As the month of August begins, the trend in the weather starts to become more mild. The temperature begins to decline as the month ends and the hot summer season begins to transcend into the cool, windy days of fall. All over the country, the change can be felt.
For Major League Baseball though, the temperature is just starting to get hotter.
The eighth month of the year begins the hottest point in baseball as teams fight for playoff contention. The final two months will be hotly contested as current division leaders are trying to maintain their grip on first place while the teams behind them try to fight their way to the top.
Here’s a look at the prognosis for each division for the rest of the season:
National League East: Atlanta Braves vs Philadelphia Phillies
The Braves were pretty set at the top of the division for a good portion of the season while the Phillies were just hoping to stay in the picture. Now, last year’s NL champs are closing in on first and now the heat is on Atlanta.
The Braves are currently the healthier team though with only Martin Prado on the disabled list. The Phillies have many of their weapons on the DL including Chase Utley, Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard.
Forecast: It appears to be hotter in Atlanta than it is in Philadelphia. Both teams have 57 games remaining, but it is Atlanta who will play 36 of those games against teams with a winning percentage over .500. Philly will have only have 25.
Key Matchup: September 20th - 22nd (Philadelphia @ Atlanta)
National League Central: Cincinnati Reds vs St. Louis Cardinals
The Reds are in the same boat as the Braves as a team that was sitting comfortably atop their division for most of the season. The Cardinals have also had a season similar to the Phillies as they have chased the Cardinals all season long. St. Louis though is closer to Cincinnati (half a game behind) than Philly is of Atlanta (three back).
The Cardinals currently have Kyle Lohse and Brad Penny on the DL and that will hurt their pitching staff if or when they come back.
The Reds rotation is also suffering with Homer Bailey and Aaron Harang out. Which ever team’s pitching staff recovers the fastest will most likely have the best edge for their division.
Forecast: Both teams are similar to one another for what they have coming up. Cincy has 55 games left to play and 22 of them are against clubs who are better than .500. St. Louis has 21.
Key Matchup: August 9th – 11th (STL @ CIN); September 3rd – 5th (CIN @STL)
National League West: San Diego Padres vs San Francisco Giants
The Padres continue the same theme as the rest of the other current NL division leaders as they have lead their division for most of the season. Despite that, the Giants have been sizzling in July and hope to keep it hot in August as they chase down San Diego.
San Diego have a few injured players that will be a big boost for their team when they return. Starting pitcher Chris Young is vital for their rotation and David Eckstein is an instant spark plug in the lineup.
The Giants are hoping to get a stronger bullpen when Jeremy Affeldt and Dan Runzler return back from the DL.
Forecast: Both team's schedules should feature sweltering heat in the next few months. San Francisco will play 34 of their final 56 against teams with winning records. San Diego will play 32 of their final 58 against teams over .500 (including 23 straight from September 3rd to the 26th).
Key Matchup: August 13th – 15th (SD @ SF); September 9th – 12th (SF @ SD)
American League East: Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Yankees
It isn’t surprising that the best division have the two top teams tied as the leaders. Four of the five teams have a winning record with the Rays and Yankees on top at 66-39 each. Nothing will be easy for either team as they battle it out through the last days of the summer looking to win their division.
Both teams are also similar in the category of the DL. Neither team has a big issue with injuries hurting a specific area of the team. The Yankees have Andy Pettitte out currently, but should be back soon in the rotation. The Rays have J.P. Howell out for the year, but the bullpen appears strong in his absence.
Forecast: The look ahead for both teams have a similar theme; more searing hot temperatures ahead after having a heated first 105 games. The Rays have 38 of their last 57 games against teams with winning records. The Yankees will have 37 of their last 57 versus teams over .500.
Key Matchup: September 13th – 15th (NYY @ TB); September 20th – 23rd (TB @ NYY)
American League Central: Chicago White Sox vs Minnesota Twins
Chicago and Minnesota are usually known as cold cities most of the year, but August and September should feature sweltering heat in both metropolitans. The White Sox are standing at the top, but it is the Twins who are in striking distance with one game separating them from the top.
The White Sox are also looking better on the injury front. Although Jake Peavy is done for the year, Mark Teahen should be ready to come back in August.
Minnesota is a different story. Joe Nathan is out for the year and they are still waiting for Nick Punto, Orlando Hudson and Justin Morneau to return. Without all three of those guys, their chances of winning look slim.
Forecast: The outlook for the Twins looks to be a blistering heat wave as the season ends. . Minnesota faces 29 games against teams with winning records and 27 games against teams with losing records. Chicago appears more cooler as they will play 25 games against teams with winning records and 33 games against teams with losing records.
Key Matchups: August 10th – 12th (MIN @ CHW); August 17th – 19th (CHW @ MIN); September 14th – 16th (MIN @ CHW)
American League West: Texas Rangers vs Oakland A’s
This might be the calmest division of them all with the Rangers having the biggest lead over their division compared to other division leaders. Texas is eight games ahead of the A’s and the A’s are barely over .500. If any team is feeling a cool breeze into the late summer, it’s Texas.
The Rangers have a variety of players out with injuries, but they aren’t key parts of the team. Ian Kinsler is the biggest issue as he is still out, but should return soon.
Oakland is a different story. Ryan Sweeney and Justin Duchscherer are done for the season, Ben Sheets and Eric Chavez appear to be long shots to return while Andrew Bailey and Connor Jackson are also out but may return soon.
Forecast: The good news for the A’s is that the Rangers have a tough schedule ahead as they have 36 of their final 57 games against teams with winning records. The bad news is that the A’s have the hardest schedule of all the current contenders (39 of their final 57 games against teams with a record over .500).
Key Matchups: August 6th – 8th (TEX @ OAK); August 27th – 29th (OAK @ TEX); September 23rd – 26th (TEX @ OAK)
With so many games left and virtually every team still in the hunt, anything can happen. Any team is a threat to become a difference maker. That is most apparent by one thought: If the playoffs started today, only one team from the 2009 playoffs would be in the 2010 post season (New York Yankees).
Just remember that summer usually ends in August, but baseball will keep it hot through October.
The Heat Starting To Rise In The MLB As Summer Comes To An End
