This has been one of the better seasons of baseball pitching in recent memory, and it’s an exciting time to be a baseball fan. Let’s have a look at the pitchers leading the charge in the National League, to see who may have a shot at the coveted Cy Young award.

Dan Haren (11-7, 2.59 ERA, 0.89 WHIP). With the lowest WHIP in baseball, Dan Haren has been lights out for most of the season, limiting his opposition to a .202 batting average and pitching the majority of his games having given up 5 hits or less all season.

Consistently one of the best pitchers in baseball during the past few years, Haren has brought it to another level in 2009, as his opposition is batting just .202. He’s slowed down a bit as of late, which may hurt his chances from here.

Wandy Rodriguez. Before getting shelled his last time out, Wandy had given up just four total earned runs in seven starts since the beginning of July. This has lowered his ERA to a ridiculously low total, and if he keeps up this pace, who knows where he’ll be at the end of the year.

Matt Cain. In any other given year, Cain’s ERA of 2.44 would be good enough to win the Cy Young on its own, and virtually a lock. It’s been a crazy season though, and Cain has company, most notably from teammate Tim Lincecum. Still, Cain has been tremendous in 2009 and should finish the season with 17 or 18 wins to go with some great numbers.

Chris Carpenter (12-3, 2.27 ERA, 0.98 WHIP). Who knew that Carpenter still had it. One of the best pitchers in baseball just a few years ago, Carpenter missed nearly all of 2007 and 2008, and most of the baseball world either forgot about him or wrote him off. At 34 years old, Carpenter looks as good as ever before, with what has been an incredible season of pitching so far. Carpenter has amazingly surrendered just 19 walks in 130 innings pitched, one of the reasons for his career low 2.27 ERA. It’s no coincidence the Cardinals lead their division.

Tim Lincecum. With a 12-3 record, a 2.19 ERA, and a 1.02 WHIP, Lincecum’s ERA is the best in baseball and his strikeouts are far and away the best in baseball. Lincecum currently has 205 strikeouts, best in the majors, and may become the first pitcher to crack the 300 mark in a season since 2002. The award is his to lose at this point.

These five pitchers are having incredible years, but there are more pitchers not too far behind. Adam Wainwright, Clayton Kershaw, Javier Vazquez, Johan Santana, Josh Johnson, and J.A. Happ all have ERAs in the 2s, or are flirting within the range. It’s really been that kind of season. Don’t discount any of these guys’ chances should they have an exceptional rest of August and September.

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