An Early Postseason Baseball Power Poll

Stan McNeal - SportingNews.com

With only 17 days left in the regular season and no race closer than 3 1/2 games, it is time to start sizing up the playoff field. The probable field, that is. How the current playoff leaders rank:

1. Yankees
Money buys power, and the Yankees are loaded with both. Helped also by their new homer-happy home, the Yankees have become the first team to have seven players with at least 20 homers and 75 RBIs. And their best player isn't one of the slugging seven. That would be shortstop Derek Jeter, who is hitting .330 with 17 homers, 64 RBIs and 102 runs.

New York is getting a good return on its pitching investments, too, with incomparable closer Mariano Rivera enjoying one of his finest seasons (40-for-41 in save chances, 1.66 ERA) and $161 million lefty CC Sabathia leading the A.L. with 17 wins.

Reason for concern: A rotation featuring Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte should be a strength, but it isn't. Sabathia has a history of over-amping in October, as his numbers show: 22 walks and a 7.92 ERA in 25 postseason innings. But he is the least of the team's concerns. Pettitte has a tired shoulder, and Burnett has allowed at least six runs in three of his past five starts.

2. Red Sox
They went through a long stretch after the break when things weren't falling their way, but the Red Sox are rolling again. They just completed a 7-1 homestand. In the past month, only the Yankees have hit better than the Red Sox, who have a .290 average and have averaged 6.2 runs in their past 28 games. Even DH David Ortiz has been hitting. He shares the team lead with 20 runs scored in that span, and his seven homers are one fewer than left fielder Jason Bay has in the past month.

With the strong return of Daisuke Matsuzaka, Boston's rotation has come together, too. In their past 10 games, Red Sox starters have gone 5-1 with a 1.79 ERA.

Reasons for concern: The Red Sox are only 34-37 on the road and, as a wild card, will be on the road more than they will be at home. In addition, health hasn't been a strength, with first baseman Kevin Youkilis, third baseman Mike Lowell, closer Jonathan Papelbon and, of course, right fielder J.D. Drew among those dealing with ailments that have limited their playing time recently.

3. Phillies
The Phillies arguably are a better team than the one that won the World Series last year. They have a deeper rotation, and their only new regular, left fielder Raul Ibanez, is playing better than the guy he replaced (Pat Burrell). Four players -- first baseman Ryan Howard, second baseman Chase Utley, right fielder Jayson Werth and Ibanez -- have at least 30 homers and 85 RBIs and are key reasons why the Phillies lead the N.L. in runs and homers.

The trade for lefthander Cliff Lee and the signing of righthander Pedro Martinez have boosted the rotation. And last year's postseason hero, lefthander Cole Hamels, is 3-1 with a 1.43 ERA in his past five starts.

Reasons for concern: When the Phillies led after seven innings last year, it was lights out. This year, there is a dark cloud over the bullpen. Brad Lidge's struggles have stretched into September and left manager Charlie Manuel with the unenviable task of figuring out how to finish games. With barely two weeks left, time is not on his side.

4. Cardinals
They have the N.L. MVP in first baseman Albert Pujols and two Cy Young candidates in righthanders Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. They also have Tony La Russa, who has done one of his best managing jobs since coming to St. Louis. La Russa has overseen three important transformations: Skip Schumaker from outfielder to everyday second baseman; Brendan Ryan from utility infielder to defensive whiz at shortstop; and Ryan Franklin from solid setup man to All-Star closer. Since trading for left fielder Matt Holliday, St. Louis has played as well as any team.

Reasons for concern: The Cardinals don't have one big worry but a bunch of nagging ones. Their offense has struggled to score runs lately and remains susceptible to lefthanders. They will see plenty of lefties against the Dodgers and/or Phillies. St. Louis is only 6-10 against the other three N.L. playoff probables, but it has faced only the Dodgers since the first week after trading for Holliday, and the Cardinals took three of four from Los Angeles. St. Louis' bullpen has limited postseason experience, but La Russa has the option of taking John Smoltz out of the rotation. If La Russa makes that move, the bullpen looks a lot better.

