MLB Playoffs: Twins Are the First to Clinch

As we come down the stretch of the Major League Baseball season, the pennant races are really beginning to heat up. The first team to clinch a position in this year's postseason is the AL Central champion Minnesota Twins. Let's take a look at the Twins season, and how they may fair in the postseason.

Hitting
The hitting for the Twins has been pretty good, despite the loss of Justin Morneau. Denard Span leads the team with 24 stolen bases. Orlando Hudson has been decent in the 2-spot, hitting .271. Joe Mauer has hit well despite a power outage (just 9 HRs this year), but he has a .331 batting average. Jason Kubel has hit out the cleanup spot much of the year, hitting 19 HRs this year. Michael Cuddyer has 14 HR and 78 RBI for Minnesota, and Jim Thome has been spectacular hitting 25 HR to lead Minnesota. Delmon Young has had a breakout year, with 18 HR and 105 RBI. Danny Valencia has been playing 3rd Base for the Twins, hitting .328 in 76 games. J.J. Hardy has been decent at SS for the Twins, hitting .274 in 97 games. While Justin Morneau may not return for post season play, IF Nick Punto (.249 in 84 games), IF Alexi Casilla (.277 in 63 games) and OF Jason Repko (3 HR in 50 games) round out the bench for Minnesota.

Starting Pitching
The ace of this Minnesota pitching staff has clearly been 26-year-old Francisco Liriano. Liriano has a 14-9 record, a 3.48 ERA, and a 1.26 WHIP. Carl Pavano has won 17 games this year, and has thrown 2 shutouts this year. He has a 1.16 WHIP and has thrown the most inning of anyone on the staff this year at 210 innings. Scott Baker has been injured been hurt, and has a record of 12-9 with an WHIP of 1.33. Kevin Slowey has an impressive 1.27, with a record of 13-6. Nick Blackburn has started 24 games, and thrown 149.2 inning. He has been one of the weaker pitchers for the Twins, with an ERA 5.23.

Bullpen
The bullpen was hurt at the beginning of the year with the loss of all-star closer Joe Nathan, but the bullpen has been good enough for Minnesota this year. Brian Duensing has been great for them, starting 11 games, and coming in for relief in 40 games. He has a WHIP of 1.13 and a 2.19 ERA. Matt Guerrier and Jesse Crain have combined for 131 innings. Jose Mijares has also contributed 29 innings. The closer this year is Jon Rauch has 21 saves, which isn't exactly spectacular, but he has been serviceable.

Overall, the Twins have a decent team, but I don't think they are favored over the Yankees or Rays, whom they will probably face in the playoffs.

Predicting the American League Playoff Race

After finishing up the National League earlier in the week, now it's time to look at the American League.

AL West: Texas Rangers
I really can't see any way the Rangers do not win the division in 2010. The A's are a distant 8 games back in second place, and the Angels even further at 10.5 games back. Josh Hamilton has returned to his MVP-type hitting, leading the team with a .362 batting average and 31 HR. The RBI leader has been free agent pickup Vladimir Guerrero, who came over from the Angels in the offseason. Guerrero has shown that he still can hit, and he has provided the Rangers with another threat alongside Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, and Michael Young. The pitching is a little less stable, with mid-season acquisition Cliff Lee struggling and possibly missing a start with back injuries. Lee has been listed as questionable for a start Tuesday, and was unable to throw a bullpen session Saturday. CJ Wilson and Colby Lewis lead the team in the major pitching categories, and Rich Harden is off the DL and has looked pretty good so far. Neftali Feliz is looking like a definite AL Rookie of the Year candidate with his 34 saves in 37 opportunities. Overall, while the Rangers may have some questions regarding the rotation, barring a complete collapse, I think the Rangers will cruise into their first postseason since 1999.

AL Central: Minnesota Twins
The Twins have had a stellar year in the AL Central, and with a 79-57 record, they are 3.5 games up on the second place Chicago White Sox. Joe Mauer has carried the offense, and Delmon Young is having a breakout season knocking in 93 RBI. Justin Morneau was placed on the 60-Day DL with a concussion, but with Jason Kubel and Jim Thome, they are making up for the loss of Morneau's power. Carl Pavano has been the surprise leader in wins for Minnesota, accumulated 15 so far this season. Francisco Liriano is having an impressive season with a 3.27 ERA and 178 strikeouts. He has thrown a career high 165.1 innings so far (his most prior to this year was 136.2). They have a pretty decent schedule going into September, playing Kansas City twice, Cleveland twice, Oakland once, Toronto once, Detroit once, and a big series against the White Sox starting September 14. The Twins are a very good team, and are definitely in the hunt for another postseason birth.

AL East New York Yankees
The Yankees have been battling it out with the Rays for most of the year, and have barely pulled away now with a 2.5 game lead over Tampa. Robinson Cano is having a brilliant season, with a .318 batting average, 26 HR and 91 RBI. Mark Teixeira has 30 HR and 99 RBI, and the team has been going without Alex Rodriguez, who was placed on the 15-day DL with a calf injury. He may be activated Sunday, the first day of his eligibility. C.C. Sabathia has been great for the Yankees, with 19 wins, a 3.02 ERA, and 165 strikeouts. Phil Hughes was an All-Star this year, but has struggled in the second half. The Yankees have a pretty tough schedule in September, playing Baltimore twice, Texas once, Tampa Bay twice (one is a 4 game series), Boston once, and Toronto once. The Texas and Tampa series are very important, and Boston is dangerous, but they are pretty much out of both the wild card and division races.

AL Wild Card: Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays definitely have a shot at winning the division, but if they lose to the Yankees in that race, I don't see them failing to win the wild card. Carl Crawford is hitting .298, and Evan Longoria has 19 HR and 90 RBI. David Price is having a remarkable season, with 16 wins, a 2.92 ERA, and 161 strikeouts. Matt Garza has been good in the rotation, while Jeremy Hellickson, Wade Davis and Jeff Niemann have had their moments in the rotation. Joaquin Benoit and Rafael Soriano have helped out in the bullpen for Tampa. Soriano has 41 saves to only 2 blown saves. The Rays definitely have the talent to make the playoffs, it seems like it's more a question of whether they win the division or the wild card.