When June began the New York Mets had a 10.5 game lead over the defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves in the NL East. At the end of June, that lead has shrunk to 3.5 games.
The Mets are having a remarkable season considering Jacob deGrom hasn't thrown a single pitch for them and Max Scherzer has been on the IL since mid-May. But the Mets came down to Earth somewhat in June going 13-12. Meanwhile, the Braves, who had struggled in April and May, went on a roll in June going 21-6 including a 14-game winning streak between June 1-15. In the process, the Braves have now put themselves in the second NL Wild Card spot.
The Philadelphia Phillies were almost as good as the Braves in June going 19-8 with 18 of those wins coming under interim manager Rob Thomson who succeeded Joe Girardi on June 3rd. While the Phillies are 7.5 games back of the Mets they are only 2.5 games back of the St. Louis Cardinals for the third NL Wild Card spot.
Even the Miami Marlins had a respectable 15-13 record in June after a lackluster 7-19 output in May. The Marlins have a bonafide Cy Young candidate in Sandy Alcantara who leads the NL in ERA, starts, innings pitched and complete games. For the third consecutive month, the Washington Nationals lost at least 16 games. No other MLB team has that distinction.
Notwithstanding the fact the Mets lead has shrunk to 3.5 games, it still represents the largest division lead in the Senior Circuit.
In the NL West, the Los Angeles Dodgers have a 2.5 game lead over the San Diego Padres who own the first NL Wild Card spot. The San Francisco Giants shrunk to a 10-15 June but still are only a game back of the Cardinals for the third NL Wild Card spot. After being tantalizingly close to the .500 mark, the Arizona Diamondbacks took a step back with a 9-16 June while the last place Colorado Rockies lost 17 games for the second month in a row.
Meanwhile, in the NL Central, the Milwaukee Brewers hold a one game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals who as mentioned previously hold the third NL Wild Card spot. Between June 3-11, the Brewers lost 8 straight games which brought the Cards atop of the division or tied with the Brew Crew for the lead from June 10-25. The Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds are 12, 13 and 16.5 games back of Milwaukee, respectively. These clubs will soon be selling off players assuming they can find any buyers.
Conversely, the only tight division on the Junior Circuit is the AL Central where the Minnesota Twins hold a one game lead over the Cleveland Guardians. The Guardians went 18-10 in June and briefly held the top spot in the division on June 22nd before losing five straight games. However, they finished the month winning 3 out of 5 against the Twins who went 13-15 in June. The Guardians are also in a virtual tie with the Tampa Bay Rays for the third spot in the AL Wild Card. The Chicago White Sox might be MLB's most disappointing team after making the post-season in 2020 and 2021 and could soon find themselves dwelling in the cellar with the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals.
In the AL East, the New York Yankees enjoy a 12.5 game lead over both the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees have somehow gotten better every month (15-6 in April, 19-9 in May and 22-6 in June). Yet both the Red Sox and Blue Jays share the top AL Wild Card berth. The Red Sox were almost as good as the Yankees in June going 20-6. The Tampa Bay Rays struggled at 12-14 but still have a share of the third AL Wild Card spot with the Guardians. While the Baltimore Orioles are predictably in the last place they went 14-12 in June and have gone 28-28 since May 1st. Even if the O's finish last again they are unlikely to lose 100 games this season.
Like the Yankees, the Houston Astros enjoy a double digit lead in the AL West. But unlike the AL East, the Astros are the only game in town out west as they are the only team over .500. The Astros enjoy an 11.5 game lead over the Texas Rangers who have slipped under .500 after reaching the mark a month ago. Both the Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners are 12.5 games back of the Astros but heading in different directions. While the Mariners went 16-13 in June winning 7 of their last 10 games, the Angels went 10-18 last month. They ended May with six straight losses and began June with eight more. All of which cost Joe Maddon his job. The Angels have gone 10-12 under Phil Nevin. Still, it's remarkable how the Angels could be in this state with Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout in their lineup.
But the Oakland A's are in a whole other world. They own MLB's worst record of 25-53 and have lost 21 games two consecutive months. In June, they won only 5 games. The only subject of discussion where it concerns the A's these days are feral cats and how long it will be before they move to Las Vegas.
The MLB All-Star Game will convene in Dodger Stadium for the first time since 1980 on July 19th. What will the state of baseball be at the All-Star Break? Will the Braves catch the Mets? Will the Cardinals overtake the Brewers again? Can the Giants get back into the NL Wild Card hunt? Could the Yankees have 70 wins at the All-Star Break? Will the White Sox climb back in contention with the Twins and Guardians? Will any team in the AL West step up against the Astros? We'll see on July 17th.
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