With about 50 games to be played the Divisional Races & Wild Card Races in both the AL & NL seem to be in full swing.
Here are the current races worth mentioning and my predictions as to who wins the division and who wins the Wild Card.
AL East - The New York Yankees have a 7.5 game lead over the Boston Red Sox and a 11.5 game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Prediction: Look for the Yankees to wrap it up by mid September and for the Red Sox and Rays to contend for a WC spot.
AL Central - The Detroit Tigers have a 2.5 game lead over the Chicago White Sox and a 6 game lead over the Minnesota Twins.
Prediction: This race will come down to the last week of the season. None of these teams are Wild Card contender’s so it’s win the division or hello off-season. I like the Tigers’ pitching the best here and think they squeak in to the playoffs.
AL West - The Los Angeles Angels hold a 4.5 game lead over the Texas Rangers.
Prediction: The Rangers have been surprising this year and have owned the Angels all season long but experience is the deciding factor here. LAA wins the division while Texas grinds it out with Boston and Tampa Bay for the Wild Card.
AL Wid Card - The Boston Red Sox have a .5 game lead over the Texas Rangers and 4 game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays. Seattle and Chicago have an outside shot being 6.5 back but this looks to be a three team race. Both Boston and Tampa Bay have tasted the post season recently but the Rangers have been something special this year. If Texas’ can get their lineup healthy at the same time they could be tough to beat down the stretch. However, I don’t see that happening and as much as I don’t want this to happen the Red Sox somehow claim the Wild Card spot, though I am rooting for Texas!
NL East - The Philadelphia Phillies have a 4 game lead on the Florida Marlins and a 5 game lead on the Atlanta Braves.
Prediction: The Marlins and Braves are coming on strong and making a race of this. However, the Phillies high powered offense should prevail here. Both the Marlins and Braves are serious WC contenders though
NL Central - The St. Louis Cardinals have a 4.5 game lead over the Chicago Cubs and 7 game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers.
Prediction: The Cardinals hang tight and win the division. I don’t consider the Brew Crew a factor and Chicago’s play has been to erratic of late. They are sliding having lose 7 of their last 10.
NL West - The Los Angeles Dodgers hold a 4.5 game lead over the Colorado Rockies and a 5.5 game lead over the San Francisco Giants.
Prediction: A month back this division looked to be locked up by the Dodgers but their losing woes continue and this race in the NL West could come down to the last week of the season. The Dodgers’ rotation is having trouble staying and the Rockies’ and Giants have been significantly better of late. Tough call here as I hate the Dodgers but I think they win the division and one of Colorado or San Francisco gets the Wild Card.
NL Wild Card - The Colorado Rockies have a 1 game lead over the San Francisco Giants, a 2 game lead over the Florida Marlins, a 3 game lead over the Atlanta Braves and a 3.5 game lead over the Chicago Cubs.
Prediction: Any of these five teams have a legitimate shot of taking home the Wild Card but I truly feel it’s going to come down to one of those NL West teams. The Giants’ have been consistent all season long and the Rockies’ have been the best team in baseball since they fired manager Clint Hurdle a few months back. The Giants and Rockies face off 10 more times this season with six of those games being in San Francisco. Look for pitching to be the deciding factor here and with San Francisco having the best 1-2 punch in baseball (Lincecum and Cain) they get the nod. Plus, Barry Zito has had a solid 2nd half of the season thus far. This will come down to the wire but my gut (and a bit of a homer prediction) tells me the Giants win the WC.
Now that I told you my scenarios how about you fill me in on yours.
