- Hamels becomes 2nd-highest paid pitcher, signs Phillies extension
- Yankees will go with Eric Chavez as A-Rods replacement, won't trade for fill-in
- Hanley Ramirez dealt to the Dodgers
More moves I'm sure will happen in the next week, and when everyone else knows about it, thats when the "The Rock" will make sure to mention it, haha.
Cincinnati Reds 58-40 (1st place in the NL Central, .5 GB of NL-leading Washington Nationals)
31-18 home, 27-22 away
RS: 413 RA: 353 Diff: +60
After the All-Star Break, the Reds (11-2) simply could not have gotten off to a better start in the 2nd half of the season. Now, 18-games above the .500 mark, the Reds are just a .5 game back of the NL-leading Washington Nationals. When news came out about All Star/MVP 1B Joey Votto needing knee surgery and costing him the next 3-4 weeks, the fans of the Queen City, started to worry which direction the Reds would go in his absents. An 8-2 record since the Votto news, has proven to the fans, that this team is more than a one-man band. Filling in nicely at 1st base, while Votto recovers has been rookie utility man, Todd Frazier. Frazier, batting .321 in the last 7 days with 9 hits and 3 RBI's, has been a fine replacement for Votto, and has solved the Reds issue with Frazier in wondering where to play him, with veteran Scott Rolen holding down 3rd base. The Reds are currently on a 7-game winning streak and now have a 2.5-game lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL Central. The Reds have the easiest remaining schedule in the MLB at .464 (thanks to the Cubs & Astros) with 32 home games and 32 away games left on the 2012 schedule. As for the Reds at the trade deadline, after the Pirates, and Dodgers have made moves to improve their teams, its now up to the Reds to make a slash in the trade market, and see if they can pick up an additional bat (preferably a left-handed one) that can play the outfield. The Reds now travel to Denver to play the Colorado Rockies over the weekend in Mile High, then return home for a 7-game home stand vs. the Padres (4) and Pirates (3).
Cleveland Indians 49-49 (4 GB of 1st place in the AL Central, 4.5 GB of a AL Wild Card spot)
26-25 home, 23-24 away
RS: 425 RA: 471 Diff: -46
Unlike the Reds hot start to the 2nd half of the season, the Indians have seen things go the other way and are now just trending water at the .500 mark. Going a dreadful 5-8 since the All-Star break, the Indians have seen the Tigers leap frog them and now sit 4-games behind both the Tigers & White Sox heading into play tonight. Consistency, one word that comes to mind when talking about the Indians season so far up to this point. The Indians have been unable to get anything positive going since the break, and now find themselves on the brink of letting the 2012 campaign split away (if it hasn't already), and watch the Tigers and While Sox battle each other for the AL Central crown and a potential AL Wild Card spot. With tonights game vs. the Tigers possibly being their last chance (after tonight they go on a 9-game divisional road trip), the Indians are in need of a series winning victory, bring them to within 3 GB heading into this weekends action. The Indians are a interesting team at the trade deadline, as they could be buyers as well as sellers. Just like the Reds, it will be interesting to see what they do in the next couple of days as the trade deadline nears. Lets face it, the Indians just do not have enough firepower to hang with the White Sox & Tigers for the next 2+ months, and are heading eventually to a 3rd place finish in the division and probably a game or two on either side of the .500 mark by the end of the season. Stranger things have happened (cite, the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals) and as a fan, I'm hoping they prove me wrong and continue to fight along side the top two teams and not from a far. After tonights must-win series finale vs. the Tigers in Cleveland, the Tribe goes on the road to Minnesota for 3 over the weekend, then Kansas City (3) and Detroit (3) next week.
