Cheese, Beer, and a Supposed Comeback

He was traded for Hunter Pence...then he was traded for Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers...and NOW he's a part of one of the most shockingly good rosters in the game. Except, now that the Cubs have decided that they get to be the ones in 1st.

Welp...

This is a bit of an abrupt narrative shift, as the whole season had the Brewers on top, and now, thanks to a post-ASG-break streak, the Cubs are holding onto first and not letting them back up. This is almost reminiscent of the 2014 season, where the Cubs spent most of the season in first...and then, with a month left to go, the Cardinals nabbed the division and didn't look back.

There are some qualities that make me think that the Brewers aren't going to plunge into nothingness like they did in 2014, one of which being the rise of Domingo Santana to the fold, becoming the hard-hitting outfielder that Ryan Braun hasn't been in years. Plus, the pitching's more complex, with more young arms than they had in 2014, and a strong closer in Corey Knebel. Everyone seems to be on the same page of progression, instead of relying on aging bats (like in 2014).

I'm not sure if the Brewers will end the year in first, but I doubt they're down for the count.

Coming Tonight: Best player in baseball. And he's only 26.

Royal Rumble

Just like that, after a year of inadequacy, after a year of everybody thinking the Kansas City monolith had ended...the Royals are trying to find their way back to the playoffs, and the Wild Card spot is looking relatively obtainable.

I think it's just the fact that last year, the core of the lineup wasn't really on, and a lot of the youth that they'd been secretly trying to set up throughout the 2014 and 2015 teams didn't really pan out (Whit Merrifield notwithstanding). It was also getting to a point where a lot of the core was beginning to age out, including Alex Gordon and Kendrys Morales.

The funny thing is that the Royals didn't really do a ton to fix these structural problems. Their DH is having the same problems Morales was having, with all home runs and no average. Their rotation has the same problems of having a few too many bloated ERA guys. The youth movement mostly got injured this year. And yet, the power of that core that got them to the World Series is plowing them past the Twins, and into 2nd place.

It helps that Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas, the two guys that SI predicted would rule Kansas City back in 2011, are legitimately having the best seasons of their careers, and that newbies like Whit Merrifield and Jorge Bonifacio are lifting the team up.

It's honestly a case of the return of the heavy-hitters of the 2015 squad, like Danny Duffy and Lorenzo Cain, and with Kelvin Herrera doing a great job in the closer's spot. Everybody who was on then is on now, and it's showing.

And the trick is gonna be getting past the Indians, who, while pretty good, aren't as indestructible as they were in their World Series year last year. It'll be interesting to see how it happens, but I'm pulling  for the Royals, hoping they can be the underdog team they were in 2014.

Coming Tomorrow- They may not be in first anymore, but they're not out for the count, especially according to their hard-hitting outfielder.

Well, at Least One Brave is Doing Something Right

I don't even know how to talk about the Braves at this point, because I'm not sure if they're supposed to be classified as 'good' or bad'. Yes, they're far behind the Nationals, and are in the three-team deadlock for second in the NL East, but they still have people like Freddie Freeman and Ender Inciarte, playing really well, and they have finally developed something nice in Mike Foltynewicz. So I have no idea how to talk about them.

I mean, Folty, R.A. Dickey and Julio Teheran are making up this modest little brigade at the top of the rotation, despite the fact that there really isn't a back half. And while Dansby Swanson and Adonis Garcia have underwhelmed again, and as Matt Kemp has landed on the DL, the surprisingly adept roster depth has been saving them, thanks to a nice rookie season from Johan Camargo, some amazing bench work from Kurt Suzuki, and the emerging rookie talent of Ozzie Albies, which will hopefully improve over time.

The main core of the lineup isn't a problem, still, though. Freeman and Inciarte, as well as Matt Adams, Nick Markakis, Brandon Phillips and Tyler Flowers, have all been sharp, bringing momentum to a team that never should have had it in the first place, despite not all being terribly young.

This is a team that might be able to do something great soon if they build off this season. It's unlikely that this 2017 is gonna lead to anything immediately, and it's also unlikely that a majority of the older additions will still be here when the eventual playoff run happens, but some pieces are in place, and the Braves need to stick with them.

Coming Tonight: In 2014, his team came from the depths of third to make the World Series. CAN...THEY...DO IT AGAIN?

Staying Dead

Yep. A guy dabbing on a baseball card. That's the reality we create here at Mint Condition.

To be honest, seeing Roberto Osuna dab on a custom card would be preferable for a lot of people to watching a Toronto Blue Jays game. For once, the team that always pretends to be a contender every year is legitimately staying in last.

