Inside The Standings – July 7

Inside the Standings – July 6^th 

Biggest movers: New York Mets  ↓6, Florida Marlins  ↑6

1.  Los Angeles Dodgers (52-30) NC : Closer Jonathan Broxton has 64 K’s in 38 2/3 innings this year, but that shouldn’t be a surprise. He was clocked at 103 mph Friday night at PETCO Park.
2.  Boston Red Sox (49-32) NC : Tim Wakefield is only the third player in history to make the All Star team for the first time at age 40 or over. 
3. New York Yankees (48-33) NC : The balanced offensive attack has been a key to the Yankees’ first half success.
4. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (45-35) NC : The offence has picked up the slack for the Angels while their rotation goes through some hiccups. A breakout season by Kendry Morales (.283, 14 HR, 44 RBI) has helped as well.
5. Texas Rangers (45-35) NC : Hot on the heels of the Angels after taking 2 of 3 from Anaheim earlier in the week and completing an impressive sweep of the Rays on the weekend.
6. St Louis Cardinals (45-39)  ↑2 : Pujols will get the Triple Crown one of these years.
7. Detroit Tigers (44-37) NC : The question in Detroit is whether the Tigers’ young starters can keep up their impressive numbers for the entire season.
8. Philadelphia Phillies (42-37)  ↓2 : Pitching looked excellent against the Mets in a series sweep this weekend. But realistically, against that injury plagued lineup, who wouldn’t?
9. Tampa Bay Rays (44-39)  ↑1 : If Scott Kazmir can pitch anywhere close to his potential, the Rays will be a big factor in one of the most exciting pennant races in recent history.
10. San Francisco Giants (44-37)  ↑1 : Tim Lincecum’s workload was increased by 80 and 2/3 innings from 2007 to 2008. An increase of that level has to raise some red flags. Expect him to tire significantly before this season is over.
11. Milwaukee Brewers (43-39)  ↓2 : Ryan Braun called out the Brewers’ starters over the weekend, saying the the Cubs’ starters were “a lot better than ours” and said the team was at the point where they should go out and get somebody. Will it create problems in the clubhouse?
12. Florida Marlins (43-40)  ↑6 : Ricky Nolasco is increasing his value if the Marlins are dealing at the deadline. In his past 4 starts he has posted a 0.96 ERA and 32 strikeouts over 28 innings. But who’s to say they will be selling? They are only 2 games out of a wild card spot.
13. Minnesota Twins (43-40)  ↑2 : Statistically speaking, Nick Blackburn (2.94 ERA, 3 CG) definitely deserved to be on the All-Star team.
14. Toronto Blue Jays (42-41)  ↓2 : Scott Richmond became the 6^th Blue Jay starter to be sent to the DL this season. That’s not even counting Shaun Marcum and Dustin McGowan, who both started the season on the DL. Yes, you are reading correctly.
15. Seattle Mariners (42-39)  ↓1 : Ichiro hit .407 in June, which likely played an important part in the Mariners’ 15-10 record during that time.
16. Chicago Cubs (40-39)  ↑3 : Would likely be in contention for the wild card if they weren’t so bad (16-25) away from Wrigley.
17. Colorado Rockies (42-39)  ↓1 : The Rockies’ staff has been truly amazing this year, with 4 out of 5 starters possessing en ERA below 4.00. They play half their games at Coors field too.
18.  Chicago White Sox (42-40)  ↑2 : Red hot rotation has led to a mini surge in the standings, thanks in large part to Josh Danks’ 1.35 ERA over his last 5 starts.
19. New York Mets (39-42)  ↓6 : Perhaps no team will be more thankful for the All-Star break than the Mets. They have dropped 11 spots in the last 2 weeks, due in large part to an offence that is averaging just 2.5 runs a game in their last 10. Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran are due back after the break, which should spark their lineup.
20. Cincinnati Reds (40-40)  ↓3 : Edwin Encarnacion’s returned from the DL early and promptly went 1-9 in a series against the division rival Cardinals.
21. Houston Astros (39-41) NC : Roy Oswalt appears to be heating up, which will likely start making the phones ring in Houston.
22. Atlanta Braves (39-42) NC : Top prospect Tommy Hanson has been spectacular for the Braves thus far (4-0, 2.25 ERA).
23. Pittsburgh Pirates (37-45) NC : Maybe making room for Andrew McCutchen was a good idea. The rookie is hitting .300 with 5 triples and 20 RBI in only 130 ABs. He also is 6-6 swiping bags.
24. Baltimore Orioles (36-46) NC : The future looks bright in Baltimore, at least in the outfield. Nick Markakis, Adam Jones and Nolan Reimold are all looking great.
25. Kansas City Royals (35-46)  ↑1 : Miguel Olivo leads the Royals in home runs with 13. Yes, Miguel Olivo.
26. Oakland Athletics (34-46)  ↑1 : Made an odd move this week acquiring Scott Hairston from the Padres. He is no doubt having a solid season (.299, 10 HR, 29 RBI), but most are expecting Oakland to be sellers at the deadline.
27. San Diego Padres (35-46)  ↓2 : Apparently the sale has begun.
28. Arizona Diamondbacks (33-49) NC : I find it amazing Chris Young is still under the Mendoza line past the halfway point in the season.
29. Cleveland Indians (33-50) NC : Shin-Soo Choo is quietly having an excellent campaign, hitting .301 with 12 HR, 53 RBI, 13 SB and a .406 OBP. Trade bait?
30. Washington Nationals (24-55) NC : The Nationals’ relief core may have something to do with their awful record. They have a combined 5.69 ERA, which is by far the worst in the MLB. The second worst is the Angels, at 5.06.