We've got seven weeks left in this marathon we call a baseball season, but contrary to what any pessimistic pundit tried to tell you at the start of the season, things haven't proved very predictable at all. If you saw the Phillies, Braves, A's and Mariners coming, if you saw the Red Sox obliterating the Yankees and the likes of the Dodgers, Cubs and Nationals having to sing for their supper, well, good on ya. The rest of us are pleasantly surprised that so much is unsettled as we hit the home stretch.
Here are 10 big X-factors for these waning weeks of the regular season.