[abell1198]

The American League finds itself with a not so surprising leader, the 2004 Boston Red Sox, who finished April with a 20-8 record and a three game lead in the division. The Red Sox leading hitter thus far has been SS Nomar Garciaparra, who is hitting .347. With only one other .300 hitter, this team has relied on it's starting pitching. The starting staff is 13th in the American League with a combined ERA of 3.15. SP Curt Schilling (4-1, 1.49 ERA) and SP Tim Wakefield (4-1, 1.63 ERA) lead the staff. However, if the Red Sox are going to hold this lead, the bullpen is going to have to improve. The bullpen is currently ranked 105th with a 7.95 ERA, as CL Keith Foulke is the lone bright spot at 2-1, 2.12 ERA and 10 saves, which ranks him tied for 3rd in the AL. The Red Sox have lost only two series so far, sweeping the 1985 Kansas City Royals, 1945 Detroit Tigers and 1983 Baltimore Orioles in the first month. DH Manny Ramirez also made news on April 8 when he went 5-5, hitting 2 HR, with 7 RBI in a 12-4 win over the 1945 Detroit Tigers.

Two teams are tied for second place at 17-11, 3 GB. The 2008 Tampa Bay Rays are led by their lone .300 hitter, C Dioner Navarro (.330 avg). The Rays pitching has been outstanding. SP Andy Sonnanstine (4-1, 1.93 ERA) and SP Edwin Jackson (4-1, 1.96 ERA) lead the starters, who are ranked 15th in the AL with a 3.22 ERA. But the bullpen has performed even better, ranking 2nd in the AL with a 1.80 ERA. Their combined stats give the Rays pitching staff a ranking of 6th overall. The 2000 New York Yankees are the other team in second place. DH Glenallen Hill leads a lineup with three .300 hitters with a .325 batting average. SP Andy Pettitte leads the starting pitchers at 4-1, 3.54 ERA. The Yankees have been streaky so far with three 3-game losing streaks this month, including being swept by the 1906 Chicago White Sox and 1979 Baltimore Orioles. The Yankees also had winning streaks of three and four games, as well as two five game streaks. These streaks included sweeps of the 1933 Chicago White Sox, 1964 New York Yankees, 1972 Oakland A's and 1985 Kansas City Royals.

The favorites in the preseason polls to win this division, the 2007 Boston Red Sox, find themselves in fourth place at 16-12, 4 GB. 2B Dustin Pedroia is the only .300 hitter at .321. Pitching has paved the way for the Red Sox. SP Josh Beckett is 2-1, with a 1.40 ERA, which is good enough for 6th in the AL. SP Daisuke Matsuzaka is 4-0, 1.60 ERA. Closer Jonathan Papelbon leads the bullpen at 2-1, 1.02 ERA, with 8 saves. The Red Sox swept the 1970 Baltimore Orioles and 1905 Philadelphia Athletics and were swept by the 1912 Boston Red Sox.

In fifth place are the 2003 New York Yankees at 15-13, 5 GB. The team is tied for 4th in the AL in home runs with 37. SS Derek Jeter is hitting .407, which ranks him #1 in the AL, one point ahead of Babe Ruth of the 1926 Yankees. Jeter is also #1 in hits in the AL with 48. SP Roger Clemens is the only pitcher in the starting rotation performing well, as he has started 4-2, 2.22 ERA. The bullpen is ranked 10th in the AL with a 2.48 ERA. The Yankees started well at 5-1, sweeping the 1997 Cleveland Indians in the process, but have struggled since.

The 2009 New York Yankees, 2001 New York Yankees and 2002 Anaheim Angels find themselves tied for sixth place at 13-15, 7 GB. The 2009 squad is led by LF Johnny Damon at .333, with RF Nick Swisher hitting .320. The only good pitching for the team has been SP C.C. Sabathia (4-1, 1.87 ERA, 45 K) and CL Mariano Rivera (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 7 SV). The 2009 Yankees have only won three series. The 2001 Yankees are having the same pitching struggles. SP Roger Clemens (4-0, 2.31 ERA) is performing well, but the bullpen is 103rd with a 7.26 ERA. CF Bernie Williams (.314 avg) is one of three .300 hitters in the lineup. The 2001 Yankees started 2-9, but then won five in a row before settling in as a .500 club. The Angels are led by SS David Eckstein (.346 avg) and DH Brad Fullmer (.340 avg). SP Kevin Appier (4-2, 2.20 ERA) leads a solid pitching staff. The Angels, however, have been streaky. They started 2-0, lost 7, won 9 of 10 and then went 2-7.

In ninth place are the 2005 Chicago White Sox at 11-17, 9 GB. The White Sox have three .300 hitters in their lineup, led by CF Aaron Rowand at .346, but their starting pitching has been poor so far. The White Sox have won four series, but were swept three times in April.

