1 New York Yankees- 92-70
Current Position: 1st
The Yankees have been the most consistent team by far in the AL East this season. They must continue to stay healthy and if they do, they will easily have enough to hang on to the AL East and be one of the favorites heading into the playoffs. 2 Tampa Bay Rays- 87-75
Current Position: 3rd
The Rays have been hampered a little by injuries this year, but it is only a minor excuse for their underachieving pitching staff and below average hitting. That being said, they are well managed and they will hang around, especially with Evan Longoria returning.
3 Baltimore Orioles- 85-77
Current Position: 2nd
The Orioles are one of the many surprises of the season and I hope their run continues. Unfortunately, they just don't have quite enough pitching to overtake the Yankees in the East and they just aren't quite good enough to grab one of the two wild card spots over teams like the Angels and Tigers.
4 Boston Red Sox- 83-79
Current Position: 4th
The Red Sox have been huge disappointments this season and if they want to make a run, it will be up to their pitching to step up. Am I going to put my faith in Jon Lester, Josh Beckett and Clay Bucholtz to step up? No. The Red Sox will finish a pedestrian fourth.
5 Toronto Blue Jays- 77-85
Current Position: 5th
The Blue Jays are without Jose Bautista right now and they without any legitimate pitchers that could string together wins consistently. Without good pitching, the Blue Jays will fade and finish last.
AL Central
1 Chicago White Sox- 88-74
Current Position: 1st
The White Sox are yet another surprise team that is very much in contention. The White Sox easily have enough pitching to stay ahead of the Tigers behind Chris Sale and Jake Peavy leading the rotation. The thing that concerns me with the White Sox is they lack the punch the Tigers have and maybe a little of that postseason experience as a team. I expect the White Sox to be in it until the end and squeak it out over the Tigers to win the Central.
2 Detroit Tigers- 87-75
Current Position: 2nd
The Tigers sit behind the White Sox as of now, but I expect Justin Verlander to transcend last season's performance, leading the Tigers pitching staff while Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder both have big months of September to push the White Sox right to the brink.
3 Cleveland Indians- 78-84
Current Position: 3rd
The Indians are in the race I guess, six games back doesn't mean they are out of the picture. However, the book is still out on many of their pitchers like Ubaldo Jimenez. They aren't out of it, but a surprise run from the Indians would be more shocking than the Cardinals late season run last year.
4 Kansas City Royals- 74-88
Current Position: 4th
The Royals haven't had a stellar pitcher since Zack Greinke, and before Greinke, they haven't had a legitimate pitcher for a decade. So with that being said, the Royals will remain where they are for the rest of the season.
5 Minnesota Twins- 68-94
Current Position: 5th
The Twins recently got rid of Francisco Liriano, making their pitching even worse for the rest of this season. The Twins will remain where they are as well.
AL West
1 Los Angeles Angels- 96-66
Current Position: 2nd
With the addition of Zack Greinke, the Angels pitching staff is the best in the game on paper. Even though Dan Haren and Ervin Santana haven't been as good as advertised this year, the Angels pitching staff is still the best in the game. Couple that with one of the most explosive offenses led by Mike Trout and Albert Pujols and the Angels will surpass the Texas Rangers and take home the AL's best record. 2 Texas Rangers- 94-68
Current Position: 1st
The Rangers solidified their pitching staff by adding Ryan Dempster, but I don't expect him to have quite the impact Zack Greinke will have with the Angels. This obviously gives the Rangers a boost, but not quite enough to allow them to hang on to first place in the West.
3 Oakland Athletics- 89-73
Current Position: 3rd
Talk about Moneyball, this Oakland A's team is more impressive than that team. The Athletics got it done with Barry Zito, Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder than, but now, it's Jarrod Parker, Tommy Millone and an aged Bartolo Colon. The fact that they are in the wild card hunt is astonishing and I expect it to continue because they have enough offense to support their now stellar pitching to sneak into the playoffs.
4 Seattle Mariners- 69-93
Current Position: 4th
In an extremely strong division, the Mariners will struggle to win games although having Felix Hernandez going every fifth day boosts the teams moral.
NL East
1 Atlanta Braves- 93-69
Current Position: 2nd
The Braves will benefit from Stephen Strasburg being shutdown to overtake them and claim the Central crown. The Braves had a nice trade deadline that included the acquisition of Paul Maholm which will give them just enough to win the East.2 Washington Nationals- 91-71
Current Position: 1st
The Nationals are having a breakout year, but things are about to get heated once Strasburg isn't pitching on a five day basis. They will still make the playoffs (barely) but it will get very interesting, trust me.
3 New York Mets- 80-82
Current Position: 3rd
The Mets have faded a bit, but they have still had a pretty good season all things considered. David Wright and Ike Davis, two of the Mets performing extremely well of late should keep it up and keep the Mets somewhat relevant.
4 Miami Marlins- 76-86
Current Position: 4th
The Marlins have already broken up the core of their team by trading away Hanley Ramirez. So much for the Marlins hype and so much for this season.
5 Philadelphia Phillies- 72-90
Current Position: 5th
The Phillies no longer have an offense, having to rely on Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley to get the job done even though they are nowhere near the players they once were. The Phillies are just hoping to get this season over with to maybe salvage their future.
NL Central
1 Cincinnati Reds- 97-65
Current Position: 1st
2 Pittsburgh Pirates- 91-71
Current Position: 2nd
The Pirates are baseball's best story this year and behind Andrew McCutchen, they will remain the hunt. They will most likely not be able to get in front of the Reds, but the wild card should be theirs due to a four game bulge as of August 1st.
