by JIM FEIST
The first half of the 2007 baseball season is in the books. There were surprising winners, such as the Brewers, Diamondbacks and Mariners, and surprisingly poor performances (Yankees, White Sox, Cardinals). Here’s a look at what some of the best teams did and their prospects for the second half.
Mets: Get healthy! The Mets stumbled badly in June on a 3-14 run, yet remained in first place in the NL East. The offense went south with outfielders Moises Alou and Shawn Green on the DL, and age is still a concern with this pitching staff. Tom Glavine is 40 and Orlando Hernandez is 41.
Despite this, the pitching is still second in the NL while the offense is one of the best in runs, batting average, in addition to being tops in steals. Help is on the way with Pedro Martinez expected back sometime in September, just in time for a playoff push! They need to keep the veterans healthy and find Carlos Delgado’s bat.
Tigers: Last year’s AL Champs won with dominant pitching and an up-and-down offense. They’ve flip-flopped a bit this season. The addition of Gary Sheffield has turned the erratic offense into a dominant force, leading the AL in runs, average, and slugging. Magglio Ordonez has benefited, as well, having a monster season. Detroit started 23-7 over the total at home with all that offense!
The pitching slipped in the first half because of injuries to the bullpen, a tired arm for Nate Robertson and the absence of veteran Kenny Rogers. Rogers returned two weeks ago after missing most of the first three months recovering from a blood clot. His return: A 5-0 win over Atlanta as a +160 dog! Robertson is also back and they hope to get relief ace Joel Zumaya back in August. Don’t be surprised if the Tigers make some moves to shore up the bullpen before the trading deadline.
Indians: What a talented young offense! Who wouldn’t want 24-year old CF Grady Sizemore leading off? He started with 22 steals, a .396 OBP and 13 homers. SS Jhonny Peralta just turned 25 and 28-year old Victor Martinez leads an offense that averages over 6 runs per game in Jacobs Field, where Cleveland started a sizzling 26-11.
The pitching has been the big story, with C.C. Sabathia (11-2 start) battling for the Cy Young, an improved bullpen with Rafael Betancourt, Aaron Fultz and Joe Borowski, and the emergence of sinker-balling specialist Fausto Carmona has upgraded the rotation. The Indians could use one more veteran starting arm before the trade deadline to solidify the rotation. They will need it while battling the Tigers down the stretch in this tough division race.
Diamondbacks: Arizona ranks in the bottom five in the NL in runs scored, batting average and steals. Offense is not their strength. Oh, but what pitching, ranked fourth overall in the NL behind ace Brandon Webb, Micah Owings, and rejuvenated veterans Randy Johnson and Livan Hernandez. The bullpen is deep, anchored by closer Jose Valverde. All that pitching explains why the D-Backs started 23-12 under the total on the road.
Red Sox: Boston fell apart late last season and finished third in the AL East. Management was determined not to let that happen in 2007, so they shelled out the money for Japanese sensation Daisuke Matsuzaka, fellow countryman Hideki Okajima, and locked up Josh Beckett. All three pitchers have paid huge dividends. Okajima has been sensational in middle relief, bridging the gap to ace closer Jonathon Papelbon, while Beckett started 11-1, taking over the ace reigns from Curt Schilling.
They started 27-13 under the total on the road because of strong all-around pitching. This offense is still potent, leading the league in on-base percentage with their strategy of taking pitches, drawing walks and wearing down opposing pitchers. While everyone will be shopping for pitching soon, the Red Sox have enough depth and minor league arms that they don’t need to rush into making a move. Having such a huge lead in the AL East helps, too.
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