Cameron: The myth of second-half momentum
From Dave Cameron at FoxSports.com on September 10, 2014:
Back at the end of July, there was one overarching narrative: the Tigers and A’s engaging in an arms race to try to get an advantage for their inevitable October matchup. On the day the Tigers acquired David Price and the A’s acquired Jon Lester, Oakland had the best record in baseball, while Detroit had a comfortable four-game lead in the AL Central; since adding their respective aces, both have surrendered their divisional leads, with the A’s falling so far behind the Angels that their chances of winning the AL West now stand at a fraction of one percent.
Toss in the quickly fading Milwaukee Brewers — 60-49 on July 31, 14-22 since — and we have three strong first-half contenders limping to the finish line. Like the A’s, the Brewers should basically punt any hopes they still hold about a division title, and are now hoping entirely for a surge that will put them back in the wild-card race. But even if the A’s, Tigers and Brewers manage to right their ships, should they really be optimistic about their chances in October? After all, they’ve spent the better part of the past few months playing lousy baseball, and at some point, doesn’t a second-half slump become an indicator of underlying problems that would derail a playoff run even if the team managed to get to the postseason?
In a word: no.
Read the full article here: http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/just-a-bit-outside/story/athletics-brewers-tigers-myth-second-half-momentum-postseason-091014
Originally published: September 10, 2014. Last Updated: September 10, 2014.