Brewers and Tribe are balling, David Wright's falling

FIVE UP

	Milwaukee's Prince Fielder and Cleveland's Travis Hafner each have hit five home runs. Richard C. Lewis/WireImage.com; Leon Halip/WireImage.com
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1. 2006 underachievers: Prior to the 2006 campaign, two middle America cities were abuzz with optimism. Both Cleveland and Milwaukee boasted young, exciting teams that were coming off encouraging seasons in '05. Hopes and dreams quickly came crashing down, though, as both teams vastly underachieved and finishing below .500.

But almost a month into this season, the Indians and Brewers find themselves at the top of their respective central divisions. Cleveland won a fifth straight game Thursday (over Texas), improving its record to 12-7. Even after a loss in its last game on Wednesday to the Cubs, Milwaukee still boasts a 2 1/2-game edge on the rest of the division with a 13-8 mark.

Spirits are high in both clubhouses. After Thursday's victory, Cleveland pitcher Paul Byrd gushed about the team's synergy to MLB.com: "There are great players in this clubhouse, but great people with good attitudes too." Earlier in the week, Milwaukee manage Ned Yost told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal: "When I came here, that's what my goal was, to put exciting, fun baseball back in Miller Park, where the fans could come out in big numbers and have a blast. I think, to this point of the season, we're doing that."

Now I hate to dampen the enthusiasm with a wet-blanket observation, but looking back to April 27 of last season, both of these teams were a solid 12-10. So who is to say this year will turn out any different than the aforementioned debacles in 2006? Should fans of these two squads buy into the early success or prepare for more heartbreak? You decide.

One big reason to hop on the Indians bandwagon: Grady and Pronk. There may be no better table-setter/big bopper combo in all of baseball than Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner. Both players seem primed to produce mindboggling numbers this year.

One big reason to steer clear: Continued defensive woes. After allowing an MLB-high 84 unearned runs last season, Cleveland attempted to upgrade its defense by installing Josh Barfield and Andy Marte at second and third base, respectively. But each player has already committed four errors and the Indians as a team have the second-highest number of errors in the AL (18).

One big reason to hop on the Brewers bandwagon: Central mediocrity. Outside of the Brewers, no team in the NL Central currently looks too imposing. The Cubs tanked to start the year, the Astros have dropped six straight and the other three teams -- including the defending world champs -- look pretty average.

One big reason to steer clear: Ben Sheets' groin strain. Although Sheets' injury doesn't seem to be serious, it is very disconcerting to see him already having health problems. Milwaukee's ace hasn't come close to 200 innings since 2004.

2. Chase Utley's bomb: The swing that produces the typical "tape-measure shot" is usually a long, sweeping action, highlighted by full arm extension and a violent hip thrust (think Andruw Jones or Gary Sheffield). But take a gander at Chase Utley's latest blast by clicking here. That ball traveled 460 feet, folks. How Utley generates so much power with that cut-off swing is beyond me. I guess when you get your hands through the zone that quickly, the ball will to fly.

Utley's cut is incredibly short, but it is most definitely sweet. Speaking of sweetness, Utley probably leads the major leagues in man crushes. Seriously, bring up this guy's name around almost any group of male baseball fans and I swear you'll get one to blush while raving about how Chase "plays the game right."

3. Jeff Francoeur's clutchness: The most aggressive hitter east of Vlad Guerrero sure takes his hacks when he's up at the plate. And these free-wheeling ways lead most to believe that Francoeur would not be the guy you'd want up in a clutch spot. But this couldn't be further from the truth. "Frenchy" is actually one of baseball's finest crunch-time hitters. Since the beginning of 2006, no one in baseball has logged more two-out RBI's than Francoeur (71). This season, he leads the NL in two-out RBIs (18).

And for the record, Francoeur does look more selective at the plate this year -- he's walked eight times already compared to 23 for all of last season -- but you're still not going to mistake him for Jason Giambi.

4. Bobby Cox's historic chase: While Barry Bonds pursues a record that is just over 30 years old, Bobby Cox is closing in on a mark that has stood since the Great Depression -- career managerial ejections. Cox was tossed on Sunday for the 127th time, leaving him four short of John McGraw's career record. Cox's ejections aren't flashy like Lou Piniella's. That's not his style. Just like his Braves, Cox's prominence lies in the body of work.

5. Paps in April: Some pitchers like Johan Santana traditionally take a month or so at the beginning of the season to harness their full arsenal. Not Jonathan Papelbon. Boston's second-year closer leaves spring training with his "A" stuff:

I think it's safe to say this guy belongs in the 'pen.