Red Sox impress with hot start while the Yankees struggle to hit their stride
By Jake Geiger, staff writer
The Cincinnati Reds are off to a solid start this year, as they lead the NL Central at 9-6. The Reds have been buoyed by strong contributions from their outfield trio of Jesse Winker, Tyler Naquin, and Nick Castellanos.
As we approach three weeks into the 2021 MLB season, some trends are starting to form and we get a better idea of who is looking good and who might struggle this year.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are off to a historic start at 14-4 and in first place in the National League West Division. Third baseman Justin Turner and first baseman Max Muncy are both hitting above .320 with eight home runs and 26 RBIs combined. Pitching well for the Dodgers are Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler and Trevor Bauer. All three have ERAs below 3.00 and each have a win to start the season well. Closer Kenley Jansen leads the team with four saves.
The Red Sox are 12-6 to start the early season. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts is off to a scorching hot start hitting .393 while designated hitter J.D. Martinez has six home runs and 20 RBIs. Another team off to a good start is the Los Angeles Angels. Center fielder Mike Trout, also a multiple time MVP, is hitting .385 with five home runs and 11 RBIs.
Lastly, the hometown Cincinnati Reds begin the season at 9-6. Right-fielder Nick Castellanos is off to a hot start, hitting .295 with five home runs. Right-fielder Tyler Naquin is also off to a hot start with 16 RBIs and multiple games with multiple home runs. The Reds next three series are against the Arizona Diamondbacks, division rival St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Some teams off to rough starts are the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros. The Yankees are definitely the most surprising out of the three as they are 6-10 and have struggled to score runs with a loaded lineup. The Cubs did lose a lot of their core players so a down season was expected. The Astros have gone through some turmoil the past few seasons with their cheating scandal that occurred two years ago. They’ve begun the season at 7-9 and search for more consistency.
Leading the league in home runs is Atlanta Braves right-fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. with seven. J.D. Martinez leads the league with 20 RBIs while Turner, Acuna and Naquin have 16 apiece. San Francisco Giants Jake McGee leads the league with seven saves. Leading the league in strikeouts is Indians ace Shane Bieber with 48, followed by Corbin Burnes of the Milwaukee Brewers, who also leads the league in earned run average. Lastly, leading the league in batting average is Acuna, who’s hitting .419 to start the season.
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