Pennant Race Report: August 12

I went to the dentist this morning. He said that my teeth looked amazing. He also said that I was doing a good job flossing. Flossing of course is important because even though your teeth are close together, plaque can get into even the tiniest spaces. What does this have to do with baseball? Well, some of the division races are so close it will take dental floss to separate the winners and the loses. Here’s the skinny on how the playoff contenders are looking this week.

AL East
After calling the Rays the class of this division they went and let the Yankees take the lead back. I still think the Yankees and Rays will get the Division and the Wild Card, but now I have to give the edge to the defending champs who split two tough series against Boston and Texas this week. The Red Sox aren’t out of it, but I just don’t think they’ll put it all together soon enough to take out one of these teams.

AL Central
Things are all knotted up in the Central where the Twins and White Sox have identical records. We could be headed for ANOTHER one-game divisional playoff if things stay this even. These two teams play each other tonight though, so at least one team will have an edge heading into the weekend. Still, I have no idea what to think here. It seems like every week one team plays great and one team tanks.

NL East
The Braves are 7-3 in their last 10 games, but they found out today that Chipper Jones will miss the rest of the season. So, it remains to be seen if they rally together without their longtime leader or wilt without him in the lineup. The Phillies are the last team I’d want breathing down my neck, especially since Chase Utley is on his way back from his injury. I still think the Braves can win out, but I don’t think Philly will make it easy.

NL Central
Well, Brandon Phillips went and insulted the Cardinals and then watched his team roll over in a three-game sweep. My gut tells me that this is a turning point in the Central and that St. Louis is going to turn their one game lead into a bigger cushion. They’re playing great baseball right now while Cincinnati is desperate for a win.

NL West
This is slowly turning into a battle of the Sans. The San Diego Padres keep on trucking but San Francisco just added Mike Fontenot and are just 2.5 games out. These two teams have similar profiles, solid pitching and surprisingly productive offenses. I think the Padres are still the better team but I like the pieces the Giants have added and I’d love to see what Tim Lincecum could do in the playoffs.