MLB - the 7th Inning Stretch

[3Peatkb24]

How about them Cubs! They just took 2 of 3 at St. Louis by winning 2-1 last night. I watched the game last night and St Louis had 60% capacity of fans. It sounded like a playoff game, that crowd was loud! Winning a game at St. Louis in prime time on ESPN is big. Both teams aren't great but are good, that was a great defensive game and a pitchers duel. El Mago hit a 2 run HR in the top of the 10th to break a 0-0 tie. The Cards came back in the bottom of the 10th to score 1 run but Kimbrel closed the game for the Cubs.

As of now in the NL Central, it looks to be a 3 team race early between The Cards, Cubs, and Brewers. It looks like this heading into Monday:

1. Cards 26-20
2. Cubs 24-22 (2 back)
3. Brewers 23-23 (3 back)

In reality since the 2015 season which is a big sample size = 7 seasons (2015-2021), the Cubs have been the best team in the division not the Cards and Cards fans hate that . It used to be a 1 sided rivalry but we have owned their ass over the last 7 seasons, It started when we beat them in the 2015 NLDS, then we won the WS in 2016 + the Division Title in 2016. Won the division again in 2017 and 2020. We have kicked the bully in the teeth for a long period of time finally and I love it! Currently we are the NL Central Champions until someone takes it from us. I have enjoyed these 7 seasons with Bryant, Rizzo, El Mago, Hendricks, Contreras, and Arrieta for 4 of the seasons. David Ross has been the perfect replacement for Joe Maddon. The Cards have the overall history but haven't won a WS since the 2011 season.

[lakerevolution]

Dodgers looking like they are over their early season Three Stooges act. I'll be at Oracle Park (the formerly AT&T) in SF on Sunday to cap off my birthday week by watching my World Champs against their NL West rivals. Good luck to the Cubs and Yanks!

Dodgers are the team to beat, I was lucky the Cubs caught them when they were acting like a bunch of Homer Simpsons running around out there . Cubs still look like they could be a playoff team at times but we will see. Yankees are playing much better too compared to April.

What a great day at the ballpark!! The Dodgers just pounced all over the Giants, building an 11-0 lead on some timely hitting, small-ball tactics and a Grand Slam! Urias had a no-hitter through 5 innings until the Giants started making a game of it. Great weather, way too much food and drink, and the perfect way to cap-off my birthday week. The Dodgers are still without Corey Seager and Mookie Betts, but the reserves are stepping up! We just have to handle those pesky Padres.

[3Peatkb24]

Dodgers looking like they are over their early season Three Stooges act. I'll be at Oracle Park (the formerly AT&T) in SF on Sunday to cap off my birthday week by watching my World Champs against their NL West rivals. Good luck to the Cubs and Yanks!

Dodgers are the team to beat, I was lucky the Cubs caught them when they were acting like a bunch of Homer Simpsons running around out there . Cubs still look like they could be a playoff team at times but we will see. Yankees are playing much better too compared to April.

What a great day at the ballpark!! The Dodgers just pounced all over the Giants, building an 11-0 lead on some timely hitting, small-ball tactics and a Grand Slam! Urias had a no-hitter through 5 innings until the Giants started making a game of it. Great weather, way too much food and drink, and the perfect way to cap-off my birthday week. The Dodgers are still without Corey Seager and Mookie Betts, but the reserves are stepping up! We just have to handle those pesky Padres.

The Giants have been a huge surprise this season. I think in June they show their true colors and start to fade a little. Cards lost tonight so now the Cubs are just 1.5 back in the NL Central.

[3Peatkb24]

Cubs are rolling, we beat the Pirates 4-3 as Jake Arrieta gets another win in a Cubs uniform. Former Dodger Joc Pederson homered twice in the victory. Cards lost again tonight as well which is fantastic.

Cubs are now just a half game back of 1st place in the NL Central. Cubs are 25-22, Cards are 26-22. . Cubs haven't even played near their best baseball, if they do look out!

[lakerevolution]

Didn't know Tony LaRussa was the White Sox skipper - what a career he's had, and still going strong. Looking around the League, some divisions have strong teams and some are really mediocre. Jesus' Mets are leading the NL East but . . they're only 2 games over .500 (they and the last-place Nationals have played fewer games than everyone due to the early-season Covid suspensions) and the rest of that division is under .500 but only 3 games separate the Mets from the Nats!

The NL West is clearly the most formidable division so far, as SD, LA and SF are all battling for first. AZ and COL are basically out of the running already. The strongest AL division is the East, with TB, NYY and BOS all in the mix. History (and run differential) suggests that the eventual WS matchup will be between teams from these divisions, but who knows? Dodger fans miss Joc Pederson, but I'm glad to see he's helping your Cubs. Dodgers visit SF again in September - I'll be at one of those games for sure. And after getting swept by your Cubs the first week in May, we'll see them again at the end of June for a 4-game set. We may have to put a friendly wager on that!

