The week that was...

Padre Meltdown
Well, I'm not trying to get ahead of myself, but I saw this coming. Quite simply, the Padres may be running out of gas. Their offense has been pretty putrid all season, but they have only scored 25 runs during their 10 game losing streak. I predicted on this very blog a week ago that the Giants would win the West and I will absolutely stand by that. As for the Padres and their wildcard chances, it really looks like the Phils are rounding into form pretty nicely for a solid September, something that they're built for.

I guess the one thing that scares me about the Phils is just that, their age. But looking at that team, the roster is filled with players who know how to perform when it matters. I think if the Phils don't win the East then they're going to get the wildcard. I will stand by my predictions, though, and say that the Pads still get the wildcard, but I think the Phils are going to have a great Septmeber. It's hard to put a lot of faith in a team that's lost 10 straight, but the NL West has been an enigma the whole season. So have the Phils.

NL Central
I was a believer in the Reds, but I don't think anybody could have seen this coming. The Reds were swept by the Cardinals just a few weeks ago, and they have responded by playing beautiful baseball since then. They currently sit perched above the Cardinals (you see that metaphor) by 7 games and they aren't showing any signs of slowing down.

Their offense has been a model of consistency this season with a nice power/speed combination. The starting pitching has been solid as well, and the bullpen has been great. Oh yea, and they just added a guy to that bullpen that throws the ball 104 miles per hour. While Chapman has been a sight to see, the Reds have been concerned with his control issues. I watched his inning of work on Saturday, and there was a point that he couldn't throw a strike, luckily he rolled Albert Pujols into a 6-4-3 to get himself out of his jam. But the Cardinals were taking, taking, taking.

AL
It's just looking like your good old two horse race for the AL East. The Yankees pitching still really worries me and I don't think they will be successful in October if they can't resolve those issues. I think C.C. is running away with the AL Cy Young, but that bullpen is just not one that exudes confidence and an ability to finish games. The bridge from the Yankees subpar starters to Mo Rivera is a big question mark, but when you consider that offense, who really cares?

The Rays just seem like the most well-rounded team in the AL and the League for that matter. From top to bottom they have a great manager, great speed, decent power, great rotation, crazy good bullpen, and the best closer in the league this season.

The Rangers are in trouble. With injuries to Cliff Lee and Josh Hamilton, I think it's panic time for this team. Granted, they will win the West with relative ease, I'm starting to think it's even more so because of the weakness of the rest of the division. This will also really hurt Josh Hamilton's fantasy owners who have ridden him into their fantasy playoffs. Dealing wit that injury is a problem I'm really happy I don't have.

As for the Central, who really cares? I know I'm writing the Twins and White Sox off, but there's just nothing too scary about either of those teams. Looking back at Morneau's concussion, it will prove to have been a huge blow to the Twins in the AL Pennant race.

That's it for tonight. Everybody have a great Labor Day. Hooray America.