Which MLB Playoff Races will come Down to the Wire?

It’s practically an inevitable occurrence within the current landscape of professional baseball; each and every year there are several MLB division races that go down to the last day. Meanwhile, the wildcard race can also crack the playoff door open for several lucky teams while leaving others ruthlessly out of the glorious postseason that encompasses baseball and reminds us why this sport truly is America’s sport. Like any other, this year figures to be a tight contest all the way to the end! Here’s some of the more enticing MLB playoff races on the horizon and how I expect them to pan out:

The AL Central – While the Cleveland Indians seem to be fading and fading fast, the main culprits are going head to head, tooth and nail to the final day! The free-spending Detroit Tigers are the clear choice to win based on their roster and pre-season hopes, but the Kansas City Royals could be the surprise team of the year, and are currently right on their heels. James Shields has been his usual tremendous self, but the collective hitting and unity has seen the Royals play far beyond their talent and has brought about a new level of belief. While everyone is rooting for them, who knows if they’ll be able to muster enough wins to overtake Max Scherzer, Miguel Cabrera, and the rest of the tremendous Tigers. The upcoming 3-game duel between these two clubs this weekend could decide the AL Central division’s fate, though the wildcard certainly presents an outlet for either team, but both know that facing an entire season’s hopes on one game is certainly far from ideal... These teams will desperately want to claim the division. I think the Royals will do it.

The NL West – Between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants a tremendous west coast rivalry has been simmering for years. But while the Dodgers have been spending big to recruit top players in the last few seasons, the Giants are the one with two recent World Series Championships. Nevertheless, with guys like Yasiel Puig, Adrian Gonzalez, and Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers are rapidly becoming the team to beat and have been getting hot just in time to claim the division and potentially start a deep playoff run. Meanwhile, the Giants with Buster Posey, Tim Lincecum, and Madison Bumgarner actually have a proven track record of getting hot just in time for the MLB playoffs. The pinnacle series will be early next week between the two sides and could decide their fates, leaving the loser in the dreaded wildcard match. The Dodgers look too good to mess this up, and I suspect they may win it all.

It’ll be interesting to see how these teams fare once the playoffs begin. While other baseball clubs may benefit from being able to rest their players in the last few weeks of the season, teams like the Dodgers, Giants, Royals, and Tigers could benefit from the momentum gained by winning such a tight race. By the time the October playoffs arrive, they’ll be hardened by a full month of living on the edge and could be better equipped to handle the playoff pressure. As such, the winners of these close divisions might just be hoisting the World Series trophy at the end of it all!

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MLB American League Wildcard Race Coming Down to the Wire

 The addition of one more team gaining entry to the MLB postseason, and the creation of a 1-game playoff game between the now 2 wildcard teams has increased the interest in the baseball standings heading down the stretch in the season. The American League currently has 6 teams that all realistically have a shot at claiming one of these 2 wildcard places to earn a spot in that enticing lone game, with the entire season on the line. Who will take part in this game to determine the AL wildcard team? We take a look at all the contenders:

Texas Rangers – The Rangers have become perennial disappointers, though they have put together several impressive seasons based on wins and losses alone, including this season. But last year the Rangers crumbled in the last week to give up a division lead and ended up losing in the 1-game playoff, and the events over this final month look to again be the Rangers’ undoing this year. After looking safe and cozy atop the AL West for much of the season, the Rangers are falling apart. Although they still have an ace pitcher in Yu Darvish, the team clearly cannot produce when they need to, and I think they need to look at manager Ron Washington for answers why.

Tampa Bay Rays – This young, small-market team has grown used to having a winning team, having made the playoffs quite often in the tricky AL East division. They have all the necessary tools to win including good pitching and hitting, led by guys like Evan Longoria, David Price, and James Loney. Although they have entered a small slump over the last week, they are a team that has been widely expected to make the playoffs.

New York Yankees – The circus in New York continues, and the team still has a shot at making the playoffs, despite all the injuries and drama surrounding the team. Alex Rodriguez is hitting well amidst his suspension appeal and the team is loaded with proven veterans. However, their pitchers haven’t been up to par, and this could be the team’s undoing in 2013. They still have 3 games to make up but with roughly 13 games left, anything is possible.

