Reviewing the Blogs

Today, we go around the NL Central to catch up on what the rest of the division is doing, perhaps to seek out a weakness we can exploit.

Cincinnati Reds (1st, 38-30)

If you didn’t hear about the recent dust-up between pitcher Derek Lowe and Reds skipper Dusty Baker, check out this piece for a nice recap – it also has an interesting look at Cincy’s situation at third and the rise of Todd Frazier.

They also take Dusty Baker to task, which is a common condition of Dusty Baker-run franchises.

Finally, a hope against hope that Mat Latos turns things around.

The Reds are still winning at an impressive clip and hold the lead on the Central, despite being managed by Dusty Baker. Oh, and Joey Votto is still a beast and still a wholesome Midwestern boy.

Read more Reds news at Blog Red Machine, my personal favorite of the over two Reds blogs I frequent.

Pittsburgh Pirates (2nd, 35-32, 2.5 GB)

My favorite part of the week is checking out Rum Bunter, where Photoshop is king and even the writers can’t believe the Pirates are winning.

The Pirates continue to impress baseball fans by staying above .500 and playing out of their mind ball.

We’re happy for them – we really are – even if it means swallowing some pride as Brewers fans.

Right now, the boys at RB enjoy some laughs with AJ Burnett during a recent game.

They also show evidence of the Pirates’ direct line to God.

They make fun of a few strange faces in the dugout.

Finally, the Rum Bunter staff finds out they have more in common with us at Reviewing the Brew then they thought: we are all thoroughly confused by Casey McGehee.

St. Louis Cardinals (3rd, 35-34, 3.5 GB)

Boy, the RedBirds have taken quite a tumble since our last edition of Reviewing the Blogs. Just one game over .500 now, and three and a half off the pace set by the Reds – losing five out of your last ten games will do that – with injuries plaguing the franchise the entire way through June.

The staff at RedBird Rants chose to cope with this low stretch by interviewing quite literally every Cardinals prospect they could find. Seriously.

They also penned a wonderful memorial to both legendary broadcaster Jack Buck and pitcher Darryl Kile.

Finally, editor Justin McClary reveals his roster for the 2012 All-Star Game. SPOILER ALERT: Rickie Weeks ain’t on it.

Houston Astros (5th, 28-41, 10.5 GB)

Houston is still plugging away near the top of the cellar, but at the deficit they’re facing it’s hard to believe they’re going to see any sunshine in their final year of National League play.

But the news isn’t all bad, at least if you ask the staff at Climbing Tal’s Hill.

In this edition, the staff shows some love for the minor leagues – specifically the Corpus Christi Hooks.

They also throw out some surprising facts about the ‘Stros middle infield.

They get back to their senses, eventually, by questioning manager Brad Mills lamenting a move to the American League. Hey, it can’t really get any worse, right?

Chicago Cubs (6th, 24-45, 14.5 GB)

Sometimes, I get the feeling the Cubs exist so Milwaukee fans don’t have to feel so bad about themselves. That’s the way it seems in 2012. Dale Svuem and his rag-tag group of Northsiders have had tough luck all year, and there’s little the staff of Cubbies Crib can do except hope things turn around.

Barring that, they also have the following things to do:

They anxiously wait the call-up of Anthony Rizzo,
Wait for Ryan Dempster to return,
Contemplate being a Cubs fan,
Say goodbye to their hitting coach – and find out why they did.

Still plenty to do if you’re a Cubs fan.

Milwaukee Brewers (4th, 32-37, 6.5 GB)

Rounding out our look at the central – number four in the standings but number one in our hearts – is the Milwaukee Brewers. Here’s what the rest of the Brewers Bloggers are chipping away at:

John and Cait went green and talked about some newly signed Brewers talent.

The Disciples of Uecker talked about Axford and gave us hope for a better future.

The Miller Park Drunk talks about Rickie not being Rickie and is throwing a Pants Party.

Chatter around the Brewers Bar is all about debuts and comebacks.

That’s it for this week. We’ll keep you posted.