Down to the Wire
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The final month of an insanely long season has come upon us. And it is now make or break for at least eighteen of the thirty teams in Major League Baseball. Thank you, Bud Selig, for the Wild Card, because otherwise it would probably be down to seven, maybe less.
The Boston Red Sox have a good hold on the American League East. The Yankees are five games out, and have only three games remaining against the Red Sox. Boston also has a series against the Baltimore Orioles and two against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and are the best team in baseball, so the padding will probably increase.
The Detroit Tigers just came off of a month where they were 11-18, while the Cleveland Indians wer almost the opposite of that, going 17-11. The Indians play the Chicago White Sox three more times, and the Kansas City Royals six more times, and have one series remaining against Detroit at home. The Tigers have the Royals, Rangers, and White Sox six times, but will it be enough to catch the Indians in the AL Central? This might be the Indians's first title since 2001, and after years of finishing out of first, they appear to have the hunger to finally reach the playoffs.
The Los Angeles Angels are only one game behind the Red Sox for having the best record in baseball, and have the pitching to be able to dominate the division the rest of the way. They also play eighteen of their last twenty-five games against losing teams the rest of the way, compared to Seattle's thirteen games against losing teams. The Mariners are probably more focused on grabbing the Wild Card away from the Yankees anyway before giving any thought to the division crown, as they are only two games out as compared to seven.
Speaking of the Wild Card, it is the Yankees's to lose. The next three games are pivotal, as New York hosts Seattle, and whomever wins the series, I predict, will win the Wild Card with the momentum they have gained. They are both equally strong teams, though New York has the bigger names. For the sake of baseball, I do hope that Boston/Seattle ends New York's run of eleven straight playoff seasons, but that's up to those teams to take care of business. Realistically, New York has a good chance of pulling it off, though it's too close to call right now.
The Mets get Pedro Martinez back for his first start tomorrow, and that should be a boost to an already strong pitching staff. They play the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies three more times each, and they have the experience and personnel to be able to hang on the rest of the way. Now if only Carlos Delgado can start hitting again...
The National League Central is very interesting. No team seems to want to win the division, though recently the Chicago Cubs have gone on a small run. The St. Louis Cardinals have chipped away to two games out, with five remaining against the division leader. Somehow, despite the Milwaukee Brewers' slump, they're still in second place. Again, too close to call, though with the Brewers's inexperience and the Cardinals's rash of injuries, this is the Cubs's to lose.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have fallen back a bit, and the San Diego Padres have closed the small gap to the division lead. Whoever finishes second in this division will win the Wild Card, and it's going to be a race to the finish. The Los Angeles Dodgers have the personnel and the Colorado Rockies have the talent to be able make a run at Arizona and San Diego, but it's going to come down to those two; they're just that good this year. The D-backs host the Padres, and then have six against the San Francisco Giantsand four against the Pittsburgh Pirates, as do the Padres. The next series, just like the one between the New York Yankees and the Seattle Mariners, will be the difference between who's the division winner and who's the fourth seed. We can almost safely say that between the two teams duking it out and playing their best, no other team has a chance to catch these two, in both the division and the wild card. Philadelphia does have ten games against losing teams, but that only mirrors the number San Diego and Arizona have anyway; all the others who are not in the West are pretty much out of the Wild Card.
So for the final predictions:
Red Sox, Angels, Indians, Mariners (wishful thinking, perhaps, but they have a good chance)
Mets, Diamondbacks, Cubs (yeah, I know, I said the Cardinals in an earlier article, but they've had more injuries since then, but again, this thing's still up for grabs), Padres
We'll see how this goes. It's gonna be exciting, as long as when football isn't on, anyway.
