Preview/Prediction

Is the baseball season really a marathon? Or, can injuries, poor play, and bad luck end your season in just a couple of weeks? The Detroit Tigers will be able to answer that question rather quickly.

After a mediocre first two months of the season, the Detroit Tigers scratched and clawed their way to the division lead on June 28. As the Minnesota Twins spun their wheels in first place, objects in their mirror were closer than they appeared. 

Red Sox All-Star third baseman Adrian Beltre could fetch a "nice haul" on the trading block this week, according to MLBTradeRumors.com's Tim Dierkes. While Dierkes cautions trade mongers that Boston wouldn't "go there" unless they believed the 2010 team had "no chance," he also suggests Beltre could be worth more than any other Red Sox were he made available.

The Red Sox are at a fascinating and unpredictable crossroads at the 2010 trade deadline.

Despite their 52-49 record, the Blue Jays are a full 10 games behind Tampa Bay in the wild card race. With little chance of a postseason berth, Jays' fans seemingly don't have much to be excited about. The biggest holding point of interest right now is the looming trade deadline on Saturday. Any number of Jays vets could get moved between now and then.

If I had more title space, I would have called this the "Twins Edition."

With the Twins turning the tide at the beginning of the second half, it's time to look at some of Minnesota's big guns and the effect they may have on the American League.

Awards, playoffs, whatever works. I've got enough odd/frightening/bewildering/upsetting predictions to last us until next season.

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The Minnesota Twins have come into their own since the All-Star break despite being without Justin Morneau and more recently Orlando Hudson. With the two on the disabled list the door has been opened for other players to step up. Here are five players that have the potential to make the biggest difference outside of the regulars.

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The Mets shockingly blasted Cardinals' ace Adam Wainwright last night, and continued to prove they have a significant home-field advantage.

The Mets have the right pitching matchups on hand over the next two days to do some damage if they can hit like last night.

Tonight, the Mets will have their ace Johan Santana on the mound, trying to win the series and give the Mets a reasonable shot to sweep on Thursday.

After splitting the first two games in Cleveland against the Indians, the New York Yankees have shortened their lead in the AL East to just two games over the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Rays are on fire right now. Starting pitcher Matt Garza pitched the franchise’s first no-hitter on Monday night against the Tigers and Tampa followed it up with another win. The Rays have won their last four in a row.

With only a mere four days away from the July 31st Major League Baseball trade deadline, not only will we see many trade rumors flying around, but we will start to see actual trades being made.

One team that will most certainly make a move, and is in no way a stranger to this time of year, is the Boston Red Sox.

We all know by now that the Mets had a road trip to forget, having lost nine of 11 on the West Coast. It may be hard to think of, but that's a thing of the past.

The Mets still think they have a shot at competing, and on July 27, who doesn't think so? Therefore, it's time to move on.

For the Mets, this will be their first home game in over two weeks. The last time they played at Citi Field was on July 11, a huge win over the Braves.

Fantasy baseball sees changes in position depth every year. What starts the season as a weak position may finish as the best, and vice-versa. Entering the season there were 11 second basemen ranked in the Top 100 players in mixed formats.