Around the Horn

May 19, 2018

Now that the weather has warmed up and fewer games are being cancelled, the baseball season is taking shape. The good teams are starting to play well along with some surprises..

At this point the Houston Astros have a 3 game lead. The Angels with the additions of Upton, Kinsler and baseball’s best player, Mike Trout, are keeping them close, playing .568 baseball.  The pitching has been much better than anticipated.  The Mariners have also played well. If they have a lead after 6 innings, their dynamite relief pitching will shut teams down. Losing their best player Cano to PEDs will hurt wild card chances. Talking about AL West would not be complete without a Shohei Ohtani update. He’s 3-1 with a 3.58 ERA. In 90 at  bats, he’s hitting .321 with 6 homers and 17 RBI.

As expected, the Yankees and Red Sox are dogging it out in the AL East owning the two best records in the majors. This should be close until the end. So far the best player in the game has been Boston’s Mookie Betts. He leads the league in batting average and is among the leaders in home runs. He has 30 RBI in the lead off position and has a 10 point lead in runs scored. The Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays are good teams that would be fighting for the lead in the AL Central.

In what is probably the worst division, the Cleveland Indians are in first place at 23-22.  Minnesota got side tracked by 3 straight cancellations and should get better. Right now a bad Detroit team is in second.  The Royals are are terrible and the White Sox just suck.

Last year it seems the Dodgers over achieved. Career years and great pitching got them to the World Series. However, injuries have really hurt this team and the rest of the players aren’t stepping up. There is still time, but it will hard catching the Diamondbacks and Rockies. Even with Goldschmidt not clicking on all cylinders, the Diamondbacks' pitching has them in first place. The Rockies with their great line up are right behind. The Giants with the acquisitions of Longoria and McCutchen have improved and are 3 ½ games out, 4 in front of the Dodgers.

While the Mets are starting to fade, the rebuilt Braves and homer happy Phillies are 1-2 in the NL East. While I expect the Phillies to fade, the Braves can make it tough for Washington (now 1 ½ games out) to repeat as division champs. What I thought was a joke could turn out to be the most interesting of the pennant races.

The NL central is really bunched right now. Three teams within 2 ½ games. I can’t see anyone but the Cubs winning this division, well at least on paper. St. Louis and Milwaukee don’t possess a line up as good. Rizzo will get back on track so the Cubs will be stronger. The starting pitching, even with Yu Darvish is better than their competitors. The bullpen with knock down closer Morrow is good enough.  Recent stretch of 7 out of 10 versus Miami, Chicago and Cincinnati doesn’t hurt. All are last place teams.

The two faces of Chicago baseball

May 11, 2018

The Cubs remind me of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Not to worry. The Dr. Jekyll will be the dominant personality of this team that will make the post season. The pitching has been solid. The starters are doing their jobs. The acquisition of Morrow as your closer has worked out very well. That being said, the pitching gave them a five game winning streak with little help from the bats. Aside from Darvish, the pitching was good, just not good enough to avoid a five game losing streak as the hitters continued to struggle. The Cubs may not be playing their best, however their fortunes have changed. The bats awoke in the three game sweep of the Marlins. They should win three more in row against the lousy White Sox.

The only thing to worry about is this team has never hit good pitching. In the 2015 divisional playoffs, they lost four straight to great pitching of the Mets. Playing the what if game; do they win the World Series if the Indians had both Kluber and Carasco?  In 2017, do they get past the Nationals if Scherzer is healthy? You saw what happened when the bats were colder than April weather against the Dodgers. Alas, these are things you don’t have to fret about until October.

For Cub fans, here’s the dream: when trade season starts, obtain and sign Machado. You have the cash, so make sure you sign free agent Bryce Harper. You’ll have the most potent offense in baseball. 

   
You’ve heard the slogan, "Ricky’s boys don’t quit." You've also heard the White Sox give you 27 outs. The problem is they give the opponents 30 outs. This is probably the worst defense in baseball. Look around, balls bouncing off catcher's mitts; back handing pitches in the dirt. They say Castillo can throw but doesn’t get the chance. The stolen base has, for the most part, become a lost art. The first man is adequate, the second baseman is learning and third base has been pretty good. Shortstop Anderson made 17 errors last year and hasn’t gotten any better. To compensate, he has to do a lot better with his hitting.

Nicky Delmonico is the worst defensive left fielder since Ralph Garr. Ground balls are consistently over run or bobbled. His routes on balls to his right are terrible. At least Garr hit .300 and has stolen bases. By trading Saladino you would be hard pressed to find someone worse. Say hello to Trayce Thompson. Thought to be a good defensive outfielder, you see bad routes and catchable balls bouncing off the outfield fence. His batting average is less than Adam Engel’s .167, the only really good defensive player.

