Despite one team already preparing for October, there is still lots to watch in these next three weeks. There are eight teams vying for four spots in the Edgar Martinez League while London, Oahu, and Edgewater are battling it out to see who will avoid Washington in the Division Series. While the playoff races are heating up, individual achievements will grab their share of the highlights as well. With two home runs, Mark Reynolds will take the single season TBA home run record. That's despite already breaking the single season strikeout record with his 200 whiffs so far. Javier Vazquez is already the first in TBA history to win 20 games and looks to be the first to finish with a sub-2.00 ERA.
Bowling Green lead the Molitor division by a game and a half but the path to the division title will not be easy. 18 of their final 21 games are against teams with playoff aspirations. All but three of those games are against teams needing to have a strong September to grab a wild card spot. Napa trails the Bowlers in the division but has a strong eight game lead in the wild card.
San Antonio has a seemingly comfortable six game lead over the Bums right now but a four game series with Vero Beach in Fenway could change that quickly. The Bums have a two game lead over the Marines for the final wild card spot but play them seven times this month. Loves Park trails the Bums by five but look to close that gap with four games with the Bums at home. Aberdeen is only three back of the Bums and although don't have the fortune to match up them head to head they are very much alive.
Washington clinched the division a couple weeks ago and is just coasting to the playoffs. The big thing to look for is who will take the division in the Vander Wal division. No one wants to match up with Washington in the LHL Division Series so winning the division (or the first wild card spot) is crucial to make a Championship run. London has the toughest road by playing the Booze Hounds 11 times in the final month but perhaps this will give them an edge should they play in October. Also, don't count out Reno just yet. They play 12 games against last place teams and should one of the three teams in front of them falter, Reno is right back in the mix.
Playoff Scenarios if Season Ended Today:
EML
Bowling Green (1) vs. Vero Beach (4)
San Antonio (2) vs. Napa (3)
LHL
Washington (1) vs. Edgewater (4)
London (2) vs. Oahu (3)
Milestones to Watch for in September:
Can King Felix or CC Sabathia be the first to win 20 in the EML?
Will Rajai Davis (currently at .362) hit enough to best Pujol's 2009 average of .362?
Will anybody hit 40 or drive in 100 runs in the EML?
Can Justin Verlander get to 300 strikeouts?
How many home runs will Mark Reynolds hit?
Can Washington win 120 games?
Will it be Halifax or Nassau (perhaps someone else) making the difficult decision with the number one pick come February?
Series to Watch For:
9/3-9/6: Vero Beach @ Colorado Springs
9/7-9/10: Vero Beach @ Loves Park
9/11-9/13: London @ Edgewater
9/11-9/13, 9/18-9/20: Oahu @ Reno
9/14-9/17: Vero Beach @ San Antonio
9/18-9/20: Colorado Springs @ Vero Beach
Almost All Month: London vs. Washington
Sunday, September 5, 2010
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Even though the playoffs are looking more and more unlikely for the Marines, I'm still hoping that Felix can pull off the 20 wins and maybe even the Cy Young. Little things like that make an ultimately disappointing season fun.
ReplyDeleteJust a heads up... I'll be hanging around AIM and the lobby hoping to go spectator mode.
ReplyDeleteMaybe other guys might want to do this also. Should be fun to watch some of these key matchups.
Just a heads up... I'll be hanging around AIM and the lobby hoping to go spectator mode.
ReplyDeleteMaybe other guys might want to do this also. Should be fun to watch some of these key matchups.
Funny, I seem to be repeating myself... repeating myself... repeating myself...
ReplyDeleteInteresting tidbit about Reno possibly sneaking in.
ReplyDeleteLondon better not try to coast in -- WAS has no lineup usage problems and only a few tight SPs.
The more interesting question would be if Mark Reynolds could hit more homers (52) than Nassau has wins (57)
ReplyDeletethis just in... Albert Pujols is trying to catch Reynolds for the HR title. Sir Albert now has 46 HR's through 7 games played in block 6, with the majority of remaining games to be played at home in Coors Field.
ReplyDelete