Well, we’ve reached the unofficial midway mark of the baseball season. Actually all the teams have played more than half their games - most teams are somewhere around the 95 game mark. Looking at the standings, there are some surprises.

Looking at the AL East, if we would’ve said that the Rays would be just a half game out of first place then I think Rays fans (if there is such a creature) would’ve taken it. Yet, they have to be disappointed that the Rays went on a 7 game losing slide going into the Break and let a 4 game lead slip away. Now the Red Sox are where they believe they belong. We’ll see if the Rays use this Break to get back on track or if sitting on a 7 game losing streak just makes everything worse.

The AL Central is heating up. The Twins had a great series in Detroit and took three of four from the Tigers. So the Twins now trail the Chicago White Sox by just a game and a half. And don’t forget about the Tigers who sit 7 games back. The Tigers have been bitten by the injury bug. Inge, Cabrera, Ordonez, Zumaya, Bonderman, Willis, Rodney, Renteria, Sheffield, and Granderson have all missed significant time this season. Bonderman is gone for th season and Willis is trying ot throw strikes down in Florida at the Tigers’ Single A affiliate, but the rest of the players look like they might be opn the field together for the first time in a very long time. And the Tigers have managed to play .500 ball. If they can stay healthy…

In the AL West the Anaheim Angels of Los Angeles in California within the US look like sure bets to win the division. But the Oakland As may threaten and the Texas Rangers are a solid team too. In the NL West - all the teams are horrible. They’re all below .500 at the Break.

The NL Central is highlighted by the Chicago Cubs. They might be the best team in baseball. The Cubbies are being chased by two other really good teams - the Milwaukee Brewers and the St Louis Cardinals. This is a great division within a league that is poor at best.

In the NL East there are a few mediocre teams that promise to make this a greta race. The Phillies lead the division followed by the Mets (half a game back), the Marlins (a game a half back), and the Braves (six and a half back). The Mets have to be lovin how they’re playing baseball right now. And despite a bad start, they are right where they want to be.

So that’s how the races shake out right now. Enjoy the All-Star Game on Tuesday night and the Homerun Derby on Monday night. Next post I’ll give you a winner for the All-Star Game.