The official start of summer is nearly here, and several MLB teams are beginning to heat up, including the defending World Series champs and the Philadelphia Phillies.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers' star-studded lineup has disappointed thus far, and Toronto Blue Jays' left-hander Hyun-Jun Ryu is officially out for the remainder of the season.
We touch on that and much more in this week's edition of our MLB Notebook!
MLB Notebook: June 17-19
Click on each item to read the full update.
- NL East race heating up
- Carpenter for hire
- Dodgers underperforming
- Blue Jays lose Ryu for rest of season
- Brewers in a freefall
- Featured weekend matchups
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MLB betting news for this weekend
NL East race heating up
While the New York Mets remain steady atop the NL East at 42-23, the Atlanta Braves are starting to smell blood.
The defending champs have won 15 games in a row, and are now only four games back of the Mets for first place in the division following a sluggish start to the season. Former first overall pick Dansby Swanson is hitting .295/.362/.470 through 64 games and looks primed to make the All-Star team for the first time in his career.
Say it with me, #Braves fans:
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) June 14, 2022
All-Star Dansby Swanson.pic.twitter.com/TLi20nmhJi
Last year, the St. Louis Cardinals won a whopping 17 games in a row, which was the biggest such streak since Cleveland won 22 consecutive matches in 2017. The Braves' chances of continuing their impressive winning streak look highly realistic, as they're at Wrigley Field this weekend to play a series against the lowly Chicago Cubs.
Following the firing of Joe Girardi, the Phillies have also caught fire, winning nine of their last 10. The Phillies' bullpen remains an issue, but the batting lineup is lethal with the likes of Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Nick Castellanos. Philly's World Series odds are currently priced at +4,000 after hovering at +3,000 to start the year.
Considering Philly should be able to get into a Wild Card spot by season's end, it's worth putting a flier on them at those odds.
Carpenter for hire
When the Yankees signed Matt Carpenter to a Major League contract back on May 26, I, like many others, didn't think much of it.
The Yankees were dealing with injuries at the time and needed to add an extra bat to the active roster. Prior to that, Carpenter had played 21 games at the Triple-A level in the Texas Rangers organization before requesting his release, and a return to the big leagues certainly didn't look promising.
Carpenter struggled mightily in his final two years with St. Louis, batting just .176/.313/.291 for an OPS+ of 70, 30 points below the league average.
Although it's still a small sample size, Carpenter is slashing .286/.412/.964 through 12 games with the Bronx Bombers as the Yankees continue to have the best record in all of baseball.
The 36-year-old has also been crushing the ball out of the stadium so far — shades of his 36 home run season with the Cards in 2018.
Matt Carpenter crushes his 6th home run in just 10 games as a Yankee! pic.twitter.com/Df2jkZD8gC
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) June 12, 2022
Dodgers underperforming
It's official — the Los Angeles Dodgers are no longer in sole possession of the first place in the NL West. That now belongs to the San Diego Padres at 41-24, who are currently outpacing the Dodgers in wins despite superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. having not played a single game in 2022.
The Dodgers are just 4-6 over their last 10 games and have had several stars struggle up until now. Max Muncy is hitting just .156, while Justin Turner's age looks like it's finally catching up with him, as the 37-year-old holds a less than desirable slash line of .211/.283/2/.343. Former NL MVP Cody Bellinger has also yet to regain his 2019 magic as he carries a bleak OPS+ of 82 into the weekend.
Dave Roberts shares his thoughts on the Dodgers' recent struggles ?? pic.twitter.com/GpZazgIX3L
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 13, 2022
Despite LA's underwhelming start, their World Series odds remain the best in the MLB at +400, followed by the Houston Astros at +500. Considering Clayton Kershaw is back in the rotation after being on the IL, the Dodgers should get hot eventually.
This team is way too talented to keep playing at this pace for the remainder of the season, and should still end up winning the division for the ninth time in 10 years.
Blue Jays lose Ryu for rest of season
On Tuesday, it was announced that Blue Jays' left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu would miss the rest of the season after dealing with injury woes this season.
Hyun-Jin Ryu will miss the rest of the season, per Jays GM Ross Atkins. He will undergo Tommy John surgery or a partial UCL repair. #BlueJays pic.twitter.com/EY1fT4giHY
— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) June 14, 2022
Ryu struggled mightily in the second half of last season, and that followed into this year, where his ERA ballooned to 5.67 in 27 innings of work. Ross Stripling has since taken over the veteran's spot in the rotation and has been terrific in Ryu's place.
Coming off an incredible season in 2019 with the Dodgers, Ryu was signed to a lucrative four-year, $80 million deal with the Jays. While the remainder of Ryu's contract can be chalked up as a disaster, the southpaw put in one and a half years of elite play with Toronto.
In his first season with the Blue Jays, the former KBO star finished third in AL Cy Young voting with a 2.69 ERA, helping get Toronto back to the postseason for the first time since 2016. Ryu's signing showed Toronto was ready to win going forward. Ever since, free-agent signings like George Springer and Kevin Gausman have come to fruition.
Brewers in a freefall
The Milwaukee Brewers have lost eight out of their last 10 games, and are now two games back of the St. Louis Cardinals for first place in the NL Central.
The Brew Crew will look to regain their form this weekend when they are in Cincinnati for a three-game set against the last-place Reds. Milwaukee is batting just .233 as a team thus far, and catcher Omar Narvaez is the only member of the roster who currently has an OBP above .330.
If there's any consolation prize, Corbin Burnes remains one of the top aces in the National League. Burns leads the National League in strikeouts with 100 and is fifth in ERA at 2.52.
Featured MLB games for this weekend
Friday, June 17
• Cardinals at Red Sox: Adam Wainwright vs. Michael Wacha, 7:10 p.m. ET, NESN, Bally Sports
• Angels at Mariners: Michael Lorenzen vs. Robbie Ray, 7:10 p.m. ET, Bally Sports, Root Sports
Saturday, June 18
• Braves at Cubs: Pitchers, 2:20 p.m. ET, Kyle Wright vs. Justin Steele, Bally Sports, MARQ
• Guardians at Dodgers: Cal Quantrill vs. Julio Urias, 7:15 p.m. ET, FOX
Sunday, June 19
• Yankees at Blue Jays: Gerrit Cole vs. Yusei Kikuchi, 1:37 p.m. ET, YES, Sportsnet
• White Sox at Astros: TBD vs. Cristian Javier, 7:08 p.m. ET, ESPN
Check out the full MLB schedule, matchups, odds, and more!
