Baseball Thoughts (through April 12th)

Alright, we're almost 2 weeks into the baseball season and I've been impressed with some teams and disappointed with others. Throughout the season, I'll provide thoughts, usually once a week, regarding the MLB. Here's my input for this week.

1) Two teams in the AL East who I've predicted would do well have so far been quite disappointing: the Red Sox and the Rays. First with Boston, the team struggled on the road, losing 3 to Texas (who has a great lineup now w/o Hamilton) and swept by Cleveland. Then come to Fenway, taking 2 from the Yankees and now losing 2 straight to Tampa. What's wrong with the team. First off, half the team are struggling at the place. Only 5 players have a batting average higher than .250 (Drew, Ortiz, Gonzalez, Lowrie and Pedroia), which everyone else has struggled at the plate, including Kevin Youkilis, who's only hitting .167 w/ 3 doubles. On the pitching side, Jon Lester and Josh Beckett have been effective so far, while Dice-K and John Lackey have struggled in 2 starts each so far. This team has to get better and get out of a slump. Only the 2002 Angels have came back to win 90 games and the World Series...Boston is 2-9. Meanwhile the Rays have issues of their own. Manny Ramirez decided to retire so he wouldn't have to face a 100-game suspension for alleged steroid use. Plus with the exemption of David Price, the pitching staff has been weak, giving away a ton of runs and the hitting hasn't been impressive either.

2) The Cleveland Indians have been impressive, winning 8 straight, including sweeping series against Boston and Seattle. The team can hit, including Asdrubal Cabrera, who already has 4 home runs already, and Orlando Cabrera, who is hitting .361 and has 7 RBIs. Justin Masterson and Mitch Talbot both have ERAs under 1.50 and have continued to be effective after having tough 2010 seasons. Another team that's on a hot streak is Texas. After losing Cliff Lee, their main priority was gonna be focused on their lineup. Josh Hamilton is out 6-8 weeks with a broken arm, but players like Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz have stepped up to the plate, combining to hit 9 home runs. Hamilton's loss hurts the team, but the team still needs to be consistent to stay atop of the AL West.

3) The Mets looked good in the Florida series, but after that, they have issues, mostly in their bullpen. Blaine Boyer had 1 save, but gave a game away against Washington surrendering 4 runs on Sunday for his 2nd loss of the year. Starter Mike Pelfrey has also been inconsistent, having a 10.80 ERA through 2 starts against Florida & Philadelphia. He did improve in his outing against Colorado Monday night, but still needs work. The pitching needs to improve. However, the hitting can be good at times. Ike Davis is one of the RBI leaders in the NL, having 11 already and is hitting .351, while Carlos Beltran continues to stay healthy and has 2 home runs so far. Willie Harris is a surprise, hitting .296 and does a good job in the outfield.

4) Going back to Tampa, I'm surprised of Manny retiring. Ever since he came back from his first suspension, his number's have really been on the decline. When the White Sox claimed Manny off waivers, he only hit 2 home runs during his small tenure in Chicago. Tampa Bay signed him to a 1-year contract in the offseason, reuniting him with Johnny Damon and only went 1 for 17 in 6 games (0 for 1 in a pinch-hit appearance in his final game). He took a personal leave for family issues, but I didn't see him retiring coming. He was one of the best sluggers in the last decade and will be missed.

OTHER SPORTS THOUGHTS
The NHL playoffs start tomorrow night, so here are my predictions for the first round.
WASHINGTON over RANGERS in 6
BOSTON over MONTREAL in 6
BUFFALO over PHILADELPHIA in 7
PITTSBURGH over TAMPA BAY in 5

DETROIT over PHOENIX in 5
VANCOUVER over CHICAGO in 4
NASHVILLE over ANAHEIM in 6
SAN JOSE over LOS ANGELES in 7

I'm taking Boston to win the Stanley Cup over Detroit.

As far as the NBA playoffs go, I'll have thoughts on them in the next few days.