This has been one of the most competitive baseball seasons ever, on August 7th all six division leaders had a five game lead or less and it was the first time since Major League Baseball switched to six divisions in 1994 that no division leader had a lead of 5.5 games or higher.
Adding to the parity in the league is the great young players in the game. Mike Trout just turned 23-years old two days ago, Jose Abreu is straight raking in his rookie season, Yasiel Puig is must-see television, Giancarlo Stanton smokes the cover off baseballs, Clayton Kershaw is Clayton Kershaw, Felix Hernandez is still on the right side of 30, and Craig Kimbrel might have the nastiest stuff in all of baseball.
No player in MLB history has done what Mike Trout did before turning 23, 80 homers & 80 steals.
And I swear this is the only time I am going to bring sabermetrics to the table, Trout's 27.3 WAR (Wins Above Replacement), don't worry I don't know what it means either, but anyways, it's the best for anyone in MLB history, topping Ty Cobb's 25.9 from 1905-09 and Mel Ott's 25.1 from 1926-31. The best player in the game is about to have his third straight season with a +.900 OPS, and he'll join a party of four with Mel Ott, Ted Williams, and Jimmie Foxx as the only players to do that before starting a season at age 23. Alright, one last stop on the Trout train, if he leads the American League in runs scored for the third straight year, he's currently two back of the Minnesota Twins Brian Dozier for the AL lead, he'll be the first American Leaguer' to do it since Mickey Mantle did it from 1956-58, and join Ted Williams and Babe Ruth as the only dudes to do it over the last 100 years in the AL.
Trout has been pretty selfish though, he's been hogging all of the attention and I don't think everyone realizes how great Jose Abreu has been during his rookie campaign. He leads all of baseball in long balls (31), RBI's (86), and leads the American League in OPS and slugging. The 27-year old Cuban is on pace to hit 40 homers and 40 doubles, and if he does he'll be the first rookie to ever accomplish that feat. Right now his slugging % is sitting at a pretty .612 which would be the second best ever by a rookie, Mark McGwire finished 1987 with a .618 slugging %.
Before we break down the pennant races we gotta dish out some love to the guys who play once every five days.
Clayton Kershaw is the best pitcher I have ever seen with my own eyes. Better than Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Greg Maddux, and this list goes on and on, I know he's only 26-years old, but he's on track to go down as one of the best (if not the best) pitchers of all-time. He's 13-2 with a 1.82 ERA and he hasn't lost a game in 72 days. In 128.1 innings this year he has 157 strikeouts and only 17 walks, let that sink in, 17 WALKS!!! He leads the National League averaging 11.01 strikeouts per 9 innings, and leads the NL with a 1.19 walks per 9 innings, the last guy to do that was 101 years ago when Walter Johnson did it with the Washington Senators in 1913. I think it's safe to say Clayton Kershaw is going to claim his second straight Cy Young award, and third in four years. If he finishes in the top-two, that'll be four straight years finishing second or better and he'll join Greg Maddux (1992-95), Randy Johnson (1999-02), and Pedro Martinez (1997-00) as the only pitchers to do so in the modern era. Alright baby, one more Kershaw wow stat, he's leading all of baseball with a 1.82 ERA, and if he finishes the year atop the leaderboard for the second straight year with a sub-2 ERA, Greg Maddux, Sandy Koufax, and Hal Newhouser will have to make room for four as the only pitchers in MLB history to ever do that. Okay, I know I said one more, but this time I really mean it, if Kershaw goes six innings and doesn't give up more than four earned runs in his next start on Sunday against the Milwaukee Brewers he'll have a sub-2 ERA over his last 100 starts and it'll be the first time since 1991 when Greg Maddux did it for the Atlanta Braves.
Alright time for the fun part baby, I am going to get you ready for the final 51 days of the regular season and send you to Las Vegas to make your bets, don't worry I only charge 20%, and this might be one of the tightest races in MLB history. Right now four of six divisions hold a 3.5 game lead or less and the Baltimore Orioles 6 game lead in the American League East is the biggest lead in all of baseball, and since we are talking about the AL East lets go ahead and break down that race first.
The Orioles have been one of the hottest teams in baseball since the break, and the most impressive thing about their 15-7 second half is all 22 of their games have been against winning teams. They just took two of three against the Toronto Blue Jays, who now find themselves six games back after dropping six of their last seven games, and back in June it looked like Toronto was going to run away with the East, but the injury bugs went across the border to Canada.
Luckily for the Jays, Edwin Encarnacion and Adam Lind are nearing a return, but were dealt some bad news with Brett Lawrie who won't be back until September at the earliest. Lind is on track to return to the big league club next week sometime and Encarnacion should be back within the next two weeks. The 31-year old Lind is the teams leader with a .320 batting average and they can't wait to get Encarnacion and his 26 home runs back for the stretch run. Despite not playing in a game since July 5th, he is still tied for 3rd in the AL in homers. Of the 43 remaining games for the Jays they play 22 of them against winning teams, and still play Baltimore six more times, including the final three games of the year at the Rogers Centre.
