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Tankapalooza 2010
| Rk | Tm | W | L | W-L% | GB |
| 1 | Pirates | 43 | 84 | .339 | - |
| 2 | Orioles | 45 | 82 | .352 | 2 |
| 3 | D-backs | 49 | 78 | .386 | 6 |
| 4 | Mariners | 50 | 77 | .394 | 7 |
| 5 | Indians | 50 | 76 | .397 | 7.5 |
| 6 | Nationals | 53 | 74 | .417 | 10 |
The Nationals - now looking likely to be Strasburg-less for the rest of the season - make their first appearance in Tankapalooza, replacing the "red-hot" Cubs, who are 3-0 under new manager Mike Quade. Interesting to list all the teams who have fired their managers this season (or seen them resign), and compare records under the old and new bosses:
| Team | Old Manager, W-L | W% | New manager, W-L | W% |
| Arizona | A.J.Hinch, 31-48 | .392 | Kirk Gibson, 18-30 | .375 |
| Baltimore | Dave Trembley, 15-39 Juan Samuel, 17-34 | .278 .333 | Buck Showalter, 13-9 | .591 |
| Chicago | Lou Piniella, 51-74 | .408 | Mike Quade, 3-0 | 1.000 |
| Florida | Fredi Gonzalez, 34-36 | .486 | Edwin Rodriguez, 29-26 | .527 |
| Kansas | Trey Hillman, 12-23 | .343 | Ned Yost, 42-50 | .457 |
| Seattle | Don Wakamatsu, 42-70 | .375 | Daren Brown, 8-7 | .533 |
All told, that's a record of 202-324 (.384) playing for the old men in charge, compared to 113-122 (.481) under new management. The odds of that improvement by chance is very slim, so it does seem getting a new manager has a positive impact on overall win percentage. Unfortunately, the only team not enjoying any increase at all is Arizona - though the further we go, the harder it is to tell, as the less the roster looks like the one we had earlier in the season.
- Stephen Drew ss
- Justin Upton rf
- Kelly Johnson 2b
- Chris Young cf
- Adam LaRoche 1b
- Mark Reynolds 3b
- Miguel Montero c
- Gerardo Parra lf
- Ian Kennedy rhp
I think we need to move Mark Reynolds to lead-off, because it seems to do no harm to whoever is hitting there. For example, Young: overall OPS, .811, leadoff OPS, .852. Drew: .772/.862. Even Conor Jackson hit .283 at the top of the order. [In case you're wondering, Kelly Johnson has an almost identical OPS]. All told, Arizona has the best OBP of any time in the league out of the #1 spot, at .367 - and trails only the Brewers in OPS, by five points. It's the three- and four-hole hitters, 15th and 12th by OPS respectively, where our offensive issue has been.
Afternoon game, not going to be around for much of this. I actually don't mind the start time though; it means I can get the recap written up on my arrival home, and should have the rest of the night free. Actually, might be slightly delayed, due to the season finale of Burn Notice, which might get priority. Beyond that though, should be clear.