HHammerhead's Blog

Now that the All-Star game is over, we're officially halfway through the MLB season. The Yankees have almost played their way out of it, Seattle is surprisingly in it, and what the heck happened to the Cincinnati Reds? I knew they weren't going to contend, but who thought they'd be this bad? Here are my picks for the playoffs. We'll see how well I did come October.

AL East: The Yankees won't kick it into gear no matter how many free agents they sign. They don't have the pitching and can't catch the Red Sox. Toronto is treading water while Baltimore and Tampa Bay are already planning for next year.

AL Central: Detroit and Cleveland have made it an interesting race. The biggest question in my mind is whether or not Cleveland knows how to finish as a winner. Detroit was a surprise last year. They won't be a surprise this year. Detroit wins the division, while Cleveland plays for the wild card. The Twins are the team to look out for. Johan Santana and Torii Hunter could carry this team to the playoffs. Minnesota will need strong contributions from Boof Bonser, Scott Baker and Matt Garza in order to contend. The White Sox are in too deep of a hole, while the Royals are playing for another #1 overall pick.

AL West: Anaheim seems to be in control but where did the Mariners come from? Hargrove steps down and the Mariners keep on winning. Oakland is a great second half team, but you have to wonder how many more rabbits they have in their hat. Texas... better luck next year.

NL East: The Mets. Pedro's coming back, Alou will come off of the DL. The Mets have managed to win with three outfielders out injured. The Phillies can't stave off their 10,000th loss forever and Andruw Jones is the poster child for "Why Can't the Braves Win It This Year?" The Braves will fade. The Marlins keep contending on the cheap, but they're not close this year. Look for Dontrelle Willis to be dealt away while he still has value. Cashman, don't the Yankees need another starter? The Nationals.... Do I need to comment?

NL Central: The Brewers have made this an interesting race. Yes, the Cardinals won this division by barely topping .500 last year. .500 won't win it this year. While the Cubs, are still in striking distance and you can't count the Cardinals out as long as they have Pujols, the kids Milwaukee may just pull this thing out. The Pirates, Astros and Reds are already out of contention. Look for the Pirates to make some serious noise in 2008.

NL West: Last year this was a division that no one wanted to win. The Padres finally backed their way into the title last year, then summarily exited the playoffs. This year will be different. The Padres own the best record in the NL at this point (by a whisker), and the Dodgers are in hot pursuit. The Diamondbacks and Rockies are contending as well. The Giants decrepit lineup seems to be the only one that can't keep up here. Something tells me that the Dodgers won't let the Padres win by default this year.

Playoff picks:

AL: Red Sox, Tigers, Mariners, Indians The Red Sox will finish the season with the best record in baseball and roll through the playoffs. They'll knock out the wild card Indians in the opening round, while the Tigers' experience (thanks, Gary Sheffield) will overcome the Mariners' pluckiness. The Red Sox will be too much for the Tigers in the ALCS. RED SOX in 7 games.

NL: Mets, Brewers, Dodgers, Padres The Mets will distance themselves from the AL East pack in September. The Brewers suprising season continues. The Padres pitching only takes them so far before they surrender first place in the NL West to the Dodgers. Mets beat the Padres, Dodgers drop the inexperienced Brewers. The Mets manage to win games in Dodger Stadium in the NLCS. METS in 6 games.

World Series: Pedro faces the Red Sox in a twisted revival of the "Who's Your Daddy" series of 2004. Pedro Martinez is now a Met and goes to Fenway to win a World Series for New York. I'm not voting for Pedro. RED SOX in 6 games.

You heard it here first!