Around the League - 08/02/10

Let's see where we stand as we enter August.

EAST

- Atlanta, who already clinched a playoff spot, isn't slowing down in the 2nd half. The Flyers have a 3 game lead in the 2nd half, and a 6 game cushion for best overall record. The team has finally gotten on the plus side of the run differential, but are still playing way ahead of the expected pace. Any trades on the horizon to shore up the pitching?

- Jersey City played well in July, but are losing ground. The offense continues to click, but the pitching is hit or miss. Adding Rich Harden was a good gamble, but he's been pretty average since coming over from Miami.

- Columbus just can't get it together. The offense is great, the starting pitching is great, but the team went .500 for the month of July. Time to trade for some bullpen help?

- The Sharks are playing much better baseball, and sit just 5 games out of a playoff berth (after a 34-44 first half). How long do they hold out hope before selling? There are some valuable trade pieces that they could move before 8/31.

- It's gone from bad to worse for New York, who has completely fallen off the map in the July. So what's the plan heading into 2011? Which pieces can be moved, and what does the team need for a better shot next season?

WEST

- Someone break up the Isotopes!! Springfield is 19-9 in the second half and nearly back to .500. More importantly, they have a 5.5 game lead for a playoff berth (after a 32-45 first half). Here's your argument FOR the 1st half/2nd half playoff system; a team struggles to get it going in the first half, but puts the pieces together late. The return of Carlos Lee has really picked up this offense.

- Kansas has slowed down since clinching its playoff spot, but still lead the overall West standings. Ryan Braun is now second in the league with 37 homers, and he's tied with Justin Upton at 81 RBI. The team has tried Gavin Floyd for 5th starter, and he's been as bad as everyone else.

- OKC looks like a team that is destined to just miss the post season. Without a big surge these final 2 months, the Bisons look like a decent team who will have nothing to show for it. At least Max Scherzer seems to have Goat of the Year wrapped up.

- La Brea just missed that playoff spot in June, but have now completely fallen apart. Weird stat of the day: Chien-Ming Wang has made 22 starts, but has just 8 decisions (4-4). Is there a major league record for most no-decisions in a season?

- Sioux Falls had the worst record heading into July, and though they're still not good, they've played better. Adrian Gonzalez is going nuts, leading all of SLB with 38 long balls. But man, that pitching is UGLY.

WORLD

- Quebec is the second "worst to first" success story of the second half, though they haven't done it with as much style as Springfield. Still, the Horned Frogs are 16-11 so far, good for a 2.5 game lead heading into August. Roy Oswalt is a big reason, as he stands at 13-3 with an incredible 159:14 K/BB ratio.

- Brisbane clinched a playoff spot with a .500 first half record, and so far in the second half they are..... .500. At least the team is consistent. Good thing for the Koalas that they could sneak that playoff berth early, as they are quickly losing ground to Quebec.

- The Cormorants made a valiant push in June to get within 3 games of the playoff spot, but haven't been able to stay hot in July. While they sit at the same 3 games out, their offense isn't keeping them in the low scoring games that their pitching is providing. Getting Kurt Suzuki is a plus, but the team needs bats.

- Caracas simply needs arms. They have three hitters with 80+ RBI already, but can't keep the ball in the yard. King Felix and Santana can't do it all by themselves here.