This week, many teams have reached the two-thirds mark of games played for the regular MLB season, so let’s see how the divisional races are shaping up.

 

In the AL East, the Yankees have finally turned the tables on their New England foes, the Boston Red Sox, by winning their first three games at Yankee Stadium this weekend. New York is now 5.5 games up, and also took two games out of two from a brief midweek series against the Blue Jays. Boston have had their fair share of difficulties since the All Star Break. They lost their two games at Tampa Bay before meeting New York and have now entered a five-game skid. The Red Sox also designated pitcher John Smoltz for assignment, perhaps appreciating why the Braves released him after a successful career with them for 20 years. Though the Tampa Bay Rays find themselves seven games back, their 61-49 record is still good enough to contend, especially if the Red Sox continue to struggle.

Philadelphia are still in charge of the NL East, five games up over the Florida Marlins. Though the Phillies lost two out of three at San Francisco, they quickly countered taking a three-game series against the Rockies, losing only one game. The Marlins won their three-game series over the Cubs last weekend, but found themselves victims of a surging Washington Nationals, being swept midweek by the team with the worst record in the the Majors. The Nationals may have struggled since day one, but their seven-game winning streak shows promise for the future of the franchise, and demonstrates they can still act as a major spoiler in the NL East this year.

In the AL Central, Detroit have began to stretch out their lead to three games over the White Sox. Though the Tigers lost two of three at Cleveland, they bounced back by winning three out of four against the Orioles and are currently battling the Twins this weekend. The White Sox tamed the Yankees somewhat last weekend, and continued their good form by winning two out of three against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Twins were far less successful against the Halos however, being thoroughly outplayed and swept by LA in Minneapolis last weekend. Minnesota boosted its pitching roster by obtaining Carl Pavano from Cleveland, and he had a sparkling debut, shutting out the Tigers for seven innings in an 11-0 Minnesota victory on Saturday evening. The Indians themselves have won their last two series, even though they remain 11 games back, but the Royals continue to struggle badly, having not won a series since the end of June.

Out in the NL Central, the lead continues to change almost daily, usually alternating between the St Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs. The Cards won their series last weekend against the Astros, split a two-game encounter with the Mets midweek, and are currently getting the better of the Pirates. The Cubs beat Cincinnati during the week, and are currently taking on the Colorado Rockies, but were disappointed to lose Carlos Zambrano with lower back stiffness. The Reds themselves, also got some disappointing news with starting pitcher Edinson Volquez needing Tommy John surgery and having to face a year in recovery. After contending closely earlier in the season, Cincinnati is now 12.5 games out of first place, but at least bolstered their infield with the acquisition of Scott Rolen from the Blue Jays.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are still topping the AL West, 4.5 games up over the Texas Rangers. With the two teams playing this weekend though, that figure could change quickly. Welcoming Vladimir Guerrero back to the line-up, and with Torii Hunter expected soon, the Angels still continue to play well. They swept the Twins last weekend, but lost two out of three to the White Sox midweek. The Rangers are still very much in contention but they only managed one win in a four-game series out in Oakland this week. Though the A’s themselves released Jason Giambi on Friday, who was on the DL and only batting .193 for the season, the Athletics have been playing better baseball lately, despite being 18 games out of first place.

Finally, while the LA Dodgers still remain the dominant force in the NL West, surprisingly they no longer possess the best record in all of baseball — that honor now belongs to the Yankees. LA managed a series victory over Atlanta last weekend, but lost two out of three to the Brewers midweek, a series most notable for the news that Prince Fielder charged the LA clubhouse after being beaned by Dodgers pitcher Guillermo Mota. Currently, they’re facing the Braves again, this time on home turf. The Giants and the Rockies remain 5.5 and 6.5 games back respectively, and are both well in contention in the wild card race. With less than two months until the end of the season, those wild card standings may really start coming into play more. Arizona and San Diego may still be a long way behind, but both teams have been playing well of late, the Diamondbacks took three out of four from the Mets last weekend, then swept the Phillies away, while the Padres took two out of three from the Brewers and have already won their series with the New York Mets too.

Well, that wraps up another eventful week in the MLB. Back next week with more news from the Majors.