When the Arizona Diamondbacks met the Philadelphia Phillies last night, it was a potential playoff match-up between two division leaders, but much like their records indicate, it wasn’t much of a fight. Cliff Lee twirled seven innings of three-hit ball as the Phillies (79-42) jumped all over Joe Saunders and the Diamondbacks (69-54) 9-2. Hunter Pence continued his excellent play with his new team by going 2-2 with 2 walks, a double, and 3 runs scored. Jimmy Rollins added a home run, and every starting position player save Chase Utley had themselves a hit. The game appeared close until the bottom of the seventh as Saunders tired, and the 2-2 tie turned into a 9-2 rout by the end of the eighth.
Both teams are “battling” for positions in the playoffs, but both teams hold commanding leads in their division. Surprisingly, most teams hold commanding leads in their division, and the wild card races are even farther apart. The closest division battle is the AL East with the New York Yankees leading the Boston Red Sox by half a game, but it matters little as Boston maintains an 8-game lead over Tampa Bay for the Wild Card.
The next closest division is the AL Central as the Detroit Tigers have a 2-game lead over Cleveland and a 3.5-game lead over Chicago. Cleveland, surprisingly, has the best run differential of the lot at +4, and it’s actually the only positive run differential in the division. With newly-acquired ace Ubaldo Jimenez and upstart prospects such as Jason Kipnis and Lonnie Chisenhall, the Indians have a fighting chance of overtaking the Tigers with six weeks left, but they’ll have to overcome their own issues with injuries.
Out in the AL West, the Rangers own the division by 6 games, and the Angels would have to mount a daring rally to catch them.
The NL East, like the AL East, holds two of the probable playoff teams. Philadelphia has the best record in baseball, and they lead the Atlanta Braves by 8.5 games. It may mean little, however, as the Braves have built a 5-game lead over San Francisco and a 6-game lead over St. Louis for the NL Wild Card.
Speaking of the Cardinals, they’re actually in worse shape in their own division. The Brewers have lost exactly twice since the break, and they have a 7-game stranglehold on the division crown.
The NL West has the last remaining close battle between the Diamondbacks and Giants, with the latter behind the former by 2.5. San Francisco’s long list of injuries–Buster Posey and Carlos Beltran among others–makes the difference seem much wider. The Diamondbacks, on the other hand, look strong behind MVP candidate Justin Upton, but a bad week could put the Giants back on top.
The playoffs already seem set as far as the teams go–Philly, Atlanta, Milwaukee, and Arizona in the NL and New York, Boston, Detroit, and Texas in the AL–with only the final rankings to be determined. But September often holds surprises, and the NL West and AL Central look ripe for an overthrow.
Tonight’s Match-Ups: Tim Lincecum and Mike Minor square off in Atlanta as the Giants try to trim the Wild Card lead to 4 instead of letting it slip back to 6 … Colby Lewis and Jered Weaver meet as the Angels try to push their way back into the AL West picture … and Ricky Romero and Trevor Cahill meet in a match of young hurlers that, while have little impact on the playoffs, should be fun to watch.
