NL Central Heat Index, Week #3

My weekly diary of the division's ups and downs

1. Milwaukee Brewers 11-7 (Last week: 1-1 @ Cincinnati, 2-0 vs. Pittsburgh, 2-1 vs. Houston)

     Hitting  Team batting average: .277   Runs scored: 90   Home runs: 21   Stolen bases: 11
     Pitching  Team ERA: 4.25   Runs allowed: 87   Walks: 50   Strikeouts: 143
     Fielding  Team fielding %: .978   Errors: 15   Double plays: 16

Milwaukee rolled out the heavy lumber this week. The Brewers climbed into first place in the Central by bludgeoning their opponents, scoring 44 runs on 73 hits. The question: Can they continue this torrid pace? They may have to, because their pitchers have allowed 87 runs, most in the division. Milwaukee has been on the short end of a blow-out in every week this season; they lost 9-3 to the Cubs in Week #1, 10-2 to the Cards in Week #2, and 11-5 to the Reds this week. Ned Yost: "It's always a good sign when you're not playing your best baseball but you're still winning baseball games." Highlight: His "mental cleansing" complete, Bill Hall had 12 hits this week, including the first grand slam of his career. The team's closer, Francisco Cordero, maintained his perfect ERA and picked up his seventh save. After late-inning collapses vs. Cincinnati and Houston, reliever Greg Aquino was sent to AAA Nashville. Milwaukee has won or split six of the seven series they've played so far in 2007, and they're the only team in the division with winning records at home and on the road.

2. Houston Astros 9-8 (Last week: 2-0 vs. Florida, 2-0 @ Cincinnati, 1-2 @ Milwaukee)

     Hitting  Team batting average: .241   Runs scored: 77   Home runs: 17   Stolen bases: 11
     Pitching  Team ERA: 3.93   Runs allowed: 73   Walks: 60   Strikeouts: 105
     Fielding  Team fielding %: .983   Errors: 11   Double plays: 19

"Bad karma" may still be afflicting Brad Lidge, but it hasn't spread to his teammates. Houston reeled off five consecutive wins this week, including two of the magical, come-from-behind variety vs. Cincinnati. Go figure: The Astros scored 13 runs in the first six innings of the games they played in Week #3, 25 in the last three innings. Jason Lane: "We're doing the little things." The question: Clutch or coincidence? Highlight: Craig Biggio hit a ninth-inning grand slam -- his first in 13 years -- to beat Milwaukee. In the bottom of the inning, Lidge almost gave the game away by walking two and coughing up a three-run homer. The debate about Lidge won't die; Roger Clemens, the once and perhaps future Astro, suggested that Phil Garner give Lidge a shot as a starter, and Garner had to fend off reports that he and general manager Tim Purpura don't see eye-to-eye about Lidge's future.

3. Chicago Cubs 7-11 (Last week: 1-1 vs. San Diego, 1-1 @ Atlanta, 1-2 vs. St. Louis)

     Hitting  Team batting average: .265   Runs scored: 83   Home runs: 15   Stolen bases: 11
     Pitching  Team ERA: 3.84   Runs allowed: 72   Walks: 68   Strikeouts: 142
     Fielding  Team fielding %: .987   Errors: 9   Double plays: 12

This may have been the defining week in Chicago's season. Three questions were looking for answers: With Alfonso Soriano out of the lineup, would Felix Pie claim a full-time job in center field? Would Ryan Theriot, coming off an eight-hit week, steal a spot from someone somewhere? And has Rich Hill emerged as a legitimate Cy Young candidate? The Cubs have allowed 72 runs, fewest in the division. Their pitchers combined to throw two shut-outs this week, and Jason Marquis allowed one run in 13 innings against San Diego and St. Louis. Rich Hill's ERA is a microscopic 0.41. Michael Barrett hit four home runs, and Theriot had nine hits in five starts at second base. Highlight: The defensive play of Pie, who electrified Wrigley Field when he threw out a potential winning run in the 10th inning of game two vs. San Diego. On Saturday, the Cubs announced that Soriano would move to left field when returns to the lineup. MIA: Carlos Zambrano, who promised he'd win the Cy Young in 2007, has allowed 19 earned runs in 22 innings. Aramis Ramirez missed four games over two weeks due to tendinitis in his right wrist. Lou Piniella: "I can see how this is going to get very interesting as the summer goes on."