For Sox fans, the call up of Eloy Jimenez can’t come fast enough. He may need development but is still better than any outfielder they have.  Meanwhile, Michael Kopech lingers in the minors. With Rodon coming back and Dylan Cease on the rise, has there been any thought given to making Kopech a relief pitcher? This is something they clearly lack and Kopech has closer stuff.

Bearzzz

April 29, 2018

Let’s take a break from baseball and talk football. Chicago Bears football.

I am not a fan of Ryan Pace. After all, he is the architect of a team that has lost double digits the last 3 years. With three top ten picks he has not drafted an impact player. Sure, he drafted Mitch Trubisky but only as an understudy to his big free agent Mike Glennon. Glennon was so bad Trubisky had to start. And after one year, Glennon is gone.

Maybe Pace is waking up. Resigning Kyle Fuller and Prince Akumara was a good move. Losing them would leave the defense with too many holes. Decimated by injuries (Danny Trevathan, Leonard Floyd) for a few games, this defense was still pretty good thanks to defensive guru Vic Fangio. For the first time in his tenure, Pace didn’t go crazy in the draft. He picked an impact player with the first pick a 3 down starter, linebacker Roquan Smith. He fits perfectly in this defense as he played in a 3-4 set up in college. Sure there is more work to be done but it’s a start.

Ryan Pace’s main focus this off season was finding players to help Trubisky succeed. Everything the Bears did in free agency revolved around the quarterback. They signed Trey Burton, a backup tight end from the Eagles. In a limited sample size, he still is an upgrade. What this acquisition shows is what a terrible 2017 second round pick Adam Shaheen was. Once again he is third on the depth chart behind Dion Simms. Next up, slot receiver Taylor Gabriel. He is the speed burner the Bears need to stretch the field. He should make everyone forget the always injured Eddie Royal. The key signing was Allen Robinson who was really good prior to tearing his ACL, causing him to miss 2017. The other receiver available was a healthy Sammy Watkins, whom I would have preferred. Robinson’s injury may not be healed for the opener against Green Bay. But we’ll get a clearer picture when training camp starts.

Pace has had some success in the second round of the draft. Eddie Goldman and Cody Whitehair stepped in and contributed from the get go. This year he drafted more help for his QB, center James Daniels to bolster the offensive line. They made shrewd moves up to draft Memphis explosive speed receiver Anthony Miller. Say good bye to Kevin White.

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If the 'first to say yes' coach is a great offensive coordinator, I feel a sense of optimism. What makes me mad and sad is when coach Nagy and Pace say to lower your expectations. What kind of message is that for a young team?

Early Returns

April 19 2018

With the bad weather and all the cancelled games baseball hasn’t gotten on a roll yet. Even though t’s very early here is what I’ve seen and know.

As I write this the Cubs ae beating the Cardinals 8-5 in the bottom of the 8^th. The only way they lose is with the White Sox bullpen. Therefore the Cubs record stands at 8-8. Although Cub fans may not like the way they are playing it is very much like last year. It wasn’t until after the all -star break when the Cubs went on a roll to win the division. The Pirates, currently on top will fade and I don’t think Milwaukee or St. Louis are good enough to beat out the Cubs.

The pitching, aside from Hendricks has been on and off. As the weather gets warmer the other starters should improve. . You may have concerns, about Lester’s healt. Yu Darvish was the best available pitcher.  However, closer examination shows he won only 10 games last year, 7 the year before and 10 the tear before that. The Cubs need better production from him. If need be,Theo will pick up another pitcher. The bull pen, with Morrow closing looks solid.

As for the hitting.. I always loved the bat speed of Javier Baez since his arrival. If he doesn’t go back to swinging at pitches out of the strike zone he could have a monster season. Thus far, none of his homers have been cheapies. Along with Bryant, Zobrist, Contreras the Cubs will score plenty of runs. I’m also pretty sure Rizzo will bounce back after slow start.

I didn’t think the White Sox were going to win anything.  Even though it’s early they have been really bad and most likely won’t be able to get out the hole they have dug. They are 4-11 and with 3 games coming up against the Astros so this could be uglier.

Let’s look at the hitting. The bats are colder than the weather. Nicky Delmonico is your leading hitter at a robust.283 and 1 home run. He’s also worse than Schwarber in left field. The hits with men in scoring position is non- existent. There have many instances with bases loaded failures and poor execution with a runner at third and less than two outs. My worst nightmare is seeing Adam Engel come up with men on base. He’s not sacrifice fly guy, but at least his.179 average is better than last year’s .167. An interesting fact is since 2006 the Sox have had 9 different opening day center fielders. With the winter talk about obtaining Manny Machado, instead they should have made an effort to sign Lorenzo Cain, center fielder and and lead-off man.

