Losers of the Week

During our unofficial hiatus, some teams began their June slide. The Cubs and Athletics have lost seven straight. The Marlins lost five in a row. And the Indians, having dropped five slid behind the Yankees in their winning percentage and gave the recovering Texas Rangers a new season. 

The Cubs and A's were unlikely candidates in their divisions despite the new age of parity in baseball. But the next week or so should be a good indicator of whether the Tribe can stay ahead of the Tigers or whether this was all an early season illusion. They have two more against the Twins, then a four-game series in the Bronx, followed immediately by a series in Detroit. 

The Indians' left-handed heavy lineup is struggling against left-handed pitchers. They will be missing Travis Hafner and the .345 batting average at the time of his departure. He may only make it back in time when the Indians begin Inter-league play and lose their DH.