It was a good April in the A.
To paraphrase T.S Eliot, April can be kinda rough. In MLB, April can tell the truth about teams, setting the tone for the next five months of baseball. We’ve had some positive surprises, but for some teams we’ve already had some of the worst fears play out.
Mixing memory and desire: The Yankees finished April at 20-11, with the best record in the American League. Starting pitching has been lights-out. Cam Schlittler is second in the AL in ERA, and Max Fried is ninth. And the rotation will soon get two All-Stars back in Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón. In the NL, the Braves have the best record in baseball at 22-10 and a 6.5-game division lead. Their team ERA is just .01 behind the Yankees for the best in baseball, and they lead the majors in runs scored. We’re not going to talk about the Dodgers doing what they do, but worth noting that their SoCal rivals the Padres are sitting at 19-11, despite their stars not really hitting yet. Depth and a shutdown bullpen have been carrying the load.
Breeding lilacs out of the dead land: The NL Central, which was a preseason favorite for the worst division in baseball, somehow consists of five teams at .500 or better. The Reds have the same record as the New York Yankees. The Cubs have already posted a 10-game win streak. The Pirates have been hoisting the cone.
Stirring dull roots with spring rain: The Red Sox fired Alex Cora (and just about everyone else) for what the roster was doing. The Red Sox are 12-19 with a Triple-A manager running the show. The Phillies fired Rob Thomson at 9-19 and handed the job to Donnie Baseball, who has them on a three-game win streak since taking over. The Mets have been Metsing, somehow 11.5 games out of first place on May 1st with one of the largest payrolls in the game.