The New York Yankees know a thing or two about the injury plague this year. C.C. Sabathia, Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, and Ivan Nova were four of the five starters for the Yanks, and what do they all have in common? The disabled list.
However, the Yankees have still found a way to stay relevant in the AL East and are six games out of first place. Brandon McCarthy has turned into one of the best pitchers in the American League since they acquired him in early July. In six starts with New York he's 4-1 with a 2.21 ERA and a 6:1 strikeout to walk ratio. A lot of people thought the Yankees were done once Tanaka went on the DL before the break but they are 17-11 since his last start and just took three of four against the "Mighty Tigers" in a series win that could boost the Yankees for a nice ride into the stretch run. And, to keep the good news flowing in "The Big Apple" Tanaka felt good after throwing from 60 and 90 feet on Friday and he will test the arm out again today, so there is a chance his rookie season isn't over just yet. New York still has 45 games left on the table with 24 coming against teams above .500 and 21 against teams under .500, including 10 against Baltimore, and seven against Toronto.
I gotta go with the hot hand, Baltimore has the best all-around team in the division. They are fifth in pitching, seventh in runs, and are tied with Seattle for the best fielding percentage in the American League. The O's have the easiest schedule of the three and are an AL East best 28-19 within the division. Adam Jones is the best player in the division and acquiring Andrew Miller was one of the most underrated moves at the deadline, they will win this division by at least 3 games. The Yankees and Blue Jays will be right in the thick of things for the last wild card spot.
Now shifting to the American League central, everyone thought the Detroit Tigers were going to run away with the division, especially after acquiring David Price, but the Kansas City Royals have won five in a row and eight of their last nine to cut the Tigers lead to two games. I know the Tigers have the back-to-back-to-back Cy Young award winners, but they might not have the best arms in the division. The Royals have the third best ERA in the AL and they have one of the best bullpens in all of baseball. Greg Holland, Wade Davis, and Kelvin Herrera have appeared in 139 games and they are a combined 9-6 with a 1.51 ERA averaging 11.7 strikeouts per nine innings. I'ts almost unfair how the Royals can turn baseball into a six inning game. And, I don't think everyone knows how good of a season Wade Davis is having. He's 6-2 with a 0.91 ERA in 49.1 innings. The dude is averaging nearly 15 strikeouts per 9 innings and has only allowed one extra base hit in 47 appearances, yes you read that correctly, ONE FREAKING EXTRA BASE HIT.
The Tigers on the other hand have one of the worst bullpens in the American League, they have the fifth worst bullpen ERA in all of baseball. Luckily for the Tigers they have one of the deepest lineups in all of baseball and they are stacked with starting pitching. Anytime you can throw Max Scherzer or David Price out there every five days to go along with Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez, and Rick Porcello, that is just nasty. Alright already, I know no one cares about pitching, lets talk about what people love, hitting! The Tigers have the best average in the American League with a .274 team batting average, fourth in runs scored (521), sixth in homers (113), and are first in OPS (.759). This team can rake, and Miguel Cabrera hasn't even been their best hitter, hello Mr. Victor Martinez. V-Mart leads the team with a .321 average and 23 home runs. Martinez went the first two and half months this season were he had more home runs than strikeouts, well so much for that but it's still pretty sick that the dude has only struck out 34 times all year in 386 at-bats.
Sorry Cleveland, Chicago, and Minnesota you guys are done. Look at the bright side Cleveland you got LeBron freaking James to go along with Johnny Trouble. Chicago, you guys have the best pizza and food in the world and Derrick Rose is healthy, for now, it'll help cope with the fact that Jay Cutler is your franchise quarterback. Minnesota, yeah, sorry I really have nothing. Enjoy the cold weather.
Now getting back to the most underrated race in all of baseball between the Royals and Tigers. I think this race is going to be a lot tighter than people think. Kansas City has the best bullpen in all of baseball, and we know as it gets closer to October how important that really is. Man, all the signs are pointing to pick Kansas City to shock the world and win the central. Out of their final 48 games only 16 of them are against teams above .500, with six coming against the Tigers. It's going to come down to these two things in the AL central, the Royals bats and the Tigers bullpen. I believe more in the Tigers pen and the experience they have being in this position year after year that will help get them another AL central crown. If the Royals bats can get on track the final seven weeks though this is a team I would not want to see in the postseason and they will be right in the mix for the final wild card spot.
Now heading out to the west coast baby were we find the two teams with the best record in the game: The Oakland Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Okay, before we break this race down can the damn Angels just go back to being called the Anaheim Angels, ya'll aren't even in LA County.
