By Willie Bee



With the pennant races heating up all across the MLB landscape, shopping for the right dog has never been more important. Just how much is that doggy in the window?

Time travel has always been an interesting concept for gamblers. Scenes from the Back to the Future trilogy intrigue even the most casual of recreational players whose eyes can’t help but light up with visions of winning wager after winning wager. Alas, time travel remains but a theory.
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If you had a time machine and could turn the clock back one year to the end of July 2005, two teams to follow for the final two months of the season would have been Cleveland and Colorado. The Indians reeled off a 38-18 run beginning in August 2005, nearly catching the eventual champion White Sox at the end. The Rockies were a more modest 30-28 over the final two months of the ’05 slate, but had some tremendous value after their horrendous start to the season.

Without a time-traveling DeLorean at my disposal, statistical analysis and old-fashioned guile will have to serve as my crystal ball as we look at some dogs to kick and dogs to nurture over the final two months of this campaign.



Atlanta: Shoring up their most glaring weakness in the bullpen with the recent acquisitions of Bob Wickman and Danys Baez, the Braves could be poised to make a nice closing run after being given up for dead following a 10-game losing streak in June. The offense is still a bit iffy, exactly what you’d expect with so many youngsters in the mix. John Smoltz probably won’t bring a lot of value in his starts. Same for Tim Hudson if he can right his 2006 ship. Of their remaining 16 series only two are against teams with winning records, and both of those series are against the Mets. The Braves also have 31 of their last 52 games at home. The value might not be the best, especially if they surge and put themselves in better position for the last NL playoff slot. But definitely a team that can win more than they lose the rest of the way.

Cleveland: Contending with a disappointing season after being picked to make a run for the AL Central title, the Indians are an also-ran behind the Tigers, White Sox and Twins, three of the top teams in the majors. With two series against the Pale Hose and the Twins, and one each against the Tigers, Blue Jays and Athletics, it will take a minor miracle for Cleveland to just get back to .500 this season. But there’s still a chance to turn a profit on the Indians. The offense is still potent with Cleveland having outscored their opponents by nearly 30 runs this season despite being 16 games below par. Combined with some questionable pitching, that makes for a good shot at some of the over lines to be posted.

Houston: Hoping to pull another rabbit out of their hat like they did the past two seasons, the Astros have been underachieving since May. Coming off consecutive road series wins for the first time this year, it will still take a finish like 2004 when they went 31-8 down the stretch. They have the starting pitching to do that again, and the bullpen has started to turn things around after wallowing in the Blown Leads Swamp much of the first half. I just don’t see another miracle in Phil Garner’s bag of tricks this time. Even if they do get their act together, the big names in the rotation will hold their prices down. And as inconsistent has the offense has been, they look like a dog to kick in August and September.

Milwaukee: Picked by many to challenge in the NL Central and be one of the favorites for the NL wildcard, the Brewers have languished and struggled to find any consistency so far in 2006. Like the Braves, Milwaukee has a favorable schedule over the final eight weeks, both against teams with under-.500 records and a 26-25 edge at home. They have dealt away their big slugger, Carlos Lee, and a wrist injury has sent Rickie Weeks to the DL. That will put a lot of pressure on the collective shoulders of veteran Geoff Jenkins, rookie Prince Fielder and newcomer Kevin 'Shrek' Mench. There probably won’t be much value in games started by either Ben Sheets or Chris Capuano, the two pitchers who give Milwaukee their best shot at dubya’s. Another good team to consider the over’s for.

Seattle: A week ago the Mariners had quietly sneaked back into the AL West race where everyone is still a contender. But then the M’s were swept out of their home park by the A’s to put their little surge on hold. Their schedule the rest of the way is a tough one, with just three of their remaining 16 series against teams with sub-.500 records. Included on their slate are six more games against the Athletics, seven against the Angels, road series against the White Sox and Tigers and home contests versus the Yankees and Red Sox. That does not bode well for the team’s chances of making the playoffs. But it should keep the Mariners at the dog level and provide solid value in their lines. Seattle has an underrated bullpen and recently added a little offense with the acquisition of Ben Broussard from Cleveland. They are most definitely a dog to keep your eyes on down the stretch.