Honest Wag's NL Central preview

Bones	Rowdy	Scoop
Astros 89-73	Astros 89-73	Astros 93-69
Cubs 85-77	Cardinals 84-78	Cubs 91-71
Cardinals 83-79	Pirates 83-79	Cardinals 88-74
Pirates 81-81	Cubs 79-83	Pirates 77-85
Reds 64-98	Reds 77-85	Reds 74-88
Brewers 62-100	Brewers 75-87	Brewers 70-92

Bones

1. Astros 89-73: cy oswalt wins 23
2. Cubs 85-77: prior and sammy injure each other in roid rage brawl
3. Cardinals 83-79: j.d. gets hurt in first week of season
4. Pirates 81-81: vogelsong wins 14
5. Reds 64-98: griffey gets hurt in first week of season
6. Brewers 62-100: jenkins = 45 jacks

Rowdy

1. Astros 89-73: Clemens, Pettitte, and Jason Lane make the difference. When the Hummers circle up to collect the ‘Stros at the end of the season, they are orange and round and drawn by teams of mice.
2. Cardinals 84-78: St. Louis has some unstoppable players on offense. The rotation is suspect but La Russa is the guy to get the most out of pitchers like Jason Simontacchi, Alan Benes, and Jason Ryan.
3. Pirates 83-79: A breakout here and there and the Pirates still have few well-known stars. The rotation is deep and promising. The rookies arrive in a pack so the pressure is spread around. They are older than previous crops of Bucco rookies, they have been winning through the minors, and they all must compete for playing time. They’ll run about .500 all year and finish strong.
4. Cubs 79-83: The Cubs do not get on base enough to score reliably, and the Prior breakdown is the first in a cascade of pitching injuries the Cubs will handle by giving the ball to Jimmy Anderson and Glendon Rusch.
5. Reds 78-84: Adam Dunn powers the team with a home run crown, and Ryan Wagner shines like a set of triple-plated show-quality chrome rims. But this souped-up beater gains no traction in the standings as they have nothing better than bald or flat tires in the rotation.
6. Brewers 75-87: On paper, they’re comfortably mediocre on Opening Day. The very young hitting prospects – Fielder, Weeks, Hardy, Gwynn Jr. – won’t grow the winning for several years.

Scoop

BULLIES
1. Houston 93-69: Lots of thumpers and more than solid starting pitching 1-5. Everybody's waiting for wade miller to put it together over a full season and this might be the year. Clemens will have a significant effect on his development like he had with...well, Pettitte.
2. Chicago 91-71: Everyone talks about the pitching, and for good reason, but their everyday lineup underwhelms me. Responsible for that persistent clanking sound you will hear all summer are Grudzielanek/Walker and Gonzalez up the middle. Why saddle such great pitching with Michael Barrett? If ever there was a spot for a joe girardi-type it is with the 2004 cubs. I never saw the genius ascribed to dusty baker until the playoffs last year, where I thought he managed brilliantly.
3. St. Louis 88-74: I admit it, I'm a larussa junkie. He spots phoneys (see J.D. Drew) better than anyone. He's worth +7 wins by himself. Without him they are a .500 team. If they get their pitching straightened out (huge if) they will be in it all the way. They'll probably be in it all the way anyway.
WEAKLINGS
4. Pirates 77-85: Fourth place? 77 wins? I can dream can't I?
5. Reds 74-88: Something about this team stinks, and it's not just the pitching or that stupid riverboat.
6. Brewers 70-92: "Lyle" is a great name.