MLB Week 1, The National League: This Week in Numbers

MLB Week 1
Number of the Week: 34
'Nough said.

National League (plus NYY and BOS): Monday
(rest of) American League: Tuesday

Weekly article on the status of the MLB 2009 Season through the use of numbers. I'm going to try to give a fairly objective review of each team through stats, although the stats that I choose to use will of course shape how I feel about each team. Welcome comments, suggestions, opinions, etc...

NL East

Atlanta Braves
Starting Pitcher's ERA: 2.65 (34 IP, 10 ER)
Bullpen ERA: 5.85 (20 IP, 13 ER)

Florida Marlins
Josh Johnson, 4/12: 5 H, 1 BB, 7 K, 1 ER, 9 IP. 1st CG by any pitcher 2009 Emilio Bonifacio: 28 AB, 4 SB, .500 AVG, 1.232 OPS, 1 balk drawn

New York Mets
Johan Santana, 4/12: 7 IP, 13K, 0 ER, 1 L
Met's lineup: Averaged 1.5 runs/gm through first two Johan starts. Averaged 6.75 runs/gm for 4 games between Johan's two starts.

Philadelphia Phillies
87 mph: Hamels' average fastball in first start
4/8: Walked 10 times by the Braves, and 8 consecutive RBIs in the bottom of
the 7th.

Washington Nationals (0-6). Only winless team after 4/12. 500th career hit for Ryan Zimmerman. Second youngest Expo/Nat to accomplish that number. Won't be eligible for free-agency until after 2011 season, but long-term contract on hold again.

NL Central

St. Louis Cardinals
-7: Pujols has 7 RBIs on 4/11, and 7 assists and his 700th career walk on 4/8
(Pujols' ESPN commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ml0O-wPwsVU)
"Guys...I'm not a machine, okay. I'm just Albert"
-Lohse retires 24 straight batters. First NLer since Randy Johnson in 04.
(See Reds)

Chicago Cubs
-4: Number of Home Runs from Soriano to lead the NL, Number of RBIs Reed
Johnson stole from Prince Fielder, Cub QS, and Cub Wins

Milwaukee Brewers
-Gallardo's third career home run ties Brewer's franchise record for a pitcher
-Prince Fielder: 115 career home runs. Career grand slams? Zero...aww.

Cincinnati Reds
-Aaron Harang pitches the first shutout game in the majors this year, followed
by Lohse. Both pitched three-hit shutouts and are the first pair to do it so
early in the season since 1989.
-6-17, 4.78 ERA: Aaron Harang last year (this year so far, 1-1, 0.64 ERA)
3 other Reds' starters: 16.1 IP, 13 ER, 22 H, 7 BB

Pittsburgh Pirates
-4-4 in last 4 bases-loaded ABs. During their season opener, both Morgan and
Wilson had bases-loaded hits and Doumit has had last two bases-loaded
hits, punctuated by his grand-slam against Cincinnati.

Houston Astros
-16 runs in 200 ABs, 1.75 WHIP (2nd to last to the Nats in the NL), and a 6.45
ERA in 60 IP
-Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee held to 2 XBH each in 50 AB between them

NL West

Los Angeles Dodgers
-.500 OBP for Manny with 6 hits and 9 walks. 4 RBIs and 5 Runs
-Rest of lineup has 28 RBIs. Turns out Manny is human (at the beginning of
the season at least) and the Dodgers are a team composed of baseball
players as opposed to one person
-100 mph: What the radar gun has been reading for Jonathan Broxton's fastball. 3/3 on saves and a 2.25 ERA with a 0.25 WHIP in 4 IP.

Arizona Diamondbacks
-9 runs: average for the DBacks 2 wins
-1.25 runs: average for the DBacks 4 losses
-Dan Haren: 0-2 with a 2.08 ERA and 0.77 WHIP in 13 IP.

San Diego Padres
-2.57 Team ERA: Leads the Majors
-Heath Bell: 3/3 in Saves with a 0.00 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 2.2 IP
-First 7 games 2009: .737 Team OPS and 30 runs
-2008: .707 Team OPS and 22 runs in first 7 games

San Francisco Giants
-6.46 Starter's ERA
-7.56 ERA and 2.40 WHIP for the Giant's Ace and last year's NL Cy Young
-Matt Cain leads Giants starters with a 1.29 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in 7 IP and
the only Giants' QS
-Over .400 OBP: Fred Lewis, Aaron Rowand, and Randy Winn
-Also make up 12 of Giants' 26 runs scored

Colorado Rockies

-0 XBH and .367 OPS in 20 AB: Todd Helton
-Career OPS: 1.000
-3 Winning Pitchers: Jimenez, Morales, and Marquis
-Combined 2.28 ERA in 23.2 IP
-12 Team HRs, tied for lead in Majors

AL East

New York Yankees
-4.41 Team ERA in 51 IP, 7th in AL
-2 wins from 2 pitchers costing $240 million
-.050 AVG, .236 OPS, 1 Run, and 1 RBI from Cody Ransom at 3B
-Averages 1 Run/4.9 AB and 1 RBI/4.9 AB: Alex Rodriguez

Boston Red Sox
-4/11-4/12: No Runs scored by Red Sox that weren't created by a home run
-1.316 OPS: Youkilis, 1.324: Bay, 1.038: Varitek
-22 runs created by Red Sox, 12th in AL
-3.46 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 13 IP for Josh Beckett
-5.02 Team ERA, 10th in the AL

Tampa Bay Rays
-

Toronto Blue Jays

Baltimore Orioles

AL Central

AL West