1. New York Yankees: You knew that season series with the Red Sox would turn around sooner or later.
2. Los Angeles Angels: The lineup is full of .300 hitters, but strange as it sounds, is there enough pitching to go all the way?
3. St. Louis Cardinals: There really is no glaring weakness or serious question mark on the roster, and that makes them a very narrow favorite in the NL.
4. Philadelphia Phillies: You gotta love that lineup, but can a team with a closer who has a 6-plus ERA win a second consecutive World Series?
5. Los Angeles Dodgers: Don't look now, but they've been a .500 team for nearly as long as the Rockies have been playing .600-plus baseball. But that said, expect a strong finish.
6. Boston Red Sox: It's not looking good for a Billy Wagner acquisition, so they need their own pieces -- Tim Wakefield, Daisuke Matsuzaka, etc. -- to have an impact down the stretch.
7. Colorado Rockies: If you haven't figured it out already, you're just not paying attention: Nobody has played better baseball since JIm Tracy took over on June 4.
8. Texas Rangers: Nobody expects them to beat the Red Sox in the wildcard chase, but they're making it pretty interesting, aren't they?
9 Tampa Bay Rays: Too many good hitters -- B.J. Upton and Pat Burrell, to name two -- are underachieving for another miracle to occur.
10. Detroit Tigers: You can't like their chances in the playoffs, as the lineup doesn't produce much against quality pitching.
11. Atlanta Braves: There's a chance here for a run at the wildcard, as the rotation is deep, and could get a boost from Tim Hudson. But like the Giants, the offense is a bit short.
12. San Francisco Giants: Everybody knows there isn't enough offense -- especially with Freddy Sanchez's shoulder keeping him out of the lineup. But the defense isn't very good, either.
13. Florida Marlins: Can they ride Josh Johnson and a handful of productive hitters to a late wild card run?
14. Chicago White Sox: No team in serious contention looks less like a contender than the Sox. And Jake Peavy still is a ways from getting a chance to make a difference.
15. Seattle Mariners: Nice season so far for Jack Zduriencik, Don Wakamatsu and Co.
16. Chicago Cubs: Only $845 million for a slightly disfunctional team that could get blown up this off-season. What a bargain.
Comments
How are the Cardinals ahead of the Phillies? Not only do the Phils have a better record, but they schooled the Cardinals in their last series. The Phils, taking two out of the three game series, had a total of 24 runs versus the Cardinals' 16. And, yes, Matt Holliday was already on St. Louis's roster.
It's a toss-up in my mind, John. My big question with the Phillies is the bullpen. Lidge just blew another save, is 0-6 with nine blown saves and 7+ ERA. Not many teams go deep in the playoffs with those numbers from their closer. If Lidge gets it together down the stretch, I'd lean to the Phillies.
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