In an earlier post handicapping the AL East, I named the defending champion New York Yankees as a lock to get into the post-season, and commented on whether the Tampa Bay Rays would be able to hang in with them for the long haul. I also wrote off the Boston Red Sox as having no chance to stay in the race. I still don’t think there is any question that the Yanks will be in post-season play, but they may not win this division. Still, even if they slip up and are overtaken for the division title, in my mind the Yankees are still the favorite to win it all. They have been odds-on favorites to repeat as champs since before the season began, and that was before they added the bats of Lance Berkman and Austin Kearns, and strengthened their bullpen by acquiring Kerry Wood. The Yankees leave no stone unturned when it comes to making sure they are fully equipped to take on all competition, and this season is no exception. So I’m not completely convinced that the Yanks will hold off the Rays, or for that matter even possibly the Red Sox, and win the division, but I am convinced that either way the Bombers will go further in the playoffs than any other AL team. The Red Sox, to their credit, have managed to hang around and stay within a half dozen games or so of the lead. I still feel they will succumb to all the injuries that have plagued them all season and fall short, but there’s no doubt they are a team to be reckoned with and may have a big say in who wins the division even if they don’t. I don’t think there is any doubt that this division, possibly the strongest in baseball now that Buck Showalter has Baltimore playing competitively, will send 2 teams into the playoffs. I’ll stick with my original prediction that those 2 teams will be the New York and Tampa Bay, but not necessarily in that order.
MLB – 3-Way Battle In AL East
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