Atlanta Braves: (53-36; Leader)
The Braves took the first game from the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday, and have their rotation set up for Hanson, Hudson, and Lowe the weekend. In case you missed the All-Star Game, Brian McCann won MVP for his go-ahead double that put the National League ahead. Nate McLouth continues his rehab stint in AAA.
Philadelphia Phillies: (47-41; -5.5)
The Phillies lost 12-6 to the Cubs yesterday. Nothing much to report here, but Halladay goes in the Sunday game.
Florida Marlins: (42-46; -10.5)
The Marlins open up a three-game series with the Washington Nationals tonight. The pitching matchup is Ricky Nolasco vs. Strasburg with Josh Johnson against Livan tomorrow.
Washington Nationals: (39-50; -14)
The Nationals play the Marlins, and… well, look above. In case you missed the All-Star Game, Matt Capps picked up the win.
Seemingly Simple Stat School with Sach C. (Say that 5 times fast): Alright, so who has ever heard of a stat called “Isolated Power?” Basically, it’s a percentage that looks at the extra base hits generated by a batter over his at-bats. The formula is actually quite simple: Total Bases minus Hits divided by At-Bats, or to simplify it further; Slugging percentage minus Batting Average.
I personally do not like this stat. It cannot stand on its own and it can be skewed. It’s a stat that favors low-average boppers. For example, Josh Hamilton has a much better slugging percentage than Jose Bautista, and Hamilton’s batting average is over .130 points better. But, Bautista has a ISOP, because he gets more total bases in less hits.
It is also deceptive because speed factors into some extra base hits, which is why Shane Victorino has a better ISOP than Chase Utley. You need context when analyzing it.
Practical Uses on the Internet: If you’re ever losing an argument/flamewar and you need something to prove why Tyler Colvin is better than Albert Pujols, you would use this.
Seriously though, it actually is a good measure when you’re looking at the chance that someone can deliver an extra-base hit.
So here are the NL East leaders with their NL rank in parenthesis:
Adam Dunn (1): .300
Ryan Zimmerman (14): .232
Ryan Howard (15): .229
Jayson Werth (16): .228
Josh Willingham (21): .221
David Wright (23): .216
Jason Heyward (32) .201
Dan Uggla (34) .198