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A Closer Look at the NL Central
May 20, 2007
Pittsburgh, PA - With just over a quarter of the way into the season,
the National League Central division is still very much up for grabs.
In 2006 the Cardinals had a hold of the Central until the end of
the season when the Pirates made a run, only to finish the season
8 games behind. This season four out of the six teams are in contention
to take the division. The Milwaukee Brewers are the current leaders
with a record of 27-18 and are a game and a half in front of Pittsburgh
who currently sits in second place. One big surprise for the team
has been 2006 Cy Young winner Sandy Miles who has a 1-6 record.
The Brew Crew's offense has been led by Art Thornton who has 8 homers
and 36 RBI's and youngster Al Williams who has gone deep 11 times
and has 39 steaks.
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| |
W |
L |
PCT |
GB |
| Milwaukee |
27 |
18 |
.600 |
- |
| Pittsburgh |
26 |
20 |
.565 |
1½ |
| Houston |
22 |
24 |
.478 |
5½ |
| St. Louis |
20 |
25 |
.444 |
7 |
| Chicago |
16 |
29 |
.356 |
11 |
| Cincinnati |
15 |
30 |
.333 |
12 |
|
Asuka Kiyokawa is the ace on Houston's pitching staff
compiling a 5-4 record with an ERA of 3.33 |
The Pirates, who sit in
second place in the central, have gone 25-14 since dropping 6 out
of 7 to the Dodgers at the start of the season. The Bucks may be pressed
to find some offense in the next four weeks as outfielder Don White
will miss some time with a broken wrist.
The first month and half has been a roller coaster ride for the Houston
Astros, who currently occupy third place, and have switched being
over or under .500 four times already this season. Slugger Bernie
Rogers was struggled with only five homeruns and 18 RBIs. Carrying
the team has been first baseman Chet Hall with 9 homeruns and 36 RBIs
and the Astros strong starting rotation.
The St. Louis Cardinals, who won the Central the last two seasons,
has been the biggest surprise so far this year. After trading away
the likes of Joe Joyce and other key players, the Cardinals assembled
one of baseballs most feared pitching staffs. Even though they have
managed to score more runs than have been scored against them, they
are still a sub-.500 team. Wins may be tougher to come by now as starting
pitchers Joe A. Parker and Tim Rowe are both out with injuries. |
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Stats
Stats
