Early Second Half Thoughts/Live-Blogging

Well, the second half is officially underway with the Yankees and Mets each having completed a series and beginning a new one as well. For the Yankees, they rebounded nicely from being swept in Anaheim by taking all three from the Tigers at home, then walking off with the first of three against the Orioles. As for the Mets, it's been the same old story: Losses in games and players. The fact that they are 2-3 since the break is shocking. Here are three things to keep an eye on in the second half for each team:

Yankees

1) Will they be able to stay healthy?
-Last season, the Yankees were decimated by injuries all season long, and it led to them missing the playoffs for the first time since 1993. This year, while they have still had their share of DL trips, they have remained much healthier and will need to continue to do so if they plan on going deep in the playoffs. They will battle the Red Sox the rest of the way for the division, and Tampa Bay is lurking as well. I think it'll come down to which team stays healthier in the end as to who wins the division.

2) The 3-5 spots in the Starting Rotation
-While inconsistent for most of the season, the rotation has still been solid enough to put the Yanks in the position they are in right now. CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett have both pitched well for most of the season and are known for dominating second halfs throughout their careers. Joba Chamberlain and Andy Pettitte have shown flashes of strong pitching, but they have largely struggled with command and length. The Yankees will need much more consistency and length from them in the second half. Finally, the 5th spot is up for grabs now. Sergio Mitre will attempt to take hold of the spot that Chien Ming Wang has vacated with 2 DL trips and poor pitching. If Mitre can't hold it, the Yanks will likely have to take Phil Hughes or Alfredo Aceves out of the bullpen, which they don't want to do.

3) Back end of the bullpen
-What was once the biggest problem for the Yankees has turned into one of their greatest strengths. The trio of Phil Hughes, Alfredo Aceves, and Phil Coke have all joined with Mariano Rivera to solidify the relieving corps for this team. Throw in some good performances by David Robertson and Brett Tomko, and the Yanks are pretty solid in that department. But there are some questions left: Will Bruney return to his early-season form? Will Rivera stay dominant? Will Hughes or Aceves be moved to the rotation? If the answers to those questions, in order, are no, no, and yes, the Yankees could be in some trouble late in games.

Mets
1) Getting players back from the DL
-If this team has any chance at making the playoffs, let alone competing for a spot, they will need to get some of their big players back off the disabled list. I'm talking about Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, and John Maine. Not only do they need to get back, but they must be able to put up strong numbers. The Mets offense is mediocre at best and their rotation has faltered. Overall, the team has lost credibility and is not intimidating at all. Getting any of these guys back will put at least some fear in their opponents.

2) Trade deadline moves
-This is the point where we will see if Omar Minaya succumbs to the pressure from fans to sign a few bigger "rent-a-players" or holds onto his prospects. If Minaya is smart, he will realize this season is already unsaveable and keep what little farm system he has left in tact. Fans want Roy Halladay to be put into the rotation, and there were rumors of a deal involving Fernando Martinez, Jon Niese and Bobby Parnell. Doing this would've been stupid for a player who can't save this season anyway. The Mets need to build up their young talent rather than rush them up and hope the team is healthier next year.

3) Back end of the rotation
-The Mets have a similar problem to the Yankees, except they have only one solid pitcher. Johan Santana is going to provide the Mets with a great chance to win every fifth day. After that, the group of Mike Pelfrey, Oliver Perez, Livan Hernandez, whoever fills the fifth spot (Niese, Figueroa), and John Maine if he returns will need to do better than a good start followed by a terrible one. This has been the case all year so far. Pelfrey, Perez, and the fifth starter will be here for the near-future. If they don't show consistency on the mound, the Mets will have serious rotation issues for the next few years.

My early predictions for the second half:
-The Yanks will win the AL East by no more than three games with the Red Sox taking the Wild Card.

-The Mets will finish no less than five games out of first and will not make the playoffs.

------------------------
I'll be back with some live-blogging during tonight's games. Come talk Yankees, Mets, the trade deadline, etc. See you at 7:00.