Memorial Day Standings

With Memorial Day a few days away and backyard bbq’s and pool parties about to be set off in full bloom this weekend, let’s take a minute to remember those who have given the ultimate sacrifice to help make the United States the greatest country in the world.

Memorial Day is also the unofficial day when baseball teams realize they are who they are, not to steal from Denny Green’s famous postgame rant in a Monday Night loss to the Chicago Bears years ago, but sometimes teams are not who we thought they are.

Take a peek at the top of the standings across Major League Baseball and you will see five of the six division leaders are not the team that won the division a year ago.

The biggest surprise has to be the Baltimore Orioles who entered Saturday as owners of the best record in the American League. They are one up on the Tampa Bay Rays, four and a half on the New York Yankees, and six and a half on the cellar dwelling Boston Red Sox.

Will they maintain their hot start into the dog days of summer?

Who knows, but Buck Showalter has his team playing as good as they have in a long time.

The American League Central sees the Cleveland Indians two and a half games on top of the Chicago White Sox and five games on everybody’s preseason darling, the Detroit Tigers.

It will be interesting to see if Cleveland acquires a bat or another arm to keep the Sox and Tigers in their rear-view mirror in the AL Central standings. Much like the Orioles, many don’t think they will be in first place at the end of the season, let alone the All-Star break.

However, I beg to differ because this division will beat up each other because I don’t see a complete team dominating in the summer and putting some distance between the other teams in the division. This could be a three team race well into September.

The American League West is the only division to have last year’s winner atop the standings. The Texas Rangers are poised for a third straight trip to the World Series and will look to win their first title behind Josh Hamilton, who is the front runner for the Most Valuable Player award, and a lineup that strikes fear into even the best of pitchers.

Jered Weaver can attest to that. The Angels starter gave up eight runs in three and a third innings of work in a start vs. the Rangers after yielding only one earned run in his previous 21 innings of work, including tossing a no-hitter.

The Rangers own a six game lead on the Athletics but could see a run by the Angels who are six and a half games back after a sluggish start.

The National League East sees the Washington Nationals leading the Atlanta Braves by two games. Inspired by their Manager Davey Johnson and teenage sensation, Bryce Harper and flame throwing Steven Strasburg, the Nationals are turning their immense potential into wins. Leading the NL in ERA, the Nationals are a fun team to root for behind the ageless Davey Johnson.

The Nationals have a slew of questions to answer if they are to keep their place atop the standings in the East.

Does Harper start playing like a 19- year old?

What happens when Strasburg hits his innings mark? He is only allowed 160 after Tommy John surgery ended his rookie season two years ago.

How will injured stars Ryan Zimmerman , Jayson Werth, and Michael Morse fit in the lineup and will they stay healthy?

Who closes? The team has adopted a closer- by- committee approach but have All-Star set-up man Tyler Clippard ready to step into the ninth inning.

The NL Central leaders are Joey Votto’s Cincinnati Reds who head into Memorial Day weekend with a half game lead over the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals recently lost their All-Star first baseman, Lance Berkman for eight to ten weeks after he required knee surgery and are already playing without Allan Craig and his .373 batting average as he nurses a hamstring injury.

Can the Reds put some room between themselves and the Red Birds while they deal with injuries?

With stars like Votto, Brandon Phillips, and Jay Bruce they figure to score enough runs to keep their fifth ranked pitching staff in games. The biggest question is how recently promoted Cuban flame- thrower, Aroldis Chapman handles closing duties.

So far the early results are good as he is yet to give up a single run all season while striking out 43 batters in 24.1 innings.

The NL West boasts the team with the best record in all of baseball and very well could have the MVP, CY Young award winner, and Manager of the year all on the same team. Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw, and Don Mattingly have the Dodgers comfortably in first pace and have done so with a dominating home field advantage.

Winners of 19 of the teams 24 home games have given Vin Scully’s Dodgers a six and a half game lead on the San Francisco Giants. A balanced attack that sees the LA squad second in ERA and second in batting average, the Dodgers seem poised for a return to the playoffs.

Of the six teams currently in first place the Rangers and Dodgers are the only two teams I see atop the standings come October.

Meaning the fun is just beginning!

Follow me on Twitter @PatrickASchmidt

Patrick is a diehard Chicago sports fan and an avid college football fan, particularly the SEC. Patrick is the host of “The Wake-up Call,” a weekly sports show on Sportstownchicago.com every Wednesday morning from 8-10. View his show’s website here. And read more of Patrick’s blogs here.

Cubs Preview: Week of 5-14

Two separate two game series vs. the reigning World Series champion Cardinals and the defending NL East champion Philadelphia Phillies await the Cubs before the return of Interleague play and the Cross-town Classic with the Chicago White Sox.

Monday 5-14

After salvaging one game of the three game series in Milwaukee the Cubs head to the Gateway to the West and take on the division leading St. Louis Cardinals for a two game set.

