NL Report: Where teams stand on the 4th of July

Our MLB report continues today with our National League spotlight.

NL Central

Cubs: The Cubs remain the best team in the National League even after the C.C. Sabathia trade. But I still have some concerns about this club. I believe Ryan Dempster worked profusely this offseason to get into great shape for his return to the rotation, but the innings are piling up. It'll be interesting to see how his arm holds up. Ted Lilly is still the guy who threw down his mitt in a fit after giving up the homer to Chris Young in the NLDS last season. And I still think Carlos Zambrano can implode any second. That being said, Carlos Marmol and Bob Howry bridging the game over to closer Kerry Wood makes me nervous. Derrek Lee not swinging the bat in the three-game sweep last postseason makes me shake my head. Conversely, Alfonso Soriano and A-Ram swinging at everything also makes me shake my head. But the fact that there is this much concern for a team with the best record in the NL shows that it is World Series or bust on Chicago's North Side.

Cardinals: I don't know how they do it, but Tony LaRussa and Dave Duncan are working their magic again this season in St. Louis. With a rotation featuring journeymen Kyle Lohse, Joel Piniero and former relievers Todd Wellemeyer and Braden Looper, the Cards are in the thick of the NL race. Ryan Ludwick has completely rejuvanated a fledgling career, while Rick Ankiel's bat has slowly started to come around. Chris Duncan's struggles will make it important that they add a bat at the deadline. Can they add a closer, too? Izzy and Franklin in the late innings might be their eventual downfall.

Brewers: C.C. instantly makes them dangerous in a short series, as he'll pair with Ben Sheets to rival only Brandon Webb and Danny Haren as the most lethal 1-2 punch in baseball. With the bullpen starting to at least hold leads now and an offense scoring some runs, they have all the momentum to pull of a Rocki-ish feat. But despite the bullpen's run of solid work, they still have Guillermo Mota, who may be the worst veteran bullpen arm in baseball. Salomon Torres has performed well, but he is due to crash. How will Eric Gagne fit in?

Reds: Will Cincinnati say goodbye to Junior? Are those pesky Rays really in hot pursuit of Mr. 600? The idea of finishing his career in Seattle cannot look too appealing right now to him, but Griffey seems to definitely be open to leaving Cincinnati. One guy definitely not leaving is Edison Volquez, who helps form a nice young frontline duo for years to come. Homer Bailey who?

Pirates: Jason Bay, Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte are on the blocks and ready for their exile from Pittsburgh. The Pirates always seem to have a few bats, but once again they are unable to supplement with decent pitching. Ian Snell has been brutal after signing his contract extension. Tom Gorzelanny can't throw strikes. And even when they do get a good start from Zach Duke or Phil Dumatrait, the bullpen seemingly can't hold the lead. Nate McLouth is pretty much the only reason to go to PNC Park these days, which is still filled with the ghost of Matt Morris.


Astros: They might be able to score, but this team actually may have the worst pitching in baseball. Roy Oswalt has to be hiding an injury because he has not been himself all year. I still think Wandy Rodriguez can be dirty, but he has to stay healthy. Meanwhile, Brandon Backe has regressed each season since the 2005 World Series run. Voting for Carlos Lee to make the All-Star team via the Final Vote is pretty much the only thing to look forward to as a 'Stros fan.

NL East

Phillies: Can they have back-to-back-to-back league MVP's? Chase Utley is further revolutionizing the second base position while helping lead the Phils to first place thus far. It was unfortunate that he was in midst of a terrible slump while the team went 1-5 against the AL's best, the Angels and Red Sox. Ryan Howard amazingly has 70-plus RBI despite his staggeringly awful start and current average in the .220's. And Pat Burrell is having a nice comeback season. Brad Lidge has been lights-out and is one the best stories in baseball this season. They'd love to add a new set-up man because Tom Gordon is done, and they'd like to add a big-time starter at the deadline. Once again, pitching stands between the Phils and a deep run in the playoffs.

Marlins: I just love how Scott Olsen and Ricky Nolasco are throwing the ball right now. They just have no other reliable starter, and I don't see the team adding payroll at the deadline despite being immersed in the division race. Perhaps the one move they'll make is bringing back Jeff Conine for the fourth time. Is that Chase Utley playing second base? Dan Uggla has been amazing and keeps getting better. Every team would love to have a guy on their staff like Renyel Pinto.

