MARCO'S BASEBALL BLOG-O-ROONIE 2017: 1 WEEK TO GO!

MARCO'S BASEBALL BLOG-O-ROONIE 2017: 1 WEEK TO GO!

With only a week remaining on the schedule, one would think the pennant races were pretty much decided. But one would be a fool, wouldn't one?

The Nationals have already clinched in the NL East. The Dodgers, despite a recent 5-20 swoon, have won the West by plenty. The Cubs have gone 8-2 in the last ten to sew up a Playoff spot and all but win the Central officially.

The NL First Wild Card looks like Arizona for sure. They've been giving up a lot of runs lately but they look to host the Play-In game. Colorado, which has been solid all year, has suddenly gone ice cold at the plate...even at home in Denver-Launch-City. Shut out in 3 out of 4! What on Earth? That has opened up better possibilities for Milwaukee and St. Louis. Seeing this, the Brewers promptly spit the bit and lost 3 very winnable games in a row before Shaw hit a walk off against the Cubs last night. Now the Cardinals...underachieving all year...are hovering hopefully just a game and a half out of the second Wild Card.

Best guess is Arizona hosts somebody for a one game Wild Card Play-In. Winner faces the Dodgers and all their recent question marks. Washington and the Cubs will rassle for the Championship berth.

In the AL, Cleveland has flattened the Central with that magnificent 22 game win streak and Houston printed up Playoff tickets about three months ago. The Astros had a bad spell in August (so did the city of Houston as a whole, actually...good luck to my flooded hometown) but the trade for Verlander and the return of Golden Boy Carlos Correa seems to have reinvigorated them.

Boston is up on New York by 4 and you'd expect the Bronx Bombers to relax and be happy with a Wild Card. Thing is, the Yankees have owned the Sox lately and they keep trying to win the whole enchilada. So far the Sox have been able to fend them off.

New York is guaranteed one Wild Card...probably the first. Minnesota looks good for number two with the Angels 7 game losing streak canceling their second half resurrection. Texas and Kansas City have mathematical chances of getting in if Minnesota starts losing.

But let's go with the overwhelming probability that the Yankees will host the Wild Card Play-In against Minnesota and the winner of that one will face the Indians or the Astros, whichever team winds up with the best record. The other of those two will face Boston in a 5 game Playoff.

But before we spank this monkey, let us remember 1964 and the Famous Philly Folly.

Philadelphia had been having a great season and were 6 ½ games up on the Cardinals and the Reds with 12 games left. Then they got involved in a 0-0 contest with Cincinnati in a game in Philly.

6^th inning, one out... Chico Ruiz of the Reds singles. Vada Pinson singles him over but stupidly gets thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. So Ruiz is on third with two outs and Frank Robinson up. (He of the soon to be double MVP, Triple Crown, future Hall of Fame resume). Art Mahaffey, the big Phillies right-hander, gets two strikes on Frank. All of a sudden, Chico breaks for home.

Robinson is more surprised than anybody. Why take the bat out of your clean-up hitter's hands with a suicidal steal of home attempt? Not to mention nobody else on the team had a clue. And with two strikes, Frank was likely to swing at anything close. If he hits a liner down the third base line, Ruiz could have been killed.

But the startled Mahaffey's pitch was wide, Robinson stepped out and Chico slid in safe for a 1-0 Red's lead. They went on to win the shutout and the shocked Phillies proceeded to lose ten straight games in all kinds of weird ways. Their manager Gene Mauch panicked when the losing streak started to build and started pitching his two big guns, Jim Bunning and Chris Short, on minimal rest. Bunning made 4 starts in one 9 game stretch. Not surprisingly they kept losing and let the Cards sneak in and win the pennant. No wild cards as a consolation prize back then...it was all or nothing.

In 2017, the Dodgers have already had the big losing streak. They are still staggering around, winning 4 then losing 4. I thought this streak would piss them off so much that the indignity of it would turn them into lions and their natural superiority would come roaring back. Not so.

Last night they made Madison Bumgarner look like he never took that fateful dirt bike ride and hurt his shoulder at all. He's been giving up big numbers ever since he came back from the DL. But not against the Dodgers. MadBum made them look like bush-meat.

Even though they just clinched the West, The Dodgeheads seem confused and tenuous. Their starters have improved lately, but the team seems vulnerable.

Now is the time when David Roberts, he of the happy-face managerial style, has to earn his money. Chase Utley and Granderson and Justin Turner and Kershaw have to turn on the Old Pro vibe and lead these youngsters to the Green Green Pastures of Playoff Plenty. Nothing would be worse than for the Dodgers to go 2-8 or something these last ten games and go into the Playoffs as if they should apologize.

The Arizona Diamondbacks and the Washington Nationals are lurking like hyenas in the shadows... with a great hunger for carrion.

It's Eat or be Eaten on the Baseball Savannah. (And so much for the African predator metaphors.)

The aforementioned Nationals are the new Darlings of Destiny according to baseball media. Harper looks like he'll make it back for the Playoffs and Tre Turner has been awesome in his return from DL limbo. But it's the three-headed starter/monster of Scherzer, Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez that makes them so formidable. Especially now that the rebuilt Nats' bullpen is looking so good.

My personal opinion? The Nationals look better than they really are because they played so many games against very weak Eastern Division rivals Atlanta, New York and Philadelphia.

The Cubs just don't seem to be scary this year with Lester looking bad. (I told you he'd miss his personal catcher, David Ross!) Arrieta and Hendricks will keep them in it, but I am not a believer.

Arizona would be the toughest Wild Card if they win the play-in game. They have lots of pitching and several hot hitters. They are my dark horse candidate to win it all.

But I'll stick with my early season pick of Los Angeles to make the Series.

Are the Bosox for real? Only if they play the majority of their games at Fenway. This is a home field club. They finish the season off at the Fens, but I fear for them when they go into Cleveland or Houston for a 5 game Playoff. Chris Sale will have to win 2 against either of those teams.

Houston is looking real good again. They need to keep getting good starts from people other than Verlander, but their big lead has allowed them to rest people like Altuve, Reddick and Beltran and get them ready for Playoff action.

They'd be the AL favorite if it weren't for…

Cleveland! A decisive moment in history folks...the Cleveland Indians are the team to beat.

