As the MLB heads for its All-Star break, there are several teams that have shown that they have what it takes to win the World Series this year. The Philadelphia Philies and Tampa Rays, both of which are struggling this season, looks like they are not going to reach the World Series again. Don’t worry, fan favorites like the Yankees and Red Sox have had a strong showing so far.

The Boston Red Sox boasts an American League-leading record of 49-33. They are led by left fielder Jason Bay, who has homered 19 times so far. The bullpen has had a strong outing as well, right-hander Josh Beckett owns an impressive record of 9-3 with 99 strikeouts. The Red Sox have also displayed their ability to comeback from huge deficits as shown in their game against the Baltimore Orioles. The Red Sox were down 5-1 in the 9th inning against the Orioles but rallied to win 6-5 in the 11th inning.

After all the controversy surrounding their star hitter, Manny Ramirez, the Los Angeles Dodgers (52-30) own the best record in the Majors. Right-handed pitcher Chad Billingsley (9-4) is making a case for the Cy Young award with his 3.14 ERA and impressive 115 strikeouts. After all the excellent baseball the Dodgers have been playing, the Ramirez controversy still generates the most buzz. Returning from his 50-game suspension, Manny Ramirez went 0 for 3 against the San Diego Padres. So much for the buzz.

Bitter Boston rival New York Yankees (48-34) have the second best record in the American League. The have won 8 of their last 10 games. 1st baseman Mark Teixeira has 20 homers on the season. AJ Burnett, Andy Pettitte and CC Sabathia have been doing a good job on the mound. Burnett (7-4) has 99 strikeouts and a 3.83 ERA, off-season acquisition Sabathia (7-5) has 86 strikeouts and a 3.85 ERA and veteran Andy Pettitte has a winning record of 8-4. Although CC Sabathia has been a consistent performer, he has had a fair share of bad pitching nights. He was hammered by the Seattle Mariners last July 2. He gave up 6 runs on 10 hits.

Don’t be surprised to see the St. Louis Cardinals (45-39) and Detroit Tigers (44-35) deep into the playoffs this season. The Cardinals are led by 1st baseman Albert Pujols. Pujols has 4 grand slams this season. He hit his last one against the Reds that gave the Cards the win, 7-4. Meanwhile, the Tigers battled the Minnesota Twins to a 16 inning marathon and pulled out an 11-9 win.

Both teams have solid bullpens and proven hitters.

But baseball fans always want to see the fierce rivalry between the Yankees and the Red Sox. It’s highly likely that the Yankees and Red Sox will meet in the playoffs.

Sit back and relax, there’s still half-a-season to go. A lot can change but expect continuous coverage on the highly priced Yankee tickets and steroid controversy. Fans should concentrate on the beauty of baseball that include double-plays, exciting base stealing, smashing home runs and dominant pitching.