What We Learned In Week Seven

As we head towards the end of May, the lessons come with some instructive knowledge about what teams may do in the next two months. A losing streak that knocks a team out of contention could change who will be available on the trade market, while a surging player can enhance the chances that they end up on a contender with a strong performance now. We’ve seen both of those things, and more, over the past week. Let’s take a look at what we learned.

The Blue Jays are not the best team in the AL East.

Okay, we already knew this, but reality hit Toronto like a punch in the face this week, as the Jays got swept by the Red Sox and the Braves in consecutive series, and the six game losing streak knocked them out of their first place perch. The stars of the early season offense, which had carried the team through the first six weeks, disappeared during the the last seven days. Only the Lyle Overbay/Kevin Millar platoon provided any offense, and the lack of scoring proved a problem when the pitching managed to keep them close. Now basically tied with Boston and New York, the Jays are going to have a tough time keeping up with the big payroll twins over the rest of the season. It was a nice run while it lasted though.

It’s hard to win when your entire line-up slumps at the same time.

Just ask Cubs fans, who saw a bunch of good hitters simultaneously forget how to swing the stick. Derrek Lee managed to single his way into a decent batting average, but the rest of the offense was MIA. Geovany Soto went 3 for 17. Milton Bradley went 3 for 20. Kosuke Fukudome and Alfonso Soriano both went 2 for 21, though Fukukome at least walked four times, while Soriano didn’t manged to take a pitch even once. Reed Johnson went 2 for 24. The team managed a whopping six extra base hits the entire week, and the offense totaled five runs in six games. Not surprisingly, the Cubs lost them all. While it wasn’t much fun to watch, Chicago shouldn’t be too concerned – there are some legitimately good hitters on their roster, and the bats will come around.

Clayton Richard doesn’t really want to be traded.

The only major league player who was going to San Diego in the Jake Peavy deal, Richard apparently decided this would be a good week to show Kenny Williams that he might be worth hanging on to. He struck out 11 batters in 13 innings between his two starts, showing an improved breaking ball and keeping hitters off balance without overpowering stuff. Richard has been something of an afterthought in most circles, given his low strikeout rate and average velocity, but he’s now posted a 4.21 FIP over his first 81 major league innings. He’s certainly not an ace in the making, but his fastball has enough sink to make him a decent #5 starter, and the White Sox have to be pleased to still have him around right now.

Adam Kennedy is alive.

After being released by the St. Louis Cardinals, Kennedy had to take a minor league contract from the Tampa Bay Rays in order to keep playing baseball. With no real hope to contribute to the Tampa roster, he was sold to the A’s so they could give him a chance to hold down the fort at second base while Mark Ellis was hurt. He’s done that and then some, hitting .448/.515/.655 last week to bring his wOBA to .454 since joining the A’s. He won’t keep hitting like this, but ZIPS projects a .313 wOBA over the rest of the season, which makes Kennedy a pretty solid player when combined with his defensive skills at second base. Kennedy is just another example of quality players who can be acquired for no cost by teams who know what they’re doing.