Brandon Webb is the ace of the Diamondbacks staff, arguably the best pitcher on the best staff in MLB this season.

Florida Marlins (12-7)

Mark Hendrickson notched his N.L. leading fourth win of the season (tied with Micah Owings and Brandon Webb).  The Marlins stay atop the N.L. East with their 12^th win of the season, backed by a three home run performance from the team. The team came home and displayed some more lumber with eight doubles, and three home runs, one from an unlikely source (Hendrickson, double).  Hanley Ramirez has been outstanding so far this season with six home runs, 16 runs batted in and 17 runs scored, not to mention five stolen bases and a .355 batting average. With Mike Jacobs still healthy and players like Jorge Cantu stepping up his game, the Marlins do not appear to be any closer to calling up outfield phenom Cameron Maybin or pitching prospect Chris Volstad. It’s good to know there are options available when the team takes its traditional pre-All Star break swoon.

New York Mets (10-8)

Nelson Figueroa continues to impress all in the Mets’ organization. Today, he is tasked with cooling down the red hot Chicago Cubs. With 15 innings under his belt, he does have six earned and will rely on the team to produce runs to keep them in it.  The same cannot be said for John Maine who went six strong innings, allowing only two runs. The team could not muster more than a run as Maine suffered the loss. Although injuries have battered this team, they still have a core nucleus of players that should produce more than one run including David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, and even Ryan Church. The team did receive a scare when starting shortstop, Jose Reyes, took a knee to the head in a collision with Phillies’ second baseman, Chase Utley. Additionally, the team got back catcher Brian Schneider who also had an injury scare this past week. With the pitching of Johan Santana, John Maine, Mike Pelfrey, and now Nelson Figueroa, this team should be in more games than they are out of; however, their 10 – 8 record reflects differently. The bullpen has been strong and should keep them in games, it is the hitting that needs to step up to the plate, pardon the pun, and get it done.

Atlanta Braves (10-9)

The Braves are definitely injury-plagued. They have seen two relievers, Rafael Soriano and now Peter Moylan head to the disabled list. Chipper Jones is considered day to day with quad issues. Tom Glavine and Mike Hampton cannot be found on the active roster either. Youngster Manny Acosta has stepped into the breach to be the full-time closer until further notice, and the team has recalled Buddy Carlyle to bolster the bullpen. To add insult to injury, Mark Teixeira is again demonstrating his typical first-half swoon, batting a meager .247 with a home run notched every 19 at bats. Kelly Johnson has shown early season leg issues that he battled throughout spring training and could end up on the disabled list before we know it. All is not well in “Hotlanta” and things need to change if they are going to compete in this tough division.

Philadelphia Phillies (10-10)

With the talent of Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Pat Burrell, and Chase Utley, this team should be in a lot better place in the division, and record-wise, than it stands today. A lot is due to the status of the pitching staff. With a combined record of 2-3, the number three, four, and five starting pitchers have done a poor job keeping the team in games. Kyle Kendrick, who had an up and down season in his debut last year has been all down so far this year. Trucking Jamie Moyer out to the mound every four to five days does not scare opposing teams, and Adam Eaton has been less than inspiring with 4 no-decisions, and a 4.74 earned run average to date. If this team is going to do anything this year, it needs to start now. I cannot see this team making a late-season run like it did last year and expect to be in contention for a playoff berth. Where, oh, where, did Ryan Howard go? This is the second season in a row where he got off to a miserable start at the plate. Batting .200, with only four homeruns, he is not besting anyone on the starting line-up for plate presence. Hopefully, getting Jimmy Rollins back in the line-up will increase the opportunities for the bats to back up the pitching.

Washington Nationals (5-10)

Ryan Zimmerman has fallen and he cannot get up. Zimmerman, who was off to an excellent start, has played at a level that is less than impressive lately. In the past 14 days, Zimmerman has batted .204 with no home runs and only two doubles. Look for him to turn it around as he has just posted two consecutive two-hit games. Since having Lasik eye surgery, shortstop Christian Guzman is making an impact on his team and the fantasy world. Batting .321 for the season, Guzman has pounded out six doubles, two triples, and two home runs. Only Jeff Keppinger of Cincinnati is having as big a breakout season as Guzman. The team hopes to get Shawn Hill off of the disabled list, which should assist the team in eating innings and possibly increasing the total of wins over the next few months. Hill was scheduled to be their opening day starter until incurring an injury. Although he yielded four runs against Florida, his six strikeouts and no walks, leads me to believe that is will not be long before he is back in his groove and having an impact on the team.

