National League Central Heating Up Into June

We are now midway through June and the NL Central has proved to be, in my mind, the best division in baseball up and down. A case could be made for the AL east, but let's face it, the Yankees can't seem to get it together and Toronto's offense can't support its incredible pitching, leaving the Sox and Rays to duke it out for first, although both will make the playoffs.

However, the NL central is really showing its class as of late. The division leading Cubs have the best run differential and the NL's leading offense and two solid aces in Dempster and Zambrano, backed by one of the best 1-2 closing punches, Marmol and Wood. The Cardinals have proved their worth posting one of only 3 winning road records in the majors and despite Pujol's injury, still boast a strong lineup matched with strong starting pitching, and a big time closer who is just trying to find his feet right now. The Brewers have really made a strong turn around in the last 14 games and are back into 3rd place. The Brewers are just waiting for some of their younger talent, ie. Prince Fielder, to turn the bats around and start producing runs again. Don't expect another win less streak like Capuano had last season from any of their starters again this year, and with a decent bullpen, Milwaukee can find their stride amongst some of the middle tier teams, but dont expect them playing in October.

Looking at the bottom half of the division starting with the Pirates, we can see a team finally ready to break .500 for the first time since 1992. With Jack Wilson back in the lineup, and McLouth, Bay, and Michaels all hitting well, you can expect to see the Pirates finally be able to compete on a daily basis, however, win on a daily basis will be determined later in the season. The reeling astros are finally feeling the effects of Berkman's offense starting to normalize and their shakey bullpen starting to break down a bit. They stood in sole possession of 2nd place not too long ago, ahead of the Cardinals, and are now in danger of sitting in the cellar, with only Carlos Lee to complement Berkman, the Astros offense isn't strong enough to match their pitching staff and as a team are 2-8 in their last 10. Currently, the Reds are in the bottom spot, but this is only temporary. Volquez and Jay Bruce are the two best things to happen to this club. Jay Bruce's unreal opening week showed us that he will be ready for the big leagues by the end of the season. Volquez has been one of the premier starters in the majors this season and has one of the top records amongst starters this far into June. While the Reds may not be competing for a playoff spot this season, they will show that they are a team to be reckoned with in the future and their young stars will finally be able to compete on a grand stage.