MLB Halftime Report: National League
By Brett Neal
With the Houston Astros joining the Texas Rangers over on the dark side, there aren't too many people I know that are keeping up with the NL. No matter, I can't blame spend all day cursing Darth Selig for my problems.
The Half-Way summary:
Here are the NL standings as of today, the start of the All-Star Break
NL East: Record GB
Atlanta Braves 54-41 0
Washington Nationals 48-47 5.0
Philadelphia Phillies 48-48 5.5
New York Mets 41-50 10.0
NL Central:
St. Louis Cardinals 57-36 0
Pittsburgh Pirates 56-37 1.0
Cincinnati Reds 53-42 5.0
NL East:
Arizona Diamondbacks 50-45 0
Los Angeles Dodgers 47-47 2.5
Colorado Rockies 46-50 4.5
San Francisco Giants 43-51 6.5
San Diego Padres 42-54 8.5
Lets begin with the NL East, where the Atlanta Braves have a solid 5 game lead over the Washington Nationals. Experts assumed this would be a two team race all along, but we do have the old-balls fightin' Phils not far behind in 3rd place. I assume some of the Phillies players might be on performance enhancing drugs, but then again I don't think Cialis is on the MLB ban substances list. As for the Nationals, I do think they have the talent and the drive to make this a closer race in the last couple of weeks. If this happens, look for the Braves to fire skipper Fredi Gonzalez and hire Tyler Perry. That way, if run production becomes a problem, look for the Upton brothers to be replaced by the Wayans brothers.
The NL central is up to it's old ways with the St. Louis Cardinals leading the way. The Cards are like the fabled Hydra, for once you cut off one head - two more grow. Lose Albert Pujols, bring up Allen Craig and Matt Adams. Lose Kyle Lohse, gain Shelby Miller and Lance Lynn. Most of this is due to ex-General Manager Jeff Luhnow, now with the Houston Astros (Thank you God). Because of what Luhnow did with the Cardinals, experts agree that they will stay in playoff contention for many years to come. Following in close second are the Bucs, who had a equally strong start to last year's season but fell off towards August. Look for the Pirates to make a bold move before the trade deadline, maybe trading for a shortstop like Alexei Ramirez of the Chicago White Sox. However, if the Pirates start to tank again, look for this guy to make a comeback at age 51
The NL West is always a craps shoot for the first 4 months. It's not until late August when you see a team rise to the occasion. This year we have the Arizona Dbacks with the only winning record at 50-45, even though they forfeited their franchise player, Justin Upton, to the Atlanta Braves. Throw in the fact that the staff's ace, Ian Kennedy, is having his worst year ever, Aaron Hill and Cody Ross spent most of the season on the DL, and the Heath Bell led bullpen makes Chase Field look like Chernobyl, there is no reason why Arizona should be on top. But because of young studs like Paul Goldschmidt and Patrick Corbin, the Diamondbacks are a force to be reckoned with. However, I don't expect them to be on top at seasons end, and neither does Magic Johnson (and friends). The Dodger club has already made a move to bolster their fragile starting rotation, aquiring Ricky Nolasco from the Miami Marlins. Look for them to move to their bullpen next, maybe going after a strikeout machine like Jesse Crain of the Chicago White Sox, or maybe moving Kenley Jansen back to the set up role and trading for Francisco Rodriguez, Kevin Gregg, or one of the other closers on the market. By no means is the race for the NL West over. As my good friend and mentor, Chubbs Peterson, used to say, "We've only just begun."
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