With the 2009 All-Star Game tonight, here’s a look into my crystal ball for the second half of the season.
NL CENTRALOh, Cubbies, you never fail to disappoint. Sure, you are only 3 1/2 games out of first place in the NL Central behind the Cardinals, but you have a 16-25 road record. You simply can’t have that terrible of a record in road games and expect to make it to the playoffs.I mean, even if you do, you won’t go anywhere. Anything new?Well, there’s always next year. Or the year after that. Oh, hell, something good may happen within the next 100 years.The Cardinals, backed by MVP candidate Albert Pujols’ 60 plus home runs at the end of the season, will take the Central.And now a look at the rest of the league.NL EASTWell, what a mess we have here. Two of the most disappointing teams in all of baseball behind the Cubs — the Braves and the Mets — are still only 6 and 6 1/2 games out of first place, respectively. Too bad that whole Jeff Francoeur for Ryan Church trade won’t work for either of them, as both will fail to win the division or a wild card.The defending champion Philadelphia Phillies will take the division, and Jimmy Rollins will break out of his “is he really doing that bad?” slump eventually to hit his way to a more respectable .250 (he’s currently hovering around the Mendoza Line at .220).
NL WESTThe Dodgers will run away with the division.A surprising Giants team takes the NL wild card backed by amazing starting pitching.Manny will grow wings and fly away. Trust me, it’s better for everyone.Bigger question: Who is worse for his team — Manny or T.O.?
AL EASTThere’s all this talk about the Yankees and Red Sox in the East. But what I think is more pertinent issue here is Blue Jays’ ace Roy Halladay. There have been talks about him being traded to the Yankees, and I can see that happening. He is a great pitcher, and the Yankees would be more than willing to spend even more money to ensure a spot in the playoffs.Year after year, this guy goes out and produces wins on the mound in a stacked division with a subpar team behind him. Major props to him.But the Yankees will take the division with a second-half surge backed by the big man on the mound, C.C. Sabathia, and the Bo Sox will be the AL wild card.The Yanks have the third best road winning percentage in the league, and that is going to be huge down the stretch. Road wins make or break a team when all is said and done.Apologies to the Tampa Bay Rays, whose record by the end of the season would probably get them into the NL playoffs, but the AL is too good.
AL CENTRALIt’s not a stretch to say Cy Young candidate Zack Greinke of the Royals has been the story of the year in baseball.The kid has battled back from depression and a terrible start to his career to have a 2.12 ERA on a Royals team the LSU Tigers could beat with anyone besides Greinke on the mound. In his five losses, Kansas City has scored a total of three runs while he was in the game. Terrible.But the Twins surge back from 4 games behind to take the division title backed by the bats of Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer.
AL WESTI really don’t understand why the NL has two more teams than the AL. The NL Central (6) actually has two more teams than the AL West (4).That’s beside the point, though.The Angels, who are currently without their three and four hole hitters, Torii Hunter and Vladimir Guerrero, may slump a bit at the start of the second half. But no worries. They should end up taking the division over the Rangers.But those Rangers are making progress, and they may sneak up to take the division should the Angels falter.
WORLD SERIESThe Dodgers implode and lose to the Cardinals in the NL Championship Series while the Yankees somehow find a way to make it back to the World Series.Cardinals, though, take it in six games. With a pretty solid starting pitching lineup, an amazing closer in Ryan Franklin and Albert “The Machine” Pujols to back it all up, the Cardinals are pretty reminiscent of their 2006 championship team.—-Contact Andy Schwehm at [email protected]