MLB Weekly Review

Don’t look now but the defending National League Champions are well on their way to teaching the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers a very important lesson.The Colorado Rockies are blazing a trail to the top on the NL West and the Dodgers and Diamondbacks are kicking themselves for letting them hang around.The Rockies have won 9 of their last 10 games, including 5 in a row. Colorado is averaging 7.6 runs per game during that stretch and they scored 10 in their lone loss. In a 16-10 loss to the Dodgers, Kip Wells was tagged for 8 runs in one-third of an inning and the Rockies couldn’t overcome an 11 run deficit. Matt Holliday, Brad Hawpe and Troy Tulowitzki were all visitors to the DL this season and Tulowitzki just returned from his 2nd stint. He has provided the team with a spark since his return going 13 for 26.The Rockies aren’t the only streaking team, as the New York Yankees have also been playing inspired ball since the All-Star Break.New York was riding as 8-game winning streak before suffering a 9-2 setback on Sunday in the series finale at Boston.During the winning streak, the Yankees held their opponents to just 15 runs and used their defense to lead them to 2-1 and 1-0 victories. They now sit just 3 games back in the division.Players like Matt Holliday(.565 average), Jeff Baker(.579), Alex Rodriguez(.476) and Robinson Cano(.480) have contributed to their teams success recently, but they aren’t the hottest hitters of the past week.Alex Rios takes top honors as the best hitter of the week with his .344 average, 7 Runs, 4 HR, 8 RBI and 4 SB. Ryan Braun is a close 2nd with a .414 average, 4 Runs, 4 HR and 12 RBI.Andy Pettitte and Cliff Lee turned in the top pitching performances this week as they each collected 2 wins. Pettitte went 14 innings while scattering 9 hits, allowing 2 ER and striking out 16. He won a 10-3 blowout and a 2-1 pitchers duel.Lee pitched 17 innings while giving up 17 hits, 4 ER and struck out 14 batters.Rich Harden was also lights out this week, but has an 0-1 record to show for it because the Cubs provided just 2 runs of support in 2 games.Harden pitched 12 solid innings while giving up just 3 hits. Two of the 3 hits were solo homeruns and the only runs he allowed. He struck out 10 in each outing, giving him 30 in 3 games as a Cub.We haven’t seen any major deals since Harden joined the Cubs, but there were a couple trades of interest this week.The New York Yankees added Damaso Marte and Xavier Nady from the Pirates in exchange for prospects and Casey Blake was sent from Cleveland to the Dodgers.With only a few days remaining before the deadline, things could get interesting.Will the Rockies be buyers or sellers? Will the Yankees add Jared Washburn or Adam Dunn? Will Mark Teixeira remain in Atlanta? Will Manny keep being Manny in Boston?Some many questions and so little time remaining to answer them.

The Baseball Consigliere's 2nd Half MLB Review

The sluggers were put on display and home field advantage for the World Series has been decided. The only thing left to do now is finish out the rest of the season.Some of the races appear to be headed deep into the final week of the regular season before they are settled.The 7-game losing streak for Tampa Bay has allowed Boston to take over the division lead and with the experience factor heavily favoring the Red Sox, there’s no reason to believe that they won’t hold off the Rays and win the division.Out west, it would make for a great story if Ian Kinsler and Josh Hamilton could will the Rangers to a division crown, but the pitching staff will make sure that doesn’t happen. The Angels have a solid rotation and a good enough lineup to take the title.The Central gets a little bit more crowded with the White Sox currently holding onto a slim lead over the Twins. Don’t forget that Detroit is starting to get healthy and has been playing well heading into the All-Star Break. It will come down to health for the Sox. Can Konerko and Jenks return to form? Can Thome avoid his annual trip to the DL? If the answer is no, Minnesota and Detroit will be waiting.The wild card race in the American League will be a duel to the end with the Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers, Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees.The National League East could be the most exciting finish in baseball.The Phillies, Mets and Marlins are all separated by just 1.5 games. New York and Philly both have solid lineups and Florida is getting healthy at the right time. Look for pitching to be the deciding factor in the division race.The East might be the tightest race, but all eyes will be on the Central as the Cubs, Brewers and Cards battle to the end. We’ve already seen Chicago add Rich Harden and Milwaukee add C.C. Sabathia. Will St. Louis make a move to keep pace?The West should honestly just concede its playoff berth to a team that will actually finish above .500, but since that won’t happen, let’s take a look at the Dodgers and Diamondbacks. L.A. has just been dealt a blow with the loss of Takashi Saito for at least 6 weeks. Look for Arizona to recall Max Scherzer in hopes that he sparks the pitching staff. There have also been rumors that they will take a look at bringing in another stick in the form of Barry Bonds.Speaking of Bonds, he’s one of several players that could make a move in the second half and make a difference in the playoff races. Along with Arizona, New York has been mentioned as a possible location for Bonds. The Yankees may need another bat if Hideki Matsui is unable to return from his knee injury.Matt Holliday will be the biggest name to keep an eye on before the trading deadline. He’s not just a short-term rental so he won’t come cheap, but he’s definitely someone that St. Louis could bring in to keep up with Chicago and Milwaukee. They may also just be content waiting for Chris Carpenter to return and provide a boost.Another pitcher that could provide a boost is Joe Blanton. Look for Oakland to continue stockpiling prospects by trading away their proven talent. With Harden already gone, Blanton could be next with Philadelphia being the most likely destination.The Rays will also be a team to watch as they’ve been mentioned in the Bonds talks and they’ve also been rumored to be interested in adding Brian Fuentes for the stretch run.The rest of the season should provide some of the best baseball that we’ve seen in several years and the playoffs will be even better.

