Twins looking sharp; Rays pitch themselves into first

AL CENTRAL

The first two weeks of baseball in the central division has told us a numerous amount of what we should expect and what teams need to do for improvement.

The Minnesota Twins are the best team in the American League right now. Why? Because, the Twins don’t waste good pitching and defense with poor situational hitting. The Chicago White Sox cannot say the same. In their nine losses, they lost six by two runs or less.

The other contender, the Detroit Tigers, have struggled with consistency in their first two weeks. The reason? Pitching. The ace Justin Verlander has given up 13 runs in 17 innings. Jeremy Bonderman has given up 11 runs in nine innings. The fifth starter, Dontrelle Willis, has five walks and opponents are hitting .348 against him. Max Scherzer is the only pitcher pitching well, and the offense cost him a win already.

AL EAST

The New York Yankees are batting .286 as a team, and they are tied for first in the American League with 64 runs scored. They also have a 3.79 ERA, which is enough for their potent offense to win.

The Tampa Bay Rays have quickly moved up the standings with the awful play by the Boston Red Sox. They won the first three games of a four-game series with the Red Sox, and they also have beaten up on Baltimore. The six-game winning streak is needed when chasing the Yankees. The Rays pitching is the reason for the climb.

Matt Garza has 19 strikeouts with seven walks and David Price has 14 strikeouts while only walking five. Opponents are hitting .179 against Garza and .204 against Price. They have also only allowed a combined seven earned runs in 38.2 innings.

AL WEST

The one true surprise in April is the Oakland Athletics. They lead the major league in ERA, and they have won some close games. The problem signs are beginning to point towards the evening out of their record, however. The offense has no power, and they shouldn’t score many runs on the year.

Plus, the Seattle Mariners are beginning to play much better, winning four in a row against Oakland and Detroit. The Mariners have done it with their pitching, and they have also scored some timely runs during the streak. The reason they started slow was due to the lack of run support.

The Los Angeles Angels have struggled with pitching, but they were able to get a quality start by Ervin Santana in a 3-1 win over Toronto yesterday. They have begun to score some runs, so if the pitching comes around, they should also climb up the standings.

TOP FIVE AL TEAMS APRIL 19:

1.) Minnesota Twins - They pitch, play defense and are tied for first

with 64 runs scored.

2.) New York Yankees – They have the best offense in the AL, and they

have beaten the division rivalries.

3.) Tampa Bay Rays - They have the two best pitchers in the AL so

far in Garza and Price.

4.) Oakland Athletics – They have pitched well, but the offense lacks

pop.

5.) Seattle Mariners – They had a great week, and they look to

continue their improvement.

Seattle can ride two pitchers to AL glory

Predicted AL playoff teams

East- Boston Red Sox

West- Seattle Mariners

Central- Chicago White Sox

Wild card- New York Yankees

ALDS

No. 1 Boston Red Sox vs No. 3 Chicago White Sox

In the best of five series, any team can be hot and win. However, a deep pitching staff and solid defense usually leads to an ALCS berth. Boston and the White Sox have equally good pitching, but the Red Sox have the better defense.

The series will go all five games, but the winner will make the fewest mistakes. Boston has also been here more times than the White Sox, and I see them using their experience to edge Chicago. Boston 3, White Sox 2.

No. 2 Seattle Mariners vs No. 4 New York Yankees

The Yankees are the defending champions, and they have the offense to power through the postseason. However, Seattle can match them with pitching in a short series and will have more home games. In a five game series, Seattle can score some runs with good speed at the top of the lineup, and they can pitch Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee twice if needed.

If the Mariners can score early and hold their leads, the Yankees will a tough chance in the short series. Plus, Cliff Lee pitched well against them in last year’s World Series, winning twice and only allowing five runs. Seattle 3, New York 2.

ALCS

No. 1 Boston vs No. 2 Seattle

The Boston Red Sox have a deeper staff than the Mariners, and they have home-field advantage. However, the Mariners have more speed, and the base runners can give Boston loads of trouble. Cliff Lee and Felix Hernandez can pitch twice again, and the Mariners will have a great chance of stealing one in the first two games and one in the last two games.

If they win two in Boston, a two out of three series is needed at home. Seattle is an improved ball club with two potential number one aces and more speed and contact at the top of the order. If the middle of the lineup knocks in runs, Seattle will be very dangerous. They can easily do what Tampa Bay did in 2008. Seattle 4, Boston 2.

