I think we learned from this series, combined with the home openers against Oakland, that this team is going to be fun to watch and probably a little inconsistent. The first series worried me about how easily the lineup can be shut down, but this one proved how easily it can torch quality pitchers, too. Melvin Mora and Palmeiro are getting their swings going, but Sosa is lagging behind everyone else in the lineup in terms of how comfortable he looks at the plate combined with the success. He's switching leagues and he's old and he's declining, so I'm willing to be patient. But the way he's looking right now, a final line of .240/.300 with 20-25 homers wouldn't surprise me, and that would be a huge disappointment to not get 30 homers out of Sammy.
But how about Roddy Lopez? He has pitched like a bona fide ace for two games and that stubbly goatee he was sporting today made him look suave and a little bit dangerous. Brian Bob is just jacking the ball like crazy right now - another homer today gives him three on the season, one shy of his total from 2004.
Tomorrow is an off day, and we go down to Tampa Bay and their absolute dump of a hole of a piece of junk of a stadium, death on TV and I can only imagine the aura of the place in person, for a three-game series. Then we're back home for a weird seven-game stretch: three against the Yankees, two against the Tigers, two against the Red Sox.