The Kids Are Coming: A Cubs Dynasty (The Show 15)

[Jr.]

Soler Goes Off, Cubs Win Big

CINCINNATI – Jorge Soler has not gotten off to the start he envisioned in Spring Training. Through the Cubs first 16 games, Soler was hitting under .200 with just a single homerun. Maybe this is his jumping off point in 2015. Returning to the place he made his MLB debut last year, Soler had 3 hits, including his 2^nd homerun, and 4 RBI to lead the Cubs to an 11-4 victory in Cincinnati. “I think he’s been pressing a little,” said Joe Maddon after the game. “He wants so bad to help the team win and play well and I think it’s making him play outside of his abilities a bit. He’s a young player and he still has to figure that part of the game out.”

Soler wasn’t the only one to enjoy the cracker-jack box that is Great American Ballpark. In total the Cubs hit 5 homeruns and had 5 players with multiple hits in the game. Jake Arrieta was the beneficiary of the run support as he notched his 1^st win of the season with a strong outing (6 IP, 1 ER). “It was good to throw well after the last couple of outings I’ve had. I let my team down in those, and I’m glad they picked me up today with a lot of runs. It made pitching a little easier,” said Arrieta.

The Cubs got on the board in the 3^rd thanks to an Anthony Rizzo fielder’s choice with the bases loaded. The Reds quickly answered on a Joey Votto RBI single, but the Cubs took the lead back thanks to a pair of homeruns from Junior Lake and Anthony Rizzo in the 5^th. Back to back HRs in the 6^th from Baez and Ross extended the Cubs lead to 5-1. Soler drove his first run of the game in, in the 8^th on a double, then was driven in himself on a Ross single.

The Reds made it interesting with 3 runs in the 8^th. Marlon Byrd hit a 2 run HR to left, and Jay Bruce followed with a solo shot all off of Zach Rosscup. But Soler’s 3 run HR in the 9^th gave the Cubs their final tally of 11 runs and effectively put the game away.

The series continues tomorrow as Jason Hammel (1-1 10.95 ERA) faces Raisel Iglesias (0-2 4.30 ERA) at 12:10 CT.

Game Notes: The Cubs recalled LHP James Russell and optioned LHP Zach Rosscup to the minors after the game. Rosscup had a 10.50 ERA on the short season.

[Jr.]

Lester Strong, Lake Stays Hot as Cubs Down Pirates

Justin Grimm celebrates a strikeout of Andrew McCutchen to preserve a 3-2 Cubs lead

CHICAGO – Junior Lake has gotten off to a blazing start since being recalled last week. He went 2-3 tonight with a HR and 2 runs scored. He has 7 hits in his first 15 ABs, with 4 of those hits going for extra bases. And now, he will need to continue that as the Cubs expect Arismendy Alcantara to miss significant time after his knee injury.

Alcantara was hurt sliding into 3^rd base as he tried to advance on a ball in the dirt. “I think he hurt it as he broke down into his slide. It looked like the knee gave out on him a bit,” Joe Maddon said after the game. Alcantara was out on the play, but the loss of him in the lineup will be much more significant.

As for the rest of the game, Jon Lester worked himself into and out of jams as he threw 6 innings and won his 3^rd decision of the season. While he wasn’t at his sharpest, it was enough to hold the Pirates at bay until the offense could get going later in the game.

As per usual this season, the Cubs got on the board first when Javier Baez knocked in Starlin Castro on a 2 out single. The Pirates took a 2-1 lead in the 3^rd when AJ Burnett led off the frame with a single through the right side. Starling Marte then laced a triple into the right-center gap to score Burnett from 1^st, and McCutchen followed with a deep sacrifice fly to left field.

The Cubs took the lead back in the 5^th when Alcantara lined a single up the middle that scored Lake and Lester. Chicago then extended the lead in the 7^th on Lake’s solo homerun, and added again on Ross’s 2 run homerun in the 8^th for the final 6-2 score.

