prayers for blowouts

MLB 08: The Halfway Point

July 1, 2008 – 2:05 pm
Posted by bryan in » MLB, previews

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Hey everyone, welcome to July! The first day of July is important for a few reasons:

1. There’s a whole bunch of folks in our country enjoying their last few days with all ten fingers intact. (Seriously though, be careful this weekend. Don’t be one of the 6000+ people who wind up in the emergency room.)

2. Half of your office is empty, and the people who are there aren’t doing a whole lot of work.

3. It’s the halfway point of the baseball season! Time to review those 13 preseason predictions I made back in March.

A Mid-Season look at Bryan’s 13 Predictions for 2008

1. The Yankees will win the AL East - Not Looking So Good!

As I said at the time, I wasn’t too sure of this prediction. I think I just made it to hedge my bet because i despise the Yankees oh so much. (My buddy even Geof emailed me when I predicted the Yankees would win and called me out on that too.)

This first paragraph also contained the worst individual prediction of the article, which said, “Cano might win the batting title…“. Inspired by my endorsement, Robinson went out and hit .155 in April, joining up with Troy Tulowitzki (who hit .152 in April) to double-handedly put my Roto team in the basement for most of the first half. I also thought Hughes and Kennedy would pitch well for the Yankees, which didn’t work out so well either. Can’t say I’m bummed though.

2. The Mets will win the NL East - Not Looking So Good!

I reasoned that Santana’s pitching down the stretch would make the difference, so there’s still a chance of that coming true. But right now the Mets look anything but amazing. On the flip side, the division is Philly’s to lose right now (I don’t think the Marlins can stay close), so it could get interesting.

3. The Diamondbacks and Angels win the Wests - Looking Great!

Both teams are enjoying a 3.5 game lead in their respective divisions. I said I didn’t believe the hype with the Mariners, and I nailed that too (31-51, the worst record in baseball).

4. Ryan Howard will lead the NL in homers this year - Jury’s still out

Howard has 20 HRs, but he trails teammate Chase Utley and Florida Marlin Dan Uggla, who both have 23.

5. The Cubs will win the NL Central - Looking Great!

No team has scored more runs that the Cubbies, who have 50 wins and a 2.5 game lead over the surprising Cardinals. Am I the only one feeling like this just might be Chicago’s time?

6. The Houston Astros will finish in the bottom 3 of their division - Looking Great!

Houston is currently in 4th place out of 6 teams, 4.5 games out of the 3rd sport. That they took 2 of 3 from my Red Sox was a bit annoying, but once Berkman comes back to reality, they’ll finish with a flourish of mediocrity. Jeff Miller, eat your heart out.

7 - The worst record in baseball will belong to the Orioles - Not Looking So Good!

Surprise, surprise…the Orioles aren’t half bad. George Sherrill has been getting the job done as the closer (until last night), and the O’s haven’t been the intra-division doormats that I thought they would be (16-18 against the A.L. East). It should also be mentioned that I said “I’m not as high on the Blue Jays as many are“…and the Blue Jays are in last place in the A.L. East, so that has to count for something. Or not.

8. The Tigers will not win their division - Looking Great!

The bad news: the Tigers are 5 games out and in 3rd place in the A.L. Central right now after a dismal start. The good news: they are the hottest team in baseball, having won 18 of their last 22 games. I predicted the Indians would win this division, but at 37-46 the only thing the Tribe are going to win is a high first round draft pick.

9. The Cy Young awards will go to Santana and Halladay - Jury’s still out

Halladay: 9-6, 2.90 ERA, 106 Ks, 19 BBs

Santana: 7-7. 3.01 ERA, 103 Ks, 32 BBs

Both have good numbers, but the frontrunners have to be Cliff Lee in the AL and Brandon Webb or Edinson Volquez in the NL.

10. The final playoff spots will be won by the Phillies and Tigers - Not Looking So Good!

This one looks wrong because it appears the Phillies will win their division, while the Tigers are 3rd in the Central and 5th in the Wild Card standings at this moment. Lots of baseball left, though.

11. The Yankees and Indians will meet in the ALCS - Not Looking So Good!

Looking horrific, actually. If I had to put money on it right now, I’m not sure which two teams I’d put in the ALCS. The Central is wide open, the Red Sox should win the East, and the Angels will probably hold off Oakland in the West. With a mulligan I think I’d go out on a limb and call it a Red Sox-Twins ALCS.

12. The Diamondbacks and Cubs will face off in the NLCS - Looking Great!

The National League playoffs could be extremely exciting. The Phillies hit like an American League team, the D-Backs have the strong starting pitching, and who’s not pulling for the Cubs?

13. The Yankees will beat the Cubs in the World Series - Not Looking So Good!

Is there a chance of this happening? Of course. But it’s looking pretty slim. The Yankees are going to need miraculous pitching to get into - and through - October. I do think the Cubs are the favorite to win the NL, and until dethroned, I think the Red Sox are the team to beat in the A.L. Like every year, injuries will play a key role. Big Papi’s wrist? Carlos Zabrano’s shoulder? It should be a wild ride. And you can bet that FOX is praying for a Red Sox-Cubs matchup in the World Series.

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How about you, faithful readers? Any predictions for the season here at the halfway point?