4. Pittsburgh Pirates 7-10 (Last week: 2-0 @ St. Louis, 0-2 @ Milwaukee, 1-2 @ Los Angeles)

     Hitting  Team batting average: .235   Runs scored: 62   Home runs: 14   Stolen bases: 5
     Pitching  Team ERA: 4.49   Runs allowed: 80   Walks: 56   Strikeouts: 96
     Fielding  Team fielding %: .986   Errors: 9   Double plays: 21

In 2006, the Pirates won just one of their first 14 road games. So far this season, they're 7-7 (3-4 this week), thanks mostly to a pair of dependable starters and a defense that doesn't give away games. Highlight: Tom Gorzelanny (2-0 on the week, 3-0 on the season) and Ian Snell (1-0, 1-1) were marvelous, allowing a combined two runs to St. Louis and five to Los Angeles. Salomon Torres picked up his sixth save, and reliever Matt Capps lowered his ERA to 0.93. Behind those pitchers, the fielders have committed only nine errors, tied for fewest in the division, and have turned 21 double-plays, the most in the division. Jim Tracy: "Any place you look on the field, you say, `Hit it to any of them.'" Unfortunately, the team's hitting tends toward the deplorable; Pirates hitters struck out 63 times in Week #3, recording double-digit Ks three times. Adam LaRoche hit two home runs, but he's still hitting a miserable .105. MIA: Zach Duke gave up seven runs in four innings vs. Milwaukee, and his ERA for the season is a unsightly 9.00. Jason Bay hit the 100th home run of his career. Freddy Sanchez missed a game due to a sore wrist.

5. Cincinnati Reds 9-10 (Last week: 1-1 vs. Milwaukee, 0-2 vs. Houston, 1-2 vs. Philadelphia)

     Hitting  Team batting average: ,228   Runs scored: 74   Home runs: 17   Stolen bases: 17
     Pitching  Team ERA: 3.77   Runs allowed: 85   Walks: 44   Strikeouts: 143
     Fielding  Team fielding %: ,974   Errors: 18   Double plays: 13

Cincinnati spent a week at home and was a most accommodating host, losing five of seven games. Kyle Lohse pitched his second consecutive gem, allowing one run on six hits over seven innings to Philadelphia, but Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo were betrayed by the bullpen, which turned in four disastrous performances. The pen started the week with an ERA of 1.72 and ended it with something over 4.50. The Reds scored only six runs in three games vs. Philadelphia and committed 13 errors -- almost two a game -- during the week. The Reds are hitting .228, worst in the league, and they've struck out a league-leading 137 times. In Saturday's 4-1 loss to the Phillies, every position player struck out at least once -- a total of 15 for the game. Ken Griffey, Jr.: "Guys are just pressing." Also against the Phils, hard-luck catcher David Ross hit into baseball's first triple play of the season. Highlight: Down 1-0 to the Phils with two out in the ninth, Scott Hatteberg hit a game-tying homer, helping the Reds avoid a third straight loss. MIA: Reliever Todd Coffey gave up five runs vs. Milwaukee and blew a 2-1 lead vs. Houston. Ryan Freel signed a two-year, $7 million contract extension ("I hate to say this, but I'm overpaid," he said) and played a couple of games at third base to open a spot in center field for Josh Hamilton, who's hit five home runs, most on the team. Griffey, who hasn't yet hit a home run in 2007, missed four starts, the reason officially undisclosed.

6. St. Louis Cardinals 8-10 (Last week: 0-2 vs. Pittsburgh, 0-2 @ San Francisco, 2-1 @ Chicago)

     Hitting  Team batting average: .238   Runs scored: 62   Home runs: 14   Stolen bases: 5
     Pitching  Team ERA: 3.59   Runs allowed: 74   Walks: 60   Strikeouts: 111
     Fielding  Team fielding %: .982   Errors: 13   Double plays: 20

If every day was Sunday, the Cardinals would be flying high. They've scored in double digits on three consecutive Sundays: 10 runs vs. Houston in Week #1, 10 against Milwaukee in Week #2, and 12 against Chicago in Week #3. The trouble is, their bats go to sleep the rest of the week. The Cards scored three runs vs. Pittsburgh, seven vs. San Francisco, and two in the first two games vs. Chicago. For the season, they've scored more than three runs in a game just five times. Also contributing to this week's losses were eight errors. MIA: Take your pick from Albert Pujols (.229), Jim Edmonds (.212), David Eckstein (.239), Scott Spiezio (.182), and Adam Kennedy (.204), and remember that those averages all rose in the Cards' 12-run, 17-hit game vs. the Cubs. Highlight: Scott Rolen went 5-for-6, a personal record, on Sunday vs. Chicago, with a home run and three RBI. Brandon Looper is 3-1 in his first season as a starter, and the Cards' starters --without Chris Carpenter, and except for Anthony Reyes -- are pitching deep into games. Adam Wainwright: "We're not playing all-around good baseball right now."