Highlights:


Box Score:

Spoiler

Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs
Jan 1,	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Pittsburgh (10-11)	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	8	1
Chicago (13-8)	1	0	0	0	2	0	1	2	x	6	8	0
W: Jon Lester (3-2) L: AJ Burnett (1-4)

Pittsburgh Pirates
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Harrison, 3B	4	0	0	0	1	2	0	.297
Marte, LF	5	1	3	1	0	0	0	.305
McCutchen, CF	4	0	0	1	0	2	0	.267
Kang, SS	3	0	0	0	1	1	0	.263
Walker, 2B	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	.254
Hart, 1B	4	0	0	0	0	2	0	.184
Planco, RF	3	0	1	0	1	1	0	.309
Cervelli, C	3	0	1	0	1	0	0	.300
Burnett, P	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	.125
Lombardozzi, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.184
Tabata, RF	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	.290
TEAM TOTALS	33	2	8	2	4	8	0
BATTING: 2B: Marte (8) 3B: Marte (2) RBI: McCutchen (19), Marte (8) SF: McCutchen SAC: Burnett
BASERUNNING: SB: Walker (1)
FIELDING: E: Kang (3)

Chicago Cubs
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Alcantara, CF	3	0	1	2	0	0	0	.277
Denorfia, LF	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.405
Castro, SS	3	1	2	0	1	0	0	.372
Rizzo, 1B	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	.276
Bryant, 3B	2	1	0	0	1	0	0	.267
Baez, 2B	4	0	2	1	0	1	0	.273
Soler, RF	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	.219
Ross, C	4	1	1	2	0	0	1	.263
Lester, P	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	.222
LaStella, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.120
Coghlan, PH	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	.235
Lake, LF/CF	3	2	2	1	0	0	1	.467
TEAM TOTALS	31	6	8	6	3	3	2
BATTING: 2B: Lake (2) HR: Lake (2), Ross (2) RBI: Lake (4), Baez (15), Ross 2 (4), Alcantara 2 (14) HBP: Bryant
BASERUNNING: SB: Bryant (1), Baez (1), Alcantara (3)

Pittsburgh Pirates
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Burnett (1-4)	5.0	6	3	3	3	1	0	5.76
Caminero	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1.65
Hughes	1.0	1	1	1	0	0	1	3.72
Holdzkom	0.2	1	2	2	0	1	1	4.50
Bastardo	0.1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.00
TEAM TOTALS	8.0	8	6	6	3	3	2

Chicago Cubs
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Lester (3-2)	6.0	5	2	2	3	5	0	3.66
Grimm (H, 4)	1.1	1	0	0	0	1	0	6.75
Strop (H, 6)	0.2	1	0	0	0	1	0	0.84
Rondon	1.0	1	0	0	1	1	0	5.87
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	8	2	2	4	8	0

Game Notes: Chicago placed OF Arismendy Alcantara on the 15-day DL, recalled OF Matt Szczur from AAA Iowa, demoted OF Chris Coghlan to AAA Iowa, and purchased the contract of 3B/1B Mike Olt from AAA Iowa.

Sim Games Recap:

Reds Game 2 – Hector Rondon blew his 2^nd save as the Cubs fell 4-3. Brennan Boesch capped off a 3-3 game with a walkoff 2 run homerun, his second HR of the game. The blown save put a damper on an excellent bounce-back outing for Jason Hammel (6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 6 K). Offensively, the Cubs were led by Jorge Soler (2-5, RBI) and Anthony Rizzo (2-4, run).

Reds Game 3 – Travis Wood had to leave the game early with a blister and Edwin Jackson earned his first victory of the year in relief as the Cubs took the series with a 6-4 win. Wood got hit around (4.2 IP, 8 H, 2 r) in his short outing, but minimized damage and kept Chicago in the game. The bullpen gave up a couple of run in their extended innings, but the Cubs offense provided enough support to get the victory. Chris Denorfia was 3-5 with a HR, Travis Wood contributed with a RBI triple, and Arismendy Alcantara had the big blow with a 3 run HR in the 2^nd to give the Cubs a lead they would not relinquish.

