Every year, baseball revels in its wooly mammoths. The Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Cardinals, and Angels of the diamond seem to propel themselves into the playoffs. But the landscape wouldn't be the same without the teams that rise up to challenge for their spot in the October sunshine. Any baseball follower will remember last year, when the Tampa Bay Rays stunned the world and lifted themselves to the World Series. So, who are this year's dark horses as we speed toward September?
Texas Rangers (67-52)
They don't appear to be your father's, or even your cousin's, Rangers ballclub. Manager Ron Washington seems to have hit a nerve that has Texas not only in the hunt for the wild card, but still within spitting distance of the AL West. There's been no secret that they can hit. That's been true since the mid-'90s. The question has always been, 'Will their pitching hold up?'
Scott Feldman has been their surprise star. With a 12-4 record, the righty is tied for sixth amongst AL pitchers in victories. Tommy Hunter is giving the Rangers what rookie J.A. Happ is providing for Philadelphia, a young hurler that's racking up quality starts and, more importantly, wins. The back of the bullpen is solid, with C.J. Wilson and Frankie Francisco converting 32-of-38 save opportunities.
The Rangers need Kevin Millwood to get back towards his inning-eating ways. But with a lineup that includes Michael Young, Ian Kinsler, Hank Blalock, and a rejuvenated Josh Hamilton, I'd try to throw strikes and get outs.
Chances to win division: 10% (zero if the Angels stay on a roll through Labor Day)
Chances to win wild card: 35%
Tampa Bay Rays (65-54)
Sure, this is the same team that won the American League pennant last season, but these guys aren't perennial juggernauts yet. While the AL East looks a bit out of reach, the stingers are still alive for a wild card fight. Unlike last season, the Rays didn't shoot out of the blocks and stay hot. Things seemed to poke and prod their mojo.
The starting pitching isn't as strong. Jeff Niemann (Jeff Niemann?) leads the rotation with 11 wins and a 3.71 ERA. No other starter has more than seven tallies in the wins column. David Price, Scott Kazmir, and Andy Sonnanstine all have earned run averages over 5.00 (the latter two are over 6.00).
The bullpen was in shambles early on. Troy Percival got hurt again. Jason Isringhausen didn't last much longer. But Tampa finally found a saving grace when J.P. Howell stepped into the closer role. Howell has converted 14-of-19 save chances and picked up 6 wins on top of everything.
And let's not forget about second baseman Akinori Iwamura. He only got to play 44 games before losing the rest of his season to a knee injury in late May. The credit for filling the void goes to Ben Zobrist, whose 20 dingers have to be a power improvement from what Iwamura could have provided.
Yet, with all of those obstacles, the Rays find themselves in the heat of the playoff race. Now, with a year of postseason play under their belts, can Tampa handle the pressure of a repeat appearance?
Chances to win division: 0% (too far back of the Yankees at this point)
Chances to win wild card: 25%
Colorado Rockies (67-53)
The Rocky Mountains had been pretty quiet for a year and a half. After an improbable run to the 2007 Series, Colorado sunk below sea level in '08 and appeared to be headed that way again. Then, the avalanche of losses swept Clint Hurdle out of the manager's seat. Jim Tracy used the opportunity to his team's benefit.
The Rockies have been able to bash the ball, with six players hitting double-digit homers so far. Troy Tulowitzki is cracking the cover off the ball after a disappearing act in 2008. Clint Barmes has come on strong, Brad Hawpe has taken over where Matt Holliday left off, and Todd Helton just hits and hits and hits.
The aspect of this team that is completely confusing is the starting rotation. Ubaldo Jimenez? Aaron Cook? Jason Marquis? Jorge De La Rosa? If you told me that two, let alone all four, pitchers would have ten wins by mid-August, I'd uncontrollably chuckle from disbelief. All four are also near or below a 4.50 ERA. Huston Street may be the least surprising of their hurlers. The closer is back to his early Oakland days (31-of-32 saves converted this season). Maybe there is something to this Rocky Mountain air.
Chances to win division: 5% (pretty much a puncher's chance)
Chances to win wild card: 25%
San Francisco Giants (66-54)
Out of all of the "surprise" teams in the hunt (Rays not included), I might be rooting for the Giants the most. They've cleared the air of all the Barry Bonds controversy from the last decade. Now, the power of the team comes from the mound. Even with Randy Johnson out since early July, AT&T Park holds possibly the league's best one-two punch.
Tim Lincecum has 12 wins, the NL's second-best ERA (2.37), and lead the Majors in strikeouts (207). Matt Cain also boasts 12 wins and the NL's third-best ERA (2.49). Both should easily bypass 200 innings for the season, and each outing by these two seems like a lock for seven innings or more.
And it's a good thing that there are two aces at the top of the staff. This squad's hitting prowess is on the light side. The morale is lifted through the "Kung-Fu Panda" himself, Pablo Sandoval. The third baseman leads the team in average (.327), homers (18), and RBI (70). But in the end, pitching will make or break the Giants.
Will Johnson return and help the rotation in September? Can Barry Zito continue to be effective enough to rack up victories? Can Jonathan Sanchez provide stability after throwing his surprise no-hitter on July 10th?
Chances to win division: 15% (they have the pitching to scare Los Angeles)
Chances to win wild card: 50%
Florida Marlins (64-56)
It's hard to believe that the team from Miami is only in its 17th season of existence. Only four years after their debut, the Marlins won the World Series. Only six years after their first title, the Fish backed it up with another one. And guess what? The six-year cycle has come around again. All you need to do is erase the old names and pencil in the current product. Gary Sheffield turns into Cody Ross. Moises Alou slides over for Jeremy Hermida. Derek Lee fades to Jorge Cantu. Alex Gonzalez flips to Hanley Ramirez. Craig Counsell is replaced by Dan Uggla. Josh Beckett and Livan Hernandez ... meet Josh Johnson. The faces may change, but the result has remarkably been the same ... for now.
While Florida continues to stockpile young, explosive talent, the big concern with them is, like many, their rotation. After Johnson (12-2, 2.85 ERA, 140 SO), can Ricky Nolasco and Chris Volstad right the ship enough to give the Marlins a push up the wild card ladder? And who can step into the slot that Andrew Miller couldn't fill? It might not be as big of an issue if they had a one-two punch like San Fran's Lincecum and Cain. Unfortunately for this Oceanside city, they don't have that luxury.
Chances to win division: 20% (they swept the Phillies in Philly a couple of weeks back)
Chances to win wild card: 15%
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