The Windup is a weekly look at pitching trends that will affect your Fantasy strategy.

It might be the most unimpressive division in baseball from a standings perspective. Only one team truly can intimidate its opponents. The second- through fourth-place teams are all within striking distance of the leader, yet all three of them are battling to stay over .500. The last-place team has the worst record in the game.

Yet somehow, the National League East is the best pitching division in baseball, at least according to the statistics. All five of the teams in the division are in the top 11 in baseball in ERA, and the first-place Marlins actually have the highest of the five at 3.93.

That's right, the NL East is one spot away from being home to half of baseball's top 10 pitching staffs. The Mets and Braves, who have seemingly had much more formidable staffs in the past, now rank Nos. 1 and 3 in team ERA. This is one of baseball's most unusual mirages right now, and one that simply can't last too much longer.

Only the Marlins rank in baseball's top 10 in strikeouts, and only Florida and Philadelphia have more than 15 saves. But despite most teams in this division getting shoddy run support and spotty fielding, it has featured some of the stingiest starting pitching in the game.

The Mets, who have a 3.63 ERA, are a clear example of the baffling trend. Few experts expected them to be in contention by this point, and New York's hitting and defense has been anything but playoff-worthy. The Mets have hung around because of very impressive starting pitching.

Tom Glavine has rebounded from the worst season of his career to rank among the best pitchers in the game, and Steve Trachsel continues to be one of the most quietly effective starters in the National League. The Mets have survived a disabled list stint from Al Leiter, and Jae Seo has rebounded nicely from a terrible start. The team is still searching for a quality fifth starter.

Glavine should continue to perform well, and Fantasy owners can expect respectable, but not spectacular, numbers as no-decisions and tight losses could haunt him. Trachsel could struggle to earn victories even if he keeps his ERA down. Leiter will be very effective as long as he can stay healthy. Seo is erratic and streaky, and Fantasy owners shouldn't depend on him for quality starts.

The Braves, who have a 3.70 ERA, lack the glamour appeal of their past staffs, yet good overall numbers remain. Russ Ortiz started slowly but has been much more effective of late and should continue to win much more often than he loses.

John Thomson has been even more underrated than Trachsel; he has won five of seven decisions with little fanfare and has been a stabilizing veteran force on a team that has lost Glavine and Greg Maddux in the past two seasons. Look for Thomson to continue cruising as he takes advantage of working in a pitcher's park on his way to possibly the best season of his career.

The Braves have been even more impressive when you consider Horacio Ramirez is on the disabled list with a shoulder injury, Jaret Wright has been erratic and Mike Hampton has been downright awful. Still, this team could continue to fashion good pitching numbers. A healthy Ramirez will be an effective starter, and Paul Byrd might finally return from elbow surgery in July. But Wright and Hampton won't be dependable.

The Phillies have a 3.92 team ERA and arguably the most well-rounded starting staff in the division in terms of talent. Only Eric Milton, who is 7-1, has truly pitched at a high level during the first two-plus months. Kevin Millwood has been woefully inconsistent. Vicente Padilla and Randy Wolf are both on the disabled list. With Brett Myers on a four-game winning streak after a bad start, and the full starting five not available right now, the Phils could truly pose one of the league's better staffs later in the season, and Fantasy owners should try to acquire some of their starters before they truly catch fire.

The Phillies are tied for ninth in team ERA with -- the Expos? The same Expos who have the worst record in the majors? Montreal might be bad, but its starting pitching isn't the reason for the team's poor record. Because of terrible run support, every starter seemingly has a losing record and a low ERA. Livan Hernandez, Zach Day and Tomo Ohka all have ERAs well under 4.00 with losing records. Tony Armas Jr. is finally back in the rotation as well. These starters should continue to help your ERA and WHIP, if nothing else.

The first-place Marlins easily have the most solid staff overall. Dontrelle Willis, A.J. Burnett and Josh Beckett can all be dominant pitchers, and Brad Penny is certainly an above-average talent. Carl Pavano, in the mold of Trachsel and Thomson, is one of the division's most underrated pitchers. If any staff is going to continue to perform well, this is obviously the one.

The outlook for the rest of the division? You're not going to get a lot of wins from the Mets, Braves and Expos, but they'll certainly help you in other categories. The Phillies' pitchers certainly have the most potential to flourish even more.

Scott Engel is the 2003 champion of the Krause Publications Experts League.