Pirates Game 1 – Chicago rides a pair of 4 run innings to outlast the Buccos 8-6. Kris Bryant (2-3, 3 RBI) hit his 6^th homerun of the season to lead the Cubs offensively. Rizzo, Castro, and Lake all contribute 2 hits and an RBI, while Kyle Hendricks (6 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 7 K) benefits from the run support. Jason Motte closes and records his second consecutive save.

Pirates Game 3 - Pittsburgh avoids the sweep by posting a 6 run 7th to claim a 7-4 win. Arrieta (6.2 IP, 10 H, 4 R) was strong through 6, but gave up 3 in the 7th before Neil Ramirez came in to try to hold the tie game. He faced 3 batters, walking one and giving up 2 hits including a 3 run HR to Pedro Alvarez. Anthony Rizzo had a 2 run double and Jorge Soler hit a 2 run HR to provide the offense for the Cubs.

[Tazer19]

Nice recapping, go Cubs!

[Jr.]

Chicago Cubs April Report Card

The Chicago Cubs entered the 2015 season with high expectations.. probably too high. Many fans were clamoring that the team should, at the least, secure a Wild Card spot and a Postseason berth for the first time since 2008, but some have hopes of winning the division. If the first month is any indication, those fans might have their expectations right on the mark.


The Cubs completed the month of April with a 13-9 record and 2^nd in the NL Central, 4 games back of the somewhat surprising Milwaukee Brewers. Chicago hit .276 as a team (8^th in MLB), are 3^rd in baseball in runs scored with 110, 4^th in homeruns with 30, tied for 7^th with 75 walks, and are 4^th in slugging percentage at .457. However, for as good as the offense has been, the pitching has been just as poor. The Cubs are currently 26^th in ERA (4.74), 27^th in hits allowed (230), and 25^th in walks allowed (76). Let’s take a closer look at the offense and pitching:


OFFENSE: B+

As expected, Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro have led the offense. Rizzo is batting .289 and leads the team with 16 runs scored. The power hasn’t shown up like it did last year, yet, but we can assume that it will. Castro leads the team with a .389 average and 7 doubles. He hasn’t hit a homerun yet, and he’s not scoring a ton of runs despite being inserted at the top of the lineup since the middle of the month, but if he keeps hitting like this, he’s going to give Rizzo, Bryant, Montero and the rest of the Cubs sluggers plenty of RBI opportunities.


Chris Denorfia has been a pleasant surprise for the offense as he sports a .381 average with a couple of homeruns in only 42 Abs. The team will need him to continue that as they have lost Dexter Fowler and Arismendy Alcantara for extended periods of time. Fowler was right around his career averages with a .268/.379 average/OBP slash, though he wasn’t hitting for any power as he was slugging just .304. Alcantara was beginning to establish himself as the player the Cubs hoped he would become. With an impressive .277/.356/.457 line, he was getting on base and providing some pop out of the leadoff spot. He was also 3-3 in stolen bases. Since the injuries, Junior Lake has stepped in and provided a spark in his first 6 games with a .412/.450/.882 line.


With all of that said, the real excitement heading into this season was the performance of 2014’s Minor League Player of the Year, Kris Bryant. Bryant got off to a fantastic start as he hit over .400 through his first 10 games. He has cooled off since then, but he still maintains a respectable .266/.356/.582 slash. He’s currently tied for 3^rd in the NL in HRs. One spot behind fellow former super-prospect Javier Baez. Baez’s struggles last season were well publicized, but he looks to have put all of that behind himself this year. Yes, he’s still striking out at a high rate (27 in 81 ABs), but he’s making a lot more contact and providing the power that everyone knew he would. He’s slashing .259/.302/.568 after the first month, and this is after a bit of a slump that’s brought him down from a .300 average he carried through most of the first month. He’s also playing excellent defense at second base with only 1 error and a handful of spectacular plays.


