1. Los Angeles Dodgers 9-3
Last season, the Dodgers went 14-24 against the Giants and
Padres. This season, they have a 7-2 record against their N.L. West
rivals.
2. Houston Astros 9-4
Hidalgo is hitting .431 with 4 home runs and 19 RBI’s,
while ex-Yankee Clemens is 3-0 with a .87 ERA. Steinbrenner and
Cashman must be pissed.
3. Chicago White Sox 8-4
”This is going to be my last contract, and I have to take
advantage of that.” — Ordonez justifying his five-year,
$70 million contract proposal.
4. Boston Red Sox 6-5
Yes, the Red Sox have won two of three against the Yanks. But
it’s April! They have never beaten the Yankees when it has
mattered: October.
5. New York Yankees 6-6
It doesn’t matter how good you are. There’s always a
period of adjustment. A-Rod is having jitters just like Giambi did
last season.
6. Florida Marlins 8-4
Maybe Cabrera really is the next Pujols. The 21-year-old has six
homers so far this season, and already wears a huge championship
ring.
7. Anaheim Angels 7-5
Vladimir Guerrero might have been the best offseason pick-up of
the season. 5-foot-7 Eckstein is one of the most underrated SS in
the league.
8. Oakland Athletics 7-4
Zito, Hudson and Mulder will need to carry a team of bad hitters
to make a fifth consecutive playoffs. The A’s may be
baseball’s version of the T-Wolves.
9. Detroit Tigers 7-5
Tigers GM Dombrowski on free agency: “Did we overpay in
certain cases? Probably. But we had to give our fans something that
they can root for.”
10. Baltimore Orioles 7-4
Orioles have won four straight including three of five from Red
Sox. That’s surprising considering it took Tejada eight games
to hit his first home run.
11. Minnesota Twins 8-4
The Twins continue to over-achieve. Center fielder Lew Ford is
batting .417 with eight RBI’s in just seven games this
season. Who is Lew Ford?
12. Chicago Cubs 6-6
Baker denies reports that he told close friends Prior may need
Tommy John surgery. Prior was expected back mid-May. Now? Who
knows.
13. Pittsburgh Pirates 7-5
One of the worst teams in the past decade continues to win. The
Pirates blasted the Mets 8-1 yesterday behind seven solid innings
from Kris Benson.
14. St. Louis Cardinals 6-7
The “best fans in baseball” haven’t been too
happy with the sloppy defense and poor pitching. Cards should ask
McGwire for some Thickburgers.
15. New York Mets 5-7
Piazza has just one error in four games at first base this
season, Wilson has a 1.08 catcher ERA and Kaz looks like the real
deal.
16. Texas Rangers 6-7
Without A-Rod, the Rangers are leading both leagues in batting
average at .318, and team pitching ranks a respectable 14th.
17. San Francisco Giants 5-7
Giants fans are jealous of the Dodgers’ fast start. Barry
Bonds’s back must be hurting — he’s carrying the
entire team.
18. San Diego Padres 6-6
“PETCO park might be the place where homers go to die, but
PETCO stores are where animals go to die.” – Dan Shannon, a
PETA campaign coordinator, on plans of placing a secret message in
a brick at PETCO park.
19. Tampa Bay Devil Rays 5-6
Former Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer watched the April 14th
Yankees-Devil Rays game from the bleachers at Yankee Stadium.
20. Montreal Expos 2-10
Are you still with me? Outstanding! The Expos are off to another
miserable year, and injuries to Johnson and Everett make things
even worse.