MLB 1st Half Thoughts

Now that we are in the All-Star break for MLB, I have a few thoughts on this season so far. 1) Two teams who I thought were going to do well this year find themselves in trouble: Red Sox and Phillies. Both teams have dealt with injuries but the worst is Boston. Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Clay Buchholz, Josh Beckett, Cody Ross, Ryan Sweeney, Carl Crawford, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Rich Hill have all at some point this season, have been on the disabled list due to various reasons. You can't blame Bobby Valentine for these injuries, but you can blame him for the teams poor defense and lack of offense. This team could contend if players decide to remain healthy. Philadelphia on the other hand have issues with starting pitching. Roy Halladay is on the DL, Cliff Lee finally gets his first win of the season last week (was on DL for a few weeks in April-May), Vance Worley isn't the same as last year as well, and Cole Hamels has been the only reliable starter. Ryan Howard is finally back after missing half the season, while Chase Utley is starting to put up numbers (missed first 2 1/2 months). Right now the Phillies are 13 games under .500 and really don't see them having much of a postseason chance, unless teams falter. 2) Can you be surprised that the Pirates are the 2nd winningest team this year? Look at this team with Andrew McCutchen (17 HRs) and providing solid defense as well in the outfield. The Pirates traded for A.J. Burnett (10 wins) and he has proved his leadership on and off the field, mentoring to the young guys like James McDonald and Joel Hanrahan on the mound. 2B Neil Walker has had better numbers and has also proved to be a key player. Manager Clint Hurdle definitely turned this team around, but well see what happens in the 2nd half of the year. 3) The Yankees miss Mariano Rivera, who tore his ACL back in May, but the $35M signing of Rafael Soriano has shown that he will be Mo's successor when he finally retires. Soriano has 20 saves going into the All-Star break and keeps getting better. With the lack of pitching (Andy Pettitte & CC Sabathia on DL) while Freddy Garcia & David Phelps stepped up, NY has the best record in the majors now. 4) Mike Trout has been the game-changer for the Angels. Since his call-up, LA has been one of the stronger teams in the league. Trout has the best batting average at .341 and has 26 steals and is one of the favorites to win MVP honors. Meanwhile, this has helped Albert Pujols adjust to the west-coast, hitting 14 home runs and his power will get better in the second half. Another player that has helped this team out is Mark Trumbo, who's 22 home runs ties for 6th in the AL. LA now trails Texas by 4 games in the AL West. 5) The other NY team, the Mets have also surprised this year. Manager Terry Collins has dealt with a young team and a young pitching staff. Yes, Johan Santana threw a no-hitter back in June, but it's R.A. Dickey who is one of the best pitchers in the NL, with a 12-1 record. David Wright is having a comeback year, and is a free-agent at the end of the season. The Mets are 4 games back behind a surprising Washington team that keeps getting better. 6) If I had to pick playoff spots for this year's postseason, I think Boston will try to make a comeback, but I don't see October in their future. I think NY will win the AL East, while the White Sox & Angels win the other divisions. Texas & Detroit will play the Wild Card game. In the NL, I see Washington, Cincinnati and LA Dodgers win their divisions. In the NL Wild-Card game, I see San Francisco vs. Pittsburgh. TOUR DE FRANCE (WEEK 1 RECAP) The 99th Tour de France has lived up to the hype, setting up a battle between Bradley Wiggins & Cadel Evans going in the Alps starting tomorrow. Wiggins leads Cadel Evans overall by 1 minute, 53 seconds but the next few stages can shuffle things around. Remember, there are 2 more weeks remaining in this year's tour. Crashes have also been a major part in this year's tour. Stage 6 was crucial because wrecks have taken out Tom Danielson, Giro de Italia winner Ryder Hesjedal, Oscar Freire. 2011 6th place finisher Samuel Sanchez also crashed out of the tour on Stage 8, which also takes him out of the Olympics in a few weeks. Time-trial specialist Tony Martin has also withdrew from the tour. As far as sprint stages go, it's been tour rookie Peter Sagan stealing the spotlight away from Mark Cavendish, winning 3 stages on the tour at Seraing, Metz & Boulogne-sur-Mer. Cavendish has won 1 stage, but needs to beat out Matthew Goss & Andre Griepel to have a chance to compete for a Green Jersey. This week, the Tour enters the Alps, having to face climbs at Col de la Madeleine and Col de la Croix de Fer. The next 3 days can be crucial, but it won't be grueling as the Tour goes into the Pyrenees the following week.