One prospect that has not quite figured it out yet is Jorge Soler. After breaking on to the scene last year in a limited time, Soler is off to a rough start. He has shown flashes of power and potential, but he hasn’t found the consistency yet. Soler’s average is up to .221 after being below the Mendoza line for much of the 1^st month and he only has 5 extra base hits. However, he is showing some plate discipline with 9 walks in 77 ABs (tied for 2^nd on the team).


This is definitely what everyone expected the Cubs offense to look like when the prospects arrived. It’s still early, but I think it’s safe to assume that this level of production is sustainable.


PITCHING: D

Coming in to this season, the pitching staff was thought to be a strength. It certainly hasn’t turned out to be early on. Jon Lester has been solid, but not quite what was expected with a 3.66 ERA through his first 5 starts. Jake Arrieta has yet to find the consistency he showed during his breakout season last year, but maybe his last outing (6 IP 1 ER) is the turning point. Jason Hammel’s ERA is a bit inflated from a disastrous outing against Pittsburgh, but he’s yet to return much on the $20M investment the club made in him. Kyle Hendricks has also yet to capture his brilliance from last year when he posted a 2.46 ERA over 13 starts. The most consistent starter is probably Travis Wood. The 2013 All-Star fell out of favor with the Cubs faithful after a disastrous season last year (8-13 5.03 ERA), but he’s got a very respectable 3.75 ERA so far this year and is 3-0.


The real issue has been the bullpen so far. Hector Rondon dazzled the 2^nd half of last season and came into the year as the undisputed closer. He lost that role after blowing his 2^nd save in 4 chances against the Reds on April 25^th. Free agent signee Jason Motte has taken over and is 2/2 on saves since then and has a sparkling 1.32 ERA. Yoervis Medina, acquired from the Mariners for Wellington Castillo before Spring Training, has been a great surprise with a miniscule 0.77 ERA, and Pedro Strop is off to a fantastic start after his own breakout season last year with a 0.84 ERA and a 15:1 K:BB ratio. However, that’s where the good performances end in the bullpen. Neil Ramirez and Justin Grimm, standouts last year for the Cubs, both have ERAs over 6.5o (9.39 and 6.75, respectively). Edwin Jackson hasn’t fared too well in his new role as long reliever (6.23 ERA), though he does have a win to his name. Zach Rosscup started out as the bullpen’s lone LHP, but he was demoted after 10.50 ERA over his first 5 appearances. James Russell was signed back and called up and has yet to give up a run in his 2 appearances.


Expect Theo and company to bolster this struggling group before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. The organization has a plethora of prospects available to move, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they added a couple of big pieces to this staff.


OVERALL: B-
The Cubs are off to a good start. Not great, but good. As of May 1^st, they’re in the thick of the NL Central race and have a 1.5 game lead for the 2^nd Wild Card spot. There are areas that can definitely be improved, and it remains to be seen what the long-term impact of losing Folwer and Alcantara are on the offense. Alcantara could be back by the beginning of June, but Fowler is likely out until the All-Star Break. Can the team tread water and stay in the hunt by then? Will Theo make a big move to upgrade the pitching staff? Or will the team stand pat, thinking that this year is gravy and 2016 is really the year?

[Jr.]

