Here are two customs that it really shouldn't have taken me til August to make. I know. I have my reasons.
In the case of Yoshinobu Yamamoto's, I was being a little selfish. Last year I made Yamamoto's custom in March as one of the earlier ones of the season, and I didn't want to do him really early two years in a row, even as he went off to a great start in April. Then as he stayed strong in the first half, I went towards more pressing subjects, like Freeman and Ohtani. And for the last couple months I'd just assumed I'd done one already. So now I am posting a Yoshinobu Yamamoto custom in mid-August...where his ERA is closer to 3, his record is closer to even and many more pitchers have lapped him for the Cy Young conversation. Yamamoto's still having a great season, and he's been one of the most consistent starters for the Dodgers, but you can also see that he's not perfect, and has his human moments. Less of them than other Dodgers starters thankfully, but they're still there.
Matt Boyd, meanwhile, was just the victim of a really strong year for Cubs players. Every week I'd have someone that was just a little more pressing as a custom subject, like Carson Kelly as he vied for an ASG spot, or Shota Imanaga as he went on a strong stretch, or Michael Busch as he kept hammering homers. Boyd was always having a strong year, going 11-6 with a 2.46 ERA in 24 games, but as a 34-year-old starter in a field of much stronger, and younger, players, I was waiting for the downturn. It hasn't happened yet, though, and Boyd has been a very strong presence for this rotation in a year without Kyle Hendricks or Justin Steele.
Ultimately, my sporadic schedule, and my other preferences in making customs, have left these two here. A moment where both their teams really aren't as exciting as they were months ago.
The Dodgers are in first place, and have a slight leg up on the Padres, but you're seeing the wheels beginning to come off. Monday night they blew a game to the Rockies thanks to Teoscar Hernandez misplaying a ball, and Mookie Betts doesn't want to move back to the outfield despite his superior defense there. They've lost Muncy again, as well as Edman and Kim, and the bulk of their bullpen is hurt, meaning Blake Treinen, Anthony Banda and Ben Casparius are working overtime. It's very good that Glasnow and Snell are back, and thriving, but there's still chunks of this team missing, and they're trying to 'but we're the Dodgers' their way to 1st anyway. I think there's still an outside chance that it can be done, but the Padres are gonna have more opportunities to knock them off their pedestal, and they won't all be missed.
The Cubs, meanwhile, have resigned themselves to the fact that they're not gonna finish in first this year, and now have shifted to making sure they still make the playoffs. Right now that's very doable, as they've won 70 games, and just took two games of a doubleheader from the all-too-ferocious Brewers. But they're still contending with a recent Kyle Tucker slump, a recent PCA slump, and the potential of an injury to Cade Horton, their newest rookie wunderkind. Getting Javier Assad and Jameson Taillon back, in decent quality, is a good thing. And seeing the bats pick up has also helped, especially in divisional games. The Cubs still will factor into this season's big picture, and I'm still thinking they'll break into the postseason for the first time with this squad.
At the very least both these customs could post while these teams are still regarded as good. Who knows how long that'll last?
Coming Tonight: A reliever for a good team that no one has been able to hit...til very recently.
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