The Sports Scene

The Lineup

The Brewers’ lineup could be the best in the division this year. SS J.J. Hardy is coming off a breakout season (.277, 26 HR, 80 RBI in 2007) and is a great top of the lineup hitter. 2007 NL Rookie of the Year Ryan Braun has moved to left field, and he and MVP Candidate Prince Fielder are the best 3-4 hitters under 25 in the game. With the signing of CF Mike Cameron (.242, 21 HR, 78 RBI in 2007), Bill Hall moves back to the infield at 3B and is looking for a bounce back year. Jason Kendall brings stability at the catcher position, and slightly more offense than Johnny Estrada.

The Pitching:

Ben Sheets and prospect Yovani Gallardo will anchor this pitching staff. Both must stay healthy, however, for the Brewers to make the postseason. Behind them, veterans Dave Bush, Jeff Suppan, and Chris Capuano are decent pitchers and should be fine. In the bullpen, the Brewers sign Eric Gagne from free agency. We’ll see if Gagne has gotten over the Mitchell Report and if he can regain his dominant form he had last season in Texas before being traded to Boston.

The Key

The key once again this year is the bullpen. The Brewers struggled keeping leads during the stretch last season so Guillermo Mota, Solomon Torres, Derrick Turnbow, and Gagne must protect games this year for the Brewers to win the division.

The Lineup

Brian Roberts or not, this lineup is solid. With the returning pieces of LF Alfonso Soriano, SS Ryan Theriot (.266, 3 HR, 45 RBI in 2007), 1B Derek Lee, 3B Aramis Ramirez, and 2B Mark DeRosa and the addition of Japanese sensation RF Kosuke Fukudome, balls will be flying out of Wrigley at a rapid pace this year. As great the 1 through 6 guys are, the bottom of the lineup is unproven as CF Felix Pie and C Geovany Soto are out to prove that they belong in the majors.

The Pitching

This pitching improved last season and should be okay. Ace Carlos Zambrano and all the baggage that comes with him needs to lead this staff, with southpaws Ted Lilly and Rich Hill (11-8, 3.92 ERA in 2007), and veterans Jason Marquis, and Jon Lieber behind him. Young, ecstatic Carlos Marmol (5-1, 1.43 ERA, 1 SV) should be a solid closer if he can seize the job.

The Key

As with any team with potential postseason hopes, the key is the pitching. If Marquis, Lieber, and Marmol can produce for the Cubbies, I think they can make the playoffs.

3. Cincinnati Reds

The Lineup

The Reds didn’t add much in the off season as far as the lineup concerns. 2B Brandon Phillips (.288, 30 HR, 94 RBI in 2007) and Scott Hatteberg (.310, 10 HR, 47 RBI in 2007) are coming off their best seasons and makeup the right side of the infield. Corner outfielders Ken Griffey, Jr. and Adam Dunn bring power as well as veteran leadership to a young team. David Ross will bring a veteran presence to catcher, but will struggle in this potent lineup.

The Pitching:

Ace Aaron Harang is one of the most underrated players in all of baseball and leads Dusty Bakers’ rotation. Veterans Bronson Arroyo, Josh Fogg, and Jeremy Affeldt are solid, while 21 year old phenom Homer Bailey looks to prove he belongs in the major leagues. In the pen, Francisco Cordero (0-4, 2.98 ERA, 44 SV in 2007) allows David Weathers to move back to being a setup man.

The Key

This Reds’ team may be the most improved in MLB this season. However, the veterans on this team must produce to inspire the young guys like Bailey and 3B Edwin Encarnacion to do so as well. Cincy can make a wildcard push this season, something that hasn’t happened in a long time.

4. Houston Astros

The Lineup

This is the Astros’ best lineup since 2004, and there is no question about it. New General Manager Ed Wade has added many new faces to the lineup this season, including CF Michael Bourn who should bring needed speed to the top of the lineup. New SS Miguel Tejada (.296, 18 HR, 81 RBI in 2007) looks to put the Mitchell Report behind him and take advantage of the hitter-friendly Minute Maid Park. Young catcher J.R. Towles is an upgrade over Brad Ausmus as he showed promise last September. Then, of course, is the heart of the lineup, with 1B Lance Berkman looking for a bounce back year, LF Carlos Lee, RF Hunter Pence (.322, 17 HR, 69 RBI in 2007), and 3B Ty Wigginton. Overall, expect a lot of runs scored this year in Houston.

The Pitching

Sigh. That’s all I can say about my hometown team’s pitching. Behind ace Roy Oswalt, the Astros have a bunch of number four and five starters. Brandon Backe hopes to have an injury-free year, while Woody Williams is coming off his worst season. Lefty Wandy Rodriguez (9-13, 4.58 ERA in 2007) was a decent pitcher at times last year, but is very inconsistent . Jose Valvarde is an upgrade over Brad Lidge at closer, but needs to prove that last season was not a fluke.

The Key

This lineup will score a ton of runs this year. But the pitching looks awful and unless the Astros hope to win every game 8-7 this year, Houston is looking at another disappointing season.

5. St. Louis Cardinals

The Lineup

The Cards got rid of franchise players Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds, breaking up most of the World Series team of 2006. 1B Albert Pujols, LF Chris Duncan, and 3B Troy Glaus must carry the offense as the rest of the lineup looks weak. The outfield of Duncan, Rick Ankiel, and Skip Schumaker may be the weakest in the divison. SS Cesar Izturis is out to prove that he has anything left, while C Yadier Molina (.275, 6 HR, 40 RBI in 2007) may turn out to be the fourth best hitter in this puny lineup.

The Pitching

With ace Chris Carpenter out until the all-star break and Mark Mulder still battling injury problems, this pitching staff may have a long year. Adam Wainwright and Braden Looper made successful transitions from the bullpen to being starters last season, but are not top of the rotation type pitchers. Veteran Joel Pineiro is coming off a decent season, but Kyle Lohse, Anthony Reyes, and Matt Clement are not impressive pitchers coming off bad years. Jason Isringhausen is good closer, but how many opportunities will he get?

The Key

This team is clearly rebuilding and have a lot of players that look washed up. If any of these “washed up” players shows something in 2008, it’s a plus for the Redbirds.

6. Pittsburgh Pirates

The Lineup

This lineup didn’t change much over winter, with the same average players. LF Jason Bay is coming off a bad year, while 2B Freddy Sanchez (.304, 11 HR, 81 RBI in 2007) and 1B Adam LaRoche are coming off great seasons. All three must produce consistently for the Pirates. 3B Jose Bautista, SS Jack Wilson, and RF Xavier Nady are average to bad, while CF Nyjer Morgan and C Ronny Paulino are unproven major league hitters.

The Pitching

The pitching shows promise, if anything. Their best starter is righty Ian Snell (9-12, 3.76 ERA in 2007) who hopes to improve. Behind him are lefties Tom Gorzelanny, Paul Maholm, and Zach Duke, all who have shown glimpses of their potential, but have been inconsistent. At the end of the rotation is washed up righty Matt Morris, who they acquired in a stupid trade at the deadline last year. Closing for the Bucs this year is young, hard throwing Matt Capps, who replaces an inadequate Solomon Torres.

The Key

The key is for all the unproven young players to produce this season. Otherwise, the Pirates will have their 16^th straight losing season.