Starting Nine (Week of August 21st)
The Playoff races are taking shape and things are tightening up in several divisions including the AL Central Division and the NL West. Here is this week’s Starting Nine:
Starting Nine (Week of August 21st)
Hope to see you back: Minnesota Twins; Welcome Back to the Show: Arizona Diamondbacks
#9. Arizona Diamondbacks 71-56 (+950/2000) - The D-Backs are neck-and-neck with the Padres and both teams are still very much alive to catch the Dodgers. Starter Merrill Kelly returned this week but they did lost MVP candidate Ketel Marte for 10 days. Last Week’s Rank: Unranked
#8. San Diego Padres 72-55 (+650/+1400) - Like Arizona, the Padres are coming on strong in the NL West and further help is on the way. As the Padres continue to roll, starter Yu Darvish and RF Fernando Tatis Jr. are waiting in the wings. Last Week’s Rank: 9th
#7. Houston Astros 68-57 (+425/+950) - Here they come again. This is the one team no one wants on their playoff dance card early. Verlander returns today and if he is right, they could be trouble. Last Week’s Rank: 8th
#6. Milwaukee Brewers 73-52 (+500/+1200) - So far, so good with the return of closer Williams to strengthen the back end of Milwaukee’s pen. The Brewers keep winning despite a marginal rotation and the loss of Yelich for the season. Last Week’s Rank: 6th
#5. Cleveland Guardians 73-52 (+500/+1200) - The concern for the Guardians as the playoffs draw near is whether or not they have enough quality bats that can hit quality pitching. Last Week’s Rank: 2nd
#4. New York Yankees 73-53 (+265/+550) - Chisholm is going to try and rehab his elbow in the hopes of returning this season. The Yankees’ starting pitching remains a concern heading into the playoffs with Cole’s loss of velocity and Gil already surpassing his career-high in innings pitched. Last Week’s Rank: 4th
#3. Baltimore Orioles 74-53 (+360/+800) - The Orioles are a half-game up on the Bombers heading into Wednesday’s action. This thing will come down to the wire and I give the edge to the Orioles with better hitting up and down their lineup. Last Week’s Rank: 3rd
#2. Philadelphia Phillies 69-50 (+320/+650) - The Phillies are back near the top of the rankings as teams jockey for position, looking for the best record in the NL. The Phillies once appeared a lock for the top spot in the NL but could end up playing on Wildcard Weekend. Last Week’s Rank: 5th
#1. LA Dodgers 75-52 (+175/+350) - Max Muncy is close to returning and the Dodgers have to be happy with the production of starter Jack Flaherty thus far. They’ll be the team to beat in the NL playoffs. Last Week’s Rank: 1st
AL/NL MVP Candidates:
Here are this week’s Top MVP candidates for each league.
American League
Aaron Judge, CF New York Yankees (-1600) - We could pretend there are other candidates for the AL MVP but it is over. Judge is a near-lock even if he misses some time down the stretch. He’s going to have 50+ home runs again this season and has a chance to pass his own Yankees record. He’s tops in the AL in WAR, is hitting over .300, tops in slugging and OBP and RBI. In another year, Bobby Witt Jr. (+600) would be a great candidate and heavy favorite but Judge will be an MVP for the second time in three seasons.
National League
Shohei Ohtani, DH Los Angeles Dodgers (-3000) - Unlike Judge, Ohtani doesn’t even have a viable contender to the throne as National League MVP. He has an outside shot at the first-ever 50/50 season and will easily get 40/40. Ohtani held the forte down for the Dodgers as they dealt with various injuries and leads nearly every major hitting category with just over a month left. Lock it in, Ohtani will be a back-to-back MVP, one in each league.
*All odds courtesy of Draftkings.com
By Mark Ruelle
