So we're down to anywhere between 34-37 games left for most teams and in a lot of cases these teams are looking at 1 or 2 more off days for the rest of the season.
AL East
Boston currently holds a 5 game lead on the Yankees. Although the Sox have faltered a bit a 5 game lead is still pretty substantial. IMO the Sox are still good enough to post a 19-16 record in their final 35 and that means the Yankees would need to be 25-12 to beat their mediocre record. It could end up being close and go down to the last 3-4 days of the season but the BoSox still win this division.
AL Central
Detroit and Cleveland continue to wage a pretty good battle. The Tigers pitching has gone AWOL and the Tribes offence has been the same way lately until last night. This is a tough call as the Tribe is going to need Jake Westbrook to step up and provide a good third starter behind Carmona and Sabathia to help the struggline offence down the stretch. The Tigers really should be well ahead in this race given how the Indians offence has been lately but their pitching has been terrible. At this point in time I still think the Tigers have the better lineup and that their pitching will come around enough to allow them to take the division. But this will go to the end, and the loser won't get no Wild Card.
AL West
Anaheim currently holds a 2 game lead over Seattle in the division. The Angels have a pretty solid all around team and their offence is starting to kick into gear. They have 4 good starters and Colon might get healthy and figure out how to pitch again. The Mariners are probably the surprise of the AL this season and have been scorching hot since July 1st. The Mariners starters are pretty mediocre, but they have 3 relievers having great years and that lineup is actually pretty solid. I don't think they can take the Angels though, but I'm pulling for them.
AL Wild Card
Mariners currently lead, but I don't think they can hold off the Yankees with that 1.5 game lead. I think they'll stay in it but ultimately the Yankees lineup is deeper and their starting pitching is better. That Jobba the Hut or whoever he is also gives the Yankees that set up man they've needed to help get the game to Rivera.
NL East
I still think the Mets have the best team in the NL even if they're record doesn't bear out. The lineup is solid and they have better pitching than the rest of the division. Philly and Atlanta continue to run neck and neck but both teams have pretty weak pitching but solid lineups. Philly should get Utley back pretty soon but just lost Hamels. Considering that Taguchi has been pretty good in place of Utley I think they'll miss Hamels too much to keep going like they have. Atlanta has two good starters in Hudson and Smoltz but the rest of the rotation and the bullpen is AWOL. But they have a solid lineup that might just help them to the WC.
NL Central
Mediocre again the division leading Cubs are 5 games over .500. Amazingly the Cards who are under .500 are actually making a charge and stand a good chance to come back to win the division. I personally think the Brewers are done and that the inevietable choke job has happened there. The Cubs should be better once Soriano gets back and they have better starting pitching than the Cards do. Should be enough to hold them off, but it will be a last 3 games thing until the Cubs clinch.
NL West
Well if Arizona isn't the surprise of MLB I don't know who is. Brandon Webb has found a big time groove and looks to be inline for a second straight Cy Young. Their lineup isn't that dangerous but they seem to do enough to win games. The Padres have good pitching at the top of their rotation and Maddux is good as the 3 guy, but their lineup is too weak to make up for it, also Young has hit some health issues. I'm a bit surprised how the Dodgers fell off, I personally thought they had the best lineup, but for whatever reason just can't get it together (It's probably the presence of Shea Hillenbrand that makes them suck). Arizona will likely choke up a bit here down the stretch but I don't think the teams behind them will do enough to over take them. Bob Melvin is manager of the year.
NL Wild Card
Well it will come down to pitching vs hitting I think. Can San Diegos pitching staff hold off the bats of the Braves and Phillies? Although 8 teams are within 5 games of the spot. I think it will be a 4 team fight between the Cards, Phillies, Braves, and Padres in reality. My pick is the Braves to keep getting the hitting and to get just enough pitching at the backend of the rotation to push through.
__________________ "Some guys like old balls"
Patriots QB Tom Brady
These days the Mariners are 1 back of the Angels with games in hand...and 3 or more ahead of everyone in the Wild Card. With the way they're playing...I could easily see the division being won.
I mean when you bat .333 as a team in August...something is working right.
Dodgers just claimed Loaiza off waivers from the A's. Loaiza has been pretty effective in his two starts vs. the Jays....than again what pitcher hasn't been lately. The thing with Esteban is that he has a contract for next year that pays him 7 million. Than again if the guy is on, he's Cy Young calibre. But thats just been so darn infrequent in his career.
Dodgers are 3 and a half back of the Pads and 4 and a half back of the Giants. They'll need good pitching from Loaiza and Wells if they hope to get back into it.
__________________ "Some guys like old balls"
Patriots QB Tom Brady
Well looks like I've been dead wrong on the Central...Clevelands lineup came back to life and they're getting good pitching. In fact Sabathia might just win the Cy Yound and Carmona's been really solid too. Detroit on the other hand seems to have imploded as badly as the Mariners have. Too bad looks like the AHL races are all pretty much sewn up now.
__________________ "Some guys like old balls"
Patriots QB Tom Brady
Well IMO the most interesting race is going to be the NL West. Which team will pull ahead and stay ahead at the end of the month.
I kinda figured the M's would fade away but I am surprised the Tigers have basically rolled over a died. I am rooting for the Tribe to win the AL this year.
