Worthless and Weak

So, the Red Sox are now 20% done with their season. Time to review, in question format.

Q: Are the Yankees toast?

A: No, but at 8 games back of first, they might not be able to make up all that distance. They are still a good team. However, they do still have a lot of old players. Posada, Williams, and Matsui will probably end the season with a better OPS than they have now, but its still going to be a struggle. Right now, they have three good starters. If Wang or Sturtze sticks, they might again be a force to be reckoned with.

Q: So should we worry more about the Orioles?

A: Maybe. Roberts isn't as good as he's played, but he's already made a huge contribution. I can't see Bruce Chen endind the season with an ERA below 4.5, and I think the rest of the rotation has been more lucky than good. But unless and until the Sox pass the O's in the standings, I'd pay more attention to the O's than the Yankees.

Q: Does Edgar Renteria suck?

A: I hope not. He'll (hopefully) finish the year with a much higher OPS than he has now, but it'll still probably be below his career average. And, for that matter, not worth the money he's making.

Q: Which division will the AL wild card come from?

A: Probably the Central. You've got two very good team, two average teams, and one compeletely crappy one. However, if it comes down to the Red Sox vs the Twins for the wild card, I'd go with the sox right now. Of Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, and Minnesota, I'd rank the likelyhood of collapse from the most likely to the least likely as Baltimore, Chicago, Minnesota, Boston.

Q: Anything interesting happening in the NL?

A: Every team in the NL East has a winning record in games outside of the division. No team in the NL Central does (the last place Reds are .500 outside of the division).

Q: Who have been the MVP's and Cy Youngs so far this season?

A:

NL MVP: Derreck Lee
NL Cy Young: Dontrelle Willis

AL MVP: Brian Roberts
AL Cy Young: Kenny Rogers