It’s the start of June and there are plenty of stories that are leaping off the page around the Major Leagues. There are new contenders from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Queen City of Canada. It appears that rookie arrivals in Atlanta and St. Louis will make big contributions in their respective division races. As for the hot and cold streaks in Boston and Detroit, the lackluster play in D.C. and L.A. is just as compelling.
Giants Leading The NL West
The NL West was supposed to be a landslide run-away race and it is turning into just that. The only problem for the favorite L.A. Dodgers, it’s the rival San Francisco Giants that are running away and hiding with the division lead. The Dodgers are still the only real contender that can threaten the Giants. Clayton Kershaw is now healthy for L.A. which may be the anchor the team needs to turn it around. Last year, the Dodgers were in last place and 12 games under .500 in late June. They went on to go 24-6 and a 15 game winning streak after July 1st to storm past everybody and eventually cruise to a division pennant.
This year does not look to be so easy. The addition of Tim Hudson into their starting rotation has seemed to be just the answer for the champions of the 2010 and 2012 World Series to get back on top. The Giants are about a week in front of the Dodgers in the standings about a third of the way into the season. If you believe in trends, an even year ( just like in 2010 nad 2012 ) looks to be bringing championship style play to the city of San Francisco once again in 2014.
Blue Jays Leading The AL East
Meet the 2014 AL East leading Toronto Blue Jays. Starting pitcher Mark Buehrle already has 10 wins and looks like he’s back to his 2005 White Sox World Series form. The big trade with the Marlins last year has finally paid off north of the border. Jose Reyes is playing well while Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista are slamming balls over the wall to lead one of the best offenses that we’ve seen in a while in baseball. Look for Alex Anthopolous to move some pieces from a strong minor league system to trade for another front-line starter. Jeff Smardzja of the Cubs is the favorite to end up in Toronto. If they can land him, the Blue Jays will be hard to beat despite the deep pockets of Boston and New York.
Difficult Teams to read in Boston and Detroit
The Red Sox and Tigers are hard teams to figure out this year. This was the ALCS matchup just last October. Boston is a hard team to read this year. A 10 game losing streak was followed by sweeps of Atlanta and Tampa Bay. Not only are they in the back of the pack, but, they will have to jump three more teams to grab the division crown again. They’ve already put the Rays in the rear view with Baltimore now in their sights.
In the Motor-City,a huge lead has dwindled after shaky pitching has brought them back to the pack. Justin Verlander is still up and down and closer Joe Nathan is starting show his age. Last year Nathan looked fantastic, but the new comer to the Detroit pen has blown some saves and that has allowed the White Sox and the rest of the division to hang around. Look for the Tigers to make a move to bolster their bullpen in July.
Cards and Braves Call Up Youth
The Cardinals and Braves have had some bumps in the road so far, but look to be righting their respective ships.
St. Louis has called up the 21-year old outfield phenom Oscar Tavares. Tavares hit .325, with 40 RBI and 7 home runs in 49 games at AAA Memphis. In just his second at bat with St. Louis, Tavares hit a homerun that helped Michael Wacha and company beat the visiting Giants and delight some of the best fans in baseball. Though Milwaukee jumped out to an early lead in the NL Central, the Cardinals are now with in striking distance of the Brewers. Look for St. Louis to put the heat on the division leaders and over take them by the All-Star break.
The Braves made two major call-ups this past week. First, in move that spells the end for Dan Uggla, second baseman Tommy La Stella was called up to be the starter. Though not known for his defense or power, La Stella will get on base and not strike out, setting the table for an offense that has struggled to consistently produce.
Another shot in the arm for Atlanta is the addition of right-hander Shae Simmons to the bullpen. In his first appearance Saturday, Simmons set up closer Craig Kimbrel for the save and extend the one-game lead over Miami. On day two, Simmons got the first save of his MLB career and complete the sweep of the Marlins. With the Nationals yet to put anything together, this division is Atlanta’s to lose. The Braves pitching is among the best, now it’s up to the bats to produce if they are to defend their division title.
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