AL PENNANT WINNER

SEATTLE MARINERS

In Major League Baseball, the hottest teams tend to go to the World Series. The Yankees were hot last year, the Rays the year before that, the Red Sox, Tigers and White Sox in previous years for the American League. The favorite or the best doesn’t always win, and a repeat champion is extremely rare. In fact in the last six years, only the Red Sox have won it twice (but not in consecutive years). The Yankees won it five out of six years from 1998-2003 (only losing in 2002 to eventual champion Anaheim Angels, now Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim).

With the trends pointing away from such dynasties due to younger teams getting better and contenders staying at the top longer, the Mariners are a nice sleeper pick to take the AL prize. Anyone can choose the Red Sox and Yankees, but the Mariners will be a contender that can only get better throughout the season. I see them hot in September, with the Angels chasing them, and I see them healthy enough to use their one-two punch at the top of the rotation come playoff time. Remember, the Arizona Diamondbacks won the 2001 World Series with, essentially, only two starters. Granted they are potential future hall of famers, Lee and Hernandez are potential Cy Young-award winners.

Note: An interesting fact lies in playoff appearances and pennants won. The Yankees have 48 appearances and 40 pennants as a franchise, including when they were the Baltimore Orioles and New York Highlanders. The Red Sox have 20 appearances and 12 pennants won, including when they were the Boston Americans. The White Sox have nine appearances and six pennants won, and the Mariners have four appearances and zero pennants won. If the Mariners win the pennant, they would be the 14^th American League team to do so, including the Milwaukee Brewers when they were in the AL. What other American League team has never won a pennant? Comment with your answers. I will reveal the correct one later in the week. (To keep it fair, take an educated guess without the Internet).

Also check out Tyler’s Fantasy Sports Donkey blog located in the other blogs to check out section of our sidebar. See what MLB players will give your fantasy team the best chance at winning a league.

Angels will have tough time staying on top of West; Mariners most improved

Los Angeles Angels

2009: 97-65 1st place

Key Players

Torii Hunter- CF .299 22 Hrs 90 RBIs

Erick Aybar- SS .312 5 Hrs 58 RBIs 70 Runs

Howie Kendrick- 2B .291 10 Hrs 61 RBIs

Jered Weaver- SP/RH 211 IPs 16-8 3.75 ERA 174 Ks 66 BBs

Joe Saunders- SP/RH 186 IPs 16-7 4.60 ERA 101 Ks 64 BBs

Key Additions

Fernando Rodney- RP/RH

Hideki Matsui- DH

Matsui is an addition with a lot on his shoulders. He will be expected to fill the void of Vladimir Guerrero, and he will bat clean up. He hit 28 homeruns and had 90 RBIs for the world champion New York Yankees last year. Guerrero had been on a steady decline since he had four straight 100 RBI seasons. The other key addition, Rodney, will be asked to fill a void in the middle of the bullpen. In order to do so, he will need to get his walks down. He walked 41 while striking out 61 last year, but he did save 37 out of 38 games as well. The numbers suggests he either had big leads, or he put himself in trouble and was able to get out of it.

Key Subtractions

Vladimir Guerrero- DH

John Lackey- SP/RH

Chone Figgins- 3B

Guerrero’s absence won’t be felt as much as Figgins. Figgins had 114 runs scored last year, and he is one of the best leadoff hitters in the game. Aybar will need to step his game up to replace him. Also, with Lackey gone, their pitching staff lacks a true ace. He will be missed, especially if they need to break a losing streak.

Stats breakdown

Pitching 4

Offense 3

Defense 4

Overall 11

The Angels lost key pieces, and the other teams in the division have added key pieces. Figgins and Lackey will not be able to be replaced, so the Angels will need several players to try and fill the voids. The division isn’t theirs to win this year. They will need exceptional play and consistent starting pitching all year. The race will be decided in the final weeks, but it doesn’t seem like the Angels have what it takes yet. They may need to make a big midseason acquisition.

Oakland Athletics

2009: 75-87 last place

Key Players

Justin Duchscherer SP/RH 141.2 IPs 10-8 2.54 ERA 95 Ks 34 BBs

Dallas Braden SP/LH 136.2 IPs 8-9 3.89 ERA 81 Ks 42 BBs

Jack Cust DH .240 25 Hrs 70 RBIs

Rajai Davis CF .305 3 Hrs 48 RBIs 41 SBs

Kurt Suzuki C .274 15 Hrs 88 RBIs

Key Additions

Ben Sheets SP/RH

Sheets was picked up to give the Athletics a potential ace. If he stays healthy, he can give 16-17 wins. He will also be able to tutor the other young pitchers on the staff. He is a decent pick up for a young team.