Last time the Indians faced the Dodgers in a World Series it was 1920. The Indians had Tris Speaker (.388 to break up Ty Cobb's nine year run as AL batting champion) and the Dodgers had Zach Wheat in the outfield and spitballer Burleigh Grimes as an Ace. The Series featured an unassisted triple play (Bill Wambsganns), the first Series homer ever by a pitcher (Jim Bagby), and the first grand slam in a Series (Elmer Smith).

All of these firsts were executed by Cleveland players and the Indians took the Classic 5 games to 2. (It was first to win 5 that year.)

I hope you enjoy the rematch!

AL ALL STAR TEAM:

LINEUP:

1/FRANKIE LINDOR(S) SS

2/JOSE ALTUVE(R) 2B

3/MIKE TROUT(R) CF

4/ED ENCARNACION(R) DH

5/JOSE RAMIREZ(S) 3B

6/AARON JUDGE(R) RF

7/ERIC HOSMER(L) 1B

8/SAL PEREZ(R) C

9/GEORGE SPRINGER(R) LF

BENCH:

VAZQUEZ (BOS) C

CORREA (HOU) INF

GARCIA (CHI) OF

MACHADO (BALT) INF

BETTS (BOS) OF/INF

STARTERS:

SALE(L)

KLUBER(R)

SEVERINO(R)

CARRASCO(R)

SANTANA(R)

BULLPEN:

KIMBREL(R)(closer)

CHAPMAN(L)

BETANCES(R)

MILLER(L)

OSUNA(R)TOR

COLOME(R)TB

NL ALL STAR TEAM:

LINEUP:

1/BLACKMON(L) CF

2/VOTTO(L) DH

3/GOLDSCHMIDT(R) 1B

4/ARENADO(R) 3B

5/HARPER(L) LF

6/STANTON(R) RF

7/POSEY(R) C

8/GORDON(L) 2B

9/COZART(R) SS

BENCH:

TRE TURNER (WASH) IF/OF

OZUNA (MIA) OF

MURPHY (NY) INF

BELLINGER (LA) INF/OF

MOLINA (ST.L) C

STARTERS:

KERSHAW(L)

SCHERZER(R)

GREINKE(R)

RAY(R) (ARIZ)

BULLPEN:

JANSEN(R) closer

HAND(L) (SD)

DOOLITTLE (WASH)

DEGROM (NY)

HILL(L) (LA)

STRASBURG(R)

WADE DAVIS(R)

AFTERWORD:

The Indians deserve our thanks for their great winning streak of 22 games...second only to the 26 straight won by the 1916 New York Giants. Very entertaining, Tribe!

Some people put an asterisk by the Giants' feat because they had one tie in that streak. (In the old days rain outs and long games that had to end before sunset were sometimes not finished) Some curiosities from that season:

The Giants came off of an 8 game losing streak in May and won 17 in a row. All 17 games were on the road! Then they coasted until July when they traded their legendary pitcher Christy Mathewson. From Sept.7 until Sept.30 they never lost. The tie came after the twelfth game in the second game of a double header in Pittsburgh when rain ended the game in the 8^th inning, tied up 1-1. The game didn't count in the stats or standings.

After all that, for the season the Giants finished...FOURTH!

MARCO'S BASEBALL BLOG-O-ROONIE 2017: CHEATING CHEATERS WATCHING WATCHES

MARCO'S BASEBALL BLOG-O-ROONIE 2017: CHEATING CHEATERS WATCHING WATCHES

ITEM 1: CHEATING…

You can hardly blame the Red Sox for trying. They've been incapable of getting clutch hits against the Yankees all weekend. Sabathia beat them with sliders, Tanaka beat them with splits and Severino beat them with fastballs...(especially Pedroia...welcome back from the DL Dustin! Here's a 100 mph fastball on the extreme outside high corner...I see you're just now swinging at that pitch but I have to tell you the catcher is already walking back to the dugout with the ball in his mitt.)

So we now know the Sox cannot hit the Yankees top starters. They're not very good hitting the bullpen either. Maybe earlier in the season they were but these Sox hitters look tired trying to put rallies together with two walks and an error and then three straight guys fanning the breeze.

Meanwhile the Yankees are assassinating the Red Sox starters...Porcello, Pomeranz and even Sale...bingo! Sale has obviously pitched too many innings this year. He's been getting lit up regularly lately...several times a game he'll throw something with no snap and the boppers are bopping him. The only Sox pitcher who had a good outing against the Yanks was Doug Fister! He of the 85 mph fastball. Fister works fast and throws junk and it worked...the Yankees were discombobulated. They were so happy to go back to facing 95 plus fastballs again. Result: Yankees take 3 out of 4 in the Bronx.

So now it comes out that the Red Sox have harnessed technology and are using camera coverage to view the catcher's signs, have a coach look at it on his Apple watch and then relay the pitch to the runner on second base and tip off the batter as to what the Yankee pitcher was throwing next. (Not that it did any good, the Red Sox batters couldn't hit even when they knew it was coming)

You knew that it was just a matter of time with the high tech. The Sox brass didn't even try to lie when the Yankees busted them...probably because they were so unsuccessful even when they knew what was coming. They made some lame ass claim that the Yankees were cheating too. Cheating Cheaters never win!

HISTORICAL NOTE: Except the 1951 New York Giants who placed a coach with a telescope in the center field wall at the old Polo Grounds and relayed the pitch to the Giants hitters. They came back from 13 ½ games down in the stretch and caught the Dodgers. Did Bobby Thompson know what pitch Ralph Branca was bringing when he hit the “Shot Heard Round the World”? Branca thought so. I mean, if you cheated the whole last two months, why not in the playoff? The Giants claimed that even though they had been stealing signs for two months they didn't steal them in the 3-game playoff against the Dodgers because Roy Campanella, the Dodgers 'catcher, had been hurt in the first game and his replacement, Rube Walker, was too good at disguising his finger signs to the pitcher. Ralph Branca, a stand up guy said “But Bobby still had to hit the pitch and he did.” Hats off to you Mr. Branca.

ANOTHER HISTORICAL NOTE: Tom Seaver gives Rube Walker credit for making him a good pitcher when he was pitching coach for the 1969 Mets. Walker worked with Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Gary Gentry and Nolan Ryan and made those young pitchers better. He also instituted the 5-man rotation that year, which was eventually copied by all of baseball. Walker's common advice to pitchers? “Shut up and throw the ball.”