The Oakland Athletics made a ton of buzz right before the deadline acquiring one of the best left-handed pitchers in the game in Jon Lester. I still can't believe how some people thought it was a bad idea trading Yoenis Cespedes for the guy who made the biggest impact in October last year. Yes, Lester is a two month rental, but Cespedes was going to leave after next year anyways. This is the best chance the Athletics have to win their first World Series in 25 years and getting Lester puts them in the driver seat. The Angels made a nice move before the deadline acquiring one of the most underrated closers in all of baseball in Huston Street. Nobody has a better save percentage over the last three years than Street's 95.5%, he's converted 86 of his last 90 save opportunities.
I don't think there is a more balanced team in all of baseball than the Oakland Athletics, and I think their MLB best 71-44 record proves that. The A's have the second best ERA in the American League and are tied with the Seattle Mariners with a 3.34 starters ERA. They also have the second best bullpen ERA in the AL, and if it wasn't for Jim Johnson they would be chillin' in the No. 1 spot. Oakland is tops in all of baseball with 563 runs scored, and rank in the top five in the AL in home runs and OPS. The only weakness for the A's this year is defense. They have committed the fourth most errors in the American League and their defense did take a hit in left field after trading away Cespedes, who has the best arm in all of baseball, sorry Josh Reddick, Yasiel Puig, and Gerado Parra, facts are facts. The A's currently hold a four game lead in the AL West and the Angels are enduring a losing streak at the wrong time of the season.
The Angels have dropped four in a row and have only won four games in their last 11. The main question with the Angels is their starting rotation deep enough? Sorry Angel fans, the answer is no. Outside of Garrett Richards and Jered Weaver they don't have anyone they can depend on. If only Christopher John Wilson could get back on track, this team would be scary in October, but his recent outings would scare me if I'm rockin' with the Red. In his last 10 starts he has allowed at least four or more earned runs in seven of those starts, and has a 7.71 ERA since June. He hasn't pitched into the seventh inning since the middle of June and the Angels aren't doing anything in October unless their $77.5 million pitcher starts throwing like it. The Angels have one of the best lineups in all of baseball to make up for their starting pitching. Anytime you can throw out Kole Calhoun, Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, Erick Aybar, and Howie Kendrick, one through six, that is a pretty nasty lineup. The Angels are second in runs (545), third in hits (1,049), third in OPS (.735), fourth in slugging % (.410), and fifth in OBP (.325) and are one of the best lineups in all of baseball. The Angels biggest weakness in the first two months of the season was their bullpen, but after acquiring Jason Grilli and Huston Street they now form one of the top pens in the game.
While the A's and Angels have been playing great ball, the team up in the Pacific Northwest has been playing superb ball also. The Seattle Mariners are 61-54 but are just in the wrong division, they are 10 back of Oakland, but would be within five games of any other division leader. I love this Mariners team and the job Llyod McClendon has done in his first season as the skipper. Seattle is starting to get hot at the right time, they have reeled off eight of their last 12, and are only a half-game back of the Kansas City Royals for the final wild card spot. Seattle quietly has the best pitching in all of baseball. Their 3.02 team ERA is the best in the game, their bullpen ERA (2.36) is easily tops, and they have the best right-handed pitcher in all of baseball. While everyone is blushing over Clayton Kershaw, I don't think we are giving "King Felix" enough love. He's 12-3 this year with a 1.97 ERA. Hernandez is rocking the top ERA in the AL, tied for fourth in wins, second in strikeouts (186), No. 1 in WHIP (0.88), No. 1 WAR (5.8), second in innings pitched (173.1), and his 22 quality starts are tops in all of baseball. All I know if I'm in the wild card game, I am praying that it is not against the Seattle Mariners.
The American League West will have a good chance to send three teams to the postseason. Just imagine if the Angels finish the year with the second best record in all of baseball, yet still have to play in the one-game sudden death wild card, against "King Felix".
Ouch.
I don't think the Angels will catch Oakland this year, the A's are the most well-balanced team in the game and no one has a deeper squad than the Green & Gold. The A's and Angels still play 10 (6 in Oakland, 4 in Anaheim) more times this year and Oakland has won six of nine, and are a perfect 3-0 at the O.co Coliseum. The A's will clinch their third straight American League West crown, the Angels will clinch the top wild card spot, and the Mariners will be battling it out for the fifth and final playoff spot in the American League.
Alright baby, before we break down the National League races lets go ahead and set you up for the American League playoffs. The Oakland A's will clinch the top spot in the AL. The Baltimore Orioles will finish with the second best record in the American League and clinch the No. 2 spot. The Detroit Tigers will claw their way into a fourth straight AL central crown and enter the postseason as the the No. 3 seed. Now time for the fun part, the Angels will easily clinch the top wild card spot, but the final playoff berth will be one crazy finish. Right now the Royals own a half-game lead over Seattle a one-game lead on the Yankees, and a 1.5 game lead over Toronto. Cleveland and Tampa Bay are within 5 games, but there is no way they are going to sneak in. I think it's going to come down to two teams: Seattle and Kansas City.
