MLB: Who's Hot, Who's Not

Who's Hot

New York Yankees - The hard-charging Yanks have won six in a row and eight of their past ten. Granted, three of the victories have come over the lowly Kansas City Royals, but a win is a win, and New York is just 6.5 games behind Boston in the AL East. At least one blogger has predicted a coup of the division, but the Yankees may soon be making believers of all of us. [1]
Ryan Howard - After a rather slow start to the season, Ryan Howard is feeling it. He's got a Major League-leading 12 dingers in the last month, including a walk-off in last night's extra-inning victory over the Nationals.
Alex Rodriguez - Yes, we all know that A-Rod has cooled off after his superhuman start to the season. But he's continuing to make an airtight case for AL MVP. His 35 home runs, 102 RBIs, and 96 runs are all tops in the Major Leagues. Oh yeah, and with one more round-tripper, he'll have 500 for his career. Maybe he'll do it tomorrow on his 32nd birthday.
Ryan Braun - This guy's been hot all season, but we've only seen him since the end of May. Since being called up May 24, Braun has hit .346 with 16 home runs and 43 RBIs. Prior to being called up, however, Braun had already racked up 10 home runs and 22 RBIs. Quite a season by any standard. If I was voting, it would be tough not to name this guy Rookie of the Year.

Who's Not

Hunter Pence - Pence, who many believed to be the frontrunner for NL Rookie of the Year, received word Monday that he'd fractured his wrist on a swing Sunday. Pence will miss 4-6 weeks with the injury.
Seattle Mariners - Talk about streaky. Just a week ago, the Mariners were the team everyone was talking about. Now, they've lost six straight, including one on a blown save by J.J. Putz last night. It was his first blown save this season.
Barry Bonds - Yes, Bonds is on the cusp of breaking one of baseball's most hallowed records, but it seems like everyone is in a hurry to get it over with. Everyone, that is, except Barry. Since his two homer game July 19, Bonds is 2-14 with two singles and two DNPs. At this pace, we may be well into August before "the chase" is over.
Randy Johnson - It had to happen with one of these 40-something pitchers eventually. Johnson is struggling to return from a back injury, and he hasn't pitched in nearly a month. Johnson acknowledged that the end may be near for the Big Unit.

This article is also posted at All on the Field sports blog.