The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The Good

Brett Jackson

The Chicago Cubs young 24 year old center fielder, Brett Jackson, made his major league debut, and didn’t  let the club down. Jackson went 2-4 including a walk and a strikeout. Jackson was batting .256 with 106 hits, 22 doubles, 12 triples, 15 homers, 47 RBIs, and 27 stolen bases. Jackson was one of two players to be called up for Sunday’s game vs the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Anthony Rizzo

The Chicago Cubs rookie first baseman, Anthony Rizzo had 2 hits in Sunday’s 6-7 loss to the Dodgers. Rizzo went 2-4 with a single and a game tying homer in the 9th inning to make it 6-6 at the time. Rizzo now has 5 homers, 12 hits, and 13 RBIs in his last 10 games. Rizzo is now batting .310 on the year and was named N.L. Rookie of the Month for July.

Neil Walker

In the Pirates 6-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, Neil Walker contributed with a big blast of his own. Walker went 2-4 with a single and a homer in the 2nd inning to give the Pirates a 2-1 lead, and they never looked back from there. Walker is batting .292 with 12 homers and 58 RBIs on the season for the Pirates.

A.J. Burnett

The Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher, A.J. Burnett, got his 4th win in a row Monday against the Cincinnati Reds. Burnett went 8.2 innings giving up just 2 runs off 3 hits. Burnett is now 14-3 on the season, which ties him for 1st in the N.L. in wins on the season. Burnett has given up just 5 runs over his last 4 starts, including a complete game 1 hit shutout against the Cubs. Burnett is now 8-1 over his last 10 starts and has lowered his ERA from 3.52 to 3.19.

Stephen Strasburg

The Washington Nationals starting pitcher lit it up from both sides of the plate in a 4-1 victory over the Miami Marlins. Strasburg went 6 innings giving up 3 hits while striking out 6. Strasburg also went 1-2 at the plate with 2 RBIs to help himself get his 12th victory of the season. Strasburg is now 12-5 with a 2.97 ERA, and 160 strikeouts, which is first in the N.L.

Hunter Pence

The San Francisco Giants newly acquired right fielder, Hunter Pence, had his first multi-hit game with his new clubs. Pence went 2-5 with 2 doubles, 3 RBI, and 1 run scored. Pence is now batting .267 on the season with 64 RBI.

Yonder Alonso

The San Diego Padres first baseman, Yonder Alonso, continued his hot streak behind the plate Sunday against the New York Mets. Alonso went 2-4 including a double, a homer, 1 run scored, and 1 RBI.  Alonso now has 16 hits over his last 10 games, and has improved his average to .270 on the season.

Kyle Lohse

The St.Louis Cardinals starting pitcher, Kyle Lohse, got his 6th straight start in a row against the Milwaukee Brewers. Lohse went 6 innings giving up no runs off 4 hits while striking out 6. Lohse improved to 12-2 on the season with an ERA of 2.79

The Bad

Ryan Braun

The Brewers left fielder, Ryan Braun, went 0-4 in the Brewers 0-3 loss to the St.Louis Cardinals. Braun is now 0-7 in his last two games with 4 strikeouts. Braun is now batting 3.11 on the season after the small 2 game skid.

Matt Harvey

The New York Mets starting pitcher, Matt Harvey, got his 2nd loss in a row Sunday against the San Diego Padres. Harvey managed just 5 innings while giving up 8 hits and 5 earned runs. Harvey is now 1-2 on the season with a 3.86 ERA.

John Buck

The Miami Marlins catcher, John Buck, continued to struggle behind the plate Sunday against the Washington Nationals. Buck went 0-3 with 3 strikeouts and is now batting just .172 on the season. Over his last 10 games Buck has just 4 hits with 12 strikeouts.

Homer Bailey

The Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher, Homer Bailey, couldn’t keep the Reds hot streak alive. Bailey could manage just 4.2 innings giving up 4 earned runs off 9 hits. Bailey is now 9-7 on the season with a 3.98 ERA

The Ugly

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs have now lost 5 games in a row after being swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Cubs have given up 29 runs during this 5 game skid.

