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Most Surprising MLB Teams Through Two Weeks

Two weeks isn’t much as it relates to the entirety of a Major League Baseball season, but there are already indicators of success and failure at this point in the year. Some teams get off to blazing hot starts and sustain that success through the duration of a season. Just take a look at the Pittsburgh Pirates from a season ago. Other teams fall back to Earth after an initial hot start. 

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Let’s take a look at the most surprising MLB teams through two weeks.

Milwaukee Brewers (10-2) 

Bob DeChiara, USA Today: Gallardo and the Brewers are among the most surprising teams in baseball.

Bob DeChiara, USA Today: Gallardo and the Brewers are among the most surprising teams in baseball.

Milwaukee is now in the midst of a nine-game winning streak after losing two of its first three to start the season. As we pointed out in an article over the weekend, its starting rotation is getting the job done. Kyle Lohse put in 8.2 strong innings of four-hit ball while striking out nine in the Brewers latest victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.

The combination of Lohse, Yovani Gallardo and Matt Garza have combined for a 4-2 record with a 2.19 ERA in seven starts. Meanwhile, the duo of less likely starters Wily Peralta and Marco Estrada have a combined 2.28 ERA in four starts. Get that type of pitching and you’re going to win a nice amount of baseball games.

Both Carlos Gomez and Aramis Ramirez drove in runs in Milwaukee’s victory on Sunday. They now have a combined .376 batting average with five homers, 20 RBI’s and 60 total bases. Those two are spearheading a lineup that boasts the fifth-best batting average in all of baseball.

It remains to be seen if Milwaukee can keep up this high level of play throughout the season, but one thing is for sure. This team is going to be a player in the National League Central race until late in the season. It has overtaken the Cincinnati Reds as the most serious competitor with the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates in the division.

San Francisco Giants (8-5) 

Mark J Rebilas, USA Today: Belt's continued success will make the Giants one of the most surprising teams in baseball throughout the season.

Mark J Rebilas, USA Today: Belt’s continued success will make the Giants one of the most surprising teams in baseball throughout the season.

San Francisco has lost three of its last five games after starting the season 6-2, but this team has a legit feeling to it. Since changing his batting stance and approach at the plate, Brandon Belt is belting (pun intended). In 73 games since the All-Star break last season, Belt is hitting .315 with 12 homers and 38 RBI’s. If he can continue this type of excellence at the plate, it’s going to be huge for the Giants moving forward.

Angel Pagan continues to play ridiculous baseball, both in center field and at the plate. He’s hitting .412 with a .455 on-base percentage and 28 total bases to start the season. Pagan’s success isn’t just limited to the early part of this year. He hit .326 in his final 23 games last season after missing the previous two-plus months to injury.

With Pagan and Belt continuing to improve, the Giants have a nice complementary duo to go along with Buster Posey, Hunter Pence and Pablo Sandoval in a vastly improved lineup.

The glue that’s holding San Francisco’s rotation together right now is veteran free-agent addition Tim Hudson, who at 38 years old, has been downright filthy in three starts this year. He boasts a 2-0 record with a 2.35 ERA and a ridiculous 0.65 WHIP. In addition to those ridiculous numbers, Huddy has struck out 16 batters without allowing a single walk in three starts. That’s some amazing stuff right there.

In order for San Francisco to contend with the Los Angeles Dodgers throughout the season, it will need to see improved pitching from the likes of Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum, who are 0-3 with a combined ERA of over six in five starts. The good news here is that Cain pitched excellent in his last start Saturday against the Colorado Rockies, a game he lost 1-0.

Oakland Athletics (8-4) 

Ed Szczepanski, USA Today: Led by Scott Kazmir, A's have the best ERA in baseball.

Ed Szczepanski, USA Today: Led by Scott Kazmir, A’s have the best ERA in baseball.

Are we surprised the A’s are 8-4? Not exactly. It’s how they’ve gotten to that record through two weeks that has to be considered surprising. With Jarrod Parker on the shelf for the season and A.J. Griffin still on the disabled list, other starters have stepped up big time in the rotation. Oakland’s starters boast a combined 5-2 record with a ridiculous 1.70 ERA.

In not-so-surprising fashion, phenom Sonny Gray has been downright dominating this season. Despite not exactly having his best stuff in two of his first three starts, Gray has proven he is the ace of this rotation. He’s 2-0 with a 0.95 ERA in three starts. The second-year starter has yielded two earned runs and 16 hits in 19 innings while striking out an average of one batter per inning.

In more surprising news, Jesse Chavez and Scott Kazmir have combined to make up for the losses of Parker and Griffin. Chavez threw an absolute dandy against the Minnesota Twins last Wednesday. Despite taking the no decision, he put up seven innings of six-hit ball while yielding just one run and striking out a career-high nine batters. Through two starts, the journeyman has allowed a .224 batting average and posted a 1.38 ERA. Kazmir, a free-agent addition in the offseason, is 2-0 with a 1.40 ERA and 0.78 WHIP. Overall, Oakland boasts a Major League best 2.17 team ERA.

In terms of offensive firepower, it’s been hit and miss. While Josh Reddick (.111) and Eric Sogard (.185) have done little to nothing, Brandon Moss and Alberto Callaspo have more than picked up the slack. Moss is tied for fifth in the American League with 11 RBI’s and is batting .311. Meanwhile, Callaspo has put up a .345 average in eight games. If Oakland can get more production from Reddick, among others, it’s going to be nearly unbeatable in the American League West this year.

Photo: Benny Sieu, USA Today

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