Despite the Series Loss, Fish Are Improving

The month of June has not been kind to the Florida Marlins this year.  Under Edwin Rodriguez, the Marlins had only recorded one win in the month.  The slide prompted the manager to resign from his position.  For the record, I don’t have a problem with Rodriguez resigning from his managerial position.  His voice and leadership style was no longer working for this team.  Even though Beinfest and company were ‘shocked’ by Rodriguez’s decision, it would have only been a matter of time before owner Jeffrey Loria had decided to pull the plug on the manager.

The Marlins front office all agreed that Jack McKeon would be the perfect answer to manage this club for the rest of the season.  In my opinion, this team really liked playing under Edwin Rodriguez.  Rodriguez made all the right moves while he was here and gained the respect of all the players including star shortstop, Hanley Ramirez.  By the way, that’s saying something when we know that it’s difficult for Hanley to get along with his manager.  In any event, at 80 years of age, McKeon brings a no-nonsense, hard-working, and energetic jolt that the Fish have been desperately looking for as of late.  Despite the fact that the team lost the series to the Angels, a lot of positives can be drawn out from the last three games.

In order for this team to be successful, Hanley Ramirez needs to hit and adjust his attitude while he’s at it.  The first thing McKeon did upon his return to the dugout was to sit Hanley.  There were reports that he arrived late to McKeon’s first team meeting on Monday.  Whether or not McKeon’s decision to bench Hanley on Monday sunk in for the All-Star shortstop I don’t know, but since then Hanley has gone 4 for 10 with two runs batted in and a stolen base.  Aside from Hanley’s production in this series, the team has played a lot better.  With the exception of Brian Sanches’ spot start today, Anibal Sanchez and Javier Vazquez combined to allow just one run on 18 hits in 13.1 innings.  The bullpen has been pretty solid during the month of June and did not disappoint in this series.  The bullpen combined to allow four earned runs in seven and two-thirds innings. 

There has definitely been a different feel in South Florida for the last three games.  The rehiring of Jack McKeon can only rekindle shades of the 2003 Florida Marlins.  His return has prompted fans and sports casters alike to draw parallels to that 2003 season.  The bottom line is that the team has to loosen up, have fun, and continue to play hard.  The Fish will now head to Seattle to play three ‘home’ games.  Originally, the series was going to be played here in Miami but was relocated because of a U2 concert this weekend.  The Marlins have played much better on the road so hopefully with their newfound, upbeat attitude and their aforementioned success away from Sun Life Stadium, they can finish off this horrible month of June on a high note. 

Are the Marlins Falling Apart?

There are two ways to look at the recent struggles of the Florida Marlins.  One, the Marlins are just four games out of the first place Phillies despite going 2-8 in their last 10 games.  The team has also not been consistently healthy all year and therefore it has been incredible that the team is just four games out.  Before last night’s game, the Marlins finally placed All-Star shortstop Hanley Ramirez on the disabled list with lower back inflammation.  Ramirez had not appeared in a game since leaving in the second inning of a loss to the Dodgers on March 29^th.  The team’s ace, Josh Johnson, has yet to throw off a mound due to right shoulder inflammation.  Manager Edwin Rodriguez has had to manage the last few games with a short bench.  As a result, this predicament has definitely played a role in some of the team’s losses throughout the last 10 games.

The other way to look at this stretch is that the Marlins have had plenty of opportunities to score runs and have not been successful doing so.  During this 2-8 collapse, the Marlins have lost five games by only one run.  Before the Marlins played the Dodgers in Los Angeles, the team held a record of 14-4 in one-run games.  Since then, the team has dropped down to 14-9 in these situations.  Early on in the season, the team would find ways to win the close games either with a clutch hit or superb pitching out of the bullpen.  It seems that lately, however, the team is finding ways to lose these close games.  In the last 10 games, the Marlins are batting .188 (18 for 96) with runners in scoring position.  That is a definite recipe for disaster. 

The pitching has not helped either.  Without Josh Johnson, the starting pitchers have combined for a record of 1-4 and an ERA of 6.75 in 53.1 innings in the last 10 games.  In addition, the starting rotation has pitched into the seventh inning just twice in the last 10 games.  The bullpen has been relatively efficient but has not been the same bullpen that was unstoppable at the beginning of the season.  In the last 10 games, the bullpen has posted a record of 1-4 with an ERA of 4.33 and just one save in 35.1 innings.  In a way, the bullpen has kept the games close, but because the offense has had trouble scoring runs, they eventually falter.   

After last night’s loss to the Brewers, the Marlins are four games out of the first place Phillies and tied for second place with the Atlanta Braves.  Incidentally, the Atlanta Braves are making their first trip to South Florida this season for a three-game series.  This could not have come at a better time or at a worse time, depending on how the Marlins play throughout this series.  One thing in for sure, the rotation is going to have to go deep into games and give the bullpen a rest.  The Marlins will hand the ball to Brad Hand who was called up from Double-A before last night’s game.  The left-hander was 7-1 with an ERA of 3.53 at Double-A Jacksonville this season. The Marlins will face Tommy Hanson today followed by Derek Lowe tomorrow, and Jair Jurrjens on Thursday.  If the Marlins want to have a successful series against their division rivals, they are going to have to hit better with runners in scoring position.  The best thing for this team to do is to wipe the slate clean.  In other words, take this series one game at a time or even one at-bat at a time.  If the Marlins start to think too far ahead or think about the squandered opportunities of the past, then they are going to have a tough time getting past the Atlanta Braves this week. 

It’s Time for Volstad to Step Up

The Marlins will hand the ball to Chris Volstad tonight against the Dodgers for the middle game of this three-game series.  Volstad is going into tonight’s start with a 1-1 record and an ERA of 6.60 in three starts.  With those types of numbers, you would think that the Marlins have no chance to win this contest.  To make matters worse, the Marlins will oppose Dodgers’ ace Clayton Kershaw.  Kershaw was one out away from a complete game against the Braves in his last start.  He ultimately received a no decision, allowing three runs on five hits, four walks and seven strikeouts in eight and two-thirds innings against Atlanta.

