The All-Star Game festivities are over.
There are less than two weeks until the July 30th trade deadline.
The weather is getting warmer and baseball season has begun.
The regular season resumes on Friday, full of excitement and uncertainty.
In four of the six categories, the top spots are closely matched.
There will be many candidates competing in the wild card race.
Twenty teams are within three and a half games of a playoff spot.
The big stars are coming back.
Aaron Judge is on his way to making more history.
And both the Mets and Yankees are currently in playoff contention.
Get ready for the second half with a storyline that will keep you entertained through the rest of the summer and early fall.
Can the real Mets and Yankees rise to the occasion?
It was a strange first half with alternating Jekyll and Hyde plays for both teams.
The Yankees started off with a 50-21 record but then fell into a deep slump.
Their starting pitching staff went from being a strength without Gerrit Cole to being a weakness when he returned.
The absence of Giancarlo Stanton with a left hamstring injury exposed the capabilities of an already top-heavy lineup that is overly reliant on Judge and Juan Soto.
Still, the Yankees are just one game behind the Orioles in the AL East despite an 8-19 record before the All-Star break.
And the Mets appeared to be headed for a sale before the trade deadline after a terrible May record of 9-19.
Since then, the team has won 25 of 38 games and moved into the third wild card spot in the National League.
Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor could have been All-Stars, Francisco Alvarez and Mark Vientos have also made a big impact, and the starting pitching staff has performed better than expected despite the season-long absence of Kodai Senga.
Both teams are in buying positions and have shown reason for optimism in the playoffs, but neither has proven to be a reliable team.
The second half of the season will see some interesting matches between Queens and the Bronx, with excitement building as the two teams meet at the stadium next week.
A judge chasing his own history
Two years ago, Judge set the American League home run record with 62 home runs.
He might break it this season.
He had already broken the Yankees’ all-time home run record by 34 before the All-Star break. The previous record was tied with 33 by Judge and Roger Maris.
Judge is on pace to hit 57 home runs this year, so he’ll need to step it up a gear to make more history.
Before hitting two home runs against the Orioles over the weekend, he had been in a slump, failing to hit an extra base hit in eight straight games.
In 2022, he hit his stride after the All-Star break, hitting 10 home runs in his first 12 games.
Trade deadline drama
The addition of two wild cards two years ago has led to more buyers in recent years, with more teams willing to take a chance and hope for success.
Last year, the Diamondbacks, the National League’s final wild card team, advanced to the World Series.
The number of teams willing to sell is dwindling, but with the July 30 deadline approaching, there are clearly several teams with attractive players available.
Examples include the White Sox, Marlins, Nationals, Athletics, Angels, Tigers and Rockies.
Oakland closer Mason Miller, White Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochette and outfielder Luis Robert Jr., Tigers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty, Marlins infielder/outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. and closer Tanner Scott, Nationals outfielder Jesse Winker, closer Kyle Finnegan and outfielder Lane Thomas and Angels outfielder Kevin Pillar and closer Carlos Estevez are some of the big names expected to be mentioned.
A Summer of Impactful Returns
This summer, an all-star team could be put together with some of the best players returning from major injuries.
Some of the biggest names in baseball will be returning, from two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom of the Rangers, Brewers closer Devin Williams and Mets ace Kodai Senga to the star-studded Dodgers trio of Mookie Betts, Clayton Kershaw and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Angels superstar Mike Trout, Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto and Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker.
These players could impact different playoff races.
The best Phillies in baseball history are on a roll
Despite significant injuries, the Phillies have the best record in baseball by a significant margin.
He ranks second in ERA (3.41), third in OPS (.755), fourth in stolen bases (99), third in batting average (.259) and first in run differential (plus-110).
They have a talented starting pitching staff, strong relief pitchers and a deep batting lineup that few others can match when healthy.
Philadelphia is 62-34, has 28 games over .500, and has a chance to win 100 games for the first time since 2011 and easily clinch their first NL East title in 13 years.
Bryce Harper and Trea Turner are the favorites to win.
Dodgers fall short of expectations
The Dodgers, hailed as a super team, were supposed to achieve 100 wins.
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez, Tyler Glasnow and Yamamoto have been added to an already-stuffed roster that won 100 games last summer.
Injuries to Yamamoto, Betts, Max Muncy and others have been an obstacle.
The Dodgers still hold a comfortable seven-game lead in the disappointing National League West, but their 56-41 record at this point in July isn’t what most experts expected.
Of course, that wouldn’t be an issue if they win the championship after two straight years of early playoff exits.
The team is expected to be aggressive in moving ahead of the trade deadline, particularly to fill a pitching staff depleted by injuries.
