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The next three weeks are going to be wild.Five of ESPN.coms intrepid MLB beat writers have teams battling it out for wild-card berths as the season hits mid-September: Eddie Matzs Baltimore Orioles, Andrew Marchands New York Yankees, Katie Strangs Detroit Tigers, Adam Rubins New York Mets and Mark Saxons St. Louis Cardinals. (Since theyre currently leading their respective divisions, we let Scott Laubers Boston Red Sox and Doug Padillas Los Angeles Dodgers off the hook -- for now.)We asked each of the above scribes to make a case for why their team has a date with a do-or-die playoff game come October. Then we asked them to respond to each of their colleagues arguments.What we got was -- well, read for yourself. And keep reading until the end, when a surprise judge joins the fray to make a final ruling.OriolesMatz: The Orioles will nab one of the AL wild-card spots because of -- get this -- their starting pitching. No, really. After blowing chunks for most of the season, Baltimores rotation is rounding into shape when it matters most. Ubaldo Jimenez has magically gone from the worst pitcher in baseball to arguably the teams most dependable starter. Kevin Gausman is currently in midair, making the leap. And Chris Tillman looked good as new in his first start back from the DL, which means that the Os can now banish their most glaring weak link (Wade Miley) to the bullpen. Combine that with a homer-happy lineup thats been scoring in bunches lately and the only reason the Birds wouldnt get a wild-card berth is if they win the division outright.Marchand: The Orioles look as if they are prime position to win a wild-card spot, but the inconsistency they have played with over the year is something that has to be a concern. Plus, they might be pitching well now, but do you really trust those starters to come up big?Saxon: Well, something doesnt add up because FiveThirtyEight has them at just 61 percent even to make the playoffs and 4 percent -- behind the Red Sox and Blue Jays -- to win the World Series. Somebody should put back on his designer black frames and remove the rose-colored glasses.Strang: Not sure I see the Orioles sustaining this level of offensive production, which, admittedly, has been absolutely wild. Youd think that at some point, even a lineup as talented as theirs has to cool off. As for the pitching staff, suffice it to say I dont see the triumphant Jimenez comeback story ending the same way Eddie might envision it. And Tillman, though very impressive in his last start against the Tigers, is not out of the woods yet with that shoulder issue. That has to be an area of concern for Baltimore moving forward.Rubin: The Orioles have several potentially fatal flaws. Among them: streaky hitters, an all-or-nothing offense and a fried bullpen. Since the All-Star break, Baltimores 4.50 ERA is second-to-last in the American League, ahead of only the lowly Twins (5.43).YankeesMarchand: For those who think the Yankees will take the wild card, the logic is simple -- they are playing as well as anyone in baseball right now. Despite the fact they have a brutal schedule, those who believe the Yankees will succeed think that going 13-5 in their final 18 games will be no problem. I tend to doubt the Yankees can get to the 89 or 90 wins it will take to win a wild card, but if they go into their final three games against the Orioles with a chance to make the playoffs, that will be a pretty significant accomplishment in itself.Matz: If Marchand himself cant even defend the team he covers (I tend to doubt the Yankees ...), then theres no need for me to pile on. My work here is done.Saxon: Remind me not to hire you if Im looking for someone to sell my house. Those who believe??You were supposed to believe, Andrew. That was the assignment! Since you dont, I dont either.Strang: I imagine the sort of success the Yankees have had since selling off assets at the trade deadline isnt something anyone would have predicted, but eventually the joyride must end. Youth and inexperience will leave the Yanks exposed as the playoff race heats up, with a slew of games against divisional opponents also desperate to nail down a playoff spot.Rubin: Gary Sanchez might be a nice story, but the Yankees simply do not have the pitching horses to get to the 89 to 90 wins it will take to earn a wild-card spot in the American League this year. Furthermore, while playing the teams ahead of them in the standings in a simple sense might seem like an opportunity, it realistically means the Yankees have too steep an uphill battle.TigersStrang: After missing the playoffs last year for the first time since 2010, the Detroit Tigers appear primed to secure a postseason berth in 2016 because their key offensive contributors are swinging the bats well at precisely the right time. Look at the clubs big boppers -- Miguel Cabrera, J.D. Martinez and Justin Upton, who are all crushing the ball in September. Factor in that second baseman Ian Kinsler is also scorching hot this month (.314), and his fellow infielder Nick Castellanos is aiming to return within the next week, and the Tigers have one of the most potent lineups in baseball. Beyond that, the Tigers are in the midst of 17 consecutive games against American League Central teams, providing them ample opportunity to make up ground against divisional opponents.Marchand: If the Tigers dont make the playoffs, it is all on them. While the majority of the wild-card contenders are in the AL East beating each other up, the Tigers only have to just worry about becoming complacent as they face a much easier road.Matz: When it comes the wild card, gaining ground on