[abell1198]

The 1970's proved to be a great combination of pitching and hitting. Or maybe it is just more enjoyable to look through the teams you grew up with. Either way, this decade proves itself to have many teams who could make the playoffs by the end of the year.

In the American League, the 1979 Baltimore Orioles are leading the way at 19-9. The Orioles are 11th in the AL in runs scored, tied for 9th in HR with 34 and the starting pitching ERA is 9th best at 3.00. RF Ken Singleton (.313 avg) is the lone .300 hitter. This team is all about pitching, with starting pitchers Mike Flanagan (3-1, 2.40 ERA), Dennis Martinez (3-1, 1.96 ERA) and Scott McGregor (4-0, 3.31 ERA) leading the way. In mid-April, the Orioles managed a 10 game winning streak where they swept the 1922 and 2000 New York Yankees.

In second place are the 1971 Baltimore Orioles at 17-11, 2 GB. 3B Brooks Robinson (.372) is the teams only .300 hitter. Pitching is once again the story with the Orioles, with the bullpen ranked #5 in ERA at 2.11. Closer Eddie Watt (1-2, 2.63 ERA, 10 SV) is tied for third in the AL in saves. SP Pat Dobson (6-0, 3.35 ERA) is tied for the most wins in the major leagues. Notable wins include sweeps of the 1932 New York Yankees, 1907 Detroit Tigers and 1933 Chicago White Sox.

The 1970 Baltimore Orioles are in third place with a record of 16-12, 3 GB. 1B Boog Powell (.372) is the only .300 hitter and is tied for 2nd in the AL with 32 RBI. The Orioles are 8th in the AL in HR with 35. SP Dave McNally leads the pitchers at 4-1, 3.91 ERA. One of the best games so far into this young season was provided by SP Jim Palmer. On April 6, Palmer pitched a no-hitter for 11 innings against the 2007 Boston Red Sox!!! Then, with 2 outs in the top of the 12th, Palmer faced off with pinch-hitter Royce Clayton. With the count 2-2, Clayton hits a home run 418 feet to right-center for the games only run!!! Boston closed out the bottom of the 12th to secure the 1-0 win. Palmer finished with a 1-hit loss on 144 pitches.

Tied for fourth place are the 1973 Oakland A's and the 1972 Oakland A's. Both teams have a record of 15-13, 4 GB. The '73 squad has no .300 hitters, with five players hitting under .200. As a matter of fact, this lineup is so bad, they are last (108th) in the AL in runs scored, batting average (.208) and OBP (.279). So, how do they even have a winning record? Pitching. The staff is ranked #10 in the AL with a 3.03 ERA. Closer Rollie Fingers (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 7 SV) is shutting the door on opponents. The '72 team is the favorite to win the division, but aren't showing it so far. SS Bert Campaneris (.304) is the best hitter, while SP Catfish Hunter leads the staff at 3-0, 3.70 ERA. Closer Bob Locker (0-1, 0.56 ERA, 11 SV) is tied for 1st in the Majors in saves.

Four teams are tied for fifth place at 14-14, 5 GB. The first of the four teams are the 1974 Oakland A's. LF Claudell Washington leads all hitters with a .317 batting average. SP Ken Holtzman (4-1, 1.58 ERA) and SP Vida Blue (3-1, 1.59 ERA) lead the pitching staff. Holtzman started out his season by pitching back to back complete game shutouts. If SP Catfish Hunter (0-6, 6.68 ERA) can find his way, this team may be able to compete. Hunter is 1st in the AL in losses. The second team is the 1978 New York Yankees. 3B Graig Nettles (.343) is the team's only .300 hitter. SP Ed Figueroa (3-1, 3.76 ERA) leads the staff. SP Ron Guidry (1-4, 3.59 ERA, 60 K) could use some run support. The Yankees have been shutout five times so far, but are currently on a three game winning streak. The third team at .500 are the 1976 New York Yankees. DH Lou Piniella leads the team with his .346 batting average. CF Mickey Rivers is hitting .333 and is tied for 2nd in doubles in the AL with 16. SP Catfish Hunter is the best pitcher at 3-0, 3.13 ERA. The '76 Yankees started their season by sweeping the 1973 Oakland A's en route to a 5-0 start, but then lost six straight, including being swept by the 2006 Detroit Tigers. Last but not least in this group of four are the 1975 Boston Red Sox. RF Dwight Evans (.364 avg.) and DH Jim Rice (.355 avg.) lead the team in hitting, but the pitching has been poor thus far.

In last place are the 1977 New York Yankees at 13-15, 6 GB. The team has no .300 hitters, although 3B Graig Nettles is tied for 5th in the AL in HR with 11. The pitching staff has done well, led by SP Ron Guidry (3-2, 1.88 ERA, 52 K).