In last place are the 2006 Detroit Tigers at 7-21, 13 GB. The Tigers started their year 6-6, but then lost 14 straight. SS Carlos Guillen (.376 avg) is the lone .300 hitter on the team, which is 106th in runs scored (92), 107th in OBP (.288), 104th in runs against (174), 106th in starting pitching ERA (6.82) and dead last (108th) in defense.

The National League 2000 Division is led by the 2003 Florida Marlins at 20-8. 2B Luis Castillo (.359 avg) is one of four .300 hitters in the lineup. SP Brad Penny (3-0, 2.56 ERA) leads a starting staff ranked 13th in the NL with a combined ERA of 2.98. The Marlin bullpen has been the best in the NL, ranked #1 with an ERA of 1.38. The Marlins have won six of their nine series, including sweeps of the 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers, 1989 San Francisco Giants, 1924 New York Giants and 1970 Cincinnati Reds.

In second place at 18-10, 2 GB, are the 2002 San Francisco Giants. LF Barry Bonds is the leading hitter, batting .319, with 8 HR and 19 RBI. SP Jason Schmidt (4-2, 2.89 ERA) and SP Livan Hernandez (3-0, 3.16 ERA) lead the starting pitching staff, while CL Robb Nen (1-0, 0.00, 10 SV) leads a bullpen ranked 8th in the NL with a 2.35 ERA. The Giants started their season 3-0 with a sweep of the 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers, but lost their next two series. The Giants have won every series since.

The 2004 St. Louis Cardinals are in third place at 17-11, 3 GB. SS Edgar Renteria is the team's only .300 hitter at .330. SP Jason Marquis (4-2, 2.49 ERA) leads a solid, but average pitching staff. The Cardinals find a way to win, however, losing only three series in April.

In fourth place are the 2000 New York Mets at 16-12, 4 GB. 2B Edgardo Alfonzo (.317 avg) and SS Mike Bordick (.315 avg) are the lone bright spots in a lineup ranked 91st with a .242 batting average and .302 OBP. The starting pitching has been average, while closer Armando Benitez (1-0, 1.50 ERA, 8 SV) has been performing well from the bullpen.

The favorites to win this division, the 2005 Houston Astros, find themselves in a tie for fifth place at 15-13, 5 GB. The lineup is led by C Brad Ausmus (.308 avg) and 2B Craig Biggio (.300 avg). SP Roy Oswalt (4-2, 2.33 ERA) and SP Roger Clemens (3-2, 2.38 ERA) lead a starting pitching staff with a combined ERA of 3.24. But the bullpen's ERA is a staggering 6.02. The Astros started 2-7 after losing all three series. But they've only lost one series since while going 13-6. The other team in fifth place are the 2007 Colorado Rockies. In true Rockie fashion, this team is hitting well, but not pitching well. 1B Todd Helton is one of five .300 hitters in the lineup. Helton is hitting .388 and is 5th in the NL with a .484 OBP. CF Willy Tavaras is 2nd in the NL in stolen bases with 17 while also hitting .374. The Rockies are 3rd in runs scored (162), 4th in average (.307) and 6th in OBP (.364). SP Jeff Francis is the only good pitcher so far with a record of 4-1 and ERA of 2.09. The starting pitching staff, however, is ranked 102nd with a combined ERA of 5.06.

Two teams are tied for seventh place at 13-15, 7 GB. The first team is the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies. CF Shane Victorino leads the team with a .324 batting average. The only other .300 hitter in the lineup is SS Jimmy Rollins, who is hitting .313 and is 1st in the Majors with six triples. The starting pitching has been terrible, ranking next to last (107th) with a combined ERA of 5.95. The Phillies only won three series in April, with two of them coming in the first week and a half. The second team is the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks. LF Luis Gonzalez is the only .300 hitter at .363. SP Randy Johnson is dominant, posting a 2-1 record with a 1.15 ERA and 71 strikeouts. Johnson is tied for 5th in the NL in ERA and 1st in the Majors in strikeouts. The Diamondback bullpen has performed well, ranking 14th in the NL with a 2.58 ERA. Arizona's play has been streaky thus far, sweeping the likes of the 1937 New York Giants, 1922 New York Giants and 1991 Atlanta Braves while being swept by the 1932 Chicago Cubs and 1968 St. Louis Cardinals.

In ninth place are 12-16, 8 GB, are the 2009 Philadelphia Phillies. LF Raul Ibanez (.333 avg) is the best of a lineup with two other .300 hitters, but the pitching has been sub par. The Phillies swept the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers to start the season, but have struggled since.

The 2006 St. Louis Cardinals find themselves in last place with a record of 11-17, 9 GB. 1B Albert Pujols (.351 avg) is the team's only .300 hitter. SP Chris Carpenter is pitching well, finishing the month 2-1 with a 1.93 ERA. The Cards have been streaky. They lost seven in a row while being swept by the 1999 and 1991 Atlanta Braves, then won four in a row while sweeping the 1987 Cardinals. The Cards are currently on a four game losing skid, highlighted by a sweep at the hands of the 2005 Houston Astros.