1-Man’s Opinion on Sports-Friday “BASEBALL’S REAL PENNANT RACE-NOW”
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Hacksaw’s Thursday Podcast
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“PENNANT RACE STORIES”
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READY-SET-GO..So we start the back end of the schedule with so many storylines to play out.
STANDINGS…Barring injuries to the Phillies-who can catch them, especially playing in that home run yard, Citizens Bank Ball Park, the best in the National League. Cleveland-Baltimore-Yankees each have 58-wins in the American League as we start the tail end of the schedule.
BIGGEST SURPRISE..How about the Cleveland Guardians, with two home run hitters (Ramirez-Naylor) and one slap hitting to bat (Steve Kwan)…Oddly doing all this with 1-top pitcher Tanner Bibee, and without ace Shaen Bieber.
BIGGEST SHOCKER…Milwaukee, surviving all these injuries, to be in a pennant race still, and having lost key frontline pitchers in Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff.
DOGFIGHT…Can the Orioles hold off the Yankees in the AL-East, or maybe which deal will the Yankees make to blow by Baltimore in the pennant race.
WEST COAST WAR..Houston has picked itself up by the bootstraps after losing 6-pitchers to the disabled list…Now guys are getting back healthy and the lineup is starting to hit and they are making it a fight with the Seattle Mariners.
DISAPPOINTMENTS..Look at Toronto, with pitching issues then a really poor batting order, lots of guys hitting below career averages.
BUILDING THINGS UP..No one thought the Red Sox no-name roster to get up off the deck and do what they have done, kids surrounding Raf Devers.
162-GAME SCHEDULE..Got to play the entire schedule, so Kansas City, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh have seen the schedule catch up to them.
RED CROSS REPORT…The Dodgers are still in first place despite no Mookie Betts..no-Max Muncy and 16-pitchers, yes 16-on the disabled list. Waiting for deadline deals and hoping ailing arms get to Chavez Ravine by September 1st.
NEW YORK-BIG APPLE..Always in the headlines, Juan Soto, Peter Alonso, soon to be free agents and Scott Boras clients, talking about staying-leaving, or big contracts. Anybody get tired of this?
BIDDING WARS…About to begin with the trade deadline two weeks away…Do the Dodgers auction off key guys in the farm system to go get starting-relief pitching help? How much will the Padres have to spend to go get pitching and does that mean Ha Seong-Kim or Luis Campusano gets moved to keep San Diego in the wildcard race? Do the Angels deal away what is left of veterans on the roster, and might that include the injured Mike Trout? Who makes the big moves, Yankees or Orioles?
PITCHING…Everybody needs it, who gets it, Nathan Eovaldi-Texas..Cal Quantrill-Rockies..Carlos Estevez-Tyler Anderson-Angels..Zach Eflin-Tampa Bay…Pat Corbin-Washington..Jack Flaherty-Detroit..among the arms likely to move?
HOT SEAT…Managers in trouble, .Toronto’s John Schnieder…White Sox-Pedro Grifol…Yankees-Aaron Boone…A’s Mark Kotsay…Rockies-Bud Black…Marlins-Scott Schumacher…though the last three are victims of bad ownership.
SAD STATEMENT…Here we are with about 65-games left in the schedule, and we have just 16-of-30 teams with winning records in baseball.
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