(Note: Article originally appeared in the May 17, 2002 edition (issue VII) of NationalPastimes.net)

Whodathunkit?

With the Major League Baseball season a little over a month old that — the Oakland Athletics would be in last place in the American League West; the Atlanta Braves be scuffling along near the basement of the National League East; and the NL’s Central Division would look like someone pulled the standings out of a ten-gallon hat.

The A’s have been the biggest disappointment so far (18-20). With a rotation filled with names like Hudson, Mulder, and Zito, they would have to be fighting for early season supremacy in the West, eh?

How wrong you would be.

Instead, they are sitting eight games back of the Seattle Mariners and languishing in last place behind the Texas Rangers.

The A’s went into a tailspin the last ten games, going 2-8 in that stretch, due in large part to a rotation that has been lit up and a closer (Billy Koch) who has trouble pinning saves when given the opportunity to do so (two blown saves to date).

Not helping matters is a troublesome forearm to number three starter Mark Mulder, who spent time in late April on the disabled list with the ailment. He took it on the chin in his most recent start against Toronto (May 10), only going 4 1/3 innings and giving up six runs in that effort. Mulder is due to throw off the mound this week to check the status of his arm.

For the A’s to bounce back, the five-man rotation (the aforementioned trio plus Cory Lidle and Eric Hiljus) need to bring down the team’s 4.74 ERA to respectability and Billy Koch needs to be in games with the lead, i.e. the starters are doing their jobs.

In Atlanta, the Braves are mired in second-to-last place (19-21), just ahead of the surging Philadelphia Phillies, who are 7-3 in their last ten games. In that same time span, the hapless Braves (when was the last time you read those two words together in the same sentence to describe the Braves?) are a plodding 4-6. They currently reside 3 1⁄2 games behind the Florida Marlins.

The pitching staff has been about average for Braves standards, compiling a team ERA of 3.28, but the offense has been bleak to say the least. The Braves only have two players hitting over .300 (utility man Mark DeRosa and OF Chipper Jones) and Gary Sheffield has been a virtual no-show, hitting .238 and has a sore wrist. But Jones has done his part in carrying the load (22 RBIs) while adjusting to learn a new position (left field).

Another cog in the offense, centerfielder Andruw Jones, is doing his part to make some noise, knocking in 26 RBIs. Joining in on the offensive side is third sacker Vinny Castilla, with 22 RBIs. The rest of the team’s offense has been lackluster, only driving in 146 runs. Unfortunately, that matches the runs they’ve given up and reflects their near .500 record.

The National League Central reads of a who’s-who of underachieving ball clubs: the Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros and the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Little Bears from the Windy Place up North, also known as the Cubs, have seemingly hit early rock bottom. In fact, according to published reports, pitcher Kerry Wood has had enough.

“I’m getting real [expletive] tired of hearing the same [expletive] when the game is over: ‘Keep your head up and we’ll get ‘em tomorrow,”‘ Wood told the Chicago Sun-Times after Monday’s 3-0 loss, a contest in which the Cubs outhit the Cardinals 4-2. “That [expletive] ain’t working. It’s frustrating.”

Need I go any further? Sure I do!

The Cubs (13-24) are sitting in fifth place of the six-team division, only two games ahead of Wendy Selig-Prieb’s Brewers. The Cubs spent some major dollars on OF Moises Alou and have largely received nothing from him.

Well, close to nothing.

Alou is hitting a measly .164 with 2 HRs and 8 RBIs. He is projected to play in only 90 games, hitting 9 HRs and driving in 36 runs. (He’ll play more, right?) That’s not to mention a lengthy stay on the disabled list (big surprise, eh?), playing in only 20 of the club’s 36 games.

As usual, a guy named Sosa is carrying the team. The one man wrecking crew that is Sammy is hitting .344, knocking in 24 runs and belting (Chip Caray, anyone?) 15 home runs. That’s not including the 30 walks he’s received, some of which have translated into the 33 runs he’s scored.

Helping Sosa with the offensive load is phenom-turned everyday centerfielder Corey Patterson, who finally appears to have come into his own. Patterson is hitting a solid .312 and is getting on base enough (.364 on base percentage) to help the anemic Cubs offense. The Cubs offense is averaging 3.7 runs per game, down from 4.6 of last year’s club.