Last night the Marlins made an improbable comeback off of Dodgers’ closer Jonathan Broxton.  I felt that it was extremely important to take the first game of this series.  Throughout the game, the only Marlin who was able to solve Jon Garland was Chris Coghlan.  Coghlan homered twice off the veteran right-hander.  Nolasco pitched a decent game allowing three runs on seven hits in six and one-third innings.  Nolasco left the game in the seventh inning with runners on second and third with one out.  Ryan Webb came into the game but could not hold the lead.  The Dodgers tied the game on a ground ball to second base and then took the lead on a single up the middle.  This was the second blown save from the bullpen in the last two days.  Hensley also blew a 3-1 lead in Sunday’s game against the Rockies.  The Dodgers scored an insurance run off of Marlins’ reliever Edward Mujica in the eighth inning that seemed, at the time, to have put the nail on the coffin. 

In an inexplicable move by Dodgers’ manager Don Mattingly, Vicente Padilla came into the game to relieve Jon Garland.  Despite the fact that the Dodgers’ bullpen has not gotten to a great start, there should have been someone else pitching for them in the eighth inning.  In any event, Padilla allowed a leadoff walk to pinch hitter Scott Cousins and a single to Coghlan.  Originally, I thought that Infante’s job was to bunt the runners over but as the at-bat unfolded, it didn’t look like he was bunting.  Well, on the third pitch of the at-bat, Infante made a poor attempt at what looked to me to be a drag bunt.  The Dodgers were able to get Cousins out at third base and keep the runners on first and second base.  Gaby Sanchez proceeded to line an 0-2 pitch right back up the middle for an RBI single to cut the deficit to one run.  If there is one guy that deserves a lot of recognition early on this season, it’s Gaby Sanchez.  It seems like every time this guy comes up to the plate, he finds a way to knock in a run in a crucial point in the game.  That, my friends, is what we call clutch-ability.

The next play for the Fish was not a very smart one.  With one out and runners on first and second base, Mike Stanton hit a medium fly ball to centerfielder Matt Kemp.  Once Kemp caught the ball, Infante decided to go the tag up and take third base.  I’m not sure what he was thinking.  With two outs, you never want to make the last out at third base.  Infante was already in scoring position at second base just in case Stanton did not deliver which was the case.  Aside from that, Kemp has a cannon for an arm, so why chance it?  Bottom line, it was one of those bonehead plays where had the Marlins lost the game, this situation would have been magnified to the nth degree.

Another member of the Marlins who does not get any credit at all is Brian Sanches.  Sanches pitched a perfect ninth inning to keep the score at 4-3 into the bottom of the ninth.  Sanches has pitched 13.2 scoreless innings so far this season.  He has only allowed one hit, four walks and 10 strikeouts in his impressive start to the season.  He has undoubtedly been the team’s unsung hero this year and I think if you ask him, he wouldn’t mind one bit.

As luck would have it, the Marlins got to a struggling closer in Jonathan Broxton.  Coming into Monday’s game, Broxton had amazingly converted all five of his save opportunities but had an ERA of 4.66.  As I mentioned before, the Dodgers’ bullpen has not been serviceable so far this season, so a comeback was not out of the question.  This was especially the case with Greg Dobbs and John Buck due up in the ninth inning.  Well, Broxton struck out Dobbs and got Buck to ground out to first base.  With two outs and no one on and Emilio Bonifacio up, the Marlins’ chances did not look particularly great.  I thought Broxton was going to give Bonifacio a steady diet of fastballs up in the strike zone to get him to chase.  Broxton did indeed throw fastballs to Bonifacio, but only two of those pitches were for strikes.  Bonifacio worked a rare walk and brought up the struggling Hanley Ramirez.  Manager Edwin Rodriguez gave Ramirez the day off on Monday after starting the nine-game home stand 1-for-21.  Ramirez lined a 2-1 hanging slider to right field for a base hit and moved Bonifacio to third base.  It was good to see Hanley get a hit at that moment.  Hopefully that at-bat was a sign of good things to come for Hanley in the near future. 

Now for the lucky part of the inning, Scott Cousins hit an 0-1 changeup for a weak ground ball to shortstop Jaime Carroll who for some reason decided to look up a little too soon and allowed the ball to get under his glove and into left field.  In these situations for a winning ballclub, it’s sometimes better to be lucky than good.  Now, I think that had Carroll come with the ball cleanly, it still would have been a close play at first base given Cousins’ speed.  Nonetheless, the Marlins cashed in on the Dodgers misfortune.  The Dodgers decided to intentionally walk Coghlan after falling behind 2-0 in the count.  So up walks Omar Infante with two outs and the bases loaded.  Again, Infante did not have a great eighth inning at the plate or on base, so this was his chance to redeem himself.  Last year with the Braves, Infante seemed to have a flair for the dramatic and so far with Marlins, he had not repeated that success until Sunday’s game against the Rockies when he hit a two-out, three-run triple off of Ubaldo Jimenez.  Infante extended his modest hitting streak to six games with a well-hit ball to left field that the left fielder Jerry Sands completely misplayed.  Even though Sands misplayed the ball, it would have been tough to make a play on the ball anyway because it was hit so well.

It’s worth repeating that this was an important game to take.  The Marlins going into Monday’s game had not had much success against Jon Garland in the past.  Garland was 5-1 against the Fish going into Monday’s start.  The other reason why last night’s game was important is because Kershaw will take mound tonight for the Dodgers.  I’m not saying that it’s an automatic loss, but I do expect the Marlins to have some trouble against the lefty.  On the Marlins side of the pitching matchup, the team hopes that Volstad can continue the success by the starting rotation during the home stand.  So far during the home stand, the rotation has gone 4-1 with an ERA of 2.86.  In his last start against the Pirates, Volstad received a win despite allowing five runs on four hits in five and one-third innings.  The 6-8, 232 pound right-hander is 2-3 with an ERA of 4.91 in five career starts against the Dodgers.  His best start against the Dodgers was actually his first major league start.  Volstad allowed a run on five hits, one walk and six strikeouts in eight and two-thirds innings in Los Angeles.  The Marlins are playing their best ball right now winning nine out of their last 11 games and going 6-1 on their nine-game home stand so far.  It’s a great time to be a Marlins fan.      

Marlins Off to Hot Start But Are Not at Full Potential

The Marlins are off to one of the better starts in franchise history after finishing a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates last night at Sun Life Stadium.  The team is 11-6 and just half a game out of first place in the National League East behind the Philadelphia Phillies.  The team’s current record matches only the 2009 Florida Marlins for the best start to a season after 17 games.  Not even the 1997 squad finished with at record of 11-6 after 17 games into the season.  Despite the fact that it’s only 17 games into the season, there has been major improvement in the team’s play during this stretch.

