Quick Hits: May 19

Dan:

• You have to feel for the Milwaukee Brewers. Sure, the Eric Gagne signing was horrible. But, outside of that, here was a team that started the year with a GREAT shot at winning the NL Central, after a quarter-century of being MIA from the playoffs. They have boatloads of young, talented position players. And they've been sunk this year by a rash of unfortunate injuries. Now, their pitching is paper thin and they are sinking fast. I'd argue that this could end up being one down year before they rise to the top again -- ala the Indians of 2006. But with Ben Sheets possibly gone at the end of this year, this may have been their window of opportunity . . . unless they break the bank for a stud pitcher in the offseason.
• Sure, we've been down this road before with the Yankees; they start off horribly slow, people write them off, and then they storm back the rest of the season and into the playoffs. Those other years, I always looked at the calendar and thought, 'No way are they this bad, and there's too much time left for them to come back.' This year, though, I think they really are in deep trouble. As I said at the beginning of the year, if you are the New York Yankees it is crazy -- absolutely crazy -- to rely on rookies for half your rotation, especially when the other half (outside of Big Wang) is so close to joining AARP. More often than not, rookies don't explode onto the scene. They take years to work in. And, if the Yanks aren't careful this year, they could ruin Ian Kennedy. Sliding Joba into the rotation likely won't solve anything; being a starting pitcher is a different animal from being a setup man, and who knows for sure what Joba will bring to the table. On top of all that, the offense that has carried them for so many years is getting old, real old. Sure, Cano is good, at least much better than he's been hitting. He'll bounce back. Melky is decent, but not a guy who can carry you. Now, take a look at all their superstars. Their career arcs aren't rising, and many are starting the slide downward. In prior years, the Yanks always had the goods to go out and make a mid-season deal. But this year they have so many holes, they'd be better off holding on to their prospects and, if things don't turn around dramatically by July 4, chaulk this up as a rare lost season.
• The Athletics are finally coming back to Earth. Now, what is St. Louis waiting for?
• Scary to see Beckett give up four homers yesterday. Shades of 2006. Gulp.