The NL still has some races left as the Wild Card there is a bit more open. Also the West and Central Divisions are both pretty close. The D-Backs might be a bit too young to stand up to the pressure. Losing 5 of 6 or whatever it was to the Padres was pretty damaging to that team. The Central looks like it will be a matter of who doesn't lose away the division. But the American League is pretty much who's going to play who in the playoffs as the Angels, Tribe, BoSox and Yankees can all punch their post season tickets.
__________________ "Some guys like old balls"
Patriots QB Tom Brady
Well Seattle is only 3 games back of the Yankees, but that losing streak really killed them. They had their destiny in their own hands and dropped all the games against the Angles. That's brutal and probably don't deserve to be in the playoffs because of that, but here's hoping.
Well Seattle is only 3 games back of the Yankees, but that losing streak really killed them. They had their destiny in their own hands and dropped all the games against the Angles. That's brutal and probably don't deserve to be in the playoffs because of that, but here's hoping.
Mariners problem is that they're starting pitching is really mediocre and that they've used that bullpen too much over the course of the year. As the season wears on their staff has pretty much broken down. If it was any other team but the Yankees that they were trailing I'd say they have a shot...but the Yankees are just too good. Than again for 225 million or whatever their payroll is they should be better.
__________________ "Some guys like old balls"
Patriots QB Tom Brady
I had cautious optomism about the M's until they lost 11 of 12. I think they are done now. Especially since they'll probably lose two of three against Detroit. Oh well, it was an unexpected push, and if they can pick up a decent starter or two going into next season, I like their chances. I'm torn between wanting them in the playoffs and not making it too, since baseball playoffs start when the Flames start, and hockey comes first!
Location: A simple man leading a complicated life....
Exp:
Yankees clinch a playoff spot, ensuring an entire nation of middle school kids will go at least another year without a Yankee-free postseason in their lives.
The NL still has some terrific races to be settled here in the last 4 days. The Mets have had a nervous breakdown and the Phillies have charged hard. The Colorado Rockies have come from nowhere and racked up 10 straight wins to become a real serious WC contender. For the WC we have San Diego leading Philly and Colorado by 1 game. Every Division has the second place team being 1 or 2 games back of the leader.
In the East the Mets have on against St.Louis and 3 against the Marlins. Philly has Atlanta tonight and Washington on the weekend. Washington gave the Mets fits here in the last week and would probably love to ruin Philly's run.
In the Central the Cubs have one game vs. the Marlins and close out with a 3 game set vs. the Reds. The Brewers and Padres will go head to head in a 4 game set where both teams badly need to win the games.
In the West San Diego has a 4 game set vs. the Brewers while the D-Backs and Rockies will square off for the final 3 games. Before that series happens the D-Backs play in Pittsburgh before going to Colorado. The Rockies still have one game left with the Dodgers.
I actually like the Mets and Phillies to end up tied with the Phillies going 3-1 to close out the year and the Mets going 2-2 and having the Phillies win the one game playoff to complete the Mets break down. In the West I say Colorado keeps the streak going and sweeps away the D-Backs at home and makes the comeback in the division. The D-backs win tonight, but finish 1-3 which leaves them tied with a Padre team that goes 2-2. Of course to make that all a bit less confusing...that leaves those teams tied with the Phillies and Mets for record. So I guess they'd have to hold a tie breaker with the Phillies and Mets and another one with the Padres and D-Backs. Than the winner of the Padres and D-Backs would play the loser of the Mets and Phillies? Could be a crazy finish if this was to occur.
__________________ "Some guys like old balls"
Patriots QB Tom Brady
What a meltdown the Mets have had this month. It's incredible - no - Amazin', and I have to admit I'm pulling for the Phillies. Their magic number is 2 with 2 games left. Neat to see some teams in the NL that weren't in the playoffs last year either clinching or close to it.
Let's go Phillies. --I'm not a huge baseball fan, but I've heard some say, if the Phillies hold on, this might be the biggest regular season comeback ever. True, or not true?
Let's go Phillies. --I'm not a huge baseball fan, but I've heard some say, if the Phillies hold on, this might be the biggest regular season comeback ever. True, or not true?
Coming from 7.5 games back with only 14 games to play is a pretty impressive comeback. Although some will say the Mets collapsed as much as the Philly's came back. Still a hell of a come back by the Phills given the injuries they had. They have a pretty wicked lineup.
__________________ "Some guys like old balls"
Patriots QB Tom Brady
Let's go Phillies. --I'm not a huge baseball fan, but I've heard some say, if the Phillies hold on, this might be the biggest regular season comeback ever. True, or not true?
I think it would go down as the greatest September meltdown/comeback in history - thought I read that on espn.com this morning.
I think it would go down as the greatest September meltdown/comeback in history - thought I read that on espn.com this morning.
Greatest comeback with 17 games remaining (from 7 down) is the way I have heard it described.
__________________
"The problem with any ideology is that it gives the answer before you look at the evidence."
—Bill Clinton
"The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance--it is the illusion of knowledge."
—Daniel J. Boorstin, historian, former Librarian of Congress
"But the Senator, while insisting he was not intoxicated, could not explain his nudity"
—WKRP in Cincinatti
MLB Stretch Drive
