There has been almost no correlation between Opening Day payroll and likely playoff clubs this season.

The Top 10 teams in terms of payroll entering the 2012 season were the Yankees, Phillies, Red Sox, Angels, Tigers, Rangers, Marlins, Giants, Cardinals and Brewers.

If the season ended on Sunday night, those teams would yield three division winners and a Wild Card entrant.

Jim Tracy is thrilled that Colorado's front office has decided to switch back to a five-man starting rotation for next season.

"Using five starters makes incredible sense to me," he said. "But I don't really want to go much more into that because we have (18) games left to play. And that's our focus, winning as many of those as we can. I believe, personally, that this can help us in a positive way."

In Major League Baseball this season, teams entered Sunday's action with a collective record of 1886-95 when entering the ninth inning with a lead.

The works out to about three losses per team on average.

Justin Verlander, the winner of last season's AL MVP and Cy Young awards, is no longer Detroit's only ace.

Max Scherzer has pitched that well this season and recently has been employing a curveball that he tried to keep under the radar.

"Are we finally announcing it?" he asked with a smile. "I've been trying to keep it down."

The pitch hadn't been mentioned for a month because Scherzer mixed it so well with his slider that it just never became obvious.

Scherzer leads the Major Leagues in strikeouts, one more than Verlander. He is 9-1 with a 2.61 ERA in his past 13 starts, averaging around 6 2/3 innings a game while limiting his opponents to a .223 average.

The Athletics sent Gio Gonzalez to the Nationals for four prospects last winter and both teams have enjoyed early returns on the trade.

Oakland made the moves in what was perceived as a rebuilding move, but two of the prospects, Tommy Milone and Derek Norris, have contributed to their surge in the American League playoff race.

Meanwhile, Gonzalez has been mentioned in conversations about the National League Cy Young award.

"They've stepped right in and contributed," Cliff Pennington said of the players Oakland acquired. "That's what we needed. We wanted big league-ready guys, and though a lot of people didn't see them as that, that's what we got. You can't really ask for much more from them. We haven't missed a beat with the guys that have stepped in."

Jose Fernandez, the team's top pitching prospect, has a chance to make Miami's starting rotation next season.

In his first full professional season, Fernandez has a chance to win a championship with the Class A Jupiter Hammerheads.

He has made a rapid rise through the ranks, leading his name to be mentioned within the organization as a future starter. Fernandez will almost certainly start the season at Class AA Jacksonville, but if he starts hot a promotion could come in May or June.

"When I signed I told myself I wanted to get there when I was 21, but you never know what's going to happen," Fernandez said.

"It's my dream. I want to be one of the greatest pitchers in history, but I'm just going to keep trying to get better, and when I get there it will be because I'm ready."

With the Phillies suddenly playing meaningful games, Chase Utley may be forced to play some third base.

The Phillies are just four games out of the second Wild Card spot despite a horrible first half of the season.

Utley began taking groundballs at third base last month and has continued to do so. The Phillies lost Placido Polanco and then Kevin Frandsen at third. Now with Frandsen hobbled, Michael Martinez has made six straight starts there.

"I don't know," Ruben Amaro said when asked if Utley could move to third with the playoffs in sight. "He's only been out there two or three times now, but I think they're going to continue to work on it. Really, it's up to Chase in a lot of ways and I guess it's up to us to evaluate whether he can truly do it."

Major League Baseball issued a second Wild Card in each league this season in hopes of adding drama to the final few weeks of the regular season.

So far, the plan has worked.

Only five teams have officially been eliminated from the playoff race through Tuesday's action. All of those teams -- the Astros, Cubs, Rockies, Marlins and Mets -- are in the National League.

Not a single American League club has been mathematically eliminated from the race.

The Twins and Indians, at 59-83 and tied for the worst mark in the AL, could be eliminated from contention within the next few days.

In the AL, there are six teams within five games of the two Wild Card berths.

In the NL, there are seven teams within five games of the two Wild Card berths.