If Your Team's Still In It, Here's How It Can Win the Pennant

(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Detroit Tigers

The Positive

You are sitting atop the American League Central by three-and-a-half games with the third best ERA in the AL and the 12th most runs in baseball.  Justin Verlander and Edwin Jackson are dominating while Rick Porcello is runner-up for the rookie of the year award in the first half. 

Miguel Cabrera has stayed healthy and productive while Brandon Inge and Curtis Granderson compliment him in the lineup and the team on the field.

Directions To Champagne

Magglio Ordonez and Armando Galarraga must turn things around.  You already have problems with the fifth starter position with Nate Robertson, Dontrelle Willis, and Jeremy Bonderman being out of the picture, you do not need a rotation of only two reliable pitchers and a rookie. 

Galarraga seems to be having a sophomore slump and Ordonez seems to be having an eighth-year senior slump.  If Bonderman can come back and add something while Porcello, Jackson, and Verlander stay productive, this is a really good rotation.  

Chicago White Sox

The Positive

You're young and competing before anyone thought you could.  Aaron Poreda, Gordon Beckham, and Chris Getz are progressing well while John Danks, Gavin Floyd, and Alexei Ramirez continue to play like veterans at young ages.

The older guys continue to be productive in the form of Jermaine Dye, Paul Konerko, and Jim Thome while staying healthy.  Mark Buehrle is having one of the best years of his career and Jose Contreras found something during his minor league stint. 

Three-and-a-half games back without your MVP last season Carlos Quentin.

Directions To Champagne

Contreras must stay healthy and continue filling the back end of the rotation.  Clayton Richard may lose his spot in the rotation to Poreda, but must be ready to fill in if Contreras goes down.  The talent level of a rotation of Buehrle, Danks, Floyd, Poreda, and Contreras is off the charts, but execution is a whole different ballgame.  

Josh Fields also must be ready to actually do something in case Jim Thome gets hurt.  The next two weeks will decide whether the White Sox trade Jermaine Dye or not.  

Minnesota Twins

The Positive

You have the best one-two punch in baseball in the form of Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau.  Denard Span and Brendan Harris are perfect above them while Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer have been extremely productive below them.  You also play great defense.  Adding Joe Crede at third filled a spot defensively you haven't really had in years.

Directions To Champagne

Your pitching has proven actually to be human this year sitting 19th in ERA.  Francisco Liriano, Glen Perkins, Kevin Slowey and Scott Baker are having terrible seasons compared to last year with Nick Blackburn being the only positive thing about the starting rotation. 

Boof Bonser being out for the season has not helped either.  In order to pop that bubbly, the rotation has to turn things around.  

Kansas City Royals

The Positive

You have one of the best pitchers in baseball in Zack Greinke.  Miguel Olivo is having the best season of his career.  Alberto Callaspo is proving to be a very good young talent.

Directions To Champagne

Not this year.  Brian Bannister and Greinke have been good, but the rest of the rotation has been terrible.  Mike Jacobs and Jose Guillen were really bad moves shown in the team's second to last ranking in runs scored.  Mark Teahen and Billy Butler are not too bad and are young. 

Alex Gordon needs to show some sort of progression.  Your future depends on Gordon, Butler, Teahen, and Greinke.  They are in a division that is constantly up and down, so they could be a few moves and a healthy Mike Aviles away from contending, but not this year.

Cleveland Indians

The Positive

It can't get much worse.  As usual your offense is there, ranking sixth in baseball in runs and this without a healthy Grady Sizemore.  Victor Martinez is alive and well while young players like Asdrubal Cabrera and Shin-Soo Choo are showing very positive signs of progression. 

Directions To Champagne

You are dead last in ERA in baseball and Travis Hafner should probably be investigated for steroids.  Cliff Lee has completely underperformed after last year, Carl Pavano is your No. 2 starter, Fausto Carmona, Ben Francisco, Ryan Garko, and Andy Marte have not turned out the way you thought they would and your bullpen is god-awful. 

Your pitching needs a lot of work to ever compete.

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