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 Kayıt Tarihi: 2022-09-Agustos
 Ülke: United States Minor Outlying Islands
 Aktif Durum: Pasif
 Gönderilenler: 174
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          WIth the 2014 All-Star Game in the books, SN baseball
           | Gönderen: 2022-09-Agustos Saat 13:56 | Kayıtlı IP |   |  
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 |  wirters Je se Spector and Ryan Fagan take a look ahead
 the second half of the MLB season: JESSE:  How the
 pennant races turn out is the most obvious story line to
 watch for the second half of the season, but
 https://www.shopproseahawks.com/Nazair_Jones_Jersey.NFL
 it's really not the most interesting to me. We've got a
 pretty good idea of who the best teams in baseball are,
 and while there is some drama in weaker divisions and on
 the fringes of the races, there's just kind of a blah
 feeling about the whole thing  outside of the L.A. and
 Bay Area teams, is anyone other than Detroit or Milwaukee
 better than mediocre?RYAN:  Thats a good question. We
 could easily see multiple divisions where the winner
 finishes with fewer than 90 wins, and the final wild-card
 spot is claimed with 88 or 89 victories. And though that
 might not be the ideal display of excellence, it should
 make for crowded  and therefore compelling  races down
 the stretch. Im cool with that. Games that matter are
 typically pretty entertaining. JESSE:  One of the reasons
 I watch sports is to be wowed, and while teams aren't
 doing that, individuals certainly are. The National
 League MVP race holds as much intrigue to me as any of
 the pennant races, if not more. We thought last year's
 field was wide open? Well, Andrew McCutchen is back in
 the mix, but the seasons that Troy Tulowitzki and
 Giancarlo Stanton are having have been incredible.
 Problem is, they're on teams that are unlikely to make
 https://www.shopproseahawks.com/Delano_Hill_Jersey.NFL
 the playoffs, and we know voters don't like that, so then
 what about Jonathan Lucroy? Or does Carlos Gomez take
 votes from the Milwaukee catcher? How about my preseason
 pick, Yasiel Puig? Hunter Pence? Anthony Rendon? Freddie
 Freeman? Oh, yeah, there's also that Clayton Kershaw
 fella. Funny how the Dodgers got their act together once
 he got healthy. But you could also make a case for Adam
 Wainwright and Johnny Cueto, given what they mean to
 their teams. It's nuts, and I can't wait to see what
 these guys have in store for the stretch run.RYAN:  The
 Cy Young races will be fascinating, especially in the NL.
 Kershaw and Wainwright have both been amazing  those ERAs
 are tiny  but they have very different profiles. Kershaws
 strikeouts per nine dwarf Wainwright, but mi sing April
 means that Kershaw has thrown many fewer innings than
 Wainwright. Theres a lot of value there, and to overcome
 that in the eyes of voters, Kershaw will need to be
 better than hes ever been. And, Johnny Cueto will have
 something to say about that competition, too. Good times.
 JESSE:  I'm not sure how much better Kershaw can be. He's
 given up 18 runs, and 13 of those came in three starts. I
 gue s he could throw a perfect game in the second half to
 go with the https://www.shopproseahawks.com/  no-hitter
 with no walks - just strike everyone out, and don't worry
 about the fielders! I gue s what I want to know in the
 American League is if anyone can even come close to Felix
 Hernandez and Mike Trout in the Cy Young and MVP "races."
 I'm betting no. RYAN:  Yeah, I should have been more
 specific. What I actually meant was Kershaw would have to
 pitch better than he had before this year, to continue
 what hes done so far in 2014 the rest of the season
 (because hes been crazy good). Me should use words more
 better. Im fascinated to see what will happen in the NL
 Central, where you have four teams that are flawed but
 playoff-quality squads. The Brewers have been in first
 place since the opening week, but a late collapse allowed
 the Cardinals to catch them for at least one day. Wouldnt
 be stunned to see Milwaukee wind up fourth in that
 division, behind
 https://www.shopproseahawks.com/Seattle_Seahawks_Jersey.N
 FL some configuration of St. Louis, Cincinnati and
 Pittsburgh. As was the case in 2013, well probably see
 both wild cards come from the division, which will make
 for a fun second half. Andrew McCutchen (AP Photo) JESSE:
 I'm sticking with my original pick for the National
 League wild cards, the Giants and Pirates. I don't think
 you can count out San Francisco when they'll get to play
 the Padres, Rockies and Diamondbacks for 16 of their 25
 games in September. That matters. It's also why, at some
 point, MLB has to addre s the fact that the unbalanced
 schedule does not mesh with the idea of awarding multiple
 playoff spots to teams that do not win their divisions.
 If the Braves and Nationals were actually good, they also
 would have an advantage in the wild card race over the
 Central teams for the same reason. I'd watch that
 storyline in the second half, but it's not going
 anywhere. Pity. RYAN:  I feel kinda foolish for counting
 the Giants out in an even-numbered year, but I just find
 it hard to imagine that offense scoring enough runs to
 keep up with better all-around (yet certainly flawed)
 teams in the Central, even with that down-the-stretch
 schedule. Theyll need Buster Posey to be at his Buster
 Poseyiest or find a Marco Scutaro lightning bolt
 somewhere to lift
 https://www.shopproseahawks.com/Quinton_Jefferson_Jersey.
 NFL  an offense thats hitting below .250 and has scored
 more runs than only San Diego since the start of June.
 Speaking of teams that started well but are staggering,
 Im interested to see how the Blue Jays play in the second
 half. Will it be a storybook playoff run or an avert-
 your-eyes finish? Let me find a coin to flip and Ill get
 back to you  JESSE:  Really, we can say whatever we want,
 but in this season of constant horrific injuries, let's
 just hope that there are enough players left standing at
 the end for all this drama to play out. What a brutal
 first half.
 
 __________________
 John Short, Jr
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