Baseball is a game of numbers. I suppose all fans of all sports could say that to a greater or lesser degree. However, no one could say that more than baseball fans. We remember 714 home runs and 755 home runs. We remember 4,192 hits and we remember 511 wins and Bob Gibson’s 1.12 ERA in 1968. For some, those numbers make the game more boring, but for most of us, it provides order in a world full of chaos. Even when things are going crazy, we can count on those that normally produce coming back to earth.

The Tigers may have lost on Friday night, but Miguel Cabrera confirmed that normalcy that we have come to love from him. He is hitting “only” .308 this season, but added his seventh and eighth home runs on the season. At that pace, he will hit 30 or more home runs and drive in close to 100 runs. You can set your watch to Cabrera’s bat. The fact that he can be hitting above .300 and be considered a disappointment is just a clear sign of how great a player he has been over the years.

If you read only one thing 

The National League East is shaping up to be a very compelling division this season. All three contenders bring something different to the table, but all three have one thing in common: incredible starting pitching. The Phillies are least likely to sustain this level of play when you consider the pedigree of the pitchers involved. Even if they drop out, the battle between the New York Mets and Washington Nationals. On Friday night, it was Steven Matz and Tanner Roark leading the way for the respective clubs. Both pitchers have ERAs under 3.00 and they aren’t even their team’s best starter.

We Kind of Expected

They say that good pitching beats good hitting. That theory was put to the test when Corey Kluber took on the Boston Red Sox vaunted lineup. He managed to hold them to two runs in seven innings. The Indians bullpen closed the door and that was that. Kluber couldn’t completely shut down Jackie Bradley Jr. (home run #8), but the rest of the lineup managed only five hits and one walk off of the Indians’ staff. Meanwhile, the Indians managed four runs behind the dynamic hitting of Jason Kipnis and Francisco Lindor. Both had a pair of hits with Kipnis hitting a homer and Lindor adding a stolen base.

We didn’t expect

Paul Goldschmidt was a top five selection in virtually every mixed draft in America (and probably most other countries. No one expected him to get off to a .231 start, but equally as surprising has been the start of second baseman Jean Segura. Most people poked fun at Dave Stewart for that trade, but Segura is hitting .339, with 23 RBI and six stolen bases in the early going. He also has five home runs and 22 runs scored on the season. If he keeps this up he will easily end the season as one of the top five second basemen in fantasy baseball.

Save Opportunities

• Sam Dyson (Converted #3)
• Jonathan Papelbon (Converted #12)
• Jesus Colome (Converted #11)
• Jeurys Familia (Converted #14)
• Cody Allen (Converted #10)
• Mark Melancon (Converted #14)
• Wade Davis (Converted #10)

Player News

• Jason Heyward left Friday night’s game after diving for a ball in right field. He injured his left side when he apparently got his spikes stuck in the grass. He still held onto the catch and left under his own power.
• Shin-Soo Choo’s return to the Rangers lineup lasted all of two plus innings. His hamstring tightened up following his second walk when he scored on a Price Fielder double.
• While it isn’t player news, the Rangers made news when they announced plans for a new retractable roof stadium that is scheduled to open in 2021 (pending tax payer approval). The Ballpark at Arlington opened in 1994. The Rangers have seen some dips in attendance and that has largely been blamed on the extreme heat of north Texas. During the summer months, temperatures can creep up over 100 degrees at first pitch. A retractable roof facility would allow them to play under 80 degrees.