August appraisal: Cubs, Pirates, Mets among top storylines
What a month -- and it isn't even over.
We began August trying to adjust our eyes when we saw Troy Tulowitzki and Cole Hamels, among others, in new uniforms. And as we usher in the final few days before September, we are trying to put a jumbled playoff picture into focus.
The most surprising storylines that have developed along the way:
The NL Central: How ridiculous have the top three teams in the division been in August? Consider that the Chicago Cubs are a major league-leading 17-4 this month but have gained only four games on the division-leading St. Louis Cardinals. And at 15-6 this month, the Pittsburgh Pirates have shaved off only two games. Heck, at only 13-8, the Cardinals look like slackers, despite having the majors' seventh-best winning percentage (.619) in August. The Pirates and Cubs would lead any other division in the majors except the AL Central, and even that margin is shrinking.
Mets mashing: Prior to Aug. 1, the New York Mets ranked last in the majors with 3.54 runs per game, a .662 OPS and a .234 batting average, and 29th with a .363 slugging percentage and .299 on-base percentage. Since Aug. 1, the Mets are first in the majors with a .510 slugging percentage, second with 6.24 runs per game and a .846 OPS, fourth with a .337 on-base percentage, and fifth with a .277 batting average. The addition of Yoenis Cepedes has helped, as have seven games (all wins, three at Coors Field) against the Colorado Rockies. But the hot hitting has been contagious. So much so that David Wright homered in his first at-bat after coming off the DL.
Nationals/Angels: When the calendar flipped to August, the Washington Nationals had a two-game lead over the Mets in the NL East. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Angels trailed the Houston Astros by two games in the AL West but had a two-game lead for the first wild-card. Washington now trails New York by 5½ games and is out of the NL wild-card chase, and LA is five games behind Houston in the division but alive in the crowded AL wild-card picture. The reasons for each team's collapse are myriad, but the only teams with more losses (14) than the Nationals and Angels this month are the Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies.
Dodgers pitching: If Clayton Kershaw or Zack Greinke could start every day, go eight innings and turn the ball over to Kenley Jansen, the Los Angeles Dodgers would be fine. The Dodgers' bullpen ranks 26th in ERA this month despite Jansen converting six of seven save chances, and starters not named Kershaw or Greinke have a 5.61 ERA in 11 starts. Perhaps most alarming is that Mat Latos, Alex Wood, Jim Johnson and Luis Avilan -- all picked up prior to the July 31 nonwaiver deadline -- have combined for a 7.71 ERA with their new team. LA is stumbling again, having lost five consecutive games.
Miguel Sano: Recently left for dead, the Minnesota Twins are only 1½ games out of the AL wild-card chase. And Sano is a big reason why. His 20 RBI this month are tied for third-most in the majors, his seven homers rank in the top 10, and his .620 slugging percentage is 21st. In a season full of instant-impact rookies, Sano, who didn't debut until July 2, is making a late push to join the party. Making his breakout even more impressive: The 22-year-old missed the entire 2014 season after Tommy John surgery -- a convenient reason for him to serve primarily as the DH this season -- and skipped the Triple-A level entirely.
