James Floto Presents The Outside Edge, a weekly look at the current season.

WEEK SIX: Approaching the quarter season mark.

That's right, it's still Spring, memories of opening day are still fresh, but the 2001 season will be 25% done the middle of this week. We'll take a look at Week Six's highlights, then have a look at the 2001 season to this point.

Week Six Highlights: The week began with Jose Lima, only two years away from a 20-win season, was suspended for hitting Jay Payton of the Mets in a game in week five. Lima, 1-1 with an 8.04 ERA after a dreadful 2000, protested the ruling, saying "You think I'm going to hit a guy on purpose when we're behind 4-0?" Apparently someone in the commish's office thought so. A couple of days later Payton went on the DL with an unrelated hamstring injury.

Cleveland got hot, going on a 10-game winning streak that ended on Thursday with a loss to the Royals. Then they won the first two games of their weekend series with the Devil Rays, before TB defeated them Sunday, 7-zip. Thus the Indians had won 12 of 14 when play resumed Tuesday and had gone from trailing the surprising Twins by a half-dozen games to only one. These Indians are what's left of the great Cleveland teams of the '90s--Lofton, Thome, Vizquel, Roberto Alomar at the end of the decade plus two key newcomers: a revived Juan Gonzales and the old powerhouse with the bad knees, Ellis Burks. The rotation is coming around. Bartolo Colon (4-3, 3.95) hasn't had the breakthrough season that many anticipated, but he is a force to be reckoned with, as are the rookie Sabathia (4-1, 3.89) and a veteran who has been around as long as Burks, Chuck Finley (4-2), 3.75. He is now 15 wins short of 200 victories. Dave Burba (5-2) has the best won-lost percentage of the bunch, but has an embarrassing 5.60 ERA. And now Jamey Wright, the young fireballer, is back after a long stint on the DL. The Twins are making an incredible run, but with their depth and experience, Cleveland is still the team to beat in the AL Central.

On Thursday the Cubs became the fifth victim of a three-run homer assault this year. Jeromy Burnitz, one of the Brew Crew's great sluggers, became the second Milwaukee powerhouse to smash three homers in a game this year, the other being Geoff Jenkins. The Brewers don't have the horses to out-last St. Louis and Houston, or maybe even the startling Cubs, but they are making a respectable showing this year.

Friday the Yanks reared their heads again, with starter Mike Mussina dumping his old team, Baltimore, 14-5 and taking undisputed possession of first in the AL East. Well, we knew they would, they are just too good to not spend at least part of the season in the drivers' seat. Things are different this year, though. The Red Sox, with Pedro and Hideo and all those hitters are keeping them in it and with David Cone returning this week, who knows? The Blue Jays aren't going away either. Unlike the past several years, the Yanks are going to have to battle to take their division, much less the AL pennant. They are not the dominating team of recent years and the rest of the baseball world knows it.

Rich Aurilia, one of those steady hitters and excellent players who quietly does his thing year after year, is having his career year in 2001. Did you think the Giants shortstop would be leading the NL in hitting in mid-May? Saturday he had his third four-hit game of the year, raising his average to .389. Sunday he went 2-for-4 with his 9th homer, boosting his average to .393. The Giants, like the Indians and Yankees and Cardinals, are one of those fine teams who took a while to get going but are hot right now. SF has hovered around the .500 mark most of the season but they swept the sagging Mets this weekend, lifting their record to 21-16, a half game behind their arch-rivals in Los Angeles.

Sunday, those red-hot Redbirds swept the Cubs and edged them out of first. Already the doomsday folks are saying, "See, I knew those Cubs wouldn't last." Maybe not, but when was the last time the Cubs lost four straight and were still only a half-game out? While the Cardinals are, in my opinion, the class of the NL Central, this division is becoming as congested as the NL West. After the Cards and Cubs, the Astros and Brewers are only a game and a half out, and the Reds, even minus Griffey and Larkin, only need a hot streak to hop back in--despite a 17-19 (.472) record, they are only 4 games out.

