The Good: Manager Tony Pena is getting the most out of his team, which lost 100 games last season and did nothing real evident in the offseason to improve. First baseman Mike Sweeney has been money (.321, a .979 combined on-base/slugging percentage), at least when he's been around. Carlos Beltran (.296, 12 homers, 54 RBIs) is coveted by many. Other guys come through in the clutch as needed. Rookie Mike MacDougal has saved 24 games, and starter Chris George is 9-6. The Royals are 29-9 against the Central.
The Bad: Sweeney's hurt, with a bad disk in his back. He hopes to return soon, but who knows? Runelvys Hernandez, Jeremy Affeldt, third baseman Joe Randa, Beltran … the injured list has been long and troublesome. Still, the Royals win. How? It's a bit of a mystery. George has won nine games despite an ERA over 7.00. Opponents have a .344 on-base percentage against the Royals (only two pitching staffs are worse). Still, the Royals win. It helps, of course, that no one else in the division can play at all.
What's Next: There's no reason to think the Royals won't keep on winning. They've owned everyone in the Central, they're 10 games over, they're seven games up. If the Royals DON'T win the division, this will be looked upon as one of the all-time chokes. Not to put any pressure on them or anything.
The Good: Picked by many to win the Central, the White Sox have the pitching to do it. Esteban Loaiza (11-5, 2.21) is a legitimate Cy Young candidate, and guys like Mark Buehrle, Bartolo Colon and Jon Garland can still bring it. You'd think with talent like Magglio Ordonez (.295, 17 homers, 53 RBIs), the White Sox would be in the thick of the race.
The Bad: But Ordonez isn't getting a whole lot of help. Frank Thomas has 20 home runs, and he's hitting .352 as a first baseman. Unfortunately, he's the DH, and he's hitting only .236 as a DH. The Big Hurt also is batting just .238 with runners in scoring position. As a team, the Sox are next to last in on-base percentage. Can't score if you can't get on base.
What's Next: Manager Jerry Manuel's job is hanging by a strand of dental floss. Maybe the Sox get a fiery skipper to come in and kick something or other. But if they don't do it soon, those Royals are liable to slip away forever.
The Good: Shannon Stewart (.294, .382 with runners in scoring position) comes to town after a trade with Toronto to try to spark a team that needs a whole forest fire to get going. Third baseman Corey Koskie (.298, 14 homers) could have been an All-Star, but on this underachieving team, he was overlooked. Catcher A.J. Pierzynski (.297, 48 RBIs), first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz (.296) and outfielder Jacque Jones (.300) all have been solid.
The Bad: Their right-field situation is still a mess, Jones has a bad hammy and their pitchers, especially their starters, have been terrible. Only Tampa Bay and Texas have starters with a worse ERA than the 5.18 egg the Twins' rotation has laid. The formerly fun-loving Twins have sniped at each other, easy going manager Ron Gardenhire has snapped a few times and the team lost eight straight before the break.
What's Next: Somehow, the Twins still think they're in the Central race, as the move to get Stewart shows. The rest of July will tell. Given the utter stinkiness of the first half, though, it looks like the reigning Central division champs may end up as the most disappointing team of the year.
The Good: The Indians are the only team, other than the amazing Royals, to have a winning record within the division (22-19). After a terrible start -- 7-20 -- the Indians actually have played decently (34-33). Moody Milton Bradley has been sensational (a .937 combined on-base and slugging percentage), when he's not scandalous, but it's the team's pitching, especially young ace C.C. Sabathia (8-4, 3.23) that has kept the Indians from looking like the Tigers.
The Bad: Life post-Jim Thome started roughly when the Tribe lost 12 of its last 14 games in April. Matt Lawton, one of the team's better hitters (15 homers, 47 RBIs), and veteran Omar Vizquel are on the shelf with injuries. There are some nice young players here (average age, 28.3 years old, sixth youngest in baseball). But they're real young.
What's Next: More fighting in the Central and being bowled over by the best teams, it seems. GM Mark Shapiro has a plan, and he's been stocking young talent, so everybody's willing to let him build. If the Indians can play .500 or better after the break, as they have for the past two months, they may start to turn some heads in '04.
The Good: Just 18 second-half wins (OK, so it’s not a full half) are all the Tigers need to avoid the 120-loss plateau of the '62 New York Mets. If the Tiggers go 18-52, that would make them 43-119, providing they play the whole schedule. Whew. They certainly have the pitching to win 18 of their final 70. Mike Maroth (4-13, 4.89), Jeremy Bonderman (3-13, 4.88) -- they can do this. All they need is some offense. Someone other than Dmitri Young (.283, 18 homers, 49 RBIs).
The Bad: There is no one else, evidently. Bobby Higginson (.235, five homers) is hurt and struggling. How inept is this offense? The Tigers play in cavernous Comerica Park, with its big outfield, but they're last in the league in doubles. They don't take walks (or get them), ranking 13th there. They need some hitting, but no help is on the way
What's Next: Alan Trammell has been amazingly cool in the heat of this awful season. The Tigers are showing signs they'll play better. They're 6-6 in July, with two one-run losses, three two-run setbacks and a sweep of the White Sox. They'll get their 18. Let's hope Trammell gets more to work with next season.
