AL East and West Highlight Hottest Races in Competitive Field: Yankees Bite the Dust
First, let’s get it over with right now. Grab the fork, stick it in, the New York Yankees are done. They’ll only be playing for memories for now on which will all come to an end when the Baltimore Orioles visit New York. On Friday night, the Tampa Bay Rays invade the Bronx. They’re playing for October rewards as either the division or Wild Card. The Yankees are playing for…? Next in store, enter the Chicago White Sox, also in the post season chase for the Central Division title. Finally, the lowly Baltimore Orioles which often find a little extra spunk when facing the Bronx Bombers enter Yankee Stadium on Friday, the 19th for three games. After the final out on that Sunday, “The House that Ruth Built” will close its doors soon to become parking and landscaping for the New Yankee Stadium which opens next April. There will be no heroics. No talk of possible pitching match ups for the Yanks last series in Boston to end the season. The once mighty Yankees are reduced to playing spoiler, and given three of their last five series are against contenders, that’s what’s left.
The AL East is between the Rays and Red Sox. Betting money is one team wins the division; the other wins the Wild Card. The big series for both teams comes next week when the Rays host the Red Sox Monday through Wednesday. Each team has seriously dominated its opponent at home this year. If you’re keeping a tally, we’re talking about two almost certain bets for October play. Forget about Toronto’s last month serge – too little, too late, but the Sox head north of the border for a weekend’s series after their big event in Florida.
Now, add to your tally, the Los Angeles Angels. They’re in clinching the Western Division by leading eighteen games in the loss column over Texas. Depending on the outcome of tonight’s games, they’ll either be a game up or tied in the loss column for the best record in the AL, home field advantage into the World Series.
The race for the Central is blazing hot. Chicago and Minnesota have gone 4-6 in their last ten days with Chicago one game up. Chicago is currently in battle with the resurgent Toronto Blue Jays. They face Detroit, the Yankees, Cleveland, and Kansas City before the end. The pivotal series comes when they visit Minnesota for the next to last series on September 23rd.
The Twins have a daunting challenge the Sox avoid, a four game trip to Tampa. Besides that they face Baltimore and Cleveland on the road. They’ll complete their series against Kansas City at home tomorrow night, but their last six games will be at home – first the big battle against the Twins, then closing out against Kansas City. Chicago might have the slightly easier schedule as they have no formidable foe like the Rays, but Minnesota has the crazy dome to host them. This race will be decided in Minnesota when the two division rivals face off for three games. Both teams finish at home. To say the White Sox facing Cleveland or Minnesota facing the Royals has an edge is too close to call.
The National League features another crazy September as the senior circuit has been so kind to serve up for baseball fans the last several years. Every division is in play. Ironically, the Wild Card might be a little more certain.
The East pits Philadelphia against the New York Mets. Both teams face Atlanta at home and in Atlanta. They also play Washington: the Mets at home, the Phillies at the end of the season at home. The Mets face the one contender, the Cubs, at home next week, but with a 3.5 game lead. The East looks like it belongs to the Mets.
The Central has gotten more interesting lately. Can it be? Can it really be? Is this really happening all over again? The Cubs have lost two out of their last eight games! Okay, chill out a little for Milwaukee has lost three out of seven. Does it get any better than this? Both teams face each other home and away before the season ends! First, the Brewers visit Chicago the middle of next week, then the season ends in Milwaukee to finish the season. Cool enough? The Cubs lead by four games, five in the loss column. The Cubs, history of decades of bad mojo not withstanding, have the advantage. Nothing affects that better than face to face competition. Bring it on.
Milwaukee is ahead of Houston (where did they come from?), Philadelphia, and St. Louis by four games in the loss column. They’d seem to have a strong advantage but they will be playing for their lives against the Cubs who have everything at stake to win the division. The Wild Card scenario would seem to indicate Milwaukee’s got it unless they upset the Cubs, then the Cubs win it. If either team blows away the other, then the other contenders come into play.
Let’s go out to the West Coast in the National League to finish this commentary. This is maddening!!! For weeks neither Arizona nor the Dodgers have been able to break far above the .500 mark. The Dodgers did what they had to do. They swept the Diamondbacks last weekend. Arizona has gone on to lose three more to San Francisco. While LA is still just three games ahead, these two teams are heading in opposite directions. This is Torre Territory, the end of September. What manager knows how to close out a season better? Last year, the Yankees never looked as good as they did the last three weeks of the season. That same script looks ready for a repeat performance in California. On top of it, LA has an easier schedule. If the Dodgers played one game under .500 for the rest of the year, the Diamondbacks need an 11-6 finish to tie the Dodgers for a one game shootout. Given the Dodgers visit Colorado, Pittsburgh, and finish in San Francisco while hosting San Francisco and San Diego, they’d need to drown themselves in Coors in Colorado, overdose on all 57 varieties of Heinz pickles in Pittsburgh, and live it up in 60’s style in San Fran to fall apart. With Joe Torre keeping watch and Manny Ramirez feeling happy, that won’t happen.
One last look:
AL EAST: Tampa Bay (possibly Boston)
AL CENTRAL: Chicago (slight, very slight edge over Twins)
AL WEST: Los Angeles Angels (locked in)
AL WILD CARD: Boston (or Tampa Bay)
NL EAST: New York Mets (It would take a miracle like last year for Philadelphia.)
NL CENTRAL: Chicago Cubs (Round up and slaughter all the goats with in 100 miles of Wrigley Field to be sure.)
