Preview/Prediction

On July 13, MLB's best players will take a break from their normal schedules to square off at Angel Stadium in the 81st Midsummer Classic.

Fans have been voting for their favorite position players for quite some time: Albert Pujols is the obvious pick for NL first baseman, and Joe Mauer is the overwhelming favorite for AL catcher.

Baseball worshipers hope to see their teams' leaders hit the long ball every time they enter the batter's box.

But who will pitch to these super sluggers?

That part of the whole shebang is up to All-Star managers Charlie Manuel and Joe Girardi.

World Cup betting players don’t have to worry about a trade deadline, like most professional leagues around the world in all sports. In Major League Baseball, the big name that everyone is saying will be on the market is Seattle’s Cliff Lee, who was traded from Philadelphia in the Roy Halladay deal. 

Well Mariners fans, lets face it, the 2010 season is a bust.

There will be no comeback, no 1995 style legendary run to the post season. No, I'm afraid the last exciting moment for the Mariners will be watching who they dump in the upcoming midseason fire sale.

Cliff Lee is a lock to be traded, and rumor has it that everybody not named Felix or Ichiro is up for grabs. I'd expect a lot of familiar names to be playing in different markets come August.

So, what does that mean for the 2011 squad? What does the future hold for Seattle baseball?

Pirates prized prospect Pedro Alvarez had been called up by the team this week, and will probably replace Andy LaRoche.

Alvarez, 23, is a power hitting 3rd baseman, who can be a threat every at bat at the big league level but is very weak when it comes to defense.

He reminds us of a somewhat Adam Dunn, who is a power hitter, yet isn't the greatest fielder (I mean years ago, he has gotten better this year). Also, Dunn and Alvarez both strike out often. 

With Pittsburgh needing help at this point, they called up the young 3rd baseman.

The Yankees will probably not take a different approach to Game Two of their World Series rematch with the Phillies tonight.

Phillies starter Jamie Moyer has been up and down this season including a complete game, but has since returned to his inconsistent form.

The Yankees' AJ Burnett was stellar against the Phillies in the postseason, and it will be interesting to see how amazing he may look if the Phillies bats don't show up—much like they have done all season. 

Pitching Preview: Champs vs. Phillies Game 3 will be looking at a pair of veterans on Thursday’s match-up, in this 2009 World Series revival between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees .

Game 3:

CLEVELAND: When the season began, everyone's preseason favorite to win the NL East and even NL were the Philadelphia Phillies. Some people also picked the Cardinals to win the Central and Rockies to win the West.

Right now, on June 16, the Mets have a better record than all three of those teams, and are one-half game out of first place. The Mets also are only one-and-a-half behind the Padres for the NL's best record.

Just when it seemed as if things were getting brighter for the Los Angeles Dodgers pitching staff, the team was dealt another blow on Tuesday afternoon, when they announced that Chad Billingsley would be placed on the 15-day disabled list with a groin injury.

According to team reports, Billingsley suffered the injury sometime during his start in Friday's 10-1 loss against the Los Angeles Angels.

The last time the New York Mets played the Cleveland Indians in Ohio, George W. Bush was in his second year of office, Emma Watson and Caroline Wozniacki weren’t even teenagers, and Sammy Sosa was still bla…no, whi…no. Never mind.

In fact, the last time the Mets played in Cleveland was the first time the Mets played in Cleveland. Heck, it was the first time they had played Cleveland.

We all know the Phillies' recent struggles—the inconsistent bats and the flat-out lack of offensive production.

Philadelphians have been in a shroud of disbelief over the team's current struggles, what with the Flyers' recent success clouding their thoughts, and have ignored the team and brushed off the much-needed panic.

Some call it a slump, some call it midseason woes, but if they Phillies don't right the ship quickly, we can all call it missing out on the playoffs.