Surprise! The Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Nats are in first – for now

The team has two of the best young pitchers in baseball in Gio Gonzalez and Stephen Strasburg, who’ve registered a combined 21 wins so far. Garnering even more attention is rookie outfielder Bryce Harper, who, at 19, became the youngest position player (nonpitcher) in All-Star Game history when named to Tuesday night’s showcase midseason event in Kansas City, won by the National League, 8-0.

Hot on their heels

While the Pirates and Nats are the talk of the National League, the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals have quietly kept themselves in contention and sit only 2-1/2 games behind Pittsburgh in third place in the NL Central. The team’s winning pedigree has withstood the retirement of longtime manager Tony LaRussa and the departure of Albert Pujols, who is often described as the game’s best hitter, to the Los Angeles Angels.

After getting off to a very slow start, Pujols has found his hitting groove, but it is Angels rookie Mike Trout who is really turning heads with his league-leading .341 average. He’s helped the Angels stay within four games of the AL West-leading Texas Rangers, whose .605 winning pace is the second best in the majors behind the Yankees’ .612.  In the AL Central, the Chicago White Sox lead Cleveland.

For some of the top highlights of the first half of the 2012 season, look to the pitcher's mound. Fans have seen perfect games by Phil Humber of the White Sox and San Francisco’s Matt Cain.

There have also been an incredible five no-hitters, including one by Johan Santana of the New York Mets – the franchise’s first after 8,019 games. Fellow Mets hurler R.A. Dickey, a knuckleballer, nearly turned in a pair of no-hitters, but his back-to-back one-hitters were the first since Toronto’s Dave Stieb managed the feat in 1988.

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