MLB: Is it Getting Hot in Here?

Posted on | September 8, 2008 | No Comments

The Anaheim Angels are about to pop the bubbly and celebrate winning the American League West. The rest of the baseball divisions are getting closer and closer.

In the NL Cental is still up for grabs, thanks to the Cubs still stumbling. After finally winning on Saturday, the Cubs lost again on Sunday. That makes 7 losses in their last 8 games for the Cubs. Lucky for them, the Brewers haven’t won much either. But the Brewers better be careful because their Wild Card lead is now down to just 4 games.

In the NL West the D-Backs have fallen to 1.5 games behind the Dodgers. Expect that lead to grow. And in the NL East the New York Mets managed a doubleheader split with the Phillies. So they lost the series and now only lead by 2 games.

The AL Central is beginning to go in the favor of the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox weren’t able to build on thier lead Sunday (they lost to the Angels while the second place Twins lost to the Tigers) but they still hold a 2.5 game lead in the division. The White Sox will play the Blue Jays while the Twins will play the Royals. So perhaps the Twins can gain ground this week.

But the real battle is in the American League East. The Rays’ lead over the Red Sox has now dropped to just 1.5 games and the Sox are charging hard. Very hard.

Now the two teams – the Rays and Red Sox – will meet in Boston for a big showdown. The winner of this series will be in great shape to win the AL East. If the Rays win the series they will have at least a 2.5 game lead with just about 18 games left to play. But if the Sox win the series then they will be no more than a half game lead. And that might be too close for the young Rays to endure as the season begins to wind down.

Related posts:

1. MLB: And It’s All Rays
2. MLB: Mets and Phillies Surging Ahead
3. MLB: Looking at the Way Things Are in the AL Right Now
4. MLB: Big Games in the AL East
5. MLB: A Good Night for the Rays

Comments