The Tigers and the Yankees jumped in the Power Rankings, the Blue Jays are tumbling out of control, the Cubs are back over .500 and the World Series champion Cardinals look painfully, hopelessly lost. It was another up-and-down week in baseball, in which the biggest news came off the field -- something about Roger Clemens agreeing to play for the Yankees again, part-time, for $19 gazillion or something. No matter how confusing things get, though, it's nice to remember that keeping it simple on the field is the way to go, as Cincinnati's Josh Hamilton (9-for-21, two homers, four RBIs, a 1.357 OPS last week) tells us. "See the white ball," Hamilton said this weekend, describing his hitting philosophy, "and hit the white ball."
| MLB Power Rankings |
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So, the best team in baseball lost out on one of the greatest pitchers ever. That makes the Red Sox ... hmmm, still the best team in baseball. What's more, what they didn't fork out for Clemens -- as if they ever had a shot at him -- will be available in July, if they need it. At this rate, though, with that pitching and Dustin Pedroia starting to hit (.389 in his past six games), the Sox are going to be just fine. |
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Even the best teams get bored once in a while, which is the only explanation I can come up with for the Tribe losing their first two games to the gawdawful Orioles last weekend. It might have been three in a row but, when things looked bleakest and with their lofty spot in the PRs on the line, Grady Sizemore bolted out of center for a killer catch Sunday that stopped all that losing nonsense. |
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Bobby Cox is closing in on the record for getting thrown out of games. Yet his latest tossing, on Sunday, paled next to the one that Chad Paronto and Jarrod Saltalamacchia pulled off later in the game. Paronto picked up a win without pitching to a batter when catcher Saltalamacchia -- let's call him Salty -- took a pitchout and nailed the Dodgers' Rafael Furcal trying to steal. That's good living. |
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John Maine (5-0, 1.37 ERA) is everything that the Mets could have wanted. Mike Pelfrey (0-4, 6.39) ... isn't. Pelfrey has 14 walks in 25 1/3 innings to go with just 10 strikeouts, prompting some to wonder whether the 23-year-old righty is long for the rotation. Overall, the Mets' pitching, thanks mainly to Maine, is better than most thought. But this team needs Pelfrey. At least until Pedro returns. |
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I like the Brewers, I really do. Prince Fielder showed some pluck Sunday -- I dare you to call him "plucky" to his face -- with a daring dash home. James Jerry Hardy is ripping the ball (.423, 1.299 OPS in a 17-game hit streak). The Brewers have, if you want to get technical about it, the best record in baseball. I admit, past performance is clouding my judgment. All I can say is: Keep performing. |
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A breeze of a week with sweeps of the Orioles and Royals has thrust the Tigers into the Top 10. This is probably a bit high right now -- those were the O's and Royals -- and it could be a very limited engagement. The Tigers lost hard-throwing reliever Joel Zumaya to what looks like a serious finger injury. This weekend, they travel to Minnesota to play the Twins. We'll see who?s for real. |
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Look at the Padres' back-to-back NL West titles and you can pinpoint the exact month when these guys took control. In May 2005, the Padres won 22 games. Last May, they won 19. Already this May, they're 4-1. Can the Padres pull off another miracle May? Well, you know that ace Jake Peavy (1.75 ERA, three straight starts with 10+ strikeouts) certainly is going to do his part. |
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The Dodgers are run-challenged. They're scoring-shy. They are offensively offensive. They've managed just six runs in their past 49 innings. Earlier in the week, against Arizona, they scored just five runs in three games (and still won the series). They're hitting a paltry .205 with runners in scoring position and two outs. Yeah, they can pitch. They need more. |
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Batting champ Joe Mauer is on the disabled list with a sore leg, and the way MVP Justin Morneau is swinging the bat -- really, .143 with runners in scoring position -- he might as well be. The Twins lost series to both the Red Sox (understandable) and the Rays (inexcusable) last week. Now they have the ChiSox, Tigers and Indians looming. They had better get well, and quickly. |
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If I had an MVP vote and someone was making me pick today, how could I not vote Vladimir Guerrero? Garret Anderson's down for another month with a bad hip. Howie Kendrick's still out with a broken finger. Shea Hillenbrand (.232, no homers) was never going to be the answer. If it weren't for Vlad (.363, 1.155 OPS), the Angels would be the Rangers and the AL West would be lost. |
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