Anyway, the Red Sox are hurting. They beat Toronto in 19 innings last night to end their losing streak but they're only 31/2 games up on the Yanks now and vulnerable. Also, Baltimore and Cleveland have been beating them pretty good so they're not exactly setting themselves up for the playoffs.

ITEM 2: ASTROS GET A PITCHER...

Kudos to the Houston Astros for realizing they really, really needed another starting pitcher to do well in the playoffs. I think it would have been a shame for a team that has never won a World Series and only even to been to ONE in the entire 55 year history of the franchise not to give itself a fighting chance at the ultimate Baseball Glory.

Therefore: Justin Verlander. He cost them three good prospects...right handed pitcher Franklin Perez was the Astros number 3 prospect. An outfielder and a catcher were valuable but not projected as superstars or anything. The Astros still have a loaded farm and those guys had no place to play for the foreseeable future anyway. They also got the Tigers to send them the proverbial player to be named later and a lot of cash to help pay Verlander's incredibly bloated contract.

Verlander is 35 and not an Ace anymore. But he is a powerful and still-effective pitcher for about 6 innings a game. His ERA is 3.85 which isn't great, but the Astros don't need him to have a 2.00 ERA. They need a starter to give up no more than 4 runs a game so they can win by scoring their usual 6. Justin gives them that plus a veteran presence. Can he keep his fastball down in homer-happy Minute Maid Park? We'll see.

ITEM 3: I TOLD YOU SO…

I told you that Kansas City was doomed because the path of the eclipse came very close to going over their city. Please note that the week of the eclipse saw the Royals get shut out in an incredible 4 games in a row! You have to listen to me when I propose these crackpot Bad Juju theories!

(I admit the St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves didn't suffer any worse than they'd been suffering all year anyway, but let's ignore that!)

ITEM 4: NO BACK UPS!…

Roster size has become a major issue in baseball. Especially in the American League. Right now (just before September call-ups) the Red Sox are working with only three position players on the bench. One of them has to be a backup catcher. That leaves them with one spare infielder and one spare outfielder. Thus their reliance on all-purpose utility players like Brock Holt and Eduardo Nunez.

American League clubs are all leaning toward carrying 13 pitchers. With the designated hitter, that leaves only 3 spots for extra position players. Hardly any pinch hitting, pinch running or defensive replacements anymore. That's why I predict a coming surge of hitting pitchers. Two-way stars like that kid from Japan, Shohei Ohtani who can start or relieve and also play some first base or designated hitter and be a dangerous bat. (1.002 OPS with 22 dingers and can throw it 102 mph.)

Babe Ruth was ahead of his time, wasn't he?

ITEM 5: DODGERS TAILSPIN...MORE I TOLD YOU SO…

It gives me no pleasure but I predicted because of the large discrepancy in the number of home vs. away games that the Dodgers enjoyed in the first half, they were likely to start losing that gigantic lead they had over the rest of the division and all of baseball. Since going up by 21 ½ over Arizona they fell to earth with a large...SPLAT! Ever since Rich Hill lost his no-hitter to a walk off, the 'Heads have gone silent. They are 1 for their last 11 and Arizona is only 13 ½ behind now.

Hey...don't worry too much Dodger fans! This is actually a good thing for the Blue Boys and I'll tell you why:

The Dodgers were so far ahead they were actually on cruise control and losing focus. Now they're pissed off. Their hitting will come back soon (Corey Seager is back) and their pitching is still excellent. The Dodgers will win the West for sure. But having Arizona sweep them is the best way for Dave Roberts to get their attention and have them start playing with deadly passion again, just in time for the Playoffs.

ITEM 6: CLEVELAND, CITY OF LIGHT, CITY OF MAGIC…

The Indians have timed it right. They struggled early then gradually got it together and figured out who could play and got their starters together and got Corey Kluber in Cy Young winning form and now they have left pretenders like KC and Minnesota in the dust. A late winning streak of 15? Hitters like Ramirez, Encarnacion and Lindor on fire all at the same time? Good defense, a running game, power out the wazoo (or out the Chief Wahoo!). Tito Francona healthy at last? Even if they don't get super reliever Andrew Miller back, their bullpen is awesome?

Now they are the scariest team on Earth and the Cleveland Politically Incorrects have to be the favorites to win it all.

More Later! If you're in Florida right now...Good Luck!

Marco's Baseball Blog-O-Roonie 2017: Your Team has been Eclipsed!

MARCO' S BASEBALL BLOG-O-ROONIE 2017: “YOUR TEAM HAS BEEN ECLIPSED!”

PART ONE: TOTALITY

It's horrible. The eclipse coursed diagonally across the United States and wherever it's shadow fell, there another baseball team's fortunes collapsed!

If the eclipse is total over your home park, you are doomed this season. (If you have a domed stadium then you are doomed in your dome. Dome-doomed.) And the closer your team was to the path of superstitious obliteration symbolically represented by this astronomical phenomenon, the stronger the negative effect.

Therefore: The following teams can say goodbye to their playoff hopes …

Kansas City, St. Louis, and Atlanta. Doom! Doom ! (And Atlanta was a shoo-in, right?)

Seattle, Denver, Chicago (both teams!) and Cincinnati? You're too close...better make some last minute trades if you want to counteract the Bad Juju.

You can't fight Totality.

PART TWO: THE FICKLE FINGER OF FORTUNE DEPARTMENT

You know what I hate? I hate it when star baseball players get hurt right before the stretch run for the Playoffs.

I want to see what Yu Darvish could do for the Dodgers. The Yankees need a healthy Tanaka. Boston likewise with David Price and Pomeranz. It looked like Arenado might miss significant time with Colorado but he healed up fast from a pitch on his wrist. I don't want Houston to play without Correa….I want Carlos pounding the ball right behind Jose Altuve. Michael Brantley, Carlos Santana and Andrew Miller are all recent injuries for Cleveland, a franchise that deserves a break if any team ever has.

But the worst hit was on the Washington Nationals.

The Nats could have had this lineup all season if it wasn't for their rotten, rotten injury luck:

Tre Turner ss

Adam Eaton lf

Bryce Harper rf

Ryan Zimmerman 1b

Danny Murphy 2b

Anthony Rendon 3b

Matt Weiters c

Michael Taylor cf

….and Jason Werth to platoon in the outfield or DH in American League parks.