3 St. Louis Cardinals- 87-75
Current Position: 3rd
The Cardinals are looking for the same mojo they had last year. If they could ever string a long win streak together, the Cardinals will be full believers in themselves. Until then, they just don't have enough pitching to catch up to the Pirates.
4 Milwaukee Brewers- 74-88
Current Position: 4th
Zack Greinke is gone and their pitching staff is no longer solid. The Brewers have had and will finish with a mediocre record.
5 Chicago Cubs- 71-91
Current Position: 5th
The Cubs were sellers at the deadline, which will surely not spark a turnaround, although I don't think the Cubs will falter anymore either.
6 Houston Astros- 59-103
Current Position: 6th
The Astros have no hope in the next few years, so they have no hope this year either.
NL West
1 San Francisco Giants- 89-73
Current Position: 1st
The Giants acquired Hunter Pence to deepen a lineup that just needs to average 5 or so runs to support their excellent pitching staff. The problem is the Dodgers did the same thing at the deadline, so it will be a dead heat between the rivals.2 Los Angeles Dodgers- 89-73
Current Position: 2nd
The Dodgers acquired Shane Victorino to deepen a lineup that just needs to average 5 or so runs to support their very good pitching staff. The problem is the Giants did the same thing at the deadline, so it will be a dead heat between the rivals.
3 Arizona Diamondbacks- 85-77
Current Position: 3rd
Could the Diamondbacks make a run late in the season? Perhaps. But the difference between this season and last season for Arizona has been that spark and that stellar play from star player Justin Upton.
4 San Diego Padres- 73-89
Current Position: 4th
The Padres weren't sellers nor buyers at the deadline, so they should continue their path this season and finish a mediocre fourth place.
5 Colorado Rockies- 68-94
Current Position: 5th
The Rockies are atrocious and there are no signs to show that they will finish in any other manner.
MLB Playoff Predictions
American League Wild Card Play In
The Rangers are the team with experience and the dynamic offense fit to hammer whoever the Athletics throw out there. That being said, Oakland will hang around and make a game out of it before the depth in the Texas lineup takes over.
Texas 7-4
National League Wild Card Play In
Stephen Strasburg comes back to try to pitch the Nationals into the NLDS. But a bit of rust allows Pittsburgh's youthful lineup to take advantage, shocking the Nationals in their own ballpark to continue their cinderella season.
Pittsburgh 5-3
National League West Play In
Clayton Kershaw puts the Dodgers on his back and leads them into AT&T Park in an electric atmosphere and shuts down the Giants to send the Dodgers to the NLDS.
Los Angeles 5-1
ALDS
Expect the White Sox to grab a game with Chris Sale pitching, but after that, the Angels talent takes over and defeats the White Sox with ease.
Los Angeles 3-1
Game 1- Angels 9-3
Game 2- White Sox 4-3
Game 3- Los Angeles 6-0
Game 4- Los Angeles 8-7
The addition of Ryan Dempster pays off, giving Texas far more pitching depth than the Yankees as Texas sweeps New York.
Texas 3-0
Game 1- Rangers 11-3
Game 2- Rangers 6-4
Game 3- Texas 2-1
NLDS
In perhaps the most intriguing divisional matchup, the Reds bullpen strength guides them to a series win over Los Angeles to send them to the NLCS.
Cincinnati 3-1
Game 1- Reds 14-7
Game 2- Los Angeles 4-2
Game 3- Cincinnati 6-3
Game 4- Cincinnati 4-3
The Pirates miracle run ends in a fifth game against the Braves behind Chipper Jones, sending the Braves one series away from the World Series.
Atlanta 3-2
Game 1- Pittsburgh 8-5
Game 2- Braves 7-3
Game 3- Atlanta 9-1
Game 4- Pirates 7-6
Game 5- Atlanta 10-4
ALCS
It's the matchup everyone wants to see. Both teams have the best offenses in baseball and pitching staffs that nearly match each other. In this series, I expect Dan Haren and Jared Weaver to each win two games and offensively, Albert Pujols will be too much for the Rangers once again.
Los Angeles 4-3
Game 1- Rangers 8-5
Game 2- Los Angeles 4-2
Game 3- Texas 9-6
Game 4- Angels 5-4
Game 5- Angels 7-3
Game 6- Rangers 12-10
Game 7- Los Angeles 5-2
NLCS
Joey Votto is the best player in this series and he will play like the best player, leading the Reds to their first World Series since 1990.
Cincinnati 4-1
Game 1- Cincinnati 6-4
Game 2- Cincinnati 3-1
Game 3- Atlanta 8-4
Game 4- Reds 7-1
Game 5- Reds 6-4
World Series
The Reds had enough starting pitching to get to the World Series, but against a potent lineup like the Angels, Mat Latos and Johnny Cueto will have to bring their A game, which I don't expect them to do consistently. The Angels claim their first World Series title since 2002 in a five game series win.
Los Angeles 4-1
Game 1- Los Angeles 7-5
Game 2- Los Angeles 4-3
Game 3- Angels 9-6
Game 4- Cincinnati 5-2
Game 5- Angels 7-5AL MVP: Mike Trout, CF Los Angeles Angels
2 Robinson Cano, 2B New York Yankees
3 Miguel Cabrera, 3B Detroit Tigers
NL MVP: Andrew McCutchen, CF Pittsburgh Pirates
2 Melky Cabrera, CF San Francisco Giants
3 Joey Votto, 1B Cincinnati Reds
AL Cy Young: Jered Weaver, SP Los Angeles Angels
2 Justin Verlander, SP Detroit Tigers
3 Chris Sale, SP Chicago White Sox
NL Cy Young: R.A. Dickey, SP New York Mets
2 Johnny Cueto, SP Cincinnati Reds
3 Matt Cain, SP San Francisco Giants
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