Chicago Cubs (13-6)

We are talking red hot when we are creating descriptions of the Chicago Cubs. Coming into the 2008 season, the Cubbies were the sexy pick to win the division and they are showing that they can and should, even without Alfonso Soriano and his hop. They have found their groove and are absolutely pummeling the ball. Derek Lee leads the way with seven homeruns; Aramis Ramirez, as expected, is right behind him with five, and Mark DeRosa, after dealing with heart murmur situations, appears to have a new lease on life and is matching Ramirez with five of his own. With production coming from every position, including young catcher Geovanny Soto (306 average, two home runs, 1 triple, and six doubles), there is no doubt that the Cubbies are for real. They recently called up Matt Murton, who should also add to this onslaught of hits.

St. Louis Cardinals (13-7)

Unlike the Cubbies, the Cardinals are getting the job done with smoke and mirrors. The team is receiving unlikely production from players like Rick Ankiel, Ryan Ludwick and Skip Shumaker. There has been little to say about Albert Pujols who is dealing with a torn muscle in his shoulder; however, he is leading the team with four home runs (tied with Ankiel, and Ludwick). Todd Wellemeyer continues to ring up strikeouts at an accelerated rate, striking out 26 batters in 25 innings. Adam Wainwright continues to get the job done as well, notching 22 strikeouts in 29 innings. Both are 2-0 for the season with four starts. The team has brought Joel Pineiro off the disabled list and moved Brad Thompson back to a relief role. I am not sure if that was the best move, as I believe that Pineiro had a Jeff Weaver-reaction to last season, stepping up at the end of the season and performing above his talent. I expect that he will over-hyped like Bronson Arroyo, instead of going with Thompson who was better than serviceable, posting a 1-1 record with 13 strikeouts in 16 innings pitched, giving up only five earned runs in the process. Only time will tell if it was a better move or not.

Milwaukee Brewers

After recently signing Jeff Weaver to a Minor League contract, the team seems to be constantly retooling itself. The Brewers have shown that they are not a flash in the pan and are not going anywhere, anytime soon. The news that starting pitcher and team ace, Ben Sheets, is dealing with injury issues is neither shocking nor unexpected. Like Oakland’s Rich Harden, Sheets cannot stay healthy long enough for the team to reap their investment, nor help fantasy managers who took an early flier hoping that this is the year he has 30+ starts. The good news is that they get hard-throwing Yovanni Gallardo back into the rotation, which means that have at least a back up plan until they ultimately know what to do about Sheets. Eric Gagne continues to self-implode, but not enough that the Brew Crew will make any changes…. An investment is an investment, I guess.  Heck, they are still waiting to see if Mike Cameron was worth the money too!

NL GRUMBLING TEAM OF THE WEEK

Arizona Diamondbacks

WOW! Can this team be for real?

If there is any doubt that this team is not for real, you need simply look at the performances of both the starting rotation and the line-up, to see that they are young, hungry, and talented. With a pitching rotation of Brandon Webb (4-0, 1.86), Dan Haren (3-0, 1.80), Micah Owings (4-0, 2.42), and Randy Johnson (0-1, 3.38) as the fourth starter, there is no doubt that this team will give everyone a run for the money. Johnson does have a losing record, but out of the nine runs that have scored, only four were earned, and he has struck out 13 batters in 10 innings. When it comes to lumber, it appears that Conor Jackson is starting to realize he is as good as the prognosticators have expected. Jackson received N.L. Honors for Player of the Week. Both he and Mark Reynolds have been absolute monsters over the past two weeks, crushing 8 home runs between them. Although currently mired in a mini-slump, Orlando Hudson has been doing well in the three slot, and appears able to step back into the team’s role as run producer with some pop in his bat. When will this team slow down, you ask? I simply do not think they will. Not with Justin Upton tearing up the base paths and catcher Chris Snyder slowly working his way back to the projected numbers of 20/80/80 that I believe he is capable of. It looks like they are the team to beat, at least at this point in the season.