AL Playoff Thoughts As of Today...

Ok, let's take a look at things 35 games or so through the season...

The Angels of Everywhere seem to be the favorite in the West, as predicted. Looking at their immediate competition (do they truly have any?) one could almost call them a lock...

The Central? The White Sox are off to a heck of a start with the Twins following closely. There has been a lot of talk about the Wild Card coming out of the Central this year. Let's break it down. The White Sox have been solid thanks to their starting pitching. Right now, record-wise, they are the best team in MLB with a 25-9 mark. But...if you think that Contreras and El Duque will last all year like this...I believe you have another thing coming. A few games in NY and Boston and the White Sox could turn...When the middle of the season rolls around (where teams will lean a bit more on their pitching staffs) this team could have troubles. Prediction for the Sox? 92 wins...That's right...A little better than .500 for them the rest of the season...To me the best pitching staff in that division goes to the Twins. When push comes to shove, they will take the division. 93-95 wins...

And now to the East...Again, I firmly believe that the Os will need more pitching. They can't go the distance with what they have. Best pitching in the division? The Red Sox, hands down...and that is without Wells or Schilling. Add those two guys to the mix, send one of the starters to the pen (This is going to be Francona's toughest decision...who goes?) and this team is primed to defend its championship. The Sox will win the division. The Yankees? Let's look at the numbers. Yes, right now they are riding a 5-game winning streak, but they are 16-19. Say they go 4-1 over the next 5 (on the road, on the West Coast) to even out at 20-20. That leaves 122 games. If they go 72-50 the rest of the way (a .600 winning percentage--that's a good clip, and 22 games over .500!) they win 92 games. Even getting to that point would be amazing, and they would deserve credit for never giving up. Looking at the above Central predictions this ties them with the White Sox for a Wild Card birth...To win 95 games, they have to go (after the 20-20 mark...if they reach that) 75-47 a .625 clip...Impossible? No, but very difficult especially now that the O's and Jays are not pushovers. And if the White Sox keep it up, the Yankees will have to win the division...I just don't think they have the pitching to do it, and it doesn't look like any aces will be available this year with the possible exception of Clemens, and I don't think they can afford him...

Wrap up???
West- Angels
Central- Twins
East- Red Sox
Wild Card- White Sox