Wednesday's Trends and Indexes - 7/16 (MLB, WNBA, CFL, Misc.)

[Udog]

Pirates midseason report: Improved pitching keys turnaround

After a 10-16 April, the Pirates have bounced back to be in the thick of both the National League Central and wild-card races.

The Pirates are 49-46 and in fourth place in the division race but just 3 1/2 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers. They are 2 1/2 games behind in the wild-card standings.

The Pirates have gone 31-20 since falling a season-low eight games below .500 on May 20.

A big reason for the Pirates' turnaround and why they feel they can return to the postseason after ending a 21-year playoff drought last season is improved pitching. The Pirates have a 3.46 ERA since June 1 after posting a 4.20 mark in May and a 3.65 mark in April.

The Pirates had to rely heavily on their organizational pitching depth as right-handers Charlie Morton and Edinson Volquez are the only members of the starting rotation that began the season who have not either spent time on the disabled list or been demoted to the minor leagues. Left-hander Jeff Locke and right-hander Vance Worley have both bolstered the rotation since being called up from Triple-A Indianapolis.

The Pirates also have a reshuffled bullpen after trading closer Jason Grilli to the Los Angeles Angels for right-hander Ernesto Frieri last month. Set-up man Mark Melancon was promoted to closer but the Pirates will look to upgrade their relief corps before the July 31 non-waiver trading deadline and even into August.

The Pirates filled two lineup holes in the first half by trading for New York Mets first baseman Ike Davis in April and calling top prospect Gregory Polanco up from Triple-A Indianapolis in June to play right field. Thus, it is doubtful Pittsburgh will look add any more offense before the trade deadline.

"We're always looking to improve," Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said. "That being said, I don't think we have any glaring holes that absolutely need to be addressed. We're happy with the club we have now."

[Udog]

Brewers midseason report: Happy to be in first

MILWAUKEE -- Amazing what a difference one victory can make.

The Milwaukee Brewers wrapped up in dramatic fashion, snapping a seven-game losing streak with an 11-2 thumping of the St. Louis Cardinals who, a night earlier, pulled into a tie with the Brewers atop the NL Central.

With that victory, Milwaukee goes into the break with a one-game lead that will feel enormous for the next four days.

When the calendar flipped to July, things were pretty good for the Brewers, who had cooled off after a blistering start but still led their division by 6 1/2 games.

That lead disappeared over the next 12 games as the Brewers lost 11 times, including a four-game sweep at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies.

But all was well in Milwaukee's clubhouse Sunday afternoon, with four days of rest and recovery in store for a team that has sat atop the division for 100 days.

"It makes the break a lot more fun," manager Ron Roenicke said. "You wouldn't think so, but it does. When you're on a losing streak and if you lose today, you're not sure when the streak is going to end so you go into the break not feeling good, you come out of the break not feeling good.

"Now, we go into it feeling good and come out of it feeling good. It does a lot. I know I talk about every game being important but it does a lot for the feeling of where we are now and where we are coming out of it."

The Brewers will have their work cut out for them when play resumes July 18 in Washington, where the Nationals, who go into the break tied with Atlanta atop the NL East.

Then, its back home to Milwaukee where the Reds await, followed by the Mets and a trip to Tampa to play the Rays and back to St. Louis for another meeting with the Cardinals.

There are, of course, questions: Can the starting pitching revert to its early-season form? Can Roenicke find a lineup that works on a day-in and day-out basis? Does the bullpen have enough left in the tank for the rigors of the stretch run after throwing 272 innings in the first half?

That number is actually fifth-lowest total in the NL but when broken down by pitcher, there is cause for concern: lefty Will Smith is tied for the league lead with 49 appearances; he was practically unhittable for much of the season but allowed nine runs over two innings (40.50) in three games before throwing a scoreless inning July 13.

Closer Francisco Rodriguez has 27 saves in 30 chances but has appeared in 45 games.

Getting to those two arms has also been a bit of a problem as right-handers Jim Henderson and Tyler Thornburg have been sidelined with injuries and Brandon Kintzler has been nothing close to his 2013 form.

Roenicke is hoping his pitching staff won't have to carry as much of the team's burden in the second half; he's optimistic that offensively, the four-day break will help clear the mind as well as rest the muscles.

"I thought we would have a stretch somewhere where we didn't play that well, but I really didn't expect this," Roenicke said. "I think this is too good of a team to go into this big of a slump. It's concerning to me. That's why I think it is important to get this thing turned around."

They're big questions, but there's no reason to think Milwaukee won't be in the hunt for at least a playoff spot this fall, especially when you consider injuries elsewhere in the division.

The Cardinals already lost two starters in RHP Michael Wacha and LHP Jaime Garcia, then lost catcher Yadier Molina for 8-to-12 weeks with a torn ligament in his right thumb.

Cincinnati, meanwhile, will go forward without second baseman Brandon Phillips.

If the Brewers can stay healthy -- and they have thus far -- and get back to clicking on all cylinders, Milwaukee will be watching baseball come October.

But for now, the Brewers will just be happy with that one-game lead.

"It's not comfortable because (St. Louis) is a great ball club and they're going to be there until the end," left fielder Khris Davis said. "But just taking it day-by --day, glad to be in the spot we are."

[Udog]

Cardinals midseason report: Optimism abounds

On July 6, the St. Louis Cardinals lost 8-4 at home to the Miami Marlins to fall into third place in the National League Central, five games behind first-place Milwaukee.

After that loss, which dropped the defending league champs to 47-42, a reporter asked ace pitcher Adam Wainwright why the season was such a disappointment.

"In a week from now, we could be doing a completely different kind of interview," Wainwright said.

Less than a week later, St. Louis caught the slumping Brewers for first place in the Central. Although they fell back into second Sunday with an 11-2 loss to Milwaukee, the Cardinals can still head for the All-Star break with optimism, even though they won't have All-Star catcher Yadier Molina until at least mid-September after surgery Friday to repair torn ligaments in his right thumb.

On one hand, St. Louis has been disappointing. The offense has been bogged in a sea of grounders all year, with key run-producers like left fielder Matt Holliday and right fielder Allen Craig struggling to get on track.

On the other hand, the Cardinals have shown grit and perseverance to be in contention. Injuries have wiped out three key starting pitchers for long periods, second-year starter Shelby Miller has been one of the league's worst pitchers by most metrics and closer Trevor Rosenthal has been a thrill ride, yet St. Louis is right there.

As for the last 66 games, the Cardinals catch at least two scheduling breaks. After opening the unofficial second half with a weekend series at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers, they play 25 of the next 37 games against losing teams. That includes seven games each with the Chicago Cubs and San Diego.

Also, with a plethora of off-days, St. Louis won't need a fifth starter until Aug. 2. That will allow manager Mike Matheny the chance to set up his rotation, potentially giving Wainwright and present No. 2 starter Lance Lynn the ball in six of the first 10 games after the break.

Matheny feels his team will be ready for a potentially grueling four-team race in the Central.

"It's a perfect time for the break," he said. "These guys have competed, they've worked and we asked them to grind. I anticipate that we will see a well-rested ready group when we get back."