The National League 1970's Division leader are also the favorites to win the division, the 1975 Cincinnati Reds at 21-7. Five of their seven losses have been by one run and the Reds are 13-0 at home. The team is 1st in the NL in runs scored (189) and OBP (.383), 2nd in Slugging Pct. (.493) and 3rd in batting average (.310) and home runs (36). CF Cesar Geronimo is the best in the lineup with a .379 batting average. Six other players are also hitting .300 or better. C Johnny Bench (.356, 8 HR, 33 RBI) in 2nd in the NL in RBI. 2B Joe Morgan (.318, 8 HR, 29 RBI) is tied for 5th in the NL in RBI. SP Gary Nolan (4-0, 2.51 ERA) leads a pitching staff which hasn't been great, but has been good enough to win.

Three teams find themselves tied for second place at 18-10, 3 GB. The first team is the 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates are 2nd in the NL in HR (38) and batting average (.312). RF Roberto Clemente (.408 avg) leads a team with six other players hitting over .300. Clemente is 3rd in the NL in batting average, but 1st in the Majors in hits with 51. Clemente also had a 20 game hit streak in April. LF Willie Stargell is making a statement early. Stargell is hitting .339, with 19 HR and 34 RBI. He leads the Majors in home runs and is 1st in the NL in RBI. Stargell also took home the NL Batting Award for April. SP Luke Walker (3-0, 3.29 ERA) leads the pitching staff. Second in this three way tie are the 1978 Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers are 7th in home runs with 33. 1B Steve Garvey leads the lineup with a .333 batting average. Garvey also hit for the cycle on April 30 in a 15-1 win over the 1950 Philadelphia Phillies. The Dodgers starting pitching is the best in the NL, with a 2.63 ERA. The staff consists of Tommy John (1-2, 2.23), Burt Hooton (5-1, 2.35 ERA), Don Sutton (5-1, 2.68 ERA), Bob Welch (0-4, 5.28 ERA) and Rick Rhoden (4-1, 1.18 ERA). If Welch could find his way back, this team will be a force to deal with. This team started their season 8-2, sweeping the 1927 Pittsburgh Pirates in the process and have only lost one series when they were swept by the 2007 Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The third team is the 1976 Cincinnati Reds. 2B Joe Morgan (.347 avg.) is the best of the lineup, which contains three other hitters at .300 or better. The team is in the top 25 in most hitting and pitching categories. However, this team has been streaky. They started 5-1, then lost 5 of 6. Next they won 7, but then lost 3 of 4. The Reds currently have a four game winning streak.

In fifth place are the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates at 16-12, 5 GB. This team was predicted to finish tied for 2nd, but they will have to start hitting better in order to do that. RF Dave Parker (.339 avg.) is the teams only .300 hitter. The pitching on this team is ranked #2 overall, with a 2.63 ERA. The Pirates pitchers have thrown six shutouts. The starting pitching has been great and the bullpen has been even better.

The 1974 Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves in sixth place with a record of 15-13, 6 GB. SS Bill Russell (.348 avg.) is one of three hitters at .300 or better. SP Don Sutton (6-0, 2.09 ERA) is tied for 1st in the Majors in wins.

A pair of Reds teams find themselves tied for seventh place at 14-14, 7 GB. The 1972 Cincinnati Reds have been led at the plate by 2B Joe Morgan (.350 avg.) and CF Bobby Tolan (.322 avg.). The starting pitchers have a combined ERA of 3.12, but the bullpen has been weak. The 1970 Cincinnati Reds are tied for 4th in home runs in the NL with 35. RF Pete Rose (.342 avg.) is one of four .300 hitters in the lineup. The pitching staff has been average, however.

In ninth place are the 1973 New York Mets at 13-15, 8 GB. 3B Jim Fregosi is the only .300 hitter for the team, batting .330. Fregosi is also tied for 4th in the NL in doubles with 14. SP Jerry Koosman (4-0, 0.56 ERA) leads the Majors in ERA. The starters have been good for the Mets, but the bullpen has been bad. SP Jon Matlack (2-1, 3.53 ERA, 60 K) made news on April 12 when he faced off against the 2010 San Francisco Giants. Matlack struck out 17 in 7 1/3 innings and was pulled from the close game because Giants 2B Freddy Sanchez had gone 2 for 3 against him. Matlack got the win as the Mets won 2-0. Matlack is also third in the NL in strikeouts.

In last place are the 1977 Los Angeles Dodgers at 12-16, 9 GB. 1B Steve Garvey is hitting .321, but the team is last in batting average at .220. The starting pitching has been average, but the bullpen has been better, keeping the Dodgers in some games.