Midseason Power Report

I love the All Star Game. It was fun to see the never-ending pregame program, see my team's players get in the game, see power pitching at its finest, and then see the game fall apart at the end. I can't believe ARod didn't get a chance to bat in the 9th inning. And that there was no one left to pinch run for David Ortiz.

My wife and I went to a new sports bar/restaurant and ate some absolutely awesome buffalo wings. It was a new place that had a lot of older folks, not the rowdy young people that usually spice up watching a game, but it was quiet and enjoyable. My wife got tired so I went home and watched it on a Chinese channel online. Better than Buck and McCarver.


Power Report

1. Yankees. Bombers are on pace for 103 wins, they'll top 105. Considering how slow Teixeira, ARod, and Vazquez started, and Joba pitching awful in 8th innings, things can get better. Three starting pitchers have 11+ wins at the Break. The Yankees don't need to make any trades, but they'll probably get a pitcher anyway. If so, Hughes goes to the bullpen.

2. Rays. It was nice seeing David Price pitch, I don't get many chances to see him. Sweeping the Red Sox propels them back up to the two spot, and a series in New York could help their cause even more.

3. Braves. Best record in the National League. Tim Hudson shut down the Mets, outplayed Strasburg, and cruised past the Rays. Congrats to Brian McCann winning the All Star Game.

4. Rangers. What can you say when a first-place team gets a new ace and then loses four in a row at home to the Orioles? Elvis Andrus, what was he doing running past 2nd base in the ASG?

5. White Sox. 8 wins in a row, they have 25 wins in the last 30 games to cruise into first place. Carlos Quentin, Miguel Cabrera, and Brandon Boesch are leading the way.

6. Tigers. It was really fun seeing Jose Valverde strike out the side in the All Star Game.

7. Padres. San Diego has stayed in first place the entire first half. They still have the best team ERA in baseball. Petco Park helps.

8. Red Sox. David Ortiz has square wheels. Fortunately, he doesn't need to run in the Home Run Derby. Players are going to start coming back, but adding Youkilis and Beltre to the mix of hurting players is sad. Francona has done an incredible job getting this team to win but the Rays and Yankees are looking really good and really healthy, too.

9. Reds. Yes the Reds got swept by the Phillies, but how much can you fault them? Three of the four games were on walk-off hits in extra innings.

10. Rockies. It is hard to comprehend that Ubaldo Jimenez has 15 wins at the All Star break. With a possible 14-15 more starts, 23-25 wins is well in reach. Depending on avoiding the DL, I predict 23.

11. Dodgers. I was glad to see my Taiwanese friend Hong-Chih Kuo get into the game, but that throw over first base made me laugh every replay. Poor guy.

12. Phillies. Everyone expects the Phils to make a run in the second half but I'm not quite so sure.

13. Mets. 0-3-1 in last four series. I think this is a .500 team the rest of the way.

14. Cardinals. Wainwright, Carpenter, and Jaime Garcia are a dominant rotation but the bullpen has been anything but a sure thing. It's weird because they have the fewest blown saves in the National League, but all of them have been in pretty dramatic fashion. Pujols and Holliday have been steady but not breaking out like one would expect them to.

15. Twins. Morneau is hurt and Mauer is hitting only .233 over the last month. The pitching, as always, is good not great. With the resurgence of the White Sox and the steadiness of the Tigers, Twins will really have to pull out another miracle to make it to October.

16. Angels. Only 3 games over .500 and their biggest rival upgraded their starting rotation. I thought they would succeed because of Mike Soscia, but the Angels haven't woken up this whole season. Lucky for them they won't fall lower than 2nd with the Athletics and Mariners in the division.

17. Giants. Buster Posey looks to be the slugger that the Giants have been lacking. The rookie catcher is on fire. As for everyone else, Lincecum has not been his dominant self, Matt Cain has pitched poorly over the last month, and Pablo Sandoval appears to have been a one-hit wonder.

18. Florida Marlins. Josh Johnson is a pitcher I hope I can see more often. It was also nice to see Hanley Ramirez mashing in the Home Run Derby.

19. Blue Jays. For a team that's not very good, Jays had a lot of All Stars get in the game.

20. Royals. Most hits and best team batting average. Too bad it couldn't help Zach Greinke early in the season. Royals are playing like a .500 team lately.

21. Nationals. Finally scored some runs for Strasburg. Its too bad he got left in double- and triple-A so long and his season will end near Labor Day. I'll enjoy it the rest of the way.

22. Athletics. I don't like the A's and I don't think they are very good. The end.

23. Cubs. Marlon Byrd, the Cubs representative, may have saved the game by gunning out Ortiz at second. About the regular season: Cubs are a depressing mess. No wonder Milton Bradley hated it here.

24. Brewers. Ace Gallardo is out, Fielder is likely trade-bait, and Trevor Hoffman is still giving up gopher balls. Ryan Braun made a real nice catch last night.

25. Astros. I don't want to let go of the possibility of a nice run in the second half like they usually manage but really, there isn't much to like about the Astros. Oswalt should be traded, Berkman should too but nobody will want him. On a better note: I went to Minute Maid Park last month and had a good time.

26. Mariners. Only team in the AL to have scored less than 300 runs (Red Sox are closing in on 500). There's only so much that Felix Hernandez can do.

27. Diamondbacks. They may have gotten the best of Mariano Rivera in 2001, but who's laughing now? Bullpen ERA: 6.59.

28. Orioles. Congrats on their first road 4-game sweep in 15 years.

29. Indians. Who's in worse shape, the Cavs, Browns, or Indians?

30. Pirates. Run differential of -194, 52 runs worse than the Orioles. Will we ever see this team improve?