Mets: M-E-T-S Mets Mets Mets! As Jose Reyes goes, so goes the Mets. Willie Randolph apparently treated this god wrong, so it was time for Ghandi Jerry Manuel to step in. It'd be nice if the two Carloses could actually be leaders on this team. I give credit to Billy Wagner for at least trying to even though it is always through the media. The bullpen has a nice collection of arms, but consistently can't hold leads or keep the team in games. I feel sorry for David Wright, especially. If you want to find the real source of conflict, look to Assistant GM Tony Bernazard, who deals exclusively with the Latin players and had it out for Willie Randolph from day one.

Braves: Will they deal Mark Teixeira? I wouldn't put it past GM Frank Wrenn considering Teixeira is a Boras client. But could the Braves get similar value to what they gave up to get him in the first place? They'd love to grab some more arms to replenish that rotation. It's sad that Chipper keeps getting banged up because he legitimately could have flirted with .400...at least until August. Could this have been the last season we saw Smoltzie, Glavine and Maddux? Jair Jurrjens has been outstanding and a bit of a rotation stabilizer along with Jorge Campillo. The Peter Moylan injury killed the bullpen more than most people would have thought.

Nationals: Nice ballpark there in D.C., eh? It's been nice to see Cristian Guzman rebound from a rough couple of seasons. Of course he and Odalis Perez will help net a couple of low-end prospects at the deadline. John Lannan has been great, and I still like Jason Bergmann. The bullpen has been a major disappointment. It's a shame that Chad Cordero is hurt because he could have brought a decent return. I still have hope for GM Jim Bowden, but I feel like he won't be there to reap the benefits when this team gets competitive.

NL West

Diamondbacks: Wow. What was supposed to be the best team in the NL has really turned into a laughingstock. Though Jose Valverde has not lit it up in Houston, I never liked the idea of having Brandon Lyon close. I'm not sure if Chris Young will ever hit for average, but I'd at least like to see the OBP higher than .300. Eric Byrnes is having a disastrous season, and his struggles have highlighted even more the mistake the club made by trading Carlos Quentin. The team just doesn't score enough runs, which wouldn't be so bad if they had a better 'pen. The relievers' numbers are very deceiving. inconsistency of the young players

Dodgers: If you thought the D-Backs couldn't hit, have you seen the Dodgers play this year? Losing Rafael Furcal looked to be a deathblow, especially because he could have made a difference in this close race. Andruw Jones is seriously hitting below .160. Amazing. Brad Penny pitched hurt all year, but the club is getting outstanding production from Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda and a resurgent Derek Lowe. Chan Ho Park has been great out of the pen and in a spot start here and there, while Hong-Chih Kuo has maybe been the team MVP. Saito has not been as dominant this year, while Scott Proctor has not been the same since being overused in the first half of last season with the Yankees.

Giants: The future is bright for the G-Men. They have the young starting pitching in place, and now they just need that veteran presence. Oh wait, they do have Barry Zito. Hmm. They actually haven't looked as bad as I thought they would offensively. Once they get the Aurilia's, Durham's and Vizquel's off the books, they will be able to spend. And they must spend because every position but CF and maybe 1B needs retooling.

Rockies: A disaster. I think Jeff Francis is feeling the toll that a deep postseason run takes on an arm. But let's be serious here. This team overachieved and has been a below .500 team minus their incredible late season fluke stretch last year. Aaron Cook has been a nice rotation anchor, but Franklin Morales has struggled badly, while Ubaldo Jimenez may have turned the corner this last month and a half. I expected more from Greg Reynolds, but maybe he can settle down in the second half. The team simply must rid itself of Brian Fuentes and Manny Corpas.

Padres: Is there any offense being displayed in the NL West? The Padres lineup is the weakest in baseball save for Adrian Gonzalez. I love Chase Headley, so they are set on the corners. But at some point Kevin Towers has to construct a more versatile and balanced lineup, especially when the team plays in a big park like Petco. Bullpen has been a disappointment, while Chris Young was unsteady before the injury. Trevor Hoffman's most likely swan song has not gone very well.