[3Peatkb24]

Didn't know Tony LaRussa was the White Sox skipper - what a career he's had, and still going strong. Looking around the League, some divisions have strong teams and some are really mediocre. Jesus' Mets are leading the NL East but . . they're only 2 games over .500 (they and the last-place Nationals have played fewer games than everyone due to the early-season Covid suspensions) and the rest of that division is under .500 but only 3 games separate the Mets from the Nats!

The NL West is clearly the most formidable division so far, as SD, LA and SF are all battling for first. AZ and COL are basically out of the running already. The strongest AL division is the East, with TB, NYY and BOS all in the mix. History (and run differential) suggests that the eventual WS matchup will be between teams from these divisions, but who knows? Dodger fans miss Joc Pederson, but I'm glad to see he's helping your Cubs. Dodgers visit SF again in September - I'll be at one of those games for sure. And after getting swept by your Cubs the first week in May, we'll see them again at the end of June for a 4-game set. We may have to put a friendly wager on that!

Cubs do travel to LA June 24th for a long 4 game set. That series will show me a lot being that the Dodgers are a great measuring stick and it's toward the end of June, not real early in the season. Cubs won again tonight but the Cards got them a win too so the Cubs are still a half game back in the NL Central. Cubs are currently 26-22 which is respectable but there is plenty of room for improvement.

The team that has been surprisingly average to bad at times are the Braves at 24-25. I thought they would run away with the NL East, they still could as it is only May. As of now though, they look MEH.

[3Peatkb24]

With the Cubs win today over the Pirates, they complete a 3 game sweep and move into a 1st place tie with the Cards in the NL Central. Both teams are 27-22. The Cubs currently are technically in 1st place because they hold the tie breaker over the Cards as they lead the season series 2-1 against them. Kris Bryant is on a tear this season, playing like the MVP he once was. Besides playing great defense at 3 different positions = 3B, 1B, and LF, his numbers are MVP worthy = .320 avg, 11 HR's, and 32 RBI's. In Bryant's 2016 NL MVP season his numbers were .292 avg, 39 HR's, and 102 RBI's.

[lakerevolution]

Dodgers out-homer the Giants in a dinger-fest to move a half-game out of first place. The A's continue to crank out wins, too - they're one of three AL teams (TB, NYY) to sport an away record over .650. In fact, almost every MLB team with an away record over .500 resides in the AL. The only NL team with a significantly good away record is the Padres. Is it the DH?

[3Peatkb24]

Dodgers out-homer the Giants in a dinger-fest to move a half-game out of first place. The A's continue to crank out wins, too - they're one of three AL teams (TB, NYY) to sport an away record over .650. In fact, almost every MLB team with an away record over .500 resides in the AL. The only NL team with a significantly good away record is the Padres. Is it the DH?

Yeah I am not sure why AL teams are better on the road? The Cubs are 4-0 in their last 4 road games but at Wrigley they play much better.

[3Peatkb24]

Currently as of May 28th, the playoff picture in the NL looks like this:

#1 seed would be the SD Padres at 32-19, they lead the NL West

#2 seed would be either the Cubs or Cards? Both are 28-22 in the NL Central. These teams would play 1 game to see who wins the division, Cubs have the tiebreaker so the game would be at Wrigley. Only 5 teams make the playoffs in each league so believe it or not the loser of the 1 game playin would be eliminated from the playoffs. The winner would be the #2 seed.

#3 seed would be the Mets at 24-20, they lead the NL East

-2 WildCard teams would be the Dodgers at 31-19 and the Giants at 30-20.

-Pretty much we are 50 games in so just for fun I listed a super early playoff picture. A lot of parity here, it is anyone's League to win.

[lakerevolution]

Currently as of May 28th, the playoff picture in the NL looks like this:

#1 seed would be the SD Padres at 32-19, they lead the NL West

#2 seed would be either the Cubs or Cards? Both are 28-22 in the NL Central. These teams would play 1 game to see who wins the division, Cubs have the tiebreaker so the game would be at Wrigley. Only 5 teams make the playoffs in each league so believe it or not the loser of the 1 game playin would be eliminated from the playoffs. The winner would be the #2 seed.

#3 seed would be the Mets at 24-20, they lead the NL East

-2 WildCard teams would be the Dodgers at 31-19 and the Giants at 30-20.

-Pretty much we are 50 games in so just for fun I listed a super early playoff picture. A lot of parity here, it is anyone's League to win.

