Scott Carson

Stats man Scott Carson is now in his 18th season as "third man in the booth" during Blue Jays telecasts.

Roy Halladay will compete in his first post-season race as the Phillies chase a wild card berth.

The final day of August means that baseball's beloved stretch run begins in earnest.

The AL East is a two-horse race with the Yankees and Rays in a virtual lock step; having been tied at the top of the division and the league 23 different times this season (and for the last eight days).

Handicapping this race would be an exercise in futility. The Rays have a better rotation with all five of their starters above .500 and posting double-digit wins. Plus the Yankees keep handing the ball to A.J. Burnett. Offensively, though, the Yankees are the superior team, but in the year of the pitcher, it appears that the Rays have more than enough to win the division with New York taking the wild card.

With the teams so close in the standings, it may well come down to the seven games remaining head-to-head: three in St. Petersburg and four at Yankee Stadium. The Rays lead the season series 6-5.

The Red Sox, riddled by injuries all season long, can still impact the race. Boston has the Rays on its remaining schedule three times on the road and the Yankees six times; including a three-game series at Fenway Park to close out the regular season. The Blue Jays can also play the role of spoiler with 19 of their final 31 games against the Rays (5), Yankees (6), Rangers (4) and Twins (4), all leaders of its respective divisions.

In the AL Central, the Twins hold a four game lead over the White Sox with only three head-to-head games remaining in mid-September. Minnesota has dominated the season series, winning 10 of the 15 meetings to date. And in the West, the surprising Rangers have an 8.5 game lead over the fading Athletics. The two teams meet four more times this season with A's holding the edge at eight games to seven.

Over in the National League East, the Phillies have been chipping away at the Braves lead which now sits at three games. The two teams have six head-to-head games remaining on the schedule. The Braves have won seven of its 12 meetings to date. Roy Halladay finally gets his wish to take part in a pennant race, but they are also in tough in the wild ward with a slim 1.5 game lead over the Giants and no more head-to-head meetings left to play.

In the Central, the Reds have opened up a six game lead over the Cardinals and will travel to St. Louis this weekend for one final three game showdown. These two teams have been at each other's throats, literally, this season and this might be the Cards last chance to reel in the surprising Reds. They have taken 10 of 15 head-to-head meetings this season.

And out West, the pitching-rich Padres hold a solid five game over the Giants, but have seven games left on the schedule against San Fran. The difference may be the dominant 9-2 season series lead. On those numbers alone, this division appears to be locked.

TREADING CAREFULLY

I'm not sure what to make of the Blue Jays shutting down the hard-throwing Brandon Morrow after Friday afternoon's start at Yankee Stadium.

On the one hand, the 26-year-old has turned into one of the top power pitchers in the game with a 10.93 strikeouts per nine innings leading the majors. Morrow is also chasing the record for Blue Jays starters. But, on the flip side, with the Blue Jays post-season aspirations evaporating daily, the best route, according to general manager Alex Anthopoulos is to limit Morrow's innings beyond the current 143.1, which is more than double his previous best. So this decision is very prudent; to protect his arm as he bigs up strength to someday be the ace of this staff. They did the same last year with Brett Cecil, but at some point, when the team is ready to contend, these young arms are going to be extended into uncharted territory. Just not this season.

MAN RAM'S FINAL CHAPTER?

Sure seems like Manny Ramirez is running of out of places to play. The Dodgers felt that they couldn't get him into the line-up everyday so a move back to the AL and a chance to DH from time to time were best for the aging slugger. The biggest question is whether he can play like the rest of the kids, and whether uneven manager will be able to put up Man Ram's act, which changes from game to game, even inning to inning.

WHERE ARE THE FANS?

I realize that this has been a growing problem for the Rays over the years, that low attendance will ultimately cost the team some players when they become free agents due to insufficient funds, but there is no reason why only 11,968 fans would show up to the series opener with the Jays. Some will argue that the Jays are one of the worst road draws in baseball but no in the Tampa area where they train in nearby Dunedin. The Rays are one of the most exciting teams in the game yet you wouldn't know it by how many they can attract on a nightly basis. Perhaps the time has finally come for this franchise to be relocated?