[ken5050]

AMERICAN LEAGUE

AL EAST: Boston leads NY by 4 1/2

AL WEST: Angels lead A's by 1

ALWC: A's lead Yankees by 2 1/2, Tribe by 4 1/2

The weather may have given the Bosox a gift yesterday, wiping out a possible Chisox win, though Boston looked very good taking the first two of the series. You will recall that I predicted that the 4 game Yankee/Ranger series would produce about 60 total runs..Yup..it sure did..Tribe stumbled badly against the DRays..now it's the Yankees' turn. If NY had played.500 ball against TB to date, they'd be in first place. Yankee rotation does NOT inspire confidence down the stretch.

So to summarize..Both Sox in the playoffs, and you've got 4 teams..Yankees, A's, Angels, and Tribe fighting for two spots..

NATIONAL LEAGUE

NL EAST: Atlanta leads Phils by 5, Nats by 5 1/2, Florida by 6 1/2. Every team in the division is over .500!! Amazing..and sooo unlike the NL WEST

NL WEST: Pods lead the Rattlers by 3. Both teams under .500

NYWC: Astros lead Philly by 1/2, Nats by 1, Marlins by 2, and Metsies by 4

NL wildcard really tightening up. Astros had a bad week, and Clemens says his back is hurting. He wants an MRI. That could really hurt. Phils keep on winning, and the Marlins had a great weekend. TWO strong outings from Becket and Burkette. Their rotation could be the strongest down the stretch.

Braves and Cards are locks..other two teams???

[cripplecreek]

BoSox Tigers game just starting. The Tigers will take at least one game but I'm not counting on more than two.

[ken5050]

FYI

[MikefromOhio]

while I think the Astros are going to win the WC, I think that they won't lead the race for it for at least some of the way between now and the end of the season...

I think the Mets are going to fade fast.

Florida will stay in it with the Phils...but in the end both will fade and Houston will win it in the final 2 weeks of the season...

The A's are going to win the AL West....

[GOP_Raider]

Amazing. My team (Giants) are 16 games under .500 and are 7 1/2 back! Our pitching staff as a whole is among the worst in the NL, injuries galore (not including Bonds of course)....yet we're still less than 10 games out.

This division "race" is starting to resemble less of a "race" and more of "two drunks trying to punch each other in the parking lot".

[IndyTiger]

Tribe stumbled badly against the DRays...

Boy, did they ever. It was just about this time last year when the Tribe tanked, after pulling within a game of first. The Indians desperately need a right-hand power stick...Casey Blake and Aaron Boone contribute virtually nothing offensively from RF and 3B positions.

[cripplecreek]

STREAKER ON THE FIELD AT COMERICA PARK.

[.cnI redruM]

An A's/ Astros World Series isn't out of the question. If they were both wild-cards, that would be a big first...

[nutmeg]

Damn, Curt Schilling absolutely blew this game tonight against Detroit! He's looking pretty bad lately... his ERA is something like 6.69. I hope we don't have another Alan Embree on our hands.

Red Sox pitchers ain't what they used to be. I miss Pedro... :-(

[Charles Henrickson]

So to summarize..Both Sox in the playoffs, and you've got 4 teams..Yankees, A's, Angels, and Tribe fighting for two spots..Braves and Cards are locks..other two teams???

I'm not so sure the BoSox are a lock. Yanks are finally hot, only 3.5 behind. If Yanks take over first, then BoSox fall in the WC mix with the Angels and the A's. Tribe now 4.5 out of the WC; I don't include them. I agree that in the NL the Braves finally can be called a lock by now.

AL: ChiSox a lock; BoSox, Angels, A's, and Yanks in the mix--Yanks only 2 games out of WC.

NL: Cards and Braves are locks; Astros, Nats, Phils, Phish, Padres, and D'backs all within 3 games of a spot.