Houston Astros

The Houston Astros are by far on the worst streak of any team in the MLB this season. The Astros have loss 30 of their last 34 games and are now 36-73 on the season making them the worst team in all of baseball.

Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies are battling the Houston Astros for the worst record in baseball after losing 30 of their last 43. The Rockies are now 38-68 on the season and are in last place in the N.L. West.

Monday NL’s The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The Good

1. Jeff Samardzija- Samardzija went 8 innings giving up just one hit earning him the No.1 spot on the last for Monday. Samardzija threw 75 of his 99 pitches for strikes, and rolled to a 2-0 victory of the 1st place Pirates.
2. San Francisco Giants 2-4 hitters went 9-12 to earn the No.2 spot on the good list. Ryan Theriot went 3-4 to improve his average to .279. Melky Cabrera went 3-4 to improve his average to .360. Posey stayed hot going 3-4 including a 3 run homer to give him 4 RBIs on the night improving his average to .310.
3. Cincinnati Reds 3-5 hitters went 9 for 18 to fall to No.3 on the list. Brandon Phillips went 3-6 improving his average to .296. Ryan Ludwick went 3-6 including a double and 2 RBIs. Todd Frazier went 3-6 with 2 RBIs, improving his average to .285 on the season.
4. Bryce Harper went 2-4 including his 9th homer of the season, and the go ahead RBI in the 10th inning with a single in a 8-2 victory. Harper is now batting .279 with 29 RBIs on the season

The Bad

1. Enerio Del Rosario is No.1 on the bad lsit for going 1.0 inning, while giving up 3 runs. Del Rosario gave up 3 hits off his 3 runs and now has a 8.10 ERA on the season.
2. Clayton Richard is our No.2 after lasting just five innings. Richards gave up 7 runs off 9 hits while walking 2. Richard now has a 4.17 ERA on the season.
3. Roy Halladay finishes 3rd on the list after lasting 6 innings giving up 6 runs off 8 hit while walking 1. Halladay is now 4-5 with a 4.32 ERA

The Ugly

1. The Atlanta Braves mad history losing their 12th straight game on Monday to start a season.
2. Francisco Rodriguez is Monday’s big loser going just 0.2 innings. Rodriguez gave up 4 runs off 3 hits while walking 3. Rodriguez rose his ErA to a 4.47 on the season,
3. The New York Mets lost again and are now 1-9 their last 10
4. The Houston Astros make the list after going 1-9 over their last 10.

Coach Tom

Joey Votto Out 3-4 Weeks

Cincinnati Reds first baseman and 2010 NL MVP tore cartilage in his left knee while sliding into third base on June 29 in San Francisco. The scheduled surgery, which takes between 20 and 30 minutes, will leave the NL Central leaders without their MVP candidate for three to four weeks.

The NL leader in doubles, walks, on-base percentage and extra-base hits is hitting .342 with 14 home runs and 49 RBIs. Todd Frazier, 26, started at first base Monday as Votto’s replacement. Frazier is hitting .278 with 10 home runs and 30 RBIs in 187 at-bats this season. Frazier filled in for third baseman Scott Rolen earlier this season.

The Reds are left without their engine for a month, but it could be worse. Votto will return around mid-August, leaving Cincinnati with their best player for the final 40something games.

The Reds could possibly call up infielder Henry Rodriguez, a Jose Altuve clone. The 22-year-old Rodriguez bats for a high average, .332 in the minors this year, like the similarly diminutive Houston Astros second baseman and also contributes speed on the base path.

The Reds currently stand 50-39 with a 1 game lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates and a 3.5 game lead over St. Louis, who recently welcomed back slugging first baseman Lance Berkman.

The Reds thrive on pitching, they have only used five starting pitchers all season, but their bats were mediocre even with Votto in the fold. The Reds will have to weather the storm and do not look for them to make a major splash at the trade deadline.

The NL Central family photo will likely not feature Cincinnati at the helm when Votto returns, but as long as his teammates can tread water without him, expect Cincinnati to play more than 162 games this season.

