The best division in baseball is arguably the AL East, and this second half playoff push will be an interesting one.
As of right now, the revamped Boston Red Sox are in first place with a one game lead above the Tampa Bay Rays. The Baltimore Orioles are in third and are four and a half games back followed by the New York Yankees who are seven and a half games back. The disappointing performance by the Toronto Blue Jays has them dead last in this division and fifteen games out.
The first place Sox are 73-53. They’re a stacked team with a lot of big names, and have had quite a few exciting walk off wins this year. They’ve gone 3-7 in their last 10 games, but still hold their lead in the division. They have some important games coming up, as they will be a big test for preparing for the postseason. They face a very hot team in the LA Dodgers later this week which will be a big series for the Sox and a fun one to watch. They also play the Orioles nine more times this year and the Rays three more times. In order for them to maintain their lead in the division they simply have to keep winning; especially those series against division rivals.
The Rays are 70-52 and while they are in second place in the East, they currently lead the wild card race alongside the Oakland A’s. They will play seven more games against the Orioles this year and three more against the Red Sox. They also play the Rangers four times and the A’s three times. They have a tougher schedule playing teams like this, but these type of matchups best prepare teams for the postseason.
Aside from the seven games against the Rays, the 67-56 Orioles also play the Red Sox nine more times, and also have to play three games against the A’s and Cleveland Indians; both of which are in playoff races of their own. The Orioles are three games behind the A’s in the wild card race.
From this division these are the three teams with the best chance of making the postseason. While the Yankees are 64-59 they are six games out of the wild card and seven and a half out of the division. Now anything is possible in baseball, but with teams like the Rays and Orioles above them in both the division and wild card, it will be very difficult for them to make a serious run.
As the season winds down, this is going to be a fun division to keep an eye on. After a brutal 2012 season the Red Sox have some newfound leadership and their offseason moves are really paying off. The Rays started the season off slow, but have emerged and are where they were expected to be, expect them to fight tooth and nail with the Sox for the division title. Baltimore had a Cinderella story season last year as no one expected them to be a playoff team, but they were and have the chance to return this season.