They have four guys currently in the top fifteen for batting average, on-base, slugging, OPS...and who knows what kind of stats Eaton would have put up with this lineup batting him in. He'd of probably scored 130 runs this year.

I wanted to see them go up against Kershaw and the Dodgers again with that lineup. How about against Houston with their powerful hitters? It would have been fun...but...

Right now Harper has a bad knee (hurt when he slipped on a wet Danger-base, which I have damned here often...MLB has listened and is considering ideas for soft bases! Memory foam, MLB!)

Werth Might be back from a broken foot in September. Trea Turner Might be back in September from a broken wrist. Eaton is out for the season with a torn ACL (yep...stepped on a base and wham!)

No, I'm not a Nats fan. But that lineup could have been one of the best since the Big Red Machine or the mid 90's Cleveland Indians. I regret not seeing them in the Playoffs at their best. They're still formidible but if they had remained uninjured and their hitters had delivered at the level they had maintained that would have been something.

PART THREE: BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS

Almost all good MLB teams have a few basic things in common. “Good” being defined as teams that play at least .500 ball and are therefore Playoff contenders. Let me sketch it out briefly:

Offensively a good team will have…

1/a good leadoff man

2/at least two good hitters (for average) in the top 5 of the batting order

3/at least two power hitters in the middle of the order

Defensively…

1/average or better fielders at catcher, short, second base and center field (not just competent...every team in baseball has competent fielders at these positions. If you can't play shortstop they move you or let you go. Maybe if you're a super hitter like Danny Murphy of the Nats you can stay at second base even if you are Manos de Piedra (yep...that's you Danny) as a fielder. Bad catchers don't stay at catcher except in emergencies...good catchers stay in the lineup even if they hit .190)

2/an Ace starter and at least one other better than average starter

3/a good closer and at least 3 other competent relievers with a good mix of righties and lefties

Leadership…

1/an inspirational team leader

2/at least one gritty, hard-nosed player who leads by example

3/a very large Beast-who-Walks to back everybody up in a rhubarb

4/A Team Clown to keep everybody loose

Now, a World Series contender ups the ante at two or more of these slots. Offensively, that leadoff hitter might also lead the league in steals. Maybe one of those average hitters is somebody like Stan Musial or Wade Boggs. Maybe they have good hitters in the top 7 spots of the order like Washington did before the injuries. Instead of two power hitters in the middle of the lineup they have 4 and one of them is a Giancarlo Stanton who hits 50+ bombs. (sidenote: Mattingly's decision to bat Stanton second in the order just behind Gordon and in front of Yelich and Ozuna was a stroke of genius.)

Defensively, one of those up the middle fielders is a gold Glove finalist. One Ozzie

Smith or Yadi Molina type can make a hell of a difference to a team. Maybe your Ace is a Kershaw, a Scherzer or a Sale. Your closer is Mariano, say...or you have 3 guys in a row like the Nasty Boys of the 1990 Reds.

What if your inspirational team leader is Cal Ripken, Willie Stargell or David Ortiz? And your hard-nose is Pete Rose. Think Pete didn't set an example to every team he was ever on? What was it like to have Don Baylor come out to a melee in the infield and just stand there looking at the other team?

Team clowns are important too. They help even out the stress. Remember the stories about Rizzo doing his little naked cheerleading dance on the table in the Cub's locker room?

As an example, I looked at the 1975 Red Sox (cause I know them pretty well )

Red Sox:

leadoff: a problem spot all year. Juan Beniquez was leadoff for opening day. He got hurt and they tried Bernie Carbo and Cecil Cooper.

good average hitters in Lynn and Rice and Cooper.

Power from Lynn, Yaz, Rice and Evans. Pretty impressive. A deep lineup.

Better than average up the middle with Lynn in center winning the gold glove that year. Fisk, Burleson, Evans, Yaz and even Beniquez all won gold gloves in their careers. I guess the Sox had pretty good D!

Ace: Luis Tiant with Bill Lee, Rick Wise and Reggie Cleveland all pitching well behind him.

Closer and pen: Dick Drago closed with Roger Moret and Jim Burton the key lefties. Underwhelming.

Inspirational team leader: Yaz...the Hall of Famer

Grit-Meister: Carlton Fisk, Yaz

Beast who Walks: Jim Rice

Clown: Tiant and Bill Lee

That's just one example, but if you study your history, you'll find that this blueprint holds true for the very top teams. When a team doesn't match up with the classic format, it's usually because either their ballpark changes the nature of the game for that team or else they are so overwhelmingly good in one or two categories that it doesn't matter what else they have. Examples:

The L.A. Dodgers of the 1960s were a terrible hitting team because of Dodger Stadium. They made up for it with great starting pitchers and a running game.

The Kansas City Royals of the last few years had no big hitting stats. (Again...ballpark) They won with defense, speed and a lights out bullpen.

Now let's look at the main contenders this season:

Boston Red Sox:

They can't bat Betts leadoff and in the third slot at the same time, can they? So they're confused at leadoff.

They have Pedroia, Betts, Benitendi and Bogaerts all hitting for pretty high average and that's their strength. Much less power than a normal winner and that will haunt them when they face top Aces and can't string together 4 or 5 hits for rallies anymore. That's when you need a walk-and-a-homer type offense to beat those power pitchers.

Their defense is awesome in the outfield...Jackie Bradley Jr. is one of the very best in center and Betts likewise in right. Bogaerts and Pedroia both above average at the keystone, and solid defensive catchers.

Sale the consummate Ace but injuries have weakened the other starting slots. If Porcello can keep it together they'll have a much better chance. The bullpen is weak except for closer, where Kimbrel has been awesome. They don't have good lefties to neutralize the best leftie hitters.

Leader: Pedroia

Grit: Pedroia

Beast: nobody now that Papi is gone. Hanley Ramirez has the body but not the mindset of an “enforcer”.

Clown: Betts...his name is Mookie for God's sakes.

The Sox have the Blueprint in high average hitters, defense, Ace and Closer. They have a good leader in Pedroia when he's healthy. I think they're lacking at leadoff, power bats (unless that Devers kid keeps hitting taters) starters after Sale and the bullpen in general. No good leftie! Also, when Pedroia is out they miss his leadership with such a young team.

