This team bears a strong resemblance to last year's version in many respects, especially the way they're "in" every single game.

Do you know why the Birds' 8-3 loss to the Padres on May 5 was significant? Because it's their only loss in the past seven weeks by more than two runs, going back to the opening weekend against the Phillies. And the Cardinals haven't lost a road game by more than two runs all year.

The Birds have a decent, but not great record in one- and two-run games (12-9), and the only two teams who've played more such games both do have great records in these contests---White Sox (19-7), and Arizona (15-9). It's the games in which one team takes over where the Birds shine: they are 12-4 in games with a 3-run margin or greater, the best record in baseball in these games (tied with Atlanta's 15-5). Amazingly, three of those four "blowout" losses came in the team's first five games.

If you look at the teams with great records in one-run games, you get a mix of quality: there's the White Sox (14-4) but also Tampa Bay (6-3), the Padres (11-3) but also the Giants (7-4, but under .500 overall).

But every team with a great record in games decided by three or more runs appears to be a strong team in 2005: The Cardinals, Braves, Florida (14-6), the Sox, both White (8-4) and Red (13-8), and Baltimore (19-7).