The teams that need to win keep winning. It's been that way since I started my Homestretch series, and it continues to be that way into tonight. The exception: San Diego, losers of ten straight, prompting Yahoo! to ask if they are headed for an epic fall. Currently, the Padres lead the Dodgers 4-2 in the home half of the eighth, meaning they will finally snap that dreadful streak after Heath Bell closes the door in the ninth.
But in all seriousness - the Giants and Phillies, leaders in the wild card race and seekers of division leads, refuse to go down. The Rockies are now getting in on the act, closing to within four games of the Padres in the NL West. St. Louis is even trying to make a comeback. In the American League, the White Sox and Twins are in a deadlock, neither able to gain ground because neither team will lose. The Rangers keep losing, but they don't NEED to win. Neither do the Rays or Yankees, but they're going back and forth.
The point is, teams are showing their true colors at this point in the season. I'm fairly certain that the wild card in the National League will end up coming out of the West, because the Giants and Rockies are playing out of their minds right now. Atlanta and San Diego are stumbling, and it very well could be that neither team makes the playoffs after being in first place for so long. September baseball is what separates the boys from the men, and it's obvious from the results of the last week which teams have grown and matured.
Oh, and let's now include Heath Bell and the Padres in that discussion.
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