What We Learned In Week Three

We learned quite a bit last week, so we’ll go with an abbreviated intro and get right to the knowledge.

The Florida Marlins miss the Washington Nationals.

After starting the season 11-1 on the strength of six games against baseball’s worst franchise, the Marlins failed to win a single game this week once they were required to play actual major league franchises. Pittsburgh and Philadelphia both swept the Marlins, as Florida’s offense went into hybernation, posting a .218/.289/.330 line. Opening week sensation Emilio Bonaficio regressed to the mean faster than anyone could have expected, as the Pirates and Phillies held him to a pitiful .190 wOBA. Live by the BABIP, die by the BABIP.

The Boston Red Sox don’t need easy schedules to win a lot of games.

The anti-Marlins, the Red Sox proved that their early season struggles didn’t mean anything, as they went a perfect 6-0 this week to up their current winning streak to 10 games. They did it in impressive fashion, as well, beating the tar out of a decent Orioles team, thumping the Twins in Minneapolis, and then sweeping the Yankees over the weekend. Their offense was ridiculous – .338/.437/.612 over the six games they played. Essentially, they had a line-up of nine Albert Pujols‘ – it’s no wonder they won most of the games rather easily. Jason Varitek was their worst hitter, and he hit .200/.304/.500 for a .348 wOBA. When that’s your worst performance, you’re going to score a lot of runs.

Victor Marintez is back.

After a miserable 2008 season that saw him miss time with injuries and his power mysteriously disappear, Martinez is destroying the ball again. His season line stands at .397/.448/.654, and he’s already launched five home runs in 87 plate appearances – three more than he had all last season. His days as an everyday catcher are mostly behind him, as he’s splitting time between catcher and first base, but he’s showing that his bat will play even when he’s not catching. The Indians have had some problems in the early part of April, but Martinez is not one of them.

Albert Pujols is ridiculous.

Okay, maybe we already knew that, but if hitting .450 with three home runs wasn’t enough, Pujols also decided that he might as well lead the NL in steals. He stole three last week, just for the fun of it, tying him with Nyjer Morgan for most in the league in the last seven days. He’s posting a .489 wOBA, and if you’re wondering how the Cardinals have surged to first place despite some question marks on the pitching staff, just remember that the best player in baseball resides in Missouri. He could retire tomorrow and he’d be a Hall Of Famer. Pujols is just something else.