Dan Lamond
Staff Reporter
September has come, the rosters have expanded and the push for a playoff spot has begun. Several teams are still in the hunt for October, making each and every game vital to the playoff race.
The Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, and St. Louis Cardinals all have commanding leads in their divisions.
Recent additions to many of these teams have made them appear to be much scarier come playoff time. The Tigers have added to their starting pitching depth with the trade for Jarrod Wasburn. Meanwhile the Angels were busy after the trade deadline adding Scott Kazmir to their starting rotation. The Dodgers made many key additions to their team including relief pitcher George Sherrill, starter Jon Garland, slugger Jim Thome, and utility player Ronnie Belliard.
Many people felt the Yankees needed to make big trade deadline adjustments and were disappointed after they only got Eric Hinske but their recent second half resurgence has silenced most critics.
The Phillies looked like geniuses after Cliff Lee’s brilliant first five starts and looked stronger with the addition of Ben Francisco’s bat off the bench. The St. Louis Cardinals look extremely scary now that they have protection behind Albert Pujols with the addition of Matt Holliday. The Cardinals have also added utility man Mark DeRosa, Julio Lugo, and pitcher John Smoltz.
Any of these are poised to make a deep run in the playoffs and any of them are a threat to win a World Series if they are hot at the right time.
Wild Card Races
In the National League, the Rockies and the Giants have been in a close battle for the final playoff spot. Both teams have bolstered their rosters for a late run to clinch their right to play in October. The Giants have added Freddy Sanchez to their everyday line up and Brad Penny to their already deep rotation. Meanwhile, the Rockies have gotten a pleasant surprise out of recently called up Carlos Gonz á lez as well as adding veterans Jose Contreras and Jason Giambi. The Giants appear to be scarier for a deep postseason run simply due to their pitching depth. Not many teams want to face or would fair well off Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez or Brad Penny. The Giants however lack a power in their line-up, much of their offense is supplied solely from Pablo Sandoval. The Rockies on the other hand don’t have as much depth pitching wise but still have a threatening top three in Ubaldo Jim é nez, Jason Marquis, and Jorge De La Rosa. The Rockies have many sources of offense among their players including Brad Hawpe, Todd Helton, Troy Tulowitzki, and Carlos Gonz á lez.
The American League is also shaping up to be a very close race down to the finish between the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers. Both teams have had additions to help their already strong line-ups become even more powerful. The Red Sox added catcher and first baseman Victor Martinez, shortstop Alex Gonzalez and setup man Billy Wagner to their bullpen. The Rangers got back their former catcher in Ivan Rodriguez and traded for relief pitcher Danny Gutierrez. The Red Sox of the two teams have the stronger starting rotation led by Josh Beckett, who has not pitched like his normal self lately, Jon Lester, Tim Wakefield whose health is questionable right now, and Clay Buchholz. The Red Sox also have a very powerful line-up featuring Dustin Pedroia, Victor Martinez, Kevin Youkilis, and Jason Bay. The Red Sox offense has been off and on this year, but they are a team that no one will want to face if they are hot going into the playoffs. The Rangers have a fairly unknown but extremely effective rotation headed by Kevin Millwood, followed by Scott Feldman, Tommy Hunter and Derek Holland. The Rangers feature a highly talented offense when healthy but that has been the biggest question going into the playoffs for the Rangers. Gold glove third baseman Michael Young is currently rehabbing from a hamstring injury and centerfielder Josh Hamilton is suffering from a pinched nerve in his back. The offense will depend on Ian Kinsler, Chris Davis, Nelson Cruz and Marlon Byrd.
Bold Predictions
American League Division Series:
New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. Boston Red Sox
National League Division Series:
St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Francisco Giants
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers