Temperature Check
With play-off spots all but locked up, let’s take a look at which teams are hottest heading into the last leg of the season. First, we’ll look at the contenders’ records since the All-Star break.
Division leaders:
Milwaukee: 35-14 .714
Philadelphia: 31-14 .689
New York: 33-18 .647
Arizona: 31-17 .646
Detroit: 31-19 .620
Texas: 29-21 .580
Wild Card leaders:
Atlanta: 28-19 .596
Boston: 29-20 .592
Everyone knows about the Brewers’ recent success. Right on their heels are the Phillies who are on pace for 105 wins. The surprising team (if you ignore their massive 7 game lead over the Giants) is the Arizona Diamondbacks. At only 3 games back of Milwaukee’s second best record, the Dbacks are in a fight to avoid a 5-game series with the Phillies in the first round of the postseason.
Considering the ups and downs of the Rangers and their lead over the Angels, it shouldn’t be surprising they have the worst winning percentage of all play-off contenders since the break.
Records since the All-Star break are often indicative of postseason success, but the Giants showed us all last season that the last month and a half can prove more important. Below are records since August 15th.
Division leaders:
Milwaukee: 15-6 .714
Detroit: 15-6 .714
New York: 14-7 .667
Arizona: 13-7 .650
Philadelphia: 10-7 .588
Texas: 11-10 .524
Wild Card leaders:
Atlanta: 12-6 .667
Boston: 11-6 .647
Interestingly, Milwaukee has the exact same winning percentage. They are tied with the surprising Tigers. The Rangers are the coldest team right now, followed by the Red Sox and Phillies.
Perhaps most surprising is the Yankees winning percentage verse the Red Sox winning percentage since August 15th. Granted both have had to deal with postponements due to Hurricane Irene, but the Sox and Yankees have very similar winning percentages, only .020 apart. Yet, the Yankees have overtaken Boston and now hold a two and a half lead.
The moral of this story is look out for Detroit and Milwaukee, but don’t sleep on Arizona and New York. Winners still have to perform on the field, but entering the postseason on a hot streak sure will help.
