The Chalk Talk with Dan and the Dawg

The offensively challenged Arizona Diamondbacks have struggled to a .227 team batting average in 2018. It has certainly been a season of ups and downs in Phoenix, Arizona as the Diamondbacks find themselves standing in first place in the NL West with a 40-33 record, up two games on the surging Los Angeles Dodgers. After starting the season on a 20-8 tear, the Diamondbacks slipped to a .500 record over their next twenty-seven games, going 8-19 in the month of May. Since then, though, they've managed a 12-6 record, displaying much of the same form that propelled them to the second best record in baseball on May 1st. Will the Diamondbacks be able to keep up the pace and challenge for a NL West crown? It's tough to say at this point. The Los Angeles Dodgers have been division champions in seven of the past ten years (including the past five seasons) and have gone 22-8 since enduring a six game losing streak in mid-May. It was only a matter of time before Dave Roberts' tea...

How are the Braves going improve as they approach the MLB trade deadline and what are they going to do with their surplus of starting pitching? - AJ, Magnolia, DE As we find ourselves roughly midway through June and rapidly nearing the season's midway point, the Atlanta Braves sit atop the NL East standings, sporting a 42-29 record and a 3.5 game lead on the Washington Nationals. Despite featuring one of the league's youngest rosters (with an average age of 27.8 years), the "Baby" Braves are most definitely a legitimate playoff contender. With an offense powered by infielders Freddie Freeman, Ozzie Albies, and outfielder Nick Markakis, the Braves currently rank fourth in runs scored (344), sixth in on-base percentage (.325), and fifth in slugging percentage (.424). Their pitching staff, which is yielding 3.9 runs per game, has done an excellent job limiting the long ball (69 home runs allowed in 641.2 innings) as well as putting opposing batters away via the stri...

To contend or to pretend? That is the question. In a season that has been full of surprises, from the two-way success of Shohei Ohtani, the prolonged slumps of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland Indians, and the much faster than anticipated arrival of the new "Baby" Braves, the biggest surprise may be the early season success of the Seattle Mariners. Sixty-three games in, the Mariners are setting the pace in the AL West with a 40-23 record. For a team that struggled to a 78-84 record in 2017, the early season results in Seattle have to be encouraging. The Mariners have been a baseball pundit darling for years, but have rarely been able to reach expectations for their talented squad. Whether it be inconsistent pitching, streaky hitting, or shaky defense, the Mariners have only managed to put together three seasons of .500 baseball or better in the past decade and haven't reached the 90-win mark since 2003. Thus far in 2018, the newest iteration of the "Boys in...