As for the Cards, they have their veterans like Vina and Edmonds putting together fine seasons, their top notch catcher Mike Matheney back from last year's injury, and they have two excellent young players coming into their own. One is J.D. Drew, the kid who was despised a few years ago for holding out for more money (lots more money) following being drafted by the Phillies. After a .242 rookie season in '99 he kind of fell off the radar, then quietly put together a .295 BA/ .401 OBP year in 2000. This year he is beginning to demonstrate the talent that started all the furor in the first place. Then, out of nowhere, came the reason that they let slugger Fernando Tatis become Montreal's third baseman--a 20-year-old kid named Albert Pujols. His older teammate Edmonds is right behind Aurilia in the batting race at .380, and Pujols is third with a .370 average. He is one of six major leaguers with 50 hits---guys who are on pace to have 200 hits this year. No one thinks Pujols will be hitting .370 in September, but he could be a .300-hitting rookie and is definitely a major force in the Cardinals attack.

STANDINGS On Tuesday morning, May 15, most teams had played 36 or 37 games, again nearly of 1/4 the 2001 season is in the books. In the AL East, three titans, the Red Sox (they took the lead back from the Yanks on Sunday with a sweep of the A's) are 22-15, with NY right on their heels at 22-16. Toronto is 3 out after a 2-8 skid, but I repeat, they are not going away. The Orioles (16-22) have verified what most of us thought all Winter, that this team is too old and needs an overhaul. The pathetic Devil Rays continue to suit up and flail at the ball despite a 11-16 (.297) record.

The Twins would win 96 games this year if they just play .500 ball the rest of the season. Yikes! They moved back ahead of the Indians by taking two of three from the Royals, raising their record to 25-10. The Indians are 24-11. The Tigers, who could be a sleeper crouching in the grass, are on a 7-3 streak and now only a game below .500 at 17-18. The White Sox found out that Frank Thomas really was injured but even with the Big Hurt playing at his Hall of Fame best they wouldn't be much more than their 14-21 record indicates. The Royals were supposed to be a spunky young team. Maybe they will break out of their 13-24 funk. Maybe not.

Out West, the Mariners appear to be in full charge of their division. Not only is their 28-9 (.757) record the best in all baseball, they are the only team out there over .500. The A's are a puzzle. Their young team is still talented -- just last week Miguel Tejada hit homers in six games in a row, for instance --and after their pathetic 2-10 start they are 13-12. But every time they seem to be poised to make a run, they run into whatever wall has been stopping them all year. They swept Toronto early last week, then dropped two of three to the Red Sox. Anaheim is playing like the Angels usually do--17-20. Oh, they may level out at .500 before the year is over, but that's about all they have in them. The Rangers, well, everyone knows by know that A-Rod and a bunch of other great hitters aren't good enough to undo the mistakes of the worst pitching staff in baseball. (ERA: 6.41!). A-Rod has been living up to expectations, with 12 homers and 35 RBI. On Saturday he became the 5th youngest player, at 25 and 289 days, to hit the 200-homer mark.

In the senior of our two leagues, the Phillies continue to be the big story--that and the fact that the two clubs that are supposed to be duking it out for control of the NL East are spinning well below the .500 mark. The Phils are 22-14, the Braves are second at 17-21 and the Marlins, who are periodically playing some good ball, are 16-20. The Expos are chilling at 15-23, and last year's World Series team is back to being the New York Mess---14-23. Woof!

As we said, the Central is tightening up: Cards, Cubs 1/2 out, 'Stros and Brewers 1.5, the Reds 4 behind, and the poor Pirates, new stadium and all, walking the plank once again with an NL worst 13-23 record.

With the Padres going 7-3 in their last 10 games, only 3 1/2 games separate the first place Dodgers (22-16) and the last place Pads (18-19). In-between the two southern California clubs are the Giants at 21-16, and the Diamondbacks and Rockies at 19-18 .

