You Cannot Win a Pennant in April
Betting MLB
Baseball season extends out from April to September. The longest season of any team sport allows teams and players to look bad or look good. It really matters how a team plays in the middle and end of the season that counts.
There is an old baseball saying that you cannot win a pennant in April, but you can certainly lose it !
April is a fickle month for good teams to under perform while mediocre teams look like winners. Teams and players will adjust to their talent level as the long season will reveal who will climb and drop in the standings. It is to early in the season to forecast which teams will surprise or disappoint. But some teams with talent and high expectations are not doing their job and their poor performance is alarming their fans who want a post season berth. You cannot expect teams to push the panic button yet since a month long slump in April can turn things to winning in May and beyond. Can these teams turn things around next month.
The KC Royals were the 2015 world champions but last year they finished at 81 wins and 81 losses. They lack a potent scoring offense but provide good pitching and top defense. The Royals team batting average is below 200 and they lack run production. If their pitching and bullpen cannot carry the team, look for the Royals to finish in the middle of the pack.
The Seattle Mariners were supposed to be the team to watch in the West but that optimism has subsided a little. The offensive is not hitting and the bullpen is not getting outs. Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz are not producing at the plate with below 200 averages. The bullpen lost a six run lead in the ninth inning to the LA Angels. The Mariners do not show much stamina to move forward but the season is early.
However, overvalued teams can lose their edge and confidence early on and only play 500 ball.
The St. Louis Cardinals are stuck in the cellar of the National League Central Division due to poor hitting, lack of power and average pitching. The pitching rotation is inconsistent and their relievers have not closed out games. Their 307 team slugging percentage is ranked last in the National League. The Cardinals are usually a playoff team but they need to get through April and start performing with the talent they have to reach the post season. They need some ignition from the lineup or they will not move forward and be a 500 ball club. Their potential now is on paper and not on the field.
The old saying about not winning a pennant in April is more significant in the American League East. One of the better divisions in baseball and it is very necessary for teams to play good ball or they are done. The last place Toronto Blue Jays should be very concerned with their awful start and last place dwelling.
Their lineup is not hitting and run production is way down. Troy Tulowitzki and Jose Bautista, the Jays top hitters, are hitting around 200 and no power. Josh Donaldson, their power hitter, is hampered by injury. It is not likely these talented hitters will continue to slump but they are putting the Jays in a big hole early with their 30 runs scored near the bottom of the American League. Winning in their division against the Boston Red Sox, the red hot NY Yankees and the division leader Baltimore is no small task.
Look for the Jays to score much more with good pitching ahead but their fate might already be sealed with April being their worst month ever.
