Atlanta Braves: (44-32; Leader)
The Braves took two of three from the Detroit Tigers, and will play the Nationals this week. The first game of that series will be carried on ESPN2, and will feature Tim Hudson vs. Stephen Strasburg. J-Hey will not be in the starting lineup due to a thumb injury, so we’ll be robbed of Stras-Hey Rd. 1.
Philadelphia Phillies: (40-33; -2.5)
The Phillies took two of three in the infamous Blue Jays home-series in Philadelphia. In it, Jamie Moyer threw his 4,000th inning. Moyer stands at 267 wins, and I believe that he’ll be the next 300-game winner by age 50. A pressing issue after that becomes “what do you do after he gets 300?” I mean, 300 is a benchmark for the Hall of Fame, but does he deserve to be a Hall of Famer? But you can’t leave a 300-game winner out of the HoF, can you? Just food for thought. The Phillsters play a three game set against the Reds.
Sidebar: I was explaining the story of why the Blue Jays and Phillies were playing in Philadelphia instead of Toronto to my cousin, and he replied “Great, so they protect the Blue Jays from protesters, by sending them to Philadelphia.”
Florida Marlins: (35-40; -8.5)
The Marlins were swept by the San Diego Padres, and will head to San Juan for a set against the Mets. R.A. Dickey will be the starter tonight against Ricky Nolaso. The more interesting news surrounding the team is that Bobby Valentine is reportedly out of contention as Marlin manager.
Washington Nationals: (33-43; -11)
The Nationals were swept by the Orioles, and will play the Braves. This is Stras’s last start before the vaunted Strasburg-Dickey matchup on Saturday. Is it just me, or is this the second most anticipated pitching matchup of the year (second only to CC vs. Johan). Also, the Angels have interest in Adam Dunn, so it’s in the Nationals hands whether he gets traded, extended, or walks and leaves them picks.
Weekly Stat: So who did the best in interleague play, and who had the easiest/toughest schedule?
The Phillies had the hardest schedule (opponent’s winning % of .544 highlighted by NY, Bos for 6, and MIn) and the Nationals had the easiest (.410 highlighted by Bal for 6, KC, and Cle). The Braves and Marlins opponents both had combined .524 winning %; while Mets opponents had a .502%.
The Nationals clearly did the worst, going 5-13 including getting swept 3 times. The Mets did the exact opposite, going 13-5 and only losing one series, while getting two sweeps. The Phillies went 10-8, Braves 9-6, and Marlins 7-8.