Last year’s Achille’s heel was both the defensive side of the ball and the bullpen.  The Marlins ranked dead last in fielding percentage last season and committed the fifth most errors in baseball with 123.  The bullpen blew a whopping 25 saves last season and combined to post and ERA of 4.37.   So, the front office’s priority this past offseason was to address both the defense and the bullpen.  The team parted ways with fan favorite second baseman Dan Uggla, outfielder Cameron Maybin and pitcher Andrew Miller, but received a lot more in return.  The club acquired second baseman Omar Infante, catcher John Buck, starting pitcher Javier Vazquez and a plethora of relievers.  The relievers include left-handers Mike Dunn and Randy Choate, Ryan Webb, and Edward Mujica.  As a result of these offseason moves, the Fish are in the middle of the pack in the league with 10 errors and have posted a league-leading bullpen ERA of 1.63 in their first 17 games so far.

Even though the Marlins have gotten off to such a great start, I still don’t think this team has reached its full potential.  The team is still missing production from their star shortstop Hanley Ramirez.  In the 17 games this season, Hanley his hitting just .222 and has not homered in 54 at-bats. The other star player who is struggling out of the gate is outfielder Mike Stanton.  Stanton missed most of spring training with a strained right quad and sat out for about the first week of the regular season with a tight left hamstring.  These injuries certainly have something to do with his slow start and we can expect his bat to eventually make an impact in the lineup.  Stanton homered for the first time this season last night against the Pirates.  The sky is the limit once Hanley and Stanton get on a roll.

The only reason the Marlins have been scoring runs is because of the production from Gaby Sanchez, Logan Morrison and John Buck.  All three of these hitters have combined to hit .300(54/180) with 6 home runs and 27 RBI.  Unfortunately for the Marlins, Logan Morrison was just placed on the 15-day disabled list with a left foot injury.  This is a huge blow for the club but the Marlins do have an outfielder by the name of Scott Cousins who is more than capable of taking over the everyday duties in left field.  In his first start for Morrison last night, Cousins hit a grand slam for his first career home run.  The new and improved Emilio Bonifacio has paid dividends for this team early on.  Going into tonight’s contest against the Rockies, Bonifacio was hitting .324 in 37 at-bats.  Bonifacio has played all three outfield positions as well as some third base early on this season.  Bonifacio already has three outfield assists and has committed just one error.

Going into the season, the Marlins were counting on their starting rotation to make huge contributions this season.  Well, the rotation has not disappointed after the team’s first 17 games.  Josh Johnson has picked up where he left off last season.  The 2010 National League ERA leader has dominated early on this season going 3-0 with an league-leading ERA of 1.00 in 27 innings.  Johnson’s early success has included taking a no-hitter into the seventh innings against the Mets on opening night and taking another no-hitter into the eighth inning in Atlanta a couple of starts ago.  Ricky Nolasco has had success this season going 2-0 with an ERA of 3.00, has walked only two batters and 18 strikeouts in 27 innings.  This dynamic one-two punch in the rotation is becoming one of the best in the business.  The remainder of the rotation is solid and is capable of great things.  Anibal Sanchez has placed as a legitimate number three-type pitcher in the Marlins’ rotation.  Veteran Javier Vazquez has gotten off to a slow start but his statistics as a National League pitcher indicate that his season will improve.  The weakest link in the Marlins rotation is Chris Volstad.  Volstad has shown flashes of excellence since his debut back in 2008 but most of time the right-hander can’t seem to put it together for two consecutive quality starts if his life depended on it.  It’s unfortunate, but if it gets to the point where he can’t get the job done at all, then the club may look into calling up Elih Villanueva, Sean West, or Alex Sanabia to take his place in the rotation.

There is no doubt that the Marlins have gotten off one of the hottest starts in franchise history, but team has yet to click on all cylinders.  When the Marlins finally get production from Hanley Ramirez and Mike Stanton and Chris Volstad, the team should be a force to be reckoned with for the entire season.  Until then, we should enjoy the team’s success and not take it for granted.  

Marlins Set to Take On Familiar Faces

When the Marlins arrive at Turner Field today, they will be facing their division rivals the Atlanta Braves.  The differences between the Braves of the past and this year’s club are that Bobby Cox is no longer the manager and their second baseman called Sun Life Stadium his home for the last five seasons.

This past offseason, the Marlins decided to part ways with their popular second baseman Dan Uggla after not being able to reach an agreement on a contract extension.  The organization shipped Uggla to the Atlanta Braves and received infielder Omar Infante and lefty reliever Michael Dunn.  A few months after the trade, Uggla and the Braves agreed to a five-year $62 million contract.   

So far, the trade has worked out for both teams.  Uggla has clubbed two solo home runs for the Braves but is hitting .158 in his first ten games.  Infante has shown his what he can do with his glove by not committing an error in his first nine games in a Marlins’ uniform.  The final piece of the trade, lefty reliever Dunn, has already appeared four games with the Fish and has allowed just one hit so far.  Even though these teams are just nine and ten games into the season respectively, they will continue to expect great things from their acquisitions.    

Going into 2010 season, the Bobby Cox era was going to come to an end regardless of how the Braves finished.  Cox had entrenched himself as the skipper in Atlanta as part of two different stints for 26 seasons.  He led the Braves to 13 consecutive division titles and a World Series Championship in 1995.  Luckily for Cox, the Braves made it to the postseason for the first time since 2005.  Once the Braves were eliminated from the postseason the search for a new manager had begun.  After just two days from elimination, the organization decided to go with former Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez to be the Braves manager for the next three seasons.  Gonzalez was fired by the Marlins last season after starting the season 34-36.  He had also served as the third base coach under Bobby Cox in Atlanta from 2003 to 2006. 

Despite the connections between these two clubs, the Marlins will have to stay focused throughout the three game series.  Chris Volstad, Josh Johnson, and Ricky Nolasco will be facing their old teammate Dan Uggla for the first time in their careers.  This should be an interesting scenario because throughout the last five seasons, this pitching staff has not had to worry about pitching to one of the most feared hitters in the National League.  The key for these pitchers is to keep the ball down and away, don’t try to sneak a fastball up and inside of the strike zone.  You don’t want to give Uggla a ball that he can drive out of the park especially when you have “Marlins killers” Chipper Jones (.302, 39 HR, 157 RBI vs. Marlins) and Brian McCann (.274, 15 HR, and 62 RBI vs. Marlins) hitting in front of him.

