Preview/Prediction

The Pittsburgh Pirates have to be thinking that all they need to do is keep their heads above water until the All-Star break. The fear that another late-season collapse is impending can’t be weighing on their minds. 

The 2013 MLB All-Star Game is up to the fans...that's not as good as it sounds.

While the fans are excited to vote for their favorite players, I'm afraid they've only voted for their favorite players, and the American League voting update from June 15, via John Schlegel of MLB.com, makes that more apparent than ever.

The San Francisco Giants didn't select any high-ranking prospects in the 2013 MLB draft. Nonetheless, two of their picks will be showcased this weekend in the College World Series.

The New York Yankees are hitting just .242 against left-handed pitching this season, which is important to consider when making your MLB picks Friday, as they open up a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium.

The Cincinnati Reds are set to take on the Milwaukee Brewers in a three-game series starting Friday night in Cincinnati.

Both teams are coming off of series wins. The Reds won three of four against the Chicago Cubs while the Brewers won two of three against the Miami Marlins.

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Jon Lester is 17-5 with a 2.83 ERA in the month of June during his career. This is important to consider when making your MLB picks Tuesday, as Lester prepares to face the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.

Georgia high school outfielder Austin Meadows is many things. 

He's a 6'3", 200-pound prospect who has a great chance to be taken inside the top five of the 2013 MLB first-year player draft on Thursday, and many scouting reports have him listed as a potential four- or five-tool athlete roaming the outfield for a big-league club. 

Cleveland Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera was in obvious pain after grounding out on Monday night. Jordan Bastian confirms that he'll be sidelined at least 15 days with a strained right quad:

Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper were drafted not so long ago, but the health questions they face now were also brought up at that draft. People seem to be putting more importance on the draft since players do seem to be coming up more quickly. There are five already in the big leagues from last year's draft.

That makes assessing future health as much a key as assessing any other skill—and yes, health is a skill. 

The 2013 Major League Baseball season is into June now. We’ve had two whole months to come to grips with what’s happening around the league.

A lot of it makes perfect sense. Some of it, however, is still liable to make one scratch his or her head down to the bone.

A New York Yankees team that was supposed to be old and helpless being old and, well, not helpless?

The Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels, both offseason champions, not even close to becoming regular-season champions?