A week into the season, and, at least for now, baseball's haves & have nots have switched places.
Nowhere is that more apparent than in the American League.
In the east, Tampa Bay sits atop the division, off to a 5-2 start, while the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox are in the basement, 2/3 of the way through a season opening trek through the west at 2-6. The injury plagued Yankees are in 3rd place at 3-4 after spoiling Baltimore's home opener on Thursday. The Orioles are in 2nd place at 4-3, as the division's other surprise.
Out west, Seattle, whom we picked to finish 2nd and contend for a wild card, has exceeded expectations, currently leading at 7-1. Houston is in 4th at 2-5, while the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, after spending all that money on Mike Trout to keep him from leaving as a free agent, occupy the basement at 1-6 after getting shellacked last night by Texas, which is sitting in 2nd place at 5-2. Ex-Met Matt Harvey started the Angels' home opener, and got smacked.
Speaking of the Mets, they sit at 5-2 after losing, 4-0, to Washington on Thursday, as Stephen Strasburg gained a measure of revenge after the Mets chased him off the mound five days earlier in DC. Philadelphia, for now, is in first, as they were idle yesterday following a 9-8 loss to the Nationals on Wednesday.
And what has happened to the Chicago Cubs?
Joe Maddon, in what is likely his walk year in Chi-town, has seen the Cubs revert to the Scrubs, as they are tied for 4th in the NL Central at 1-5 following a soggy loss to Atlanta on Thursday. The Braves swept the Cubs, who are finding out they may have gotten damaged goods in signing Yu Darvish to a 6-year deal last year after getting him as a free agent from the Dodgers. Darvish, who was a phenom coming from Japan when he signed with Texas seven years ago, couldn't get out of the 4th inning against Atlanta.
Braves pitcher Max Fried retired the first 17 batters to face him before giving up a hit, and he wasn't the only one flirting with a no-hitter on Thursday. Cleveland's Trevor Bauer and the bullpen got as far as the 8th inning before Toronto's Freddy Galvis broke up the no-no.
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They say everything runs in cycles. That would suggest that Milwaukee, currently leading the NL Central at 6-1, will cede the division in the next year or two, and maybe, just maybe, Cincinnai can finally get out of the cellar. Just sayin'.
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Mets fans are, of course, complaining about the team playing a day game after a night game, and that the Amazin's were exhausted as they took the field vs. Washington. Didn't help that they were kept at Marlins Park well after Wednesday's game ended for random drug testing.
Common sense would've suggested that Wednesday's game vs. the Marlins should've been a matinee, but the Marlins had the option on what time to schedule the game, and chose a 6:10 (ET) first pitch. They've already dumpster dived into the cellar, but the Marlins had no way of knowing they were giving the Nationals a competitive advantage less than 24 hours later. MLB's pea-brained schedule makers booked today as an off-day for the Mets & Nats as a window for a make-up game in case of a rainout on Thursday, which, of course, didn't happen.
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Maybe the Yankees should consider adding Johnny Mandel's theme from M*A*S*H to their playlist, as the injury plague that normally would bedevil the Mets has landed 11 players on the injured list, the latest being Troy Tulowitzki, who was acquired as injury insurance for Didi Gregorius, who won't be ready until summer at the earliest with his injury issues. Pitcher CC Sabathia served out a 5 game suspension, which ended Tuesday, then was moved to the injured list so he could begin a rehab assignment as he recovers from offseason cardiac issues.
It's going to be a long summer.
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