The Braves will also send Tommy Hanson, Tim Hudson, and Brandon Beachy to the mound against the Marlins in this series.  In order to be successful against these guys, the Marlins are going to have to continue to show patience at the plate and make these guys throw a lot pitches.  Of the three starting pitchers, Hudson has the most success against he Fish.  In 19 career starts, Hudson has gone 9-3 and posted an ERA of 2.84.  Hanson has had some success against the Fish by going 3-1 with and ERA of 3.13 in six starts.  Beachy will be making his first ever appearance against the Marlins on Thursday.  

It is imperative that the Marlins win at least two games of the three games in this series for a couple of reasons.  The first reason being that this young Marlins club needs to set the tone against the Braves if they are going to compete.  Last season, the Marlins finished with a losing record of 7-11 against them.  The second reason why the Marlins need to take at least two games of this three game series is because their next stop will be in Philadelphia.  Unlike last season, I actually like the Marlins’ chances in this three game series against the Braves.  Their vastly improved plate discipline and bullpen should make for an exciting series in Atlanta. 

Fish Need to Play Better This Week

The Marlins experienced some highs and some lows this past weekend against the Mets.  On Friday night, every thing seemed to be going right for the Marlins.  Josh Johnson took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, John Buck got his Marlins career off to a great start with a 2 for 4 game including a grand slam, the bullpen only allowed just one hit in two and two-thirds innings, and the defense was flawless.  The only negative from Friday’s Opening Night game was that outfielder Mike Stanton left in the fifth inning with a tight left hamstring. 

Saturday night was a bittersweet game for the Fish.  Ricky Nolasco pitched a great game allowing two runs on seven hits, did not walk and batter and recorded four strikeouts in seven innings.  The Marlins’ bats definitely missed Stanton in the lineup.  The Marlins got off to a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning, but were not able to score until the ninth inning.  Leo Nunez came into the ninth inning of the game to keep the game tied at two runs apiece.  Nunez started off the inning by walking the leadoff man on four pitches.  After two short groundouts, the runner was at third base with two outs.  Nunez proceeded to allow a two-out RBI single to catcher Josh Thole on a 1-0 count.  Thole has the reputation of being a slap hitter, so I’m not sure why Nunez left the pitch up and on the right of the strike zone to the left-handed hitter.  In my opinion, if you have a runner in scoring position and two outs, the pitcher should pitch inside to the left handed hitter.  By jamming the hitter with inside pitching, it would force the batter to hit a groundball to an infielder for an out. 

In any event, the Marlins did come back to tie the game in the ninth inning with a two-out RBI single from pinch hitter Greg Dobbs off of Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez.  After Dobbs tied the game at three runs apiece, Rodriguez walked Chris Coghlan on four pitches to load the bases for Omar Infante.  Rodriguez had thrown a first-pitch fastball to five of the first six hitters, so the chances of him throwing a first-pitch fastball to Infante were really good.  Well, Rodriguez did throw a first-pitch fastball for a strike to Infante.  There are a couple of ways Infante could have approached the at-bat.  The first approach Infante could have taken was an aggressive approach.  Just like Dobbs hit Rodriguez’s first-pitch fastball up the middle to tie the game, Infante could have done the same.  The other approach is the more patient approach.  After Rodriguez had thrown four pitches out of the strike zone to Coghlan, Infante was probably thinking that he wasn’t going to swing at anything until Rodriguez could show him that he can throw a strike.  Infante proceeded to swing at Rodriguez’s second pitch, which was a curveball low and away that he popped up to second base.  It’s one of those things that happen, but I thought Infante was going to take the aggressive approach and swing at the first pitch.  The Marlins eventually lost the game 6-4 in 10 innings.

Sunday’s game was a disaster for the Marlins.  Veteran Javier Vazquez made his first start in a Marlins’ uniform and did not have his best stuff.  He pitched only two and one-third innings allowing four runs on six hits, walked five batters and only struck out one batter.  That was not what we were expecting out of Vazquez this season.  My hope is that he regroups and has a much better outing in his next start.  The offense was anemic against knuckle-ball pitcher R.A. Dickey.  The Fish managed to score only one run on five hits and struck out seven times in six innings against Dickey.  The Marlins did have an opportunity to come back but they were not able to.  The bullpen did a decent job on Sunday.  Edward Mujica, Brian Sanches, and Ryan Webb combined to pitch five and two-thirds innings of scoreless baseball.  Randy Choate, on the other hand, allowed two runs on one hit, walked two, and struck out one batter.  Choate also committed an error in the inning.  The Marlins pitchers combined to walk nine batters in the game.  The Marlins also committed their first three errors of the 2011 season on Sunday.  Throwing errors by Emilio Bonifacio and Hanley Ramirez brought in a couple of runs to score and Choate’s error eventually scored.

After a somewhat disappointing weekend series against the Mets, the Marlins will face the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros this week.  The Marlins need to win the majority of the next six games because after this weekend’s series in Houston, the Marlins will be traveling to Atlanta and Philadelphia for six games.  Because the Marlins failed to set the tone this weekend, they will have to make a statement this week.  Anibal Sanchez makes his first start of the 2011 season today against the Nationals.  In his career against the Nationals, Sanchez is 5-0 with an ERA of 2.28 in 13 starts.  

My Predictions for the 2011 Major League Baseball Season

After visiting and previewing the different teams around the league during Spring Training, I’ll give my predictions on how things will shape in around the league.  I don’t have a mathematical system or any statistical backing for my predictions.  These predictions are simply based on my gut feeling.  So, without further ado, here it goes…

                   

NL East	NL Central	NL West
y-Braves     91-71	y-Cardinals 90-72	y-Giants    95-67
x-Phillies 89-73	Reds 88-74	Dodgers   86-76
Marlins      86-76	Brewers 83-79	Rockies    83-79
Nationals  76-86	Cubs 80-82	Padres      79-83
Mets           68-94	Pirates 66-96	D-backs    64-98
	Astros 61-101

AL East	AL Central	AL West
y-Red Sox 111-51	y-White Sox 89-73	y-Rangers   92-70
x-Yankees   98-64	Twins            88-74	Athletics     85-77
Rays            84-78	Tigers            82-80	Angels        81-81
Orioles        81-81	Royals           73-89	Mariners   57-105
Blue Jays    77-85	Indians          63-99

NL Division Series                                    AL Division Series

Phillies 2 vs. Giants 3                                Yankees 3 vs. Rangers 1

Cardinals 1 vs. Braves 3                           White Sox 0 vs. Red Sox 3

NL Championship Series                          AL Championship Series

Braves 1 vs. Giants 4                                Yankees 4 vs. Red Sox 3

2011 World Series:                                    Giants 4 vs. Yankees 2

NL MVP: Albert Pujols                            AL MVP: Adrian Gonzalez

NL CY Young: Roy Halladay                  AL CY Young: Felix Hernandez

NL ROY: Brandon Belt                           AL ROY: Jeremy Hellickson

Despite my predictions, I feel that this season will once again be filled with surprises.  After all, who had the San Francisco Giants winning it all last year?  This season will be filled with exhilarating moments, heart breaking moments, gut-wrenching moments, and memorable moment for years to come.  Let’s get this party started!

