It's on Fire

The playoff races are beyond heating up at this point. They're burning up. The AL Central, West, and the NL Central are locked up at this point, with the Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, and the surprisingly still in 1st, Cincinnati Reds holding comfortable leads. The AL Wild Card will be runner-up to whomever wins the AL East. The AL East, NL East, NL West, and NL Wild Card are up for grabs to whomever wants it the most. Today, I make those decisions for them.

AL East -- I am clearly sticking with my preseason pick of the Yankees winning the division/World Series. The Yankees have struggled recently, and will be benching starters to keep them fresh for the postseason. They have to play the Tampa Bay Rays in a four-game series, starting today, and their hated rivals, the Boston Red Sox for six more games. The Rays get to play Seattle, Baltimore, and Kansas City. The Yanks have the tougher road to win the division, but this series, at home against Tampa, could determine the outcome of the season. A sweep for either team would win the division, and a split could swing the ball into Tampa's favor. The Yanks are a tough team for anyone to beat, so I am holding strong with this pick. This could be a case of my heart getting in the way of my brain though.

NL East -- Again, I am sticking with my preseason pick of Atlanta to win the division. I also chose the Florida Marlins to win the Wild Card, so I am not the brightest bulb. Atlanta has six games left versus the Philadelphia Phillies, and the rest against the Washington Nationals and Florida Marlins, while the Phils play the Nationals and New York Mets. Very even schedules cause the games Philly and Atlanta play versus eachother crucial. If Atlanta can take two of the three in Philly, and sneak another one in while the teams play the garbage of the East, the final series in Atlanta will be a playoff series, possibly to make it in the playoffs. Though I do think the runner up in this division will take the Wild Card anyway. Atlanta, like the Yankees have not been playing their best ball when it matters most. Philly can smell the postseason, and the revenge they want against the Yankees, so they'll be a tough mountain to scale. This, like the Yankees pick, is one of heart, not brains, given my stance as a Philly hater, but I have Bobby Cox backing me up.

NL West -- I love the fact that four of the teams I picked to make the playoffs preseason are looking as though they'll do as I said. The Twins and Yanks clearly are, and the Braves and San Fransisco Giants have a strong chance. I picked the Giants before the season started because of their pitching, led by two-time Cy Young Tim Lincecum. Much to my surprise, as well as everyone else's, the San Diego Padres have had the best pitching all season, to go along with their terrible hitting. The Giants have been the tortoise, slowly creeping up the division, to finally being on top. They do play the Colorado Rockies, who decide they want to play baseball mid-August, and go on a spectacular run every season. And the Giants close out the season against the Padres. It'll be disappointing for the Padres, given they've been in 1st place all season, but fans don't go to their games, so only the players will be disappointed.