National League Week 1 Review
The Opening Week Of The Season In The Senior Circuit
Some teams have suprised early on while other teams have gotten off to disappointing starts in the National League.
National League East
The Florida Marlins have gotten off to a great start at 5-1. Their starting pitching has been strong led by Josh Johnson, who has pitched two gems including beating Johan Santana of the Mets. The offense has looked strong led by Bonafacio, Ramirez, and Cantu. The question for the Marlins is whether their bullpen and defense can hold up and allow them to contend in this divsion.
The Atlanta Braves are also off to a 5-1 start. Their offense has been strong and they have pitched well outside of the bullpen meltdown in Philadelphia. Ultimately their bullpen will determine whether this team can stay in contention.
The New York Mets are off to a mediocre 3-3 start. Their starting pitching has been solid outside of a poor outing by Oliver Perez. Their offense has been good led by Beltran and Delgado, but they continue to struggle with runners in scoring position, something they will have to rectify if they are going to overcome their demons from the last two years and win this division.
The defending World Series Champions are also 3-3. Their offense has struggled outside of one big breakout game. Their pitching has struggled and their ace Cole Hammels got rocked in Colorado and did not look right. If he is not his healthy, it will be very difficult for the Phillies to beat out the Mets in this division.
The Washington Nationals are off to an 0-6 start and have struggled in every aspect of the game. They look completely overmatched in this division.
National League Central
The St. Louis Cardinals are off to a great start at 5-2. Their pitching has been strong. Carpenter looks healthy and pitched great in his first start. Along with Wainright and Lohse, the Cardinals have an excellent top three in the rotation. The offense has also looked strong led by Pujols, who looks poised to have another MVP type season.
The Chicago Cubs are off to a strong 4-2 start. Their pitching has been very good and that is likely to continue as they have one of the best starting rotations in baseball. Their offense has been O.K. but they need Lee to get it going if they are going to be a prolific offensive team once again.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are off to a solid 3-3 start. They have overachieved as this is a team with very little talent. Even though they have played well here early, they are unlikely to keep it up and should be a last place team when all is said and done.
The Cincinnati Reds are out to a 2-3 start. Their pitching has been solid, led by their ace Harang. Their offense has been decent led by Votto. The performance of the bottom of the rotation and bullpen is going to determine whether this team can stay in contention.
The Milwaukee Brewers currently sit at 2-4. Their offense has been solid led by Braun and Fielder. Their pitching has been very shaky, though. WIthout Sabathia and Sheets, they simply don't have enough pitching to make another run to the playoffs.
The Houston Astros are off to a terrible 1-5 start. They haven't pitched, they haven't hit, they really haven't done anything well. If their ace Oswalt continues to struggle, they have no chance to stay in contention.
National League West
The San Diego Padres are off to a surprising 5-2 start to top the division. Their pitching, led by Peavy and Young, has been great, giving up just 3 runs a game. Their offense has done just enough to win games. Ultimately, the back of the rotation is going to determine whether this team can keep it up.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are out of the blocks at 4-3. They have played well offensively and surprisingly, they have pitched well also. The offense should get even stronger when Manny gets hot but it remains to be seen whether the pitching can hold up.
The Colorado Rockies are .500 at 3-3. Ubaldo Jimenez has looked great and has the makings of an ace starter. Tulowitzki has led a very productive offense. The question for the Rockies is whether they have enough depth on the pitching staff to stay in the race.
The San Francisco Giants are off to a disappointing 2-4 start. The offense has been average but the pitching has been very disappointing, particularly last year's Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum. They desperately need him to turn things around if they are going to have a competitive year.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are off to a very disappointing 2-4 start. They have struggled mightily. They are 13th in the league in both average and pitcher's ERA. Their biggest concern is the health of ace Brandon Webb, who was placed on the 15-day DL. If he does not come back healthy, it will be very difficult for them to stay in the race.
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