Kostos: Baseball's best plays down the stretch

While much of the current excitement in sports revolves around the NFL's impending return, this current Major League Baseball campaign has been spectacular -- and the final six weeks of the season should be thrilling.

The season has been ripe with juicy storylines: There are surprise teams in first place (the New York Mets and Houston Astros, anyone?), erstwhile juggernauts struggling to remain in contention (looking at you, Washington Nationals and Detroit Tigers) and one of the best divisions in recent memory steamrolling the competition (what up, NL Central?). And things are only going to heat up down the stretch.

So don't let baseball get lost in the shuffle, as there is tremendous baseball still to be played. We'll run through some of the teams that you should be targeting down the stretch -- and offer some selections for the playoffs and World Series.

New York Mets
(SportsLine Simulation Model: 88.4 projected wins, 64.6% to make playoffs, 59% to win NL East)

In perhaps the most stunning turn of events since Ethan Embry won the affections of Jennifer Love Hewitt in Can't Hardly Wait, the New York Mets have somehow transmogrified from "dead team walking" into a legitimate World Series contender.

Three weeks ago, that would've seemed like an unfathomable statement. But today, it's the truth. It should surprise no one if this Mets team advances deep into October.

While dropping two of three to the lowly Rays this past weekend was a disappointment, the Mets have been on a roll, and their lineup -- which features the newly acquired Yoenis Cespedes -- is of a playoff caliber.

And then there's the sterling rotation, which boasts a trident as fearsome as any in the majors -- Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard.

I'm not a fan of manager Terry Collins, and I feel like he'll ultimately hold the Mets back from potentially winning a title, but don't get it twisted: The Mets are going to the postseason -- as NL East champions -- and will play very well down the stretch.

Toronto Blue Jays
(SportsLine Simulation Model: 89.5 projected wins, 89.4% to make playoffs, 53.6% to win AL East)

Don't be shy! Don't be bashful! Sing it with me!

"OK, Blue Jays, let's play ball!"

It hurts this lifelong Yankee fan to say it, but the Blue Jays are coming -- and the new Kings of the North are taking no prisoners.

General manager Alex Anthopolous didn't just win the trade deadline; he eviscerated it, making back-to-back blockbuster deals, first for shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and then for starting pitcher David Price. The Jays have yet to lose with Tulowitzki in the lineup (10-0) and Price has been magnificent (2-0 record in two starts, 15 innings, 11 baserunners, 18 strikeouts).

Plus, the Jays' starting rotation -- the weak link of the team throughout a middling first half of the season -- has been dominant as of late, leading the majors with an ERA of 1.92 since Tulowitzki's debut. Guys like R.A. Dickey and Marco Estrada have stepped up.

And the bullpen, which has been horrific for much of the campaign, was fortified by adding Mark Lowe and LaTroy Hawkins.

The Jays can hit (they lead the league in run differential at +129). They have a frontline starting pitcher in Price, and an improving rotation. The bullpen can't possibly be any worse than it was in the spring.

We could very well be on a crash course for the Blue Jays and Royals in the ALCS. Don't be shocked if Toronto hosts Game 1 of the World Series.

Washington Nationals
(SportsLine Simulation Model: 87.3 projected wins, 49.3% to make playoffs, 41% to win NL East)

Let's get this out of the way first: No, I don't expect the Washington Nationals to beat out the Mets and win the NL East. And no, I don't envision a scenario where the Nats -- now five games back of the second NL wild-card spot -- qualify via that route.

But that doesn't change the fact that the Nationals are an extremely talented team which still has its best baseball ahead of them. Yeah, I said it.

Washington has one of baseball's easiest schedules down the stretch of the season, and the SportsLine Simulation Model is bullish about their level of play, projecting a 30-21 record the rest of the way.

While the Nats have underachieved all year -- in stunning fashion, quite frankly, when considering the talent in the lineup, rotation and bullpen -- it's almost impossible to imagine them folding in the middle of a pennant race. Bryce Harper, Max Scherzer and company are too good to let that happen.

I believe the Mets will hang on to win the NL East and send the Nationals on an early trip to the golf course -- but that doesn't mean you shouldn't ride this now-undervalued squad down the stretch.

Oakland Athletics
(SportsLine Simulation Model: 77.6 projected wins, 1.8% to make playoffs, 0.2% to win AL West)

The Oakland Athletics have been nothing short of a Chernobyl-level disaster this year. They haven't been able to pitch, they haven't been able to hit, and general manager Billy Beane has had to watch as his former third baseman, Josh Donaldson -- traded away to Toronto for Brett Lawrie, in what's destined to go down as one of the biggest ripoffs in recent memory -- has authored an MVP campaign.

Truth be told, things have been downhill for the A's since choking away the wild-card playoff game last year in Kansas City. And this is clearly a lost season.

In a stunning turn of events, however, the A's are playing a good brand of baseball, and loom as a value pick as the season winds down. I know that sounds crazy, but bear with me.

Oakland isn't your average, run-of-the-mill bad team: Its run differential is +35, and they're the only team with a losing record to post a positive number in that department. They just took three of four from the AL West-leading Astros, and the pitching -- fronted by Cy Young candidate Sonny Gray -- has improved.

The SportsLine Simulation Model likes the A's too, projecting them for a 26-22 record over the rest of the way.

The A's will have an opportunity to play spoiler down the stretch, and will represent outstanding value when they're a major underdog.