So this is what the land of milk and honey looks like. At least the outer suburbs.
After rallying to defeat the Devil Rays 11-4 Monday night, the Indians pulled into a "virtual tie" with the Athletics and Yankees for the wild card lead.
The Indians (69-56) are one percentage point behind Oakland and New York (both 68-55) in the wild card chase.
Get ready for a dog fight these next six weeks.
Below are preliminary capsules for teams in the AL wild card race. I am not predicting a winner, and for the sake of brevity, I am including only teams currently over .500.
Oakland (68-55, 0 GB).
The Athletics are in much the same boat as the Indians in that they are relying largely on youngsters. They don't have anyone among the league leaders in hits, doubles, triples, homers, stolen bases, wins, strikeouts or saves. Much of that might have to do with their slow start. Barry Zito has had a strong second half, and Danny Haren and Rich Harden have managed to stick (in some cases, flourish) in Oakland's starting rotation.
Oakland has burned a lot of fuel in a short amount of time to carry themselves to 13 games over .500. They could sustain it, but two losses in three games to the lowly Royals this weekend might be a sign of the boosters giving out.
New York (68-55, 0 GB).
The Yankees in a playoff chase is kind of like Michael Jackson drawing gasps and stares when he enters a room: it can't be helped.
A $205 million payroll will probably yield some dividends, even if the team is woefully underachieving by George Steinbrenner's standards. The Yankees' offense is carrying them, as it has pretty much all season. New York's starting pitching, no secret, is downright elderly. Shawn Chacon is their best pitcher right now, which is ridiculous considering he shares a clubhouse with Randy Johnson, Mike Mussina, Carl Pavano and Al Leiter. That fact could kill them should they make the playoffs. A bullpen, which has been not too good in front of Mariano Rivera, could be taxed and exploited if New York's senior-league rotation has no endurance.
The advantage to having your offense carry you is that you feel as if you are never out of a game. Should the Indians and Yankees end up tied for the wild card lead at the end of the season, how big will that sweep-saving win for the Yankees at Jacobs Field Aug. 4 look? Bob Wickman's ninth-inning implosion gave the Yankees the season series over the Indians 4-3, and means a playoff game between the Indians and Yankees for the wild card title would happen at Yankee Stadium.
Cleveland (69-56, 0 GB).
The Indians don't have a Johan Santana on the mound, or an A-Rod in the lineup, but they might be the most complete team in this chase. The starting pitching is reliable, the bullpen is one of the two best in the AL with Chicago, and the offense is capable of outbursts like on Monday.
Cleveland's biggest obstacles are six games with Chicago in the final two weeks of the season, and this seeming tendency to let tough losses get in their heads. This team can't allow themselves any more discombobulation-induced sweeps like at the hands of Tampa Bay two weekends ago if they truly want to give themselves a shot at the postseason.
Minnesota (66-58, 2 1/2 GB).
The good news for Twins fans: Johan Santana is pitching well again. The bad news: the absence of Torii Hunter leaves a pretty large hole in the middle of the lineup, not to mention center field.
Minnesota will, at the very least, hang in there until the end of the season. While Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau are in their first full big league seasons, this team is still laden with playoff experience. Those three straight division titles will count for a little something in this chase.
Toronto (63-61, 5 1/2 GB).
I vote no. The Blue Jays are above .500, yes, but the lineup is full of guys having good-but-not-great seasons. Shea Hillenbrand, Vernon Wells and Frank Catalanotto are good, but not enough to carry Toronto over their deficiencies, which include a relatively thin pitching staff behind 12-game winner Roy Halladay.
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