Or at least maybe it isn't as bad as it seems coming off demoralizing series with Chicago and Milwaukee.  Had to get the Animal House reference in there somehow.  It seems that the VEB community is a bit down lately, with good reason, many of which have been well stated.  So I thought I'd highlight some of the reasons for optimism going forward to the rest of the season. 

1. As bad as the bullpen has been, it seems that the worst is over there.  It took longer than most would like, but it appears that Izzy and Franklin are moving out of the most crtitical roles, and McClellan and Perez are moving in.  It appears that Flores long run of ineffectiveness is over and Garcia is getting some opportunities.  Motte should be in the mix during the final month.  Will the kids be lights out?  I'd guess there will be some bumps in the road, but I feel comfortable saying it will not be as bad as it would with Flores, Franklin and Izzy pitching in all the high leverage spots.  This has been the biggest hole, and though we did not make a trade to help address it, I am comfortable saying there is an improvement.  An added bonus is that any failings from the younger crew might be a learning experience that can provide dividends down the road.  Can't say that about the 3 vets.  You kinda know what you're going to get, it isn't pretty, and there is no long term gain for going through the pain with them either.  There is hope in going to the youth here, both for the future and now.

2. It appears the Colonel is righting the ship.  His ERA has not increased each of the last 4 starts.  Prior to that it has increased, and rapidly, each of the previous 4.   His last 2 starts, he has allowed just under a baserunner an inning against 2 of the strongest lineups in the league.  Small samples?  Sure it is, but I was worried about whether the workload of starting was too much for him.  Facing 2 loaded lineups and faring better than ok against them calms the nerves quite a bit.  A solid Wellemeyer stabilizes the rotation, even if Carpenter can't go, or if Wainwright's rehab doesn't go as planned. 

3.  The middle of our lineup is darn good, and with Ankiel back I expect it to be starting together the rest of the way.  We've gone through maddening stretches where Ludwick would sit out.  Ankiel has been out for stretches too, and made his first start in a couple weeks tonight.  I look around the NL and I'll put Pujols, Ludwick, Glaus, Ankiel in the middle of the lineup against about anybody.  Tony likes to give rest to guys during the season, but I would suspect he will cut back on that the rest of way if health allows.  Presumably keeping them fresh for a moment just like this is exactly why he rests them.  I think he'll challenge them the rest of the way, partly because of reason number 4...

4.  We've had a pretty rough schedule in terms of off days so far, but we'll benefit from some rest this month.  That gives us a chance to give the big bats days off without taking those bats out of the lineup.  On the rotation side, it allows us to go 4 man quite a bit.   Tonights performance notwithstanding, Pineiro has been the 3rd wheel in this rotation.  I stood up for his signing at the time, but I must admit that there has been a big dropoff in his performance vs. the others.  Minimizing his exposure, or better yet, relegating him to mop up duty if things break our way with Carp or Wainwright is a big edge at this point. 

5. Looking at the competition for the wildcard (and that is where I am at at this point), there are some issues with those teams too.  We'd do well to finish strong in this Florida series.  Someone will emerge in the East, probably at the expense of the other teams in the race from that division (Philly, NY, Florida).   Whoever finishes 2nd and 3rd in that race will take some lumps in doing so, and that means if we take care of business we should be in good shape there.  Now Milwaukee has a loaded lineup and a strong 1-2-3 punch in the rotation.  However, they have shown a tendency to implode last year and, to some extent, this year too.  Their bullpen is no great shakes either.  And I know Sabbathia is a workhorse, but the Brewers are using him like a $3,000 claimer at Fairmount.   Make no mistake, I understand why they are doing it.  I probably would too, but a very likely scenario is that by doing this Sabbathia will run out of gas at the end.  Or at least, they will be forced to trust their own shaky bullpen earlier in his starts. 

This last month has beaten the team up a bit, and has beaten us up as fans a little bit too.  You can sense the tensions reading the threads here daily.  I can relate to all that.  It's possible the wheels are coming off and that the best is past us.  That's a distinct possibility.  However, I also think it is quite possible that this is a bottom for us.  We've taken some pretty severe hits, but here we are still in the picture.  There are signs with this team that suggest we'll be able to find that other gear that we'll need to find the postseason, in a year where my expectations were much lower.  We just don't know which way it will go, and that's part of the charm of baseball.  It's a long season filled with peaks and valleys.   I, for one, am excited to see where the rest of the year takes us.  I'm not ready to count this team out.   Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?