Around Major League Baseball

League Leaders:

MLB League Leaders - Updated: May 1, 2015
Batting Average		BA	Home Runs		HR
	1. Ryan Braun, MIL	.413		1. Marlon Byrd, CIN	8
	2. Angel Pagan, SF	.410		2. Javier Baez, CHC	7
	3. Adam Lind, MIL	.406		3. Carlos Gonzalez, COL	6
	4. Paul Goldschmidt, ARI	.403		4. Kris Bryant, CHC	6
	5. Starlin Castro, CHC	.389		5. Adam Lind, MIL	6
Runs Batted In		RBI	Stolen Bases		SB
	1. Alexi Amarist, SD	21		1. Billy Hamilton, CIN	8
	2. Andrew McCutchen, PIT	20		2. Ben Revere, PHI	7
	3. Kris Bryant, CHC	19		3. Starling Marte, PIT	6
	4. Marlon Byrd, CIN	19		4. Eury Perez, ATL	6
	5. Ian Desmond, WAS	18		5. Paul Goldschmidt, ARI	5
Slugging Percentage		SLG	On Base + Slugging		OPS
	1. Ryan Braun, MIL	.733		1. Ryan Braun, MIL	1.222
	2. Adam Lind, MIL	.710		2. Adam Lind, MIL	1.185
	3. Alexi Amarista, SD	.662		3. Paul Goldschmidt, ARI	1.092
	4. Carlos Gonzalez, COL	.662		4. Carlos Gonzalez, COL	1.072
	5. Angel Pagan, SF	.614		5. Angel Pagan, SF	1.065

MLB League Leaders - Updated: May 1, 2015
Batting Average		BA	Home Runs		HR
	1. Michael Brantley, CLE	.398		1. Adam Jones, BAL	9
	2. Lorenzo Cain, KC	.380		2. Manny Machado, BAL	7
	3. John Jaso, TB	.373		3. Miguel Cabrera, DET	7
	4. Leonys Martin, TEX	.371		4. Chris Davis, BAL	6
	5. Adrian Beltre, TEX	.363		5. Jose Bautista, TOR	6
Runs Batted In		RBI	Stolen Bases		SB
	1. Michael Brantley, CLE	23		1. Anthony Gose, DET	8
	2. Miguel Cabrera, DET	20		2. Lorenzo Cain, KC	6
	3. Adam Jones, BAL	18		3. Alcides Escobar, KC	6
	4. Adrian Beltre, TEX	16		4. Kevin Pillar, TOR	6
	5. Robinson Cano, SEA	16		5. Ryan Brett, TB	6
Slugging Percentage		SLG	On Base + Slugging		OPS
	1. Adam Jones, BAL	.663		1. Jacoby Ellsbury, NYY	1.059
	2. Jose Bautista, TOR	.652		2. Jose Bautista, TOR	1.057
	3. Mike Trout, ANA	.640		3. Adrian Beltre, TEX	1.032
	4. Adrian Beltre, TEX	.625		4. Michael Brantley, CLE	1.025
	5. Manny Machado, BAL	.614		5. Mike Trout, ANA	1.025

MLB League Leaders - Updated: May 1, 2015
Wins		W	Saves		S
	1. Jordan Zimmerman, WAS	4		1. Drew Storen, WAS	12
	2. Kyle Lohse, MIL	4		2. Steve Cishek, MIA	11
	3. Stephen Strasburg, WAS	3		3. Francisco Rodriguez, MIL	11
	4. Jacob DeGrom, NYM	3		4. Addison Reed, ARI	9
	5. Jon Lester, CHC	3		5. LaTroy Hawkins, COL	8
Earned Run Average		ERA	Strikeouts		K
	1. Hyun-Jin Ryu, LAD	1.13		1. Alex Wood, ATL	36
	2. Max Scherzer, WAS	1.14		2. Clayton Kershaw, LAD	35
	3. Kyle Lohse, MIL	1.44		3. Jimmy Nelson, MIL	35
	4. Andrew Cashner, SD	1.56		4. Gio Gonzalez, WAS	34
	5. Johnny Cueto, CIN	1.83		5. Jacob DeGrom, NYM	34
Innings Pitched		IP	Walks + Hits per Inning Pitched		WHIP
	1. Andrew Cashner, SD	34.2		1. Kyle Lohse, MIL	0.70
	2. Mat Latos, MIA	34.2		2. Hyun-Jin Ryu, LAD	0.72
	3. Johnny Cueto, CIN	34.1		3. James Shields, SD	0.82
	4. James Shields, SD	34.1		4. Zack Grienke, LAD	0.84
	5. Stephen Strasburg, WAS	33.0		5. Stephen Strasburg, WAS	0.85

