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“Baseball-What I See at Quarter-Mark of the Schedule”

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We are a fourth of the way into the baseball season.

What I See From the Storylines we are following at the quarter pole..

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DODGERS…The batting order wears you out. They lead the league in home runs. The starting pitching looks deep. The bullpen seems leaky, but they score a ton of runs. Who you going to pitch around? Still waiting for Justin Turner-Corey Seager to start hitting like they have in the past.

PADRES…Nice start to season with the kid pitchers,but now baseball is catching up to the Kiddie Korps rotation. Remain disappointed in all things Will Myers. Still waiting for Machado to get hot. Will take time to get Tatis back totally healthy. Franmil Reyes a real pleasant surprise.

ANGELS…Still seems to be Mike Trout against the world. Albert Pujols hitting g(.201 with that big contract. Return of Shohei Ohtani as DH should trigger lineup. Starting pitching continues to be a problem, Matt Harvey no longer what he once was, and Trevor Cahill getting banged around. Arm injuries continue to be an issue.

YANKEES…17-players on the DL, including all their big bats in the first two months. Shallow starting pitching. And yet in 1st place. Wait till most of the big bats get back , Stanton and Judge. Gone for the year, Gregorious-Andujar.

TAMPA BAY….If you can name more than 2-guys in the Rays lineup, aside from Ian Snell, you are better than me. Winning, fun to watch, nobody comes to see them.

RED SOX…Took awhile, but pitching coming around…notably Chris Sale. They will hit, though slow out of the gate. Do they have enough starting pitching to go 162-games?.
Must keep David Price healthy.

TWINS…Have to be the surprise team in baseball, in first place, and doing it without big bat of Miguel Sano, but lots of hitting from young farm system players.

ASTROS…Just hammering everybody thanks to Alex Bregman, George Springer, Altuve and Correa. Not pitching staff we have seen in the past.

PHILLIES….Yes starting to play better, thanks Rhys Hoskins. No thanks to hi priced slump-ridden Bryce Harper, hitting (.221). Starting pitching over long haul an issue

CUBS…Slow start from hurlers-thin pitching rotation, but here come Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo after slow starts.

ARIZONA….Nice start, but Zack Greinke ailing. David Peralta great start to season, but now hurt too.. Lack ofpithing will catch up to them.

MILWAUKEE…Strong season from Christian Yelich and Ryan Braun but looks like they have half a starting rotation.

ATLANTA….A bit of a disappointment. Not all young bats hitting, especially Ron Acuna, but lots of games left. Waiting for entire young staff to come together. Do need wins out of Mike Soroka-Sean Newcomb-Julio Teheran.

ST LOUIS…Paul Goldschmidt can’t do this by himself. Losing Carlos Martinez to shoulder woes early a real setback. Not the team I thought it would be.

GIANTS…Saw this coming, poor season, bad farm system, not much pitching help for Madison Bumgarner. Lousy way for Bruce Bochy to go out as manager.

METS…Some good young bats in Peter Alonso and Mike Comforto, but feel they are wasting valuable years from Syndegaard-deGrom.

WASHINGTON….Somebody is going to get fired, either Mike Rizzo or Dave Martinez, maybe both. To be where they are in the standings with a rotation of Scherzer-Strasburg-Corbin is stunning.

ROYALS….Kansas City fans deserve better than this, in the beginning of another long rebuild.

TEXAS…Lots young kids, rag-tag starting rotation….just going to take time.

PIRATES…Seem to be forever rebuilding. Would be fun to see if they could keep Chris Archer on the mound, healthy, how quickly rest of the rotations comes together. Josh Bell can bang the ball, as can Greg Polanco.

ROCKIES….Dinged up pitching staff hurts. Team does not seem to be constructed well enough to support Nolan Arenado-Charley Blackmon. Thoughts there’d be more home run hitters in lineup.

ORIOLES…Imagine trying to rebuild in a division with Yankees-Red Sox-Rays.

DETROIT….Four of five starting pitchers in rotation on the DL, and club not willing to call up Casey Mize and other young pitchers, yet.

ATHLETICS…..Didn’t have enough pitching in last year’s 90-win season, have even less this year despite heroics of slugger Kris Davis.

TORONTO…Vlad Guerrero Junior finally arrived and hit homers early, but beat up pitching staff makes for long summer.

INDIANS…Losing Corey Kluber-Mike Clevenger kill potential of great pitching staff. Holes in outfield. Just not same lineup.

WHITE SOX…Budding star Yoan Moncada, aging star Jose Abreu, not much pitching, now Carlos Rodon gone for year.

SEATTLE…Tore roster apart, now plunging in standings. Felix Hernandez no longer ace of staff. Kyle Seager wrist injury a killer.

REDS…They can hit, but they can’t pitch. Waiting for summer weather to heat up, and the same for Joey Votto-Yasiel Puig.

MIAMI….Nice ballpark. Nothing else is nice about Derek Jeter led Marlins, including horrid attendance. Long term rebuilding plans underway. Lots kids in farm system, none close to Miami.

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