A.L. Wild Card Update

By Brendon Rosenau
Love of Sports Correspondent

The A.L. continues to be full of surprises.

The Angels are 14 games up in the West and seem to be getting better. Somehow, Texas has gained ground in the wild card, yet fallen further back in the division.

The Tampa Bay Rays are still holding on to their lead in the East with some dramatic late inning wins. Three Hall of Fame players were involved in trades with Junior coming to Chicago, Pudge going to New York and Manny leaving Boston. I can’t predict the future, but I know something good will happen this week.

Boston - Leading Wild Card - 3.5 Behind in East

The Red Sox got the perfect remedy for the saga that was the trade deadline: games against Oakland and Kansas City. They took five of six in those two series and extended their lead in the wild card to 3.5 games.  Jason Bay’s looked mighty comfortable in his new digs taking over in left field. On the flip side, the Red Sox are worried about the health of Kevin Youkili and David Ortiz, who recently heard a freighting click in his wrist that already shelved him earlier this year.

Considering the myriad of problems the team’s had with injuries (Dice-K, Josh Beckett, Ortiz, Mike Lowell, Bartolo Colon and Curt Schilling have all landed on the DL), and the Manny mess, the Sox are happy with their positioning. All apologies to the Angels (who have won six straight against Boston), but when October rolls around, if healthy, the Sox will be the team to beat.

The Bo Sox are in Chi-Town for a four game set, then welcome the Rangers into Fenway early next week. With the two teams on the tail playing each other, the Sox can distance themselves from three teams when they host Texas.

Minnesota - 2.0 Behind Boston – 0.5 Behind in Central

The Twinkies surprisingly lost two of three in Seattle at the start of the week after finding themselves leading the Central on Sunday. They didn’t make a move at the trade deadline, but dropped Livan Hernandez in favor of Francisco Liriano, who was finally recalled from the minors.

Liriano looked sharp in his first start since April. He went six innings and allowed just three hits while striking out five and holding the Indians off the board. Monday the Twins come back home to take on the Yankees, who just blasted the Twins in a three-game sweep in the Bronx two weeks ago.

New York - 4.0 Behind Boston - 7.5 Behind in East

The Yanks took the final two games of a four gamer with the Angels and did the same with the Rangers last week. However, the result has them further behind in the standings.

The Yanks were busy on the trade front, but the biggest news is that Joba Chamberlain landed on the DL with rotator cuff tendonitis. Sidney Ponson continues to be a benefit to the Yankees and allowed just three earned runs in 13.1 innings last week. But how long can this last? The Yankees could be going through a crucial stretch with Ponson, Dan Giese and Ian Kennedy at the back of the rotation.

The Yanks are in the midst of a brutal stretch, heading out to Anaheim for the weekend then to Minnesota to complete a 10-game road trip. They’ve had a grueling schedule since the All-Star break, but if they can maintain their ground they’ll be in this to the end.

Texas - 7.5 Behind Boston - 14 Behind in West

The Rangers needed to prove they belonged on this list, and they did. First, they beat Toronto twice and then won twice against the Yankees to be one of the only teams to pick up a game on the Sox last week.

Injuries have hit the Rangers hard in the last few days, with closer C.J. Wilson hitting the DL and Rookie of the Year candidate David Murphy likely to join him. “Everyday” Eddie Guardado will handle the closer duties and Milton Bradley could go out to right field in the meantime. Another concern is Michael Young, who’s playing with a fracture in his finger.

On the bright side, Chris Davis has 11 home runs and 28 RBI in 36 games at first. Also, third baseman Hank Blalock could be back in the lineup shortly.

The Rangers embark on a road trip this week with Baltimore over the weekend and then onto Fenway.

Toronto - 8.0 Behind Boston - 11.5 Behind in East

The Blue Jays barely made the list and need a strong week to hold on. After dropping two out of three to the Rangers, they bounced back with four straight against Oakland.

A.J. Burnett picked up his 14th win Thursday and his fourth straight overall. Doc Halladay is right behind, with 13. Shaun Marcum gave the Jays a very encouraging performance in a seven-inning, seven-K, one-run win over the A’s recently. It was his first win since May 26th. If the Jays are going to make a run they need Marcum to pitch like he did his last time out.

Vernon Wells could get off the D.L. this coming week. He could also be a big boast for a lineup that ‘s had its problems. Although he’s played in only 68 games, he’s third on the team in HR (9) and RBI (42).

This week, the Blue Jays will stay at home and welcome Chief Wahoo and his friends from Cleveland, then go to Detroit for four days.

It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye

Two teams have been dropped from the list since last week: the Tigers and the A’s. Detroit was swept by the Rays and had lost six in a row before Thursday’s win over the White Sox. They’re now 9.5 back in the wild card and 8.0 behind the White Sox.

The A’s are in total free fall and in the midst of a 10-game skid. They’re 12.5 behind Boston and 19 back in the West.