Throwdowns > Closed

Usain Colt said 05/28, 11:54 PM
So far, here are your division leaders: Orioles/Rays, Indians, Rangers, Natinals, Reds, and Dodgers.

For this year, I think that the team that will most hold onto their division lead HAS to be the LA Dodgers. This team not only lacks divisional competition, but they have the NL MVP favorite Matt Kemp coming back, pitching that has allowed the second-fewest runs in the Majors, and something that they didnt have last year, solid grounds with owners, coaches, and the team themselves. This Dodger team can run away with the division.

The team that I hate to assume falls is the Baltimore Orioles. This division could very well have 3 out of 5 teams in the playoffs. The Blue Jays have dynamic pitching, the Rays have the coaching and the power to contend, the Yanks can fire up the offense at any time and outscore nearly anyone, and the Sox have the talent to throw kinks into any plans the Orioles have. The fighting showalters do not have the pitching that can last a full 162 games. I mean can Jim Johnson and Adam Jones continue at this pace? We've seen Matt Wieters be in a slump lately and their fan base always leaves in August when the Orioles aren't im contention which impacts them

Usain Colt said 05/29, 11:15 PM
The Rangers have several questions surrounding them as well. What happens to the stability of their pitching staff that's already fairly inconsistent towards the end of the rotation in the heat of the summer? What happens to Yu in August when the temperature inside of the ballpark is over 100? With Pujols heating up, Trumbo bringing the power, and their bullpen settling down, the Angels are poised to continue their win streak and start eating into that Texas lead, especially if Roy Oswalt is a bust.

The Dodgers success comes from their balanced pitching and hitting. Chris Capuano leads the team in wins with 7 and he's not even considered their ace! The Dodgers pitching has posted 31 quality starts (Texas has 28) out of 48 games (64.5%) and the highest ERA of anyone on the starting rotation is 4.31, Texas' is 4.66. The Rangers are a few shaky Darvish outings away from losing that 6.5 game lead. The Angels are a far better team than the Giants. How can the giants threaten when they are 19th in Runs and 20th in Slugging percentage? The Dodgers have maintained their lead even with the 2nd best player in the majors on the DL for two weeks. Andre Eithier has really stepped up too.

Usain Colt said 05/31, 06:04 PM
Let's look at the schedules since a division lead can be during in a series of hard games. It's obvious that the American League is more supreme than the National League. With 8 great teams all in one league, the schedule gets extremely difficult, quick. For three weeks in July/August, the Rangers play several powerful teams: @Angels, vs Boston, vs CWS, vs Angels, @ Boston, vs Detroit,@NYY, @Tor. The only break they get in that stretch is 3 vs KC. Even if they go .500, which could be difficult, they may still lose a couple of games to LA who are playing teams like KC, Oak, Seattle, and Cle in this stretch.
With the Dodgers, they will play teams like SD, Colorado, and the Cubs. The Dodgers are 21-8 at home! Their rotation is very strong and their unity is fantastic. People don't consider the Dodgers a power team, yet they are 4th in BA, 3rd in OBP, and 10th in Slug %. Mix this in with their 2nd lowest Opp BA, 2nd lowest ERA and youve got a more complete team.

I hate to point this out, but you're supporting a team that gave up 31 runs to Seattle in 2 games at home! 14% of Seattle's runs for the year were scored in two games! A team with the 5th worst BA in the majors. Go Dodgers