Cleveland Indians:

Lindor has been leading off. His OBP is low but he has some pop and can run. He should probably hit second. Brantley and Ramirez have hit for average this year. Encarnacion, Santana and recent acquisition Jay Bruce are all good power bats. They are pretty strong 1 through 6 in the order.

Defense great with Lindor and Zimmer at short and center. Kluber is a true Ace and Carrasco a great number 2. Bullpen a major strength...especially when Andrew Miller is healthy.

Leader: Lindor, Kluber

Grit: Jason Kipnis

Beast: Encarnacion. He's only 6'1” 230 lbs but he's solid and strong and just looks formidable. Andrew Miller is 6'7” put pitchers are notorious wussies in fights 'cause they're afraid of breaking their hands or hurting their shoulders or getting a hangnail. Don't count on a pitcher in a fight. (Except for Nolan Ryan...last of the Western Heroes!)

Clown: Lonnie Chisenhall...he drove the bus to the hotel after a clutch hit.

I think the Indians exceed the Blueprint norms in every department except maybe leadoff.

Houston Astros:

Leadoff: Springer. Not your typical leadoff guy. But he's got 28 homers, 79 ribbies and his on-base is ..378. Who's gonna complain about that?

Hitting: Altuve and Correa both hit for average and Jose will likely win the title. Power? 11 guys are going to hit close to twenty homers!!! Strongest lineup 1 through 9 in the AL. Only Washington at full strength tops them in MLB.

Defense: great keystone combo in Correa and Altuve. Strong outfield too. They need McCann back at catcher. Keuchel is the Ace but his injury bothers me. It lasted a long, long time and he's just throwing well again. I don't think Brad Peacock or Charlie Morton scare anybody as a number 2 starter and McCullers is on the DL. McHugh just off. Trouble! Bullpen is flat out bad after Ken Giles and Chris Devenski.

Leader: Altuve

Grit: Altuve

Beast: Evan Gattis

Clown: Altuve

I'd say Altuve is the key to their success in so many ways. (He's also stolen 26 bases) What a player! But trouble with the pitching staff could undo the Astros.

Washington Nationals: (I kind of covered them above)

Leadoff: Trea Turner when healthy... otherwise by committee

Hitting: 5 good ones as mentioned above. Four good power bats too. Deep and dangerous lineup.

Defense: without Turner at short they are suspect up the middle. A great Ace in Scherzer and backup in Strassburg (if healthy) and Gio Gonzalez. Recent additions Blanton, Kinzler and Doolittle give them something to work with in the bullpen but they have a lot to prove there.

Leader: Zimmerman

Grit: Murphy and Harper

Beast: Matt Weiters and Werth

Clown: Scherzer (the Nats are a serious team with a lots of egos and headcases. Scherzer has s screw loose and likes to get strange liquids poured over his head after throwing no-hitters. Manager Dusty Baker is also pretty loose)

Their hitting and their Ace make up for their deficiencies in the Bullpen and in the infield. If they get healthy for the playoffs I rank them number two likeliest to win it all.

Chicago Adorables:

Leadoff: I think this and the loss of retired catcher David Ross jinxed the Cubbies this season. They lost their leadoff man in Dexter Fowler and never replaced him. They've tried four or five players there and nobody fits. Lester hasn't been the same pitcher without Ross.

Hitters: the Cubs don't have any high batting average hitters. Bryant (.289) is getting hotter after the break, but Zobrist is still batting .226. Schwarber? Don't ask! They have a lot of home run potential in Bryant, Rizzo, Baez, Ian Happ, Wilson Contreras and Kyle Schwarber. This also gives them a more dangerous lineup than their batting averages and on base percentages would indicate.

Defense: one of the best infields in baseball and good enough elsewhere. But...shortstop Addison Russell has the dreaded plantar fascitis. If Contreras stays hurt, they need help at catcher. (They traded for Avila from the Tigers but he's been injured a lot too.) Their Ace at this time is Arrieta. Lester got hurt and Stork Hendricks just got back from the DL. Lackey too. They traded for Jose Quintana who might save them in the rotation. Closer Wade Davis has serviceable but not stellar backup in the pen.

Leader: Rizzo

Grit: Heyward….the man came back from a fastball to the face and saved them in the Series by quietly reminding them how good they were during a rain delay movie moment.

Beast: He's a nice beast. He's a cute beast. But he's scary strong. Kris Bryant!

Clown: Rizzo and Manager Joe Maddon

The Adorables are hard to figure this year. They've had the best record in baseball since the All Star break, so maybe they've shaken off the cobwebs. However, they only lead the Central by 2 games.

They are truly messed up at leadoff and the offense has been bad all year despite their ability to hit four-baggers. Despite their troubles at short and catcher the Cubs are a top defensive team. Arrieta is looking good in the second half and Wade Davis was an All Star. I think their pitching is still well above average. Also, the Cubs have that fighting spirit they earned in their storybook 2016 season. They are still a team to contend with...but they are a team with holes.

Los Angeles Dodgers:

The team that forgot how to lose. What a resurrection! From a bunch of headcases spitting at each other behind their backs they've become a loose bunch of winners under the Love Guru Dave Roberts. (Exhibit number 1….Yasiel Puig) They have a perfect mix of young lions and old gunners and deep, deep pitching. They are 55-14 since June 1!

Leadoff: Chris Taylor has been a find.

Hitters: Justin Turner .355, Corey Seager .300, Taylor .311.

Those three plus Cody Bellinger, Yasmani Grandal, Adrian Gonzalez (now that Joc Peterson is sent down) and Yasiel Puig give them at least a seven stud lineup every night. 6 guys will hit over 20 dings.

Defense: plenty good up the middle and Puig has one of the best arms ever in right. When Kershaw gets back they have him, Alex Wood, Maeda and now Yu Darvish to start. The Dodgers are loaded.

Kenly Jansen is one of the best closers and Luis Avilan is the key leftie in the pen. They can use their extra starters out there too.

Leader: Dave Roberts

Grit: Chase Utley

Beast: Kenley Jansen is 6'5” 275 if he can get from the bullpen to the infield fast enough to clobber somebody. He's a pitcher but he's also Dutch and he just looks like he could break you in half.

