The 2013 baseball season is almost three months old and the standings are only getting more interesting as the days go by. The Pittsburgh Pirates are not only a game back of the St. Louis Cardinals, they are a few games away from having the best record in baseball. With no further ado, here are the standings as we will see the last week of baseball in the month of June.
N.L. Central: St. Louis Cardinals (47-29), Pittsburgh Pirates (46-30) 1 GB, Cincinnati Reds (45-32) 2.5 GB
Usually, the standings begin with the A.L. East, but the N.L. Central is so captivating, that an exception has to be made this time around. The Pirates are making a huge run. Guided by the hot bat of Pedro Alvarez, the Pirates are 7-3 in their last 10 games and are currently on a four-game winning streak. How long can they keep this up? They are leading the N.L. Wild Card by 1.5 games as their division mates, the Reds, are in a close second place.
The Cardinals have struggled as of late and were recently swept by the Texas Rangers. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and they are now trying to dodge a Pirate run as they only have a one-game lead in the division.
A.L. West: Texas Rangers (44-32), Oakland Athletics (44-34) 1 GB
Want another tight division? The Rangers and A's have been trading places for the past two weeks. The Rangers' three-game sweep of the Cardinals helped them take over the division as it bettered their streak to five straight wins. The A's are coming off two consecutive losses against the Seattle Mariners and they are 3-7 in their last 10 games. The Rangers travel to New York where they will take on the Yankees, while the A's host the Reds for a two-game series.
A.L. East: Boston Red Sox (45-33), Baltimore Orioles (42-34) 2 GB, New York Yankees (41-34) 2.5
Speaking of the Yankees, they have managed to hang around despite all their injuries. Mark Teixeira's wrist is busted and Kevin Youkilis simply can't stay healthy. Alex Rodriguez is pretty close to returning. Hopefully for the Yankees, they can keep ground with the Red Sox and the Orioles. The good news for them is that neither of the top two teams in the division can win consistently. The Red Sox lost two straight over the weekend, while the Orioles were swept by the Toronto Blue Jays, who are now making a run and only four games back of first place.
N.L. East: Atlanta Braves (44-33), Washington Nationals (37-38) 6 GB
Let's stay in the East and cross over to the National League. The Braves aren't playing their best baseball, that's for sure. However, the rest of the division is playing so poorly, that Atlanta has been able to lose games without feeling much of a threat. While the Braves are 5-5 in their last 10 games, the Nationals have gone 4-6 in the same span of games. The New York Mets are 6-4, but they are 12.5 games back and in fourth place.
N.L. West: Detroit Tigers (42-32), Cleveland Indians (38-36) 3 GB
The Indians are playing great baseball, but the Tigers are now 10 games over .500 and in control of the division. Though Detroit only possesses a three-game lead, they are where everybody expected them to be when the season began. They are winners of two straight and 6-4 over their last 10. The Indians have been slightly better in that time span, posting a 7-3 record reminding the Tigers that losing is not an option.
N.L. West: Arizona Diamondbacks (41-34), San Francisco Giants (38-37) 3 GB, Colorado Rockies (39-38) 3 GB
This should be one of the more interesting races in baseball, but honestly, does anybody expect the Rockies to be in contention beyond the All-Star break? The San Diego Padres are pretty close, just 3.5 games removed from first place, but expecting the Padres to succeed in the West is truly wishful thinking. The Diamondbacks have surprised and they are riding the hot bat of Paul Goldschmidt, who continues to be one of the top hitters in the league.