The AL Central has reached a strange kind of equilibrium, and last night made it stranger still.
A Division Race Standing Perfectly Still
Cleveland and Chicago now sit at the exact same winning percentage atop the AL Central, and last night the two teams moved in opposite directions. The Guardians beat Minnesota 5-2 behind Gavin Williams, with Cade Smith closing it out, while the White Sox fell to Boston 2-1 and dropped their third straight. Neither team has separated itself from the other in a real way for weeks now, and the standings reflect it almost perfectly. Minnesota is not far behind either, sitting two games back after the loss, which means three teams are effectively playing for the same thing right now.
There is something almost calming about a race this close. Nobody has run away with it, nobody has collapsed out of it, and the answer to who wins the division might not arrive until the final week of the season. For now, Cleveland has the slightly better feel to it, riding a win while Chicago searches for one.
Two Teams Riding the Same Kind of Heat
Miami and Boston are having a moment at the same time, for different reasons entirely. The Marlins beat Seattle 8-4 behind Janson Junk to extend their winning streak to six, climbing to within three games of first in the NL East. The Red Sox, meanwhile, needed a tight one to keep their own six-game streak alive, edging the White Sox 2-1 with Tyron Guerrero picking up the win and Aroldis Chapman closing the door. Boston is still eleven games out in the AL East, so the standings won't show the significance of this run yet, but six wins in a row this deep into July is the kind of thing that changes how a season gets remembered.
Atlanta and Milwaukee Keep Their Distance
Atlanta made quick work of Pittsburgh, winning 10-5 behind Dylan Dodd and pushing its NL East lead to three full games over both Philadelphia and Miami. The Phillies did their part to stay close, grinding out a 1-0 win over Cincinnati on a Jesús Luzardo start and a Jhoan Duran save, the kind of low-scoring, high-tension game that tends to define good bullpens in July.
Milwaukee, for its part, keeps doing what Milwaukee does. The Brewers beat St. Louis 8-4 behind Logan Henderson, and while it was not the kind of decisive statement they made earlier in the week, it was enough to push the Cardinals to ten and a half games back. This division is not competitive anymore in any meaningful sense, and last night did nothing to change that.
Around the Rest of the Slate
New York's Yankees delivered the loudest laugher of the night, beating Tampa Bay 12-4 behind Ryan Yarbrough in a game that briefly made the top of the AL East look a little less settled, even if the Rays remain four games clear. Baltimore beat the Cubs 3-2 on a Tyler Wells win and an Andrew Kittredge save, a quiet result for a Chicago team that has now lost back-to-back series. Detroit continued its own hot stretch, beating the Athletics 4-1 to extend its winning streak to five, a run that has quietly pulled the Tigers to within four and a half games in the Central. Arizona took the rubber match from San Diego, winning 3-1 behind Merrill Kelly and a Paul Sewald save, while Texas needed extra innings of tension to hold off the Angels 7-6 on a Cole Winn win. San Francisco rounded out the night with an 8-2 win over Colorado, and Kansas City's stumble continued in a 7-3 loss to the Mets, who have now won two straight of their own.
What to Watch Today
Keep both eyes on the AL Central, because a race this tight rarely stays this quiet for long. Boston and Miami are worth checking in on daily while their streaks run, and Detroit's climb back into contention deserves more attention than it has gotten so far. Atlanta and Milwaukee, meanwhile, look like teams that would rather everyone stop watching them and start watching everyone else. Pour the coffee. Today's games should tell us whether any of this holds.
Thursday's Final Scores
Atlanta Braves (54-38) @ Pittsburgh Pirates (47-47) — Final: 10-5
Kansas City Royals (38-56) @ New York Mets (40-54) — Final: 3-7
New York Yankees (51-42) @ Tampa Bay Rays (54-37) — Final: 12-4
Chicago Cubs (52-41) @ Baltimore Orioles (43-51) — Final: 2-3
Cleveland Guardians (48-46) @ Minnesota Twins (46-48) — Final: 5-2
Boston Red Sox (43-48) @ Chicago White Sox (47-45) — Final: 2-1
Seattle Mariners (47-47) @ Miami Marlins (52-42) — Final: 4-8
Athletics (41-52) @ Detroit Tigers (43-50) — Final: 1-4
Philadelphia Phillies (52-42) @ Cincinnati Reds (42-50) — Final: 1-0
Milwaukee Brewers (59-34) @ St. Louis Cardinals (48-44) — Final: 8-4
Los Angeles Angels (37-57) @ Texas Rangers (47-46) — Final: 6-7
Arizona Diamondbacks (46-47) @ San Diego Padres (46-47) — Final: 3-1
Colorado Rockies (38-57) @ San Francisco Giants (39-54) — Final: 2-8
