First look at the second half
By Alan Schwarz
Special to ESPN.com

You don't know. You might think you know which teams will meet in the World Series, or whether Curt Schilling will thrive out of the pen, or which players will win the MVP and Cy Young Awards -- but there's really no airtight argument in any of these matters. Every question has many plausible answers. An awful lot of bows remain delightfully untied. With that in mind, here are nine innings of questions that open the second half and will take us to the end of the season:

First Inning: Can the White Sox and Nationals hang on?
The White Sox are nine games ahead of the Twins in the American League Central and are on pace for 107 wins. The Nationals kept the magic going throughout the first half and finished with a prediction-obliterating 50 wins. But one half does not a season make.

Chicago still doesn't appear particularly imposing because the White Sox don't have overpowering pitchers (resembling last year's Cardinals) and their lineup doesn't have a monster masher. While it's unlikely, larger leads have been lost in less time. White Sox players aren't about to coast.

"We have a lot of work to do before anyone says we're in the playoffs -- we haven't won anything yet," leadoff man Scott Podsednik said. "A lot of things can go wrong. Our strong point has been our pitching. Our starters have kept us in the game, and our bullpen has been tremendous. The offense has been scoring just enough runs to win. Our record in one-run games has been pretty good."

Indeed, the White Sox have gone 22-9 (.710) in one-run games, which usually leads to a correction. But it probably won't be enough to knock them off. The Twins have their own problems and the Indians still feel a year away -- but it's something to watch.

Speaking of one-run games, the Nationals had a 23-7 record in those affairs before, rather predictably, losing three of their last four one-run games -- winding up just 2½ games ahead of the crazily resilient Braves. Washington's relievers have been used brilliantly but liberally by manager Frank Robinson, and could soon look like the Venus de Milo.

The poor lineup (having scored just 357 runs, worst in the league) leads to a ton of close games. Then again, those 50 wins are in the books, and won't go away. The Nationals would have to fall apart fast to not remain relevant in the race till the final week.

"You have to play at a high level against these kids -- they're excited to be out of Montreal, and you can see it," Phillies reliever Billy Wagner said. "I don't think they're gonna slow down. The only way you can even make a move on them is to beat them when you have the opportunity."

Second Inning: What relief will Curt Schilling provide?
When the Red Sox open the second half against the Yankees -- a perfect kickoff to the second half, even if New York is technically in third place -- they hope to do so with Curt Schilling in the bullpen. Atlanta ace John Smoltz, himself a former starter-turned-reliever, sees no problem with Schilling's making the switch.

"I think he's going to be as dominant as he wants to be in that role," Smoltz said. "If anybody doubts that he won't do well -- doesn't understand what he's been through as a starter -- a lot of that will contribute to his success. He has the right frame of mind, the right demeanor."

Schilling's four-pitch mix is especially deadly for a starting pitcher, particularly when he's thoroughly warmed up following his superstitious schedule. Boston catcher Jason Varitek expects to be calling different pitch patterns with Schilling's entering under these different conditions.

"We'll have to see what he has to offer," Varitek said. "Who's coming up, how he feels, how his fastball is, how his slider is. Probably all four, but which two any given night will probably depend. Or three."

Third Inning: What will the Rogers effect ultimately be?
Forget the sanctimony. Forget the legal issues. Kenny Rogers' absence from the Rangers, whenever it begins, could make a huge difference in the Rangers' postseason hopes.

Texas is five games behind the Angels in the AL West and among four clubs within two games of the wild-card front-running Twins. And they're going to lose their rotation ace for 20 games, or whatever amount after commissioner Bud Selig -- the man who handed down the penalty in the first place -- hears the appeal.

"It'll be tough -- that's four or five starts from our best pitcher," Rangers shortstop Michael Young said. "I'm sure he feels like he let the guys down. It'll kill him to miss those starts. Hopefully when he comes back there'll be plenty of baseball left to play and Kenny will help us on the field."

Not that Angels outfielder Garret Anderson would ever do public backflips over Rogers' impending banishment, but he did appear sincere when he said, "It's more enjoyable when everybody's on the field. Because then you know you won (against the best)."

Fourth Inning: When will the big trades begin?
There's a symmetry in the standings right now that could stunt the trade market for another week or 10 days. After the six division leaders, there are 24 other clubs. Those 24 are split evenly -- eight AL teams within six games of the wild card, eight NL clubs just 7½ games out, and eight clubs with little hope of a postseason spot.

Only eight identifiable sellers at this point makes for few obvious deals. The Mariners are almost certainly going to deal outfielder Randy Winn and possibly closer Eddie Guardado. The dreadful Rockies could move All-Star lefty reliever Brian Fuentes because he's arbitration-eligible after the season, but after looking for competent relievers for so long, they would prefer to keep him. And Royals first baseman Mike Sweeney would make a ton of sense for the Mets, who have terrible first base problems and consider themselves buyers at 44-44.

Those Mets are a half-game behind Philadelphia, but the vibe around Philly is far from optimistic. Wagner, who has publicly questioned the Phillies' ability to compete, could become the biggest name on the market if he's proven correct. In fact, if the Phillies start dealing veterans, Wagner hopes he's one of them.

"I definitely would," Wagner said. "Because Ed Wade and Dave Montgomery, these guys brought me in to win and compete. They didn't bring me in to pitch for a seller team. It would be unfathomable to think I wouldn't be traded if we fell out of it."
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