We've reached the end of May, and league-wide competition is more than I could have hoped for. 11 of the 14 teams in SLB are within 3 games of first place, and with the 1st half/2nd half record format for playoff berths, no one is out of it.
Let's see where we stand as we enter June.
EAST
- Three teams are within a game of each other at the top of the division, but Atlanta is hanging on by a thread. The pitching is starting to show some weakness (Andy Pettitte was finally rescued from AAA purgatory to patch things up). After a dominating month of April (16-6), the Flyers have fallen back to the pack in May (15-12). Still, the team has the best record in SLB and has an offense that has 6 players with 10+ home runs.
- Jersey City went 16-10 this month despite a 5.90 team ERA. How long can the Jackals keep winning the high scoring games? JC will have to improve on its 6-6 division record, as they have series with all four East Division teams in June.
- Columbus is the hottest team in the league, winning 8 of 10 and posting a league best 17-8 record in May. The Capitals are clicking in all areas this month, as the hitters put up a .914 team OPS and the pitchers posted a 3.58 team ERA (both tops in SLB for May). The biggest obstacle for June is the loss of Carlos Pena, whose middle of the order power will be missed. Brandon Webb should win Pitcher of the Month, after posting a 5-0, 1.71 record for the month.
- New York is heading in the wrong direction, recently (losers of 5 straight), but overall, had a great month (16-10). The Knights still don't hit home runs, and Pujols is still mysteriously awful, but the starting pitching is strong.
- Miami is the only team really out of it in the division right now, though a second half surge could find them in the playoffs. That seems unlikely right now, after the Sharks went 7-19 in May. The team offense is pretty bad, and the lack of power (7 HR leads the team) isn't enough to overcome some spotty pitching. Kudos to GM Jose Gutierrez for shaking up the pen, but more needs to be done to right this ship.
WEST
- It's a three way tie for first place, and no team looks built to pull away from the pack. LaBrea (14-12 in May) has had to switch gears, as the early pitching success has come back to earth, but the offense has stepped it up. Ryan Howard has 20 HR, while Ethier and Kubel have been power threats as well.
- Kansas won 16 games this month and continues to lead the league in most offensive categories. Justin Upton (22 HR, 55 RBI) shows no signs of slowing down, and my have the inside track on league MVP. 15 of his 22 HR were hit this month! How much longer does GM Ben Royer stick with Chris Carpenter before giving Galaragga or Marcum a shot at the rotation?
- Oklahoma City matched Kansas with 16 May wins, but may have had more if Max Scherzer were replaced in the rotation. The guy was just awful, going 0-5, 5.76 for the month. Surely there are better options in AAA? Evan Longoria is finally starting to hit, but the black hole at catcher needs to be addressed.
- Springfield has rebounded from an awful April to go 13-14 in May. The team still can't hit, and the one player who CAN hit (Carlos Lee) is still on the shelf another 2-4 weeks. What HAS started working is the pitching, as the team posted a 4.02 team ERA (3rd best in SLB). The superstar pitching rotation was much better, all posting ERA's in the mid 4.00's (compared to the mid-to-high 5.00's in April).
- Sioux Falls lost a league high 20 games in May, mostly due to a pitching staff who gives up runs in bunches (6.72 team ERA this month). The team is so young that you wonder if its worth just riding this season out and hoping the youth grows into a contender. The Tomahawks may be the first team to starting selling....
WORLD
- The entire division is under .500, but only 2 1/2 games separate first from last place. Brisbane's offense is really hurting them, as they went 13-15 in May despite a 3.87 team ERA (second best in the league). Time to hit the trade market for a big bat? The Koalas have a great bullpen, so maybe a reliever-for-bat swap can be made.
- Caracas continues to pound the ball but lose late due to a terrible bullpen. The pitching staff as a whole gives up a ridiculous number of home runs. Is there anyone in Ft. Wayne who can pitch better than Livan Hernandez? There are four starting pitchers on the Baals with ERA's of 3.50 or under....
- Quebec got David Ortiz and Andrew McCutchen back this week, which they hope will wake up an offense that slept through May. The pitching was very good (3.79 team ERA in May), but the Frogs won just 12 games. What happened to Dustin Pedroia?
- Hats off to Fremantle, who didn't pack it in after an abysmal April. The Cormorants went 15-13 in May, and now sit just 2.5 out of first place. Burnett and Sabathia were a combined 7-2 this month, both sporting ERA's in the low 2.00's. Only Zambrano continues to struggle (despite maintaining a high K rate). Time to trade an arm for a bat?
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