James Shield is James Shields. For the most part  bad, falling behind in counts and getting pounded. Miguel Gonzalez has no business on this team. He’s 33 years old and bad. Carson Fulmer has good stuff but can’t find the plate, Lucas Giolito has been okay and should better when the weather heats and he gets a better feel for his curve Reynaldo. Lopez has been outstanding. In three starts  he has allowed 1 run twice. In his other start 2. He is 0-3 thanks to a putrid Sox offense

 The biggest problem is the pull your out your head relief pitching. GM acknowledged that he needed to improve. He raved that Nate Jones was healthy. I can’t get excited about a pitcher the tied for the league lead with 9 blown saves in 2016. He acquired Soria who has blown 14 saves over the past two years. Last year’s end of the season closer couldn’t get anyone and after 4 walks in a row he was sent down. Gregory Infante gave up 10 runs in less than five innings, he was sent down. The only one to keeping is Bruce Rondon. The rest of the relievers would make up a fine AAA roster

Looking Forward to upcoming Baseball season

April 11, 2018

Baseball always has compelling plot lines and people to take notice of, even this early. Here in no particular order are what we should keep an eye on.

Warm weather. Baseball in frigid climates is not fun for players or fans. Living in Chicago, I have a steadfast rule of not attending a game until June. Not only is it a better atmosphere but you have a pretty idea of who your team is.

I expected to see homers galore from the Yankee trio, Judge, Sanchez and newly acquired Giancarlo Stanton. Weather could be part of the problem. Stanton seems to be struggling. Just wondering if he is another great National League player that can’t adjust to the American League.

There is no better rivalry in baseball better than Yankees vs. Red Sox. It gets better when both teams are good. They should be fighting it out to see who wins the division and who will be a wild card. ESPN will give you plenty of coverage.
   

I don’t see any holes in the Houston Astros. Excellent pitching, hitting and the best double play combination in baseball. They are poised to win it all again. However, once the post season starts you never know what may happen. This is one of the things that make baseball so enjoyable.

In my previous post I mentioned the National League East is a joke.  However, the N.Y. Mets pitching staff is off the charts. They could cause the Nationals problems if they stay healthy. That’s a big if since Met pitchers seem to get hurt with regularity. The Braves rebuild looks better but still not good enough to contend.

Bryce Harper may be playing his last season in Washington and is on his way to an MVP type year. If you are watching, you stop what you’re doing when he comes up to bat. One reason why I love the MLB Network highlights. Wherever he goes he will be that team’s best player. He will also be the highest paid player in baseball.

I love to watch Kyle Hendricks pitch. He may not be flashy, he just retires batters. He reminds me of Greg Maddox in his Atlanta years. With an ERA in the lower 2’s he should win more games than he has in the past. The only thing standing in his way is run support.

In an attempt to speed up the game teams are allowed only six mound visits a game. What is the penalty for going over the limit? I see umpires calling the high strike. Do that with the low strike zone and you’ll speed up the game.

In the what was I thinking department, my evaluation of Shohei Ohtani was based on spring training which means nothing. Is he a hitter or a pitcher? Is it a desert topping or a floor wax? The answer is he is both. He already has three home runs and his average is about .370.despite the fact he is not in the line up every game. As a pitcher he is 2-0. In his last game he was perfect into the seventh inning. and struck out 12. Watching highlights he had a Sandy Koufax fastball and a splitter that drops off the end of a table. He’s not Babe Ruth yet, but he will fill up stadiums and be the story of the year.

Annie Savoy. When baseball rolls around they show Bull Durham. Susan Sarandon is delightful as a baseball groupie. At one point she asks Luke “don’t you think I’m pretty?  Yes she is.

Around the Horn

April 4, 2018

  

I never get tired talking baseball. Although I will be keeping tabs on our local heroes, there are plenty of other interesting story lines to keep an eye on. I will also make some predictions as well. Here is the American League and these are their stories. (My tribute to the TV series Law and Order).

Picking the Cleveland Indians to win the Central Division is a no brainer. At the top of the pitching rotation are studs, Corey Kluber and Carlos Carassco. The other pitchers only need to last 6 innings before turning it over to one of best bullpens to close games. Next is Minnesota who may have overachieved last year. If the White Sox play decent they can end up in third. Maybe they can get participation trophies. 1-Cleveland, 2- Minnesota (wild card), 3- Chicago, 4- Detroit, 5- Kansas City.

In the East, the Bronx Bombers are back. Adding Giancarlo Stanton to Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez, they can combine for over 100 home runs. Tanaka, Severino, Sonny Gray and the ageless  C.C. Sabathia are the starters with a lockdown bullpen led by one of baseball’s best closers, Aroldis Chapman. However, I believe Boston will be on their tails. They can hit with the best of teams. The addition of J.D. Martinez makes them more powerful. Chris Sale, Rick Porcello and a healthy David Price tend to pitch deep into games and Craig Kimbrel is a pretty good closer. 1-  New York, 2- Boston (wild card), 3- Toronto, 4-Baltimore, 5-Tampa Bay.

