Atlanta Braves: (37-27; Leader)
The Braves took two of three from the AL Central leading Minnesota Twins to keep their lead over the Mets at 1.5 games. The Braves will face the Tampa Bay Rays, with David Price, Wade Davis, and James Shields in line to face Kawakami, Hanson, and Hudson.
Philadelphia Phillies: (32-29; -3.5)
The Phillies lost two of three to the Boston Red Sox, getting outscored 25-9 in the process. Jamie Moyer was absolutely rocked in game 1 of the series. The Phillies will begin a World Series rematch series in New York against the Yankees. I know you hate both teams, but check out Tuesday’s pitching matchup: CC Sabathia vs. Roy Halladay.
Florida Marlins: (31-32; -5.5)
The Marlins took two of three from the Tampa Bay Rays, and will now face the AL West leading Texas Rangers. Ace Josh Johnson has only allowed 1 ER in his last 40 IP.
Washington Nationals: (31-33; -6)
Strasburg The Great took home NL Player Of The Week Honors, and had his first rough outing; 5.1 IP, 5 BB, 8K, 1ER. The Nationals will play the Detroit Tigers this week after taking two of three from Cleveland.
Weekly Stat: This is something that gdfther412 turned me onto on Sunday. Since getting caught with binoculars on May 12, the Phillies have gone 12-16 since; and have been outscored 95-122. Here’s a more telling stat: Avg/OBP/SLG.
Before (and including May 12) .273/.344/.452
After May 12: .239/.312/.353
That’s a 99 point drop in SLG, a 32 point drop in OBP, and a 34 point drop in batting average.
Let’s look at some individual numbers:
Jason Werth: Before May 12: .345/.423/.681
After May 12: .198/.284/.363 (Significant drop off)
Ryan Howard: Before May 12: .290/.333/.464
After May 12: .280/.353/.458 (Not much of a difference)
Chase Utley: Before May 12: .314/.439/.574
After May 12: .181/.208/.309 (Bigger drop-off than Werth)
Shane Victorino: Before May 12: .241/.285/.475
After May 12: .274/.358/.443 (He actually got better)
