Aug 12, 20236 min read

Diamond Report

Diamond report, extra- extra, read all about it! I can't go too long without a diamond report, there is just too much noise sounding off across the league to not want to discuss and keep tabs on. Storylines; performances; and the playoff hunt seems to be the three pitches in August's arsenal. Lets get things rolling, stadium DJ, spin Narcos by Timmy Trumpet.

Outside of the AL East and the AL West, the NL Central's three-team race is the most entertaining divisional race in baseball right now. The Brewers; Reds; and Cubs have baseball fans in the palm of their hands. Milwaukee stays steady in first, the Reds are a legitimate rollercoaster, and the Cubs are one of the hottest clubs in the big leagues. The deeper we get into August, the more tense and exciting this race seems to get. Here are how the standings look as of today between the three contenders amongst the NL Central:

Brewers are 14-12 since the All-Star break- very mediocre play from the Brew Crew, but they have not lost their division lead. That is in due thanks to the Reds. We feared this would happen with the Reds being so young. Very inconsistent play from the Reds, as they have been a rollercoaster since the All-Star break. Cincy has now lost 8 out of their last 10 games and have dropped to third place in the division. The Reds avoided dropping out of the last Wild Card spot thanks to rookie Andrew Abbott's strong showing last night.

Abbott has been crucial for the Reds in starts following a loss. The Reds and Cubs are now tied for the last Wild Card spot, but both teams still have the Brewers and a NL Central title in their crosshairs. The Cubs sweeping the Reds last week played a major role in how the standings look today. That was a big time series sweep for the Cubs. The rest of August will be very interesting in the Central. I can still sense the Reds to flip a switch and get hot again. They just might flip it back in September. The Cubs are playing so good right now. So good. The confidence keeps building in that clubhouse, now that they are just 2.5 games back of the Brewers- they might just continue this scalding hot play. Brewers need to get trending more upwards- mediocre play at this point of the season won't help them keep that division lead. The Cubs are hot and HUNGRY. Both the Brewers and Reds need to kick it in a new gear if they want to clinch a playoff berth.

There is hot, and then there is cold. We have four teams, with two on each spectrum. The Phillies and Mariners are two of the hottest teams in all of baseball, while the Twins and Diamondbacks are the coldest, as both teams are on a choke fest out of the playoffs.

Are the Phillies looking for round two? Like, do these cats enjoy takin' this road to the playoffs? They sure look as if they do. Here we are again, in August and the Philadelphia Phillies are one of the hottest teams in baseball as they are on a hellacious path to the postseason- once again. We remember what happened last season, the Phils' had one of the more special Cinderella runs of all-time. The run ended in a World Series loss, now it looks like they want another crack at destiny. The Phillies have 39 wins in the past 60 games, the second most in the league behind the Braves (40). Phils' now have a 4.5 game cushion in the top Wild Card spot, and now have Trea Turner playing up to his mega-contract that was signed in the off-season. Turner got a kick start from the Phillies' faithful, and the team may follow suite:

The Mariners ARE the hottest club in baseball. Seattle is ridin' a current league high, 8 game winning streak, and have won 13 out of the last 15 games. They went from being possible sellers at the trade-deadline, to being .5 games back of the final Wild Card spot, and 5.5 games back in the AL West. Seattle, like the Phillies, have a special thing going on that has the Mariners' faithful in a buzz. Teams that are as hot as the Phillies and Mariners, are a damn problem in the playoffs. Philadelphia spoke that in testimony, last season. Teams really don't want them to keep winning, cha heard.

The Diamondbacks and Twins are lookin' like straight up choke artist. Arizona being the worst of the two. The Diamondbacks have now dropped 9 games IN A ROW, and are 5-20 since the All-Star break. Manager Torey Lovullo is 22-37 since signing his extension on June 3rd. They are now under .500 and are playing like utter garbage. I can't spend anymore time elaborating their choke job. Just keep losing, we have no interest in seeing the Diamondbacks in the playoffs.

Twins may not be playing as bad as the D-backs. Minny thankfully just swept Arizona- but the Twins just aren't playing like a division leader is the problem. Since the All-Star break, the Twins have only played two series against a playoff contender, and couldn't win either one of them as they lost one of the series and split the other. Both being against the Mariners. They were just swept by the Royals... yes, the Royals & they also just lost 3 games in a 4 game set against the Tigers. Twins have lost 4 in a row and are 5-5 in the last 10.

There may not be a need to freak out regarding the Twins losing their division lead, as the Guardians and Tigers don't seem to be close in contention. However, the Twins need to sharpen things up if they wish to not have a one way ticket home in the first round of the playoffs. The schedule is about to get rowdy on them, time to buckle up and show they are a real contender and not just the leader of the worst division in the sport.

The NL MVP race is somehow a discussion again. The crazy thing? None of that means Ronald Acuna has been on the decline of late. On the contrary- Acuna is playing MVP ball every outing. Freddie Freeman and Acuna's teammate, Matt Olson, are playing out of their minds in attempt to make a case for them to be MVP over Acuna. Yes, they are in fact building a legitimate case.

Matt Olson is absolutely destroying baseballs! Today Olson passed Shohei Ohtani (40) for the most home-runs thus far this season with 42. Olson is currently the HR king, and is also the RBI king as he is up 16 RBIs over second place Adolis Garcia. Olson's .271 batting average (42nd in the league), may hurt his case as it's not as high as Acuna and Freeman- but Olson is the power numbers king. Does owning 2/3 triple crown categories give Olson a case strong enough to compete with the cases of Freeman and Acuna?

For my vote, Olson's case is not strong enough. Advanced stats and stats of value and consistency weigh far more. Olson has been a FORCE at the plate, as he seems to launch a bomb, damn near every game- but a .271 batting average is not MVP worthy. Not when you have the seasons of Freddie Freeman and Ronald Acuna. Sorry Olson, but if I take Acuna off the Braves, the Braves lose far more games than they would if Olson was removed and not Acuna. Acuna is that team's MVP, and has been my league MVP most the season... however! Freeman has a case. Freeman absolutely has a case.

Dodgers' heart and soul, Freddie Freeman is batting .344 to Acuna's .339. That can cancel out. Home-runs go to Acuna. RBIs to Freeman. They are deadlock in hits, Freeman does lead the league in doubles and by a lot. Man, Freeman's case is LOUD right now. The above stats are important, but lets get to the stats that can DECIDE my award vote: advanced stats. Freeman ranks second in OBP and OPS & second in slugging percentage , while Acuna ranks 1st in OBP; fourth in OPS; and third in slugging percentage. Advantage Freeman. I basically have Fred... written on my vote sheet, but we have one last department to hit! Let me erase. Acuna is the league leader in runs and stolen bases, and has been stellar in the field.

It's a tough choice, luckily I have a month more of baseball to help make the decision easier. As of now, Acuna is my NL MVP. Braves are the best team in the league right now. As of today, I have Acuna barely beating out Freeman. Again, month left. This could be one of the more difficult MVP races to choose from in some time. Both players are playing unreal, and don't show any signs of slowing down. I'm pumped to see how both Acuna and Freeman build their case as they have the playoffs on the top of their mind. Competition, baby. Love it.

Diamond report, extra- extra, read all about it! That's a wrap to another report. Keep a sharp eye on the AL West; AL East; and NL Central races. We have a slew of series between playoff contenders starting up, next week. Get that popcorn out, business is about to heat up, yo. I'm pumped. Are you pumped?

Diamond Report

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