We are on the brink of the second half of the baseball season. What a perfect time to take a look at each team from the Ant Division and talk about how they are doing at the midway point.
Cincinnati Reds
It would only be appropriate to talk about the team leading the division to kick things off. They also happen to be the most surprising team out of the bunch.
The Reds have snuck up on all of Major League Baseball with their 49-41 record. How did they accomplish this, you ask?
Offensively, they have a legitimate high powered offense. Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Brandon Phillips, and Scott Rolen are no joke. They absolutely give opposing pitchers fits.
Their starting pitching has been the biggest surprise of all. Rookie Mike Leake has a 6-1 record and Bronson Arroyo had a good first half as well.
They are a good enough team to avoid a complete melt down, but they still have to prove themselves through the dog days of summer.
New York Mets
The Mets are a bit of a surprise as well. They started the season still dealing with lingering injuries to key players as well as a very suspect starting rotation.
Thanks to “injuries” to Oliver Perez and John Maine, they were forced to go to their farm system where they found diamond in the rough, R.A. Dickey. Dickey is a knuckleballer that has pitched extremely well for the Mets.
Another minor league call up has earned a full time job with the Mets. Ike Davis is a promising young first basemen with a slick glove. He also doesn’t seem to be phased by he New York media.
More importantly for the Metropolitans, David Wright has returned to form.
Carlos Beltran also returns in the second half so time will tell if the Mets are for real.
St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals are right in the hunt for the division crown. Their starting rotation has been solid all year despite injuries to Kyle Lohse and Brad Penny. Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, and Jaime Garcia are a combined 30-12.
Albert Puljols and Matt Holiday have contributed as advertised. Colby Rasmus has been a bright spot that has been a pleasant surprise for the Cardinals. I still think they need another bat to be a real contender.
Although they have not played the greatest baseball so far, they are still a team to look out for and my favorite to take this division.
Chicago Cubs
If I may quote David Spade in Tommy Boy, the Cubs have “de-railed”. Offensively they are a joke. Derek Lee and Aramis Ramirez have been no where to be found. Marlon Byrd has been their only bright spot on the season so far.
As far as pitching is concerned, Carlos Zambrano has appeared to wear out his welcome in Chicago. His recent suspension for behaving like a petulant child in the dugout may be the straw that broke the camel’s back.
There really isn’t much to write about this team from a positive perspective. They appear to be going down the fire sale path. The second half of their season will probably consist of them trying to dump payroll as best as they can.
Average Adam 