Baltimore Orioles – Last year was a surprise success for the Orioles, and many have expected similar things this year, especially as they have been in contention for a while. Chris Davis is leading the majors with 50 home runs while decent pitching has left the team competitive. The Orioles are hanging in there and although they have been playing rather average as of late, they could benefit from last season’s experience to reach the MLB playoffs.

Cleveland Indians – This team has been boosted by new manager Terry Francona and his World Series winning experience. While no single player has really taken on the load, the offensive production has been a real team effort, with 8 players having surpassed 10 home runs on the year. Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez have led the pitching quite well, and the team has been winning close games. The Indians have been hanging around all year, and have finally avoided a late-season plunge, but they will need to kick it into high gear heading down the stretch.

Kansas City Royals – Often an afterthought in baseball due to their abysmal history, the Royals haven’t made the postseason in 27 years. In mid-summer the Royals were several games below .500, and we once again assumed they would fall apart. But we have been wrong, and the Royals current hot streak has put them just a few games out of the AL wildcard race. Eric Hosmer looks to be a rising star while James Shields has finally provided the team with some decent pitching. The teams that succeed are usually the ones that get hot right at this time of year. Could the Royals be up for some October heroics?

So which 2 teams will emerge from all this confusion to actually earn a spot in the 1-game postseason decider, and who will win it? I have my money on the Indians and Rays battling it out for the AL wildcard, and the Indians winning it in walk-off fashion 10-9.

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Cleveland Indians Becoming the Surprise Team in the AL Central

Cleveland Indians baseball display case

For a team that usually struggles to an average record year after year, the Cleveland Indians have been the surprise of the season through the first 35 games 2013. After a predictably rough star to the year, the Indians have improved greatly. On a current hot streak, the Tribe has won 13 of their last 16 games, and has pushed to within just a half game of the AL Central lead. How has this team that was supposed to be in a rebuilding year with a new manager completed what seems to be such a remarkably quick turnaround?

 

It all started with the acquisition of manager Terry Francona, mastermind of 2 World Series Championships for the Boston Red Sox. Overcoming the Curse of the Bambino, Francona built a dynasty in Boston around players like Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, David Ortiz, and Manny Ramirez. But having since moved on from that club, Francona has now taken the reigns in Cleveland and looks like he may have a shot at working similar magic for the Indians.

 

Francona orchestrated a general house cleaning, ridding the Indians of familiar faces like Travis Hafner and Shin-Soo Choo. However, these players have been replaced by quite a few well-known stars. Among the new members of the Tribe are Michael Bourn, Jason Giambi, Nick Swisher, Mark Reynolds, and Scott Kazmir. These players have had a mixed bag of success, as any low-market team like the Indians will discover with their signings. But the Indians are winning right now, and with holdover players like Carlos Santana, Michael Brantley, Justin Masterson, and Zach McAllister performing well, they could be on to more success, especially if the bats of the newcomers can warm up.

 

Indians fans will be cautious about getting excited over this new-look team. Past seasons have begun well to peak interest, only for the team to suffer from mid-summer swoons and fade away into the obscurity of the AL Central.

 

Another problem for the Tribe this year will be division rival, the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers reached the World Series last season but were abused and swept by the San Francisco Giants. However, that experience seemingly forced the team’s hand into bringing in a powerful hitter and former Gold Glove winner in Torii Hunter. Although Hunter has just a single home run on the season, his .333 batting average is strong. Additionally, the team that houses superstars like Prince Fielder, Miguel Cabrera, and Justin Verlander is also having a solid start to the year and currently lead the AL Central with a 21-15 record. For the Indians to overcome such a strong team and clinch the division would be quite the tall ask, even as they are within touching distance so far this year.

 

But if there’s one thing that suggests this could be a playoff year for the Indians, it is the fact they seem to have luck on their side. Last week, the Indians were gifted a horrendous non home-run call that would have seen the Oakland Athletics tie a game in the 9^th inning with a Adam Rosales home run. Wrongly ruled a double, the Indians got a free win. If good fortune keeps going the Indians’ way, they might be in the mix come October.

 

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