Early 2009 NL East Standings
National League East All Shook Up to Start the Season
Almost two full weeks into the 2009 regular season and the National League East standings look like something from the “Twilight Zone."
The mighty have fallen, perhaps just temporarily, while the over-looked, and under-estimated, have propelled themselves to the best record in all of baseball. The entire division has been turned upside down and continues to be nothing short of surprising… Well, except for those guys in Washington (That town can’t do anything right at the moment. Not even baseball).
The Nationals, and their abysmal 1-7 mark, have proved to be the only “normal” occurrence thus far in the N.L. East. A look at the rest of the standings and it is easy to see, things have become slightly out of whack.
#4 New York Mets
After taking two of three from the Reds to open the season, the powerhouse Mets have lost consecutive series against the Marlins and Padres, falling to fourth in the division, with a 4-5 record. New York hasn’t been terrible, but they haven’t been good either. Their starting pitching, with the lone exception of Johan Santana (1-1, 0.71 ERA), has given up far too many runs for any offense to cover. Of the Mets’ starting five, three have garnered ERAs over seven (O. Perez, 7.84, J. Maine, 7.20, M. Pelfrey, 8.10).
With so many runs against them, the daunting Met lineup has been shouldered with a heavy load. Hitting has kept New York alive, and 1B Carlos Delgado (.343, 3 HR, 12 RBI) has been stellar in the team's first nine games.
#3 Philadelphia Phillies
The division’s other elite club, the defending champion Phillies, have struggled to a .500 mark (4-4) after dropping two games against Atlanta and giving the Nationals their only win of the season. Like the Mets, Philadelphia's woes begin with pitching. Through their first nine, the Phils rank 14th in the National League in ERA; Only Washington has a higher number.
Every Philadelphia starter has an ERA over five and ace Cole Hamels (0-1, 17.18 ERA) had a disastrous outing in his first start back from injury.
As is the case in New York, the Phillies are keeping their heads above water with their outstanding lineup. Five Philly hitters are batting over .300 and Raul Ibanez (.303, 3 HR, 7 RBI) is proving to be a key offseason acquisition.
Spots one and two in the N.L East are where the true surprises lie.
#2 Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves have been tearing the cover off the ball, amassing a 5-4 record and a second place spot in the early divisional standings. The keys to their success have been strong starting pitching and impressive hitting throughout the lineup. The Braves' new ace Derek Lowe (1-0, 2.81) and second year pitcher Jair Jurrjens (2-0, 2.45) have led the charge from the mound.
In addition to the arms, Braves batters have fired on all cylinders through their first nine contests. Atlanta's .466 slugging percentage ranks second in the National league, trailing only St. Louis, who has their "machine" Albert Pujols leading the way. Kelly Johnson (.286, 3 HR, 7 RBI) has started the season strong for the Braves, and provided them with ample support in the leadoff spot.
The trouble for Atlanta has been with there bullpen and the division leading Florida Marlins. Brave relievers have had a difficult time retiring batters, and of the eight pitchers, only Jeff Bennett (1.50) and Rafael Soriano (0.00) have ERAs under four.
Atlanta began the season 5-1 but ran into baseball's most surprising, and currently best team, the Florida Marlins.
#1 Florida Marlins? (Yeah... The Marlins)
Florida has done it all thus far. They have hit, they have run, and they have pitched. As a team, the Marlins rank second in average (.282), second in ERA (3.11), second in stolen bases (8), and first in wins (8) for the National League. Their 8-1 mark is the best in baseball and two games ahead of the closest team.
Bolstering one of the best young rotations in all of baseball, the Marlins have had no trouble keeping runs off the board. Josh Johnson (2-0, 0.57), Anibal Sanchez (1-0, 1.64), and Chris Volstad (2-0, 1.50) have proved nearly un-hittable, while the Florida offense provides plenty of room to work.
Hanley Ramirez (.289, 2 HR, 10 RBI) and Dan Uggla (.323, 2 HR, 12 RBI) have started the season with all star play, and new comer Emilio Bonifacio (.386, 1 HR, RBI) has provided a spark at the top of the order.
The 2009 MLB season is just getting underway and still months from winding down. Some teams will catch fire and rise to the top, others will come crashing to the bottom and be left waiting for next spring. There is no way to predict what any organization will do or how they'll do it. But if nothing else, this wild start for the National League East at least proves one thing; every team believes they will win it and and with each victory, realizes they can. The summer could be one of the best in recent years for the N.L. East and if these four teams play to their potential, fans could watch four clubs battle for two playoff spots in September.
*Statistics from: www.mlb.com
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