It Will Be A Memorable Season in the Bronx

The New York Yankees fell just short of defending their World Series title when the Texas Rangers eliminated them in the American League Championship Series.  During the regular season, the Bronx Bombers finished 95-67 and had a winning record or at .500 in just about every win/loss split.  If there was one deficiency the Yankees had last season it was their pitching.  Aside from their ace C.C. Sabathia, the rotation was not able to pitch deep into games and therefore hand the ball to the middle relievers earlier into games.  The other issue the Yankees had was the fact that there was really no pitcher who could bridge the gap between the starting pitcher and closer Mariano Rivera.  Yankees’ relievers blew 18 saves during the 2010 season and allowed 29% of their inherited runners to score.

This offseason, the Yankees didn’t make the big splash that we are accustomed to seeing, but they add some players.  The team added a much needed setup man in Rafael Soriano.  Soriano was the closer of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2010 and saved a total of 45 games.  Although Soriano will not be closing in New York, he will serve as an incredible setup man.  After being the full-time closer in Tampa Bay last season, it will be interesting to see how Soriano adapts to pitching in the seventh or eighth inning again.  He was the setup man in both Seattle and Atlanta before closing for the Rays.  The Yankees also added catcher Russell Martin, outfielder Andruw Jones, third baseman Eric Chavez, and starting pitchers Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon.  This eclectic group of veterans will be given a chance to resurrect their careers and be used to fill out the major league roster.  Russell Martin is slated to be the opening day catcher tomorrow against the Tigers.  Andruw Jones will be used to come off the bench and get the occasional start in the outfield.  Eric Chavez will also come off the bench but will be used to get the occasional start at first base, third base, or at designated hitter.  Freddy Garcia was named the number five man in the starting rotation this season.  Bartolo Colon will be used out of the bullpen this year.

Bartolo Colon did not win a spot in the starting rotation because of Ivan Nova.  Nova was in a position battle for the final two spots in the starting rotation for this season.  During spring training, Nova finished with a 2-0 record and an ERA of 1.80 in 20 innings.  His spring numbers apparently made the case to solidify a spot in the starting rotation.  Nova actually pitched in 10 games for the Yankees last season.  He went 1-2 with an ERA of 4.50 in 42 innings.  If Nova fails to keep his spot in the rotation, Colon can always take his place or the Yankees can seek options outside of the organization. 

Much like last season, the Yankees lineup shouldn’t run into any problems.  This year, manager Joe Giardi is going with left fielder Brett Gardner as their leadoff man followed by team captain Derek Jeter, first baseman Mark Teixeira, third baseman Alex Rodriguez, second baseman Robinson Cano, right fielder Nick Swisher, designated hitter Jorge Posada, centerfielder Curtis Granderson, and catcher Russell Martin.  Shortstop Derek Jeter is 74 hits away from 3,000 career hits.  Only 27 players in major league history have reached that plateau.  This lineup figures to score a lot of runs night in and night out and that’s probably how they are going to win most of their games in 2011.

The Yankees are not known for having young talent in their minor league system, but they do have a young left-hander out of Mexico named Manny Banuelos.  This kid can pitch very well.  In 12.2 spring training innings, he went 1-1 with an ERA of 2.13 struck out 14 batters and held opponents to a .227 batting average.  Hopefully, when the trading deadline arrives this season, the Yankees would have the presence of mind to keep the young prospect for a change.

If the Yankees are going to make another run at a World Series this season, I believe they are going to have to acquire another starting pitcher.  Freddy Garcia and Ivan Nova are adequate options for now, but this team is going to need another top of the line starter in that rotation.  Despite that moves that the Red Sox made this offseason, the Yankees still have a shot to get into the playoffs.  We could very well see a Yankees-Red Sox ALCS for the first time since 2004.  This would make for an exciting summer and fall in the Bronx.  

Rays Still Relevant Despite Subtractions

Once the Rays’ season finished with an early exit from the playoffs, the team prepared themselves for the inevitable.  Outfielder Carl Crawford signed with the Red Sox, first baseman Carlos Pena signed with the Cubs, Rafael Soriano signed with the Yankees, starting pitcher Matt Garza was sent to the Cubs, and shortstop Jason Bartlett was shipped to San Diego.  In addition to those major subtractions, the Rays lost relievers Grant Balfour, Dan Wheeler, Joaquin Benoit, and Randy Choate.  All of these subtractions during the offseason are a recipe for disaster.

The Rays’ organization was looking at their top prospect outfielder Desmond Jennings to take over Crawford’s place in 2011.  Jennings is supposed to be a lot like Carl Crawford, but he was not as impressive during his cup of coffee at the big league level last year.  In 21 at-bats, Jennings hit .190 with no home runs, two runs batted in, and two stolen bases.  His poor performance may have prompted the organization to go in a different direction for this season.  The Rays signed free agents Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon.  Although they may be up in age, there really is no risk involved.  Last season, Manny played for both the Dodgers and the White Sox.  He spent the season on and off of the disabled list and in 90 games he hit .298 with nine home runs and 42 RBI.  Damon played in more games than Manny last season but did not have a great season.  In 145 games last season, Damon hit .271 with eight home runs, 51 RBI, and 11 stolen bases as a member of the Tigers.  Having said that, I believe that both of these guys have some stuff left in the tank and can definitely contribute to the lineup.

Before the signings of Ramirez and Damon, I was beginning to think that Evan Longoria was going to be the only source of offense for the Rays in 2011.  Longoria is arguably the best third baseman in the game and perhaps the best player in the American League.  Last season, Longoria hit .294 with 22 home runs and 104 RBI in 151 games.  Longoria will have some support in the lineup and should end up with even better numbers in 2011.