The Big Guy

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The Good

Matt Garza

The Cubs starting pitcher got the win in a 3-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks to complete the 3 game sweep. Garza went 7 innings giving up 0 runs off 5 hits while striking out 7. Garza got his 5th victory of the season and is now 5-7 with a 4.02 ERA.

Stephen Strasburg

The Washington Nationals starting pitcher got his 10th victory on the season in a 4-0 victory over the Miami Marlins. Strasburg went 6 innings giving up 0 runs off 6 hits while striking out 7. Strasburg now has a 2.66 ERA with 135 strikeouts on the season, and is just 2 wins behind R.A. Dickey for the lead in wins in the NL.

Ben Sheets

The Atlanta Braves starting pitcher got his first win in nearly 2 years after a 6-1 victory over the New York Mets. Sheets got his first start after coming off injury that has kept him out of the league for the past 2 seasons. Sheets is homing to help the the Braves make a push for the top spot in the NL East.

Andrew McCutchen

Despite the 1-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, McCutchen went 3-4 on the night to stay hot. McCutchen had 2 singles, a homer, a run scored, and a RBI on the night to extend his hitting streak to 6 games, with 14 hits during this span. McCutchen is now hitting .371 with 21 homers, 119 hits, and 64 RBIs on the season. MVP anyone.

Martin Maldonado

The Brewers catcher, Martin Maldonado went 3-4 in the Brewers 4-1 victory over the Pirates. Maldonado had a single, 2 doubles, and an RBI on the day. Maldonado is now hitting .285 with 3 doubles on the season for the Brewers.

Cole Hamels

The Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher got his 11th victory on the season with a 5-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies. Hamels went 8 innings giving 1 run off 6 hits while striking out 7. Hamels is now tied for 2nd in wins in the NL with 11, and is 4th in strikeouts with 125. and innings pitched with 126. Hamels is 11-4 with a 3.04 ERA on the season.

Buster Posey

The San Francisco Giants catcher, Buster Posey, went 3-4 in the Giants 3-2 victory over Astros. Posey had 3 singles, and 2 RBIs in Sunday’s game and is now batting .297 with 11 homers, 16 doubles, and 47 RBIs on the season.

Matt Cain

The Giants starting pitcher, Matt Cain, got his 10th victory on the year over the Houston Astros. Cain went 6.1 innings giving up 2 runs off 5 hits while striking out 6. Cain improved to 10-3 on the year making him 6th in wins in the NL, 2nd in innings pitched(126.2), 6th in the NL in strikeouts(124), 5th in ERA(2.56), and 1st in WHIP(0.96). Cain is a definite candidate for cy young.

Aroldis Chapman

The Cincinnati Reds closer, Aroldis Chapman, got his 13th save of the season in a 4-2 victory over the St.Louis Cardinals. Chapman improved his ERA to 1.70 on the season with 79 strikeouts. Chapman struck out the side Sunday night, and now has 20 strikeouts over his last 8 innings.

The Bad

Hanley Ramirez

The Marlins 3rd baseman, Hanley Ramirez is went 0-4 in the Marlins 0-4 loss to the Nationals. Ramirez struck out once, and now has 5 strikeouts over the last 3 games, and just has 4 hits over his last 33 at bats giving him a .246 average for the season. 

Johan Santana

The New York Mets starting pitcher, Johan Santana, got his second straight loss Sunday against the Braves. Santana went jsut 5 innings giving up 6 runs off 8 hits.Santana has now given up 21 hits and 13 runs over his last 9.2 innings thrown. Santana has a 6-6 record with a 3.59 ERA on the year.

Pedro Alvarez

The Pittsburgh Pirates 3rd baseman, Pedro Alvarez, went 0-3 in the Pirates 1- loss against the Brewers. Alvarez has 3 strikeouts, giving him 7 strikeouts over the last 3 games. Alvarez is just 7- 31 over his last 10 games giving him a .226 average on the season.

The Ugly

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers lost 7-2 Sunday against the Padres thanks to 5 errors on the day. This was a season high in errors for the Dodgers, and the3rd baseman Hairston Jr. had 2 errors in the same innining. The Dodgers are now 48-42 on the season, leaving them 1.5 games out of first.