The pitching staff, led by the aforementioned [expletive] Wood, has been relatively abysmal. The starting four (Wood, Jon Lieber, Matt Clement, Juan Cruz) have combined for eight wins.

Here’s an interesting fact: Juan Cruz has none of those. He’s an unlucky 0-7.

Speaking of unlucky, the Houston Astros are the second team in the NL Central triumvirate that has lacked any luster in the season’s first month. The Astros sit comfortably in fourth place (17-21) and rest 6 games back of division leader Cincinnati.

The Not-So-Killer Bees of 2002 haven’t packed enough punch as fans are accustomed to seeing. First baseman Jeff Bagwell has been producing at an above average rate (.277, 8HRs, 21 RBIs), but not the monster numbers he’s capable of producing.

On the other hand, second baseman Craig Biggio has had a horrendous start by his standards. As of Tuesday’s games (May 14), Biggio is hitting a paltry .215 and has driven in only 13 runs. Could the hard-nosed play of Biggio’s past have come to haunt him? It’s too early to tell, but early indications seem to be leaning that way.

The offense is being led by second year outfielder Lance Berkman, who is putting up respectable numbers and proving to people that there is a ton of potential left untapped. Berkman’s 14 HRs and 39 RBIs has helped paced the offense that has been lacking from Biggio. Also in that mix is right-fielder Richard Hidalgo, a .267 hitter that has contributed 23 runs to help fill the void. If all four of these guys start hitting at the same time, this team will be a force that many expect come mid-July.

The Astros hurlers have been led by staff ace Roy Oswalt, who has notched four wins (4-2) with a 2.50 ERA. If not for the mediocre offense, Oswalt could easily be undefeated. The rest of the rotation (Carlos Hernandez, Shane Reynolds, and Dave Mlicki) has contributed three wins apiece with Reynolds the only hurler having an ERA above four (4.14). Some help could be on the way with the possible return of Wade Miller, who is due back in the near future.

A team that wishes they had a rotation of any sort is the St. Louis Cardinals.

You pick a starting pitcher on their spring training roster, with the exception of Matt Morris, you’ll find one who has been hurt. Once considered to arguably have the deepest rotation in baseball, they’ve been struggling to keep their heads afloat due to all the injuries. The Cardinals are somehow in third place, posting a 19-20 record, in the NL Central.

The Birds rotation has seen eleven starters this season.

Eleven.

In order from most to least: Morris, Darryl Kile, Travis Smith, Bud Smith, Andy Benes, Garret Stephenson, Josh Pierce, Jason Simontacchi, Mike Timlin (yeah, that Mike Timlin), Woody Williams and Mike Crudale.

Are you tired yet?

The staff has been decimated by injuries, those of which are starting to bounce back. Stephenson pitched a pain-free four innings against the Cubs on May 14 and Williams is expected to start against the Cubs on May 15. Rick Ankiel, largely uncounted on by a number of scribes and fans, pitched a pain-free throwing session earlier in the week and may be sent to extended spring in Florida. . . but don’t hold your breath folks — it could be awhile. Reliever Steve Kline, the key situational lefty in the bullpen, is expected to be out till at least late May with a triceps strain. He, too, has begun light throwing.

The Redbirds offense has had its ups-and-downs, but still leads the NL in average (.264). Leading the charge has been Jim Edmonds, hitting .342 and driving in 27 runs, and Albert Pujols, hitting .288 and knocking in 22 runs. Table-setter Fernando Vina has been on a tear lately and needs to continue to hit well for the Cards to challenge for the division.

The biggest disappointment has been free-agent acquisition Tino Martinez. Signed for his leadership and his ability to drive in runs, Martinez has hit a substandard .200, but has still somehow managed 18 RBIs. His bat-speed has been noticeably slower this first month, but has shown peeks here-and-there of possibly breaking out of it. His inconsistency, along with J.D. Drew’s, has caused the offense to suffer at times. For the team to win, they need more from Tino.

The season is still young for the A’s, Braves, Cubs, Astros and Cardinals, but things need to change for them to stick around come the dog days of summer, 2002. These teams are still around because the teams leading the division, with the exception of possibly Seattle in the AL West, have not pulled away from the pack.

Hey, the Florida Marlins are in first place and the Montreal Expos are nipping at their heels on May 15.

Whodathunkthat?