As we head into the first
weekend of September, the MLB division and wild card races will begin to heat
up. Here’s a quick preview heading into Friday’s games.
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| Houston's all-star second baseman, Jose Altuve |
American League West: This month is
shaping up to be the battle of Texas as the Houston Astros lead the Texas
Rangers by two games. This weekend, Houston hosts the Minnesota Twins, who are
battling for a wild card spot, while the Rangers are in LA to take on the
struggling Angels. This is just a prelude heading into next week when Texas
will host Houston for four games.
A.L. Central: There’s not much going on
in this division. The Kansas City Royals are 12 ½ games up on the Twins. The
Royals host the Chicago White Sox this weekend.
A.L. East: The Toronto Blue Jays lead
the New York Yankees by a game and a half and both teams will play other East
Division foes this weekend. Toronto hosts the slumping Orioles, who continue
their disappointing season and are 12 games out. The Yanks host the Tampa Bay
Rays in the Bronx this weekend. Tampa has had a so-so 2015 but with the Orioles
slumping, they’ve pulled themselves up to third place in the division.
Wild Card: The Yankees hold down the
first spot, while the Rangers have the second by a game and a half over
Minnesota while the Angels, now 3 ½ out, need to snap out of their recent woes
if they hope to mount any type of post-season threat.
National League West: After sweeping
the San Francisco Giants earlier this week, the Los Angeles Dodgers extended
their division lead to 6 ½ games. The Dodgers are in San Diego for four this
weekend, with the first game last night ending in a 10-7 Dodger loss. The Giants,
meanwhile, are in Colorado for four (Colorado won Thursday night 11-3) and the defending World Series Champions
are falling farther behind in both the division and wild card races.
N.L. Central: The Chicago Cubs’ 75 wins
would be good enough for first place in three of baseball’s six divisions.
Unfortunately, it’s only good enough for third place in the NL Central. The
Cubs trail the second place Pittsburgh Pirates by 4 and the first place St.
Louis Cardinals by 10 ½. The Pirates battle the Cardinals this weekend in St.
Louis and attempt to close the gap. The Cubs play the Arizona Diamondbacks,
third place in the NL West and not threatening anyone.
N.L. East: The New York Mets, winners
of seven of their last ten, hold a 6 game lead over the Washington Nationals.
The Mets are in Miami to play the Marlins while the Nats host the Atlanta
Braves, who have looked very pathetic as of late.
Wild Card: The Pirates and Cubs have a
comfortable cushion in the wild card positions. The Giants are 7 back while
the Nationals are 7 ½ out.
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| Chicago Cubs' Anthony Rizzo |
Another great weekend of
baseball is headed our way. Labour Day weekend is usually the landmark for the
end of summer, but that’s good news because it means that the MLB postseason is
only month away.
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