Port Jeff NY – Greetings. Let’s get right into today’s topics. Jam-Packed National League, Olympic Golf Round 4.
The entire National League has almost overnight become one giant cluster of teams all heading in seemingly different directions.
East
The Phillies once had a total choke-hold over the NL East. However, they’ve dropped six in a row and are 2-8 in their previous 10 games. This team lives and dies with Bryce Harper who at the moment is struggling big time, hitting just .113 over his last 15 games. Harper and the Phillies need to figure things out fast because the once-struggling Braves have caught fire and cut the division deficit to just five games. I still don’t think this Atlanta team is as good – or as healthy as previous years. However, seeing Austin Riley and Matt Olson get hot and trading for Jorge Soler certainly has me at least a little worried as a Mets fan… Speaking of the Mets – they continue to play incredible baseball, with the best record in baseball since June 1st. They currently sit 0.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot and I believe they’re as good – if not better – than any of the teams they’re vying for a spot with.
Central
Similar to the Phillies, the Brewers once held a commanding lead in the division. However, since the loss of Christian Yelich to a devastating back injury, they just haven’t been the same. They sit just 5.5 games ahead of the Cardinals and 6 games ahead of the Pirates… I don’t view the Cardinals as a serious threat. Goldschmidt and Arenado have both fallen off a cliff offensively and I don’t think the rest of the roster is good enough to hold on in such a competitive Wild Card/division race… As for the Pirates – who were my preseason sleeper – they seem to finally have the pieces for what should be a very good team for the next several years and should be viewed as a serious contender this year. Paul Skenes may already be the best pitcher in baseball. Mitch Keller has been terrific, and Bryan Reynolds has performed at an incredibly high level. It wouldn’t shock me at all if the Pirates made a run at the postseason.
West.
The Dodgers are an absolute mess. They currently have more players on the IL than any team in baseball. As of today, Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, Yoshibunu Yamamoto, Walker Buheler, Bobby Miller and more are currently sidelined with injuries. The good news for Dodgers fans is all of those players are expected back at some point this season and perhaps most importantly, they have the MVP in Shohei Ohtani,who continues to put up video game numbers. The bad news is their once 10-game lead over the division has shrunk to just 4.5 games over the Padres and 5.0 games over the D-Backs… The Padres made several moves at the deadline acquiring Tanner Scott and Jason Adam to fortify what is now one of the best bullpens in baseball. In addition to that, they’ve been among the hottest teams in baseball – winning eight of ten, and doing so without superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. If Tatis is able to get healthy, this team looks very dangerous down the stretch… As for the defending NL champs, it was only a matter of time before they figured things out. They still have the majority of the roster they did a year ago and added Josh Bell – who the Marlins just gave away for unknown reasons. This team certainly posses the talent for another deep postseason run.
Olympic Golf Round 4
Entering the final round in Paris, Xander Schauffele and Jon Rahm sit tied for the lead at -14, with Tommy Fleetwood at -13… Xander continues to play the best golf of his career and will look to join the short list of players to win two majors and a gold medal in the same season. For Rahm, it’s been a difficult year since his decision to leave the PGA Tour for LIV, however he’s finally playing the way we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from him. A win would be back to back after his first LIV golf win last week in the UK… As for Fleetwood, he’s had a very similar career arc to Schauffele. Fleetwood has several wins worldwide, yet it feels like he should have many more. It’s only a matter of time before Tommy closes the door at a big time event and Sunday in Paris could be the spot.
That’s it for me. Leave your thoughts below and come back tomorrow for Sports Rain Man, Junoir Blaber.
