MLB: Day One Hundred and Twenty-Three
On Wednesday the Chicago Cubs caught the Milwaukee Brewers atop the National League Central and the National League West continued to be a very tight race.
As I mentioned a few days ago, it’ll be interesting to see what happens in the NL Central now that the Brewers no longer sit atop the division all alone. Will they respond like the Boston Red Sox did when challenged and start winning games in bunches or will they wilt under the pressure and slowly slide away from a playoff spot? It really depends whether they’re for real or not.
And only time will tell.
Because the Chicago Cubs are charging hard. Led by their manager Lou Pinella, it looks like the Cubs could make another run at the playoffs and could at least make a bid for the World Series. Whether this is the year the Cubs break their long streak of not winning Series will only be told over time as well.
Meanwhile in the National League West things continue to be as tight as ever. It’s a four team race and it looks like this is going to be the most exciting division until the end of the season.
Right now the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team had the lead for a while, is now a game back in the division. That’s because the Arizona Diamondbacks have risen up to take the lead in the division. The D-Backs have done so by winning nine of their last ten games.
In third place in the NL West is the San Diego Padres who currently sit two and half games back in the division. Then in fourth place sits the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies are just four and a half games back in the NL West.
This race would certainly get a lot more attention if it was going on in the East. But because it’s in the NL West and many of the games are played after people on the East Coast are in bed, this race isn’t getting the pub it deserves. However, if things stay on the current coarse then the media will have to notice. Now that we’re in August and the race is still very tight, it’s almost time for everyone to take notice.
