Opinion

The Bombers are barely leading the pack.

What started out as a four-horse race with the Yanks playing second fiddle is now a crowd of three with the Yanks on top.

With Toronto currently down seven games, the Yankees are preoccupied with keeping the Rays (two games back) and Red Sox (two and a half games back) at a distance.

I must admit, I am a bit disappointed to see Toronto fall out of the race (for now at least). Sure, everyone knew that four teams weren't going to be fighting over first place for the season's entirety, but it was still fun to watch.

The second place San Francisco Giants are good enough to win the National League West as is.

Yes, with a pitching staff that features two Cy Young candidates, nobody is denying that.

But to make a serious run in the post-season, the Giants are going to need some additional help.

Ranked No. 19 in home runs and No. 24 in runs batted in, San Francisco can't continue to expect flawless pitching from its staff.

According to an Associated Press article on espn.com, Cubs skipper Lou Piniella admits to getting "teary-eyed" over his return to Seattle.

But what he should be shedding tears over is the play of his ballclub!

"Lou Piniella heard the roar from the Seattle crowd. He smiled and raised his right arm to wave to the people he helped thrill during the city's baseball heyday in the 1990s," the report said.

But look, Lou, it's no longer the 1990s and you are no longer managing the Mariners.

On June 8, the baseball world turned its collective attention to the debut of heralded pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg. No one can underestimate the quality of his talent, nor dismiss it.

His ability was apparent at every stage: from college ball through his short stint in the minor leagues following his draft selection in June of 2009. He features and commands four pitches. Many experienced Major League aces have, on average, only three.

Some reasonably available players to assist you in the Strikeouts category. Realize that some of these will come with high ERAs and WHIPs because if a pitcher has low numbers in those categories and a good K total, he's already spoken for.

R.A. Dickey, New York Mets

Robert Allen Dickey. The man. The myth. The legend. The knuckleballer. The All-Star? Cy Young Award winner?! MVP?!? Hall of Famer?!?! 

I may be getting a bit carried away there at the end, but no one can argue that Dickey has been anything but amazing for the Mets in his seven starts since filling in due to injuries. 

Welcome to Tribe Talk, where Bleacher Report's Cleveland Indian fans weigh in on the ups and downs of the club each week throughout the season.

It's a simple question that the Cincinnati Reds brass has been able to avoid until now. The bullpen has been awful the past month and the starting pitching has been holding the team together.

Why can't the Reds use their new high priced toy at their biggest position of need? Why can't Aroldis Chapman come out of the bullpen?

The starting pitching is currently the motor running the Reds ship.

Don't look now but the Reds have 40 wins already, more than half of 2009's win total. A month ago many of us were crossing our fingers hoping that yearly mid season collapse would keep from showing its face (or for at least another month or two, if it is planning to return this year). And as July approaches: Surprise! Cincinnati has survived June, sort of.