MLB - Home Stretch

August is nearing an end, that means that we are heading into the final stretch of the 2012 MLB season. It seems as if the teams on top of their respective divisions are widening the gaps.  The pennant races may not be as hotly contested as we once thought. There are only two divisions (AL Central and NL West) that are separated by less than five games.  The Wild Cards are a different story. Remember that there is an additional Wild Card team in each league this year. There are five teams fighting for two spots in both leagues. Here is how the rest of the season is projected to play out based on simulations.

AL East
NY Yankees 96-66
Tampa Bay 89-73
Boston 82-80
Baltimore 81-81
Toronto 78-84

AL Central
Detroit 90-72
Chicago Sox 87-75
Cleveland 76-86
Kansas City 72-90
Minnesota 69-93

AL West
Texas 93-69
LA Angels 86-76
Oakland 81-81
Seattle 73-89

NL East
Washington 95-67
Atlanta 93-69
Philadelphia 79-83
Miami 77-85
NY Mets 74-88

NL Central
Cincinnati 96-66
St. Louis 86-76
Pittsburgh 86-76
Milwaukee 77-85
Chicago Cubs 65-97
Houston 54-108

NL West
San Francisco 89-73
LA Dodgers 87-75
Arizona 83-79
San Diego 70-92
Colorado 67-95

AL Wild Card
Tampa Bay over Chicago Sox

NL Wild Card
Atlanta over LA Dodgers

ALDS
NY Yankees over Tampa Bay 3-1
Detroit over Texas 3-2

NLDS
Cincinnati over Atlanta 3-2
San Francisco over Washington 3-2

ALCS
Detroit over NY Yankees 4-3

NLCS
San Francisco over Cincinnati 4-3

World Series
San Francisco over Detroit 4-2

Watch out for the Giants if they get into the postseason. They have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, and they know how to win. The 2010 World Series champs will be a tough out if they continue to play in October. They are currently in a dogfight with the Dodgers in the NL West, and are right in the thick of the Wild Card race.