Intro, shmintro.

1. St. Louis Cardinals

   Season Record	19-11
   Week's Record	4-3
   Games Back	--
   Change	+1.0

   They began the week with the comeback of the year - a stunning seven-run top of the ninth in Cincinnati - and ended it with an eleven-run first inning to fend off a four-game series sweep at the hands of the Padres. The offense may not be consistent yet, but it's mighty explosive just the same.

2. Milwaukee Brewers

   Season Record	15-15
   Week's Record	4-2
   Games Back	4.0
   Change	+0.5

   The Brewers' seven-game win streak was ended by Zambrano. Victor, that is. In other news, Lyle Overbay became human again, only hitting .333/.545/.667 for the week. What a fraud.

3. Pittsburgh Pirates

   Season Record	13-17
   Week's Record	5-2
   Games Back	6.0
   Change	+1.0

   Pitching is still the relative strength of this team, but weeks where a club like this scores 46 runs simply cannot be ignored. Of course, the five games they won were the ones in which their opponent scored four runs or fewer, so while the offense had a party, the arms still did most of the work.

4. Cincinnati Reds

   Season Record	11-19
   Week's Record	1-5
   Games Back	8.0
   Change	-2.5

   While the Monday night implosion brought the point home in the most painful way possible for Reds fans, what was true before that game is still true today - this team has no pitching, and until they fix that glaring issue, this team has no chance.

5. Houston Astros

   Season Record	11-19
   Week's Record	1-6
   Games Back	8.0
   Change	-3.0

   They beat the Cubs handily in the final two games of last week, and carried the offensive burst through to the first game of this week, an 11-4 thumping of the Pirates. Then the hitters' plug was pulled, and the pitchers opened the floodgates, as the Astros spent the last six games getting outscored 51-16. Not even the return of Lance Berkman can help staunch that kind of bleeding.