Photo from Cincypost
1. Well Dunn: Adam Dunn has been jacking homeruns left and right lately, but many have come in losses. He hit 4 homeruns over the course of the Reds’ 5-game losing streak, all solo shots. On Wednesday he finally hit a homer that mattered, a 11th-inning, 3-run shot that lifted the Reds over the Brewers. Dunn’s homer drove in the only runs for either side in this unexpected pitching duel. Now he has 23 blasts on the year, second in the majors. Unfortunately, Dunn’s usual problem, batting average, has plagued him once again. He is hitting just .239, down from even his pitiful career average of .247. If Dunn can mix some contact hitting with his superb power, we could be seeing a special player.
2. Coming out: Before the 2005 season, many expected Twins first baseman Justin Morneau to become a star. Nope. He hit just .239 with 22 homers and 79 RBIs. But this year, he is having a marvelous season, with 15 homers, 51 RBIs, and a .521 slugging average. He has delivered the punch that the usually powerless Twins need, leading the team in both power categories. Yesterday he helped the Twins to a 8-1 win over the Red Sox, with a grand slam. Morneau wasn’t the only Twin to continue a hot streak. Jason Kubel, who was called up from the minors just three weeks ago, followed up Tuesday’s game winning homer with a 2-run shot. Kubel has 4 homers and 14 RBIs now since being called up, and should be a part of the Twins’ lineup for the rest of the year if he continues this kind of performance. Minnesota has now won five of their past six games and is tied with Cleveland for third place.
3. The new class of the NL: Hand over the reigns, St. Louis Cardinals. The new best team in the National League, at least for now, is the New York Mets. The Mets have blown by opponents with their unbelievable lineup and better-than-expected pitching staff. They are on a 7-game winning streak, and after last night’s win over the Phillies are ahead by 8.5 in the NL East. This is by far the farthest lead any team has in their division a parity-filled year for baseball. Last night, the Beltran-Delgado-Wright middle of the order proved tough once again. They combined to go 6-12 with 6 RBIs and a homerun by Wright. Each player has been on fire lately, and each right now is a candidate for NL MVP. Who knows if they can hold this up, but with the Braves completely out of the picture, it chould be smooth sailing for the New York Mets.
4. It’s personal: Randy Johnson was in the middle of one of his best outings of the year when, well, he got thrown out of the game. After Yankees catcher Jorge Posada was plunked in the sixth inning, both benches were warned. But that didn’t stop Johnson from throwing inside to Eduardo Perez, narrowly missing his elbow. Johnson and manager Joe Torre were promptly ejected, but the Yankees crowd still chanted in approval. Johnson pitched six innings and allowed only 1 run, and the Yanks beat the Indians 6-1.
5. Interleague time!: Interleague play has been on hiatus since mid-May, but it returns this Friday. Unfortunately, the matchups aren’t all that exciting. There are only three series between teams with winning records. The Diamondbacks and the Rangers square off, the White Sox take on the Reds, and the Dodgers face the A’s. Otherwise, there’s not too much to get excited about unless an interesting team is coming to a ballpark near you (the Tigers go to Wrigley, the Red Sox travel to Atlanta, and the Yankees go to DC). The coming weeks will bring on better games, as the White Sox play the Cardinals, the Phillies go to Boston, and the Mets face the Blue Jays, among others.
