1-Man’s Opinion on Sports-Monday “Baseball-slot About Little”
“A Most Interesting Weekend”
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PADRES..For all the crap starts Blake Snell has made for the Friars, this Sunday game in Colorado was the most disheartening, for the bullpen let him down. A season best 7-innings, a 12-strikeout performance, he turns over a (3-1) lead, and they blow it, a home-run 8th , home-run 9th before a monster rain delay with the game tied (4-4). What a weekend for Manny Machado on defense though. Shades of Ken Caminitti. But a galling loss in a series of balling losses. And this team and its 253M-payroll is 9-games out of first place now
DODGERS…You never had enough good arms, and the Dodgers, who had so many to start the season, are now reeling becuase they are out of pitching. Starters hurt. Bullpen collapsed. The only thing stopping them from a fall down the elevator shaft has been Clayton Kershaw and the rookie sensation Bobby Miller, who is (3-0) with a (0.78-ERA). That bullpen-it had a (9.23-ERA) in a 12-loss span.
ANGELS…Has the double duty work finally taken a toll on Shohei Ohtani. He is hitting (.280-11 HRs)…but in his last 8-starts he is showing a wear and tear factor with an ERA (5.84)
ROCKIES…Pity Bud Black, working for a cheap owner who has wrecked a very good regional franchise in Dick Monfort. Not enough pitching. And now no Kris Bryant-CJCron-Charley Blackmon-Brendan Rogers, all out with major injuries. He’s putting the Albuquerque Isotopes lineup out there every night.
A’S….Enroute to possibly a 130-loss season, eradicating the New York Mets (40-120) first year record, the A’s win 5-games in a row, much of it on the road.
METS…6-starting pitchers on the IL for chunks of time and it’s only June and they are digging a hole in the pennant race. Now Peter Alonso gets beaned and is out 4-weeks
WASHINGTON..Awful season as they begin a rebuild and the horrible news of the chronic nerve damage in the shoulder of Stephen Strasburg. A likely Hall of Fame career wiped out by 3-surgeries.
KANSAS CITY…How many losing seasons over the last decade or s?. The George Brett era seems a lifetime ago, it is, but how can an organization be so bad for so so long?
ORIOLES..They are the real deal. All the pain of all those losing seasons is being washed away with the collection of draft picks and international players Mike Elias has stockpiled over the last three years. GM of the Year candidate.
PIRATES…It was nice while it lasted, about 4-weeks, this quick Bucco start when they vaulted into first place for 15-minutes, but just not enough pitching or hitting.
REDS…Been a long dry spell in the Queen City, but if you look at the young players in the lineup and some of the young arms, and there is a bit of sunshine for the future in Cincinnati.
CLEVELAND…Jose Ramirez and the gang had a great season last year, but no one is hitting this year, and they are in the dumper.
SEATTLE…Surprise too the drop off in last year’s surprise Mariners team. All the young kids who hit, are not hitting now and they don’t seem able to climb back into the race.
RED SOX…3rd major arm injury to Chris Sale, who pitched so well for a couple of starts and is now on the 60-day IL with shoulder woes, after the long road back from elbow surgery.
CARDINALS…Falling off the face of the earth. What a bad season. Wonder who loses their job at the end of the year. This is surely not the Cardinal way.
MARLINS..Perfect hire Skip Schumacher replacing Don Mattingly, and a good start in Miami. Good pitching makes a difference.
TAMPA BAY..Best player development system in the game and the (40-28) record shows that. Wonder if the fans will ever turnout on the Suncoast? Wonder if this helps them get a stadium built finally? World Series team in October?
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