7/14 First half stats

Some first half numbers to consider:

* Aramis Ramirez .298, 15 homers, 21 doubles, 51 RBIs

He leads the team in RBI and is batting .351 in his last 10 games with five homers and 11 RBIs, which is why he was mentioned as a possible All-Star addition. In his career, he has a .278 first half average; .289 second half, so expect better things.

* Ryan Dempster 6-6, 5.01 ERA in 19 games, 111 1/3 innings

After a horrendous April when Dempster was 1-3 with a 9.58 ERA, he pitched better in May and June, and then had his abbreviated five-inning start against the Pirates last Saturday. Can Dempster and Quade get along in the second half? We’ll see.

* Starlin Castro .307, 24 doubles, 8 triples, two homers, 39 RBIs

Castro will easily eclipse his numbers from last year, which he set in 125 games. For those of you keeping track, he batted .369 as the leadoff man, .357 in the two-hole, and .224 in the three-hole.

* Carlos Marmol 2-2, 19 saves, 52 strikeouts, 42 innings

Marmol gave up one earned run in 15 innings over 13 games in June. In his last five games, he’s 3-for-4 in save situations and has given up two runs over 3 2/3 innings.

– Carrie Muskat