MLB week in review 7/16-7/23

By Anonymous - Posted on 23 July 2012

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Spin the Black Circle

Barry Larkin and Ron Santo were enshrined into the HOF this weekend.  As great as a moment as that was for them and for Baseball, all the talk was about the HOF class of next year.  That will be the first year that Bonds, Clemens and some of the other superstars that have been associated with Steroids are up for nomination and everyone is intrigued on how the voters will view them*

Ryan Dempster got traded to the Braves today.  That has nothing to do with the previous week of baseball, but it is still very big news in the Baseball world.  With the trade deadline approaching, I expect to see moves like this popping up all over the place.  Every team is currently going through their roster from A ball to the Majors looking at who they would part with and what could they get back for it.  That, mixed with the intensity of a playoff push, should make the next 65 games or so for each team very interesting. 

Random fact of the day; Former pitcher Antonio Alfonseca had 6 fingers on his hand. 

Better Man

In the last 7 days, Jason Kubel has 6 home run's, 11 RBI's and is hitting .409.  Ryan Zimmerman tried to compete for Player of the Week with his 5 HR's, 8 RBI's and .500 avg but he wasn't at Kubel's level.  Not to be outdone, Brandon Phillips was able to rack up 9 RBI's while hitting .346 and his NL Central buddy Pedro Alvarez went deep 4 times but was only able to manage 7 RBI's off of those. 

There was a player that was able to tie for the lead for the week in steals, and normally I wouldn't really care about that, but when I saw his name, I was shocked, because I didn't know he was healthy enough to run.  Carl Crawford swiped 3 bags last week and apparently is back to his old form.  This could make the Red Sox a wild card threat again( I say that  after watching the dismantling that Toronto did to them over the weekend sweeping them in Fenway)

Raise your hand if you thought Lance Lynn was going to be a front runner for the NL Cy-young, or for that matter if you even knew he was.  He racked up 2 wins with 15 strikeouts, a .69 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP in the last week.  Not to be outdone not only in the pitcher of the week competition but also in the where did you come from and will you be a bust next year category, Wade Miley was also able to get 2 wins and record 15 strikeouts.

Oakland is 9-1 in their last 10 winning 5 in a row.  This streak has them tied for the Al Wild card slot.  Over the weekend, they were able to sweep the Yankees in a 4-game series( first time ever they swept New York with all games decided by 1 run).  That sweep showed the country that Texas and Anaheim are not the only teams to worry about in the AL West.  Baltimore, Detroit, and Pittsburgh all have won 5 in a row and sit in prime position to advance to the playoffs. This 8-2 run that the Tigers are on have moved them up to first place in the AL Central and they look to continue their hot streak this week.

Nothing as it Seems

Even after getting swept this weekend, New York is still 6 games up in the AL East.  They seem to have a firm hold on the division.  However, the other 5 divisions are all up for grabs.  I will not look to much into current standings until after the trade deadline since so many teams change rosters overnight. The AL Central seems to be the most competitive of the divisions( I know the east still has every team at or above .500) with 2 teams being within 4.5 games of the first place Tigers.  Out in the West, the Rangers still hold to a 5 game lead over the Angels and Oakland has crept up to within 5.5 games.  I don't see either team catching the Rangers, but I see both of those teams making a strong push for the wild card. 

The Nationals have a 3.5 game lead over the Braves and the rest of the NL East apparently has given up trying to win the division.  The Reds hold a .5 game lead over the red hot Pirates and a 5 game lead over the Cardinals.  This division changes leaders it seems like daily and this race will 100% come down to the final days of the season.  To round out the NL, the Dodgers sit 1.5 games behind the Giants.  Arizona, who is 1 game below .500, sits 6 games out.  This division is so awful, that I could see either of these teams winning it.

The Wild Card standings break down something like this; almost every team in Baseball is in contention right now.  The AL has 3 teams tied for the lead and another 5 teams within 4 games.  The NL has a two-way tie for first with 4 teams within 5 games.  Both leagues have 2 spots to fill, so these races will go down to the wire.  I know it is early, but I see the Angels and Tigers winning the Al Wild Card spots( White Sox win the Central) with the Pirates and Cardinals winning the NL Wild Card.

Even Flow

The British Open is over, you have already seen Ted and Batman, and it is overcast in most of the country,  so you have no excuse not to watch Baseball all week long. 

Baltimore looks to stay hot when they take on Tampa who is 2.5 games behind them for the wild card and Oakland who is currently tied with them.  They get both of these series at home and behind a rejuvenated crowd at Camden Yards, I expect the Orioles to win both series. 

Tampa's schedule does not get any easier.  After facing Baltimore, they have to travel across the country to face the Angels.  If Tampa loses both of these series, I expect them to push extra hard to move anyone they can off their team before the deadline. 

Detroit travels to Cleveland and this could be the series of the week.  The Tigers are red hot and hold a 4.5 game lead.  If either team can sweep this series, it will go a long way in determining who will win the Central.  Both teams get an easier foe at the back end of the week with the Indians traveling to Minnesota and Detroit going to Toronto.

Is Pittsburgh for real?  The number one sign of a good team, is they always beat the teams they are supposed to beat.  They host the Cubs who are 14-35 on the road and then they travel to Houston, who currently holds the worst record in Baseball with a .354 winning percentage.  Pittsburgh should be able to sweep both of these series.

Miami has lost 5 games in a row.  I assume that total is going to get a little higher since they host the Braves to start the week.  The Marlins are on a downward slide and the Braves seem to be on a mission now.  I do not see this series going well for Miami

Boston has the toughest schedule this week.  They have a series in Texas who has the 2nd best record in baseball, and then they get to go to Yankee Stadium to face the team with the best record in baseball.  This will not be an easy week for them, and based off what I saw Toronto do to that pitching staff, I can only imagine what these all-star lineups are going to do against them.

I hope you enjoy this week of baseball and keep your eye posted to the news since roster moves will be happening every day.