According to ESPN’s power rankings, the Philadelphia Phillies hold down the number one spot for the sixth straight week. No surprise there, they arguably have the best pitching staff in the league. Falling into the second and third spot are none other than everyone’s favorite AL East division rivals: The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.
Heading into this season, two things were clear in my mind:
1. The Phillies had the best pitching staff
2. The Red Sox had the most dynamic offense
Both things stayed the same for most of the season. The Red Sox have recently had some injuries and inconsistencies, allowing the Yankees to sneak by them quietly into first place.
But, like those two statements were a sure thing in my mind during spring training, another statement also haunted me:
3. The Yankees were full of question marks.
There you go, I was right on three counts.
The playoffs are just around the corner and right now there are very few certainties. Some years you just know……. it could be right after the all star break, right at the trade deadline, or from the first moment that team takes the field, that they are going to bring home a ring. This year is not one of those years.
Some people might argue that the Phillies have it all, after all pitching does win championships. But, all of the chips have to fall into place at just the right time. The Phillies are SEVENTH in the NL in runs, and THIRTEEN in runs scored in the majors. So, the only thing Philly fans can hope is that the pitching wins every game, because it is doubtful that the offense will. Also taking into consideration that the AL has better hitters, the Phillies ARE NOT a sure thing.
The Sox have had pitching issues since the offseason. Most Red Sox fans have had their blinders on to that fact that after Beckett and Lester it pretty much goes down hill from there. Kudos on them taking the former Yankees hurler, Aceves in the offseason, because he has proven his worth and then some (still annoyed with Cashman for that one). There have been injuries throughout the season, but the question marks with their pitching existed before injuries transpired. Their offense has been hot, especially in the clutch. Adrian Gonzalez has been everything Theo hoped for and more, boasting a .346 batting average. But would you trust Wakefield and Lackey in the playoffs? Or a testy bullpen with a considerable weakness to lefties. With Ortiz and Youkilis on the DL and Crawford gradually coming close to making an appt. with Arod’s psychologists, the doubts surrounding the Sox through the playoffs exists.
I will admit, after losing out on the Lee sweepstakes (although I personally am not a Lee fan), I had some SERIOUS doubts about the Yankees this season. Two veteran starters with their share of troubles were picked up to try desperately to fill holes in the Yankees starting rotation. After Sabathia it is anyone’s guess. AJ Burnett is habitually inconsistent, anyone that pays attention can see his problems are all in his head. He should have a group therapy meeting with Crawford and Arod to hash out their issues. Colon, Garcia, and Nova have all played their part in holding the Yankees to the second best ERA in the AL. Not bad for the patchwork job Cashman has done. On the offensive side, the Yankees lead the majors in runs scored, home runs, and RBI’s. But, the Yankees have stuck around quietly. They have been dominated by the Red Sox in head to head matchups this year 10-2, which isn’t a good sign for the Yankees considering that will be the ALCS matchup.
OK, I am getting ahead of myself. There are wild card teams scattered through out the majors right now, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Detroit, Atlanta, Angels…the list can go on and on. Any of these teams can catch lightning in a bottle. It has happened time and time again. Before the 2010 season, I doubt there were many people that thought San Fran would win the WS. Even after the all star break, I doubt Vegas was swarming with Giants winning the WS predictions. ANYTHING can happen in the playoffs.
Only time will tell my friends. With that I leave you with one of my favorite baseball quotes:
Phillies!!!