Lance Berkman leads the majors with 32 extra base hits through 42 games. AP Gennaro Filice's Mailbag Submit a comment or question for Gennaro. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND

THREE UP

1. First-quarter hardware: With one quarter of this season in the books, there's a surprising dearth of premature praise from overzealous media members. Well, Three Up, Three Down is here for you. I present the major award winners ... halfway to the halfway point:

• AL MVP: Cliff Lee. Pitching rules the American League in 2008 (as reported by my colleague Tom Verducci), and at this point Lee is the Junior Circuit's king of the hill. The Indians left-hander possesses a sparkling 6-0 record and 0.67 ERA. (Four earned runs in 53.2 innings ... absurd.) Roger Clemens was the last starting pitcher to win MVP in either league, achieving the feat in 1986. If the season ended today, Lee would snap a 21-year drought.

• NL MVP: Lance Berkman. There are a number of fine candidates in this category. Chase Utley had a hot start, Chipper Jones is still north of .400, Albert Pujols is a one-armed wonder and Hanley Ramirez has the bargain-basement Marlins in first place. But Berkman's numbers (.391, 15 HR, 43 RBI) are just mind-boggling. During his current 14-game hitting streak, Berkman has led the surprising Astros to an 11-3 mark by hitting .556 (30-for-54). Fat Elvis has seven steals, for crying out loud; his career high is nine.

• AL Cy Young: Lee. Did I mention that Lee has 44 strikeouts and four walks to his name? He finished fourth in the '05 Cy Young voting with an 18-5 record. After Lee's minor-league demotion last season, this would be the sweetest of sweet redemptions.

• NL Cy Young: Brandon Webb. On Thursday night Webb became the first pitcher since Andy Hawkins in 1985 to win his first nine starts of the season. While ground balls will always be Webb's forte, he's on pace to eclipse 190 strikeouts for the second straight season.

• AL ROY: Jacoby Ellsbury. He thrilled Sawx fans with an impressive showing in the '07 playoffs and that success has carried into his true rookie campaign. The speedy outfielder wreaks havoc on the base paths, leading the AL with 31 runs and ranking third with 15 steals.

• NL ROY: Geovany Soto. The 25-year-old catcher edges out teammate Kosuke Fukudome. Soto has excelled at the plate (as evidenced by his .321 average and 1.018 OPS) and handled his staff with notable aplomb. (The Cubs rank second in the NL with a 3.70 ERA.) He has also thrown out 10 base stealers in 25 attempts for a fabulous 40-percent clip.

2. Volquez's circle change: Rivera's cutter ... Webb's sinker ... Volquez's changeup.

OK, it's a bit soon to mention Edinson Volquez's signature pitch in the same breath as Rivera's and Webb's, but the Reds right-hander is running roughshod over National League hitters with his tantalizing off-speed offering. Thanks to the pitch, Volquez boasts the lowest ERA in the National League (1.12) and the third highest strikeout total (57).

Volquez employs a circle change grip, resting the ball almost entirely on his middle and ring fingers:

AP

After setting hitters up with a mid-90s fastball, Volquez breaks off the low 80s changeup, which features a biting, screwball action. Since he throws both pitches from the exact same arm slot, it's pretty much unfair.

Although Great American Ballpark will certainly give Volquez some trouble in the coming years, he has yet to allow a homer over his first 25.1 innings in the bandbox.

3. Joakim Soria: Due to his heavy reliance on the cut fastball, underwhelming physique and calm demeanor, Kansas City closer Joakim Soria reminds many folks of Mariano Rivera. And looking at the two closers' numbers for this season, the comparison doesn't seem too far-fetched:

Like Mo

Comparing the 2008 stats of Joakim Soria and Mariano Rivera

IP W-L SV BS H ER HR BB K ERA WHIP BAA Joakim Soria 16.1 0-0 10 0 4 0 0 1 18 0.00 0.31 .075 Mariano Rivera 17 0-1 11 0 9 1 0 0 14 0.53 0.53 .155

These numbers must make Kevin Towers sick. The Padres general manager failed to protect Soria and lost him to Kansas City in the 2006 Rule 5 draft.

A growing number of Royals fans believe Soria should be a starter, but that chat-room banter is senseless. No matter what some pundits claim, a shutdown closer is invaluable. Keep that Abe Lincoln beard in the 'pen.