It looks like the NL West is going to well-represented come Autumn. The legend Albert Pujols ALMOST had a walk-off HR victory against the Giants tonight but some punk-ass ex-Yankee outfielder named Mike Tauchman robbed him with a spectacular over-the-wall catch. The Giants got Tauchman in late April in a trade with the New York Yankees, who liked his defensive ability but had no room for him in an overcrowded outfield. Pujols has 668 lifetime home runs and is tied with Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and three other Hall of Famers with 12 career walk-off homers, trailing Jim Thome's record 13.

Former Dodgers Alex Wood and Jake McGee received their World Series rings from the 2020 championship before Friday’s game in their clubhouse. Yay. Dodgers star OF Cody Bellinger (hairline fracture left leg) will return to Saturday’s lineup after missing nearly two months.

[3Peatkb24]

Currently as of May 28th, the playoff picture in the NL looks like this:

#1 seed would be the SD Padres at 32-19, they lead the NL West

#2 seed would be either the Cubs or Cards? Both are 28-22 in the NL Central. These teams would play 1 game to see who wins the division, Cubs have the tiebreaker so the game would be at Wrigley. Only 5 teams make the playoffs in each league so believe it or not the loser of the 1 game playin would be eliminated from the playoffs. The winner would be the #2 seed.

#3 seed would be the Mets at 24-20, they lead the NL East

-2 WildCard teams would be the Dodgers at 31-19 and the Giants at 30-20.

-Pretty much we are 50 games in so just for fun I listed a super early playoff picture. A lot of parity here, it is anyone's League to win.

It looks like the NL West is going to well-represented come Autumn. The legend Albert Pujols ALMOST had a walk-off HR victory against the Giants tonight but some punk-ass ex-Yankee outfielder named Mike Tauchman robbed him with a spectacular over-the-wall catch. The Giants got Tauchman in late April in a trade with the New York Yankees, who liked his defensive ability but had no room for him in an overcrowded outfield. Pujols has 668 lifetime home runs and is tied with Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and three other Hall of Famers with 12 career walk-off homers, trailing Jim Thome's record 13.

Former Dodgers Alex Wood and Jake McGee received their World Series rings from the 2020 championship before Friday’s game in their clubhouse. Yay. Dodgers star OF Cody Bellinger (hairline fracture left leg) will return to Saturday’s lineup after missing nearly two months.

I still think your Dodgers will end up the #1 seed and win the West which is music to your ears lol, Padres will be a WildCard. I keep thinking the Giants will fade starting around mid June and be the odd team out of the playoffs because I think the Cards and Cubs both are a tad better and will make the playoffs. It is still so early in the season (too early to tell) so we will see where all this is at, at the end of June. June is a huge month IMO, it sets the tone for the stretch run. April and May are feeling out processes, July through September is when the big boys step up = stretch run.

[3Peatkb24]

Great way to end May for the Cubs! Cubs 7 Padres 2. El Mago with 2 HR's, MVP with another HR as well. We kicked that Padre ass today. There is your help Rev, now help us out and beat the Cards later tonight

Cubs are currently tied for 1st place in the NL Central with the Cards. Both teams are 30-23.

[3Peatkb24]

Great way to end May for the Cubs! Cubs 7 Padres 2. El Mago with 2 HR's, MVP with another HR as well. We kicked that Padre ass today. There is your help Rev, now help us out and beat the Cards later tonight

Cubs are currently tied for 1st place in the NL Central with the Cards. Both teams are 30-23.

April and May are in the books, that is 33% of the season played. It is flying by. Thanks for the help last night Rev, Dodgers beat the Cards 9-4 .

NL Central Standings heading into June look like this:
1. Cubs 30-23 - lead the division and is currently the 2 seed
2. Cards 30-24 (.5 back)
3. Brewers 29-25 (1.5 back)
4. Reds 24-28 (5.5 back)
5. Pirates 20-33 (10 back)

My Cubs since that great 2016 season where they won they won the NL Central Division, NL Pennant, and WS are currently leading the Nl Central here in 2021 2 months in. If the Cubs do win the NL Central it would be their 4th division title in 6 seasons = 2016, 2017, 2020, and 2021 if it happens. Go Cubs baby!

[3Peatkb24]

Cubs sweep the Padres to go to 32-23 on the season. I think now people need to take the Cubs serious. It looked dicey in April but we are clicking on all cylinders finally. I did not expect a sweep against that team, they are really good. Now we play at SF for a 4 game series, I hope to get 2 and split the set. SF has the best record in the NL. The Padres IMO are just as good though and we swept them. We also swept the Dodgers a while back 3-0 as well and took 2 of 3 at St. Louis just last week. Against elite competition so far the Cubs are 8-1. Dodgers are pounding the Cards tonight so after tonight the Cubs will have a 1.5 game lead over the Cards for 1st place in the NL Central.