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Week Three has drawn to a close. Here’s my take on surprises, disappointments, and/or notable events.

1. The San Diego Padres lost yesterday (Sunday), but they went 6-1 for the week and 8 of their last 10 to stay on top of the NL West. Are we seeing the breakout for Chase Headley? And how about the week former Giant outfielder Will Venable had (.450 OBP, .750 SLG)?

2. Too, the Tampa Bay Rays continued their winning ways, also 8-2 in their last 10 games, and they remained on top of the AL East heap. The key: B.J. Upton? His OPS for the week was a healthy .877, which only makes Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria all that much more dangerous. Doesn’t hurt the Price, Shields, and Davis trio had a combined 1.23 ERA for the week. Can the Rays hang on?

3. Speaking of 8 out of their last 10, the Houston Astros did so as well and now find themselves back in the thick of the NL Central race for 2nd place, which considering the awful start to the Astros season, actually just shows how mediocre the Cubs, Brewers, Reds, and Pirates really are. Is it any coincidence that the resurgence coincides with the return of Lance Berkman? All of a sudden Pence, Feliz, and Bourn are hitting the hell out of the ball – and even Carlos Lee has caught on fire, so to speak.

4. I keep trying to tell myself that the Baltimore Orioles are not that bad. But they are. Throughout the week, and in a 2-8 skid, they pretty much managed to blow a half a dozen decent starting pitching performances (and almost blew one on Sunday too). And this against the flaccid Red Sox. No real signs of a turn around in sight, either. The bullpen is ghastly.

5. Kelly Johnson continues his breakout year in Arizona, with 11.61 Runs Created this past week, followed closely in the NL by the Cardinals’ Colby Rasmus (10.68). But these two trail three AL sluggers for the week: Paul Konerko (12.46), Kendry Morales (12.32), and Justin Morneau (12.13). Miguel Carbrea (20.95) and Ryan Braun (20.13) lead their respective leagues in this all-encompassing offensive stat.

6. Plenty of good starting pitching going on. We might have expected Roy Halladay, Ubaldo Jiminez and Adam Wainwright to excel as they have. But Livian Hernandez with 3 QS in the last two weeks? His ERA is 0.75 in 24 IP. What about the rebirth of Barry Zito (4 QS and 1.32 ERA in 26.2 IP)? Or Brad Penny, with his 4 QS and a 1.29 ERA in 21 innings. The Red Sox could certainly use him now.

7. Speaking about the Boston Red Sox, their top three starting pitchers, the highly-touted trio of Beckett, Lester, and Lackey have combined for a 5.51 ERA in 70.1 IP. And the Red Sox were wondering whether to send Clay Buccholz (he of the team-leading 2.70 ERA) in the pen when Daisuke Matsuzaka returns…

8. On to the Chicago Cubs, who did send perennial starter Carlos Zambrano into the pen in favor of the mercurial, but fast-out-of-the-gate-in-2010, Carlos Silva. The right move?

9. The Milwaukee Brewers posted what might be the worst three-game series drubbing ever by beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-1, 8-0 and 20-0 in Pittsburgh, thereby bringing the Pirates decent start to a skidding halt. No reason to have too many beers in celebration for the folks in Brewer Country, however, because the team then went home to Miller Park and lost three straight to the sputtering Cubs by an aggregate 25-3.

10. Insert your observation and/or comment here.

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