Tales of Two Teams

Have the Kazoos tanked due to the Pujols for Utley/Pence trade? How about because Johan was not traded? Doubtful, in both cases, though the protectable player for star player trades made by other teams could be a factor at some point.

Was it because Clay Buchholz had a bad day? Were minor injuries to Alexei Ramirez and Willy Taveras a reason points were lost? Was loss of playing time for Adam LaRoche a factor, what with all the airplane rides this week? Yes, the little stuff can add up. Today, there was more performance from my bench than from my starters. (Until now, the Bazookas have had no bench.)

Ultimately, the team is just as strong as before, and the points that were lost quickly can be gained quickly. The Kazoos have actually been quite fortunate. No hard to replace players have been lost to injuries.

And, MLB trades helped the team. Ryan Garko, Adam LaRoche and Edwin Encarnacian are middle of the order bats on their new teams. Lastings Milledge, now batting second, becomes an every day Pirate. The light is at the end of the tunnel. The dawn comes after the darkness. Watch out, league. The Bazookas are more loaded than ever.
So, with more middle of the order players at the outfield positions, the R and RBI points can be gained back. The starting pitchers are capable of lowering their WHIP and ERA to be more in line with the wins that they have consistently provided. Shutouts and saves can come in bunches.

What of the Kazoos? The Yahoo team has been in first for two weeks. They might hang on, might not. Pitching is the issue. Hitting is not in question.