So who’s going to break out this month? Josh Hamilton? Lance Berkman? Jay Bruce?
So who’s going to continue to slide? Garret Atkins? Lance Berkman?
I see Cleveland starting to creep back up the standings, the Yankees sliding down a bit (A-Rod and Teixeira can’t keep this up, can they?), the Marlins’ pitching staff improving dramatically and Seattle putting up a big month.
The Tigers almost look like they’re starting to distance themselves from the rest of the pack in the Central. Edwin Jackson pitched an amazing game yesterday against the Orioles.
I predict Vernon Wells will continue to cash enormous paychecks.
Earn them, not so much.
Toronto will drift off to 84-78 or some similar record. However, I suspect you won’t see that happen in June; I think they’ll stay right in the mix until the break in July. They’re only a game out of the playoffs today, and over the next few weeks are playing mostly mediocre teams, so there’s a decent chance they’ll fatten up the record before getting pummelled by the good teams later in the season.
My fearless prediction is they’ll go 47-34 for the first 81 games of the year, putting them in a playoff spot, and 38-43 for the second 81 games, putting them out.
Weird schedule note: Toronto had a scheduled off day on Thursday, just before the Boston series (which they thankfully won) and then have another one today, right after the series. That’s really unusual; maybe my memory is playing tricks on me but I don’t recall it happening before where they had off days bookend just a single series, not counting the All-Star break.
I don’t know who’s going to break out, but I do know that the Cubs are undefeated in June and I have a strong feeling they will not lose tonight.
I’m not sure it was the worst month ever for the Diamondbacks, but I’m sure they are glad to leave May behind. They get to start June with the Dodgers, however. Since they can’t score runs, they need to get Webb back in a hurry. I don’t really see them doing much around the trade deadline.
I’m going to be paying attention to the Rangers. I think they’ll make a deal for a pitcher soon and if Hamilton can stay healthy, they could be in the race all year.
Tonight’s game will be interesting in that regard. Kuroda starts tonight for the first time since Opening Day, and his last rehab assignment…well, let’s just say it didn’t go well. We’re keeping Kershaw to back him up just in case, but I have a concern that things might get out of hand quickly if Kuroda is not himself. We shall see.
If, however, Kurodo is in good form, the starting rotation is going to be in far better shape than I would have hoped for this season. Now about that bullpen…
What’s with Dice K.? He is 0-3 and an ERA close to 9. Tigers go against him today. Has he been hurt ?
To answer both questions: I think the Yanks are for real. Jeter is getting red hot and Posada and Melky are both back. So the Yanks offense can keep going. The bullpen is looking better bit by bit. Rivera looks great. The starting staff is looking better. I also think Nick Swisher is ready to go on another of his 2 week hot streak like he is prone to.
Dice K was both hurt and apparently somewhat better scouted this year. He has been improving though, but Detroit should beat him.
Arm fatigue
Spent almost a month in Pawtucket,
still unimpressive, I dropped him.
with that said, he will probally rebound and have the greatest second half in Red Sox history…
Let him start after the Sox play the Tigers, mmmkay?
Roy Halladay.
A disgusting loss by the D-backs tonight. They blew yet another Haren lead. This is really a bad team.
He went all-out too early to help Japan win the WBC in March. He basically had to start spring conditioning all over again. He’s the poster child for why the WBC needs to be restructured in the future.
It’s too early to tell if he’s over his stubborn streak that won’t let him let go of any batter. It seemed like every game last year he had at least one inning where he’d go full on every batter, get a few fouls and then walk him, load the bases, and then get a GIDP to end it with no runs in but with 40-50 pitches. Like to drive a man to drink, he does. He almost never got into even the 7th, but Boston has the bullpen to cover him.
Derek Jeter scored his 1500th career run last night, which puts him in some damn exclusive company. Only four players in major league history have/had 1500 runs scored, 2500 hits, 1000 RBI and 200 home runs in their first 15 years in the major leagues. The others? Hank Aaron, Stan Musial and Al Simmons.
I believe he also joined Bill Dahlen, Honus Wagner and Cal Ripken, Jr. as the only shortstops with 1500 runs and 1500 games at SS.
Correct on both.
I love having the Yanks move to 1st in the AL, it is only ½ a game but I’ll take it. AJ pitched a good game and is now 4-2 with his ERA slowly lowering. The big play in the game was actually Teix sliding hard into second and taking out the second baseman after he got hit for the second time in the game. Breaking up that double play led to the 7 runs in the 4th.
Too bad the errorless streak ended, but it did not really hurt the team at least.
It was sad to see the Cubs blow a game in 12 where they had a no hitter gonig through 6. Detroit really let me down. They failed to hit Dice K and lost.
Cleveland now has 9 players on the DL, including 3 of our 4 stars - Sizemore, Hafner and Cabrera (Cabrera has been having a monster year, especially after being moved to leadoff).
Right now we’re almost an all second-string team. It’s rag-tag at its best.
I weep.
Great pitching matchup tonight. Aaron Harang verus Chris Carpenter in St Louis to see if the Reds can take three of four from the Cards, or if the Cards split the four game series.
GO REDS.
I admire your restraint. I was steeling myself for some gloating over last night’s butt-whooping of my beloved team. 9-3? Damn.
So, A.J. Burnett gets a 6-game suspension for throwing over the head of Nelson Cruz in Tuesday night’s game, but Padilla, the Texas pitcher who precipitated it by beaning Teixeira twice, gets a fine? Burnett’s pitch was before the ump’s warning to both teams (and the cause of it.) That’s BS, IMO.
It is BS, the league is ridiculous.