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June '06 Update
CHAMPS STUMBLE OUT OF THE GATES
Did their 1905 World Series win leave the New York Giants jaded? That is the question being asked as the defending champs have played mediocre ball thus far this spring and find themselves in fifth-place, a game under .500 and seven back of the front-running Cincinnati Reds.
The problem? In a word, pitching. The Giants' staff has been the worst in all of BaTTY thus far, with a 4.49 staff ERA, also allowing the most runs, walks and home runs. The only bright spot has been staff ace and World Series MVP John Wetteland who is 6-4 with a 2.75 ERA.
Meanwhile, the Giants opponents in the '05 Series, the Detroit Tigers, are off to a roaring start once again, with the best record in BaTTY (28-13), good for a four-game cushion on the second-place Boston Americans. Kirby Puckett is hitting .410 to lead the offense, while the pitching has a pair of nine-game winners in Randy Jones and Matt Kilroy (though Kilroy's ERA has ballooned to a frightening - for him - 3.81) and third starter Andy Hassler is 7-2 with a 2.06 ERA.
There's a new face atop the National League's hitting leaderboards as Brooklyn's Nick Johnson is hitting .415 to lead the league and perennial champ Can Anson may be slowing down - his average is a "mere" .377 thus far.
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