It's been two weeks since we checked in on the Dumpster Fire Division. If you're unfamiliar with how the division works, you can read about it's inception here.
How do the standings look as of July 7?
|
Wins |
Losses |
PCT |
GB |
L10 |
STRK |
San Diego |
37 |
48 |
.435 |
- |
5-5 |
W1 |
Cincinnati |
32 |
54 |
.372 |
5.5 |
3-7 |
W2 |
Minnesota |
29 |
55 |
.345 |
7.5 |
6-4 |
W2 |
Atlanta |
28 |
57 |
.329 |
9 |
2-8 |
L4
|
Over the last two weeks the Padres have solidified their hold on the division lead. On June 22, San Diego led Cincinnati by 1.5 games. That lead has been stretched out to 5.5 over the course of fifteen days. Also, Atlanta has fallen back into the cellar after briefly overtaking Minnesota at the end of June.
How did each team look over the past two weeks?
San Diego Padres
At the end of June San Diego strolled in to Cincinnati and took three out of four from the Reds. Over the past two weeks they are 7-5, and no longer have one of the four worst records in baseball (a point which is sure to cause some controversy). Their recent run of success has been fueled by an offense that ranks fourth over the past two weeks by wRC+ (124).
Best Hitter: San Diego's lone All-Star, Wil Myers, continues to hit the ball well. However, over this recent run Yangervis Solarte has been just a little better. In his last twelve games Solarte is hitting a red hot .435/.490/.739 with 3 HR and 11 RBI. He's been aided by a .447 BABIP, but the numbers are still impressive. Solarte's .514 wOBA is just ahead of Myers at .501. Myers hit .357/.518/.690 with 3 HR and 15 RBI in the past fourteen days.
Best Pitcher: A new update, but the same result here for San Diego. Drew Pomeranz continues to be the lone bright spot in the rotation. In a game you're likely familiar with, Pomeranz went 7 innings against Cincinnati on June 25. In that start he surrendered three hits, zero runs, and struck out six. On July 2 Pomeranz went seven innings again. New York only scratched together five hits and one run against the San Diego starter. Over his last fourteen innings Pomeranz has an 0.64 ERA and 1.73 FIP. It's likely you could see him pitching in a new uniform before the trade deadline.
It's worth noting that Fernando Rodney was dealt to the Marlins since the last update.
This Week: San Diego heads to LA for a four game series with the Dodgers starting tonight. After the All-Star break they'll face the Giants at home.
Cincinnati Reds
Since the last update the Reds are 4-10 and have the worst offense in baseball by wRC+.
Best Hitter: Tucker Barnhart makes an unexpected appearance in this spot. He's played in ten games over the past two weeks and hit .394/.474/.636. He's also had several big moments for the Reds recently.
The game was tied in the 10th. Tucker Barnhart un-tied it for the @Reds.https://t.co/wcKbV5DciW
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 3, 2016
Yesterday, Barnhart played a key role in giving the Reds a series win at Wrigley.
Over the past two weeks Joey Votto is the only other Reds hitter to have a wRC+ over 100 (unless you count Raisel Iglesias going 1-1. At this point you might need to).
Best Pitcher: Perhaps it's time to give a few bullpen arms some credit. Over the last fourteen days Tony Cingrani has pitched 6.2 innings, accumulated two saves, and not allowed a run. Raisel Iglesias is also showing some promise in relief. Over his past 8.1 innings Iglesias has a 1.08 ERA, and he's striking out 10.80 per nine.
Anthony DeSclafani has easily been Cincinnati's best starter. In his last 20.2 innings he's running rates of 8.27 K/9 and 0.87 BB/9. His 2.18 ERA is bolstered by a 2.54 FIP. In a season when pitching has been a real struggle, it's nice to see some good performances recently.
This Week: The Reds bring the first half to a close with three game in Miami. A week from tomorrow they'll take on the Brewers at Great American Ball Park.
Minnesota Twins
The Twins won four of their last five to get their record to 6-7 since the most recent update. They've also won two straight series (Texas and Oakland). Who has helped spur this recent run of wins?
Best Hitter: There were plenty of concerns regarding Brian Dozier early in the season for the Twins. Recently he's helped fans remember just how good he can be at the plate. In his last thirteen games he's hitting .292/.352/.708 with 5 HR and 13 RBI. Max Kepler is also deserving of some praise. While his average has struggled (.239), he's kept his OBP up at .327. Kepler also hit the second most home runs for the Twins over the past two weeks (4).
Best Pitcher: Kyle Gibson and Ervin Santana have both given the Twins productive innings. Gibson pitched 13.2 innings over two starts and kept his ERA down at 1.32. Santana gave Minnesota 20.1 innings in three starts with a 1.33 ERA over that period of time. It shouldn't be surprising that this recent run of success has made Santana an attractive starting pitcher option as the trade deadline nears.
This Week: The Twins start a four game series tonight in Texas against the Rangers. Following the All-Star game they'll face the Indians at home.
Atlanta Braves
Oh Atlanta. That team that makes every other fanbase feel a little better about themselves. They're 4-10 since the last update, and in a fictional division including four of the worst teams in baseball they find themselves nine games back. Over the past two weeks they have the second worst offense in baseball (81 wRC+).
Best Hitter: At some point it's hard not to feel bad for Freddie Freeman. He feels like the last kid left in his neighborhood after all of his friends moved away.
Over the past two weeks Freeman hit .340/.407/.623.
Best Pitcher: How about Lucas Harrell? Atlanta called up the 31 year old from Triple-A to make a start on Saturday. Over six innings he gave up three hits, one run, and struck out five. Julio Teheran has been Atlanta's best pitcher who's thrown over ten innings in the past two weeks. He's made two starts and had a 3.07 ERA in that time.
This Week: Atlanta is in Chicago to take on the White Sox this weekend. They'll face the Rockies at home starting a week from tomorrow.