Do you think watching Lady Gaga at a baseball game is strange?

Have you gazed at the Major League Baseball statistical leaders recently?

How about the standings?

Sure, few things are more bewildering than Lady Gaga in a (half-on) Yankees jersey, but what's happening on the diamond can rival anything the Madonna wannabe has to offer:

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Robinson Cano and Martin Prado lead their respective leagues in hitting.Cano was a dangerous hitter before this season, but there was little indication he'd turn into Wade Boggs with power.As recently as 2008, the Yankees second baseman batted only .271.Cano is leading the American League in total bases, too. No AL second baseman has led the league in that category since the immortal Snuffy Stirnweiss in 1945.A player who was called up and sent down three times in the same week in 2007, Prado has emerged this season with the Braves. He's hit safely in 57 of the 70 games he has played.Both batting leaders are second basemen. The last time second basemen led both leagues in batting was in 1969 — sort of.Rod Carew won the AL batting title and Pete Rose, who played two games at second base that season, led the NL.•

Jose Batista and Corey Hart leading the majors in home runs.When you think home run masher, you rarely think of the names Jose Batista and Corey Hart.We in the Pittsburgh area remember Batista well as the prospect who never met a pitch he didn't want to swing at.In three-plus years in the 'Burgh, Batista hit 43 homers. He has 20 already this season.Hart, as you recall, belted out the 1980s hit "Sunglasses at Night." Um, wrong Hart?OK, well, whatever glasses he's wearing now, they are working as he has slugged 19 homers for the Brewers.•

Unhittable pitchers.You'd think with marginal talents like Batista and Hart slamming baseballs over the fence at a prodigious rate that pitchers' earned run averages would equal the price of a McDonald's Big Mac extra value meal.Not so fast.In reality, it is very much the year of the pitcher.In the National League, three of them have an ERA under 2. The last time three pitchers in the same league finished the season with a sub-2.00 ERA was in, you guessed it, 1968 — the last year of the pitcher.•

San Diego leads the National League West. Cincinnati is one game back in the NL Central.In March, many predicted the Padres to be among the worst teams in the majors.In late June, San Diego is actually among the best with a no-name pitching staff and a no-name lineup around Adrian Gonzalez.The last time the Reds were relevant in the playoff race was in 2000, when they finished second. Cincy hasn't had a winning season since.Yet, here they are chasing the Cardinals.See, there's hope for the Pirates yet. They just need to get Lady Gaga to sport a (half-on) Bucco uniform.Mike Kilroy is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.