Posted May 15, 200520 yr comment_2132630 With a little over a fifth of the season in the books, I figured I'd take a look at the standings and see what we can expect as the season continues to unfold. American League East: Baltimore rushed out to a lead, but they now have the Red Sox chasing behind them, at just a game behind. In all honesty, I just can't see the Orioles maintaining the lead in this division. The Yankees once looked as good as done, but have suddenly reeled off seven straight wins. Still, the Yankees trail Boston by 4.5 games, and that is the real challenge. American League Central: Can the White Sox keep up their amazing season? The odds point to no, but when you are spotted a six game lead, that is a tremendous advantage. Even if we were to assume the Sox were no better than a .500 team, they would be legitimate division contenders. American League West: The big surprise here is that the Texas Rangers lost a few relievers as expected, and are still challenging the Angels for the division lead. The worst fears of Billy Beane and company have come true, as this indeed looks like a lost rebuilding year for the Athletics. For this year, it looks like the Angels again trying to surge off the Rangers. National League East: An absolute dogfight between the Marlins and the Braves. This should be our best divisional race this season. I am not putting any extra hope on the Phillies. The Mets and Nationals could make a run at either of the top teams, especially if they encounter injury woes with their starting pitching. National League Central: Cardinals. It will be interesting to see if the Astros can rebound, the Cubs can persevere, and the Brewers can finish over .500. Everyone picked the Brewers as a potential surprise, and they are coming through. National League West: Arizona is 21-16, one game behind Los Angeles. They have scored 158 runs, and allowed 185. Draw your own conclusions. This is the Dodgers trying to fend off the San Diego Padres. The Padres have not played as well, but they have some good talent capable of producing a run. The Dodgers are exhibiting a trait that identifies most Moneyball teams, as they are incredibly DEEP, and seem to have a solution handy for every forseeable injury problem.
May 15, 200520 yr comment_2138460 The AL east will shape up as it always does. I think Boston might win the division this year, though. I expect the final standings to be Boston, NYY, Bal, TO, and TB. Baltimore's pitching isn't good enough to take them past the Sox and Yanks. TO and TB suck.
May 15, 200520 yr comment_2141375 Hopefully the Reds bats can get more consistent and get them playing at a more respectable level for the rest of the season. I would be happy if they could manage 70 wins.
May 16, 200520 yr comment_2142623 I think Toronto and Baltimore will battle for 3rd with Baltimore barely winning. I expect Boston to eventually win out though the Yanks can always reel off 10+ straight wins in a heartbeat.
May 16, 200520 yr comment_2150291 I don't see why the Marlins are such a heavy favorite. Their pitching has been great so far, but their offense isn't good enough to make them serious contenders, IMO. I can't see their pitching staying this good and after that, it's only a matter of time before they fade away. Just seems like once they signed Delgado, people assumed that their problems were solved and you could lock up the division.
May 16, 200520 yr comment_2150398 The Marlins offense is hurting right now because Mike Lowell is an absolute black-hole in the lineup - guy's hitting .179/.233/.299. Even if the pitching takes a downturn, the offense is bound to improve a little bit. And, watching all of A.J. Burnett's games this year, the Marlins pitching has been unlucky, if anything. I'm kind of surprised they weren't in the running for Steve Karsay.
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