NL Mid-Season Report
This has been another close race in the NL with several teams getting a taste of first place. Currently, the Cubs sit in first place with four teams within three games of them. Surprisingly, the Chicago offense is ranked just 5th in the league this season. Their team batting average (.239) and team OBP (.295) are poor and they are only 4th in home runs. The sluggers in the middle of their lineup are struggling:
Cy Williams (.244, 21 HR, 44 RBI),
Vic Saier (.204, 15 HR, 30 RBI) and
Fred Luderus (.243, 19 HR, 36 RBI). Only third baseman
Heinie Zimmerman (.279, 14 HR, 48 RBI) is hitting up to his normal standards, although even he would tell you that his batting average is a little low. But he won't complain after posting his worst offensive season last year. The good news for Chicago is that their pitching staff is 3rd in the league despite the 2nd worst starting rotation ERA (3.98). Their bullpen is ranked second with closer
Zip Zabel (1-3, 23 Sv, 2.51 ERA) on track after a poor season last year.
Cincinnati sits just one game behind Chicago. They have the 2nd best offense in the NL right now. They rank 2nd in just about everything except home runs, although left fielder
Ken Williams (.326, 26 HR, 79 RBI) is trying to rectify that all on his own. The rest of the team is lean on power, but they are getting on base at a good rate (.323) and moving runners up with timely base hits, bunts and stolen bases. Their pitching staff is ranked 4th in ERA but ranked 6th in runs allowed due to the worst rated defense in the NL. They will need to see improvement there if they hope to capture the pennant.
The Cubs and Reds must be nervous to see the 3-time defending champion Giants just 2-games off the lead. They have the #1 offense in the league with several players having fine seasons. Second baseman
Larry Doyle (.301, 23 HR, 81 RBI) has been on fire.
George Kelly (.279, 18 HR, 53 RBI) has performed well as a full-time player, although his range in centerfield has been an issue at times. Right fielder
Dave Robertson (.304, 19 HR, 39 RBI) has been hitting well too. The pitching staff has been the Giants' problem. They are ranked 5th in the league and the bullpen has struggled. The best performer on the pitching staff thus far has been
Rube Marquard (11-3, 2.90 ERA).
The Dodgers have been a bit of a surprise in 4th place. Their offense has been the key, ranking 3rd. They even lead the NL in home runs thanks to players like
Zack Wheat (.294, 24 HR, 51 RBI),
Casey Stengel (.255, 16 HR, 45 RBI),
Jake Daubert (.286, 12 HR, 35 RBI) and others. Unfortunately, the team's defense ranks 7th which is part of the reason that the team has allowed the 2nd most runs, despite a good bullpen. The fact that the starting rotation is last in the league with a 4.04 ERA doesn't help.
In Atlanta, the Braves rank 4th in offense, defense and pitching. At age 35, first baseman
Buck Freeman (.249, 16 HR, 44 RBI) is still a threat at the plate. In fact on June 1st, Freeman became the first player to ever reach 700 home runs when he hit a blast off
Ed Reulbach to lead off the 2nd inning in an eventual 11-6 loss in Chicago. Right fielder
Tommy Griffith (.284, 16 HR, 38 RBI) has been a big help to the offense as well, batting 5th and providing Freeman with protection. The pitching rotation is 3rd best in the league and no starter has an ERA of 4.00 or higher. Closer
Hub Perdue (5-5, 18 Sv, 3.38 ERA) has performed admirably, but the bullpen as a whole ranks next to last in the NL with a 4.00 ERA as a unit.
The Phillies have the #1 pitching staff in the league, but the worst offense. St. Louis' offense has underperformed and their pitching staff has allowed more runs than any other team in the NL. Pittsburgh's starting rotation and defense has performed very well, but their bullpen has been a big problem, which is unusual for this team. Plus their offense has been poor and are ranked 7th out of the eight teams.
Standings
Batting Leaders
Pitching Leaders
