Twistity Sports Exclusive: BASEBALL IS BACK

 
The All-Star break comes to an end on Friday and the second half of the season commences. Thanks to the American League’s 5-3 victory in the All-Star game on Tuesday, the AL will have home-field advantage in the World Series. What may happen between now and October? Well, here are three questions this typist would like answered:

1. Will Oakland’s all-in move pay off in a division title and maybe even a playoff series win? The A’s rule the AL West and the acquisition before the break of Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel signaled a willingness to buy, spend and try to outdistance the Los Angeles Angels. Maybe. It might work. The Angels, however, were baseball’s hottest team in the weeks before the All-Star break, posting a 27-11 record. This will be a tight race. Will the frugal A’s be able to outlast the deep-pocketed Angels?

 

2. Will the Tampa Bay Rays trade ace David Price? The Rays can’t even afford a ticket to their own games (which are, for the most part, not attended at all). They will never be able to afford Price after he becomes a free agent following the 2015 season. But they’ve been so disappointing so far that to ditch Price really signals no hope for a comeback. And the Rays have generally been a good second-half team. If the Los Angeles Dodgers make the right offer (and so far they’ve not indicated real interest), the Rays may not be able to say no.

 

3. Will anybody win the sagging AL East, and will we care? The Baltimore Orioles sit atop this dismal collection and they haven’t won a playoff series since 1997. The Rays don’t hit, at least not for power. The Boston Red Sox, who won the World Series last year, can’t get out of the cellar. The New York Yankees are creaky and have now lost their best player (and best pitcher) Masahiro Tanaka. Those four-hour Yankees-Red Sox games won’t mean much down the stretch.

 
Today’s question: The A’s have an eclectic roster of misfits who can play the game. Can they play it well enough to reach the World Series?
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman .