Climbing the Ladder with the National League 4/13/2008

Sophomores set tone for D’backs

The Arizona Diamondbacks are the best team in baseball.

After winning eight straight games, the D’backs stand three games ahead of the San Diego Padres in the NL West. They’ve done everything right, leading MLB in runs scored and runs allowed.

The league’s top offense benefited from early signs of breakout seasons from sophomores Mark Reynolds, Justin Upton and Chris Young.

Reynolds caught the attention of fantasy owners, hitting five home runs in five games. The Diamondbacks won each of those games and haven’t lost since.

Also tied for the league lead in home runs, Upton went deep for the fifth time Saturday, going 3-for-3 with two runs and four RBIs to raise his team-leading batting average to .451, up from his .221 rookie average.

It was Young who signed the 6-year, $28 million deal Monday, despite his average falling below .230 Saturday.

He’s seeing almost exactly the same number of pitches per at-bat as in 2007, but he’s walking and striking out a lot more. The bottom line is that significant increases in on-base percentage and homer rate are making the D’backs’ investment look smart.

On the hill, the one-two punch of Brandon Webb and Dan Haren has been as good as advertised. They and Micah Owings have combined for eight quality starts in eight attempts and a 7-0 record.

Meanwhile, Jake Peavy continued his domination Friday, improving to 3-0 for the Padres, who stand one game over .500. The rest of the division has struggled.

In the NL Central, the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs are fighting a close battle, as expected. Surprisingly, though, they’re fighting for second place behind the St. Louis Cardinals.

Leading the way is Albert Pujols, who has not hit fewer than 30 homers or driven in fewer than 100 RBIs in any of his seven MLB seasons.

Even considering the looming Tommy John surgery, it should come as no surprise that Pujols is continuing his astounding production with an AVG/OBP/SLG line of .390/.528/.707.

Closer Jason Isringhausen has pitched in, converting five straight save opportunities in seven days. He recorded his first blown save Saturday, but the Cards managed to win and maintain their 1.5-game lead.

The Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates also are following the leaders closely. The Pirates suffered a sweep at the hands of the Cubs but rebounded, taking two from the Reds.

A tight race is in the works in the NL East. The three projected division title contenders all sit within half a game in the standings, flanked by the projected doormats.

After starting the season 3-0, the Washington Nationals lost nine in a row to find themselves in possession of the worst record in the NL. The starting rotation struggled in those nine games, recording only two quality starts. The offense did not score to support either performance.

In the middle of the streak, the Nats suffered a disappointing loss to the Florida Marlins, allowing six unearned runs. Tim Redding pitched well, though, allowing one earned run in the loss. That, combined with a seven-inning, one-hit gem earlier this season, suggests Redding could be headed for his first winning record since his 3-1 rookie campaign in 2001.

The Marlins, on the strength of a three-game sweep of the Nationals, stand at the top of the division. Hanley Ramirez is taking on the role of team leader, with an AVG/OBP/SLG line of .409/.480/.705, while playing error-free shortstop.

The first couple weeks of the season have shown that a number of young stars are emerging in the NL. It’s a good sign for a league considered inferior in recent years.