Labor Day should give us a good idea of which teams will make the playoffs. There are few questions remaining.

The Diamondbacks have really started to pull away from the Giants. The DBacks have a young and exciting club that plays in the manner of their manager. Kirk Gibson is a no-nonsense guy that learned his trade from Sparky Anderson. The team usually hits in spurts. They're in a good spurt at this particular time. The Giants, on the other hand, haven't hit much all year. I still like the Giants club, but they need an injection of youth, some bigger bats and a deeper farm system as they head to 2012.

The Tigers may be tough to beat in the playoffs. Justin Verlander may be a given as a great starter in two games of the series, but if Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello pitch as they are capable of doing, the Tigers will be in every game. I think the key is Scherzer. When he repeats his delivery his stuff is awesome. He loses his rhythm and gets out of sync quickly. When he loses it, he usually loses it. Porcello is young and still learning at the big league level. I think manager Jim Leyland will be happy to go to the playoffs with those three.

How does anyone beat the Phillies? I love the Brewers and they're a great story. The Phils have everything. Pitching, hitting, bench and a great manager. Can't see anyone else getting to the World Series from the NL.

Finally! I've been waiting all year for Jesus Montero and Dayan Viciedo. They were key components of my AL Only club. They both should have been in the big leagues much sooner than this. Much sooner. They both are off to solid starts with Montero hitting two out of the park today in New York.

I really don't think Ozzie Guillen and Kenny Williams can survive the off-season. I think Ozzie would make a good manager for Florida. I have no idea if either will be jettisoned by the White Sox ownership. Jerry Reinsdorf is a very loyal guy. But the situation in Chicago seems very shaky.

So, who wins the NL MVP? How about the AL? There should be some great discussions about those two awards. I still like Braun and Granderson. It's good that Justin Upton is even in the conversation, but I don't think he's done for Arizona what Ryan Braun or Prince Fielder have done for Milwaukee. I would vote for either Braun or Fielder. I can't vote for Matt Kemp. He's getting lots of talk but I've seen the loafing first hand. This season, too. In the AL, Adrian Gonzalez, Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia are all worthy. But at the end of the day, my vote is for Granderson.

The Rangers pitching staff held strong during the worst heat of the season. I hope that guys like Feliz and Ogando will be able to finish strong. I thought it was interesting that Ogando pitched yesterday in relief. It was his normal throwing day and he's been given extra time before his next start.

The Cubs have extended their Player Development guru Oneri Fleita even before a new general manager has been named. Weird.

Ubaldo Jimenez is a..........bust! May I say I told you so? Thank you. I told you so.

Matt LaPorta is a............. bust! May I say I told you so? Thank you. I told you so.

My friend called to tell me the Yankees were getting their wives and girlfriends presents this week. He said Joe Girardi is getting the first lady a scarf and Bartolo is buying his wife some colon. I told my friend to shut up and never, ever call me again.

I'm trying to figure out how the Angels got themselves back in the AL West race. Those 3 quality starters sure help. Weaver, Haren and Santana are pretty good. But lately, Jared Weaver has scuffled. I think the West has been won. Texas eyes are smiling.

It wasn't that long ago we were excited about....Pittsburgh. And Cleveland. My my how time has a way of bringing the best teams to the top. All it took was time and a few injuries and the Pirates and Indians faded like a flag out in the sun.

Rookie record for saves. Craig Kimbrel. What a year. And frankly, Jose Valverde isn't too bad either.

Watch out for the Mariners when they grow up. I think they have a plan. The prospects are playing very well.

Minnesota could be the doormat of the AL Central for years to come. I really don't see anyone in their farm system that can help them turn this mess around. Now with Francisco Liriano hurt again, who knows what will happen? Not to mention prospect pitcher Kyle Gibson having surgery as well. Toast.

I heard the Royals may be willing to trade some of their prospects to get better quicker. I think they'll be pretty good next year.

Have I mentioned that Ubaldo gave up a 3 run jack to VMart today? He hadn't hit a homer in months. Or at least since I traded for him. But today, he took Ubaldo deep. Very, very deep.

The Yankees or the Red Sox? Who do you like in a 7 game series? I'm just askin. Assume they play each other in 7 games with the winner going to the World Series. Who wins?

My column this week on RotoWire.com will be my "watch list" of prospects for next season. Look for it in the middle of the week.
I hope you'll give it a read.

Follow me on Twitter @BerniePleskoff and on MLB.com under the "other opinions" section. New material hits in mid-week and remains in the archives.