Just where has all the offense gone?
Baseball writer Tom Verducci from SI.com had an interesting article Wednesday with numbers that confirmed what my eyes have been telling me all season: Offense is way, way down in the American League. Historically down.
Verducci pointed out that home runs and runs have reached their lowest levels in the A.L. since 1992. Runs are down 8 percent over last season; home runs are down 20 percent. The league's collective batting average had slid into the .250s by midweek.
Another interesting fact: The top 11 ERAs in the league have been posted by pitchers in their 20s.
The surprising 11: Cleveland's Cliff Lee and Fausto Carmona, the White Sox John Danks and Gavin Floyd, the Angels' Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana, Toronto's Shawn Marcum, Oakland's Greg Smith, Kansas City's Zach Greinke and Tampa Bay's James Shields.
Now many household names in that group, huh?
Given the power outage, one of two things must be true: Either the sluggers in the American League are all losing it at once, or the infusion of young pitching has changed the complexion of the league for good.
This will be a storyline to follow as interleague play heats up in June. Will the anemic American League offenses get well when they face National League pitching? Or will they continue to slump?
Speaking of offense
Through Friday, the White Sox were 20-10 in games in which they have hit at least one home run. They were 1-10 in games where they did not homer.
The Sox picked up their first homerless victory of the season Thursday when they knocked off the Angels 4-3 in Anaheim.
Without a doubt, the Sox need the long ball to score runs. That's an ominous sign for fans who recall the frustration of the "Home Run or Nothing" Jerry Manuel era from 1998-2003.
But there is good news for my fellow South Side fans. The club has kept its head above water during a stretch of the season where it has had to endure difficult travel and miserable spring Chicago weather.
Counting Sunday's game in San Francisco, the Sox have played 27 of their first 43 games on the road. In addition, there have already been six home dates where the game has been delayed, suspended or postponed due to rain.
But starting Tuesday, the Sox will play 31 of their next 44 games within the city limits of Chicago, including an interleague series at Wrigley Field against the Cubs.
If those tired-looking bats can wake up during the next six weeks, the Sox can stay in the hunt in the underachieving A.L. Central.
Jim Edmonds? Seriously?
Does anyone else think Jim Edmonds looks a little strange in a Cubs' uniform? It is like someone opened a portal to an alternate universe. Whether Edmonds succeeds or fails on the North Side, I will always think of him as a Cardinal.
Most of the talk surrounding that acquisition has centered on the icy relationship between Edmonds and pitcher Carlos Zambrano. Frankly, this soap opera garbage is irrelevant. The only thing that matters is whether Edmonds can still play.
On that point, color me skeptical. Edmonds' production has declined for four consecutive seasons. The last-place San Diego Padres can't hit a lick. They are desperate for offense, yet they had no qualms about releasing Edmonds and his "big left-handed bat."
I don't know why the Cubs don't stick with Felix Pie in center field. With the production that club is getting from the middle of the order, it can afford to carry the struggling
youngster and try to harness his talent.
Sending Pie back to Des Moines does nothing for his career. He has already proven he can hit over .300 in triple-A. Pie needs to learn to hit major-league pitching. The only way to do that is to face major-league pitchers.
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