With only two months left in the regular season and the trade deadline a little more than a week behind us it's starting to become clear which teams will be playing in October and which ones will be hitting the golf courses early. Here's a rundown of what's happening in each of baseball's six divisions.
National League East
Any time you say a divisional race is over while the leaves are still green on every tree in sight you are setting yourself up to look like a fool. That being said, this one is over. The Atlanta Braves have been on a tear ever since opening up a Waffle House at Turner Field, going 13-0 since the arrival of smothered and covered hash browns, according to Atlanta Magazine. The Washington Nationals, one of the favorites to come out of the National League according to Vegas many months ago, are 15 and a half games out and in second place. At 6 games under .500 it should be safe to assume a Wild Card team will not be coming out of the east.
National League Central
The Pittsburgh Pirates are holding on to a three game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals at the top of a surprisingly good division. The Pirates, who haven't made the playoffs since Barry Bonds was skinny, have the best record in baseball currently. If the season were to end today the two Wild Cards would both be coming out of the Central with Cincinnati picking up the second one. Currently the Reds are 6 and a half games back of the Pirates. The Cubs and the Brewers are already planning for next year.
National League West
Remember a couple of months ago when everyone wrote off the Los Angeles Dodgers? Thanks to Yasiel Puig neither does anyone else. Did you know there was a metal band named Puig Destroyer that only plays songs about baseball? There is, and you should listen to them here, although they are definitely NSFW. The Dodgers have been on quite a hot streak lately and have thoroughly enjoyed the pitching of recent addition Ricky Nolasco. Arizona is lurking five games back and may have to make a run for the division if they hope to make the playoffs, it definitely looks like Cincy will hold on to the second Wild Card spot. San Diego, Colorado and San Francisco are all fading quickly with double digit deficits to make up.
American League East
It's completely understandable when people accuse the media of having an east coast bias for spending all of their coverage on the American League East. Most years, that is. This year they are getting the coverage because they are, by far, the best division in baseball. Boston is still on top as one of the two teams in the majors with 70 wins. Two and a half games back are the Rays. Going into the All Star break Tampa was red hot, they've since cooled off but don't expect them to disappear. The Orioles are six games behind the leaders and would just barely miss the playoffs if the season were to end today despite having a 63-51 record. The Yankees have lost four in a row, Jeter is back on the DL, A-Rod is playing until his appeal gets turned down and it looks like there isn't much left in the tank. They should soon fade into Bolivian, in the words of Mike Tyson.
American League Central
For years the Central has been ragged on for being a horrendous division. This year the White Sox are doing everything they can to keep the status quo while the surprising Indians and the down-right shocking Kansas City Royals are keeping things respectable. Thanks to an 11 game winning streak by the Tigers it looks like they may be sealing this division up in no time, but the battle for second place and a possible Wild Card should be pretty great. Despite losing the game last night Cleveland fans didn't mind kicking the city of Detroit while it was down. They countered a "Let's go Tigers" chant with a hilarious "Detroit's Bankrupt" chant, according to Deadspin.
American League West
It might mean some late nights and ordering the MLB package but this is the divisional race to keep an eye on. As Oakland fades (4-6 in their last 10 games) and Texas heats up (9-1 in the same span) it's anyone's division at this point. Well, if by anyone you mean the two teams that I have mentioned and not Seattle, L.A., or Houston. The Rangers were doing everything they could to pick up a big bat before the trade deadline in case Nelson Cruz got suspended. Turns out Nelson Cruz did get suspended and the Rangers were unable to pick up that bat. Uh oh. These two teams will probably be fighting right down to the last day of the season for the division and one of the Wild Card spots.
*All standings and stats taken from MLB.com.
