The logjam atop the AL and NL wild-card standings has put even more pressure on teams to come out of the All-Star break strong. While some have shown they are true contenders, others have all but dropped out of the race.
Who’s hot?
Oakland A’s » The A’s won eight of their first nine games since the break and have swept the Twins and Yankees. Their pitching staff allowed more than four runs only once in those nine games and has an AL-best 3.37 ERA. The A’s offense relies heavily on the production of 25-year-old outfielder Josh Reddick and 26-year-old rookie center fielder Yoenis Cespedes.
Cincinnati Reds » By winning eight of their first 10 games since the break, including sweeps of the Cardinals and Brewers, the Reds surpassed the slightly not-as-hot Pirates atop the NL Central. Johnny Cueto (12-5, 2.23 ERA, 103 SO) has continued his dominance and emerged as the NL Cy Young front-runner. But with former NL MVP Joey Votto needing knee surgery, will the Reds be able to hang on?
Who’s not?
New York Mets » Since the All-Star break, the Mets have been swept by the Braves and Dodgers, lost four one-run games (plus two straight extra-inning contests) and placed Johan Santana on the disabled list. New York has the worst bullpen in the majors (5.05 ERA), and it’s not really close. R.A. Dickey and David Wright are having award-winning seasons but have little help.
Chicago White Sox » After holding the AL Central lead at the break, the White Sox entered Monday night’s game on a five-game losing streak and are now looking up at the Detroit Tigers. In its first 10 games of the second half of the season, Chicago has scored two or fewer runs six times. And only Cleveland and Toronto have a worse bullpen ERA in the AL.
– Jeffrey Tomik
