The smell is in the air. Summer is officially over; school is back in session, football is back, and many relationship statuses changed from single to in a relationship. More importantly, the end of summer means regular season baseball is coming to an end, and playoffs are right around the corner.
At this point, there are no clear cut division winners in the American League. The two Wild Card Spots are up for grabs, and there is no doubt that the playoff roster will not be decided until the last day of the season. The National League is not as tight. Cincinnati is in an unfamiliar position at the top of the NL Central with a comfortable 9.5 game lead over St. Louis. While, the Nationals are sitting on top of the NL East with a 6.5 game cushion over Atlanta.
This is when things get compelling. This is the time of the year when history is created. Teams begin to show their true colors and individuals take it to another level. Below are a few players to keep an eye on over the next month:
Adam Jones – CF- Baltimore Orioles
The twenty-seven year old, San Diego native, has been on fire the last week, batting .391 with 3 home runs and six RBI’s. For the remainder of the season, the Orioles have games against Tampa, Oakland, Toronto, Boston and Seattle. The way the Orioles have been playing, this schedule could be a walk in the park. Oakland pitching has been strong all season, and the season series between the O’s and A’s is split down the middle. Adam Jones is batting .333 career against both Anderson and Parker. A’s starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy is currently recovering after a scary incident when he was drilled in the head by a line drive, and he is out for the stretch.
Upperhand: O’s.
The O’s play the Rays twice, which could very well determine the Wild Card spot or even the division. But, the Rays do not scare Jones; he is batting .444 lifetime against Rays phenom, Matt Moore. Jones faces Hellickson on Thursday night, even though Adam’s power numbers have declined since early in the season he has been known to hit the long ball off Hellickson.
No one quite knows how the Orioles have stuck around all season. Some suspect it has been their impressive home run totals and consistent pitching. There is no doubt they have been hitting the long ball. There are no real superstars on the roster, and the injuries that they have experienced have been abundant. O’s starter Jason Hammel left today’s game with a knee injury to add to the list, but that didn’t stop the O’s from beating up the Rays.
Look for Adam Jones to make an impact in the tight AL East race through the remainder of the stretch.
Miguel Cabrera – 3B – Detroit Tigers
It is not news that Miguel Cabrera is having a solid year. With twenty-one games left in the season, Cabrera is batting .325, with 36 home runs and 117 RBI’s. The Tigers have been in a slump since the start of September. If any player has the ability to ignite the spark back into the team , it is MVP candidate Cabrera. Currently, Cabrera is leading the league in batting with an average of .346 and is right behind Derek Jeter in the hits column with 176 hits on the season. Cabrera trails Hamilton by only 2 in the RBI column for league leaders. The White Sox currently have a two game lead in the Central. Both teams have similar schedules heading into the last couple of weeks. Look for Cabrera to be one of the deciding factors in pushing the Tigers ahead of the Sox to take the division.
Adrian Beltre- 3B- Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers are at the top of the power rankings. Soon to be a free agent Josh Hamilton has by far been the star of the offense, blasting 40 home runs and driving in 119 RBI’s. Hamilton is not the only Ranger that has provided star power. Veteran Adrian Beltre is setting out to earn every dollar of that five-year $80 million dollar contract. It is clear that Beltre likes the month of September. In his last 19 games, Beltre is batting .397 with 12 HR’s. Currently, the Rangers have a three game lead over the Oakland A’s. With a four game series between the two ball clubs coming up at the end of September, the division is up for grabs. Expect Adrian Beltre to continue his fireworks straight through until the last day of the season.
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