Most Major League Baseball teams have played over 40 games so far this season, so that would be about the middle of the 3rd inning if the season was condensed into a single game. At about that point in most games, you still have the starting pitchers on the mound getting ready to take on the lower-order hitters. In some games, the top order explodes out of the blocks and the bullpen is already being called on to stem the tide.
In 2022, most teams have their starters on the mounds but a few are stretching their opponent’s bullpens.
For my beloved Red Sox, their recent winning streak has seen them stretching a lot of bullpens. Prior to that, however, they looked shaky with a lot of questions over whether the rotation was up to the heat. Seeing Eovaldi and Pivetta getting into a groove and watching a hitter like Trevor Story simply go nuts has been almost as sweet as seeing that scumbag PM ejected from the game on Saturday after the good people of Australia knocked his nasty curveballs into the teal and green benches.
As much as it pains me, I do have to acknowledge the Yankees are having a stellar season. The Rays, Twins and Astros are also serious contenders in the American League race. I’m still not sure if the Angels will go the distance.
In the National League, the Mets, Brewers and Dodgers have all gotten off to a good start. The Padres are starting to lift, but they did that last year only to fall away when the heat got raised in the kitchen.
Looking at the stats sheets, there are five hitters above 1.0 OPS – Trout, Judge, Machado, Ramirez and JD (Jumbo Dong from that team you may have heard of from Boston). It’s no surprise that Trout and Judge are duelling it out for the top spot. They are phenomenal hitters but Trout can’t always rely on the guys to follow him at the Angels. Judge, on the other hand, has a Yankees batting order that is delivering day in, day out.
There are seven starting pitchers with ERA’s below 2.0. Incredibly it is Justin Verlander leading the charge. That man is the Peter Pan of the MLB. At 39 and after almost seventeen years since his debut he looks as fresh as a daisy. He also has the lowest WHIP of that group of seven.
As we head into June we’ll start ramping up for the All-Star Game. After that, it will get serious in the run to October. No matter whether the Red Sox make it, I’ll look back on this recent streak with great fondness. In an unsettling world, the ebb and flow of this incredible sporting marathon gives me solace. Just keep hitting those jumbo dongs, JD!
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