A BIT OF PERSPECTIVE

Lo and behold, the strike zone is really being called more or less the way it is in the book, so this is becoming the Year of the High Strike. Composite ML ERA is down nearly half a point. Last year Boston led the AL with a 4.23 ERA, Atlanta the NL at 4.05. This year Boston is 3.27, the Yanks 3.64, Minnesota 3.64, Seattle 3.74, and Cleveland 4.02, while the Dodgers are at 3.68, the Phils 3.99, St. Louis and Atlanta 4.02, all better than any team ERA of 2001.

Yet the buff-bodied, weight-lifting (and, sadly, steroid ridden) sluggers continue their onslaught. This is the best of both worlds, with lots of pitching duels and plenty of high-scoring games. Delgado, Drew, Pujols (14), and Ramirez and Walker (13) are on a 50+ home run pace, while Bonds (15) and the amazing Luis Gonzales (17) would end up with more than 60 homers at their current pace.. Ramirez (46), Pujols (43), Gonzales and Walker (40), as well as Todd Helton (45) are on pace to drive in 160 runs, and dozens of players have more than 25 RBI--a 100-RBI pace. Of course, few if any players will keep up this pace, but the correct strike zone has not caused a rapid plunge in offense, just enough to level the playing field in the never-ending battle between pitchers and hitters. Ramirez has a very good shot at becoming the first Triple Crown man since another Boston slugger last did it. He leads the AL with a .410 batting average, his 13 homers are second and Manny leads the AL in RBI. Doug Mientkiewicz also is above .400, at .403.

The next trend is that, in this year when the Basic Agreement is up for renewal and Bud Lite and his cronies are whining the small market blues, several small market clubs, especially the Twins, are faring well, while rich teams like the Rangers and Mets can't even reach the .400 mark. The Giants are well below the half-way point in salaries, yet trail the expensive Dodgers by 1/2 a game. The Phils are not small market but are small payroll.

Another issue that will be noted when this season is complete is that this is the season that Asia really became a major force in the game, just as Latin America did in the '90s. Oh, the big influx from Japan, Korea and China is yet to come, but as well as the several established pitchers --Nomo, Mac Suzkui of KC, the M's great stopper Sasaki, Hasegawa of the Angels, even Ohka of Boston -- this is the first time position players from the Far East have staked a claim in major league ball. Ichiro Suzuki is one of the big stories of the year. He is hitting .364, has scored 35 runs and driven in 17 and is one of the best fielders in the game. It is ridiculous to call a 7-time Japanese batting champ, aged 28, a "rookie," but he is a newcomer and he is dazzling. Then there is Tsuyoshi Shinjo, roaming the pastures for the Mets, no Ichiro, but hitting .295 and slugging .477. Ichiro is the big story, though. All Mariner home games are broadcast in Japan. He has filled the emotional void created by the departure of the Big Unit, Griffey II and A-Rod -- it is no exaggeration to speak of Ichiro-mania in the Great Northwest. They even serve "ichi-rolls" at the Mariners' new stadium.

There is plenty else going on this year--Pedro and the Unit, Maddux and Glavine having their usual fantastic pitching seasons, Alomar, Sheffield, Bonds, Ramirez, Giambi, Olerud, Stewart, Helton and Sosa having their usual fantastic hitting seasons. Several promising guys who have been waiting in the wings are breaking out: Brett Boone has 34 RBI, Todd Hollandsworth, Colorado or not, is hitting .368, Berkman has joined Biggio and Bagwell as an Astro Killer Bee, Mookie's son Preston is having a fantastic season for the Marlins, Miller is 5-1 for the Astros, Sabathia is 4-1 for the Indians, Joe Mays is 5-2 for the Twins. There are comebacks like Juan Gonzales and Larry Walker, and there are lots of good players having awful seasons. All this and much, much more to report on this year. Stay tuned, as it were, to The Diamond Angle's website, for the latest baseball news.