The Cincinnati Reds have been red-hot in August, while the New York Yankees have been mediocre at best. The Reds have gone 17-8 in August, while the Yankees have been a pedestrian 14-13. Even more surprising...the Reds have taken a commanding 5 game lead in their division, while the Yankees' once huge lead in the AL East has evaporated. The Rays are now tied with the Yanks, and it's not out of the question that Boston might catch up as well.
How did this happen? It's probably partly strength of schedule. The Reds play in the abysmal NL Central, while the Yanks play in the very competitive AL East. Injury also plays a big role. The Reds have suffered few injuries, and the ones they have had seem to have improved the team. (Replacing Orlando Cabrera with Paul Janish, getting Aaron Harang out of the rotation.) While the Yankees aren't the same team with A-Rod on the DL and the likes of Eduardo Nunez and Ramiro Pena filling in. Having Francisco Cervelli playing so often in place of 39-year-old Jorge Posada doesn't help, either.
And I guess it's also that baseball is just plain unpredictable, at least on a month-to-month basis. Will the Reds continue rolling next month, or will there be a regression? Will the Yanks vanquish the Rays, or be vanquished? I wouldn't want to bet the farm on it, either way.
