Dog Days Of August Predictions

Ok, I'm revising my playoff predictions. That's mostly because the ones I put up barely two weeks ago were just horrible.

In July I had:

AL:
East - Red Sox
Central - Tigers
West - Angels
Wild Card - White Sox

NL:
East - Mets
Central - Cardinals
West - Dodgers
Wild Card - Astros

Now I'm changing my picks. In the AL East, I know that David Ortiz comes through at every opportunity, but the Yankees are hot, they added some serious talent, and they're going to get All-Stars back from the DL the rest of the way. The Tigers have the Central locked up, essentially. The West is a mess, but I still like the Angels. I have no idea what to think about the Wild Card. But the Twins are hot right now. And if the Twins make the playoffs, they almost have to be the favorite to win the pennant. With Santana and Liriano heading the rotation, it's tough pick against the Twins.

New AL:
East - Yankees
Central - Tigers
West - Angels
Wild Card - Twins

The NL is a little easier in some respects. The Mets have pretty much locked up the East. I can't see anyone mounting a challenge, particularly with the Phillies having given up on this season. The Central is tougher. It's hard to think the Cardinals will win the division. They hardly deserve it... except that everyone else in the division is horrible. And I guess I'm coming around to thinking that the much maligned West is going to produce the Wild Card.

New NL:
East - Mets
Central - Cardinals
West - D'backs
Wild Card - Padres

I'm giving the D'backs the edge in the West because they currently have a winning record in the division. I think everyone in the West is still in the race though.

I'll revise my picks in September (pre-Labor Day). I have a feeling they'll need some heavy re-working.