Since 2008, the Rays have featured one of the best pitching staffs in the American League.  Despite losing Garza in the offseason, the rotation is still looking solid for the upcoming season.  The Rays’ ace, David Price, had a tremendous season in 2010.  The left-hander was chosen to start the All-Star game last season and finished the year with a 19-6 record with an ERA of 2.72 in 208.2 innings.  The rest of the rotation features James Shields, Jeff Niemann, Wade Davis, and rookie Jeremy Hellickson.  The emergence of Hellickson last season made it easier for the organization to move Garza.  In 36.1 innings last season, Hellickson went 4-0 with an ERA of 3.47, and struck out 33 batters.

The Matt Garza trade to the Cubs was a very smart move by the organization.  Not only did the Rays already have five starting pitchers ready to go outside of Garza, but what the organization got in return was tremendous.  In exchange for Garza and outfielder Fernando Perez, the Rays acquired top pitching prospect Chris Archer along with other prospects from the Cubs.  Between Single-A and Double-A last season, Archer finished 15-3 with an ERA of 2.34 in 28 games.  It won’t be long before we see Chris Archer in uniform of the Tampa Bay Rays.

The cause for concern for these Rays is the bullpen.  The key additions to the bullpen during the offseason were Joel Peralta, Kyle Farnsworth, and Adam Russell.  I’m not necessarily sold this group getting it done late in games.  Joel Peralta seems to be the projected closer for the Rays for this season.  In 49 innings for the Nationals last season, Peralta went 1-0 with an ERA of 2.02, and struck out 49 batters.

The Rays are ready to defend their division title this year but it won’t be easy.  The Red Sox, Yankees, and Orioles all made significant upgrades to their team.  The Rays are hoping that with the leadership of manager Joe Maddon and the presence of Longoria, Ramirez, and Damon in the lineup they can make a legitimate run at winning the American League East for the third time in the last four seasons.  Ultimately, I think the Red Sox will be too much for the Rays to overcome for the division title, but a shot at the Wild Card is not out of the question.

Blue Jays Are Stuck in Limbo

Although the Toronto Blue Jays have had winning seasons, they have not reached the postseason since winning it all in 1993.  The excuse of being victimized by playing in the AL East is quickly becoming irrelevant.  The Tampa Bay Rays have won the division in two of the last three seasons.  It seems as though the Blue Jays are in a vicious cycle of spending and then slashing payroll after a few seasons.  Toronto finished the 2010 season with an 85-77 record including a 45-33 record at the Rogers Center.  The Blue Jays suffered during the month of June going 9-17 during that stretch.  Aside from the month of June, the club combined to go 76-60.

Last offseason, the Blue Jays parted ways with star pitcher Roy Halladay.  In this three-team deal with the Phillies and Mariners, the Blue Jays acquired pitcher Brandon Morrow from Seattle and Phillies top pitching prospect Kyle Drabek.  Both of these pitchers have tremendous upside and should contribute once again this season.  This offseason, Toronto continued to slash payroll by trading fan-favorite Vernon Wells to the Angels.  In return, the Blue Jays received outfielder Juan Rivera, and catcher Mike Napoli.  Napoli was then sent to Texas for reliever Frank Francisco.  After those two significant trades, the Blue Jays seem to be relatively clear from any long-term deals.  

The long ball was the theme for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2010 and no one fit the profile more than Jose Bautista.  Bautista led Major League Baseball with 54 home runs in 2010.  The third baseman/outfielder was rewarded with a contract extension during the offseason.  The organization signed Bautista to a five-year $65 million deal.  The contract extension is certainly up for debate.  Throughout his career, Bautista had not hit more than 16 home runs in a season.  The argument used to defend Bautista is that fact that he began his home run surge late in the 2009 season.  In the month September of 2009, Bautista hit eight home runs in 27 games.  He probably will not hit 54 home runs again in 2011, but he probably will reach 35 to 40 home runs.

Aside from Bautista, the Blue Jays will feature more power with first baseman Adam Lind, Aaron Hill, and former first round draft pick J.P. Arencibia.  The lineup also has speed with newly acquired centerfielder Rajai Davis.  This batting order should do as well as did last season.  Last season, the Blue Jays ranked first in the Major Leagues with 257 home runs and slugging percentage at .454 in 5495 at-bats.

Pitching was an issue for the Blue Jays in 2010.  The club ranked 10^th in the American League with an ERA of 4.22 in 1440.2 innings.  The organization relied on Ricky Romero to be the ace of a young Blue Jays rotation last season.  Romero did not disappoint finishing 14-9 with an ERA of 3.73 in 32 starts.  The Jays will count on Romero to anchor the starting rotation again this season.  After Romero, the rotation will feature Brandon Morrow, Kyle Drabek, Brett Cecil, Jo-Jo Reyes, and Jesse Litsch.  This group of pitchers will need to go deeper into games and execute their pitches if the club is going to contend this season.

The Blue Jays focused their attention on the bullpen during the offseason.  Despite losing last year’s closer Kevin Gregg to free agency, the club added some veteran arms to close out games.  Octavio Dotel, Frank Francisco, and Jon Rauch were added to the bullpen this offseason.  All three relievers have closed out games in their careers and figure to be doing the same in Toronto.  The three have combined to save a total of 184 saves.  Unfortunately, both Dotel and Francisco will start the season on the disabled list.  These injuries will give Rauch the opportunity to close out games early on in the season.

The 2011 Toronto Blue Jays should not have a problem at the plate, but I am concerned with their starting pitching.  Aside from Romero, the rotation is mediocre at best and so I don’t see how this group can out-pitch anybody in the American League.  A last place finish for the Blue Jays is not out of the realm of possibility.  The other four teams in the division have upgraded their clubs and arguably look better than the Blue Jays in 2011.  

Tigers Ready to Claw Their Way into October

The Detroit Tigers finished the 2010 season in third place with a record of 81-81 in the AL Central.  The Tigers got off to a nice start last season finishing the first half of the season with a 48-38 record.  The second half of the season however was not so kind to Jim Leyland and the Tigers.  The club finished 33-43 during that span.  The one glaring deficiency that the Tigers had last season was playing in one-run games.  In 42 one-run games, the Tigers posted a 16-26 record.  The team was not able to get it done outside of Comerica Park last season.  They finished 29-52 on the road.

