Early Thoughts

The main thing about this team, which I pointed out on the broadcast last night, is that they yet to play a complete game. The Mavs haven't quite executed on all levels of the game within a single game, and that's probably why they stand at 1-7.

The offense is going to be fine. I think we saw last night they can hit just fine away from the hitter-friendly confines of the Mav. I'll take my chances with six runs at Lake Elsinore any night. Plus, there are some hitters who I think will come out of their early season funks at any moment. Mike Saunders is ripe to have a break out game. It's bound to happen at some point. Even though the batting average isn't high, he is still very patient at the plate, and has drawn more walks already than some guys do in an entire season. It's that type of consistent approach at the plate that makes me confident he's going to be an offensive star.

The starting pitching has been inconsistent on various levels. On one hand, the Aarons--Jensen and Cotter--have been solid. The others have struggled at times, but have shown their abilities within their early starts. I think what we saw from Paul Fagan last night kind of typifies this. Even though he gave up seven runs in three innings last night, in one of those innings, he retired the Storm in order by striking out the side. With time, I think the starting pitching could come around.

The bullpen seems to improve every game. It was great to see Jose Escalona pitch two scoreless innings last night. Despite Brian Kappel's rocky first appearance, he will boost the 'pen.

That's all I've got for now. I won't be down in Lake Elsinore for the next two nights due to travel issues, so it might be a couple days until the next post. Jon will be flying solo on the air the next two games, so hopefully he's getting plenty of beauty rest at the lovely Lake Elsinore Hotel and Casino. You can listen to Jon starting at 6:57 both tonight and tomorrow night. Don't forget to tune into Sunday's clubhouse show starting at 2:05 on Sunday afternoon.