NL Central

The MLB All-Star game also known as The Mid-Summer Classic is designed for the fans, right?

I mean, we are the ones who ultimately pay at the gate, buy the drinks and dogs, which pays the wages of the men we come to see.

You may call Cincinnati a small market city, but let’s call Mr. Peabody and have him fire up the Wayback Machine to 1957.

The National League was replete with major stars, some established and some still in the making. Stan Musial, who would go on to set a record for All-Star appearances, was 15 years into his illustrious career.

Ryan Dempster was a roller coaster ride last year. Check out his ERA by month:

April: 2.75
May: 4.54
June: 3.24
July: 5.03
August: 2.89
September/October: 4.59

This year Dempster started off in the outhouse with a 9.58 ERA in April. He then went 3-1 with a 3.08 ERA in May and 1-2 with a 3.13 ERA in June. I wouldn’t quite call that the penthouse, but he has his numbers at least looking respectable at 5-6 with a 4.99 ERA and 1.41 WHIP.

The NL Central has had a lot of drama so far this season, with four teams separated by four games or less. This is due in large part of many outstanding performances by unexpected players.

The intense battle has blown up in the NL Central with the development of the Pirates and the injury of Albert Pujols. With so many competitive teams—the NL Central is the only division with six—there are bound to be many talented players.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster allowed seven earned runs for the second consecutive start on Thursday, recording just one out before being yanked. Along the way he walked four, hit a batter and yielded four hits, including a grand slam to Stephen Drew.

I’m a St. Louis Cardinals fan. All of my friends know this. I have been since the day my favorite player, Mark McGwire got traded to them in 1997. The next year Big Mac broke Roger Maris’ age old HR record.

Several teams have very good players in their three, four and five holes in the batting order. However I don’t think any are as good as the St. Louis Cardinals this season. Matt Holliday, Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman are as good as it gets.

As I write this article, Holliday is the National League’s leading hitter, and Berkman is in second place, both batting over .400.

In OBP, Holliday is in first place and Berkman in third.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have started the 2011 season with the losing record going into the last week of April that most observers expected them to have.

And yet, they are a stronger team than other versions who started previous years with winning records in April. That's because Pirate losses so far this year can largely be attributed to "strength of schedule."

After locking up Ryan Braun through 2020, can the Brewers actually compete for Prince Fielder's services next season?

With each passing day, the demeanor of most Brewers fans begins to fade ever so slightly regarding the status of their beloved first-baseman, Prince Fielder.

It's been a troubling year so far for 38-year-old Ryan Franklin.  The appointed Cardinal closer saved 38 and 27 games in 2009 and 2010 respectively, blowing just a total of seven combined over the two seasons. 

2011 has been a different story for Franklin.  He's blown four out of five possible save opportunities.  That's four more games the Redbirds should have in the win column. 

This week was an eventful one for the Milwaukee Brewers, with several events of interest that Brewers fans took pride in this week. From the Brewers winning two of three games from the Phillies, especially game two against Roy Halladay, a 9-0 shutout, to Ryan Braun's monster, historic new contract, Brewers fans had plenty to talk about as their team has been battling in a very competitive NL Central, with no team more than 3 games back.