Is there anything J-Ro cannot do? Don't answer that - it's a trick question.
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{Editor’s Note: Regular NL columnist Don Webster contributed the reports on the Braves, Mets, and Phillies}
National League East
Atlanta Braves
Things are looking down for the Braves, who have dropped to 5.5 games behind the Mets and appear to not have a good chance of making the wild card slot. They have won only three of the last ten.
Hot: With Edgar Renteria on the mend, Yunel Escobar has made the most of his at bats this week, hitting .435 and scoring seven times. He probably has about a week for the extra playing time.
Not: Though six members of the bullpen pitched last week without allowing any earned runs, the starting rotation of John Smoltz, Tim Hudson, Buddy Carlyle, Lance Cormier, and Jo-Jo Reyes is not exactly classically Braves. This week, Hudson allowed nine earned runs in 11 innings and only struck out one in two losses.
Florida Marlins
Hot: Wasn’t this supposed to be a breakout season for Mike Jacobs or something? Well, it has not been, as he has just a .267 batting average, 12 homers, and 38 RBI on the year. However, he has picked it up over the last ten games, hitting .310 with a home run, four RBI, and five runs.
Not: Alejandro de Aza looked like an early Rookie of the Year favorite to start the season. However, an injured ankle, followed by moronic medical advice from the Marlins – “oh, it’s just a sprain, he’ll be fine,” to, “oh, he might need a few more days; sure, we used him as a pinch hitter for a week, but we’ll DL him now,” to, “wow, I guess it was really broken that whole time” – would kill those chances. Since returning, de Aza is hitting just .193 in 83 at-bats and he has yet to attempt a stolen base despite that having been where all his value lay.
New York Mets
Hot: David Wright is one of the top hitters in the NL as evidenced by being top ten in the league in many categories including: batting average, runs, RBI, bases on balls, and stolen bases. It is not surprising that he shows up this week as the team is trying to hold off the Braves and the Phillies as their MVP. He hit two homers, stole two bases, scored six times and drove in six, and had an OPS of 1.470.
Not: When Brian Lawrence won his first start since 2005 and had what turned out to be his best start (of five) in his next turn, it appeared that maybe he would be the shot in the arm the pitching staff needed. However, his last three have gotten progressively worse and he was taken out after allowing 10 hits and five runs in 4.2 on August 27.
Philadelphia Phillies
The surging Phils have hit .353 as a team with 14 homers in the last seven games, so we will forgo the cold section on the team. It could literally be listed as a hot, hotter, hottest section. In a week in which he had 17 hits, scored five runs, had seven RBI, three stolen bases, and hit .607, Jayson Werth is not necessarily the hottest of the hot. Pat Burrell hit five home runs, eight runs, and had 11 RBI. Jimmy Rollins scored 10 runs, hit two homers, and stole two bases. Chase Utley had a homer and a stolen base and was one of four starters who hit over .400 for the week. Lest we ignore the pitching staff entirely, Kyle Kendrick, who is 8-3 in 15 starts, won two games and only allowed three earned runs in two wins.
Washington Nationals
Hot: Da Meat Hook continues to daliver. Err, deliver. Over his last ten games, Dmitri Young is hitting .344 with a home run, five RBI, and three runs scored. Maybe this was not a bad long-term signing after all. Okay, it was, but maybe a tad less so.
Not: Wily Mo Pena started hot, but he is showing the Nationals why the Red Sox were willing to take a PTBNL for him. Over his last ten games, Pena is hitting just .138, although he does have two homers, three RBI, and three runs scored. Congrats, Washington – you just got a really poor man’s Adam Dunn.