Key Subtractions

Nomar Garciaparra 1B

Adam Kennedy 2B

The Athletics are going to go young this year, but they will miss Kennedy’s production at the top of the order.

Stats breakdown

Pitching 2

Offense 2

Defense 3

Overall 7

The Athletics are at the bottom of the pack in the division. Sheets will give them a boost, and they will compete with the division early. The young players aren’t ready to be in it during September, however. They need to score more runs for their young pitchers, and they do not have the power to do so.

Seattle Mariners

2009: 85-77 3rd place

Key Players

Ichiro Suzuki RF .352 11 Hrs 46 RBIs 88 Runs

Felix Hernandez SP/RH 238.2 IPs 19-5 2.49 ERA 217 Ks 71 BBs

Franklin Gutierrez CF .283 18 Hrs 70 RBIs

Ken Griffey Jr DH .214 19 Hrs 57 RBIs

Ryan Rowland-Smith SP/LH 96.1 IPs 5-4 3.74 ERA 52 Ks 27 BBs

Key Additions

Chone Figgins 3B

Cliff Lee SP/LH

Milton Bradley LF

Figgins is going to make the Mariners’ top of the order one of the best. He joins Suzuki, and the middle of the order will have plenty of opportunities to see inflated RBI numbers. Bradley is one of the fortunate players, but he will need to play and put all of his baggage behind him. The Mariners don’t have anything to really lose by giving him a try. Lee will be a huge addition at the top of the rotation. He will make the Mariners a contender with Hernandez as the ace. Lee was 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA in over 40 innings during the postseason last year.

Key Subtractions

Adrian Beltre 3B

Beltre had a down year with injuries last season. The Mariners upgraded with Figgins, but the Beltre power numbers of old was missed last year. If Gutierrez or Bradley have great years, Beltre will be a distant memory.

Stats breakdown

Pitching 4

Offense 4

Defense 5

Overall 13

The Mariners have upgraded considerably, and Lee and Hernandez will be devastating to opponents. The lineup has Figgins and Suzuki at the top, and the middle of the order will see more chances to drive in runs because of them. With the additions, the Mariners will be in the race for the division, and they will be the team to beat down the stretch.

Texas Rangers

2009: 87-75 2nd place

Key Players

Josh Hamilton LF .268 10 Hrs 54 RBIs

Ian Kinsler 2B .253 31 Hrs 86 RBIs 101 Runs

Michael Young 3B .322 22 Hrs 68 RBIs

Scott Feldman SP/RH 189.2 IPs 17-8 4.08 ERA 113 Ks 65 BBs

Tommy Hunter SP/RH 112 IPs 9-6 4.10 ERA 64 Ks 33 BBs

Key Additions

Vladimir Guerrero DH

Rich Harden SP/RH

The Rangers are hoping Guerrero will be good enough to boost Hamilton’s numbers. Guerrero’s production dipped the last few years with the Angels, and the Rangers will need him to be the RBI machine he was four years ago. Harden is a nice addition to the pitching staff. He had 171 strikeouts for the Chicago Cubs last year, which fits in well with the Rangers.

Key Subtractions

Kevin Millwood SP/RH

Ivan Rodriguez RP/RH

The Rangers lose their ace of last season, and they lose out on their veteran catcher. The young staff will miss his game calling skills. The pitching may be worse off because of the subtractions.

Stats breakdown

Pitching 3

Offense 3

Defense 3

Overall 9

The Rangers had a very good year last season, exceeding everyone’s expectations. However, they lost their ace, and they have decided to rebuild with some young talent. They still have a decent offense, and they will be able to compete with the Angels and Mariners, especially if the new owners splurge by the trade deadline. The problem will lie with the consistency. The Rangers staff just isn’t as good as the Angels or Mariners to win the division.

Final AL West beakdown

Champion: Seattle Mariners

The Mariners have many upgrades, and the Angels lost some key pieces. It won’t be easy, but the Mariners will have the better pitching down the stretch, and the offense will start to score runs in bunches with Figgins and Suzuki reaching base for the middle of the order. The Angels will miss a true ace, and the Rangers will need to upgrade at several positions. If the Mariners can have a winning record within their division, they will easily take the crown and knock the Angels from the top of the pedestal. Don’t think Mike Scioscia will have the Angels lying down, however.