Ok guys, I just wanted to throw a quick state of the Bucs address out there...hope you enjoy!
My basic thoughts so far are how well the pitching staff has played and how the offense is shaping up. First, for the pitching...
So far, the pitching has held up exceptionally well. Except for one poor start by Ian Snell, the Bucs have been one of the better starting staffs in the majors. Zach Duke has pitched two gems, including a complete game shutout today, and our bullpen hasn't really shown the dysfunction of last year yet.
If we plan on being close to .500, this staff has to keep pitching this way.
The other thing I noticed was about our hitting. I think the early games of this season have been pretty telling as to what kind of hitting to expect from the Buccos. We've had a couple games where we've exploded for alot of runs, and with Doumit and McLouth gaining a year of experience and Adam LaRoche hopefully not doing his usual April sucking, I think we can see this team has a little pop.
The problem, however, are those games where the bats aren't working, which I suppose is a problem in all MLB Clubhouses, but with our lineup, that could come more often then usual, as seen by our losses this year. I have a strange feeling that if we plan on winning games, we're going to have to win 3-1 or 4-2, or we're gonna get blown outta the water.
So the basic assessment is so far, so good. It's too early to tell how the season will end up, but so far, I like what I see.
Until lata...
