Rob Neyer's NL Central comments

[mikechamp]

From an ESPN chat:

Mandatory Linkage: http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=15307
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If the Pirates can get the bats going don't they have a chance to contend? The division is pretty weak and the pitching (especially the bullpen) looks pretty good so far.

ROB NEYER
I certainly didn't/don't consider the Pirates contenders, or even a dark horse. That said, I do like all their young pitchers -- well, most of them anyway -- and if I'm a Pirates fan I dream about all of them becoming good at once. Weirder things have happened. Especially in the movies.
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I know it's VERY early in the season, but these mediocre guys the Cardinals brought in to be in the rotation are pitching well right now, what are your thoughts on the Cards rotation the rest of the way?

ROB NEYER
Well, they didn't exactly bring most of them in; they already had Wainright and Looper, just not in the rotation. And the concern, in my mind at least, was not the rotation but rather the lineup.
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I like coolstandings.com, but right now the smart predictions say that the Astros are 14% more likely to make the playoffs than the D-backs. How long do I have to wait until I can safely look at that site and get non-crazy results?

ROB NEYER
I don't know. The All-Star break, maybe? But Baseball Prospectus's Playoff Odds Report makes sense right now, as they project the season using projections for every player.
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