MLB League Leaders - Updated: May 1, 2015
Wins		W	Saves		S
	1. Phil Huges, MIN	4		1. Zach Britton, BAL	13
	2. Yu Darvish, TEX	4		2. Andrew Miller, NYY	9
	3. Wei-Yin Chen, BAL	3		3. David Roberston, CHW	8
	4. Chris Tillman, BAL	3		4. Greg Holland, KC	8
	5. Brett Oberholtzer, HOU	3		5. Huston Street, ANA	8
Earned Run Average		ERA	Strikeouts		K
	1. CJ Wilson, LAA	1.46		1. Yu Darvish, TEX	48
	2. Matt Shoemaker, LAA	1.52		2. Justin Verlander, DET	34
	3. Scott Feldman, HOU	1.55		3. Trevor Bauer, CLE	31
	4. Hisashi Iwakuma, SEA	1.82		4. Hisashi Iwakuma, SEA	30
	5. Derek Holland, TEX	1.88		5. Chris Tillman, BAL	29
Innings Pitched		IP	Walks + Hits per Inning Pitched		WHIP
	1. Yu Darvish, TEX	37.0		1. Wandy Rodriguez, TEX	0.83
	2. Hisashi Iwakuma, SEA	34.2		2. Jake Odorizzi, TB	0.99
	3. Felix Hernandez, SEA	33.2		3. Jose Quintana, CHW	1.01
	4. Garrett Richards, LAA	33.1		4. Alfredo Simon, DET	1.04
	5. Alex Cobb, TB	33.1		5. Matt Shoemaker, LAA	1.04

[royals19]

Awesome to see a Cubs franchise on here. Everything looks great. Keep up the good work.

[Jr.]

NL Central April Report

Milwaukee Brewers 17-5
Chicago Cubs 13-9 4.0 GB
Pittsburgh Pirates 11-11 6.0 GB
St. Louis Cardinals 9-13 8.0 GB
Cincinnati Reds 7-16 10.5 GB


Going into the season, everyone expected the Cardinals and Pirates to fight for the top of the division. The Cubs and Brewers were expected to compete for Wild Card spots, and the Reds were expected to be sellers at the deadline and go into a rebuild.


After the first month, the pundits were right about the Cubs and Reds. They were way off about the Brewers. Going into May, the Brewers have a commanding 4 game lead in the division thanks to a MLB leading .298 team average. Led by former MVP Ryan Braun (.413/.488/.733) and off-season acquisition Adam Lind (.406/.474/.710), the Brewers are surprising the MLB world as they currently have the best record in baseball. Not to be outdone by the offense, the pitching staff is 4^th in baseball in ERA, led by the constantly underappreciated Kyle Lohse (4-0 1.44 ERA).


The Cardinals and Pirates have disappointed thus far as they stand in 4^th and 3^rd place in the division, respectively. The Pirates are being undone by a porous pitching staff that is currently 24^th in baseball in ERA (4.54) and is undercutting a pretty solid start for the offense. Pedro Alvarez (.284/.338/.554) is off to a hot start and is producing the way the club always thought he would. McCutchen (.280/.364/.441) is off to a bit of a slow start by his MVP standards, but the lineup as a whole has only 2 regulars hitting under .280. As for the Cardinals, they’re in the middle of the pack in pitching (13^th 3.74 ERA) and hitting (12^th .266) but it’s not quite translating to success thanks to a lack of clutch hitting. Only 3 regulars are hitting over .200 with runners in scoring position, which is a stark change from last season when they hit nearly .280 as a team in those situations. Expect some regression back to the mean for the Cardinals and for them to being their move back toward the top of the division.


