By Tony George www.sportsaudioshows.com

With the All Star break nearing it is time to take stock of some of the better teams in MLB. Here is a look with some notes on my Top 10 teams in MLB as of June 15th.

1. LA Dodgers – With 42 wins, the Dodgers have done it without the services on Manny, and hitting just .220 as a team and averaging under 3 runs a game in their last 10. The bullpen has an ERA of 2.97 on the year and with a solid starter rotation, and Manny coming back soon, they look to be the beast in the West for the entire season.

2. Boston Red Sox - The main goal is to beat the Yankees every year and this year to date they have swept them. They are 21-8 at home, and have some solid starters in their rotation and their hitting as a team is improving. The bullpen has tossed out under a 4 ERA on the year. Deep and talented and well managed. The team to beat in the east.

3. Texas Rangers – Quietly having a great year, and just took 2 from Boston recently proving their status. They have got the short end of the stick in recent series against LA and Toronto but Il like their chances down the stretch with good offense and an above average bullpen. They hit almost .300 as a team at home against right handers. THIS IS MY DARK HORSE TEAM THIS SEASON!

4. Philly – Pitching depth a concern. With Meyer, Lidge and Eyre all out for the interim, and a bullpen with a 4.30 ERA to date, Philly needs to outscore opponents. Once healthy, they are a major player. Still a strong team who grinds for 9 innings daily.

5. NY Yankees – They have to get over the hump with Boston soon. They have lost 9 in a row to them! Like the power hitting and bullpen, but the starting rotation needs to step up. Plenty of talent but currently inconsistent and trhey seem to play to the level of the team they are playing. Not sold on their manager.

6. St. Louis Cards - Just love the Cards bullpen, it wins games for them. Like them against high ERA opposing pitchers because late in the game they put people away. Solid all the way around.

7. Milwaukee Brewers – They have lots of offense and a bullpen ERA of 3.26 on the year and currently lead a tough division. Neck and neck with the cards, they could win this division.

8. SF Giants - With 34 wins and a solid offense, the Dodgers are too much to overcome perhaps. They need more offense in terms of runs, but rank 14th in team batting average, just leave too many runners stranded. The bullpen and starters rank 3rd in strikeouts.

9. LA Angels – Tons of offense, loaded in the hitting rotation, 1st in team batting average but an overall ERA of almost 5 means they must outscore everyone. Need to improve in the bullpen and overall ERA.

10. Detroit – Solid and above average across the board in all areas, a solid team. They rank 3rd in errors and their defense is suspect at times. Like their bullpen, and they average close to 5 runs a game.

These rankings are subject to change, but some late entries could be Toronto once Halladay returns, The NY Mets, and the D Rays. The AL East is loaded with solid teams as well as the NL Central. The health of bullpens, and teams improving their road records will be the deciding factor down the stretch.
 

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