Houston Astros

The Houston Astros have won just 1 game over their last 14 games, and are now officially the worse team in the NL. The Houston Astros are now just 33-56 on the year. Many of the problems come from the bats. The Astros are ranked 23rd in runs, 24th in batting average, 25th in on base percentage, and 25th in slugging percentage. Also on the rubber side the Astros rank 27th in ERA, 16th in quality starts, 27th in WHIP, and 28th in batters average,

Coach Tom

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The Good

Ricky Nolasco

The Marlins starting pitcher went 7 cool innings to a 5-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Nolasco went 7 innings giving up just 2 runs off 5 hits while striking out 6 on just 97 pitches. Nolasco improved his record to 7-6 on the year, and his first victory since June 2nd. Nolasco also improved his ERA to 4.62 on the season.

Ryan Zimmerman

The Washington Nationals 3rd baseman Ryan Zimmerman went 3-5 in the Nationals 8-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves. Zimmerman had a single, a double, a homer, 2 runs scored, and 3 RBIs on the night improving his batting average to .241 on the season. Zimmerman now has 14 hits including 4 doubles and 3 homers improving his average 23 points during that span. Zimmerman’s 3 RBIs gives him 35 on the season and helped Gio Gonzalez get his 11th victory on the year.

Freddie Freeman

Despite the 4-8 loss Freeman went 2-4 in Sunday’s game vs the Nationals. Freeman had a single, a homer, a run scored, and 3 of the 4 Braves RBIs. Freeman now has a 6 game hit streak with 10 hits during that span. Freeman has improved his average by 14 points to .266 on the season. Freeman looks to extend his hit streak against the Cubs, Monday night.

Tyler Wood

The Cubs starting pitcher, Tyler Wood, got his 3rd win of the season as the Cubs completed to sweep of the Houston Astros in a 3-0 victory Sunday afternoon. Tyler Wood went 7.2 scoreless innings while giving up just 3 hits and striking out 4. Wood has now won 3 straight games and has gone 14.2 innings without giving up a single run. During this span Wood has lowered his ERA 3.05 on the season with a 3-3 record.

Kip Wells

The Colorado Rockies starting pitcher got his vs 1 win of the season in just his 2nd start on the year. Wells went 7 inngings in Sunday’s 2-0 victory over the Padres, giving up 6 hits while striking out 2 on the day. This was Wells first stint back in the big leagues since he was with the Nationals in 2009. Wells has a 1.50 ERA on the season.

Giants Bats

In the San Francisco Giants 4-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds the Giants had 12 hits. 5 of the 6 players who had a hit had at least 2 including Ryan Theriot(2), Melky Cabrera(2), Buster Posey(3), and Brandon Belt(3). The Giants were 5-15 with runners in scoring positon. Beltran hit a walkoff double in the ninth to give the Giants their 45th victory on the season.

The Bad

Zack Cozart

The Cincinnati Reds leadoff hitter went a stagering 0-5 in the Reds 4-3 Sunday vs the Giants. To make matters worse Cozart saw just 13 pitches on the night, not something you want to see from you lead off hitter. Cozart is now hitting just .245 on the season.

Drew Stubbs

Drew Stubbs struggles continued Sunday as Stubbs went 0-4 with a strikeout in the Reds 3-4 loss vs the Giants. The Reds center fielder and 2nd hitter in the lineup is now 0-15 in his last 5 games. Stubbs has struke out 4 times and lowered his average by 16 points to .227.

Erik Bedard

The Pirates starting pitcher took the loss vs the St.Louis Cardinals 4-5. Bedard could only manage to go 4.2 innings while giving up 5 runs off 8 hits making this Bedard’s 3 loss in 4 outings. Bedard is now 4-9 on the season with an ERA of 4.57 and hasn’t gotten a victory since June 8th.

The Ugly

Houston Astros

The Houston Astros lost their season worse 6th straight road game against the Chicago Cubs Sunday afternoon. The Astros have now lost 4 in a row after being swept by the worse team in baseball, and kept into the running for worst team with a record of 32-47. The Astros are now just 2 games better then both the Padres and Rockies, and are 3 games better than the Cubs. Astros look to stop the streak tonight vs the Pirates.