The Tigers dealt fan favorite Curtis Granderson to the Yankees for top prospect outfielder Austin Jackson and pitcher Phil Coke.  Jackson played in 151 games for the Tigers last season.  The outfielder hit .293 with four home runs, 41 RBI, 103 runs, 10 triples, and 27 stolen bases.  Unfortunately for Jackson, he led the American League with 170 strikeouts.  That is not a statistic that Austin Jackson should be leading in.  If he is going to have a better sophomore season, he is going to have to severely cut down on the strikeouts.  Phil Coke appeared in 74 games for the Tigers last season and finished with a 7-5 record with an ERA of 3.76 and two saves.  Coke will get a chance to pitch in the Tigers rotation in 2011.

This offseason, the Tigers added veteran Brad Penny to the starting rotation.  Penny has pitched for the Marlins, Dodgers, Red Sox, Giants, and Cardinals in his 11-year career.  Penny has been slowed by injury and inconsistencies for the last three seasons but hopes to regain his All-Star form of 2007 where he finished 16-4 with an ERA of 3.03 in 33 starts for the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Penny will start the second game of the season for the Tigers this season.

The biggest offseason move for the Tigers was the addition of catcher Victor Martinez.  Martinez played last season with the Boston Red Sox.  The Venezuelan native hit .302 with 20 home runs and 79 RBI in 127 games.  Martinez will provide a lot of help for a lineup that features fellow Venezuelan natives Miguel Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez, and Jhonny Peralta.  Martinez is known for having a good eye at the plate.  The switch-hitting catcher only struck out 52 times in 493 at-bats last season.  Although Martinez can probably still catch at the major league level, he will be used primarily as the designated hitter. 

Miguel Cabrera made news this offseason when he was arrested and charged with a DUI in February.  There was a lot of question as to when Cabrera would return to the field this season because his past incidents with alcohol.  The Tigers’ organization gave Cabrera the go ahead to resume play but has been monitored throughout spring training and will continue to be monitored during the season.  Cabrera did not skip a beat once he returned to the field.  This spring, Cabrera is hitting .311 with four home runs and 16 RBI in 74 at-bats.  Miggy will be hitting cleanup in tomorrow’s opening day game against the Yankees.

The Tigers also added reliever Joaquin Benoit to the back-end of the bullpen.  Benoit had a comeback player of the season-type of performance last season with the Rays.  After missing all of 2009, the Rays took a chance on Benoit as a non-roster invitee.  In 63 games last season, Benoit finished the season 1-2 with an ERA of 1.34 and one save in 60.1 innings.  Benoit also posted a WHIP of 0.68 and held batters to a .147 batting average.  Benoit joins a bullpen that already has closer Jose Valverde and young reliever Ryan Perry.

This team is looking really good for the 2011 season, but they will have to play a lot better against their division rivals.  The Tigers finished 38-34 against their division rivals last season.  The lineup, the rotation, and the bullpen all appear to be at the top of the American League, but looks can be deceiving.  It’ll be a wild ride in the American League Central this season, but when it is all set and done, I believe the Tigers will fall just short of the postseason.           

The Young Astros are Almost There

Last season, Brad Mills got off to a horrible start to the 2010 season as the new manager of the Houston Astros.  The club ended the first half of the season with a 36-53 record including a combined 17-34 during the first two months of the season.  Somehow, the Astros made a nice turnaround and finished the second half with a 40-33 record.  Against their division rivals, the Astros posted a record of 45-33 including winning records against the Cubs (11-7), Brewers (8-7), Pirates (11-4), and Cardinals (10-5).  The 2010 Astros were full of ups and downs but managed to finish at a reasonable 76-86 record.  During the season, the Astros did part ways with starting pitcher Roy Oswalt and first baseman Lance Berkman.  In return for these iconic Astros, the team received left-handed starter J.A. Happ from Phillies and reliever Mark Melancon from the Yankees.

Brett Myers throwing a pitch against the Nats.

The strength of the Astros ball club in 2011 will be the starting rotation.  Former Phillies starter Brett Myers will get the opening day nod on Friday against the Phillies.  Last year with the Astros, Myers had a great bounce back year going 14-8 while posting an ERA of 3.14 in 33 starts and pitched a career-high 223.2 innings.  Myers definitely showed that he could still get it done at the major league level.  After Myers, the rotation follows with Wandy Rodriguez, Happ, Bud Norris, and Nelson Figueroa.  Rodriguez got off to rough start with the Astros last season, posting a record of 6-11 with an ERA of 4.97 in 18 first half starts.  In the second half of the season, Rodriguez was a completely different pitcher.  The lefty finished the second half with a 5-1 record and an ERA 2.11 in 14 starts.  The aforementioned Happ arrived to Houston in late July and hit the ground running.  Happ, who finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting in 2009, finished his season with the Astros at 5-4 with an ERA of 3.75 in 13 starts.  The fourth starter in the rotation, Bud Norris, had a mediocre sophomore season in 2010.  The six-foot, 220-pound right-hander finished his 2010 campaign with a 9-10 record and an ERA of 4.92 in 27 starts.  In 153.2 innings last season, Norris recorded 158 strikeouts.  After watching Norris pitch for the last two seasons, chances are that his ERA will be over four runs, but he’ll strikeout his fair share of hitters.  The final spot of the rotation was awarded to Nelson Figueroa.  Figueroa joined the Astros last year after being released by the Phillies.  In 10 starts with the Astros last season, Figueroa went 5-3 with an ERA of 3.23 in 55.2 innings.

The Houston offense did not have a great 2010 season.  The club finished dead last in the National League in home runs with 108 and 15^th in RBI with 577.  The team also finished last in walks with 415 and 14^th in batting average at .247.  Despite such poor offensive production, the Astros were active on the bases.  The team combined to steal 100 bases, which ranked fifth amongst National League teams.  The Astros made a couple of additions to the everyday lineup with the additions of Clint Barmes and Bill Hall.  Unfortunately, Barmes broke a bone in his hand last week and will miss four to six weeks.  The Astros still have speedster Michael Bourn and run-producers Hunter Pence and Carlos Lee.  Lee, also known as “El Caballo,” did play in 157 games last season, but his numbers did not show it.  The outfielder hit .246 with 24 home runs and 89 RBI.  The decline in his numbers is a cause for concern for the 2011 season.  It seems as though Lee’s better days are way behind him. 

