Heading Into Baseball's Second Half

 

We've passed the mid-way point in the baseball season. The All-Star Game break always seems like the half-way point, but in reality it was a bit past that.

Milwaukee's Brewers hit the break at 49-42 -- 91 games, while 81 would be half-way. Still, that's a good place to be. And coming out of the break with a pair of shutout wins over Cincinnati's Reds is an even better start.

In fact, beating the Reds1-0 to head into the All-Star break, then again1-0 to open the second half was the first time in franchise history that the Brewers had won back-to-back 1-0 games. Add in Saturday's 3-0 victory and you can see that this squad has some serious pitching. Completing the sweep with a come-from-behind win yesterday gave the Brewers a two-game lead in the NL Central standings.

What has helped Milwaukee is the resurgence of Christian Yelich. After shattering his kneecap with a foul ball back in September of 2019, it has taken this long for Yelie to get his groove back. He's currently hitting .286 with 14 home runs and 49 RBI (not bad for a lead-off hitter). Yelich has been on f a tear since May after early season struggles. I'll take this average all day long.

Now, if a few other bats can start to heat up, it will make for an interesting second half. Especially if the front office can find a full-time firstbaseman to fill the gap left by the most recent injury to Rowdy Tellez. Heading down to see then play the Reds in a couple of weeks. Will give you an in-person scouting report then.

The best part of the season, though, is seeing those pesky St. Louis Cardinals roosting in last place, 11 games or so out of first. Don't be surprised if they start trading away pieces. Meanwhile, those Oakland/Las Vegas A's are turning their squad into a Triple A club while sitting at 25-70! Come on boys, you can set the futility record for losses.

One of the pluses that has come out of the rule changes in baseball has been length of game. When the Brewers won 1-0 heading into the break, it only took 2 hours and 4 minutes. That time was bested the same day by the San Francisco Giants, who only took 1 hour and 56 minutes to post a 1-0 win. Pitch clocks, no defensive shifts and the like add up to a quicker game. Nothing wrong with that.

We're just days away from the Green Bay Packers heading into training camp and the official start of the LoveFest in Green Bay. After 30 years of quarterbacking from a pair of Hall of Famers, the Packers will be led by Jordan Love.

Their schedule is only 24th in the league on opponent strength of schedule. They have three short weeks, which is a lot, but less punishing when your starting quarterback is under 25.

Had to laugh when I saw this on the wire, that a doctors' group that promotes plant based eating and animal rights was making a big fuss over a summer college baseball team named Macon Bacon.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine sent a letter urging the team to change it's name. The group has also sponsored a billboard imploring Macon fans to "keep bacon off your plate."

Geez. Lost your sense of humor down there in Georgia?