MLB outlook, week of 4/18/10

 1. Slow starters » A snapshot of the league standings late last week would have revealed 28 of the 30 MLB teams sandwiched between three and seven wins. Then there are the Orioles and Astros, who — for lack of a better phrase — face-planted out of the gate. Houston, which began the season with a six-game homestand, dropped all six and was outscored 37-13 along the way. The Orioles, meanwhile, lost five out of six to the Rays and were swept by the Blue Jays in between — not exactly a great start against two division rivals. It gets uglier for the O’s, who are in the midst of an 11-day, 10-game road trip that takes them to Oakland, Seattle and Boston.

2. Phillies offense » A relentless group that should overtake the Yankees this season and lead all of Major League Baseball in runs scored. Yes, Philadelphia took advantage of the Nats’ and Astros’ pitching staff the first two weeks of the season. But it still entered the weekend with 69 runs in just nine games. That absurd pace won’t keep up, obviously. The Marlins and Braves have enough pitching depth to at least keep the Phillies in check. But they will wear themselves out trying. The middle of the Philadelphia lineup grinds out at-bats. Even No. 8 hitter Carlos Ruiz posted a .780 OPS last year and the Phillies have dropped sparkplug Shane Victorino all the way to No. 7.

3. Average is a good thing » It’s not how you start; it’s how you finish, right? Well, maybe it has a little to do with how you start. Just ask the Nationals, who should feel downright giddy after finishing their first three series of the year with a 4-5 record. These guys, after all, have patented the nose-dive start to the season. Through the first nine games in 2009, 2008 and 2007, Washington sat at 1-8 and in last place in the NL East. Sloth-like starts to the season were the No. 1 reason behind the Nats being all but eliminated from the playoff race by Memorial Day the past few seasons. As long as they stay near .500, hope remains.

SERIES TO WATCH
Phillies at Braves, Tuesday-Thursday
Not surprisingly, the two-time defending National League champion Phillies got out to a hot start (helped just a bit by playing six of their first nine games against the Nationals). But don’t count out the Braves, who pulled slugger Jason Heyward up from the minors, added closer Billy Wagner in the offseason and welcomed Tim Hudson back to the starting rotation. It might not be enough to catch the Phils, but Atlanta should be a Wild Card contender all season.