Will Roy Oswalt and the Astros stay hot enough to make noise for the Wild Card? Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

This year's All-Star game in Motown delivered all the usual MLB All-Star goods: B-list celebs looking and sounding doltish (according to actor David Boreanaz, the American League pitcher named "Riviera" has a hell of a cutter); bad live music acts (forget the boos that cascaded upon villain Kenny Rogers; Mike Piazza playing air guitar with the band Alter Bridge on Monday was the week's low point); undeserving invitees (before Tuesday's game Brian Fuentes -- not to be confused with Daisy Fuentes -- looked around the clubhouse and concluded, "Yeah, I've never met anyone here"); and jaded old participants (when asked what he thought of the Home Run Derby, Mariano Rivera groused, "Too long. Way too long.").

Before Tuesday's game in the visitor's clubhouse at Comerica Park, Piazza stood in front of his locker and gazed across the room, where baby-faced Marlins Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis fooled with their iPods. "I feel old," Piazza mused.

Rivals in the fiercest rivalry in sports, Gary Sheffield and David Ortiz, sat side-by-side on clubhouse couches watching SportsCenter and signing baseballs while idly chatting. Joe Nathan talked about Jon Garland and Mark Buehrle, his teammates for a day. "If those two keep pitching like that, they're going to be impossible to catch," he said. "But hey, that's why you play the second half. It's going to be fun. I can't wait to get the season going again."

Neither can we. Here's what to look for in baseball's second act:

Comeback Kids: The Houston Astros and Oakland A's

"They're very dangerous, no one should be surprised by their run right now," an NL general manager said of the Astros. "Who doesn't like a team with Roger Clemens, Roy Oswalt and Andy Pettitte [starting] and Brad Lidge closing games?"

Houston owner Drayton McLane has a track record of opening up his checkbook down the stretch if he thinks his team is a player away from the playoffs. (See Randy Johnson in 1998 and Carlos Beltran in 2004.) The Astros have a pitching staff that could dominate a postseason, but they don't have the pop to advance to October. That's why McLane will give first-year Houston GM Tim Purpura the green light to strike a big deal.

The A's have the pitching to make a run at the wild card. Billy Beane's trades have paid off. Forget the future: whom would you rather have right now: Dan Haren or Mark Mulder?

Prediction: The Astros advance to October and meet the Cardinals again in the NLCS. The A's overtake the Rangers in the AL West but fall short of the wild card.

Hired Guns: A.J. Burnett and Aubrey Huff

"Of all the players that are being mentioned in deals, no one would have a bigger impact than Burnett," said an NL scout. There was plenty of buzz in Detroit regarding a potential Burnett deal to indicate that the Marlins brass are at least considering a trade. Florida will trade Burnett away if it can get an arm in return (Toronto's Gustavo Chacin?) so they still can catch the Braves and Nats. Meanwhile, Huff will likely be the biggest impact offensive player moved at the trade deadline. Yes, Huff's stock has plummeted with his dreadful start, but the Rays outfielder is a second-half hitter and is showing signs of heating up: he has a .538 slugging percentage and three homers in July.

Prediction: Huff goes to the Cubs. Burnett stays put but the rudderless Marlins, who should be running away with the division, finish in fourth place. Burnett signs with Detroit in the offseason.