With three solid weeks of Major League Baseball action in the books things are starting to shape out significantly when it comes to their pitching staffs. While it may seem a bit early to cast judgment, it’s pretty obvious that there are clear winners who are setting the pace as others try to adjust. Even though there is still a lot baseball left to be played this season, here’s a look at the 10 best staffs in baseball now.
National League
Arizona Diamondbacks
When you have a former Major League star as your pitching coach, good things are bound to happen. Charles Nagy has done a great job grooming the young talent the Arizona Diamondbacks have worked so hard to develop. Patrick Corbin and Wade Miley have been setting the tone with two wins apiece and impressive ERAs. As a whole the team has done well; however, the bullpen has been struggling a bit of late, dropping the team’s ERA down to a respectable 3.41 paired with a 1.26 WHIP. While the team may be off of most people’s radars, they are definitely a force to be reckoned with on the mound.
St. Louis Cardinals
Despite losing Kyle Lohse to free agency and Chris Carpenter to retirement, the St. Louis Cardinals have done an impressive job to pitch their way to the top of the National League Central. Adam Wainwright has gotten back to his impressive 2010 form and Lance Lynn is attaining victories, but could afford to work on lowering his 5.40 ERA. Like the Diamondbacks, the bullpen is shaky at best which has more to do with making adjustments after the loss of closer Jason Motte. The team has the sixth-best ERA at 3.29 and will only continue to build upon it as they play in arguably the weakest division in baseball.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are doing a lot of things right, all of which is taking place on the pitchers mound. Despite a rough last outing for Clayton Kershaw, the ace is still posting an ERA below 2.00. The Dodgers, as a team, have the second best ERA (3.26) in the National League and a WHIP of 1.22. Solid additions of Zack Greinke, before he got hurt, and Hyun-Jin Ryu have worked out swimmingly. Even the bullpen s putting up solid numbers behind Kenley Jansen and Brandon League. If only their offense could help them win some games.
Atlanta Braves
Not since the days of Tommy Glavine, Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Mark Wholers have the Atlanta Braves looked so deadly on the mound. The Braves are currently leading the Majors in every pitching category except strikeouts: 1.92 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, seven Craig Kimbrel saves and .208 batting average allowed. Paul Maholm has been virtually unstoppable in his first full season with the team and Tim Hudson is looking as good, if not better than he did during his time with the Oakland Athletics. Overall, every team should be afraid when they take the mound.
American League
Oakland Athletics
Things are certainly happening in Oakland, but it’s really no surprise to the guys who suit up for every game. The Athletics control the best record in the American League, thanks in part to the outstanding pitching that has become a staple of the franchise since their 1970s dynasty teams and the days of the Big Three in the early 2000s. Their ERA (3.55) is 10th-best in the Majors thanks to solid starts from Tom Milone, Brett Anderson and A.J. Griffin, plus a high-class bullpen featuring gunslingers Jerry Blevins, Sean Doolittle and Ryan Cook. If there is one staff that will continue to improve as the season progresses, it’s definitely the A’s.
Chicago White Sox
A team can only do so much with great pitching, and the biggest contributor to the Chicago White Sox woes relies more heavily upon a lack of run support. Despite what their record shows, the White Sox have the fifth-best total of strikeouts (131) in the Majors on top of a ninth-best ERA (3.48) and fifth-best WHIP (1.17). Jake Peavy and Chris Sale have both made numerous quality starts and their bullpen, led by closer Addison Reed, have complimented nicely.
Kansas City Royals
Very few people would have guessed that the Kansas City Royals would be a Top-10 pitching ball club. Well, get used to it. The offseason additions of James Shields and Wade Davis from the Tampa Bay Rays have proved to be a huge windfall for the Royals and box office poison for the Rays. Manager Ned Yost moved Royals veterans Bruce Chen and Luke Hochevar to the bullpen, where the pair have experienced a resurgence in their careers. The team only sits a half game behind the Detroit Tigers for the American League Central lead.
Detroit Tigers
With the Royals on their heels the Tigers have been good, but not great like in years passed. Anibal Sanchez is leading the club in ERA (1.42) AND Doug Fister is leading the team in wins at 3-0. Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer have been solid, but the end results have not been up to their expectations. The bullpen still needs a lot of work, so don’t be too surprised if moves are made around or after the All-Star break to make that final playoff push.
Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers are another team whose pitching staff has been lights out, but their record is reflected poorly by their lack of run support. Yu Darvish has been lights out despite his one loss and Alexi Ogando is looking to be back to his 2011 form. As a team the Rangers have an ERA of 3.09, the second-best in the American League, and a solid WHIP of 1.15.
Boston Red Sox
Anyone who doubted that John Farrell would revive the Boston Red Sox pitching staff is looking rather silly at the moment as the BoSox are the only American League staff with an ERA under 3.00 and a batting average allowed lower than .210. Clay Buchholz has been the clear standout with his near no-nit bid against the Rays; however, a nearly counted out Jon Lester is off to one of his best starts of his career at 3-0 and an ERA of 1.73. The only problem thus far has been a few rough outings by newly acquired closer Joel Hanrahan who just hit the DL as a result of a leg-related injury. The team is currently second in the Majors in strikeouts at 149, which is two less than that of the Tigers. The Red Sox are for real!