MLB: Midseason grades for all 30 teams
Arizona Diamondbacks: F
The Diamondbacks entered the season with high hopes of a playoff run. By the end of April, those hopes were dashed when they stood at 9-22.
Their numbers are pretty ugly. They are 21st in MLB in scoring. They are 27th in runs allowed. They are 28th in run differential.
Their offense is pretty much Paul Goldschmidt. He leads the team in on-base percentage, slugging, hits, OPS, homers and RBI. I heard he also prepares the team dinner as well.
The team hired Tony LaRussa as its baseball czar, so expect a complete overhaul by the end of the season. The team needs to go in a different direction, and LaRussa will move them there.
Atlanta Braves: B-
Things were looking bleak for the Atlanta Braves before the season started. They lost Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy to Tommy John surgery. The defending NL East champs looked to be on the ropes before the first pitch was thrown.
In spite of their pitching injuries, however, the Braves have kept pace with the Washington Nationals. They have done so with their pitching. They are sixth in the league in runs allowed and fifth in ERA.
Atlanta’s offense has struggled. They are below average in runs scored, batting average, OBP, OPS and slugging. The pitching cannot be asked to continue to shoulder the weight of the team’s playoff aspirations. The offense must step up and score some runs to help the pitching or the Braves will miss the playoffs.
Baltimore Orioles: B
The Orioles lost catcher Matt Wieters to a season-ending elbow injury. Manny Machado had his season debut delayed due to injuries, then had a suspension because he went nuts for a week. Chris Davis has missed time due to injuries.
Through it all, however, they are in first place in the tough AL East.
The Orioles’ offense has set the pace for them. They are fourth in the league in batting average and tenth in the league in runs scored. In the important run differential category where normally the top eight (now ten) teams in that categories are usually playoff teams, the Orioles rank eighth.
Their pitching will have to step up for the Orioles to continue their winning ways. Bud Norris has been the only consistently good starter, so the others must step up. Ubaldo Jimenez is on the disabled list with an ankle injury, so his signing has not panned out so far. A trade deadline deal may be needed for the Orioles to continue their playoff push.