5. Angels
Until September, their offense was as potent as any this side of the Yankees. Right fielder Bobby Abreu has taught the Angels the value of long at-bats, and third baseman Chone Figgins and center fielder Torii Hunter, among others, have benefited. First baseman Kendry Morales has made the loss of Mark Teixeira much more bearable.

The Angels' pitching struggled much of the first five months but has stepped up since trading for Scott Kazmir.

Reasons for concern: See Phillies. Closer Brian Fuentes hasn't struggled as much as Lidge, but the Angels' lefty is fading. His ERA in September is 7.11. The Angels already had spent the first half figuring out how to get the ball from starter to closer. Kevin Jepsen has been huge in building that bridge, but he is a rookie who will be in his first October. The Red Sox, however, remain the Angels' biggest obstacle. The Angels are lined up to meet the Red Sox in the ALDS for the fourth time since 2004. Los Angeles has lost the three previous series.

6. Dodgers
They have had the N.L.'s best record every day except one since May 3, thanks to a pitching staff that has the best ERA (3.41) in baseball and an offense that leads the N.L. in average (.272), on-base percentage (.346) and walkoff wins (12).

The Dodgers also have a future Hall of Fame manager in Joe Torre, who calmly has steered his team through challenges ranging from left fielder Manny Ramirez's 50-game suspension to righthander Chad Billingsley's second-half blues. The Dodgers have remained remarkably steady with only one losing streak as long as four games all season.

Reasons for concern: Who is the ace? Billingsley pitched like one in the first half, but hamstring woes have slowed him since early August. Lefthander Clayton Kershaw has dominated for stretches, but he is a 21-year-old with only two innings of postseason experience (and an injured non-throwing shoulder). Veteran southpaw Randy Wolf has been the team's most consistent starter, but he lacks the overpowering stuff that is so important in the playoffs. Opening-day starter Hiroki Kuroda still is trying to find his way back after being hit in the face by a line drive in mid-August. That leaves righthander Vicente Padilla, dumped by the Rangers because of a bad attitude. The Dodgers had better hope Billingsley returns to his first-half form.

7. Rockies
If they aren't this year's team of destiny, they are one of its best stories. Buried in last place in May, they have the N.L.'s best record since the start of June, shortly after Jim Tracy took over as manager. The Rockies rank behind only the Phillies in runs in the N.L., and not only (but partly) because they play at Coors Field. Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, right fielder Brad Hawpe and first baseman Todd Helton comprise a formidable middle of the lineup, and rookie outfielders Dexter Fowler and Carlos Gonzalez have brought speed to the top of the order.

On the mound, righthander Ubaldo Jimenez is emerging as a legitimate top-of-the-rotation starter. And righthander Jorge de la Rosa has nine wins and a 2.88 ERA since the break.

Reasons for concern: Colorado has suffered more than its share of injuries lately, including the losses of starter Aaron Cook and closer Huston Street. Also, Coors Field does skew the numbers: The Rockies' .236 road average is 49 points lower than their home average, and they have scored 98 fewer runs on the road (in three more games than at home).

8. Tigers.
Manager Jim Leyland has ridden first baseman Miguel Cabrera, righthander Justin Verlander and an improved defense to the top of baseball's weakest division. Detroit got All-Star first halves out of third baseman Brandon Inge and center fielder Curtis Granderson, but their production has dipped since the break. After hitting 21 homers in the first half, Inge has only six to go with a .183 average in the second half.

Reasons for concern: Their offense is among the A.L's weakest, and the pitching simply doesn't match up with other playoff teams. Of course, if Verlander somehow stops the Yankees in Game 1 of the ALDS, these rankings immediately will become outdated.

Stan McNeal is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at smcneal@sportingnews.com.

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