2014-FIRST-HALF RECAP

SIMMED MOST OF THE GAMES AS PLENTY OF DL TRIPS AND LACK OF CASH FOR FREE AGENTS HANDCUFFED ME AT THE MLB AND MINOR-LEAGUE LEVELS.

OFFENSE STILL AS POTENT AS ANY BUT PITCHING HAS BEEN DREADFUL. BEEN TRYING TO DEAL CARL CRAWFORD AND MIGUEL CABRERA RELIGIOUSLY SINCE THE OFFSEASON TO OPEN SALARY ROOM, BUT TO NO AVAIL.

SIGNED CF AARON CONNER TO 10-YEAR DEAL IN OFFSEASON, BUT COULDN'T LOCK UP CORE PLAYERS LIKE SS ADDY FERNANDEZ AND C CARLOS SANTANA.

SIGNED 3B PEDRO ALVAREZ TO 3-YEAR DEAL AVERAGING ALMOST $10M YEARLY, AND HE'S REWARDED MY FAITH. BEN ZOBRIST, 32, GOT A BIG 3-YR DEAL THAT PAYS HIM $7.5M THIS YEAR AND HE'S HAVING AN ALL-STAR SEASON.

AT THE ALL-STAR BREAK....

STANDINGS
AL EAST
NYY    54-37   ----
BAL     50-42    4.5
BOS     46-46    8.5
TOR     38-54    16.5
TB        37-55    17.5

AL CENTRAL
MIN   56-37    --
CWS  47-45    8.5
CLE    45-47   10.5
DET   43-50    13
KC      38-54    17.5

AL WEST
SEA    54-38   ---
OAK   41-51   13
LAA    40-52   14
TEX     40-53   14.5

WILD CARD
BAL    50-42   ----
CWS   47-45   3
BOS    46-46   4
CLE    45-47    5

NL EAST
NYM    52-40   ---
FLA      47-44    4.5
WAS    42-50    10
PHIL     42-50    12
ATL      42-50     12

NL CENTRAL
CIN   58-34   ---
PIT    49-43   9
HOU  49-43   9
STL    48-44  10
CHC   44-49   14.5
MIL    35-57   23

NL WEST
LA       57-35   ---
SF        53-40   4.5
SD       48-43   8.5
ARI      47-45  10
COL     41-51   16

WILD CARD
SF     53-40   ---
PIT   49-43    3.5
HOU  49-43  3.5

MVP AL
J SMOAK   BOS    .313  28  75
P FIELDER MIN   .298  26  78
A GONZALEZ MIN  .307  24  69

NL
M TEIXEIRA     FLA    .304  26  79
R WHITE           LA      .430  16  63
E LONGORIA  HOU    .304  27  70

CY  YOUNG  AL
D PRICE     MIN    12-5  2.61   101
M NICKEAS -- CATCHER  TORONTO??
R OSWALT    SEA    10-3   3.82   97

NL
J LANNAN    CIN   12-1  2.12  64
K DRABEK    CIN   11-3  3.05  100
P HUGHES     LA    10-2  3.27  120

SILVER SLUGGER AL
J WILLINGHAM   DET  .321  20  60
D TROTTER       NYY     .315  9  47
SMOAK

NL
WHITE
M HORN    SD   .345  10  48
A KIMURA   MIL   .332  12  42

ROY AL
R SINCLAIR     NYY  .286  8  34
C ESPINOSA    SEA    .303  4  27
J CASTRO         CWS   8-4  5.06  84

NL
A BENITEZ   CIN   .263  7  38
J PARR            FLA   .303   4 34
K ALVAREZ   FLA   7-4  3.86  107

CWS  STATS
PLAYER               GP   AVG  R  2B   HR   RBI  SB
M CABRERA        89   .289   65  16   19     58    5
A CONNER          87    .287   70  17   29     62    10
P ALVAREZ         83    .290   57  15   29     61    10
C CRAWFORD    82    .261   53  18   14     39    29
B ZOBRIST           77   .299   54   13   22    66     5
A FERNANDEZ   75    ,276   56   15   17    49     7
G RODRIGUEZ    72    .284   42  14    15    51     3
O VALDEZ           66    .346   30  15    2      24     23
C SANTANA        59    .280   32   9     10    37      7
T GRISSOM          49   .267    18   3     4     19      14
J NOBLES             37    .260    20   8     6    21       2
W CORTEZ          23    .180     6    1     2     5        4
M SPANOS           23    .244    13   5     5     14      3
M BYRD               15    .245     7    2      2      9       1
W GOMEZ           4      .364     1    0      1       3      0

PLAYER                    GP   W   L   ERA
H KUO                      29     0     1   2.36
J CASTRO                 29     8      4  5.06
B CASSEVAH           27     0     1   3,68
J AYALA                   20     0     1   4.29
M ROGERS               19     6     8   5.71
C KERSHAW            19     9     5   4.20
L PINTO                    19     1     3   5.30
M MONTGOMERY  17    2     1    4.78
J  JURRJENS               13    7     2    3.28
J SALGADO               12    4     4    7.42
B MORROW              11    3    5    6.63
A DELGADO              11    1    0    14.34

KUO  22 SV