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May 14, 2024
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4 things to take note of from the weekend in Major League Baseball: The Braves and Padres prove themselves with significant victories, while the Rockies sweep the reigning champions.

The difference in talent between the Padres and Dodgers is too large for San Diego to realistically compete for the NL West title. However, the weaker teams in the National League have not performed well, allowing the 22-21 Padres to currently hold the final NL wild-card spot, although it is still too early in the season for it to be significant. If the Padres’ pitching continues to be strong, especially with the contributions of King, they should stay in the race for the playoffs. Their upcoming matchup against the in-form Rockies will be an exciting challenge.

However, the struggles of Houston and the offensive struggles of Seattle have left the AL West division open for Texas to potentially make a comeback with a strong performance from their hitters.

The Braves were victorious in their series against the Mets, however they were unable to complete a sweep.

If not for a two-run home run by Brandon Nimmo in the ninth inning on Sunday, the Mets would have suffered a sweep from Atlanta while playing in Queens. However, this was not the case as the Mets secured their fourth walk-off win of the season, the most in the MLB.

This past week, on this specific online platform, I mentioned that the Atlanta Braves had some uncertainties with their starting pitchers after a dismal loss against the Dodgers. However, in the following days, the Braves’ starting pitchers only gave up four runs in 30 2/3 innings, making me, someone who is expected to have knowledge about baseball, seem foolish. That is just how things happen sometimes.

Charlie Morton, Max Fried, and Bryce Elder had impressive performances against the Mets in Queens over the weekend, leading the Atlanta Braves to a three-game sweep. Although Fried did not allow any hits in five innings on Saturday, a late home run by J.D. Martinez ended his chance at a no-hitter. Despite this, Fried has improved significantly since his rough first two starts of the season where he gave up 10 runs in five innings. He has proven to be one of the top pitchers in the league and is a strong candidate for the Cy Young award.

In the beginning of the season, Texas has not been performing well. The dominant lineup from the previous October is still waiting for Corey Seager, their star player from the playoffs, to improve his .655 OPS. Another promising player, Evan Carter, has struggled against pitchers of the same handedness, making it difficult for him to be played against left-handed pitchers. Additionally, players like Adolis García, Jonah Heim, and Marcus Semien have only been decent to very good, rather than the All-Star caliber players they were last season.

The Padres defeat the Dodgers in a crucial NL West match.

The Colorado Rockies have won their last four games and currently hold the longest winning streak in MLB. Over the weekend, Ryan McMahon and 2023 All-Star MVP Elías Díaz made significant contributions with key hits, leading the Rockies to a clean sweep. Additionally, the team received strong performances from Ryan Feltner, Austin Gomber, and Ty Blach, who all delivered quality starts.

The San Diego Padres’ starting pitchers have achieved three games in which they did not allow any runs in at least seven innings this year. All three occurred in the last week. While Dylan Cease put on a stellar performance against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday, the standout performances by Michael King and Yu Darvish against the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend were especially notable considering the strength of the Dodgers’ lineup this year. These wins on Friday and Sunday helped the Padres secure a series victory against their California rivals and brought their record above .500 for the first time since April 17.

The Colorado Rockies have achieved a clean sweep against the reigning champion team.

The status of the rotation depth for players such as Morton, Fried, Elder, Chris Sale, and Reynaldo López is unclear, especially since most of them have concerns about their ability to stay physically healthy. This is a common issue for many teams with their backup pitchers. The Braves’ group of five have performed exceptionally well so far, giving the historically dominant offense enough room to work. It will be interesting to see how top prospects AJ Smith-Shawver and Hurstop Waldrep fare when they are eventually brought up to the major league team, but that is a concern for the future.

The Cincinnati Reds have only won one out of their past eleven games and are currently struggling. During this time, the team as a whole has a wRC+ that is 49% below the league average, making them the worst performing team in the league. Not since April 27 have the Reds been able to score six runs in a single game. While Elly De La Cruz and Jeimer Candelario have been performing adequately and exceptionally, respectively, the majority of the other players on the team are currently underperforming. To add to their troubles, the Reds still have seven more games left on their West Coast road trip, including a four-game series against the Dodgers next weekend.

Perhaps a possible solution for Chicago and Milwaukee’s dominance could be for St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh to merge and create a united team.

On Saturday, the Pirates were happy to win their first game with top prospect Paul Skenes, but the happiness was short-lived as they lost on Sunday. This is just one of many losses since April 7 and now they prepare to face two strong division rivals – the Brewers and Cubs. While their pitching is solid, their offense needs improvement.

Here is an overview of the major news from the MLB over the weekend.

The Cardinals, Reds, and Pirates all suffered losses, causing them to move further down in the NL Central standings.

This past weekend was Mother’s Day. If your mother, similar to mine, enjoys watching baseball, you may have observed that the Braves, Padres, and Rockies claimed victories in their series. Additionally, it appears that the NL Central is becoming a close competition between two teams. However, if your mother is not a fan of baseball, don’t worry. I have you covered.

Unfortunately, the Rockies are not performing well and it seems unlikely that they will qualify for the playoffs. However, any glimmer of hope is highly valued by their overlooked and understandably pessimistic fans. And there are few things more enjoyable than a victory on a sunny Sunday afternoon at Coors Field, known for having the best beer garden in baseball.

First, we’ll focus on the events in St. Louis. Despite the double ejection of manager Oli Marmol and bench coach Daniel Descalso, Sunday’s match in Milwaukee resulted in a victory for the team. However, things are currently quite difficult for the Cardinals, as they have a record of 16-24 and are scoring even less than a typical Disney Channel movie this season. The recent loss of their main offensive player, Willson Contreras, for six weeks or more will only worsen the situation. Interestingly, here’s a surprising stat: the Cardinals haven’t finished with a losing record in back-to-back full seasons since 1958 and 1959.

This is all from a team that was behind in each of their games until May 3rd.

The post 4 things to take note of from the weekend in Major League Baseball: The Braves and Padres prove themselves with significant victories, while the Rockies sweep the reigning champions. appeared first on Americano Sports.