WINNERS

Indians: What the Tribe did to the Yankees on Saturday was simply astounding. Just two days after spoiling the Bronx Bombers’ inaugural game at the new Yankee Stadium with 10-2 win, the Indians scored more runs in one inning on the Yankees than any other team in MLB history, with a 14-spot in the second frame. Three innings in, the Tribe led 15-2 on 17 hits, and finished the beatdown with 22-4, racking up 25 hits in the process. Who cares if they went only 3-4 in the last week and are 4-9 overall? Anybody who does that to the Yankees has to be commended for having the greatest week in baseball.

Marlins: The Fish may have had a seven game winning streak broken against the Pirates on Monday, but they are no doubt still the hottest team in the league. They entered last week’s series against the Braves with identical 5-1 records, but they made a quick sweep of Atlanta before promptly sweeping the Nationals for the second time this season. It’s no secret now — the NL East is going to be tough as nails.

LOSERS

Nationals: Poor, poor Nationals. The dismal club finally notched its first win of the season against the Phillies last week and got its second on Monday against the Braves, but that’s about the only thing the Nats have accomplished this season. Washington is just flat out awful. It is 2-10 in an NL East that has proven to be much better all-around than was originally thought, so don’t be surprised if this trend continues all season.

Chien Ming-Wang: The righty’s ERA is no doubt the most hilarious stat in the majors, as it’s still climbing.. Wang’s ERA took the brunt of the force from the Indians on Saturday, escalating to 34.50 after his third start of the season. He has lasted no more than 3 2/3 innings in any start, and didn’t make it out the second inning on two of those occasions. The man who should be referred to as “Instant Offense” currently stands 0-3, and has given up just one fewer run in six innings (23) than the other four Yankees starters have combined in their 41 innings of work (24). Yankees Manager Joe Girardi announced on Monday that Wang will be skipped in the rotation on the day of his next start.

Performances of the week

Zack Grienke — RHP, Kansas City Royals

Newton’s second law of physics states that for every force, there is an equal and opposite force. And I’ve found the counterbalance for Chien Ming-Wang’s shell-a-palooza. Grienke has not surrendered an earned run in 20 innings this season, culminating with a seven-hit complete game shutout with 10 K in a 2-0 win over the Rangers last week. Just 21 of the 80 batters he’s faced in his first 3 starts have reached base.

Ian Kinsler – 2B, Texas Rangers (6 for 6, 2 2B, 3B, HR, 4 RBI, SB vs. BAL on 4/15)

For just the third time in history, three major league players hit for the cycle in a span of five days, and there’s no question that Kinsler’s was the most impressive. The dynamic middle infielder was a perfect 6-for-6 in a 19-6 beatdown of the Orioles on tax day, which included scoring five times and driving in four along with notching a stolen base.

Obscure 1990’s Baseball Player of the Week

Mark Lemke

If you paid attention to postseason baseball at all in the mid-90’s, chances are you will remember Mark Lemke, the salty second baseman for the Atlanta Braves. In his 11-year career, Lemke played in 64 postseason games, making four trips to the World Series in the process. His three triples in the 1991 Fall Classic are a World Series record.

Due to his diminutive stature, “The Lemmer” was known more for his defensive prowess than his bat, combining with fellow obscure teammate Jeff Blauser to make for one of the best defensive middle infields for several consecutive seasons. His career ended abruptly in 1998 when he suffered a severe concussion as a result of a collision with baserunner Chad Kreuter.

Although his career as a second baseman was effectively over, the concussion didn’t stop Lemke from pursuing another baseball goal. The following year he signed onto play with the Northern League’s New Jersey Jackals to become a knuckleball pitcher, and went 5-1 with a 6.68 ERA in his first season. But his success was short-lived, as his inability to control the knuckleball ultimately led to his release.