Time for another look at the pythagenport standings for each American League team.
AL East Actual Standings
- Baltimore 22-13 (.629) 186 RS, 153 RA
- Boston 21-14 (.600) 196 RS, 161 RA
- Toronto 19-18 (.514) 179 RS, 171 RA
- New York 17-19 (.472) 196 RS, 193 RA
- Tampa Bay 14-23 (.378) 170 RS, 226 RA
AL East Pythagenport
- Boston 108-54 (.664)
- Baltimore 107-55 (.661)
- Toronto 87-75 (.539)
- New York 83-79 (.513)
- Tampa Bay 44-118 (.270
The order of the standings themselves looks pretty accurate, except I would swap Toronto and New York around. I'm starting to believe a little more in Baltimore each day, especially with the continued progress of starter Erik Bedard into the first ace the system has developed since
Mike Mussina. With Sidney Ponson starting to look like the 2003 version again, and the lineup not really slowing down, this is a team to watch for the rest of the year if Robert's and Tejada can keep up their tag team hitting. Of course, their offense is not as good as the Red Sox offense, which is not in full gear yet (scary, eh?) and their pitching is nowhere near as good. With a healthy Schilling and/or Wells in the rotation, starts like the one from Jeremi Gonzalez on Friday most likely will not occur. Throw Wade Miller into the mix, and you'v got a recipe for winning.
- Clement
- Arroyo
- Wakefield
- Miller
- Wells
That is scary without a healthy Schilling for a pitching thin AL. Their is potential for 3-4 of the ten best AL starting pitchers to be on the Red Sox staff when everything is said and done. Toronto seems like a mid 80's win team, and the Yankees will finish higher than 83 wins, especially now that they are starting to come around. I don't think they will dominate like they have the last week, but I don't think they will play as awful as they did the rest of the year. Low 90's in wins if they get a few breaks (and they will, its NY after all).
AL Central Actual Standings
- Chicago 27-9 (.750) 166 RS, 120 RA
- Minnesota 20-14 (.588) 169 RS, 135 RA
- Detroit 16-18 (.471) 165 RS, 140 RA
- Cleveland 16-19 (.457) 136 RS, 156 RA
- Kansas City 9-27 (.250) 135 RS, 196 RA
AL Central Pythagenport
- Chicago 121-41 (.744)
- Minnesota 110-52 (.681)
- Detroit 103-59 (.635)
- Cleveland 63-99 (.388)
- Kansas City 37-125 (.220)
I still do not believe in Chicago; I think Baltimore is more real than Chicago at this point. Can they get into the playoffs? Sure, they can play .500 the rest of the way and still make a case for a playoff berth due entirely to their start. We'll see if Jon Garland has really turned a corner or if he's pitching with smoke and mirrors come later in the season. The rotation is not this good (sans Buerhle) and the lineup is not this bad, but I don't think they even out enough to make a 121 win team. If this team wins over 100 games, I will wear a White Sox hat for a year, and write I'm an idiot on it as well. C'mon Twins, pick it up and beat them, I don't wanna pay for a hat!
AL West Actual Standings
- LA Angels 20-15 (.571) 145 RS, 141 RA
- Texas 19-17 (.528) 191 RS, 181 RA
- Seattle 14-21 (.400) 155 RS, 167 RA
- Oakland 14-21 (.400) 124 RS, 173 RA
AL West Pythagenport
- Texas 89-73 (.547)
- LA Angels 85-77 (.523)
- Seattle 71-91 (.437)
- Oakland 40-122 (.247)
Quick notes here. Texas is capable of 89 wins, Angels with 85 wins is what I pegged them for basically during the preseason reviews, and I stick by it til the end. Seattle with 71 wins seems about right, especially with the rash of injuries and poor start by Beltre. Oakland is nowhere near as bad as a 40 win team; I still see them winning in the 80's or low 90's, but they sure as hell need to start picking up the slack as of me publishing this.
Does the weak AL West remind anyone else of 1994?
- Texas 52-62
- Oakland 51-63
- Seattle 49-63
- California 47-68
Imagine if the strike had not happened, and Texas finished the year with 74 wins (the figure they were on pace for)?
