The month of August is more than half way done and there are three divisions with two or more teams stil in the hunt for first place. Let's just say, this is a bad time to struggle if you're the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Red Sox or Texas Rangers. Here are the teams within striking distance from first place and those divisions with their dominant front runners.
N.L. Central: St. Louis Cardinals (1 GB), Cincinnati Reds (2.5 GB)
We start with the N.L. Central because it provides the most interesting race. The Pirates are the underdogs of all underdogs, having not been to the playoffs since 1992. The only other team that hasn't played postseason baseball within this time frame are the Kansas City Royals. The Pirates couldn't take advantage of Yadier Molina's absence, allowing the Cardinals to remain in the race. However, it's not only the Cardinals breathing down the Pirates' neck, the Reds are playing the best baseball of the five teams in this division, going 7-3 in their last 10 games. Will the Pirates finally bring postseason baseball to Pittsburgh?
A.L. East: Tampa Bay Rays (1 GB), Baltimore Orioles (4.5)
The Red Sox are getting lazy. Their division lead is slipping and it is now back to one game. The Rays are keeping pace, while the Orioles are looking to start a streak that could catapult them to the top spot in the East. Boston is 3-7 in their last 10 games and if things don't change quickly, they might find themselves back in second or maybe even third place. You could never count out the fourth-place New York Yankees, but is 7.5 games back too big of a deficit?
A.L. West: Oakland Athletics (0.5 GB)
It's hard not to root for these guys once the calendar flips over to September. Last season they made an incredible comeback and in 2013, they are looking to make the West their division once again. The Rangers have played great baseball, but the A's don't want to fall behind. This is now a two-team race and it looks as though both could meet in the playoffs. The West is a strong division in 2013 and even if the Rangers fall to second place, they could make the playoffs via the Wild Card. However, are the Rangers kings of their division or will the settle of the leftovers?
N.L. East: Atlanta Braves lead by 15.5 Games
A.L. Central: Detroit Tigers lead by 7.0 Games
N.L. West: Los Angeles Dodgers Lead by 7.5 Games
