Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Weekend in MLB: Mookie, Yankees and More

By David A. Avila

With Memorial Day in sight six ball clubs seem to be in control of their respective divisions with the New York Mets and New York Yankees leading the way. Still, it’s far too early to assume it will stay that way.

Los Angeles Dodgers regained their place at the top after last year’s second place finish and the Milwaukee Brewers remain strong in the weak Central Division. The Mets were leading last year at this time and then disappeared as if dropped into the Hudson River with cement boots.

Will the Mets remain strong or sink like the Bismarck?

As the weather warms, historically the Dodgers heat up and with Freddie Freeman hitting behind Mookie Betts the team from Chavez Ravine has already started quickly.

Betts has bashed 12 homers as of press time and leads the Major Leagues in runs scored with 47. During the past two weeks the former AL MVP has been on tear that saw him belt two homers in one game against Arizona followed by another game that led to the Dodgers erupting for 24 hits.

Not to be ignored, Freeman belted a homer with Betts on base and hit doubles in the gap. Together they pose a one-two punch that is as potent as any seen before. Think Cincinnati Reds with Pete Rose and Joe Morgan or Milwaukee Brewers combo of Paul Molitor and Robin Yount.

With Freeman hitting above .300 and Betts getting on base and slugging homers the Dodgers one-two combination puts immediate fear and apprehension every single game. It’s a primary reason the Los Angeles team leads the NL in runs scored at 250. Second is the San Francisco Giants at 223. The other high scoring teams are the New York Mets with 222 runs and the Los Angeles Angels with 217.

The Dodgers also lead the Major Leagues with a team OPS .769. despite having only 50 homers. Next in line is the Giants with .739 OPS and 52 homers as a team. Leading all MLB teams in homers is the New York Yankees with 63 followed by the Angels with 60.

Pitching

The Los Angeles Dodgers lead the Major Leagues in pitching with a team 2.69 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. Opponents are batting only .215 against Dodger pitchers who also lead the NL in that category.

Surprisingly the Angels lead the AL and Major Leagues with opponents batting only .214 against their pitching staff. It’s a remarkable turnaround so far for the team that has lacked pitching for numerous years. This year with the additions of Noah Syndergaard and Michael Lorenzen the Angels have enough umph to add to their potent hitting attack led by Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani.

Summer’s Coming

A few teams have key members expected to arrive in the summer months with the San Diego Padres waiting for Fernando Tatis Jr. at the top of their list. Despite his absence for the first three months of the season the Padres are right on the Dodgers tail and ahead of the Giants.

One reason has been the explosion of hitting by Manny Machado who has remained on fire since the beginning of the season. He currently leads the NL in hitting with a .360 batting average. He also leads in OPS with 1.027 that leads the NL too. Add a revitalized Eric Hosmer who’s sporting a .331 batting average and .856 OPS and you can understand how the Padres are keeping pace offensively.

Imagine a team with Tatis and Machado now.

New York strong

Both New York teams lead their respective divisions with the Yankees leading the AL East by 6.5 games over the second place Tampa Bay Rays and the Mets leading the NL East by 7.5 games over the second place Atlanta Braves. Its only Memorial Day weekend but still interesting to note.

Last year the Mets led their division too and that was with Jacob DeGrom active and pitching. Once he was injured the team fell apart. This year, they have never had DeGrom able to pitch a single inning yet lead their division by a large margin over last year’s World Series champion Braves. Once DeGrom returns that could spell trouble for not only the division but all future opponents.

The Yankees have coalesced under the steady power supply provided by Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton who is now on the injured list. But their pitching has improved remarkably with the addition of Nestor Cortez.

Cortez doesn’t fire 100 mph fastballs but dazzles with an array of pitches including a devastating changeup that keeps the Yankees in every game. The Cuban-born southpaw has been a wonderful addition to the Bronx team and has a 1.70 ERA and 0.85 WHIP. Add Gerrit Cole, Luis Severino and Jameson Taillon and the Yankees are a serious threat to run away with the division if healthy.