divisional opponents matters not. What does matter is winning, and given that seven of those 17 AL Central games are against an Indians squad thats owned Detroit this year (11-1), well -- good luck with that.Saxon: You lost me when you started spouting facts and evidence. Im just not a big fan of aging, slugging teams with no athleticism and iffy relief pitching in October.Rubin: The Tigers fatal flaw will be their rotation. In a seven-start stretch that also included an absence for a lat issue, Jordan Zimmermann has a 4.94 ERA. Beyond that, three kids in the rotation are unproven.MetsRubin: Forget the fact that the Mets are among the hottest teams in baseball, having won 16 of 21 games entering the week. The Mets will reach the postseason as a wild-card entrant primarily because of their soft schedule the remainder of the season. After completing a series on Wednesday against the Nationals, the Mets do not play another game against a team with a winning record. Meanwhile, the Cardinals and Giants -- the competitors for the NLs two wild-card spots -- have to play each other four times beginning Thursday. The Cardinals also have two series remaining against the Cubs, while the Giants have two series remaining against the Dodgers.Marchand: The biggest reason not to believe in the Mets is because they are the Mets. Their tortured history is replete with epic failures in the face of victories. Could one more be on the horizon?Matz: As my mother will tell you, Im a good boy who follows directions, and my marching orders here were to shoot a hole in every one of these theories (except mine, of course). To do that, Im calling on my experience with logic puzzles back in Mrs. Harris fifth-grade math class. If the Mets and Cardinals arent wild cards (which, per my instructions, they cant be), then the wild cards must be the second-place NL West team (Giants or Dodgers), and the ... Marlins?Saxon: When you put it that way, its kind of hard to argue. I guess Ill just go with, Its the Mets, Adam, and leave it at that.Strang: Heading into spring training, I picked the Mets to win it all this year, and a big reason was their stable of impressive young pitchers. Fast-forward six months and the staff looks, well, quite a bit different. No?Matt Harvey. No Jacob deGrom. No Steven Matz. That certainly hasnt seemed to hurt the Mets lately, but even with a crazy favorable schedule to finish out the year, one has to wonder whether the sum of all the injuries -- and not just those to the pitching staff -- eventually takes its toll.CardinalsSaxon: If you believe the moral of the old fable The Tortoise and the Hare, then you buy that the Cardinals will reach the NL wild-card game. While the other two contenders, the Mets and Giants, have had wild swings of fortune this season, the Cardinals have just kept plodding along. Their longest losing streak this season is five games. Their longest winning streak is five games. They came one right after the other in mid-June. So all they have to do is continue their steady-as-it-goes approach and one of the other two contenders figures to beat itself. The other thing they have going for them: Starting Thursday, the best road team in baseball has 10 of its final 17 games away from Busch Stadium. If they get into the postseason, who knows? Maybe theyll finally get hot.Marchand: This does not feel like a classic Cardinals team. They have been great on the road, but that could be reaching its expiration point.Matz: See Matz on Mets.Strang: The Cards had dropped four of their past six games heading into Tuesdays action, including Mondays loss, in which they mustered just one hit off Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks (who, granted, has been lights-out against pretty much everyone in recent months) and saw Matt Carpenter exit the game with back tightness. More concerning is that St. Louis still has another set against the Cubs before closing out the season with a seven-game homestand. That stretch at home should be a good thing, especially considering their caliber of competition -- except for the fact, as Saxon astutely pointed out, that the Cards have been awful at Busch Stadium this year.Rubin: We already covered the disparity in schedule strength the remainder of the season to justify why the Mets will reach the postseason over St. Louis. Now lets zero in on the Cardinals swoon, which is being fueled by inconsistent starting pitching, erratic defense and a glaring lack of setup men. Jaime Garcia produced an 8.06 ERA in a five-start stretch through last Thursday. Meanwhile, Aledmys Diaz has only a .957 fielding percentage, with 16 errors through 93 games at shortstop.The above -- vs. the rest of the fieldJudge David Schoenfield: Lets start with the American League, where Im sentencing Matz to watching the 1988 Orioles highlight tape after he invoked Jimenez as evidence of a strengthening rotation. Sure hes had four good starts in a row. However, its still Ubaldo Jimenez, and four good starts merely means four bad ones are likely to follow. Also the Orioles are under .500 since July 1, and is that Michael Bourn and Drew Stubbs Im seeing in their outfield?As the saying goes, rooting for the Yankees is like rooting for U.S. Steel. This court cant rule in favor of the Yankees, even with this cute little story they have going on with these kids and this no-name pitching staff. You know whats not so cute though? They still have five players making $20 million-plus, if you include the departed Alex Rodriguez. Those five guys make more than 13 entire teams. So enough with this nonsense that the Yankees are some Little Engine That Could. Also, the court fines Marchand to repeated viewings