Clown: It was Scott Van Slyke for years but they traded him. I bet now they're sorry. I guess Puig has to be the clown now.

The Dodgers are Destiny's Darlings this year. They have no real holes and their many strengths are extra strong. They are the run away favorites to win it all this year. I give Washington a slugger's chance if Scherzer rises to the occasion, but I think the Dodgers will be facing the Cleveland Indians in the 2017 World Series.

LAST LICKS:

There was a great “This Day in Baseball” item in today's Austin paper. I quote:

“1886: Cincinnati outfielder Abner Powell was literally brought down by the dog days of summer. Chicken Wolf of the Louisville Colonels hit a deep drive and Powell took off after it, joined by a dog that had been sleeping by the outfield fence. The dog bit Powell's leg before the outfielder could get to the ball and wouldn't let go as Wolf scored on a game-winning inside-the-park homer.”

Could we please get New York to take a look at the replay on that?

Marco's Baseball Blog-O-Roonie 2017: Bulletin from 30,000 feet

MARCO'S BASEBALL BLOG-O-ROONIE 2017: BULLET POINTS FROM 30,000 FEET

That's right, I'm way above your heads, flying into New Mexico for a little Rand r relief from the Texas heat. If any of you are in Taos and want to talk baseball, I can meet you at the Taos Inn for lemonade and guacamole.

But you still want a coherent appraisal of the pennant races and I know my duty is to blog from out of the sky, so here goes:

*the winning team this year will have to have two strong starters.

*The Dodgers are the Uber-Meisters of the National League and just picked up Yu Daarvish for the stretch. That gives them some insurance in the rotation but still won't help replace Kershaw if his back doesn't heal fast. Also, the Dodgers are leading by 14 ½ over Colorado right now, but I predict they will only win by about 7 games by season's end. This is because the Dodgeheads have been playing a lot of home games...60 to be exact, against only 46 road games so far. This has to even up so the Dodgers will be on the road heavily from now on.

*Nolan Arenado is getting scary good for the Rocks. He's taken over the lead in the MVP race from Goldschmidt and the Nationals' stars.

*Chicago's pick up of Quintana from the cross-towner White Sox was one of the best gets from the trading deadline. It fills a hole for the Cubs as they slowly take over in the Central. Now they gotta hit! I like Schwarber to lead them now that Rizzo and Bryant have settled into mediocre production this year. The Brewers are doing their usual second half disappearing act.

*Washington got what they needed for their bullpen. That bodes ill for their playoff match-ups cause the Nats haven't stopped hitting all year. They need Strassburg to be healthy. Scherzer and GG Gonzalez look solid.

*The AL leading Houston Astros somehow screwed up the trade deadline and did not pick up the strong starter they needed. Their bullpen needed more than Liriano from the Blue Jays. What they really need is Correa and Springer back healthy but that isn't happening anytime soon.

*Altuve is the AL MVP and is looking like the type of player who wins the batting title every year ala Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs, Carew in his prime etc. etc. Heady company.

*Bow down to Frank Cashman in Yankee-land. He shored up the bullpen and got the best starter available in Sonny Gray without giving up the best Yankee prospects. I have to favor them over the Red Sox now that Price is injured ...maybe for the rest of the season. Tanaka's elbow has to last and CC Sabathia keep it going, but the Yanks have enough to lift them.

*The Red Sox miss the magic. They keep getting hurt...Pedroia, Bogaerts, Benitendi, Price. And their supreme closer Kimbrel has been giving up late bombs and losing leads for them. They got bullpen help at the deadline. Also, the kerfuffle with Price yelling at TV color man Eckersley is not the sort of thing that teams of destiny go through late in a pennant race.

*Watch out for Tampa Bay in the East….they have hitting and the best starters and could slip up on everybody.

*The Central is a horse race now that KC is back and picked up Melky Steroid for old time's sake. He started with them all those years ago. Gordon was pulling down their whole lineup in left.

*Cleveland is still my pick in the Central but they need more starter consistency. They also need Encarnacion and Lindor to get hot at the same time.

*This is the anniversary of Satchel Paige's first start as a major leaguer….for the Cleveland Indians in 1948. This is after over a thousand starts in the Negro Leagues, the Mexican Leagues, the Cuban Leagues etc. He went 7 innings and beat the Senators in front of the biggest crowd in Municipal Stadium history. Everybody wanted to see old Satch pitch, and he didn't disappoint them. Greatest pitcher ever? For one season I might take Sandy Koufax , Grover Alexander the year he threw 16 shut-outs, Bob Gibson's big year, Ron Guidry., Pedro,.....But for a career as a whole...Warren Spahn, Walter Johnson, Cy Young...but I'll still take Satchel.

Marco's Baseball Blog-O-Roonie 2017: Baseball...Even Better than Team Handball!!

MARCO'S BASEBALL BLOG-O-ROONIE 2017: BASEBALL...EVEN BETTER THAN TEAM HANDBALL!

I've been in Europe for two weeks with the Mizziz. We had a lovely time cruising down the Danube in one of those Viking boats you see on PBS all the time. Must admit, it was cushy, tasty and relaxing. We loved Budapest, the Austrian countryside and the Czech wine country.

After our Central European sojourn we stopped off in Iceland for a little midnight sun action...(it never goes down in the summer) and were entertained by all of my wife's Icelandic relatives. Ten minutes from Reykjavik you can see geysers, waterfalls, glaciers and volcanoes. They say you can see elves too but I didn't. I looked though. If you could see that country you'd believe in mythical creatures too….it's truly awe inspiring.

One misfortune on our trip: no baseball! My cell phone died a mysterious and hideous death somewhere in Slovakia and never recovered. No scores! I was reduced to watching Team Handball on the tele with my Iceland in-laws. They were quite excited by this spectacle. It seemed like basketball with unlimited fouling to me, but I am not quite initiated of course.

So anyway, we get back to the States and I am curious as to what has transpired baseball-wise in my beloved country. Hah! I was gratified to see that all my predictions were coming true! Well...not really…

NL East:

We knew that Philly and Atlanta would be rebuilding and the field should be clear for Washington and New York to duke it out. But New York had already folded by May and they sure look bad now. Harvey, Syndergaard, Matz, and Familia all hurt or indicted. Team ERA 5.00. So much for competition in the East. The Mets have been reduced to sending Yoenis Cespedes out to beg Yasiel Puig not to show them up by strutting after he homers. What?...Reggie wasn't available?

