NL Central update

We have entered May, so I want to look at how things are stacking up in the NL Central, and see where the Brewers stand.

St. Louis is off to a great start. They are getting good pitching from some young guys, and Albert Pujols is hitting .365 (only 5 HR so far). They have already won a series against Milwaukee and split one with the Brewers on the road. 18-11 as of this post, 1st place. They get their first taste of the Chicago Cubs this weekend at home. Can they keep this up? Right now, I would say no. Then again, Tony LaRussa is their manager.

The Chicago Cubs stumbled out of the gates a bit, losing two of three to the Milwaukee Brewers. They ended April and began May by losing two of three to the Brewers at home (although putting up 19 against the Brew Crew was impressive...and crappy). So far, the Cubs are 2-4 against the Brewers, and have not gone to Miller Park yet. But, the Cubs are 15-7 versus everyone else, and have had some great hitting. Kosuke Fukudome looks to be the real deal. There is a reason the Cubs were most peoples' pick to win the NL Central. 17-11 as of this post, 1/2 game back.

The Brewers, as stated above, have already had some success against the Cubs. Unfortunately, they have been middling against everyone else. 4-2 against the Cubs, 3-0 against the lowly Giants, 9-10 against everyone else. The Brewers have already shown us their Achilles' heel, the bullpen. That has to get better, and soon. However, they are better defensively, and they will get better with their hitting. Prince Fielder has been slow out of the gates, but that will change. The Brewers are playing with more of a full deck at the moment. 16-12, 1.5 games back of St. Louis.

When I posted about the Brewers' chances, I said I didn't know much about the Houston Astros. If their first month is any indicator, I see nothing to indicate that they will be a threat. Miguel Tejada (if that's his real name) is playing well out of the gates, and Lance Berkman already has 8 HRs, but beyond that there isn't much there. Their pitching rotation is Roy Oswalt, and not much else. As of this post, they are 13-16, 5 games back. Bet they are glad they don't have Roger Clemens at the moment, though.

Earlier, I said that I think the Cincinnati Reds are about a year away from being pretty good. As of now, not so much. They can say they split with the Brewers so far (3-3), but that's about it. I heard that they may be shopping Ken Griffey Jr. They are going to have to resolve that somehow if that's true. The one thing the Reds have going for them is that Adam Dunn has yet to get untracked. If he does, the Reds might be OK. I doubt they get past Chicago or Milwaukee, but they can make some noise. But for now, they are 12-17, 6 games back.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are playing true to form, which is to say not well. Their highlight was a three-game sweep of the Reds, or perhaps it was taking 2 of 3 from the Atlanta Braves (who are hated here in Stinger Nation). But, they are not getting what they need out of Adam LaRoche and Jason Bay at the moment. Paul Maholm is pitching decently, but he is about it. The Pirates may be able to smack some teams around, but overall this is not their year. 11-17, 6.5 games back.

Overall, since ultimately this is about the Brewers for me, I still think the Cubs are their major roadblock to the playoffs. However, the Cardinals are playing good ball right now. If they can keep it up, this could develop into a great race later on. Stay tuned.