The month of August is almost at its halfway point. Some teams are heating up a little too late, while others like the Los Angeles Dodgers continue to streak, winning in dramatic fashion. The Boston Red Sox are making things harder on themselves at a very bad time, while the Pittsburgh Pirates put an end to a losing streak as their first-place lead in the N.L. Central was challenged. Here are the standings as of Thursday noon.
A.L. East: Boston Red Sox (72-50)
The Tigers, Rangers, Braves, Pirates and Dodgers all won on Wednesday. What else do these five teams have in common? They are in control of their division and in first place. The Red Sox lost a close one in Toronto against the Blue Jays, 3-4. That pushes them to 5-5 in their last 10 games and coupled with a Tampa Bay Rays victory, it also dips their lead to just three games.
N.L. Central: Pittsburgh Pirates (71-48)
One loss, two losses, three losses equals a sweep, add another loss for a four-game losing streak followed by a ... complete game gem by Francisco Liriano? Well if that's what it takes for the Pirates to break out of a slump, then I'm sure they'll take it. He allowed only one run on four hits, one walk while striking out six. Liriano is now 13-5 with a 2.68 ERA. Giving Liriano a hand, or more like a bat, Pedro Alvarez hit a solo shot to quickly get the Pirates and Liriano a lead. The victory bought the breathing room in the central and snapped a poorly timed three-game losing streak. The St. Louis Carinals are now three games behind them in the division.
N.L. West: Los Angeles Dodgers (70-50)
Make that 20 games over .500 mixed in with an eight-game winning streak. They are the hottest team in baseball and they know how to win in dramatic fashion. Just let Don Mattingly tell you.
That's a problem for baseball. The Dodgers are now having fun. They aren't only stacked with money, but they are stacked with talent and that means trouble for the rest of the league, especially for the teams chasing L.A. in the division.
N.L. East: Atlanta Braves (74-47)
Wrapping up the National League, the Braves have the best record in baseball and they won their fifth straight series after taking the rubber game from the Philadelphia Phillies Wednesday night. The Braves have a rare day off, but they will have to continue playing great baseball as the Washington Nationals are 14 games back, but they are the hottest team in the division after winning their fifth straight game.
A.L. Central: Detroit Tigers (70-49)
When you have baseball's best hitter on your team, falling behind 0-3 in the first inning is no problem. Miguel Cabrera tied the game in the third, Rick Porcello tightened things up and the Tigers proceeded to win, 6-4 over the pesky Chicago White Sox. It was good news for them since the Cleveland Indians won their third straight, keeping them six games back in the standings.
A.L. Central: Texas Rangers (70-51)
The Rangers must have luck on their side. No, not because they scored three in the seventh inning against the Milwaukee Brewers to complete the 5-4 comeback, but because the Oakland Athletics lost their second game to the Houston Astros. With the Rangers' victory and A's loss, Texas' lead is a little safer, just a little, as they are up two games on the A's.