Man, I would be so bummed if the Yankees didn't make it though. First Mariano Rivera finished last year not making the playoffs, and it would mean Derek Jeter would go out the same way. Arguably two of the best postseason players of all-time going out with their last game being in the regular season, if there is a baseball God the Yankees are getting in.
I just gotta lean with the Royals and the M's because of pitching. They have two of the best staffs in all of baseball and as the playoffs near, pitching is the most important aspect of America's Pastime. Man, I am torn between the Royals and Mariners, it would be a great story to see either one of these teams make the playoffs, Kansas City hasn't made it since 1985 when they won their only World Series in franchise history, and Seattle hasn't made the playoffs in 13 years. I am going with the Royals, and the main reason why is because they have an easier schedule down the stretch run. Seattle still has 16 games left on their schedule against the top three teams in the American League (6 vs. Oakland, 7 vs. Angels, & 3 vs. Detroit). Before we switch to the National League, here's what the American League playoffs will look like.
AMERICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
1. Oakland Athletics
vs.
4. LAA vs. 5. KC winner
2. Baltimore Orioles
vs.
3. Detroit Tigers
Now shifting gears to the National League and all three division leaders hold a 3.5 game lead or less. I think it's safe to say the American League has been a little bit better this year than the NL, the Dodgers claim the best record in the National League, but have the fourth best record in all of baseball. The Angels are sitting over in the AL West wishing they could switch to the NL West, it's like being stuck in the Western Conference of the NBA, okay it's not that bad but you get the picture. Alright baby, let's get this party started and lets head out to the east coast.
The National League East is going to come down to the Washington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves. Man, I wish Jose Fernandez wouldn't have had to get Tommy John surgery because who knows how Miami would look right about now. They are currently 56-59 and 6.5 games out of first, but with the lack of starting pitching there is no way they can climb back in the race. The Atlanta Braves are hoping they never have to go on the west coast ever again. In an eight game road trip against the Dodgers, Padres, and Mariners they went 0-8 being outscored 41-18. The Braves were happy to get back on the east coast and they took down Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals, 7-6, in the series opener. Atlanta has owned Washington this year, they are 8-3 against their NL east foe, and are 29-19 since 2012 against the Nats.
The Washington Nationals have one of the best rosters on paper, but so did the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2012-13 season, and we all know how that turned out. The Nationals are loaded with talent all around the diamond, but a lot of their guys aren't living up to the potential. Remember when Bryce Harper was mentioned in the same breath with Mike Trout? Harper has had an injury-plagued season and is batting .249 this year in only 55 games. He has only four homers and 16 RBI this year and is batting .218 since coming off the DL in late June. While Harper hasn't panned out this year the other young stud on the Nationals has, Mr. Anthony Rendon. In my opinion he is the most underrated position player in all of baseball. The 24-year old all-around infielder has been Washington's most consistent player this year. He's batting .278 with 15 bombs and 65 RBI this year and he is nasty with the leather at second and third base. The Nationals have one of the best rotations in all of baseball throwing out Stephen Strasburg, Doug Fister, Jordan Zimmerman, Gio Gonzalez, and Tanner Roark. Washington has the second best team ERA (3.16) in the National League and have the third best ERA by starters and relievers in the NL. The bread and butter for the Nationals is their arms, and if their offense can match the pitching they could end the regular season as the top-seed in the National League.
The Atlanta Braves live and die by the long ball, which isn't good if you're trying to win games, sure it's good for getting the ladies, but not for winning World Series. Atlanta is third in the National League with 968 strikeouts, and they are the only team in the NL to have three players rank in the top 10 in strikeouts. The one thing going in Atlanta's direction is the way they own the Nationals and the NL East. They are tops in the NL East with a 29-21 divisional record and they have 29 division games remaining. The next week and a half could make or break the Braves, they still have two games left with Washington, then four vs. the Dodgers, three vs. Oakland, and three on the road against Pittsburgh, luckily for Atlanta 11 of those 14 games are at home and they have the second best home record in the National League.
The Braves and Nationals still have eight more meeting this year and Washington better pick up it up against their NL East foe if they want to win the division. The only reason why Atlanta is 3.5 games back is because of their dominance against Washington. The Nationals only have 18 games against teams with a winning record and 28 against squads with a sub-.500 record, so the icing is on the cake for the Nationals. They are too stacked with talent not win this division and the Braves will have to settle for battling for one of the two wild card spots.
Now shifting gears to the National League Central, this might be the best race in all of baseball. The Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, and Pittsburgh Pirates are all within two games of each other, and the Cincinnati Reds are only five back just hoping to get healthy in time for one last push at the division. The "Brew Crew" have been one of the surprise teams of 2014, they are 64-52 and own the second best record in the NL. The Pirates are 1.5 games out of first and are praying that last year's National League MVP, Andrew McCutchen, doesn't have to go on the disabled list. Last year's National League pennant winner, the St. Louis Cardinals are two back and are hoping the acquisitions of John Lackey and Justin Masterson will be enough to win the NL Central for the second consecutive year.
