Shakespeare Café

Jorge Martin: 'I won't lead the championship for long at this rate'

· Yahoo Sports

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Jorge Martin may have the honour of leading the MotoGP world championship into the summer break - but the Spaniard is far from optimistic after another middling weekend in Germany.

Martin finished a distant fifth at the Sachsenring, over 11 seconds behind winner Marc Marquez. And the factory Aprilia rider did well even to hang onto that position given the intense pressure he faced from Francesco Bagnaia late in the race.

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With the independent Trackhouse riders finishing second and third, this was just another example of Martin being near the back of the Aprilia brigade - a rot that set in after his perfect weekend at Le Mans in May. 

Despite this latest unsatisfactory performance, Martin managed to extend his championship lead in Germany, from seven points over Marco Bezzecchi to 14 points over Ai Ogura. But the 2024 world champion is aware that this is largely down to his competitors tripping up over the first half of the season. 

Early championship leader Bezzecchi is enduring a terrible run, and was ruled out of the Sachsenring weekend by a qualifying crash. Ogura is only just getting into his stride in terms of big points hauls, while Marquez is still catching up from injury problems and missed races earlier in the season. Even the consistent Fabio Di Giannantonio shipped a golden opportunity to claim the points lead in Germany, thanks to a crash on Sunday.

Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing

Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing

"I [might] be leading now, but if I continue making races like this one, I won't be in the lead for long," said Martin after the race.

"For sure, we did a great first part of the season. I'm happy to be leading, obviously, because it's always a nice feeling, but... now we need to find the speed.

"I know that the potential is high. I was super confident in the first part of the season, then in the last few races I've been struggling with the speed. So we need to analyse well what happened and maybe go back to that bike [set-up] because I was feeling much better.

"But overall, I'm happy. If you told me in January [that I would be leading now, I would take it] 100%. 

"And for sure, it will be an interesting second part [of the season]. The challenge is good, everything is super open. 

"Maybe I'm leading more [because of] the mistakes of the rest than from my results, but I'm leading! So we have to continue like this."

Read Also: Marc Marquez sets fitness target for upcoming MotoGP summer break Alex Marquez explains German GP crash: “Maybe I was too confident” I'm a real title contender now, declares Ai Ogura 

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Will the Cardinals Surge or Slump After the All-Star Break?

· Yahoo Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals are in an odd position entering the All-Star break.

They are only a few games out of a Wild Card spot and have, at times, looked like one of the best teams in MLB. 

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The Cardinals’ Problem Lies in ‘At Times’

Before the season, the Cardinals were predicted to be one of the worst teams in the MLB. However, they have exceeded expectations and are in the race for a National League Wild Card spot. 

Behind a breakout season from 24-year-old All-Star Jordan Walker, the Cardinals’ offense has flourished. Walker was selected to his first All-Star team this year and will also compete in the Home Run Derby. 

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While Walker and other teammates such as Alec Burleson lead a high-powered offense, the pitching remains a problem for the Cardinals. Specifically, the bullpen pitching. No pitchers in the Cardinals bullpen have an ERA lower than 3.0. 

Cardinals’ Bummer Bullpen

The only bright spot in the Cardinals’ bullpen is closer Riley O’Brien. O’Brien is the Cardinals’ second and final All-Star after Jordan Walker. Despite his All-Star status, the closer has definitely been shaky as of late. 

O’Brien has blown four saves, which is tied for the fourth-most in the MLB at this point. He also has a relatively high ERA for a closer, sitting at 3.62. 

Many consider O’Brien a middle-tier closer, and the fact that he is the strongest pitcher in the Cardinals’ bullpen is a problem. This has led the Cardinals to have nearly the most blown leads in the MLB.

Cardinals’ fans are upset with the bullpen, but there has been no indication of any change. Therefore, there is a fiery offense going into the break with no real support behind them.

Slump Starting

Historically, offensive-minded teams dip in efficiency after the All-Star break. So, with the Cardinals hovering in the middle of the league because of their offense, they are likely to enter a slump.

The harsh reality for Cardinals fans is that they have a team that, despite being exciting, does not meet the requirements that an MLB contender must have. The front office planned for this to be a rebuilding year, and the team has simply exceeded expectations.

The fact that the Cardinals have exceeded expectations is something that the fans should rejoice at, though. Although a post-All-Star break slump seems inevitable, not making the playoffs does not destroy the team’s future. They have a young and solid core that will last for years to come. This solid season could be a building block for free agents looking to compete in the coming offseasons. 

Therefore, whether the Cardinals slump or not, fans have something to look forward to. That’s something that fans of many other MLB franchises can’t say. Even if Cardinals fans are demanding a deep postseason run this year, there is still hope, as they are nowhere near out of the race despite what the analytics say.

Remember, Billy Beane never won a World Series because he only trusted the stats, but sometimes they are wrong. 

The post Will the Cardinals Surge or Slump After the All-Star Break? appeared first on The Lead.

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El Nino shows true colours, makes India's monsoon gasp for rain clouds

· India Today

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