Florida has some hitters but no pitching. Maybe if Jeter buys that team the Marlins will somehow rally. I can't help but think that they should have just let Florida have Spring Training instead of basing major league teams there. Tampa and Miami don't deserve major league baseball the way they haven't supported their teams.

Atlanta has really improved and has gotten lucky with acquisitions like Brandon Phillips and Matt Adams. Inciarte has been a shocking surprise as a hitter with 102 knocks. They lost Freddie Freeman for awhile but have maintained. Looks like the Braves will be able to contend soon if their young pitchers cooperate.

Philly has gone backwards...all the young hitters who looked so promising last year are barely hitting and even loafing (Franco). The minor league pitchers are a disaster too. What happened? Fire somebody, Philly.

Washington finally has all their hitters hot at the same time. Their lineup of Trea Turner, Harper, Zimmerman, Murphy and Rendon is chewing up pitching staffs. Led by Scherzer, the pitching is great too, except in the bullpen. If they get a closer they could win it all.

Ooops! Tre Turner just got his wrist broken. That's too bad because he was starting to dominate games just with his speed. Very exciting player. No matter...the Nats will cruise to the division title.

NL Central:

What happened, Cubbies? Too much adoration, probably. You started to think your armpits smell like honeydew or something after your storybook 2016. Somebody forgot to set the alarm clock for this season. They're a .500 team with inconsistent pitching and no real offense. Schwarber went to the minors trying to remember how to hit. That poor guy really got screwed up. He's got to get back to just meeting the ball and hitting to all fields. And check his eyesight. He's missing some of those pitches badly. I guess the kid is so great in the clubhouse that his teammates wanted him back anyway. That's kind of heart-warming.

Funny thing is, the Central is just laying there waiting for the Cubs to take it back. They're only four games out! One hot streak away. If they get Zobrist, Heyward, Hendricks and Brett Anderson back and Schwarber recovers his mojo they could still dominate this division. Currently, however, you have to rate them as the fold-job of the year.

St. Louis is even more wretched than the Cubs. What the hell is happening down there? I know they've won 7 of 8 lately, but how have they managed to remain below .500 in that weak division?

You can't expect anything out of Cincinnati with that pitching staff and Scooter Gennett ain't gonna hit 4 homers in every game! (I even heard about that in Slovakia!)

Pittsburgh is just waiting to see who wants to take their stars off their hands. Since Starling Marte betrayed them with PEDS, he should be first to go.

Milwaukee is a surprise, I grant you, but they are hardly a juggernaut. I like that guy Eric Thames who learned to hit curve balls in the Korean League, though. Good story, that. But after an historic start, he's batting .169 in June.

NL West:

Finally! Some excellence! Three teams playing over .600 ball! The Rockies have shown they are a force. They are 26-21 on the road! That's really incredible for a Rockies team that is always better at Coors Field. Nolan Arenado is a strong MVP candidate. And Mark Reynolds has been epic and among the league leaders in homers and ribbies. Even more amazing...he's batting .295! This from a guy who only once hit over .230 in 8 full seasons in the majors. (He did a little better in a couple of half seasons.) The Mark Reynolds who led the league in striking out 4 years in a row from 2008 to 2011, including the all time record of 223 in 2009! The wonders of Coors Field, I guess. However, the Rockheads have picked a bad time to go sour...losing the last 8 games while Los Angeles has reeled off 10 straight wins. Still a strong wild card position though.

Arizona is Diamondhumping the shit out of the ball! Finally Goldschmidt (my MVP favorite) has some guys hitting in front of and behind him and they are a solid second place team. Greinke is back as a staff Ace. They'd be the favorites if it weren't for…

The Dodgers! My prediction that this is their year is looking better all the time. Even though they lost Adrian Gonzalez and Andrew Toles for a long spell, they have Chris Taylor and Cody Bellinger (he's Aaron Judge with a slim Hollywood body!) to plug in. And this guy Bellinger. That beautiful swing! (Of course Joey Gallo has the same swing and he bats .190 and strikes out 300 times a year.) Bellinger is channeling Ted Williams or something with that splendid splintery uppercut from his heels. They just got Justin Turner (.390!) back from an injury and lost Seager for a little while but the Dodgers look really strong. They always seem to step on the gas about this time of the year and durn me if they're not doing it again. They should win the West by plenty, even with Arizona and Colorado playing so much better.

All three of those teams are feeding on the rotting carcasses of the San Diego Pudrigs and the...(hurts to say it) Giants.

It's a shame that Buster Posey is having his best year when the Giants are in last place IN A DIVISION WITH SAN DIEGO IN IT!

AL East:

Okay Aaron Judge...I know I belittled him recently, saying he was the second coming of Shane Spencer. (You remember...Spencer of the 10 homers in 67 at bats in a September Yankee call up many ages ago) but Judge has now finished the first half and is leading the league in homers, ribbies, runs and is even second in batting average! I guess we will be reevaluating Mr. Judge.

In deeply scientific mode I watched reruns of every homer that Judge has hit. I learned this:

1/There are some really bad pitchers in the American League. Almost every homer was hit on a BAD mistake...most of them on balls up in the zone while the catcher was waiting for a breaking pitch on the lower outside corner.

2/His swing is short and contained. No Joey Gallo or Hanley Ramirez type swings where he totally sells out.

3/He likes Yankee Stadium. Only a third of his 30 dings have been hit on the road (9). Since the Yanks have only played 37 games at home vs. 43 on the road, expect a few more long balls out of His Honor.

4/As a probable result of number 3, Judge uses the whole field. He's so strong that he can take pitches out over the plate into the center/right bleachers, no problem. 14 out of 30 homers are to center or right. This makes him a problem to pitch to.

Conclusion: The pitchers of the American League will start giving Judge the Bryce Harper treatment and not throw him anything good at all. Walks be damned. Then we'll see if he's patient enough to compile an on base percentage of

.500+ and help his team win that way. If he expands the zone trying to live up to his press releases he's dead.

