Mets/29-17/1/1 - Went 3-3, including two losses to the Braves. Mets hold onto the top spot, but barely. ESPN may be convinced the pitching staff is "not as bad as advertised"; PnR is still quite skeptical.
Braves/28-19/2/2 - Smoltz picks up win 200 against the Amazin's. Braves still look like the team to beat in the East; especially if Andruw ever gets going.
Padres/22-19/3/5 - SD continues to ride strong pitching from Peavy, Young & co. Germano is starting to look like the real deal; yet another strong week for the pen.
Dodgers/27-20/4/4 - Pierre is back to the lead-off spot despite an OBP 68 points lower than Furcal (.303 vs .371). This is not the way to win a division.
Brewers/28-19/5/3 - Dropping series to Twins and Dodgers, 3-7 over last ten. If this drags on, expect to see Gallardo and Braun by early June.
Diamondbacks/26-23/6/7 - 3.77 team ERA has been enough to keep the snakes in most games. How long can these youngsters keep pace in the improving NL West?
Giants/24-22/7/8 - Bonds's struggles continue while the former Huskie continues to wow on the mound. Sanchez is back at AAA to get regular work; I wonder how long until he replaces Morris? -- I say one month and improved command over his off-speed stuff.
Marlins/23-24/8/11 - A big jumble from 8 through 11. The Fish get the nod with Myers going down and Houston incapable of scoring runs regularly.
Phillies/23-24/9/9 - Phils get Howard back but may lose Myers for an extended period. Not much in that bullpen for the Philly-Phanatics to get excited about.
Cubs/21-24/10/10 - Cubs hold fast at 10, but only because of Houston's ineptitude. Nice win in SD last night to avoid the sweep. This weekend doesn't get any easier with a trip to LA.
Astros/21-26/11/6 - Offensive struggles lead to 1-7 over last 8, including a 1-2 record against lonestar rivals. Outscored 55 to 11 over this stretch.
Rockies/20-27/12/13 - Looks like the Rox are the only team in the NL West that won't have a shot at the post season. Wonder if there will be any takers for Helton come July?
Cardinals/19-25/13/15 - Still a really bad team, but a three game win streak is a step in the right direction (disclaimer - three wins were against the Captain Jack Sparrows). Good fortune continues with weekend series against the Nats.
Nationals/19-29/14/16 - Not convinced the Nats aren't the worst team in the NL, the Pirates and Reds were just that bad this week. Battle of the unspectacular with the Cards this weekend.
Pirates/19-27/15/12 - Five game losing streak is ugly. Having to listen to Pirates of the Carribean references throughout ESPN/Disney Sportscenter is uglier. Savy?
Reds/18-30/16/14 - A 4.46 team ERA is not going to cut it, even in the NL Central. Hopefully Cincy will get some young pitching for Dunn in July.
NL MVP: J.J. Hardy, Brewers (.311/.353/.595/.948, 14 HR, 41 RBI, 12 2B)
NL Cy Young: Jake Peavy, Padres (6-1, 1.63 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, .193 BAA, 77K, 66.1IP)
NL RoY: Hunter Pence, Astros (.341/.383/.614/.997, 4 HR, 16 RBI, 13 of 30 hits have gone for extra bases)
2 comments:
My only comment is to the Todd Helton issue. Helton's not being traded unless Colorado eats at least half of the $76M left on his contract. And since I doubt they'll do that, it looks like they're stuck with him until 2012.
Well written article.
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