MLB 1st Half Season Recap

Right now, the MLB is in the midst of the annual All-Star break and so far in the 2011 season, there have been surprises and disappointments. Here are my thoughts thus far.

1) The Pittsburgh Pirates are a different team than what we've used to seen. Manager Clint Hurdle came on-board this year and has changed this team. It's a young team, but players like Andrew McCutchen (14 HR, 59 RBI, 15 SB, .291 avg) & pitcher Kevin Correia (11-7, 4.01 ERA) have greatly made impacts on this team. Closer Joel Hanrahan has also done a superb job right now, converting 26 saves. This team is also 47-43 on the season, their best record at the ASB since 1992.

2) Only a few hours west of Pittsburgh, the Cleveland Indians have also been impressive thus far in 2011. The presence of Asdrubal Cabrera (14 HR, 51 RBI, .293 avg), Travis Hafner & Orlando Cabrera as well as young-guys like Matt LaPorta and Carlos Santana have really turned this team around from a year before. Plus Manny Acta could be AL Manager of the Year with the effort of this team's hitting performance. Meanwhile, their pitching has also been superb. Justin Masterson, Josh Tomlin and Carlos Carrasco have an ERA of 4.28 or better, while closer Chris Perez has converted 21 saves for the Tribe.

3) The Phillies have lived up to the hype of having the best pitching rotation in the MLB. With Joe Blanton on the DL most of the season, and Roy Oswalt joining him in recent weeks, the other starters have been dominant. Roy Halladay is 11-3 w/ a 2.45 ERA, Cliff Lee is 9-6 with a 2.82 ERA and Cole Hamels is 11-4 with a 2.32 ERA, talk about dominance. Don't forget about Vance Worley, who the Phils called up to replace Oswalt and he's been efficent as well, going 4-1 with a 2.20 ERA. The hitting department could be better but this team is relying on their pitching.

4) As I said in the beginning of the season, the AL East battle was going to be huge, and so far it's been one of the big headlines. The Red Sox started the season 2-10, now their 55-35, 1 game ahead of the Yankees. Adrian Gonzalez has 17 home runs, 77 RBIs and a .354 average going into the break, while Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia have also have outstanding starts on the 2011 season. As far as pitching goes, Clay Buchholz & Jon Lester are both on the DL and Daisuke Matsuzaka underwent Tommy John Surgery. Once Buchholz & Lester return to the team, watch out because this pitching staff is also efficient. As far as the Yankees go, Derek Jeter joined the 3,000 hit club and A-Rod will undergo knee surgery and will be out 6 weeks. CC Sabathia is 13-4, while Bartolo Colon & Freddy Garcia are having good seasons so far. Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano have been efficient offensively all season. This battle for AL East is far from over.

5) The disappointing team I can think of so far in 2011 is Minnesota. The Twins haven't had anything right so far, mostly due to injuries. Joe Mauer, Jim Thome, Justin Morneau (out til August), Jason Kubel and Tsuyoshi Nishioka have all missed time in the first half. The pitching staff isn't what we've been used to seeing either, although Francisco Liriano did pitch a no-hitter. The closer situation is also struggling w/ Matt Capps, Joe Nathan and Glen Perkins all convering saves. The Twins have a long way to go to get better in the 2nd half.


TOUR DE FRANCE RECAP (THROUGH 9 STAGES)
The Tour de France (aka Tour of Crashes) has so far lived up to the hype that we see every year. Thor Hushovd of Team Garmin-Cervelo has been the dominating rider, holding the Yellow Jersey for 8 stages. Right now after the finish Sunday at Super-Besse, Thomas Voeckler will wear the Maillot joure tomorrow as the riders make their way towards the Pyrenees. Philippe Gilbert has been superb in the Green Jersey category (Sprinters), including winning Stage 1 and has a 45 point advantage over Jose Joaquin Rojas. As far as the King of the Mountains category, it is way too close to call as the riders have not reached the big mountain stages and won't do so until Thursday. By next weekend, we will figure out who are the real contenders for this year's Tour de France, which will include Alberto Contador, Andy & Frank Schleck, Cadel Evans and Andreas Kloden. Alexander Vinokourov, Jurgen van de Broeck, Bradley Wiggins, Chris Horner and Tom Boonen have all crashed out on the Tour de France. This race has been exciting so far, but the best parts are still to come.