Preview/Prediction

Thanks to Marty Lurie of KNBR, I got the idea to write just how good the Giants are and how well certain players are performing compared to previous seasons.
As August begins, the Giants begin a difficult two months to catch the first place Padres. Starting off the second half going 8-1 in the division and 13-4 overall, they're the hottest team in baseball. Giants' players are peaking at the right time and this team is having fun again as they fight for a post-season berth.

It's been an incredible year so far, and fans have a lot to look forward to in the coming months.

NEW YORK: After coming back to beat the Diamondbacks last night, winning their first game against them in five tries, the Mets will hope it leads to a series victory this afternoon.

The Mets finished the month of July with one of baseball's worst records, 9-17, and will now try to begin August 1-0.

Yes, that's right, it's the month of August. This is now the official start of baseball's pennant race, as teams try to position themselves this month for a September run.

Cliff Lee, Lance Berkman , Jorge Cantu, Austin Kearns , Bengie Molina, Kerry Wood, Cristian Guzman. All players that are now wearing either a Texas Rangers Jersey or Yankee pinstripes now, as the smell of October baseball grows stronger with each passing day.

The non-waiver trade deadline has passed and the Washington Nationals have continued to accumulate critical pieces to their future championship puzzle.

There was no purge of all veteran players for prospects, but there were deft moves to acquire highly thought of prospects, including Wilson Ramos, and create major league openings for young talent already in their system.

New York Yankees ace CC Sabathia will square off against Tampa Bay Rays James Shields, in the third and final game of this series.

Let’s check out this matchup:

 
Tampa Bay Rays: James Shields (9-9)

James Shields is a lights-out pitcher, if you are referring to his high strikeout numbers.

In 2010 Shields has posted 122 strikeouts over 135 innings. He maintains a minimal number of walks with 31.

So what explains Shields ERA being 4.79?

The MLB "Non-Waiver" Trade Deadline has come and gone but another has yet to arrive, the August 31st Waiver Trade Deadline. This simply means teams can still trade players but with the requirement of placing their players on the waiver wire, which is pretty secret in MLB and often if a contract is too hefty a player goes free.

Last year the Chicago White Sox shocked the baseball world by claiming outfielder Alex Rios from the Toronto Blue Jays and his expensive contract, in the neighborhood of $50 million left on it and getting him with no trade whatsoever.

NEW YORK-- In order for the Mets to compete into August and September, they'll have to start doing two things. Win games on the road and beat up on bad teams.

The Mets have had trouble doing both, and are now 0-4 this season against the last-place Arizona Diamondbacks.

Last night, the Mets scored six runs but five were on two swings from David Wright. Other than his bat, the Mets offense didn't do a whole lot much.

It's a little too soon to think about the offseason, but with the injuries mounting for the Oakland A's it's only a matter of time before the rosters expand. Then the A's will be  looking at what the roster maybe like for the 2011 season. 

With that being said what players are likely to stay? What players are likely going to be gone? I'll start with the infielders and finish with the relief pitchers. 

New York Yankees Javier Vazquez will face Tampa Bay Rays Matt Garza on Saturday night at the Trop.

Let's take a look at this match-up:

Tampa Bay Rays: Matt Garza (11-5)

The Cincinnati Reds are currently tied with the St. Louis Cardinals for first in the National League Central division and it appears they will stay with team that got them here.

The Reds biggest needed is in the bullpen and their General Manager Walt Jocketty has addressed that need. Well, sort of. He signed Russ Springer and Jason Isringhausen, sending them to Triple-A Louisville.

Isringhausen has made two appearances giving up two runs and two hits in 1 2/3 innings of work. One of the two hits was a homer!