The Brewers are one of the best offensive teams in all of baseball, they are second in the NL in runs (507), home runs (116), slugging (.411), tied for third in OPS (.724) and have the fourth best average (.255) in the National League. Jonathan Lucroy has been one of the best players in the National League this year with a .307/.374/.493 slash line. The Brewers have one of the best lineups in the game with Lucroy, Carlos Gomez, Ryan Braun, Aramis Ramirez, Gerado Parra, Khris Davis, Mark Reynolds, and the platoon of Rickie Weeks and Scotter Gennett at second base. Before we look at their pitching, I think it's time people realize how good of a ball player Aramis Ramirez has been during his 17-year career. I would guess that most people think Adrian Beltre will be a hall of famer down the road, but comparing Ramirez's numbers to Beltre show how good he's been since his MLB debut in 1998. Both guys are in their 17th year so lets start with Beltre -
Beltre:
.284 average, 392 HR's, 1,368 RBI, .335 OBP, .479 SLG%, and .815 OPS
Ramirez:
.286 average, 367 HR's, 1,331 RBI, .344 OBP, .499 SLG%, and .844 OPS
So if Adrian Beltre is in the Hall of Fame discussion it's time to throw Aramis Ramirez in there too. Alright sorry folks, back to the Brewers. Milwaukee has a solid rotation to go along with their loaded lineup and their pitching is good enough to get the job the done. Yovani Gallarado, Kyle Lohse, Wily Peralta, Matt Garza, and Marco Estrada is a better than average starting five, they might not have that proven ace, but they have a ton of guys who are good enough to be No. 2 or No. 3 starter on just about any other squad. Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez is having a rejuvenated campaign this year, he's 4-4 with 2.89 ERA and has the second most saves in all of baseball with 34. You have to go all the way back to 2009 to find the last time K-Rod had a 30+ save season.
Lets take a look at last years surprise team, the Pittsburgh Pirates. Clint Hurdle has done an outstanding job since taking the job as the Pirates manager before the 2011 season. Last year he managed them to their first playoff appearance since Barry Bonds last year in Pittsburgh, yeah that was George H. W. Bush's last year as the head honcho in D.C. The Pirates have the best player in the National League in Andrew McCutchen. He leads the Pirates in average, home runs, RBI, OBP, slugging %, OPS, hits, total bases, doubles, and is second on the team in triples and stolen bases. This guy really does it all, and did I mention he's probably the best defensive center fielder in all of baseball. All the Pirate fans are hoping McCutchen can avoid the DL, he's dealing with a fractured rib and is taking it day-by-day before deciding on hitting the DL or not. The biggest move the Pirates made this year was calling up their 22-year old stud outfielder Gregory Polanco. Once he was called up it allowed Clint Hurdle to sure up his lineup, they were missing a top of the order hitter, and Polanco was exactly what the doctor ordered for Pittsburgh. The Pirates were 30-34 when they called up Polanco, and their record with him on the big league roster is 32-19. If Pittsburgh can get a healthy Gerrit Cole for the stretch run, that might be enough for them to find themselves in the playoffs for the second straight year and give them a chance to win the NL central for the first time ever.
Now looking at the St. Louis Cardinals, this team has under performed in 2014. If it wasn't for the San Diego Padres the Cardinals would have the fewest runs scored in all of baseball. Last year they led all of baseball in runs scored. Offense has been a tremendous problem for St. Louis this year, and I didn't think the loss of Carlos Beltran would be this much of a problem. The Cardinals are in the bottom half of just about every offensive category and are one of two teams to have less than 80 home runs this season. Luckily for the Cards, they have some guy named Adam Wainwright. Outside of Clayton Kershaw he has probably been the best pitcher in the National League. The 6'7" right-handed pitcher is 14-6 with a 2.28 ERA and has a 3.4 strikeout to walk ratio. Wainwright is one of two pitchers with 14 wins this year in the NL and he ranks in the top-five in ERA, WHIP, WAR, and innings pitched among all National League starters. Wainwright helps lead the way for one of the best staffs in all of baseball. Wainwright, Lance Lynn, John Lackey, Shelby Miller, and Justin Masterson is a legit one through five, and if they can get Michael Wacha back that would be icing on the cake. The Cardinals also have one of the best bullpens in all of baseball too, Trevor Rosenthal's 35 saves are more than anyone else, and Pat Neshek and Seth Maness help form one of the better bullpens in the National League.
I think this will be a three-team race, the Reds have too many injuries to deal with to get back in it. The Cardinals have the experience out of these three teams, the Pirates have the best player, and the Brewers are the deepest of the three. This is a tough one to pick, and there is a chance three teams from the central will be playing in October, and that would be the second straight year for you guys counting at home. Man, it's hard not to go with the Cardinals but I am going with the "Brew Crew" based on their depth. They have five solid starters to go along with a good closer and they have the best lineup in the division. The Cardinals have the easiest remaining schedule with 23 games against teams under .500, while the Brewers have 29 games left on the schedule against teams with a winning record, and the Pirates have the toughest schedule with 32 of their final 47 games coming against winning teams. I still think the Brewers depth will be the biggest difference and the Cardinals and Pirates will be battling for both wild card spots. This division could very well go all the way down to the final day of the season.
