The Major League Mid-Summer Classic is fast approaching, This weekend is the final full weekend of Big League action until after next week’s MLB All-Star game in Miami.
In the National League East the team fro the Nations Capitol the Washington Nationals have already won 50 games and hold an 8 and a half game lead over the second-place Atlanta Braves. The Nationals have been led by the bats of outfielder Bryce Harper, First Baseman Ryan Zimmerman and Second baseman Daniel Murphy. Harper is batting .323 and leading the team with 20 home runs while Zimmerman is batting .332 with 19 homers.Meanwhile, Murphy has the best batting average of the three with his .340 average.
Defensively for the Nationals, Max Scherzer has been the man on the hill garnering 10 wins in his 17 starts this season. Max is bolstering an ERA of 1.94 and he struck out 163 batters. Scherzer and the Nationals wrap up the first half of the season this weekend hosting the Atlanta Braves for a three-game series.Meanwhile, Scherzer, Harper, Murphy, and Zimmerman will be joined by teammate Stephen Strasburg on the National League team in next week’s All-Star game.
The American League East is a division that is always full of excitement..The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox add fuel to their rivalry every year. Just ahead of the mid-summer break the Red Sox are on top of the division with their 49 wins and a three-game lead over second place New York, who is only a game ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays.
The power behind the Bosox has been off the bat of outfielder Mookie Betts who is batting .274 with 15 home runs. But when you’re talking about Betts you can not ignore the fact that the 24-year-old from Nashville, Tennessee is making noise with his glove as well. Mookies’ homers lead the team just ahead of Center Fielder Andrew Benintendi and first baseman Mitch Moreland who both have 12 Dingers.
Defensively Bostons’ hurlers are led by Chris Sale and his 11 wins in 18 starts.Drew Pomeranz is right behind Sale with his 8 wins in 16 starts and Pomeranz has struck out 92 batters in the 84 innings he has pitched so far this season. Sale has been selected as an All-Star this season and will possibly start in the mid-Summer classic next week. He will be joined by teammates Betts and Craig Kimbrel.
Looking back at the National league the Milwaukee Brewers and their hot bats lead the National League Central. The Brew Crew have been blasting off on opponents with 133 home runs second in the major leagues only to the Houston Astros’ 138 Round Trippers. Thie weekend will be interesting and fans can anticipate plenty of excitement as the Brewers host the New York Yankees in a three-game homestand. The Yankees have hit 128 Home runs as a team. As A matter of fact, this series will feature the current home run leader Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and Eric Thames of Milwaukee who started this season hitting a home run in five straight games. Judge currently has 29 homers and Thames has 23.
Speaking of home runs, in the National League West the L.A. Dodgers who lead the Division by 5 and a half games have gone yard 123 times this season and garnered 58 wins.Los Angeles will wrap up the first half of their season this weekend hosting the Kansas City Royals.
In the American League West, the Houston Astros are on top and own the best record in the major leagues with 58 wins against 28 losses. Houston has been powered by the George Springers 25 home runs, Springer leads a group of eight Astros who all have over 10 homers this season.
And finally, in the American League Central the Cleveland Indians Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins are only separated by a game and a half. This weekend the Indians close out the first half of the season hosting the Detroit Tigers for three games and Minnesota will host the Baltimore Orioles.
Who do you think had the best first half of a season in 2017?
Trevin A Jones
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