20 To Go

Now it is getting serious. During the past two weeks there has been some separation.

Here are the odds on the teams in contention making the playoffs:

American League

Houston Astros 100.0%
Cleveland Indians 100.0%
Boston Red Sox 100.0%
New York Yankees 87.8%
Minnesota Twins 51.5%
Los Angeles Angels 20.5%
Texas Rangers 9.9%
Seattle Mariners 8.1%
Kansas City Royals 7.5%
Baltimore Orioles 5.9%
Tampa Bay Rays 3.3%

National League

LA Dodgers 100.0%
Washington Nats 100.0%
Arizona D’Backs 99.8%
Chicago Cubs 89.3%
Colorado Rockies 76.8%
St. Louis Cardinals 11.4%
Milwaukee Brewers 7.2%
Miami Marlins 0.1%

The Central Divisions in MLB have taken a big turn in the past two weeks. In the American League, Cleveland, with a remarkable 17 game winning streak through Saturday, broke out of a close situation and now has a 100% chance of making the playoffs. The Yankees and Twins appear to be the two other teams that will make the wild card. In the National League, the D’Back’s have virtually secured a spot in the playoffs. And while it appears the Rockies at this point are the favorite for the final spot, the Cards and Brewers are technically still in the hunt. And the reason is that the Brewers still play the Cubs 5 more games and the Cards in a season final three game series. And, the Cards still have seven games against the Cubs plus that final 3 games series against the Brewers.

If, and that is a huge word, the Cards and Brewers sweep the Cubs, the last series of the season will be one for the ages.

What is the worst team to make the playoffs?

There is little question that the Los Angeles Dodgers are one awful, painstaking mental drop, losing 16 out of the past 17 games. They are losing to everybody as the Brewers began the slide and the D’Backs and Rockies continued the slide. Can this team regroup mentally? Or will that spook of a thought, (are we good enough to do this?), sneak into their brains. Frankly, it does not appear as though they have either the pitching or the hitting to go far in the playoffs.

Now there are only 20 to go. How will you team fare?

#watchingattanasio⚾️

For Milwaukee Brewers game-by-game for the entire season, go to:https://www.facebook.com/Overtheshouldermlb/

Fort Simcoe Go Boom

At the junction of Highway 3 and Highway 24, due south of Brantford, Simcoe, Ontario, in 1983, an April Fools gag was pulled on the Milwaukee Brewers. John Berton Axford was born. This is the same town where famed Los Angeles Kings hockey star, Rob Blake was born. In fact, a gaggle of hockey players come from Simcoe. Jassen Cullimore, Hall of Famer Red Kelly, Andrew Penner, Dwayne Roloson, Ryan VandenBussche and Rick Wamsley all called Simcoe home.

Maybe Axford should have stayed with hockey. After a wonderful first and second year, everything has been crashing down. So far through Wednesday this year, ‘Boom Boom’ Axford has given up 6 home runs in 11 1/3^rd innings.

Momma’s of Simcoe, don’t let your boys grow up to be baseball pitchers.

On Friday, during the second game with their biggest rivals, the Brewers lost for the third straight game. Axford came in for one inning and retired the side. However, on Sunday, when mopping up and the fifth straight loss at hand, the man from Simcoe allowed two hits, walked two, had an earned run and left after 1/3^rd of an inning with the bases loaded. For those interested, that’s a WHIP of 12.00 and an ERA of 27.00. It was not a week to remember.

Momma’s of Simcoe, your boy went boom.

Al Hrabosky, a former St. Louis relief pitcher known as ‘The Mad Hungarian’ once said, “When I’m on the road, my greatest ambition is to get a standing boo.”

For the good citizens of Milwaukee, these are trying days and it is getting harder and harder not to rain down boos upon the fellow from Simcoe. Their once electric closer now has an ERA of 9.95 with no saves for the year and a WHIP of 1.97 all in 12.2 innings pitched. It’s time he visits Nashville and tries to get the kinks out of his mechanics. If not, the risk Roenicke takes the next time he signals in the ‘Sieve from Simcoe’ is loss of confidence in his leadership. ‘The Sieve’ is creating a cancer on the pitching staff. How can Henderson and the rest of the pen build trust in their existence?

Fort Simcoe go boom.

Play Ball!