Changing Face

Tuesday night the National League won its first MLB All-Star game in 13 years, and Brian McCann became the first catcher to win the MVP in just as many; neither of which are the real oddities of the first half. As of Tuesday, the Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and San Diego Padres are all the leaders in their divisions in a league where there seems to be less parody than a college football conference. Not anymore. Teams like the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, and LA Dodgers have two options; end the cinderella runs, or accept the fact that the the National League could be changing face.

Second Half Predictions

NL East- Despite an abundance of detrimental injuries the Philadelphia Phillies (two-time defending NL champs) have put themselves in a good place to operate for another World Series run. At 4.5 games back in the division, trailing the Braves is not their only problem, the Mets are in between. With the Phils pitching continuing to establish itself as a reliable pillar of an offense driven ball club, and the hitting beginning to mesh despite being without Chase Utley and Placido Polanco, there is no way that they don't come out on top of the NL East come September. However, the Mets and Braves have both played with more consistency and tenacity in the first half, and if the Phillies don't catch up in that department, their big name players and sparkling past won't do a thing for them.

NL Central- The Reds stand alone on top of the NL Central, and oddly, seems like something that will last. The Cards are the only team that has a shot of dethroning them at 1.0 game behind, but an inconsistent offense and pitching staff has them flat footed against a Reds team playing with fire. If Joey Votto, Scott Rolen and Brandon Phillips can continue to support a Reds pitching staff that is running against the tide, their bullpen will keep on closing games like a contending staff and propel them into October.

NL West- The NL West is the trickiest Division because the four teams that are contending are all separated by 4.0 games. The Rockies, Dodgers, Giants, and Padres all have upsides and downsides that could make or break their playoff runs, where there is so little room for error. Even though the Padres have led the division for just about the whole season, a team that hasn't won "when it counts" always have a hard time in close races, and that is where I see them folding, in deep August and September. From there, I am going to stick with my pre-season pick in the San Fran Giants. Their pitching will only get better in the second half, and Buster Posey is not only putting together a serious ROY campaign but providing a bat that is imperative for a Giant playoff run. If other bats in their lineup can also pick it up, they will be able to pass the LA Dodgers, who play with less explosiveness but much more overall consistency at the plate.

JD