Tom Glavine has anchored the Braves' rotation with a 9-2 record and 1.57 ERA. M. David Leeds/Getty Images
By Jacob Luft, CNNSI.com
This was supposed to be the year.
Finally, after a decade of domination, the NL East was supposed to rise up and overthrow the Braves.
Atlanta had reeled off a record 10 consecutive division titles. Surely, an 11th was not in the offing.
The Mets, who loaded up in the winter with bats like Roberto Alomar and Roger Cedeno, would have enough artillery to wear down the Braves. Or maybe the Phillies, with their solid one-through-eight lineup, would turn the trick. They contended last year, after all. If all else failed, there were the Marlins, with all that pitching that just needed a little seasoning.
But take a look at the standings and what do you see? Atlanta. In first place. Again.
It's only two months into the season, but if the Braves are in first place right now, with the injuries they have had to deal with (Greg Maddux, Gary Sheffield, Marcus Giles, to name a few), then how are they going to be stopped when all their guns are healthy?
Maddux and Tom Glavine have been their masterful selves, combining for a 15-4 record. They aren't quite Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson, but they don't have to be in this division.
Now Sheffield is back and Rafael Furcal has found his batting stroke. That can't bode well for the feeble-hitting Mets and scatter-armed Marlins.
CNNSI.com's Power Rankings
Rank
LW
Team
1
2
Boston Red Sox It would be very Boston-like for this team to peak so early. It's a long way between here and October, but they have the upper hand on the Yankees for now, winning seven of the first 11 games in the season series.
2
4
Arizona Diamondbacks Randy Johnson has added a splitter to his filthy slider and nuclear fastball. It almost makes you feel sorry for hitters.
3
3
Seattle Mariners They hit .207 as a team in May but still finished 16-11 for the month. Mike Cameron has only one home run since his record-tying, four-homer performance on May 2.
Atlanta Braves Glavine & Maddux. Maddux & Glavine. Day after day. Year after year. Will it ever end? Right now the smart money is on the Braves hanging another division title banner at Turner Field.
7
10
San Francisco Giants After a slow start, Jason Schmidt has won his past two starts, allowing one earned run in 16 innings.
8
5
Anaheim Angels The bats have cooled off a bit, but they still managed two double-digit runs totals last week.
9
14
Minnesota Twins They enter the week as the only team above .500 in the Central. They would be feeling a lot better, though, if Brad Radke had not reinjured his groin in his first start back from the DL.
10
9
Cincinnati Reds Past three losses have been to Greg Maddux (twice) and Tom Glavine. No shame there.
11
7
St. Louis Cardinals Tony La Russa swears Mark McGwire never took steroids. That's awfully big of La Russa, but we would still like to hear from the Big Mac himself.
12
12
Colorado Rockies You don't think this team is for real? They just beat the Giants five out of six to pull into the division race.
13
19
Cleveland Indians Are they bums or not? They climbed out of their massive tailspin to win eight of their past 10 games and climb back into the race. That is, unless another long losing streak is right around the corner.
14
11
New York Mets The pitching is starting to falter after a torrid start, but the bats are still silent, especially Mo Vaughn's. Hey, Mo, it was OK to be fat when you were hitting, but right now it might be time to mix in a Stairmaster.
15
6
Chicago White Sox This club has a ton of talent, but it isn't going anywhere until closer Keith Foulke (5.32 ERA) gets his act together.
16
16
Florida Marlins If the pitching ever comes around, this could be a dangerous club, 'cause they can hit and run with the best of them.
17
17
Oakland Athletics Adam Piatt has 10 RBIs in 12 games since being called up from the minors. If he keeps hitting, we all might forget they got a bag of peanuts in return for Jeremy Giambi.
18
21
Pittsburgh Pirates With dreams of contending fading away, the Bucs can take solace in having the top pick of the draft on Tuesday.
19
23
Houston Astros Is there another Roy Oswalt they can call up from the minors? Now would be a good time.
20
20
Chicago Cubs Bobby Hill and Mark Prior are both up now, and Moises Alou finally looks healthy, so there are no more excuses.
21
18
Baltimore Orioles The O's are a third-place club, but they are farther from first (12 1/2 games) than all but two last-place teams -- the Devil Rays (19 1/2) and Brewers (13).
22
15
Montreal Expos Robert Person's seven-RBI outburst Sunday nearly matched third baseman Fernando Tatis' total (eight) for the season.
San Diego Padres Injuries have destroyed any chance this team had. They are currently without their best hitter in Phil Nevin, Opening Day starter Kevin Jarvis and top rookie Sean Burroughs. Can anything else go wrong? Oh yeah, Brian Tollberg might need Tommy John surgery.
25
25
Texas Rangers Chan Ho Park (8.28 ERA) has yet to look like the ace he was supposed to be this season. Raise your right hand if you are surprised.
26
26
Kansas City Royals The Rangers bring out the lumber in the Royals. K.C. has hit 13 home runs in six games against Texas, compared to 27 in the Royals' other 47 games.
27
27
Toronto Blue Jays This might say more about the Tigers than the Jays, but Toronto pulled off its first road sweep of the year this weekend at Comerica Park.
28
22
Detroit Tigers Jeff Weaver finally allowed a home run after 84 innings of gopherless ball to start the year. OK, now there is officially no reason to watch this team play anymore.
29
30
Tampa Bay Devil Rays Why are these guys so bad? The Rays had 55 hits in a four-game series against Oakland this weekend, but stranded 51 baserunners in losing three of four.
30
29
Milwaukee Brewers Talk about a sight for sore eyes. The Brewers are 5-1 against the Cubs, who come to town for a three-game series this week. As an added bonus, the Cubs' legions of fans tend to take up all the empty seats in Miller Park.