Good sign: Judge resisted joining the home run derby at first because he wanted to concentrate on the regular season. I think MLB squeezed him a little bit on that and now he and fellow Yankee bopper Sanchez are both in it. Should be a great showdown with Giancarlo Stanton in Miami...but don't count on homers to right in that Yellowstone Park!

Final word: Aaron Judge is just what baseball needs...a big (real big!), sweet natured, slightly self-deprecating Man Child in the Promised Land that kids love and Yankee announcers lose bladder control over.

The Yankees as a team are one of the surprises of MLB as the first half ends. They slumped recently to give up the top position to Boston but their young everyday players are pretty good, they're getting contributions from enigmas like Ellsbury and Gardner and they have won some games late to build fan interest. Unfortunately their starting staff is eroding fast and their bullpen is getting tired.

The Red Sox have been losing key players to the DL all season but are still somehow in first place. They don't hit homers but peck out singles and take walks and keep players on base all the time. They picked up Doug Fister of all people to be the fifth starter while they wait for Eduardo Rodriguez to heal...(they always seem to be waiting for Eduardo to heal). The Sox have one distinct advantage in this division: They have the dominant starter in Chris Sale and the dominant closer in Craig Kimbrel. Both should get heavy Cy Young consideration. Kimbrel's WHIP is 0.518...unheard of. He's only allowed 14 hits and 5 walks in 36 innings and has struck out 65 men. And that, my friends, is a CLOSER.

Here's another of my predictions that is looking pretty shaky: I picked Tampa Bay to finish last in the East. Instead, they might be the big competition for Boston to win it. AS usual, the Rays have a good rotation led by Chris Archer, Alex Cobb and Jake Odorizzi. The bullpen is weak, but they've finally got Evan Longoria some offensive help with Logan Morrison, Steve Souza and Corey Dickerson all hitting long balls. The Rays have a 3-game set coming up with Boston just before the All-Star break that might be very interesting.

Baltimore was a boutique pick to win the East in some quarters but I said they didn't have enough starting pitching. So far, I was right.

And Toronto can't get to .500 after their execrable April. They lost too many starters and without Edwin Encarnacion their offense has crumbled. They're at the bottom of the League in every important offensive category. Only Justin Smoak is having an outstanding season. Sometimes one player can make a huge difference in a team's morale. Big Papi Ortiz was that kind of guy for Boston and I think the Sox are still looking around the dugout for him when they need a big hit. I think Encarnacion was that player for Toronto.

AL Central:

...And Edwin Encarnacion is plying his clutchness over in Cleveland. As usual, he flopped around looking terrible all Spring while the weather was cold and as soon as it warmed up he started raking. Cleveland has a balanced offense with Chisenhall, Santana, Brantley and 24 year old third baseman Jose Ramirez all performing. Lindor looked like the offensive leader early and has a surprising 14 homers. But I think the homers went to his head and he's slumped to

.248 and only a .309 on base percentage. Cleveland has by far the best pitching in the division, led by starters Kluber and Carrasco and reliever Andrew Miller.

It's a shocker that Cleveland hasn't pulled away yet. Kansas City and Minnesota have kept pace and are only 3 games out, even with .500 records.

Minnesota, I think, has played over its head. They've allowed a lot more runs than they've scored, and that fact should prove out in the second half.

Kansas City started so slow that just getting to .500 has been a major achievement. Pride will keep the front office from selling off the stars, but free agent inevitability will soon decimate the Royals. Facts of Life. They're surging now so maybe they have one more party in 'em before they break up the old gang. I love the guys on that team and it's been too short.

The Chicago White Sox got screwed by the schedule makers. They played 44 road games vs. only 34 home games through the end of June. No wonder they're in last place. No other team has had to exhaust themselves on the road as much as the White Sox and they have a legitimate complaint with the league.

The Detroit Tigers. As usual their pitching went south on them. Especially the bullpen. Verlander is only too mortal. They cut KRod. And this year their offense hasn't been potent enough to compensate. Sad to watch.

AL West:

Last year the Astros had the second most strikeouts in the league with 1452. They were 9^th in homers with 198. This year they have the fewest Ks in the league with 588 and the most homers with 142. That's a stunning reversal for their offense. In addition to Altuve, Correa and Springer having awesome seasons, (which you kind of anticipated) their new guys at third (Bregman) and first (Gurriel) have really come through and Marisnick's new upper cut swing has him hitting with power. Marwin Gonzalez has been a wonder as a utility guy, hitting .313 with 15 taters and 51 ribbs. So that batting order is now deep, deep. The Astros are first in runs, hits, doubles, homers, ribbies, average, on-base percentage, slugging...you get the picture. Welcome to the fun house, rest of the AL.

If the hitting wasn't enough to turn it around, the pitching is good. Kuechel started looking Cy Youngish again until he got hurt. They have the luxury of keeping him out until he's good and healed. McCullers and Morton have been strong starters and Devenski and Will Harris are hellacious in the bullpen. They'll even get McHugh back for the last month or so. Houston...(Oh My God! Houston!) ...could win 110 games!

I had Texas and Seattle real close to Houston for the division but I really didn't think Houston could be this good. And I really thought Seattle would be better. Their pitching staff got assassinated and they've rolled over and played dead ever since.

There are a lot of Zombie teams on the West Coast all of a sudden...Seattle and San Francisco have joined Oakland and San Diego as walking deaders. And the Angels are on the brink of joining the marching groaners.

Texas just doesn't have the pitching to make a run at Houston. They have 8 guys with double-figure homers. The Rangers are 2^nd in the league to Houston in that and 3^rd in runs scored. But they're way down the list in everything else...especially pitching.

Like I said, the Angels are not a good team, but they're in second place by default...albeit 16 games back!

And Oakland. What can I say about Oakland? Well...they're 20 and a half games behind Houston. There. Is that enough?

Who will they trade Sonny Gray to? That's the only interesting thing about the A's.

So at the break, betting money should be on either the Dodgers or the Nationals in the NL with only Milwaukee, St. Louis, Chicago, Colorado and Arizona challenging. Of those last five, I think only Arizona could really do something.

The AL has Houston way above every other team with Boston and Cleveland maybe rising to the occasion. I think New York, Tampa Bay, Minnesota and Kansas City are all good Wild Card contenders and of those I'd bet on Kansas City being the most dangerous.

Enjoy the all Star game and I'll be back when the second half gets going.

Marco