The very best of these teams is the Boston Red Sox. They come into the All-Star Break with a remarkable 68-30 record. The Red Sox have gone 12-2 in July which included a 10 game winning streak. After beginning the season 17-2, they have now won 17 of their last 20 games. If the Red Sox play .500 ball in the second half they finish the season with exactly 100 wins. Believe it or not, the Red Sox have only won 100 or more games thrice in franchise history. The last time they did so was in 1946 when Ted Williams would play in his only World Series in a losing effort against the St. Louis Cardinals.
I had my doubts about Alex Cora replacing John Farrell and also had my doubts about J.D. Martinez fitting in at Fenway not to mention the abrupt release of Hanley Ramirez. But everything has gone Boston's way thus far. We could very well be seeing the greatest team in Red Sox history.
With all that said, the Red Sox only have a 4.5 game lead on the New York Yankees. They have 10 games to play against each other after the All-Star Break and those 10 games could change the entire dynamic of the AL East.
As for the rest of the division, the Tampa Bay Rays should be happy that are playing above .500 ball. The Toronto Blue Jays have lost 7 of their last 10 including three out of four to the Red Sox and are now 23.5 games back of the Bosox. But the Jays are light years ahead of the Baltimore Orioles who are now 39.5 games back of Boston with Manny Machado's days with the club rapidly whittling down.
Well, at least the Orioles no longer have the worst record in MLB. That distinction now belongs to the Kansas City Royals who finished with losses in 8 of their last 10 games with a 10 game losing streak earlier this month. Indeed, I asked if the Royals were in fact worse than the Orioles not so long ago. But the Royals are far from the only mediocre team in the AL Central. Both the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox have lost 7 of their last 10 games. The Cleveland Indians have a comfortable 7.5 game lead over the Minnesota Twins although the Twins did finish the first half winning 8 of their last 10 games. But the Twins have a steep hill to climb if they want to reach the post-season for the second consecutive year.
The defending World Series champion Houston Astros have built a five game lead over the Seattle Mariners who have lost four in row and seven of their last 10 games. Clipping at the Mariners' heels are the Oakland A's who have won 7 of their last 10 games. Although the A's haven't gained much ground on the Astros, they have picked up 4 games on the Mariners. The A's have a legitimate shot at the second AL Wild Card spot and could extend the Mariners' post-season drought another year. The Los Angeles Angels are probably MLB's biggest disappointment with injuries limiting Shohei Ohtani to the plate. Pundits were expecting a lot more of team with Ohtani, Mike Trout and Albert Pujols in the middle of the lineup. But the Angels still at least have a winning record unlike the Texas Rangers who have lost 7 of their last 10 games. Now 22 games back of the cross state rival Astros, the Rangers are likely to start moving players before the trade deadline at the end of the month.
Two weeks ago, I asked if the Atlanta Braves could hold off the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals in the NL East. A fortnight later, the Braves find themselves a half game behind the Phillies. However, this has become a two team race with the Nats finishing the half at .500 having fallen to 5.5 games back of the Phillies. Max Scherzer's players only meeting evidently did not have the desired effect. While D.C. fans will enjoy the spectacle of hosting the 2018 All-Star Game they certainly did not expect to be a .500 team at the half. It could be worse though. At least the Nats aren't the New York Mets who find themselves tied for last place with the Miami Marlins.
The NL West has a very similar dynamic to the NL East. The Arizona Diamondbacks who were leading the division two weeks ago now find themselves a half game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers who with unexpected contributions from both Matt Kemp and Max Muncy have overcome their early April struggles. As it stands, the NL West is MLB's most competitive race. The Colorado Rockies are now only two games back of the Dodgers with a 10-3 mark thus far in July with the San Francisco Giants only four games back. Only the San Diego Padres are out of the playoff picture with five straight losses and losses in 8 of their last 10 games. The Padres now own the worst record in the NL.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Cubs have supplanted the Milwaukee Brewers atop the NL Central winning 7 of their last 10 games with the Brew Crew finishing the first half with six straight losses. Notwithstanding a winning record, the St. Louis Cardinals find themselves in uncertainty following yesterday's dismissal of manager Mike Matheny along with hitting coach John Mabry and assistant hitting coach Bill Mueller. It remains to be seen how long the Cards will stick with the relatively unknown Mike Shildt in the dugout.
The Pittsburgh Pirates finish the first half with a sub .500 record of 48-49. However, they have won six in a row and if the Brewers continue to struggle and the Cardinals can't find their footing, the Bucs could be the team that overcomes the hurdles in the NL Central. The Cincinnati Reds might finish 2018 in last place, but they are 40-38 under Jim Riggleman. Don't be surprised if he is a finalist in the NL Manager of the Year balloting.
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