With the second half about to begin, playoff races and milestones take the storylines.
American League | National League
NL East
The Atlanta Braves, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies have been fighting for first all season and should be battling until the final week. The Braves have put it together with great offense to go with the same great pitching from last season. Jason Heyward has lived up to the hype so far and they are getting a fantastic season from Troy Glaus, who is probably the Comeback Player of the Year right now in the National League. Their pitching staff is great, led by All-Star Tim Hudson. The Braves have a good chance to win this division, as long as Heyward can come back healthy from his injury sooner rather than later. They made a nice trade with the Toronto Blue Jays, acquiring Alex Gonzalez for troubled SS Yunel Escobar. Gonzalez brings them steady defense and a surprisingly good bat to Atlanta. He should help the lineup generate more power and speed. The Braves want to win this for their manager, Bobby Cox, who plans to retire following the season. The Mets, who were left for dead prior to the season, have been a pleasant surprise in the NL East. Jose Reyes has fully recovered from his injuries, and MVP candidate David Wright has been on a tear following a slow start. Rookie sensation Ike Davis has turned the team around since his callup. Angel Pagan has done a good job filling in for Carlos Beltran, who should be back from injury the week after the All-Star break. Jason Bay has been a disappointment with his power, but he has shown some speed and has used the big ballpark to utilize that speed. The pitching has been solid, led by Johan Santana, who has been excellent as of late, and Mike Pelfrey, who has put it all together this season. Oliver Perez has been a disappointment, but it looks like he’ll be getting another chance when he gets off the DL, which is unfortunate, because he has not performed well in the last couple of seasons. The Mets are in the hunt for Roy Oswalt and have a chance to also add a second baseman if any become available. The Phillies have been the leaders in the division the past two seasons. This season looks unlikely for them to three-peat as division champions. They are getting great seasons from offseason pickup Roy Halladay and the oldest player in the league Jamie Moyer. Cole Hamels has not been his dominant self this season. The bullpen has performed the way they wanted it to and Brad Lidge is still not at his 2008 form. They really miss Chan Ho Park, who hasn’t performed well in New York. They may try to get Pedro Martinez again for this stretch run. That could be big for them. Offensively, they have been getting a great season by Ryan Howard and Placido Polanco (currently on the DL). Jayson Werth is having a subpar season along with Shane Victorino, who is really struggling. Jimmy Rollins has been hurt most of the season, but if he can get healthy soon, the Phillies may have a chance to come back. The key is Chase Utley, who is on the DL. Utley was struggling prior to being hurt, but the Phillies are missing him in that normally potent lineup. If the Phillies can turn the offense around, the Mets and Braves better watch out. Even though the Nationals are out of the hunt in the division, rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg looks to rack up Ks at a historic pace. He will be someone to look for in the second half of the season. The NL East can be very interesting down the stretch.
NL Central
The Cincinnati Reds have been one of the surprises in the game. They have grown faster than expected, led by NL MVP candidate Joey Votto. They have one of the best offenses in baseball. Along with All-Stars Votto Scott Rolen and Brandon Phillips, they have gotten great seasons by Drew Stubbs and Johnny Gomes. Jay Bruce is turning the corner and may have found his swing. The defense on the team is amazing. The entire infield has a chance to win Gold Gloves this season. The double-play combination of Orlando Cabrera and Phillips is the best in baseball defensively. Their pitching has been good too. Bronson Arroyo has been great this season. Rookie Mike Leake, who did not pitch at all in the minor leagues, has been a great find and is really leading the staff. The bullpen has performed well too. Arthur Rhodes is having his best season so far, making his first All-Star team this season. Aroldis Chapman is being groomed into a reliever for the stretch run and he could be a good lefty-specialist with a plus-fastball. The Reds have one of the most all-around teams in baseball. St. Louis has been fighting with the Reds for first all season long. They have very good starting pitching, led by the three-headed monster of Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright and rookie Jaime Garcia. They haven’t gotten a great season offensively except for Albert Pujols but he always has a great season. The offense is not the same and that could be their downfall this season. Unless they make a trade for a bat, they really may not have much of a shot at winning their division. The positive for the Cardinals is that they have a chance to beat up the weaker teams in their division like the Cubs, Brewers, Astros and Pirates. With Tony LaRussa, the Cardinals will always have a good shot to win. In the end though, look for the Reds to turn up the juice in the second half.
NL West
Perhaps the biggest surprise in all of baseball, the San Diego Padres are having a great season. They have a two game lead in their division and show no signs of slowing down. Before the season they were going be sellers, but now Bud Black’s team is going to be a buyer and have a chance to do something special. The offense is a little weak with the only real power threat being Adrian Gonzalez, but a trade for a Jayson Werth could spark that lineup. Their pitching has them where they are at now. Mat Latos has been a star this season and John Garland has performed admirably in turning things around for the Padres. When they get to the bullpen, the setup guys have done a great job getting it to All-Star closer Heath Bell. They will be in a fight to the end, but they should be able to come on top if they make a move or two to improve their offense, because they have the pitching to make it far. The Rockies are playing well after a slow start to begin the season. Ubaldo Jiménez has been on a tear all season, winning 15 games at the break. Jason Hammel had a big month of June for them and was one of the top pitchers in the league in June. Even without Troy Tulowitzki, the offense has performed well. Carlos González has evolved his game and is now one of the top hitters on the team. With Todd Helton out because of injury, Jason Giambi is getting more playing time and will give them some more power out there in Colorado. Miguel Olivo has been one of the best catchers in the game this season and was snubbed for the MLB All-Star Game. The Rockies have some work to do if they want to win the division. The Dodgers have greatly underperformed this season. They pitching staff other than Clayton Kershaw has been average at best. Vincente Padilla has pitched well of late, including eight shutout innings against the Cubs the day before the All-Star break. Look for him to keep up his good pitching if the Dodgers want to stay in contention. The offense has been inconsistent the whole season. Matt Kemp is the poster-boy for that inconsistent play. His monster season of 2009 has passed him this year, including being benched by Joe Torre for a few games this season. James Loney has a lot of RBIs this season, but at his position (1B), he needs to show more power. Rafael Furcal is back after a couple of injury-plagued seasons. He was an NL All-Star and is performing at a high level. Andre Ethier began the season on a tear, but after a broken finger and a DL stint, his numbers have suffered. They are looking to add a pitcher, but it will probably not be a big name because they are trying to cut payroll. The Dodgers need to get their pitching right or they will fall fast. San Francisco is keeping pace, only four games out of first at the break. They have received great starting pitching from Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Barry Zito and Johnathan Sanchez. Lincecum has not had a season where he is completely dominant, but he is still having a great season. Zito is having his best season in years and is a big reason why they have been playing so well. The bullpen has done a good job getting the ball Brian Wilson, who has been one of the best closers in the NL. The offense is similar to the Padres, but speed is not part of their game. Aubrey Huff and Pat Burrell have been nice additions to the team, bringing some power to a weak-hitting team. They have their top prospect Buster Posey up and now playing everyday with the trade of Bengie Molina. Posey has a chance to be a top catcher in the game. They may come up just short in the end due to lack of offense. The NL West could be the best race in the NL down the stretch.