of the bottom of the ninth of Game 7 of the 2001 World Series for his cheap shot against the Mets.So the judge rules in favor of Strang and the Tigers. The schedule is the key here, with four games left against the Twins, three against the rapidly expiring Royals and three to finish the season against the hapless Braves. Yes, they do have seven games against the Indians and -- hold on, you say theyre 1-11 against Cleveland? They lost to the Twins on Tuesday? Maybe we should be thinking of the scorching-hot Mariners here instead?But because the Mariners never win anything ...Ruling: Blue Jays and TigersNow, over in the NL, I cant believe this race is still going on. I think the Mets just signed Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman for the rotation. How have the Giants and Cardinals not pulled away? Anyway, Rubin has presented irrefutable evidence: The Mets schedule is softer than the Wilpons bank account, with only one of their remaining 17 games against a team currently with a winning record.Saxons argument for the Cardinals basically boils down to Theyre the Cardinals. Thats actually a good argument! Did you know cockroaches can survive without food for a month? Thats the Cardinals. Its how theyve made the playoffs the past five seasons and 12 out of the past 16. It also helps that the Giants have seemingly cracked here in the second half, with Bruce Bochy managing his bullpen like a 12-year-old boy who just ate three dozen doughnuts while downing a supersized Slurpee.Ruling: Mets and Cardinals Cheap Anthony Munoz Jersey . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. Wholesale Bengals Jerseys Authentic . 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The Northern Irishman arrived at the course on Wednesday hoping to start, but after hitting a few balls on the practice putting green Clarke advised officials he was not fit to play. ATLANTA -- There was a buzz in the Hawks locker room after their long-awaited first look at their new starting five together.Clearly, Atlantas new big man has generated big expectations for the season.The Hawks final home preseason game on Tuesday night provided the first chance for forward Paul Milsap, who has made three straight All-Star teams, to play beside center Dwight Howard, an eight-time All-Star and three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year.Milsap was brought along slowly following a non-surgical procedure before training camp to reduce swelling in his right knee before making his first start in Atlantas 96-89 preseason win over New Orleans.Seeing Howard and Milsap finally playing together boosted small forward Kent Bazemores enthusiasm for the season.The ball moves really well for us, Bazemore said. Paul and Dwight have really good chemistry and theyre going to be passing the ball a lot to each other ... so they looked really good tonight.Howard signed a three-year, $70.5 million deal in July, giving Atlanta the legitimate center it lacked through much of the Al Horford era.Horford, now with Boston, was a big reason the Hawks reeled off nine straight playoff seasons, but even he said he wasnt a true NBA center. No one has ever said that about Howard, whose defensive rebounds and blocked shots have coach Mike Budenholzer thinking about fast-break opportunities.Howard, entering his 13th NBA season, is still only 30. He sees his move to his hometown as a fresh start and an opportunity to repair his reputation following eight seasons with Orlando, one with the Lakers and the last three with Houston.I really want to show the Hawks fans how dedicated I am to winning, Howard said. I think a lot of people have probably got it twisted with the things that have happened in my past but Im very dedicated to this sport, very dedicated to myself and winning and being whatever I can be for this team.---Here are ssome other things to know about the Hawks:NEW POINT: The other new piece in Atlantas lineup is point guard Dennis Schroder, who moves up after playing behind Jeff Teague for three years.dddddddddddd Bazemore said Schroder, like Howard, boosts the Hawks defense. Defensively hes a stud and thats where it starts, Bazemore said. Weve got one of the best on-the-ball defenders in the league at point guard. Its just a pleasure playing with him and the grit he brings every night. Its huge for us.DELANEY THE BACKUP: Schroders backup will be rookie Malcolm Delaney. Veteran Jarrett Jack, who was still recovering from surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right knee last season with the Nets, was released on Thursday. Delaney, from Virginia Tech, has played in Europe for five years. Budenholzer said Delaney is not your typical rookie. ... I just feel very good about the way he has progressed and fit in with the group.KORVERS ROLE: Kyle Korver, 35, likely will open the season as the starting shooting guard, but for how long? The 3-point specialist saw his scoring average fall from 12.1 in 2014-15 to 9.2 last season. The Hawks could bring Korver off the bench if they opt for a bigger lineup with Bazemore at shooting guard and rookie Taurean Prince (6-8, 220) or Thabo Sefolosha (6-7, 220) at small forward.FOR OPENERS: The Hawks open at home against Washington on Thursday. After trying a later 8 p.m. tipoff for most home games last season, most night games will start at 7:30 p.m. this season.THE TRY FOR 10: The nine straight playoff seasons is the longest in franchise history and the longest active streak in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks set a franchise record with 60 wins in 2014-15, when they made their first appearance in the Eastern Conference finals. They fell back to 48 wins last season. ' ' '