The MLB 2013 season enters its second half as play resumes on Friday. No more breaks, just a lot of baseball and a lot of races to keep track of as the season comes to a close and teams play to grab a spot int he postseason. Here are some bold predictions for the second half of the 2013 season.
Pittsburgh Pirates
If there is any team that has to get over a second-half slump; it has to be the Pirates. For the past two seasons, they have flirted with .500 baseball, only to finish the year with a losing record. The last time the Pirates finished with a winning record, Barry Bonds was playing his last season in Pittsburgh. Since then, 21 years later, the Pirates' best finish has been 79-83, a feat they accomplished both in 1997 and 2012.
BOLD PREDICTION: The Pirates are already slipping. They have lost six of their last 10 games before the All-Star Break and it looks as though they might need some outside help. Therefore, if the Pirates don't make a valuable trade before the deadline, they will finish with a winning record for the first time in over 20 years, but they will not make the playoffs.
Miguel Cabrera Rules Again
There is no argument; Cabrera is the best hitter of this generation. He leads the league in hitting and RBI. So far through 93 games, Cabrera is hitting .365, driving in 95 runs, which is more than a run driven in per game. Now, his 30 home runs have him ranked second in baseball, behind Chris Davis who has smacked 37 so far this year.
BOLD PREDICTION: This might be more wishful thinking than anything else, but how great would it be if Cabrera can capture back-to-back Triple Crowns? He's only 30 years old and still has plenty left in the tank to continue abusing MLB pitching.
Los Angeles Dodgers Complete Comeback
Now, if there's a team that knows comebacks, it's not the Dodgers, but the San Francisco Giants. However, things are looking bad by the bay as the Giants' pitching has been horrendous. Therefore, the formula is easy, the Arizona Diamondbacks' bullpen isn't performing up to par, allowing the Dodgers to completely gel and take the N.L. West. Ricky Nolasco can only get better with the Dodgers as he is backed up by a better offense than the one he had in South Beach.
BOLD PREDICTION: Dodgers win the N.L. West despite owning the worst record among teams in the playoffs.
New York Yankees Miss Playoffs
The Yankees might as well have their minor league team on the field. Aside from their pitching, the Yanks have nobody prominent in their lineup. Oh, Robinson Cano? Why are pitchers still throwing strikes to this guy? Ichiro? He can't carry a team on his own. Aside from the pitching, the Yankees don't have a group of stars they can depend on game after game. Yankees without any stars means they won't go anywhere.
BOLD PREDICTION: The Yankees used up all their magic at the beginning of the season when they were in first place and many wondered how. The Yankees will miss the playoffs for the second time under the Joe Girardi regime. The last time they missed the playoffs, it was 2008. The following year, the Yankees went on a shopping spree and won the World Series. This isn't a prediction, but more like a warning for baseball.
Matt Wins Moore
Max Scherzer received all the hype in the world for having a 13-1 record, but he's not the only pitcher with 13 wins, Matt Moore of the Tampa Bay Rays has a 13-3 record. Though his ERA is higher (Moore 3.44, Scherzer 3.19), the Rays are a more fundamentally sound team. They always play better baseball in the second half of the year.
BOLD PREDICTION: Though the Tigers have the more dominant offense backing Scherzer, look for the Rays to step up their game behind Moore. The Rays' lefty will finish the season with over 20 wins AND he will lead baseball in that category at the end of the year.