The strong core of the team has finally dried up. Jose Bautista is useless this year. The pitching staff is a shell of itself (save for Marcus Stroman). Josh Donaldson's not himself. Russell Martin and Kevin Pillar aren't doing a great deal correctly. There's a nice amount of power coming from guys everybody else counted out, like Steve Pearce, Justin Smoak, Ezequiel Carrera and a not-Edwin-but-still cool Kendrys Morales. But the power can only be so potent when the team's incomplete, and the shell of its former self...which was itself a shell.

I'll give the Jays credit for trying, but the strong core they've been trying to build up with youth for the past 2 years hasn't really been working as well as they would have liked. Right now all the power is coming from a  bunch of guys over thirty, which...used to be the Yankees' thing, but I'm glad we passed it on.

Good news is there's two months left, and it's not really feasible for the Jays to make a playoff run, especially with the stuff happening at the top.

Coming Tomorrow- One of the players in the 'middle of the NL East free-for-all', this one a decent pitcher for a team lacking in it this year.

Not the Dodgers, but Not Out

Now back to the middle of the NL West, where even if it seems like all hope is lost, there's still hope for a team like the Colorado Rockies...so long as they can occasionally let their pitchers play in places other than Coors Field.

This is a fantastic year for them, in that the lineup is consistently great, and there's a ton of depth and promise in there, especially with the addition of Jonathan Lucroy to the fold. Plus, for the first time since 2007 there's a pitching staff that has legitimate talent and power across the board...that, yes, would do better with some lower ERAs, but it's Colorado.

The challenge, yet again, is to make the playoffs despite the Dodgers in first and the D-Backs in second. Being that the picture hasn't really changed, just...honestly for the worse for everyone who isn't the Dodgers, the situation's grown more dire. It's going to be tough for the Rockies to stay in this spot for 2 more months, without challengers like the Brewers and Pirates facing them off for the WC spots. It's even tougher, considering that the Diamondbacks are arguably better than they are, and arguably have a better playoff case.

So, once again, this is gonna go to a few divisional battles to see who actually deserves the playoffs. Until then, the scuffle continues.

Coming Tonight: The closer for a team that's usually pretending they're contenders at this point in the year, but have decided to stay in 5th for once.

Don't Stop Now

How Will the Astros Be Without Carlos Correa and George Springer? Well, this month we sure are finding out.

No doubt that those two players were responsible for a great deal of the momentum, but it's easy to get worried when both of them are on the DL. Yes, this is an amazing team with a ton of depth, but even the best of teams can be hopeless without its core stars.

Luckily Jose Altuve is still having a career year (I swear, if he doesn't get his MVP this year, the game's flawed), and Dallas Keuchel is back to absolutely MURDERING batters on the mound. Alex Bregman has FINALLY come around and is having a great season. The trio of new blood, including Carlos Beltran, Josh Reddick and Brian McCann, isn't doing half bad, with an emphasis on the revitalization of Josh Reddick. When even Mike Fiers and Charlie Morton are doing well for you, you know the momentum's on fire. Plus, the arrival of people like Marwin Gonzalez and Derek Fisher into the fold, guys that can play multiple positions and still hit well, bode well for this period of time without Springer and Correa.

This season's heading to a quick endgame, and someone's going to have to combat the inevitability of the Dodgers winning. In a perfect world, the Astros can do that. I know it's never likely that the top two teams will make it all the way to the end, but the Astros aren't giving me many reasons why not right now.

Coming Tomorrow- They may be in third place, but they're hugging the NL Wild Card like nobody else in baseball. Unfortunately, 'somebody else in baseball' is in 2nd place in their division.

Not in the Cards

The Cardinals are still in third place in the NL Central. This seems to be a theme with them.

i'll give the Cardinals credit for having the exact opposite problem from everyone else- they have a fantastic pitching rotation, and nobody who's willing to hit. Yeah, infield's great, fielding is fine, but there's been a shortage of real bats, as a number of guys are only hitting 14 home runs and only one starter has a +.300 average (and it's Tommy Pham).

Unlike most years, where the Cards have at least been competitive, we're dealing with a relatively inconsequential Cardinals team, one with a youth movement that's trying to emerge, and a core that's beginning to get too rusty. And finding a middle ground between those two components has become difficult for them.

Plus, the Cubs and Brewers have a ton more going for them than the Cards do. So they're kind of fighting a losing battle this year, regardless.

Coming Tomorrow: An outfielder for the still-unbelievable Houston Astros.