The Houston Astros are young and getting better. Having a rejuvenated Justin Verlander the whole year plus Gerrit Cole improves an already good staff.  There is no better top five line up. Last year they lapped the field. The California-Anaheim Angels improved their line up adding Ian Kinsler and Justin Upton. Add this to the best player in baseball, Mike Trout and Albert Pujois home runs, they could average over 4 runs a game. Too bad the pitchers will allow 5 runs. They also added highly touted Japanese prospect Shohei Ohtani, as pitcher and designated hitter. Aside from Ichiro, I can’t think of any hitters from Japan who have had sustained success. Pitchers have had a modicum effect which is what I suspect here. 1- Houston, 2- Texas, 3- Seattle, 4- California, 5- Oakland.

The National League East is a joke . The Nationals are probably the only team that plays .500. This is easy to accomplish when you play 19 games against teams in that division. 1- Washington, 2- Atlanta, 3- New York, 4- Philadelphia, 5- Florida. From what I’ve seen is Phillies manager Gabe Kapler or Mr. Kotter Gabe Kaplan?

The Colorado Rockies may have the best overall line up in baseball. However, with no pitching they won’t win this division. The Arizona Diamondbacks have pretty good pitching but the loss of J.D.  Martinez leaves them with only one impact player, Paul Goldschmidt. Good pitching beats good hitting (ask the Cubs), therefore the Dodgers once again win this division. They also can hit. 1- L.A., 2- Arizona (wild card), 3- Colorado, 4- San Francisco, 5-San Diego.

The Cubs are head and shoulders better than the rest of this division. The Brewers and St. Louis may have improved over the winter but not enough. Superior pitching and good hitting will make the Cubs Central Division champs. 1- Chicago,  2- Milwaukee (wild card), 3- St. Louis, 4- Pittsburgh,
5- Cincinnati.  

Baseball 2018

March 27, 2018

With the Blackhawks sinking further into their abyss and the Bulls trying to lose, thank you Loyola for giving Chicago and the fans something to root for.  The next best thing is the crack of the bat, ball hitting leather and the start of the baseball season.

Although Milwaukee and St. Louis may have improved, they can fight for the wild card as the Cubs once again will easily win this division. Along with the Astros, this team is the model everyone is trying to copy. Their window keeps getting wider thanks to Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer. The questions marks from last season have been answered. You lose Jake Arrietta and Todd Lackey, and get better acquiring Yu Darvish and Tyler Chatwood to complete the best pitching staff in baseball. The leadoff hitter situation has been solved with Ian Happ. After Happ are Bryant, Rizzo and Contreras, all of whom are capable of hitting 30 home runs. I also predict a big year for Kyle Schwarber. In what was supposed to be a bad year, including a trip to the minors, he hit 30 home runs. Expect this number to go way up. Javier Baez may not know the strike zone yet still managed to hit 23 home runs. Whatever deficiencies Addison Russell may have at the plate, his defense makes up for it. Same goes for Heyward who is just keeping the seat warm for Bryce Harper. If there are any questions it will be in the bullpen. Barring a barrage of injuries they will make a run in the post season where hopefully Joe Madden doesn’t do his usual bad managing act in October. However, since teams don’t usually win 2 championships in a row, the Cubs may get their second this year.

It doesn't look like the White Sox will be very good, nor will they lose 95 games. There are just too many question marks to be overly optimistic. They only have three players coming off good years. Jose Abreu has been nothing short of spectacular, while Avi Garcia and newly acquired catcher Welington Castillo will try to repeat last year.  Where you’re hoping to see improvement is in the middle. Yoan Moncada and Tim Anderson both have great upsides. You just never know how long the process reaching that will take.  One big difference is they finally have a good DH in Matt Davidson. With a year under his belt and playing every day he could be real good with 30 homer potential. He may end up being the third baseman. I don’t think you can rely on Sanchez. Nicky Delmonico can also play third. If not he will be displaced in left when they call up Eloy Jimenez. I can’t remember the last time the opening centerfielder was the same two years in a row.  Adam Engel does not instill confidence. It’s a shame when James Shields is your opening day starter. The hope is he pitches well enough to be traded for prospects. More likely, he’ll be replaced when they call up Michael Kopech. The rest of the starters, being young, are going to have their ups and downs but looked good last September. The biggest weakness is the bullpen. For closers, Sorria hasn’t been good in years. The other option, Nate Jones needs to come in with no one on base since he has control issues. All the returning relievers couldn’t even get me out. Things could get interesting and fun to watch.  Seventy five wins seems about right.