MLB Thoughts (through 1/4 of season)

We're about 40 games into the 2011 MLB season and there have been surprises and some disappointments.

SURPRISES
1) Cleveland- The Indians are 25-13 on the season, 4.5 games ahead of Detroit in the AL Central. They also have a 15-4 home record this season which is impressive and the team has done a complete turnaround from where they stood in 2010. Manager Manny Acta has really put a positive team together, including Michael Brantley who leads the team w/ a .304 batting average, and shortstop Astrubal Cabrera who leads the Indians in home-runs and RBIs. Fausto Carmona has settled down after having struggles in early April, now having a 3-3 record and a 4 ERA. Former BoSox prospect Justin Masterson has also been effective, with a 5-1 record and a 2.73 ERA through 8 starts. Chris Perez has also come a long way, recording 10 saves in 11 opportunities so far in 2011. The Tribe may not go away soon.

2) AL East- This division isn't a surprise because it's a tough group of teams that have lots of talent. After starting 0-6, the Red Sox have finally topped the .500 mark Sunday night, sweeping the Yankees, who lost 6 straight games before beating Tampa Bay Tuesday night. Adrian Gonzalez, and now Carl Crawford, are both really stepping up to help Boston be more consistent, but injuries have put John Lackey & Daisuke Matsuzaka both on the DL, so bats need to be key. I'll have more on the Yankees later, but this is a team that's struggling. Jose Bautista has 16 home runs so far, leading the league and the Blue Jays are right now a hot team. The Tampa Bay Rays also struggled to start the season, but now leading the AL East by 2 games and have the best road record in the majors at 13-5.

3) Washington- To me, the Nationals with a 20-21 record in the middle of May is a surprise. They have improved from last season, with Jayson Werth contributing 6 home-runs but needs to improve some more to top last year's numbers with Philadelphia. Danny Espinosa has been a surprise, leading the team w/ 22 RBIs on the season. After struggling with injuries in 2010, Jason Marquis has become the ace on this team with a 5-1 record and a 3.5 ERA, while Drew Storen has established himself to be a good closer right now in the leagues with 9 saves on the season.


DISAPPOINTMENTS
1) Jorge Posada/Yankees- The transition from catcher to everyday DH has not worked out so far for Jorge Posada. Despite hitting 6 home runs, Posada has a .165 batting average and threatened to quit the team after finding out he would be batting 9th in the lineup this past weekend against Boston. Since then, Posada has apologized to the team for his outburst. Tonight, Posada batted 7th and went 2-for-3 with a single and a double. This might be motivation to getting back on the right track. Meanwhile, the Yankees have been disappointing, being swept by Boston and losing to the Red Sox 5 out of 6 so far this season, while overcome a 6-game losing streak tonight. Another factor for the Yankees is starting pitching. CC Sabathia has a 3-3 record and has given up 29 runs. I'll give Bartolo Colon credit for working his way back from surgery to being a starter and he has been positive. The Yankees still need a starter like Carlos Silva and Manny Banuelos (both pitching in AA-Trenton) that can help the team in 2011.

2) Minnesota- Besides the Francisco Liriano no-hitter earlier in May, the Twins have been a big disappointment. Some may say it's because Joe Mauer has been on the DL, while others may say pitching is weak. The Twins have a great lineup including Justin Morneau, Jason Kubel & Michael Cuddyer, and the pitching includes Liriano, Carl Pavano, & Scott Baker. The closer issues also continue: Joe Nathan was struggling and replaced by Matt Capps. This is a team that needs to rebound and find a way to gain momentum.


NBA CONFERENCE FINALS
* The Chicago-Miami series will be a classic series made of superstars like Derrick Rose, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh & Joakim Noah. Both teams are really good on defense and will be able to stay in games. Chicago leads the series 1-0 but I personally think the Bulls will win the series in 6.

* The Western Conference finals between Oklahoma City and Dallas is very interesting. The Mavericks lost the NBA Finals, having never won a title, in 2006 in 6 games to the Heat that season. They meet against the Thunder, who are in the 4th year in Oklahoma City and have come a long way from the 2nd-worst team in 2009 to a final-four team. They impressed last season in the playoffs in a 7-game series against the Lakers, but now they have the talent, including Russell Westbrook, Kendrick Perkins, and Kevin Durant. The Thunder have never made it to the NBA Finals but I think that will change this season, winning in 7 against Dirk and the Mavs.