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The added wild card will make the playoff run even more chaotic in 2012, with 18 teams currently within five games of a playoff spot. As we move through August, the contenders will separate themselves from the pretenders, and the playoff picture will begin to shape up.

Here are three teams who will show their true colors and drop out of the playoff race early:

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks just don’t have the talent to keep up with the Dodgers and the Giants in their division. Justin Upton is having a down year, Ian Kennedy hasn’t found his 2011 dominance and Daniel Hudson is out for the season. 

They are only four games out in the NL West, but we’ll see them slowly fade as the season continues. Wade Miley and Jason Kubel can only take them so far, and they should finish around .500 for the season. 

Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore got out to a blisteringly hot start and took command of the AL East early on. They’ve faltered a bit since then, but still remain second in the division and just 0.5 games out of a wild-card spot. 

Adam Jones has broken out offensively, and pitchers Wei-Yin Chen and Jim Johnson have led the Orioles to an impressive 58-51 record. There’s no way it lasts though, as they have the fourth-worst run differential in the American League. 

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates reign as one of the league’s best teams is exciting for all baseball fans. After 20 years of losing seasons, they finally look like they’ll make the playoffs. Unfortunately, there will only be two NL Central teams playing baseball in October, and the Pirates won’t be one of them. 

The Reds have been playing unbelievably since Votto’s injury, and they’re well on their way to a division title. Atlanta and Washington will fight for the NL East crown, with the loser getting a wild card berth. This leaves Pittsburgh and St. Louis to battle it out for one spot. 

The Pirates struggle mightily to score runs while the Cardinals are second in baseball in runs scored. Andrew McCutchen is carrying the team, but there’s no way he can keep up his .369 average and .419 BABIP. The Cards are just 2.5 games behind Pittsburgh, and the six games they play against each other this month will go a long way in determining position for the playoff run.

Power Rankings (Records as of 8/7)

1. Cincinnati (66-43)

2. NY Yankees (63-45)

3. Washington (66-43)

4. Atlanta (63-46)

5. Texas (63-45)

6. Chi White Sox (60-48)

7. Pittsburgh (62-46)

8. Detroit (59-50)

9. St. Louis (60-49)

10. LA Angels (59-51)

11. San Francisco (59-50)

12. Oakland (58-51)

13. LA Dodgers (59-51)

14. Tampa Bay (56-52)

15. Boston (55-55)

16. Baltimore (58-51)

17. Toronto (53-55)

18. Philadelphia (49-60)

19. NY Mets (53-56)

20. Arizona (55-54)

21. Miami (49-60)

22. Seattle (51-60)

23. Minnesota (48-61)

24. Cleveland (50-59)

25. Kansas City (45-63)

26. Milwaukee (49-59)

27. Chi Cubs (43-64)

28. San Diego (47-64)

29. Colorado (39-68)

30. Houston (36-74)

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The season is already a lost cause for any hopes of even mediocrity, but there are still reasons for Cubs fans to be hopeful. Though the team will hover among baseball’s worst for much of the year, don’t expect them to completely tank for the rest of 2012.

There are a lot of aspects the Cubs can improve upon from here on out, and they can finish the season with a handful of positives going into 2013 and the next year in the rebuilding phase. 

Here are eight reasons the Cubs won’t finish at the bottom of the league in 2012.

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The Chicago Cubs made another set of cuts to their spring training roster this week, and surprised a few fans with the demotion of Welington Castillo and Randy Wells.

It was also announced that Steve Clevenger and Joe Mather will be on the Opening Day roster when the Cubs start the season April 4.

Welington Castillo was slated to be the backup catcher behind Geovany Soto, but his season will instead start in Iowa. The 24-year-old is one of the Cubs’ top prospects and will benefit from playing every day in the minors. 

Taking his place will be Steve Clevenger, a 25-year-old with just four career at bats in the majors. He will provide the Cubs with a solid left-handed bat when Soto needs a rest. 

Randy Wells was another surprising cut from the 25-man roster. Though he didn’t make the starting rotation, he was expected to be the long reliever in the Cubs bullpen. With the cut, he will start the year in AAA and will likely be the insurance policy if a member of the Cubs starting five gets hurt. 

The story of the spring, however, is Joe Mather. The utility man is a former member of the Cardinals and Braves, and has had 294 at bats in his career. He is hitting over .400 this spring, and will be a valuable member of the bench as he can play first, third or outfield. 

The Cubs still need to make another set of cuts before Opening Day, which will likely include Tony Campana and a handful of relievers. 

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