Your Weekly Baseball Update From Inside and Outside the Bluegrass State

With no Kentucky Basketball or Football going on at the moment and Major League Baseball in full swing, why not talk about it? But since this is a Kentucky sports website, I have decided to write about MLB teams people from the Bluegrass State would be most interested in; including their records, trades, injuries, and playoff potential. Each Wednesday I will be giving my weekly update until we reach the end of the season - or until any of these teams are eliminated from the playoffs or otherwise terminated at the end of the season. I have also included the three Minor League affiliate teams that reside in the state with a weekly update of how each of those teams is doing in their respective leagues. So let's get to it!

Major League Baseball Teams:

Atlanta Braves (58-39/ 1st Place Division): Despite the Braves dropping two of its last three at the Milwaukee Brewers, they have won four of six, including a series sweep against the Padres in San Diego since the break. The Braves still have a six-game lead for first place in the NL East ahead of the Washington Nationals, and also claim the second-best record in the National League behind only the Dodgers. If I am a Braves fan, the one thing I am worried about is the pitching performance, but with the trade deadline approaching, we could see Atlanta make a push for some relief. Other than that, I'm feeling pretty good going into the second half of the season, especially with how hot the bats have been in Hotlanta since the beginning of June, but they still use the best protection for their equipment, such as Bat Sleeves, which you can find online for this purpose. Chicago Cubs (52-44/ 1st Place Division): As for the Cubs, they have also come out swinging here after the break. The Cubbies completed a three-game sweep over an inter-division opponent in the Pittsburgh Pirates this past weekend, dropped one to the Reds on Monday 6-3, but have beaten the Reds the last two games, including Wednesday, to top off the series. Early this week the Cubs acquired Martin Maldonado from the Kansas City Royals for their World Series champion pitcher Mike Montgomery. The Cubs have a two and a half-game lead over the second-place Brewers, and after that move has won five of its last six games. I'd say the Cubs are in a good position already after the All-Star break. Cincinnati Reds (43-50/ 5th Place Division): The Reds going into the All-Star break looked to be right there with all of the other teams in the NL Central, only 4.5 games back of last place. The Redlegs looked to have gained some series momentum going into the break, putting up an absolute fight in each and every series. Since the beginning of the second half, Cincinnati has already fallen to 7.5 back from first place in only winning two of their last six, with series losses to the Rockies and inter-division Cubs. With Castillo on the mound and Sony Gray giving good pitches, you could only come to the conclusion that it has to be the bats, which doesn't make much sense with some of the power they have in their lineup. Either way, you can only hope that the Reds can somehow climb their way into a Wild Card spot at the end of the season, only because winning the division would be tough. If you want to be optimistic as a Reds fan, keep your fingers crossed for a Wild Card spot. Cleveland Indians (53-40/ 2nd Place Division): As of today, the Indians are slotted into the Wild Card spot behind the Rays. After hosting the All-Star Game at The Jake, the Tribe has dropped two games to the Twins and have so far split with the Tigers, with the series finale against Detriot on Wednesday night. If the Indians can beat Detroit they would be 3-3 since the second half has started. Cleveland is right around the corner from being in first place with the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central. As of right now, they are 4.5 back from doing just that. St. Louis Cardinals (48-46/ 3rd Place Division): So far this season the Cards have been pretty banged up, but are still right there with all of the other teams in the NL Central Division. Since the second-half start, the Cardinals are 4-6 with series wins over the Arizona Diamondbacks and inter-division Pirates. If the Cardinals pitching can heat up and Paul Goldschmidt can do Paul Goldschmidt-like things, I believe the Cardinals could be right there with the Cubs and Brewers for a shot at first place in the NL Central. If all else fails, the Cards are only a half-game back from the Wild Card spot.

Minor League Teams in the Bluegrass and their Second Half Stats:

Bowling Green Hot Rods (Tampa Bay Rays Class - A) - The Hot Rods are 17-7 since the break and are the first-place team in the Midwest League Eastern Division at 3.0 games ahead of the Lake County Captains (Cleveland Indians Affiliate). Lexington Legends (Kansas City Royals Class - AA)- After winning the first half of the season, the Legends have fallen to last place in the South Atlantic League Southern Division with a record of 11-15 at 3.5 games back from first place. Even though the Legends have started the second half off on a bad note, they have already guaranteed themselves a spot in the playoffs by managing a 37-32 record through their first 69 games of the season. Louisville Bats (Cincinnati Reds Class - AAA)- The Louisville Bats are 35-60 on the season and are in dead last place of their division, the International League West. (If there are any other team ideas I should add, leave them in the comments section or on my Twitter.)