Choo!

Cleveland began the season 30-15. Yes, it was a cupcake schedule. They were never destined to keep up that pace. But all they had to do was go five hundred and win a playoff spot with their head-start. Instead they've gone 5-15 since then. And the Verlander took first place from them last night. In that stretch they've played the Red Sox, Rays, Rangers, Yankees and Tigers in quick succession. So they aren't this bad either. 

But Choo looks absolutely awful. 61 games in and he has only 23 RBI and is batting a measly .234 with 5 round-trippers. He has not been a baseball player since his May DUI arrest. And Matt La Porta isn't doing much either beyond his .248 hitting. Getting Travis Hafner won't help much either since the defensively useless DH is arriving just in time for inter-league play. 

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.