The Reds are probably starting to make calls about unloading some of their high-priced talent. Johnny Cueto (2-1 1.83 ERA) should be a hot commodity, but the team really needs Jay Bruce to show some power (1 HR in 78 ABs) so his trade value grows. Joey Votto (.343/.427/.471) is doing his usual thing, but his contract will be an issue if the front office decides to try to move him.

[Jr.]

NL East April Report

Washington Nationals 17-6
Miami Marlins 15-7 1.5 GB
New York Mets 10-13 7.0 GB
Philadelphia Phillies 10-13 7.0 GB
Atlanta Braves 7-15 9.5 GB

The Nationals were expected to run away with the NL East after signing Max Scherzer in free agency. Things have definitely gone well for Washington in the first month as they are tied with Milwaukee for the most wins in baseball, but they haven’t run away with the division just yet.

The ocean of money thrown at pitchers has certainly paid off at the start of this season for Washington. Four of their 5 starters have ERAs under 2.50, led by Scherzer (1.14 ERA). Somewhat unbelievable, Scherzer has yet to record a win for his new club. Offensively, the Nats have good balance throughout the lineup as they have 6 starters hitting over .280 in the early-going. Bryce Harper (.338/.432/.588) is tearing the cover off of the ball, though the HR power hasn’t shown up yet.

The Miami Marlins are right on the heels of the Nats as it’s been a surprising offense (2^nd in MLB at .292) led by their $300M man Giancarlo Stanton (.299/.365/.610). But Miami is far from a one man show offensively. They have 5 guys with 8+ RBI and every starter other than Marcell Ozuna is hitting over .280. Jose Fernandez, the electric RHP, is showing few ill effects from Tommy John surgery last year, and is leading a very young but talented pitching staff. The Marlins bullpen has also been outstanding with a combined ERA around 2.00.

The Mets have been bitten by the injury bug so far this season. Michael Cuddyer, Travis d’Arnaud, and Bartolo Colon have all missed significant time so far. Cuddyer should be back any day now, and d’Arnaud is expected back in a couple of weeks. Colon looks like he will be out until mid-June, but if there’s a blow the Mets can handle it’s to their pitching staff. Zack Wheeler is the lone rotation man struggling thus far (0-5 4.68 ERA). The offense is a bit of a different story. Missing Cuddyer and d’Arnaud has hurt as John Mayberry (.194/.275/.419) has been forced to play extended innings, and the Mets have a pair of inexperienced players in Johnny Monell and Anthony Recker manning the duties behind the plate. The Mets have long been rumored to move pitching for offense and if they keep getting production like they have in the first month, it’s probably a no-brainer decision come July.

The Phillies have been a slow disaster building for the last 3 years and it looks like it’s going to come to a head in 2015. Though they’ve been competitive (relatively) in the 1^st month, no one expects it to last. The Phillies have some pieces that may interest other teams, namely Cole Hamels (1-2 3.86 ERA) and Jonathan Papelbon (0.00 ERA 8 saves), and GM Ruben Amaro is waiting for a team desperate enough to deliver some top prospects for them. He, and the Philadelphia fans, may not have to wait much longer.

The Braves looked like they were cashing this season in and going for broke in 2017 when they move into their new ballpark this offseason. They unloaded Jason Heyward, the Upton brothers, and Craig Kimbrel for a slew of prospects. They’re setting themselves up nicely for a top pick in next year’s draft as well. The offense is a bit of a disaster with only Freddie Freeman (.296/.352/.469) putting up respectable numbers. The pitching has been average, but for this team to win with any consistency, it needs to be spectacular. But good news is ahead Braves fans. Matt Wisler (2-1 3.19 ERA in AAA), Cody Martin (3-0 1.01 ERA in AAA), Jose Peraza (.348/.403/.493 5 SBs in AAA), and Mallex Smith (.286/.420/.357 5 SBs in AA) are all producing at the lower levels and could build a nice foundation for that 2017 season.