NL East

Biased as I may be, I came away from last night's game between the Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants with even more respect for my hometown team of red and less for the defending world champions.

Perhaps forgotten in last night's scrum between the Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants was the continued success of rookie pitcher Vance Worley and outfielder John Mayberry Jr.

Worley, who was put in the rotation due to an injury to the Phillies' fifth starter, Joe Blanton, plowed through the Giants lineup for the second time in less than a month, giving up just two earned runs in the process.

The good news first: What's actually growing in the Phillies farm system is rich and healthy and improving. According to Keith Law's midseason Minor League Top 50, RHP Jarred Cosart and Jonathan Singleton have developed since May.

The Philadelphia Phillies have had a great season so far. They have three aces, a strong bullpen and a good, but sometimes inconsistent, offense.

Like most teams, there are a few players that are really helping the team stay on top of the National League.

Domonic Brown and John Mayberry have been recently holding up the Phillies. Some others have done the same, and yet others have been holding up the team since the start of the year.

Fresh off the All-Star break, the Braves are primed to continue their chase of the Philadelphia Phillies.

While they're bats have been cold, they're pitching has been red hot as they boast one of the best staffs in all of baseball.

Read ahead as I peer through my crystal ball and make predictions about the end of the year.

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And what a game it was!  

It appears as though the pitcher's era has begun.

There have been many surprises this season, and many teams have ended up with great pitching staffs.

It is very debatable which team actually has the best pitching staff.

In this article, I will give my opinion on the matter, and rank the top five staffs in the NL, along with a few honorable mentions.

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We are just a few days away from the All-Star break for the 2011 MLB season.

We've already seen some spectacular performances in the first half from expected names and some newcomers alike.

Like last season, baseball has been largely dominated by incredible pitching performances. Pitchers are going deeper into games than they have in recent memory and leaving most hitters in the dust.

There have been a few exceptions however.

With that in mind, here are the best (and just for fun, the worst) in the AL and NL this season

Every few seasons, a small market team emerges as a surprise contender.  Caught up in the rush of playoff talk, these teams often rush into trades without realizing the consequences of dealing away prospects in hopes of securing a playoff berth.

The Montreal Expos were that team in 2002. They made a blockbuster trade and in the process traded away three future All-Stars.

In reference to the title, the Braves are the Beauty and the Phillies are the beast but not because of the reasons you might think. Atlanta requires finesse and control to dominate their opponents, while the Phillies use strikeouts and flat out strength to destroy their opponents. Both teams use different overall pitching approaches, but both get the job done and then some.