Alright baby, we are down to the final division and what better way to end it than talking about the best rivalry on the west coast: The Dodgers vs. The Giants. Baseball is just better when these two teams are competitive, because it sure isn't happening in New York and Boston this year. Los Angeles and San Francisco still have two three-game series remaining, September 12-14 at AT&T Park & September 22-24 at Dodger Stadium. The Giants own the regular season matchup 7-6 and are 6-2 against the Dodgers when Angel Pagan starts. You could make a good case that Pagan is their most important player, before Pagan went on the DL on June 15th the Giants had the best record in baseball, with Pagan they are 43-29 this season and without him they are 19-25. The Dodgers have started the second half streaky as usual. They dropped back-to-back series to St. Louis and Pittsburgh, then swept San Francisco and Atlanta, dropped two of three to the (49-66) Chicago Cubs, took three of four against their Southern California rival the Angels, then forgot how to play defense in the series opener loss to Milwaukee last night.
Los Angeles enters this series with Milwaukee with the top record in the National League and the Brewers are 1.5 games back with the second best record. The Dodgers are sure glad they held on to Matt Kemp, he's been one of the best hitter in the National League since the all-star break: .342, 6 HR, 16 RBI, .657 SLG %, 10 runs, & 2-2 SB. Since the break the Dodgers are 12-8 and the next nine games will be a big test to the Dodgers to see if they really are the best team in the National League. They still have two more in Milwaukee, three in Atlanta, then three back home against Milwaukee, after the three game series with the Brewers it will end a streak of eight of nine series against winning teams. And, how can we talk about the Dodgers without bringing up Yasiel Puig. He's one of the most exciting, must-see, young superstars in the game, I mean if Vin Scully gives you the nickname "Wild Horse" you gotta agree with the best broadcaster of all-time. You can say what you want about his antics but this guy loves to play the game of baseball, and he's pretty good too. Since being called up last June the Dodgers have more wins (134) than any other team in baseball. This year he's batting .314, tied w/ Matt Adams for third best in the National League, ranks in the top-five in OBP (.314), sulgging (.534), & OPS (.932) and if it wasn't for Dee Gordon's 10-triples he'd be leading the National League with his nine three-baggers. He's also turning into one of the best defensive players in the game. We all know about his arm, it's easily among the top-five in the game, but his range is off the charts, and since Don Mattingly moved Puig to CF we have seen how much ground the young 23-year old Cuban can cover. And, moving Puig was the best thing the Dodgers could do, they have won 10 of their last 14 games when Puig is roaming in center. Los Angeles has one of the nastiest rotations in the game, they arguably have the two best pitchers in the National League. Clayton Kershaw is off to a better start than anyone ever in MLB history and Zack Greinke would be the ace of just about every other team. Greinke is 12-7 this year with a 2.71 ERA and is tied for third with the Giants' Madison Bumgarner with 158 strikeouts. The 30-year old righty ranks in the top-ten in the National League in wins, ERA, WHIP, quality starts, K/9 innings, and K/BB. The Dodgers rank in the top-five in just about every pitching category but the one worry for Dodgers fans is finding someone to hand Kenley Jansen the ball. J.P. Howell is having a great year but he's still not a proven 8th inning guy, the two guys with experience in that position have been inconsistent all season. Brian Wilson and Brandon League will both play big roles down the stretch run for the Dodgers and they better be consistent for the Dodgers if they want to win their first World Series in 26 years.
Now looking at the San Francisco Giants, at the beginning of the year it looked like they were going to be the team to beat in the National League, but a 20-33 record since June 9th has them battling for their playoff lives. They know they aren't getting Matt Cain back this year but they sure are happy to get Angel Pagan back. He sets the tone for their offense, they struggled without his presence atop the order, but getting him back for the stretch run will be vital to the Giants making a run in October. The pitching for the Giants has been up-and-down all year but they still find themselves right around the top-five in just about every pitching category in the National League. Tim Hudson was a huge pickup before the year and he has allowed three earned runs or less in six of his last seven starts. The 39-year old righty has the eighth best ERA in the National League and is one of 15 pitchers in all of baseball with a sub-2.75 ERA. The Giants and Dodgers both benefit playing in the National League West because they will both play a lot of games against losing teams down the stretch. Of the Giants remaining 46 games only 17 of them are against winning teams and of the Dodgers remaining 45 games 18 are against winning teams.
