Martin Truex has been dominant this season. Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
For the second time in 2018, the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series heads for Pocono Raceway for the Gander Outdoors 400. The last time the Cup guys went to the tricky triangle, Martin Truex Jr claimed his second victory of the 2018 season. This victory set the tone for an incredible run of success. In the last seven races since the Pocono 400, he has claimed three victories and three top fives. Other than an 18th place finish at Michigan, Truex has not finished worse than fourth. His average finish over this span is an incredible 4.42. This team has simply not made mistakes, they have been up front and winning stages and most importantly winning races as well. Look For Truex to win many more races in the future.
This season has been dominated by “the Big Three” Consisting of Truex, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick and last weekend was no different. Kevin Harvick went on to take his sixth victory of the season after he bumped his championship rival Kyle Busch out of the way with seven laps remaining. After the race, when asked about the move Busch responded with “How you race is how you get raced so it’s fine.” Both of these drivers have a history of getting into altercations on and off the racetrack and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. Anytime Harvick and Busch are close on the racetrack, it’s always must see TV. Look for Busch to try and return the favor later on in the season.
Ryan Newman was one of the bigger surprises of the race after he was able to claim a sixth place finish for his fifth top ten of the season. For the most part, 2018 has been a disappointment for the one they call the Rocket Man. He currently sits 18th in points and has only led a total of 44 laps all season so it was good for him and his team to get a good result at a track Newman has always performed well at. While this week's race at Pocono hasn’t exactly been a track he is known for having success during the last few years, I can see him building off last week’s result and getting another solid run to try and improve his chances to make the playoffs. He will definitely be one to watch on Sunday at Pocono.
The favorite to win this week is Brad Keselowski. Of all the storylines this season, one can argue that the 2012 champion not winning a race this deep into the season is one of the biggest surprises of the year. This season hasn’t been bad by any means for him but after his championship-caliber season last year, many would have thought he would have gone to victory lane by now. This week there is a good possibility that may change. Going into this race, he has nine top fives and one win here and everytime they come here he is always leading laps and is in contention. He just seems to understand how to get around this place almost better than anyone else. He should be a threat to go to victory lane on Sunday.
My prediction for this week is Kurt Busch. This week, he comes to a track where he has run well before. He has three wins here including his last victory in 2016. While he struggled here the last time they came in June with an 19th place finish, I can see Busch turning it around and getting his first win of the season, continuing the Stewart-Haas dominance we have seen all year. Look for Busch to take his first checkered flag of the year and clinch his spot in this year’s playoffs.
(All stats and information used in this article is brought to you by the good folks at driveraverages.com and Racing-Refrence.com the best website for all NASCAR stats).
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After finishing up with the Guardians the Astros have a rather important series for early May with the Seattle Mariners heading to town for the weekend. While it’s still too early to be an absolute must-win series for the Astros, losing the series to drop seven or eight games off the division lead would make successfully defending their American League West title that much more unlikely.
Since their own stumble out of the gate to a 6-10 record the Mariners have been racking up series wins, including one this week over the Atlanta Braves. The M’s offense is largely Mmm Mmm Bad, but their pitching is sensational. In 18 games after the 6-10 start, the Mariners gave up five runs in a game once. In the other 17 games they only gave up four runs once. Over the 18 games their starting pitchers gave up 18 earned runs total with a 1.44 earned run average. That’s absurd. Coming into the season Seattle’s starting rotation was clearly better on paper than those of the Astros and Texas Rangers, and it has crystal clearly played out as such into the second month of the schedule.
While it’s natural to focus on and fret over one’s own team's woes when they are plentiful as they have been for the Astros, a reminder that not all grass is greener elsewhere. Alex Bregman has been awful so far. So has young Mariners’ superstar Julio Rodriguez. A meager four extra base hits over his first 30 games were all Julio produced down at the ballyard. That the Mariners are well ahead of the Astros with J-Rod significantly underperforming is good news for Seattle.
Caratini comes through!
So it turns out the Astros are allowed to have a Puerto Rican-born catcher who can hit a little bit. Victor Caratini’s pedigree is not that of a quality offensive player, but he has swung the bat well thus far in his limited playing time and provided the most exciting moment of the Astros’ season with his two-out two-run 10th inning game winning home run Tuesday night. I grant that one could certainly say “Hey! Ronel Blanco finishing off his no-hitter has been the most exciting moment.” I opt for the suddenness of Caratini’s blow turning near defeat into instant victory for a team that has been lousy overall to this point. Frittering away a game the Astros had led 8-3 would have been another blow. Instead, to the Victor belong the spoils.
Pudge Rodriguez is the greatest native Puerto Rican catcher, but he was no longer a good hitter when with the Astros for the majority of the 2009 season. Then there’s Martin Maldonado.
Maldonado’s hitting stats with the Astros look Mike Piazza-ian compared to what Jose Abreu was doing this season. Finally, mercifully for all, Abreu is off the roster as he accepts a stint at rookie-level ball in Florida to see if he can perform baseball-CPR on his swing and career. Until or unless he proves otherwise, Abreu is washed up and at some point the Astros will have to accept it and swallow whatever is left on his contract that runs through next season. For now Abreu makes over $120,000 per game to not be on the roster. At his level of performance, that’s a better deal than paying him that money to be on the roster.
Abreu’s seven hits in 71 at bats for an .099 batting average with a .269 OPS is a humiliating stat line. In 2018 George Springer went to sleep the night of June 13 batting .293 after going hitless in his last four at bats in a 13-5 Astros’ win over Oakland. At the time no one could have ever envisioned that Springer had started a deep, deep funk which would have him endure a nightmarish six for 78 stretch at the plate (.077 batting average). Springer then hit .293 the rest of the season.
Abreu’s exile opened the door for Joey Loperfido to begin his Major League career. Very cool for Loperfido to smack a two-run single in his first game. He also struck out twice. Loperfido will amass whiffs by the bushel, he had 37 strikeouts in 101 at bats at AAA Sugar Land. Still, if he can hit .225 with some walks mixed in (he drew 16 with the Space Cowboys) and deliver some of his obvious power (13 homers in 25 games for the ex-Skeeters) that’s an upgrade over Abreu/Jon Singleton, as well as over Jake Meyers and the awful showing Chas McCormick has posted so far. Frankly, it seems unwise that the Astros only had Loperfido play seven games at first base in the minors this year. If McCormick doesn’t pick it up soon and with Meyers displaying limited offensive upside, the next guy worth a call-up is outfielder Pedro Leon. In January 2021 the Astros gave Leon four million dollars to sign out of Cuba and called him a “rapid mover to the Major Leagues.” Well…
Over his first three minor league seasons Leon flashed tools but definitely underwhelmed. He has been substantially better so far this year. He turns 26 May 28. Just maybe the Astros offense could be the cause of fewer Ls with Loperfido at first and Leon in center field.
Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and I discuss varied Astros topics. The first post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon (second part released Tuesday) via YouTube: stone cold stros - YouTube with the complete audio available via Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.