There are some very interesting developments in the various playoff races since the All-Star break. Some teams, like the O's, Nats, and KC, have gotten hot and gone out and taken the lead in their divisions. KC and the Nats have benefited from the combo of being hot and their main rivals going cold. KC is an incredible 24-10 since the break, while Detroit has gone a poor 17-21. The Nats have gone 24-12 as Atlanta has struggled at 16-20. The O's have played well, going 21-13 but NY has kept pace at 20-14, but still trails by 6 games. The AL West is interesting in that both the A's and Angels have played very average ball and thus can't gain an advantage in the division. The A's are only 17-17 since the break while the Angels are 18-16. The Mariners have the best record in the west since the break at 20-14 but are 6 games out because of the hot first half seasons that the A's and Angels had. The NL Central is kind of treading water as all 3 contenders, the Brewers, Cards, and Pirates, have all played at the same pace, going 19-15, 18-15, and 18-17, a difference of only 1.5 games between them and essentially the same spot they were in going into the break. In the NL West, the Dodgers have the lead by 4.5, an increase of 3 from the break, by virtue of going 20-15 while SF has struggled at 16-18, yet SF remains very much in play. The last 30 games are going to be a thrill ride as just about all these races are still wide open. The MLB playoff structure may be less than perfect but it does keep more people interested in the races as so many different teams seem to stay right in it up to the end. -- Al
...Sammy