Luckily for the organization, there are some younger players on the team that will be contributing this season.  Third baseman Chris Johnson and first baseman Brett Wallace will get a chance to play every day for an entire season in 2011.  In 94 games last season, Johnson hit .308 with 11 home runs, and 52 RBI.  The only knock on Johnson however is that he struck out 91 times in the 94 games that he played in.  Brett Wallace had been traded on three separate occasions before even having an at-bat at the major league level.  Wallace was last traded by the Blue Jays to the Astros for a minor league outfielder.  The first baseman got his feet wet at the major leagues for 51 games.  In 144 at-bats, the left-handed hitting first baseman hit .222 with two home runs and knocked in 13 RBI.  In 66 spring training at-bats this year, Wallace is hitting .379 with a home run and 18 RBI.  Hopefully, with consistent playing time in 2011, both Johnson and Wallace will help out Houston’s pedestrian offense.

The Astros have a lot of promise going into the 2011 season.  Realistically, however, it may take more than just this season to return to the postseason.  If fact, the Astros may finish below .500 again.  Regardless of where this team will finish this year, they will definitely be a thorn on the side of many teams in the National League.  The organization as well as the fans should just sit back, relax, and watch their young Astros play competitive baseball in 2011.  Hopefully, we will see this club lift off soon enough. 

Get Ready for a Long Summer in D.C.

The Washington Nationals had another terrible year in 2010 with a 69-93 record.  The losing record marked the club’s fifth consecutive losing season.  The bright spots for the Nationals last year were third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, first baseman Adam Dunn, and star pitching prospect Stephen Strasburg.  The not so bright spots for the Nationals in 2010 were the bullpen, the starting rotation, and outfielder Nyjer Morgan.

Let’s start with the positives.  The Nationals’ franchise player, Ryan Zimmerman, missed a few games due to a right hamstring injury but still managed to play in 142 games last season.  In those games, Zimmerman hit a career high .307 with 25 home runs, and 85 RBI.  This spring, Zimmerman has been bothered by a left groin strain but figures to be ready to go against the Braves this Thursday. 

Adam Dunn had a pretty good season in 2010.  Dunn hit .260 with 38 home runs, and 103 RBI in 158 games.  Dunn is a lock to hit over 35 home runs and knock in over 100 runs every year.  This year, however, Dunn will have a chance to put up those numbers for the White Sox.  Dunn signed a four-year $56 million deal with the Chicago White Sox in December. 

The Nationals’ 2009 first round draft pick, Stephen Strasburg, had an immediate impact when he was called up in June.  In his major league debut, Strasburg recorded 14 strikeouts against the Pirates.  In 12 major league starts, the rookie phenom finished with a 5-3 record and an ERA of 2.91 in 68 innings.  Unfortunately for Strasburg and the Nationals, Strasburg spent two stints on the disabled list and eventually was shut down for the rest of the season.  Strasburg underwent Tommy John surgery last September and will probably miss the entire 2011 season. 

The loss of Strasburg leads into the negatives of the 2010 Washington Nationals.  Had the Nationals’ rotation been respectable last year, the organization may not have needed to rush Strasburg up to the big leagues.  The team’s best starting pitcher last year was Livan Hernandez.  The 36-year old right-hander finished 10-12 with an ERA of 3.66 in 33 starts for the Nats.  Aside from Hernandez, the rest of the starting pitchers combined to win just 32 games.

The bullpen was less impressive blowing 20 saves in 57 opportunities.  The bright spot for the Nationals bullpen was Drew Storen.  The rookie reliever appeared in 54 games, posted an ERA of 3.58, and struck out 52 batters in 55.1 innings.  Storen is penciled in as the Nationals’ closer for the 2011 season.

The most negative aspect of the 2010 Nationals’ season was outfielder Nyjer Morgan.  Nyjer Morgan was supposed to be a table-setter, leadoff-type hitter for the Nationals in 2010.  Instead, Nyjer Morgan managed to hit only .253 with no home runs, 24 RBI and 34 stolen bases.  Morgan was also caught stealing 17 times and struck out 88 times in 509 at-bats.  Aside from his poor offensive performance, the outfielder’s conduct on the field was a distraction for not only the Nationals but for Major League Baseball as well.  Morgan was involved in two separate altercations during the 2010 season.  Both incidents began with Morgan trucking the catcher at home plate even though there was no play at home plate.  He was suspended for eight games last season.  Two days ago, the Nationals parted ways with the cancerous centerfielder and sent him to the Milwaukee Brewers.  It’s safe to say that the Nationals are in a much better position without him.

Jayson Werth on base against the Astros in Kissimmee.

Despite all of their subtractions, the club has added a few pieces for the 2011 season.  The most notable addition was outfielder Jayson Werth.  Werth signed as a free agent for a seven-year deal worth $126 million.  I believe that the Nationals definitely overpaid for the outfielder.  Werth has been part of the Philadelphia Phillies for that last four seasons and although he will be sorely missed in that lineup this season, he’s not worth $126 million over seven years.  Werth is a journeyman who has not been able to drive in more than 99 runs in any of his eight seasons in the major leagues.  The other troubling fact about Werth is that he is 31 years old going on 32 in May.  Seven years from now, the Nationals will wonder whether the veteran outfielder is even serviceable.  As far as Werth is concerned, he made the right decision.  I don’t believe that any other club would have signed him to such a large contract because there is too much risk involved.  I don’t want to question Jayson Werth’s desire to win, but he is not helping his case at all with his latest contract.

Werth was not the only addition made by the Nationals this offseason.  The club also added outfielder Rick Ankiel and first baseman Adam LaRoche.  Both of these left-handed bats will help out a lineup that features the aforementioned Zimmerman and Werth, shortstop Ian Desmond, second baseman Danny Espinosa, outfielder Michael Morse, and catcher Ivan Rodriguez.  This lineup looks a lot more competitive than it did last year, but I do expect them to strikeout quite a bit this season.

The pitching rotation in 2011 will start off with Livan Hernandez this Thursday against the Braves.  After Hernandez, the rotation will feature John Lannan, Jordan Zimmermann, Jason Marquis, and Tom Gorzelanny.  If the rotation can stay intact for the entire season, the Nationals can at least be competitive this season.  Otherwise we can expect a lot of no decisions by the starting pitchers and a lot of work out of the bullpen.

We’ll see what happens in Washington, but my guess is that the Nationals will end up under .500 and in fourth place in the NL East.  It’ll be intriguing to see how Jayson Werth performs in the number two whole in the Nationals’ lineup this season.  I also would like to see how outfielder Michael Morse performs now that he is the everyday left fielder for Washington this season.  So far this spring, Morse has hit nine home runs and has knocked in 18 RBI in 21 games.  Ultimately, I believe it will be a long summer in our nation’s capital.  At least the organization does not have to deal with Nyjer Morgan this season.