Mid-May Disappointments

We are approaching the middle of May, and there have now been enough games played to evaluate who is under performing. The number one disappointment has got to be the Seattle Mariners.Seattle is at 12-19 and their record is far from their only problem.Off season signing Milton Bradley has asked the team for help with resolving his personal demons, and veteran outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. was caught napping in the clubhouse during a game, making him unavailable to pinch-hit. Eric Byrnes has been released and is going to play in a softball league in California. The Mariners have a combined 12 home runs, 1 less than Paul Konerko's total this season. Power isn't always a necessity, but when only two players (Ichiro and Guitierrez) are batting above .300, and only 4 are batting above .250, runs have been hard to come by. Even ace Felix Hernandez is struggling with a 2-3 record and a 4.30 ERA. Things need to turn around fast in Seattle or players might be moved soon.

Moving to the NL West, the Arizona Diamondbacks are currently in last, and this team should be better. Despite a surprising start from Kelly Johnson with 10 homers, and Mark Reynolds picking up where he left off last season also with 10 homers, no other player has more than 5 home runs. All Star Justin Upton is really struggling, batting a low .220. Miguel Montero is on the DL, and Conor Jackson is returning from the DL, so there is hope once the team is healthy, but the pitching too has been struggling. Former Cy Young winner Brandon Webb is hurt again and hasn't pitched. Although Dan Haren is 4-1, he isn't pitching great with a 4.04 ERA. Acquired in the Curtis Granderson 3-way-trade, pitcher Edwin Jackson has been awful, pitching to a record of 1-4, but there has been a surprise as pitcher Ian Kennedy is 2-2 with a 3.48 ERA. The pitchers are going to have to improve if the D'backs are going to contend in the tough NL West.

The Chicago White Sox have been terrible, producing a record of 13-19, good enough for 3rd in the AL Central, only in front of the lowly Indians and Royals. In the preseason, it seemed as if the offense would be the weakness of the White Sox. However, two players are hitting like it was 2005 and not 2010. Paul Konerko leads the league with 13 home runs, and Andruw Jones has found his swing again and has 9 homers. Outfielder Alex Rios is batting .324 with 6 homers and despite the struggles of Carlos Quentin, Alexei Ramirez, and Gordon Beckham, the key to the White Sox right now will have to be the improvement of the pitching. Last year's perfect game thrower, Mark Buehrle is 2-4 with a near 5 ERA, and the former National League ace Jake Peavy has a 5.56 ERA. John Danks has been the best starter, but veterans Gavin Floyd and Freddy Garcia have been miserable, despite low expectations.

All three of the teams have the ability to compete in their respective divisions, but it just hasn't gone their way. Luckily for all the teams, its still early. But in a month from now, if these teams continue failing, trade, releases, and firings will likely occur.