I think the National League has a good chance to come down to the final weekend of the season but the Dodgers have too much talent not to win the National League West for the second straight year. Los Angeles has owned the NL West this year posting a 32-18 divisional record, while the Giants are only one game over .500 (25-24) against the NL West. The Dodgers still have 26 games remaining against the division and I don't see them to start struggling against the same teams they have been beating up all season long. And, did I mention they have the two best pitchers in the division on their team? To go along with a stacked lineup and a streaky Matt Kemp, this team has much bigger visions than just winning the National League West. The Giants will be right in the madness for one of the final two wild card spots, as of today there are five teams (Pittsburgh, St. Louis, San Francisco, Atlanta, & Cincinnati) within 3.5 games of each other.
It's time for some more predictions, this time on the National side, the Los Angeles Dodgers will capture the top-seed in the National League, nearly 60% of their remaining games are divisional games, and no one has a higher divisional winning percentage than Los Angeles. The Washington Nationals will hit a nice hot streak down the stretch and clinch the second best record and the Milwaukee Brewers will capture the third spot in the National League. The final two wild card spots are up for grabs, I think the Pittsburgh Pirates will secure the top wild card spot and host the San Francisco Giants for a chance to play in the divisional round.
NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
vs.
4. Pittsburgh / 5. San Francisco winner
2. Washington Nationals
vs.
3. Milwaukee Brewers
2014 PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS
American League Wild Card - (4) LAA defeats (5) KC in one game playoff
National League Wild Card - (5) SF over (4) Pittsburgh in one game playoff
American League Divisional Round
(1) Oakland Athletics over (4) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (3-1 series win)
(3) Detroit Tigers over (2) Baltimore Orioles (3-2 series win)
National League Divisional Round
(1) Los Angeles Dodgers over (5) San Francisco Giants (3-1 series win)
(2) Washington Nationals over (3) Milwaukee Brewers (3-2 series win)
American League Championship Series
(1) Oakland Athletics over (3) Detroit Tigers (4-2 series win)
(1) Los Angeles Dodgers over (2) Washington Nationals (4-1 series win)
2014 World Series
(1) Oakland Athletics over (1) Los Angeles Dodgers (4-3 series win)
So before we move on, by a show of hands please, who had the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks having the best records in their respected conferences at the halfway point of the NBA season?
And, again, by a show of hands what do Steve Kerr and Mike Budenholzer have in common?
The Golden State Warriors are the best team in the NBA. I don't care what anyone says, sorry LeBron James, but Stephen Curry is the most exciting player to watch in the game.
But, Golden State is a lot more than the "Splash Brothers" and it all starts with the most underrated player in the NBA, sorry Mo' Speights it ain't you, it's Alvin Gentry's nemesis Draymond Green. 
The Spurs of the past used to be about the "Big 3", but boy, have things changed in San Antonio. I get it, the Spurs arguably have the most depth in the game, but this team will go as far as Kawhi Leonard takes them. 
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES - They have the best big man duo in the NBA and I think it's time to throw Zach Randolph's name in the MVP race. Z-Bo is averaging 19 and 13 over his last 14 games and he is fourth in the NBA with 29 double-doubles despite missing nine games this season. And, the acquisition of Jeff Green was huge for Memphis and it could be exactly what the doctor ordered for the Grizzlies once May comes around. One more thing, Mike Conley is the most underrated point guard in the NBA.
PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS - Can we please acknowledge that LaMarcus Aldrige is the best power forward in the game. Just imagine if he was playing in a top-five market. There are only three players in the NBA who are in the top ten in scoring and rebounding, Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, and L.A. He's averaging 23.7 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 1.2 BPG, but this is the line I love he's shooting 46% from beyond the arc and he is shooting 87% from the free-throw line. But, what really impressed me the most about the eight year veteran from the University of Texas, he was supposed to miss 6-8 weeks with a ligament tear in his thumb, he missed TWO games. Plain and simple Aldridge is a baller! And, so are Damian Lillard and Wesley Matthews, they are the third leading scoring backcourt in the NBA, only trailing the "Splash Brothers" and the Chicago Bulls duo of Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler. Portland will be a dangerous team in May and I throw them in there with the Dubs and Spurs on the short list as we near the All-Star break.
DALLAS MAVERICKS - A lot of people thought the Mavericks were going to be on the short list of favorites to win their second NBA championship in five years when they acquired Rajon Rondo, but it has had the opposite affect in Dallas. In games played with Rondo the Mavs are 12-9 and they are 22-9 without Rondo on the floor. However, I still think Dallas is getting used to Rondo as their floor general so things could get better in Dallas sooner than later and boy how happy is Mark Cuban he was able to bring Tyson Chandler back home. I think it's a two man race for Most Improved Player between him and Draymond Green. Chandler is one of 12 players in the NBA averaging at least 10 points and 10 rebounds this year but his interior defense has made a huge impact for Dallas. Expect the Mavericks to be a sneaky team to surprise some folks in May, and I know the Spurs are hoping they can avoid Dallas in the postseason, they are always the toughest matchup for Coach Pop.
