This is a preview of the Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter, an e-mail newsletter about all things baseball, featuring analysis and opinion about the game on and off the field from the perspective of the informed outsider.
You can subscribe to the newsletter for one year for $79.95
using your PayPal account or major credit card. (Zelle users, please email me for details.)
--
There’s just no way you should be flipping out over any team’s record at this point. The entire league is separated by seven games, and when you take out the Dodgers the gap is just five from #2 through #30. Everyone is pretty much clustered around .500, and pretty much every team in baseball goes 11-7, as the Twins have, or 6-11, as the Red Sox have, at some point during the season. Four words: Let the season breathe.
I was curious, though, so I peaked at Clay Davenport’s Adjusted Standings, just to see if there was anything interesting. As of this morning, there are four teams with at least a two-game difference between their actual record and their third-order record. The Reds (+3) and Cardinals (+2.5) have much better records than their underlying performance indicates. On the flip side, the Mariners (-2) and Cubs (-2) are playing better than their records. Just something to keep an eye on, and maybe a reason not to panic, Cubs fans.
