Week Two Wrapup: It's all about the pitching!

Time for the weekly wrapup, when I reflect upon my favorite teams and baseball in general. This week, one team did well, one team did poorly, and the other is hitting .190. I attended two Nats games, both losses, and started messing around with Photoshop. We'll see what comes of that.

Reds (7-5, 2nd place, thanks to Albert "ARGH!" Pujols)

The Reds had a decent week, getting some stellar starting pitcher (if we can forget about Dave William's forgettable performance on Saturday) in addition to their bombs. One of the highlights was Todd Coffey's performance on Friday, coming in to strike out two, including Jim Edmonds, to end a bases loaded threat in the eighth inning. It was nice to see a Reds reliever really step it up, and it soothes some concerns about the shaky bullpen. In 7 2/3 innings this season, Coffey has given up one run on seven hits and two walks for a 1.35 ERA, and he's struck out five and has three holds. Truth be told, Friday night's performance saved the game, and he did pretty well today, too, getting out of a bases loaded one out jam with no runs scored. Can Coffey become the full time closer? Weathers certainly didn't do the job today.

Cincy hit six bombs off Glendon Rusch on Tuesday, including Bronson Arroyo's second home run of the year, in a 9-2 rout of the Cubbies. The offense slowed during the series with the Deadbirds, as Solo Shot Dunn seems to be fond of leaving ducks on the pond and Griffey has a mysterious injury. (Hey, I love Dunn. He can just be frustrating at times!) But the seven runs scored against the Cards today may be a sign that it is picking up again. The team hosts the AAA Fish this week, so here's to some shock and awe at Great American Ball Park.

Ryan Freel continues to get on base and leads the Majors with six steals.

Reds player of the week: Aaron Harang. Harang outshined last year's Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter in a game that should prove to the naysayers that the Reds are for real, they can compete with the big dogs. (I've been saying all spring you need to have this guy on your fantasy team! Did you get him?) Harang gave up four hits and a walk in seven innings of shut out ball, a game where the intensity level rivaled a September pennant race.

Nats (4-9, cellar dwelling with the Fish)

I saw the Nats lose back to back games this week against the Mets, with the team as lifeless as the fans in the not-sold out home opener. (But at least we're getting larger crowds than the AAA Fish.) The next night, the Nats made it more interesting, but they could not overcome a stellar performance by Pedro. When it was all over and the Mets finally left town, the Nats had been swept by them and found themselves in the basement, yes, even below the AAA Fish.

After some roster moves in which B-Dub was sent to his rightful place in New Orleans and Ryan Church, who hit his first two homers of the season today, took his place on a Major League field, something seemed different. No, the Nats did not win the game that day, but they won the next day. It wasn't something they were really doing different - it was that they started to get a few breaks, the most important being the hit that Brendan Harris caught for an out to end the game on Saturday and end the Nats six game losing streak.

After today's thrilling victory, about which I have yet to see any "Church on Easter" headlines, the hopelessness that plagued the Nats seems to have lifted a bit. We'll see how the team does against the Phillies beginning Tuesday.

The biggest problem? The idiotic baserunning. The Nats are being gifted all sorts of BBs, HBPs, and Es, but they aren't taking advantage of them. They either make bonehead base running plays for outs or are leaving baserunners out there. Kind of like the Democrats not stepping up when the GOPs are handing November to them on a silver platter.

Nats player of the week: John Patterson. This one's a no-brainer. The week was a nightmare for the Nats, who lost every game this week until Patterson's stellar performance last night. He threw only 108 pitches, 75 for strikes, through eight innings. I am of the opinion that he should have gone out to pitch the ninth, too, given his pitch count and Chief's problems on the mound. Giving up three hits, a walk, and one run, J.P. struck out a career high tying 13 batters. His Bugs Bunny curve was wicked, and those poor young Fish didn't know what happened as they trudged back to their fishy dugout. Patterson leads the Majors with 24 Ks.

Giants (6-4 through Saturday's game, 1st place)

Yes, Bonds has bone chips in his left elbow. Yes, he's hitting .190. But a lot of things are out of whack in San Fran. It has been wet, really wet. Wet enough for the Giants to have to play a double header against the Asstros. Wet enough to have a two hour delay against the hated Dodgers. Sure, it rains in San Fran, but it usually isn't enough to leave things soggy.

Vizquel, Winn, and Alou, with his gimpy calf, are hot. So is Worrell with 4 saves in 4 opportunities. Jason Schmidt, however, has not been at the top of his game, one the reasons the Giants aren't sitting more comfortably at the top of the division. But hey, Schmidt's just getting his losses out of the way early, isn't he?

Giants player of the week: Jamey Wright. Wright pitched eight brilliant innings of one run, five hit ball against the hated Dodgers, raising his record to 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA. The Giants' combination of Wright, Schmidt, and Morris has the potential to keep San Fran on top of the NL West, where they currently sit, all the way to October. Wright had much success at Mays Field while pitching for the Rockies, and getting out of Colorado may make him the star pitcher people always expected him to be.

Around the horn

• Albert "Can't you play in the American League" Pujols and Chris Shelton lead the Majors with 8 longballs. Adam Dunn, Jim Thome, and Travis Hafner each have 7.
  
• The Mets tore up the week with a seven game win streak, including a three game sweep of the Nationals in which Mets hitters had no problems going yard in RFK Stadium, contrary to what some players would have you think. Are the Mets the team to beat in the NL East?
• Check out this article about Effa Manley, the first woman to be inducted into Cooperstown in February 2006.
  
• The Pirates lost first baseman Sean Casey for 6-8 weeks. Get well, Sean!
• Ben Sheets makes his first start of the year for an already strong Brew Crew.
  
• It's early, but this is still nice to see (through Saturday's games):

Boston	7	4	.636	-
Baltimore	7	5	.583	0.5
Toronto	6	5	.545	1.0
Tampa Bay	6	6	.500	1.5
NY Yankees	5	6	.455	2.0

Goat of the week
Jose Vidro. Jose publicly whined about the fences at RFK Stadium and complained about how upper management doesn't care about the players, then proceeded to get into a shouting match with Nationals' Team President Tony Tavares. He sat out on Saturday's game for some weakling injury. Just shut up and play, Jose!