Jul 17, 2013
As the All-Star break comes to a close, teams will begin gearing up for the second half of the MLB season. Here’s a list of three teams that appear poised to make a playoff push in the latter half of the season.
1. New York Yankees (51-44, 6 games back in the AL East, 3 games back in the AL wild card race)
The Yankees had a slow start to the 2013 season, but there are plenty of reasons to believe they will make a serious run at a playoff spot. Derek Jeter is finally coming back from his quadriceps injury. Though he will slowly make his way back to producing at a high level for the Yankees, his veteran presence down the home stretch is invaluable.
When it comes to playoff runs, the Yankees tend to have history on their side. They historically make the playoffs, appearing in 16 out of the last 17 postseasons.
The Yankees have also played well on the road this year (23-21), and have scary weapons to employ in second baseman Robinson Cano and starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda. Both players have been giving opposing teams headaches all year, and if the Yankees start playing to their potential, don’t be surprised if their opponents are in need of some serious aspirin.
2. LA Dodgers (47-47, 2.5 games back in the NL West)
The Dodgers have won a scorching 17 of their last 22 games, including a series win vs. the reigning World Series Champion San Francisco Giants. Their once slow start is now long behind them as they’ve steadily climbed back into playoff contention with their strong play.
In the 2nd half of the season they will rely on starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who has a record of 8 wins, 6 losses and an ERA of 1.98. They’ll also hope that rising star Yasiel Puig can continue his hot hitting. The 22-year old right fielder finished with a batting average of .391 before the All-Star break.
3. Pittsburgh Pirates (56-37, 1 game back in the NL Central, 1st in NL Wild Card)
The Pirates have been a quietly strong baseball team all year, and if they play to their potential they could easily go on a massive win-streak.
The reason the Pirates have been so overlooked is their offensive struggles. They rank 26th in the league in both runs scored and batting average. They will need center fielder Andrew McCutchen to keep swinging a hot bat, as he’s batting .302 this year. They will also need 3rd basemen Pedro Alvarez to replicate his homerun production, as he has hit 24 this season.
Even with the marginal offensive output, the Pirates have found ways to win games; particularly with decent fielding and amazing pitching. They will trust their ace starting pitcher, Francisco Liriano, to keep mowing down batters. Liriano has managed a 9 win, 3 loss record in 12 starts this season, with a 2.00 ERA.
