We are now about 3 weeks into the season, still early, but the division is starting to shape up. Surprisingly, the Fish are at the top with the Braves, Mets, and Phillies looking up. Here is my take on the start of the season for the Braves and some predictions.
The Braves have been somewhat digital this year when it comes to their offense. We tend to score in bunches, and mostly off the long ball. Garrent Anderson has been everything but impressive, and now he is injured. I hope he can make a comeback, but to be frank, I think the team will be better served with a platoon of Blanco and Diaz. Jeff Francour may be our best hitter this season, but one thing is for sure, to win we need Chipper to be healthy. McCann is having eye surjery, but I expect him to come back stronger then ever. Kelly is finding his groove, if only he can stop making errors. Our young stud Schaffer is starting to get found out, hoepfully he can adjust as pitchers adjust to him.
The pitching staff has been unsurprisingly deep, but it seems Glavine may be retiring. No worries, there is plenty of young talent to fill in. Derek Lowe has shown himself to be the number 1 starter, and Jair Jurjjens picked up where he left off, striking out batters and pitching quality starts. The bullpen has seemed shakey at times, and it may just be a closer by comittee between Soriano and Gonzalez. Blain Boyer is out there, and Peter Moylan is slowly finding his stide.
I am more convinced now then ever that this team can play above 500 this season and has a good chance to make the playoffs. But, this is the kind of team that is prone to skids. When the bats aren't hitting, everything seems to fall apart quickly. Baseball is sport of minimizing the damage, when we are down, Bobby has got to find a way to pick the team up. The bullpen may be our weakest point, but lets hope the starting pitching picks up the slack.
It is going to be a tight race, a three or four team race in the east. The "Natinals" have no chance, and have shown themselves to be the worst franchise in baseball. Don't count out the central division to take the wild card. The Cubs and Cards look good, but don't forget about those pesky Pirates. Out west, the Dodgers should take the division, but the Diamondbacks or the reloaded Padres may be looming. Once the Padres fall out of it, Jake Peavy may be on the move (sound familiar).
My prediction for the playoffs:
National League
Division Winners - Cards, Dodgers, Fish
Wild Card - Atlanta Braves (yes I am a homer)
American League
Division Winners - BoSox, ChiSox, Mariners
Wild Card - Yankees (but watch out for the Tigers)
World Series: BoSox vs Cardinals
Champions: Cardinals
That's right, my team to beat is the Cardinals. I reserve the right to be wrong, but that team is good. They hit well and pitch well (with some recent injuries). They have a top notch manager, and the Cards are a kind of team that can sneak into the playoffs and cause a lot of damage. As much as I want to believe that the Braves are the team to beat, I just don't see it yet. Maybe I will change my mind come all-stat time.
What do you think?
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