The top two records in SLB are in the East this year, with Atlanta and Jersey City in a virtual tie for first place. The Jackals are just percentage points ahead of the Flyers with 2 games in hand, and hit the break as the hottest team in the league, having won 8 of their last 10 games. Columbus is right there at 3 games back, but has scuffled in the past few weeks. The Knights and Sharks are out of first by double digits, and look like sellers before the trade deadline.
Jersey City Jackals
Despite sporting the 4th worst team ERA in the league, JC boasts the best winning percentage. The offense is getting the job done, scoring 476 runs (second best in the league). First round pick Joe Mauer has been everything fans had hoped for, hitting a robust .368/.426/.651 from the catcher's spot. Orlando Hudson is tearing it up from the lead off spot, while Josh Hamilton leads the team in long balls. Cliff Floyd was signed as an undrafted free agent and has been terrific for the Jackals.
On the pitching side, things aren't quite as impressive, but have been good enough so far. The starters aren't terrible, but no one has stepped up as the "ace" of the staff. Hiroki Kuroda started off hot (winning Pitcher of the Month in April), but has cooled off lately. James Shields has been solid, while Mark Buehrle is as likely to give up 7 runs as he is to throw a shut out. The front office made a trade for Miami's Rich Harden, hoping a change of scenery (and a playoff race) would get him on track, and while he was brilliant in his first start, he gave up 4 runs while recording a single out in his second. The bullpen has been pretty solid, holding onto leads in high scoring games.
Atlanta Flyers
The Flyers are tied for first and loving every game that they can prove their draft critics wrong; GM Jim Masters didn't take a single pitcher until Round 23, and pulled some pitchers off the scrap heap to cobble a rotation together. The team has been unbelievably lucky, going 15 games over .500 despite being outscored by their opponents to date. When does that luck start running out?
The offense is good but not great. Matt Holliday is near the top of the leader board in RBI, while first round pick Hanley Ramirez has put up some solid numbers. Pablo Sandoval and Adam Lind have filled out the lineup nicely, but there have been holes, particularly at catcher and center field.
The starting rotation in Atlanta has been really hit or miss. Edwin Jackson and Jeremy Bonderman have been quite good (3.41 and 3.14 ERA's respectively), while Javier Vazquez and Paul Byrd have been pretty bad. Andy Pettitte started the year in AAA, but has gone 4-1 since replacing Byrd last month.
The bullpen has been equally spotty, though they've managed to go 19-9 as a group. Edward Mujica is 5-0 by himself, though Joakim Soria is the only reliever with a sub-4.00 ERA.
Columbus Capitals
If Atlanta is getting all the good luck this season, Columbus is getting all the bad luck. The Capitals have outscored their opponents by nearly 100 runs, but are just 9 over .500 and 3 games back. The team is 1st in the league in batting, 2nd in runs, and 2nd in team ERA, but if the season were to end today, they'd miss the playoffs.
Chase Utley and Manny Ramirez are #1 and #2 in the league in RBI (81 and 80), and they nearly double all of their teammates (Russell Martin is third on the team at 46). Utley may be considered the front-runner for League MVP, leading all of SLB in AVG, SLG and RBI. Carlos Pena has 20 HR (despite missing a month with injury), and Shin-Soo Choo has quietly batted .319 with 28 steals. Overall, the Capitals have been very lucky with injuries, keeping the bench players on the pine.
The rotation for Columbus has been among the league's best. Brandon Webb is in the picture for Cy Young, going 12-5, 2.69 with 120 K's in his first 18 starts. Roy Halladay has won 10 games and struck out 136, while Pedro Martinez (old) and Joba Chamberlain (young) both have sub-4.00 ERA's.
The bullpen has been very spotty, and has cost this team too many games in the late innings. Brian Wilson has been brilliant in the 9th, and Brad Lidge has done his job, but after that, there is a lot of mediocrity. This is the one area the team should look to improve on before the deadline.
New York Knights
The Knights' season so far can be summed up thusly: they've wasted a lot of good pitching with a lousy offense. New York has the 3rd best team ERA, but is dead last in the league in runs scored (at just a hair over 4 runs/game). At 11.5 games back, the season looks more or less over for the Knights unless the hitting heats up in a big way.
The woes of the offense have been personified by Albert Pujols. The superstar slugger has simply not been able to get on track all year, and hits the break with a meager .218/.283/.356 line. The only hitter who is really pulling his weight is David Murphy (20 HR), while Ty Wigginton is playing better than expected. Shane Victorino and Elvis Andrus are both slugging under .400, which just kills a lineup that already has an automatic out in the pitcher's slot.
On the flip side, the pitching has been very good (though the individual win-loss records are, predictably, not very good). Jake Westbrook's 4.36 ERA is the worst in the rotation! Derek Lowe has defied the poor run support and gone 11-4, 3.27 (and should get some Cy Young votes). Ervin Santana has a sparkling 2.87 ERA but has been rewarded with a 4-8 record.
Billy Wagner and Kerry Wood have been great in the late innings, but middle relief has been pretty poor.
Miami Sharks
The Sharks had a terrible run in May and June and are already in sell mode. Miami sent Rich Harden to Jersey City for Dan Hudson and Kevin Youkilis in the league's first trade. The pitching has been middle of the pack in the league, but the offense just hasn't clicked. Does GM Jose Gutierrez continue to sell?
Miami was the last team to have a double-digit home run hitter, though Curtis Granderson is hitting the break red hot (homering in 4 straight games). Despite his power surge, he isn't driving in a ton of runs (18 HR and just 37 RBI). Jorge Posada's 46 RBI lead the entire team. The offense started going south when Brian Roberts got injured and hasn't really recovered.
The "star" pitchers have been a let down, while some lesser known players have stepped up. Rich Harden was terrible for Miami and is now out of town, and Dan Haren hasn't been much better. On the flip side, Mike Pelfrey and Kyle Kendrick have been quite good, and Nick Blackburn has been crazy good (5-0, 0.92 ERA in 6 starts). Chad Bradford has been lights out in the pen, so you wonder if he's on the block...
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