The summer heat is starting to take effect and the race for the National League Central Division crown is just as hot.
The National League (NL) Central is the only division in baseball where all six team are within five games of each other.
Currently, as of Sunday, the Milwaukee Brewers (40-35) and St. Louis Cardinals (41-36) were tied for the division lead.
The Brewers, who lost two-thirds of their starting pitching in the off-season, have received surprising pitching from Yovanni Gallardo.
Gallardo leads the Brewers pitching staff in wins (8), earned run average (2.86), and strikeouts (102).
Former Cardinals Jeff Suppan and Braden Looper have been innings eaters for the Brewers and have combined for 10 wins this season.
The young sluggers of Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder have led the Brewers offense to the top of the division.
Fielder leads Milwaukee in three of the four major offensive categories. He leads them in homeruns (19), RBI (73), and on base percentage (.430).
Braun leads the Brewers in average, boasting a .324 clip, while also pounding out 16 homeruns and 53 RBI.
The Cardinals continue to keep pace with the Brewers and with the new acquisition of former Cub and Indian Mark Derosa, St. Louis may now have the depth and bats to jump ahead in the NL Central.
St. Louis is led by “The Machine” Albert Pujols.
Pujols, the perennial All-Star, is on pace for another Most Valuable Player type season by leading the NL in homeruns with 28, 74 RBI and is batting .324 through Sunday’s game against Minnesota.
The versatile DeRosa gives the Cardinals options at a number of positions and also gives them a steady bat in the line up.
DeRosa, who came over to St. Louis from Cleveland over the weekend, is keeping his production on pace from last year when he played for the NL Central Division champion Chicago Cubs.
He has hit 13 homeruns and drove in 50 RBI, and will more than likely get most of his playing time at third base in the absent of the Cardinals injured third baseman Troy Glaus.
The Cardinals have embraced good pitching from Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter.
Wainwright leads the team in wins with eight and strikeouts with 89.
Carpenter has came back from off-season elbow surgery and survived another injury this season to post a 5-2 record with a minuscule 1.78 earned run average.
St. Louis should get a boost from hosting the All-Star game on July 14 and are primed to take the lead in the NL Central after the All-Star break.
The NL Central should still keep their eyes on the Cincinnati Reds.
Cincinnati is very young, but sit with a 37-37 record through this point in the season.
The Reds are 17-17 at home and 20-20 away from Great American Ballpark.
Jay Bruce leads the Reds with 18 homeruns, but injuries to him and the pitching staff have made it tough for the Reds to make a charge so far this season.
The Reds may look for a big bat come trade deadline, if they are willing to deal some of their prize prospects away.
Speaking of injuries, the team hit hardest by injuries may be the Chicago Cubs.
The Cubs, who have one of the majors biggest payrolls, have been disappointing so far this season, but still remain three-and-a-half games behind the Brewers and Cardinals.
Ted Lilly has anchored what was to be a very solid pitching staff, but injuries to Rich Harden and suspensions to the volatile Carlos Zambrano have put the Cubs at 35-37.
Add in the disappointment of free-agent signee Milton Bradley and the seperated shoulder of All-Star third baseman Aramis Ramirez, the Cubs hope better games are on the herizon.
The Houston Astros are currently four games back in the NL Central and really lack the pitching to be competitive down the stretch.
The Astros ace Roy Oswalt is currently 3-4 this season with a 4.30 earned run average.
Despite a very powerful and potent lineup, Houston just can’t match the strength of pitching in the NL Central.
The last place team in the division is the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Pittsburgh currently sits five games below the Brewers and Cardinals, but likely will look to deal some of their veteran players by the trade deadline of August 31.
Despite the welcome surprise of Andrew McCutchen in the outfield and a solid infield, the Pirates lack the consitency to contend for all 162 games this season.
Depending on moves made between now and the trade deadline, the NL Central may come down to who can stay healthy and get hot at the right time.