NL WEST: Los Angeles Dodgers
NL WILD CARD: Milwaukee
HOTEST RACES: AL East thus the AL Wild Card, AL Central
First, let’s get it over with right now. Grab the fork, stick it in, the New York Yankees are done. They’ll only be playing for memories for now on which will all come to an end when the Baltimore Orioles visit New York. On Friday night, the Tampa Bay Rays invade the Bronx. They’re playing for October rewards as either the division or Wild Card. The Yankees are playing for…? Next in store, enter the Chicago White Sox, also in the post season chase for the Central Division title. Finally, the lowly Baltimore Orioles which often find a little extra spunk when facing the Bronx Bombers enter Yankee Stadium on Friday, the 19th for three games. After the final out on that Sunday, “The House that Ruth Built” will close its doors soon to become parking and landscaping for the New Yankee Stadium which opens next April. There will be no heroics. No talk of possible pitching match ups for the Yanks last series in Boston to end the season. The once mighty Yankees are reduced to playing spoiler, and given three of their last five series are against contenders, that’s what’s left.
The AL East is between the Rays and Red Sox. Betting money is one team wins the division; the other wins the Wild Card. The big series for both teams comes next week when the Rays host the Red Sox Monday through Wednesday. Each team has seriously dominated its opponent at home this year. If you’re keeping a tally, we’re talking about two almost certain bets for October play. Forget about Toronto’s last month serge – too little, too late, but the Sox head north of the border for a weekend’s series after their big event in Florida.
Now, add to your tally, the Los Angeles Angels. They’re in clinching the Western Division by leading eighteen games in the loss column over Texas. Depending on the outcome of tonight’s games, they’ll either be a game up or tied in the loss column for the best record in the AL, home field advantage into the World Series.
The race for the Central is blazing hot. Chicago and Minnesota have gone 4-6 in their last ten days with Chicago one game up. Chicago is currently in battle with the resurgent Toronto Blue Jays. They face Detroit, the Yankees, Cleveland, and Kansas City before the end. The pivotal series comes when they visit Minnesota for the next to last series on September 23rd.
The Twins have a daunting challenge the Sox avoid, a four game trip to Tampa. Besides that they face Baltimore and Cleveland on the road. They’ll complete their series against Kansas City at home tomorrow night, but their last six games will be at home – first the big battle against the Twins, then closing out against Kansas City. Chicago might have the slightly easier schedule as they have no formidable foe like the Rays, but Minnesota has the crazy dome to host them. This race will be decided in Minnesota when the two division rivals face off for three games. Both teams finish at home. To say the White Sox facing Cleveland or Minnesota facing the Royals has an edge is too close to call.
The National League features another crazy September as the senior circuit has been so kind to serve up for baseball fans the last several years. Every division is in play. Ironically, the Wild Card might be a little more certain.
The East pits Philadelphia against the New York Mets. Both teams face Atlanta at home and in Atlanta. They also play Washington: the Mets at home, the Phillies at the end of the season at home. The Mets face the one contender, the Cubs, at home next week, but with a 3.5 game lead. The East looks like it belongs to the Mets.
The Central has gotten more interesting lately. Can it be? Can it really be? Is this really happening all over again? The Cubs have lost two out of their last eight games! Okay, chill out a little for Milwaukee has lost three out of seven. Does it get any better than this? Both teams face each other home and away before the season ends! First, the Brewers visit Chicago the middle of next week, then the season ends in Milwaukee to finish the season. Cool enough? The Cubs lead by four games, five in the loss column. The Cubs, history of decades of bad mojo not withstanding, have the advantage. Nothing affects that better than face to face competition. Bring it on.
Milwaukee is ahead of Houston (where did they come from?), Philadelphia, and St. Louis by four games in the loss column. They’d seem to have a strong advantage but they will be playing for their lives against the Cubs who have everything at stake to win the division. The Wild Card scenario would seem to indicate Milwaukee’s got it unless they upset the Cubs, then the Cubs win it. If either team blows away the other, then the other contenders come into play.
Let’s go out to the West Coast in the National League to finish this commentary. This is maddening!!! For weeks neither Arizona nor the Dodgers have been able to break far above the .500 mark. The Dodgers did what they had to do. They swept the Diamondbacks last weekend. Arizona has gone on to lose three more to San Francisco. While LA is still just three games ahead, these two teams are heading in opposite directions. This is Torre Territory, the end of September. What manager knows how to close out a season better? Last year, the Yankees never looked as good as they did the last three weeks of the season. That same script looks ready for a repeat performance in California. On top of it, LA has an easier schedule. If the Dodgers played one game under .500 for the rest of the year, the Diamondbacks need an 11-6 finish to tie the Dodgers for a one game shootout. Given the Dodgers visit Colorado, Pittsburgh, and finish in San Francisco while hosting San Francisco and San Diego, they’d need to drown themselves in Coors in Colorado, overdose on all 57 varieties of Heinz pickles in Pittsburgh, and live it up in 60’s style in San Fran to fall apart. With Joe Torre keeping watch and Manny Ramirez feeling happy, that won’t happen.
One last look:
AL EAST: Tampa Bay (possibly Boston)
AL CENTRAL: Chicago (slight, very slight edge over Twins)
AL WEST: Los Angeles Angels (locked in)
AL WILD CARD: Boston (or Tampa Bay)
NL EAST: New York Mets (It would take a miracle like last year for Philadelphia.)
NL CENTRAL: Chicago Cubs (Round up and slaughter all the goats with in 100 miles of Wrigley Field to be sure.)
NL WEST: Los Angeles Dodgers
NL WILD CARD: Milwaukee
HOTEST RACES: AL East thus the AL Wild Card, AL Central
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