Resurrection Project

Written by Consigliere
Every once in a while, the sports world presents us with a feel good story. Maybe it’s the nature of baseball that makes their stories seem that much better. Teenagers are drafted and often spend several years fighting their way through the minor league levels, praying that they will one day get the call. Hoping that they can call themselves a Major League baseball player.Recently, we’ve heard a couple of stories that made most of us instant fans of these players.We all watched as a promising young pitcher named Rick Ankiel made his debut in the bigs and seemed to have his whole career going in the right direction. As quickly as he arrived, he appeared to be on his way out of baseball, when he couldn’t seem to hit the strike zone and sometime he wasn’t even able to hit the catcher. Now you can’t help but be happy for the guy, as he’s renewed his career as a homerun hitting outfielder with a rocket arm.Last year also marked a turning point in the career of former #1 overall pick, Josh Hamilton. After a string of bad luck and a bit of getting tied up with the wrong crowd, the kid who seemed destined for stardom found himself out of baseball and in and out of rehab. Now he’s finally got his life on the right path and is a perfect example of why you never give up on a kid when he’s got something special. Hamilton continues to improve in his 2nd year back and has 19 HR as we approach the All-Star Break. It’s scary to think of how good he could have been.This year, we’re seeing another success story in the making.If you’re in Chicago, you know the name Carlos Quentin very well, but if you’re a casual baseball fan, it’s possible that you’ve never heard of him.The 25-year-old outfielder was a 3-sport star in high school and went on to attend Stanford University, where he led them to 3 postseason appearances and collected plenty of personal hardware along the way. He ended his college career with a .350 batting average, 35 HR, 170 RBI and 26 SB.He was a first round selection of the Arizona Diamondbacks, but had his career put on hold when he underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. When he returned, he dominated minor league pitching and became one of Arizona’s top prospects.The Diamondbacks called him up halfway through the 2006 season and Quentin recorded a .253 batting average, 9 HR and 32 RBI in 57 games.The start to Quentin’s 2007 season was delayed when it turned out that he had a partially torn labrum. Through 81 games, he was hitting .214 with 5 HR and 31 RBI before he was sent back to Triple-A. Arizona decided that he wasn’t working out and traded him to the White Sox in December.As it turns out, a change of address was exactly what Carlos Quentin needed, as he’s been the best hitter for the White Sox through the first half of the 2008 season.In 80 games this year, Quentin is hitting .284 with 19 HR, 61 RBI, 54 Runs and 5 SB. He currently ranks first on the White Sox in HR, RBI, Runs, OBP and OPS. He’s 2nd in SLG and SB.I think that it’s a safe bet to say that the Sox can attribute their division lead to this latest resurrection.

The Power of "4"

The Power of “4”
When Alfonso Soriano hit 39 HR in 2002, he provided power numbers from a 2nd baseman, which hadn’t been seen in quite awhile. Soriano was eventually moved into the outfield, once again leaving a power void in the middle infield.
The resurgence of the power hitting 2nd baseman has begun and four players on pace for great years. Chase Utley, Dan Uggla, Brandon Phillips and Ian Kinsler are all on track to finish with 25+ HR and 90+ RBI, with Utley and Uggla aiming higher.
Brandon Phillips has 13 HR and 43 RBI. He has the lowest RBI total of the group, but finished out last year with 94 RBI to go along with 30 HR. His .271 average is also the lowest of the four players mentioned but he’s in a lineup with Griffey, Dunn, Votto and Bruce. Look for him to get hot after the break.
Ian Kinsler has the lowest HR total of the group with 12, but he boasts the highest batting average, hitting .305 with 47 RBI. It’s Kinsler’s run total that has been the most impressive. He’s rounded the bases 64 times, which is good for 2nd best in the league.
Chase Utley certainly isn’t a surprise anymore, but his power seems to be even better than previous seasons. He’s led the MLB in homeruns for the majority of the year and currently sits in 2nd with 22 bombs. He’s also 4th in the MLB in RBI with 63. His .291 average and 57 runs make him a very well rounded player.
Dan Uggla has become the blue print for a power hitting 2nd baseman this year. His hot streak of late has allowed him to surpass Utley and take the MLB lead in HR with 23. He’s 9th in the league with 57 RBI and has 57 runs to go with his .294 average.
The Reds and Rangers aren’t likely to be in contention when the playoffs roll around, but look for Utley and Uggla to battle it out for the NL East title. Both the Phillies and Marlins know that the added bonus of having a power hitting 2nd baseman could provide just the boost needed to make a postseason run.

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