NL Mid-Season Report
The Phillies have impressed, if not surprised, most everyone outside of Philadelphia with their fine play in the season's first half. They went 19-3 in April and held a 5-game lead on the Cubs. By the end of May, they were tied with Chicago thanks to a 13-17 month, and then they went 16-9 in June to keep pace. They have been doing it with a 2nd ranked offense and a pitching staff tied for best in the league.
Bill Vinton, who turned 38 in April, has held his own, going 7-2 with a 3.48 ERA. The Phillies offense also has four batters with double-digit home runs, including new first baseman
Sam Mertes, who's batting average has recently dipped to .235 but has hit 15 homers with 43 RBI, 44 runs scored and 22 steals.
The Cubs offense surpassed the Phillies earlier in the season and is now the top run scoring offense in the league. 35-year old right fielder
Jake Stenzel (.298, 10 HR, 45 RBI, 45 R, 31 SB) and 35-year old left fielder
Hugh Duffy (.320, 12 HR, 44 RBI, 47 R, 18 SB) are having superb seasons at their age. The Cubs pitching staff may not be as dominant as they were last season, but they are still 3rd best in the league with
Clark Griffith (10-4, 2.68 ERA) leading the charge.
Defending champion Pittsburgh is holding fast in third place thanks to a pitching staff tied for first with the Phillies. Three pitchers,
Rube Waddell (10-4, 2.59 ERA),
Deacon Phillippe (9-4, 2.83 ERA) and
Sam Leever (6-4, 2.61 ERA), have ERA's below 3.00. However, the team's offense is struggling, ranked next to last in the league. Shortstop
Honus Wagner's (.249, 16 HR, 51 RBI) average has dropped and left fielder
Fred Clarke (.327, 14 HR, 56 RBI) has been the team's most productive hitter.
The Reds have had a surprising first half. Their offense leads the league in home runs thanks to first baseman
Socks Seybold's (.313, 26 HR, 58 RBI) breakout season. Veteran centerfielder
Bug Holliday (.271, 19 HR, 49 RBI) and right fielder
Sam Crawford (.282, 13 HR, 41 RBI) are also among the league leaders in long balls. The team's pitching staff is ranked 4th overall but will need some improvement if they are to make a push for the pennant.
The Cardinals began the season in the pennant hunt but have since fallen below .500 and are tied with the Braves for 5th place, 13 games out. Their pitching staff is ranked 7th thanks to a messy bullpen.
Cy Young (5-7, 4.34 ERA) has once again struggled after a fine season.
Amos Rusie (9-4, 3.30 ERA) and
Joe Corbett (8-3, 3.28 ERA) are picking up the slack, but they are doomed if they don't see immediate improvement from 4th and 5th starters
Bob Wicker (6-7, 5.11 ERA) and
Nig Cuppy (1-11, 6.60 ERA). In addition to those struggles, their offense, which ranked first last season, is ranked 6th halfway through 1902.
Standings
Batting Leaders
Pitching Leaders
