Swept by the Indians......the Cleveland Indians

Red Sox Nation is ready to explode.  The Sox got swept by the Indians this week......yes, those Indians.  How is this possible?  Well, with lack of hitting and poor pitching anything is possible.  Just when you thought the Sox would have a chance to right the ship and get back to 3-3 or 2-4 at worst, the wheels fall off.  Unfortunately, the bums from the bronx are coming to town this weekend.  Maybe the ball club will be energized by the rivalry or the fans as the Sox open Fenway Park for the first time this season.  Surely they can win one in front of the home crowd.  Although I said the same thing about the Indians, there is hope following the Yankees series.  The 0-6 Sox will play the 0-6 Rays.  Something has to give.  You can't have a scoreless tie in baseball, right?  No team has ever won the World Series after starting 0-6, but you may recall that now team had ever won a series after going down 0-3, but we all remember that glorious comeback against the hated Yankees.  Ah, the joys of yesteryear.  Remember Sox fans, the season is a marathon, not a sprint.  We still have 156 games left.  By the end of April this little sputter out of the gate should be an afterthought.

On a much more positive note, the Cincinnati Reds are 5-1 for the first time since 1990 when they went wire-to-wire and won the World Series.  The Reds are hot right out of the gate and firing on all cylinders.  I don't see why they shouldn't win the Central this year and at least make the NLCS if they can manage to avoid a fiasco like the Phillies series last year.

Could two teams, that of course I'd like to see in the postseason, start off the season any different?  This is what makes baseball so exciting.  Go Red Sox and Go Reds!

Opening Day Excitement

Opening day has finally come and gone.  The weather could not have been better and the games likewise.  Sunday night the Red Sox come from behind on the strength of Kevin Youkilis’ three extra base hits and a solo shot from Dustin Pedroia to beat the hated Yankees.  Yesterday, Jason Heyward hits a long homerun on his first swing ever as a major league player and the Braves spanked the Cubs who tied an opening day record by allowing 16 runs.  Sir Albert Pujols hit not one but two opening day homeruns which puts him on pace for 324.  It could be a good season.  Roy Halladay pitched a gem in Philly as the reigning NL champs look to repeat.  Tim lincecum struck out 7 and gave up only 4 hits through 7 innings in a Giants 5-2 win over Houston.  Perhaps the play of the entire season has already occurred.  Mark Buerhle kicked a ball that was hit back at him, then chased it down as it careened toward the first base line between the pitcher’s mound and first.  He crosses the base path right in front of the baserunner and in one motion, scoops the ball with his glove and flicks it between his legs underhand to first to get the runner by about a half step.  WOW!  What does day two have in store?

2010 Predictions: NL East

The NL East has a clear winner and a clear bottom dweller.  However, the middle is tough to pick.  Obviously, the three-time defending NL East Champion Philadelphia Phillies, who added Roy Halladay to an already stacked rotation, are not only my favorite to win the East again but also my pick for the National League representative in the World Series. 

At the bottom, once again, are the lowly Nationals that have a young pitching staff and added an aging (old) Pudge Rodriguez.  Ryan Zimmerman and Josh Willingham should offer the fans some excitement and although I’m not a big fan, I suppose Adam Dunn does provide some power.  The big event this year for the Nats should be when rookie Stephen Strasburg gets the call to throw some for the big club.

The middle three were essentially a toss-up for me.  I made the safe bet and chose the Mets to finish second almost exclusively off of name recognition.  With guys like Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, David Wright and the addition of Jason Bay, you have to expect good things to happen.  The starting rotation brings the expectations back to Earth.  After Johan Santana, there are a lot of questions.  Francisco Rodriguez needs the game to be close to even have a chance of helping.  If the Mets can avoid the injury and the offense can put up some numbers, they have a chance to finish high in the standings but probably won’t have enough to earn the NL Wild Card.

The young talent in Florida could help the Marlins have a decent season.  Somehow they manage to hang around for most of the year, so with guys like Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla, Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco coming back with another year’s experience, perhaps they can make a viable run at that second spot.

The Braves outfield production was well below what was expected last year.  If Nate McLouth can bounce back and Melky Cabrera can bring New York-esque numbers with him, the Braves have a legitimate shot at second as well.  The addition of Billy Wagner could help shutdown the opposition late in the game to give the Braves the edge they need.  And of course there is always the Bobby Cox factor.  I’m sure this team wants to send him out on top, but the question is, can they?

Is the Halladay Frenzy Over?

Roy Halladay appears to be headed to Philadelphia in a three-way trade with Toronto-Philly-Seattle. What does this mean for the Sox and Yanks? With the apparent signing of John Lackey to a 5-year deal, I think the Red Sox have one of the strongest rotations in baseball with Beckett-Lackey-Lester-Matsuzaka and Wakefield. With a healthy Matsuzaka and Wakefield providing double digit wins, this Red Sox rotation may even be better than their inter-division foe New York Yankees. The Yankees send the formidable trio of Sabathia-Burnett-Pettitte out at the front end of the rotation but then where do they turn? Joba has proven to be anything but reliable and who do you follow him up with? Sergio Mitre? Who? As a Sox fan, I’m ok with Halladay heading to the National League and out of the AL East. Although they won’t be facing Doc multiple times in the 19 games against the Jays, the Sox do make a trip to Philly in June. Now the Sox can focus on Mike Cameron to replace the soon to be departing (and therefore demonized) Jason Bay. Now what about third/first base?