Coach Tom

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The Good

Miguel Montero- The Diamondbacks catcher improved his average to .270 on the season after going 2-4 in Friday’s matchup vs. the Chicago Cubs. Montero had a triple and 2 RBIs in Arizona’s 6-1 victory over the Cubs and now has 7 hits over his last 3 games.

Andre Either- Despite Friday’s loss to the Angels, Either broke out of his 2 game slump and went 3-4 with all 3 hits being singles, and a walk. Either was 0 for his last 7 over the past 2 games, and after tonights game brought his average back up to .290 on the season.

A.J. Burnett- The Pirates starting pitcher won his 8th game of the season now making him 8-2 for the year. Burnett went 6 innings while giving up no earned runs off 2 hits and striking out 4. Burnett won his 7th straight start of the season and now has a 3.24 ERA on the season for the Pirates.

Jason Heyward- The Braves outfielder made his way onto the good list for the second straight day, going 3-4 with 2 doubles and 2 runs scored in Friday’s 4-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Heyward had 2 homers the night before and after having 5 hits in his last 2 games his average is up to .270 on the season

Jair Jurrjens- The Braves starting pitcher returned from the dl is orderly fashion going 7.2 innings while giving up just 1 run off 3 hits. This was Jurrjens first victory of the season and he is now 1-2 on the year.

Zack Greinke- The Brewers starting pitcher had his best outing of the season in a complete game shutout vs. the Chicago White Sox. Greinke went 9 innings giving up no runs while giving up just 3 hits and striking out 4. Greinke is now 8-2 on the season with a 2.81 ERA.

St.Louis Cardinals Bats- The Cardinals lineup had 17 hits with 5 players having at least 2 hits, Holliday(3), Beltran(2), Molina(2), Freese(3), Carpenter(2). Also every Cardinals starting position player had a hit. Cardinals also scored 11 runs with the help of 4 RBIs from Beltran, 2 from Freese, and 2 from Greene.

Clayton Richard- The Padres starting pitcher becomes the first pitcher of the year to make it on to the good list no because of his arm. Richards did get the victory Friday night, but alot of it was because of his bat. Richard’s was 2-2 with 2 RBIs Friday night helping himself to his 5th win on the season.

The Bad

Chicago Cubs Bats- The Cubs lost 6-1 Friday and mainly because they left 11 men on base. The Cubs had 9 hits on the day, but were just 1-8 with men in scoring position, including the bases loaded in the 2nd inning. The Cubs are now and N.L. worst 24-46 with a .343 winning percentage on the season.

Jeff Samardzija- The Cubs starting pitcher found his 6th loss on the season only going 5 innings while giving up 5 runs off 7 hits and 2 walks. Samardzija has now had 3 terrible starts in a row seeing his ERA go from 3.19 to 4.34. Samardzija is now 5-6.

Nationals 2-5 hitters- The Nationals 2-5 hitters including Bryce Harper, Ryan Zimmerman, Adam LaRoche, Michael Morse combined to go 1-16 with 6 strikeouts in a 1-2 loss to the Orioles.

Anibal Sanchez- The Miami Marlins starting pitcher fell to 3-6 on the season after going just 3.1 innings Friday night vs the Blue Jays. Sanchez gave up 6 runs on 7 hits in the Marlins 12-5 loss.

Ryan Webb- The Marlins relief pitcher went just 2 innings while giving up 6 uns off 6 hits. This outing was clearly Webb’s worst outing of the season raising his ERA from 3.56 to 5.01 for the season

Astros 1-5 hitters- The Houston Astros top 5 players in the lineup managed to go 0-17 with 8 strikeouts combined. The Astros could only manage 4 hits on the night and loss 2-0 to the Indians.

The Ugly

The Miami Marlins- The Marlins have now loss 5 in a row and are just 2-8 over their last ten and have won just 5 of their last 20. The problem with the Marlins in scoring runs. In 11 of the 20 games the Marlins scored 4 or less runs and 9 of the 20 they scored 3 or less runs. The Marlins are now 33-37 on the season and in 4th place in the N.L. East.

Coach Tom