Baseball season enters July grind
Jul. 19—Late July is where those pennant dreams of early April go to die. The Major League Baseball Season has crossed the midway point of the grueling 162 game schedule.
For even those teams who are in the thick of the race are in endurance mode. The goal is to stay afloat until September, when the finish line comes into view and the temperature slides to about 90 in the shade.
One Texas team, the Houston Astros, are well on their the path to the post season. Their 59-31 record is good enough for a 10 game lead in the American League West. They have played more games on the road than at Minute Maid Park and have a 31-18 road record.
Meanwhile, the Texas Rangers will have to turn on the jets to make a run at the post season. Their 41-48 record positions them 17.5 games behind Houston. It's not hard to see the Rangers' problem. They're 5-20 in games decided by one run.
Elsewhere around the American League, the New York Yankees are putting together one of their better years. It's hard to believe we haven't seen a Yankee pennant since 2009, but this year they're strutting to a 63-28 record at the midway point. They've dominated at the Stadium to the tune of 36 wins and 12 losses. They Tampa Bay Rays are 13 games back in the AL East.
The L Central Division is the only tight race at the moment, with the Minnesota Twins, at 50-43, ahead of the Cleveland Guardians by 2.5 games.
The National League also has a marquee name at the top. The Los Angeles Dodgers stand at 60-30 and have been hot for the past month, winning 23 of their last 30 games. They own a 9.5 game lead over the San Diego Padres out west.
The other two NL Divisions are too close to call. In the East, the New York Mets, are 58-34, with the fourth best record in MLB. But the Atlanta Braves remain on their heels, only 2.5 games back.
The Central leader is the Milwaukee Brewers, with a 50-42 mark. The St Louis Cardinals, at 50-44 are a game back. The Cards have struggled of late, with only 13 wins in their past 30.
