Preview/Prediction

The votes are coming fast and furious.

It’s the annual debate of who should be an starter in the All Game versus those who are being voted by you, the fans.

Yes, it’s that time where Major Leaguers who shouldn’t be selected by the fans, are.

People like Manny Ramirez, who was a leading candidate in the outfield for the National League after being suspended 50 games for PED's. Then once the outrage began, he mysteriously fell to sixth.

Or the injured Josh Hamilton.

Today we will take a look at the American League voting.

Do the fans have it right? Let’s take a look:

The Astros' season thus far has been up and down to say the least. Injuries have been to blame for some of it, but not all of it.  They have seemingly been in every game, but have also let some winnable games get away.  That said, they are in a very solid position as we close in on the All-Star Break; only 5 1/2 games out of first in the always tight central division race.

As of right now, the Seattle Mariners are a game over .500, 2.5 games behind Texas and LA/Anaheim. They are set to play the Padres and gain more ground.

However, the direction of present and future Mariners lies in what happens the next 10 days.

That's right, the road trip from hell.

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Will the Mets light up victory cigars in 2009?

As I write this, I have just witnessed the New York Mets get two-hit by the St. Louis Cardinals in the second game of a four-game set at Citi Field to fall to 35-34 on the year, three losses back of the first-place Philadelphia Phillies.

With only two and a half weeks until the All-Star break, it is safe to wonder where the Rays magic from last season has gone. 

Has it subsided for just the first half of the season? Will it come back, or were the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays a one-time thing?  Being 37-35 and fourth in the Al East leaves the question of whether this team can pull it back together.

One can only assume, but if we look at the clubs strengths and weaknesses it may just give us the answer to the question that we have all been wandering.

With the All-Star game quickly approaching, the Detroit Tigers have to feel confident with their lead in the American League Central. The key for the Tigers this year has been their pitching and defense. Beyond the resurgence of Justin Verlander, Detroit has had all-star caliber contributions from Edwin Jackson and Rick Porcello in the starting rotation.

Overall the Tigers are second in hits allowed, third in runs allowed, third in fielding percentage, and third in double plays turned. Clearly pitching and defense is the backbone.

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The Tampa Rays are positioned to take the American League East. 

They’ve been through their injuries. The Rays have played without BJ Upton, Evan Longoria, Jason Bartlett, Akinori Iwamura, Shawn Riggans, Pat Burrell, Troy Percival, Scott Kazmir, Chad Bradford, Jason Isringhausen, and Brian Shouse. 

Tampa Bay lost its replacement center fielder before the season even started, and they are only six games back.

The Philadelphia Phillies are in first place in National League East and are five games over .500, but the season has been more disappointing than thrilling. 

They are currently riding a six-game losing streak and now head into Tampa for a World Series rematch with the American League Champion Tampa Bay Rays. With a few weeks to go before the mid-summer classic, let's look at a mid-season report on the reigning World Series Champions.

What's Looking Good

The Cubs won four in a row! Now they're back to being the greatest team in the National League!

Oh wait, did I say that? The North Siders won four in a row against the less-talented White Sox and arguably the worst team in baseball, the Cleveland Indians.

Those wins were meaningless.

The Cubs then proceeded to play the Atlanta Braves, one of the worst offenses in all of baseball. Ryan Demspter went 6 2/3 innings, yielding two earned runs.