Ryan Dempster and his 1.02 era will pitch in hopes of getting some run support and nailing down his first win of the season.  In fact, Dempster has not recorded a win in his last 14 starts, a string dating back to last August.

Pitching for the Cardinals is Jake Westbrook who has received more runs in his starts than any other National League pitcher.  Westbrook brings a 1.76 era with him to tonight’s start at Busch Stadium.

If the Cubs are to win Dempster will need to get some run support, and it figures to be tough opposed by a pitcher with an era under two.

Tuesday 5-15

Paul Maholm toes the rubber in the finale of the series and he’s been on fire of late for the Cubs winning his last four starts, and only giving up a total of three earned runs over that span.  He is however 0-1 this season vs. St. Louis.

Kyle Lohse aims for his sixth win on the year as he battles back from a hamstring strain he suffered during his last start.  Lohse enters Tuesday afternoon’s game with a 5-1 record and a stellar 2.08 era for the defending World Series champs and current National League Central leaders.

Wednesday May 16

The Cubs return home for another two game series, an odd scheduling quirk, to face the struggling Philadelphia Phillies with Matt Garza opposed by the Phillies Vance Worley.

Garza had his shortest outing of his season over the weekend in Milwaukee and will look to prove that was an aberration as he recovered from the flu bug that cost him a start.  Garza brings a 2-1 record with a 2.56 era into the first game on the Cubs homestand.

Worley took the loss against the Cubs and Garza earlier this season in Philly and faces a Cubs lineup that has shown signs of life the last week as they look to climb out of the division cellar.

Thursday 5-17

The series comes to a close with a decided advantage to the Phillies as their ace Roy Halladay gets the call vs. the Cubs Chris Volstad, who remains winless and sports a lofty 6.92 era into Thursday’s nightcap.

Halladay has been a tough luck loser this season for the same reasons Ryan Dempster has not recorded a win to date, and that is a result of poor run support.  Halladay has already taken a loss to the Cubs this season and will look to get some revenge on the Cubs lineup.  He has to be thinking his boys can get some runs against Volstad, who hasn’t won in his last 18 starts.

Stay tuned for the Cross-town Classic preview this Thursday for the “All-City” Team and series preview.

Follow me on Twitter @PatrickASchmidt

Patrick is a diehard sports fan and former football player from Chicago, the greatest city in the world. The home of deep dish pizza, the greatest skyline in the world, and the best sports fans in America.  Patrick has been a fan of the Cubs, Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks from birth and is an avid college football fan, particularly the SEC.  Patrick is the host of “The Wake Up Call,” a weekly sports show on Sportstownchicago.com every Wednesday morning from 8-10.  View his show’s website here. 

Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals: April 24 Recap

Last time the Cubs faced Cards right hander Adam Wainwright 11 days ago the Cubs lit him up like a pinball machine to the tune of eight runs in three innings of work dampening the mood of the Cardinals home opener as Jeff Samardzija grinded through five innings of work to notch his second win of the young campaign.

In a matchup of the two tall right-handers on a brisk April night, runs were at a premium as both starters sawed off bats much of the night. Wainwright gave up one earned run on a Castro sac fly in the first over six innings of work. Meanwhile his counterpart on the other side was one out removed from seven innings of shutout ball.

With the Cubs up on the Cardinals 1-0 with two outs in the top half of the eighth inning in front of the Wrigley Field faithful first year manager Dale Sveum called upon struggling Cubs closer Carlos Marmol for the four out save. Marmol quickly got ahead of Cardinals slugger Matt Holliday 1-2 as the Wrigley crowd rose to their feet in anticipation of the third out Matt Holliday got just enough of a Carlos Marmol. A high slider later evened the count before Holliday took advantage of a hanging slider and deposited it into the first row of the centerfield bleachers as Cubs centerfielder Tony Campana could only leap so high before watching the ball turn into a souvenir.

Marmol walked off the field to end the top portion of the eighth to a healthy smattering of boos from the restless natives.

When it appeared the Cardinals had the game in the palm of their hands, Cubs first baseman Bryan LaHair took the first pitch he saw from Jason Motte into the open arms of the fans in blue in the left center field bleachers, tying up the game.

LaHair rounded the bases with his right forearm in the air reminiscent of Padres first baseman, Steve Garvey whose homer beat the Cubs in the 1984 playoffs.

LaHair’s homerun was the first by a Cub in nine games since he hit a grand slam off Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright.

With the game now in extra innings, Cubs bat boy, I mean centerfielder, Tony Campana singling up the middle and stealing second with one out, the Cubs were in position to send the Wrigley Field faithful, which included Michael Jordan on this night home happy.

With the much maligned Alfonso Soriano up with two outs and down to his last strike he hit a bullet to second base that ate up cards second sacker alive. Tony Campana raced around third and scored the winning run in the tenth giving the Cubs their second walk off win in as many nights vs. the Cardinals.

The 3-2 win brought the Cubs record to 6-12 as the Cardinals fall to 11-7.

The Cubs look for the sweep Wednesday afternoon with the first pitch at 1:20.