AL pitchers have owned hitters on the senior circuit

	Freddy Garcia has beaten the Cubs, Reds, Cardinals and Pirates in interleague action so far this season. AP

If you're looking for the reason behind the American League's dominance of the National League during interleague play this year, you don't have to look very far. In fact, this handy list ought to do just fine.

• Johan Santana, Twins: 3-0, 0.82
• Erik Bedard, Orioles: 3-0, 1.29
• Kris Benson, Orioles: 3-0, 2.10
• Freddy Garcia, White Sox: 4-0, 2.10
• Jon Lester, Red Sox: 3-0, 2.12
• Justin Verlander, Tigers: 3-0, 2.29
• Francisco Liriano, Twins: 4-0, 2.33
• Mark Buehrle, White Sox: 3-0, 2.35
• Josh Beckett, Red Sox: 4-0, 2.83

Count it up and these nine starting pitchers are 30-0 against the NL, with a 1.97 ERA. What's more, that's 30 wins in 31 starts. Baltimore's Benson has the lone no-decision.

That's not just dominating. That's Red Sox over Cardinals in '04. That's White Sox over Astros in '05. That's Monk over the bad guys in any given episode.

That's downright embarrassing.

We're entering this season's final weekend of interleague non-intrigue, and if we've learned anything, it's that the NL pitchers, as a whole, simply aren't as good as their AL counterparts. It's not even close.

That may not be breaking news anymore, but it's never been more apparent.

Not only are the ERAs between the leagues' starters almost a run apart during interleague play -- the AL starters boast a 4.22 ERA to the NL's 5.07 -- the bullpens are also more mismatched. AL relievers have a 3.50 ERA in interleague play; the NL relievers are limping along with a 4.73 ERA.

Some of that, you might guess, is the inability of the NL pitchers to handle AL lineups stacked with an extra bat in the form of the designated hitter. When NL teams travel to AL parks, where the DH is used, it's not pretty. NL pitchers have a 5.32 ERA on the road during interleague play. Only one NL team has an ERA that bad at home, where the DH isn't used. (The D'backs have a 5.45 ERA at Chase Field against the AL.)

What it all comes down to is an interleague butt-kicking of the first degree. With one weekend remaining, the juniors have a 131-79 record against the seniors, a .624 winning percentage. That's the equivalent of a 101-61 season.

With only six wins by AL teams this weekend, 2006 will mark the most lopsided victory for a league in the 10-year history of interleague play.

And here's one last head-hanging note for the NL: The league's three best teams (relatively speaking, of course), the only ones more than five games above .500, all have losing records against the AL. Combined, the Mets (just swept by the Red Sox), the Cards (fresh off an eight-game losing streak to their AL Central colleagues) and the Reds are 14-22, a .389 winning percentage. That's a 63-99 season.

But, really, what about those Pirates beating the White Sox on Thursday afternoon?

Hello there

Not that I'm a Patriot Act freak or anything, but I'd love to eavesdrop on the conversation at home plate when A.J. Pierzynski of the White Sox and Michael Barrett of the Cubs meet up this weekend. I don't think a little punch in the jaw can keep Pierzynski quiet.