The White Sox are out of it and the Cubs aren’t likely to qualify as a wild card, but the baseball season isn’t over.
Except for the runaway Cleveland Indians in the American League Central and the Atlanta Braves in the National League East, lively races are shaping up in the second half of the season.
The Indians are the biggest surprise and have one of the best offensive teams in recent history. There isn’t a soft touch in the lineup. The only apparent weakness is a lack of speed but it isn’t of concern; the hitting is so outstanding there is no need to run.
Still, the best offensive clubs can’t win without good pitching and a strong bullpen. The principal reason the Indians are having a great season is because General Manager John Hart, who has been rebuilding steadily, traded for Jose Mesa, a right-handed power pitcher who leads the league in saves and may be the AL’s best closer, as good or better than Lee Smith and Dennis Eckersley.
Hart has also strengthened the club’s middle relief and now has good depth at that important but often overlooked position. The Indians have a good mix of younger and older players. The Indians are playing at a .703 pace and should breeze even if aging starters Dennis Martinez or Orel Hershiser wilt in the stretch. If they do, Julian Tavarez can be brought in from the bullpen.
The White Sox, pre-season co-favorites, have been a disaster. General Manager Ron Schueler, dismayed with his underachievers, has announced some changes will be made but Schueler knows better than to back up the truck. He has several young pitchers–Wilson Alvarez, Jason Bere and Alex Fernandez–capable of strengthening a contender.
The temptation of moving one of them for two or three prospects is strong, but with young players, particularly pitchers, patience is required. What is needed is an improved outfield defense and, of course, major bullpen surgery.
Boston appears to be the likely winner in the AL East. They have been in first place since May 13–the 15th game of the season–and suddenly have a squad of new heroes, some of whom General Manager Dan Duquette rescued from the scrap heap.
His biggest find is knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, who is 9-l with a 1.66 earned-run average. Wakefield pitched in Triple-A last year.
Stan Belinda, who failed in Pittsburgh, is Boston’s No. 1 closer with seven wins out of the bullpen and six saves. For insurance, the Red Sox recently acquired closer Rich Aguilera from the economically depressed Minnesota Twins.
There is more: The Red Sox have come up with outfielder Troy O’Leary, in a waiver deal with Cleveland, who has been whaling away in the .350 range, definitely a future star. The addition of Mike Macfarlane solved the club’s catching problem. Infielders Tim Naehring and John Valentin are also coming on strong.
Still, the Red Sox are likely to be challenged. Baltimore has overcome a seven-game mid-June losing streak. The Orioles’ pitching is now at full strength with the return of Kevin Brown and Ben McDonald and is also benefitting from the mound wizardry of ex-Cub Jamie Moyer.
The Yankees have been hurt by injuries but could also be a factor. Their pitching has been terribly ineffective. Still, they have an imposing lineup and dependable hitters in Paul O’Neill, Bernie Williams, Wade Boggs and Don Mattingly. It’s doubtful Darryl Strawberry will help.
And hats off to the California Angels. Talk about an improved ballclub. Mark Langston and Chuck Finley are among the league’s best starters, each with eight victories. The bullpen includes the aging but nonetheless effective Lee Smith (22 saves) and Troy Percival, a setup specialist with a 100-mile-an-hour fastball that he throws for strikes. Percival soon will be the closer.
In outfielder Tim Salmon the Angels have one of the league’s best all-around players. First baseman J.T. Snow has been a pleasant surprise and has begun to hit the long ball and drive in runs. Center-fielder Jim Edmonds, another .300 hitter, is not a surprise. He hit .273 last year.
Atlanta appears to be the only cinch winner in the National League. Two games above .500 on June 21, the Braves have won 28 of their last 39 games and overtaken the front-running Philadelphia Phillies, who now trail by 6 1/2 games. Chipper Jones, a rookie, is the Braves’ new batting star.
The Cincinnati Reds are the team to beat in the NL Central. The Reds have played so well some experts are predicting an Ohio World Series, Reds against Cleveland. I’m not so sure. The Reds have good balance and a strong bench but the loss of Jose Rijo weakens their pitching. The Houston Astros have been hanging in, only five games out. The Cubs are sagging but could be a spoiler.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, if they stay healthy, should win the West. They have outstanding starting pitchers in Hideo Nomo, Ramon Martinez, Ismael Valdez and Tom Candiotti, who can still crank it up. The Dodgers have the best all-around catcher in Mike Piazza, but if he goes down again it’s sayonara.
San Diego and San Francisco have been staying close, but the team the Dodgers should fear is Colorado. Jerry McMorris, the Colorado owner, appears to have money to burn and may approve a trade for a multi-millionaire starter such as David Cone or Kevin Appier. Either Cone or Appier, combined with sinkerballer Billy Swift, who is just coming around with four consecutive victories, could bring a flag to Denver.
