MLB Division Races: Where Will Each Division Be at the End of August?
As we're headed down the homestretch of the 2010 Major League Baseball season, the divisional races in both leagues are heating up.
In every division, except for the AL West, teams are separated by three games or less.
The Yankees and Rays are battling in the AL East. In the AL Central, a half game separates the White Sox and Twins. And in all three National League divisions, all three are each separated by two games from the NL East to the NL Central to the NL West.
But even when you look at the AL West, with the Texas Rangers currently holding a seven game lead over the Oakland Athletics, can we call that division over or do the A's still have something left in the tank to make a run?
There are so many story lines that will play themselves out over the next few months. We're going to breakdown each division and where each race will stand at the end of August. How many lead changes will there be? Will the Yankees be able to distance themselves from the Rays? Can the Rangers put the AL West away for good or will the A's find something a little extra and crawl back into the race? Can the Padres hold off the Giants in the NL West?
Just so it's clear, the number at the very bottom of each slide is how many games that team will gain this month. We'll answer all these questions and give you a glance at just how these races will look at the end of the month.
Ready? Let's get it...
NL East
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The Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies are all by their lonesome atop the NL East standings with just a game and a half separating the two teams.
Both teams made moves at the deadline with the Phillies perhaps making the biggest of those when they acquired Roy Oswalt from Houston. But will that be enough to catch Atlanta?
When you look at the month of August for the Braves, they have 20 games remaining with 12 of those 20 games coming at home. They will be at home for the Mets, Dodgers, Nationals and Marlins; the Cubs, Astros and Rockies coming on the road. A very favorable schedule to stay on top in the NL East.
As for the Phillies, they have a tougher schedule to fight through this month. Like Atlanta, they have 20 games left in the month of August with 13 of those coming at home.
They will have home series against the Dodgers, Giants, Nationals and Astros while they will be on the road against the Mets and Padres with another road series against the Dodgers
End of August outlook: The Braves have the favorable schedule and should be able to lengthen their lead. It's a two-game lead now; it'll be a four to five-game lead by the end of August.
Atlanta +3
AL East
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While the Rays had the Yankees looking up at them a few times this season, it's the Yankees that have the Rays looking back up at them at this point.
There have been ties and there have been lead changes, but can either team put distance between each other or will this month prove no different than the last?
The front-running New York Yankees currently hold a game and a half lead over the young and talented Tampa Bay Rays. They've watched their lead slip away already but seemed to have given themselves a little breathing room at the moment.
They have 21 games left in the month of August with 12 games on the road and nine at home. They have will be home for Detroit, Seattle and two games against Oakland at the end of the month; they're on the road against Texas, Kansas City, Toronto and the White Sox.
For the Tampa Bay Rays, a no-hitter by former Fresno State right-hander Matt Garza seems to be their highlight so far this season but overcoming the New York Yankees for the AL East title would be even sweeter.
Eleven of their next 20 games will be at home against Baltimore, Texas, Boston and Toronto while Detroit, Oakland and Anaheim will be on the road.
Of the two schedules, the Yankees seem to have a little more breathing room than the Rays.
End of August outlook: It's a two and a half game separation at this point. By the end of the month, the Yankees may only pick up a game or two at the most.
Yankees +1
NL Central
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The NL Central may have one of the biggest surprise leaders at this point in the season. The Cincinnati Reds, a team usually not in the race come the All-Star break, have a one game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals as August goes into its second week.
The Reds didn't make a big move at the deadline and but did pickup former Cardinals outfielder Jim Edmonds just before the series between the two teams gets underway. However, the Cardinals brought in Jake Westbrook from Cleveland and traded away Ryan Ludwick to San Diego.
The Reds have 19 games left in the month of August. They have home series against the Cardinals, Marlins, Cubs and Brewers while they will be on the road for Arizona, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
As for the Cardinals, the will begin a very important three game set against the team they're chasing. They also have 19 games left in the month of August with the Cubs, Brewers and Giants coming at home and on the road for the Reds, Pirates, Nationals and Astros.
Both of these teams will be challenged and neither will not want to lose any ground to the other, especially with September right around the corner.
End of August outlook: The Reds and Cardinals have been playing well enough to keep each other in their sights right to the end.
Reds/Cardinals Push
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AL Central
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The only dead heat in baseball belongs is in the AL Central with the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins. Both teams are tied atop the division and neither look to be giving any ground any time soon.
The Chicago White Sox and general manager Ken Williams tried to do everything they could to land Adam Dunn from the Washington Nationals, even trading for pitcher Edwin Jackson from Arizona with the intentions of flipping him to Washington for their first baseman.
However, the trade never happened but the Sox were all too happy to hang on to the young pitcher for their rotation for the stretch run.
The Sox have 20 games left in the month of August including 12 at home against Minnesota, Detroit, Baltimore and the Yankees. They will be on the road for games against Minnesota, Cleveland and Kansas City.
As for the Twins, they also have 20 games left in the month of August but seem to have the tougher schedule than the White Sox. They have games on the road against the aforementioned Sox, Rangers and Mariners and will be home against the A's, Angels and White Sox, with one game against Detroit to close out the month.
End of August outlook: The Twins seem to be the better team at the moment and should play well enough to have a slim lead when the month comes to a close.
Twins +1.5
NL West
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A battle that no one expected and a team that few saw coming. That describes the NL West to a T.
The San Diego Padres were expected to be bottom feeders of the division when the season started. Most even predicted that they would be sellers at the deadline, trading stars like Adrian Gonzalez, Heath Bell and Chris Young.
Instead, the Padres have led the NL West most of the season but have a hot San Francisco Giants team right on their heels, just a game a half back. They have 21 games remaining in the month of August including nine at home against the Pirates, Diamondbacks and Phillies and will embark on a 10-game road trip this week against the Giants, Cubs and Brewers as well as two against Arizona at the end of the month.
As for the Giants, they have the pitching and they have the hitting, but can they put both together, pass the Padres in the standings and keep them in their rear view mirror?
They are currently a game and a half back of the Padres with 20 games left in the month of August. They will be home for series against the Cubs, Padres, Reds, Diamondbacks and two against the Rockies, but will only be on the road for six games against the Phillies and Cardinals.
End of August outlook: The Giants get to play 14 of their next 20 games at home which will play to their advantage, especially with the Padres being on the road for 12 of their last 21 this month.
Giants +2
AL West
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No that's not the A's surrendering, but at this point in the season, it's not all that far fetched.
The Texas Rangers currently hold an eight game lead over the Oakland Athletics and the lead doesn't look to be going anywhere any time soon.
With 21 games left in the month of August for the Texas Rangers, including five against the Yankees and Red Sox this week, they look to be in the driver's seat in the AL West.
Outside of the next five games, they have seven at home against Minnesota and Oakland and will be on the road for Tampa Bay, Baltimore, and two against Kansas City to round out the month.
For Oakland, they know that the rope is off the flagpole and they're ready to go ahead and hoist that white flag very soon, if it isn't already a quarter of the way up. The A's have 20 games left in the month but it looks to be the most grueling 20 games they'll face.
They have seven games at home against Toronto and Tampa Bay as well as 13 games on the road against Seattle, Minnesota, Cleveland, Texas, and two against the Yankees at the end of the month.
End of August outlook: It's not going to be pretty this month for the A's and it could very well spell the end of the AL West race if the Rangers can come out with at least an 11-10 record or better.
Rangers +3
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