Storyline: What a pitching staff in San Francisco! Cleveland has great leadership. The Cubs…oh, the Cubs…are struggling. Astros are alive again. There’s plenty to watch as teams make stretch runs during the dreaded “Dog Days of Summer.”
The MLB All-Star Game will be played tomorrow at Petco Park in San Diego. That means the MLB season is at the halfway point. Let’s look back at the season’s first half.
AL East
The AL East is by far the best division in baseball. Although Baltimore has been on top of the division the good majority of the season, don’t underestimate the Red Sox or Blue Jays. Both teams have been on the Orioles like a bee on honey.
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Baltimore’s success has been about taking home field advantage and great production at the plate from Manny Machado and Mark Trumbo.
The O’s main competition, the Red Sox, are benefitting from the big bats, too—of David “Big Papi” Ortiz and Xander Bogaerts. They provide support for Steven Wright and a Sox pitching staff that’s one of the best in baseball.
Young, but talented, Toronto has kept pace with Boston and Baltimore. Another ALCS appearance may not be totally out of the question.
Outside of bottom-dwelling New York and Tampa Bay, this division is stacked with talent. So mark my words: the winner of the AL Pennant will be a team from the AL East.
AL Central
An AL Central club may have won the World Series last season, but a repeat is looking less and less likely. The Twins are simply atrocious. The White Sox and Tigers are rebuilding. And the Royals are still searching for offensive firepower outside of Eric Hosmer.
Cleveland is the only team that has been consistently good. The Indians take a commanding seven-game lead going into the break. The managing skills of Terry Francona has been a key for Cleveland’s surge. Francona won two World Series with the Red Sox. He brings hope to loyal Indians’ fans, who are yearning for an end to the city’s 68-year World Series drought.
AL West
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A month or so ago I wrote: “Don’t give up on your Astros just yet, Houston!” The team must read The Sports Column because they’ve surely responded. Houston went an awful 7-18 in the month of April, but now have a very nice 48-41 record heading into the second half of the season. The Astros have gone from being in a league with the Twins to being in playoff talks. Kudos to manager A.J. Hinch and the Astros!
But there has been another team from Texas that has dominated thus far: the Rangers. Texas has been missing in postseason action for five years, since back-to-back World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011. But, believe me, the Rangers are back. Texas has the best record in the AL heading into the break.
Seattle has struggled of late, but the Mariners are a good team that’s more than capable of making a run. And the California teams in the division—Angels and Athletics—have been nothing but disappointing. A postseason appearance is not going to happen for either of these teams.
NL East
Pitching has been the key for the NL East, especially for the Nationals and Mets. The Nationals have undefeated Stephen Strasburg and strikeout king, Max Scherzer, in the rotation to compliment a lineup that is, in one word, ‘dangerous.’ And with hitters like Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy, the Nats can turn a close game into a blowout before you blink.
The Mets, on the other hand, do not have this luxury offensively. The Mets’ production is almost at the same level as the Braves—meager. NY’s pitching staff is keeping them in the division race. With Noah Syndergaard and Bartolo Colon, the Mets have the ability to just shut down the opposition.
The Marlins have a smorgasbord of young talent. They’ve kept pace in the NL Wild Card Race and could be a team to watch in the upcoming seasons.
Meanwhile, the Phillies and Braves are rebuilding. I don’t think either team will be selling “NL East Champions” t-shirts anytime soon.
NL Central
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The Cubs raced out to a 25-6 record but have gone a subpar, 28-29, since then. All the hot batters have cooled off, the pitching has declined, and the team has suffered multiple losing streaks. Is it “The Curse of the Billy Goat?” I don’t know, but manager Joe Maddon better figure it out soon—the Pirates and Cardinals are closing in on the Cubs.
Both Pittsburgh and St. Louis have been plagued with injuries. But if both teams can get fully healthy, they may be able to take away the division lead from Chicago—the team that has led the Central since Opening Day.
Neither the Reds nor Brewers will make the postseason this year, but both teams boast young talent that will be future all-stars. Good examples are the Brewers’ Chris Carter and the Reds’ Adam Duvall. Duvall is one of the NL’s HR leaders.
NL West
The Padres, Rockies, and D-Backs have all done what they usually do … lose. Those three teams are at the bottom of the division yet again. The only competition is what it usually is—between rivals San Francisco and Los Angeles.
San Francisco has the best record in baseball at 57-33 and the starting pitching is a big reason why. The Giants have starters Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, Jake Peavy, and Johnny Cueto. Talk about a dream of a pitching staff!
The Giants southern neighbor, the Dodgers, have also had a remarkable season. The Dodgers are solid offensively, but the main plus has been the play of southpaw ace, Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw is playing at the best level of his career and will definitely be in the running for the NL Cy Young Award.
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The “Dog Days” will be soon upon us and they are a pivotal time for ML races. Teams lose division leads or a spot in the playoffs. And teams rally, too, making up lost ground or separating themselves from the pack. It all happens after “The Break.” Any team can be good in May or June, but the best are those who thrive during “The Dog Days.”
