winning 86% of their games, will they? The Yankees are winning games, the Orioles are winning games and the Red Sox are winning games. I hate living in the AL East and the only solace I can find is this; when the Jays do win, the win will be that much sweeter.
Matt Chapman has cooled a little and is now on 10.5 WAR pace for the season. That’s Mike Trout’s best over a season. I think his next contract will be very expensive but Chapman feels like the kind of guy that would stay with the Jays.
Despite being in 4th in the division, I feel great about the Jays not having to dig out of a sub 500 hole to start the season. The pitchers are rounding into form and there is not a part of the team that I dread during their part of the game. The Jays feel like they can win any game on any day.
AL East
Tampa Bay Rays: So frustrating that they win every game. EVERY GAME. They have three losses, two of which are to the Jays. I can’t wait until they get to May and they have a hellish schedule during the entire month of May. I’ll be honest, I feel like they are going to play 550-600 ball during that stretch and just be too good to catch over the course of the season.
New York Yankees: They are playing steady baseball and being the team I/we thought they would be. The longer their starting staff holds up for the better arms to get back into the rotation, the scarier they become. Does the AL East need another Rays in the division?
Baltimore Orioles: Where they hell did they come from? I wrote off their season as a fun run to go into next season but they are second in the division. What the hell is up with this division? Similar to the Rays, they are beating up on weaker teams too, but as noted in the season preview, a young team that gets rolling can turn runs against bad teams into confidence against the better teams. At what point do the Orioles become one of the better teams…..period?
Boston Red Sox: Oh good, they are winning too. Unlike the teams above them, they are getting wins against the Brewers and Twins. Those teams are the leaders of their respective central divisions. The Al East is hard mode. The playoffs have already started.
Los Angeles Dodgers
I’ve had to put them on the back burner the last week. Late-night games are difficult to cover. Throw in life, NHL playoffs, and busy mornings and the Dodgers fall off the radar.
They are hanging around in the standings long enough for the team to figure out what they are doing this year. There are some problems in the lineup but Outman might be the real deal. This team needs to figure out its identity and the NL West is happy to supply the Dodgers with the time to do that sorting.
