By Mike Lopresti, Gannett News Service
Six weeks left in the baseball season, and the line of contenders looks like an airport security checkpoint.
You’d think by now we could eliminate more than the usual stragglers — the Pirates, Royals, Devil Rays, etc. But no. Sixteen of the 30 major league teams awoke Monday within four games of the lead for either their division or the wild card. A pennant fever epidemic might be imminent.
(We interrupt these proceedings to request polite applause for Bud Selig. The wild card was his idea. Baseball has not been taken over lock, stock and September by a few choice bluebloods from the Bronx and elsewhere, just like he said it wouldn’t. Admit it. Sometimes, the man gets it right).
You want democracy at work? If the season had ended Sunday, six of last year’s eight playoff teams would not have made the cut. Including the Yankees.
Nor would three of the past four champions. Or eight of the past 10 teams to play in the World Series.
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What we have is a gaggle of contending teams, each with flaws and foibles and hope.
One — the Mariners — had their manager quit during the season.
Three — the Mets, Padres and Diamondbacks — have fired their hitting coaches.
The Padres are the National League wild card team at the moment despite the worst batting average in the major leagues.
The Angels lead the division despite having fewer home runs than all but two other teams in baseball.
The Phillies are in the hunt despite an 8-19 record in one-run games.
The Tigers are near the top despite barely breaking even at home.
The Mets have the best record in the National League despite a population explosion on their disabled list.
The Red Sox have the best record in the American League, but a 12-game lead on July 5 had shrunk to four by Monday. What you wonder now about New England is if they have started seeing pinstripes in their clam chowder.
The Indians lead their division despite going 17-23 since July 4.
The Yankees have moved into contention despite getting fewer saves out of the bullpen than any other team except Tampa Bay. Watching Mariano Rivera struggle in the ninth inning is like watching Picasso smudge his paint.
The Cardinals have rallied back onto the radar screen with several big hits from Rick Ankiel, who used to be a pitcher.
The Cubs have moved into first place with a prolonged surge that began approximately the same day their catcher and ace pitcher got into a fight in the dugout.
Then there’s Arizona. The Diamondbacks are probably as good an example as any of the odd forces at work in the division races.
This is the team that started the season with the fourth lowest payroll in the major leagues — spending less than noted bargain shoppers such as Kansas City, Minnesota, Oakland and Cincinnati …
The team that stood 15th in the league in hitting as of Monday …
The team that through Saturday was last in the league in hitting with men in scoring position …
The team that hoped for one last dash of greatness from Randy Johnson, but came up mostly empty …
And for all the above obstructions, where were the Diamondbacks after last weekend?
Virtually tied with the Mets for the best record in the National League.
Arizona has lots of guys you’ve never heard much about. But the Diamondbacks also have Brandon Webb, who hasn’t allowed a run in 42 innings.
And Jose Valverde, who leads the world in saves.
And a young pitcher named Micah Owings, who produced six RBI and two home runs the other night. The only place the pitcher is supposed to drive in six runs with four hits and two homers is Little League. Owings has a 6-6 pitching record … and a higher slugging percentage than Albert Pujols or Ryan Howard.
You’d no more expect to see that than the Angels facing questions about rats in their ballpark. But clearly, there is more than one road to a playoff spot.
Especially this season.
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Contact Mike Lopresti at mlopresti@gns.gannett.com.
