The MLB Standings heading into August has the NY Mets and Washington Nationals as division leaders in the NL East and around the league the New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros, St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers are the others in the AL and NL, while the LA Angels, Minnesota Twins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs and Giants are leading the wildcard chase.
The Mets just had a wild week and now heading into Monday the team is tied for first place with the Washington Nationals. The teams are a couple games out of the wild card and that makes the division title so crucial. The two teams are the only ones really in contention right now and the Mets just pulled off some very strong moves at the deadline. The Mets swept the Nats at Citi Field this weekend and now the teams are both leaders in the division.
Heading out of the weekend the Yankees have a six game lead in the AL East over the Orioles and the Blue Jays. The Rays and Red Sox are at the bottom of the division and the Yankees have been one of the best teams in baseball, putting up a 59-45 record after winning over the White Sox. The Royals have an eight game lead over the Twins and an 11 game lead over the Tigers and they basically have the AL Central wrapped up. The Astros are leading the Angels by four games in the AL West and the Rangers are eight games back in the division.
The Mets are tied with the Nats, while the NL Central has the St. Louis Cardinals leading the Pittsburgh Pirates by 5.5 games in the division. The Dodgers are tops in the NL West and Los Angeles has a 2.5 game lead over the San Francisco Giants. The Wild Card races in both leagues have a number of teams in the mix, with the AL having the Angels and Twins leading the Orioles, Jays, Rays, Rangers and Tigers close. The Pirates and Cubs are tops in the NL over the Nats/Mets, while the Padres and D-backs are 6.5 games out.
The Mets won 5-2 on Sunday night and that came after a 3-2 victory on Saturday and a 2-1 win on Friday night. Wilmer Flores and the Mets had quite the week as well and sitting atop the division seemed unlikely just days ago. Flores was in tears on the field for the Mets in the middle of the week when there were reports he was traded for Carlos Gomez in the middle of the game against the Padres. The trade fell through and after losing in tough fashion to the Padres on Thursday, the team pulled off a trade for Yoenis Cespedes to make up for Gomez and Flores hit the game-winning home run for the team.
Flores helped start things off in the series for the Mets and now he looks like he will be remaining with the team for the future after the Gomez deal fell through. The Mets are five games over .500 for the season and they are trying to get things together on the road, as the team is just 17-32 away from Citi Field this season. The Nats have been a disappointment overall and they have allowed the Mets to stay in the mix.
Check here for the MLB division standings and wild card standings.