PHOENIX SUNS - First off, Jeff Hornacek has done a remarkable job with the Suns in his first two seasons as Head Coach (76-56 overall). They came within one game from making the playoffs last year and they are currently the No. 8 team in the playoff race at the halfway mark. I love the three-guard lineup they throw out there with Isaiah Thomas, Goran Dragic, and Eric Bledsoe. It reminds me of the days when the Detroit Pistons would roll with Isaiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, and Vinnie Johnson, and they proved you can win championships with a three guard lineup, buuuuut there is one big difference, the Suns don't have Bill Laimbeer, Rick Mahorn, and Dennis Rodman to help out their little guys. The Suns are one of the most exciting teams to watch in the game but unfortunately I think they are going to fall a little short of the playoffs once again this year.
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS - Can we all please realize how great of a player Anthony Davis is. I hope you guys are noticing who will be the best player in the game in a matter of years, and yes it is the dude who rocks the sexiest unibrow in the World. I mean, who else could pull that off. Could you imagine being in High School with one of those, you wouldn't last a week. But, when you are Anthony Davis you can do whatever you want. And, I love the way Tyreke Evans and Eric Gordon have transitioned their games. I mean who would have thought Eric Gordon would have posted at least five assists in 10 consecutive games and how about Evans putting up a poor man's Oscar Robertson stat line this year - 16.9 PPG, 5.9 APG, 5.4 RPG, and 1.2 SPG. I like the future for this Pelicans squad but I still think they are a year or two out from making noise in the postseason.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS - I mean I gotta talk about the Lakers right, they are horrible, but they are HUGE winners this year because there is a 99.99999% chance they get to hold onto to their 2015 draft pick, it's a top-5 protected pick and there is no way their lottery ball pops out before pick five. I mean David Stern isn't here anymore so he won't be able to screw the Lakers over again. Yo Jake and Nick you finally happy I admitted Stern royally screwed you guys! 
Then you add in Ashton Kutcher.. Oops I mean Kyle Korver, you know the dude who is shooting 53% from beyond the arc this year. If the season ended today Korver would be the first player in NBA history to shoot 50% from the floor, 50% from three, and at least 90% from the free-throw line. And, how about the best player in the NBA no one has ever heard of - DeMarre Carroll. Everyone needs that energy guy on their team if they want to win it all and Carroll is the Hawks version of Tony Allen. It was awesome to see the NBA acknowledge how well that Hawks have been playing by naming the entire starting five as players of the month in January, it was the first time in NBA history an entire starting lineup was given this honor.
But we all know it all starts with the "King" Mr. LeBron James. You can say what you want but he's got a great chance to retire as the best basketball player to ever lace em' up. That's not my opinion, I don't think I will ever see a better hooper than Michael Jordan but all I am saying is if someone has a chance to surpass MJ it's LBJ. So far this year the Cavs are 29-12 with LeBron and they are 2-8 without him. The reason why I already have LeBron as the third best player in NBA history is his ability to make the other four guys on the floor better. Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson are the only two guys I have seen do that better than LeBron James. I love watching Kobe Bryant play but that is the sole reason why I have James ahead of him, Kobe is a top-five player in NBA history, but his lack of ability to make others around him better is why LeBron James is a better basketball player than the Black Mamba, but hey how many guys get to go on a beer run with the Late Night King Jimmy Fallon, I mean that is just pure awesomeness. 
Now the team that might pose the biggest threat to Cleveland and Atlanta is the Chicago Bulls. 
But, the biggest addition for Chicago was the signing of Pau Gasol last summer. He's arguably having his best year as a pro. The 13-year veteran is averaging a career best 12 rebounds per game and is also averaging 18.1 points per game, his highest average since the 2010-11 season. His 31 double-doubles are tops in the NBA and the one thing the Bulls have been lacking in the past was a post presence, and that problem is solved with the elder Gasol in the Windy City. 
TORONTO RAPTORS - The Raptors started out the season on fire but have cooled down a bit. Since the New Year they are 9-9 but they pose one of the top backcourts in the NBA with Kyle Lowry and DeMar Derozan, who are averaging nearly 40 points, 9 rebounds, and over 10 assists a game combined. But, if Toronto wants to do some work in May it will come down to their role players stepping up, especially Louis Williams and Jonas Valanciunas.
MILWAUKEE BUCKS - If Atlanta's Mike Budenholzer doesn't win coach of the year it will be because of Jason Kidd. The job he has done with the Bucks is remarkable. Milwaukee finished last season with the NBA's worst record at 15-67 and this year they are currently the six seed in the Eastern Conference with a 27-22 record. Even with the second overall pick in last year's draft, Jabari Parker, tearing his ACL earlier in the season they haven't skipped a beat. Brandon Knight has been one of the top young point guards this season and Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and ZaZa Pachulia have been huge this season. The job Jason Kidd has done this year helps prove he really does know what he's doing on the bench.
