MLB Weekend Edition...

As interleague play kicked off this weekend, we reached around the 1/4 point of the baseball season. Some teams have been surprises (hello Cincinnati and San Diego) while others have disappointed (Seattle and the perennially-underachieving New York Mets come to mind). However, for the most part, the divisions have begun to sort themselves out. Here's the current situation, as well as what we can expect going forward:

AL East:
This was always going to be one of the toughest (if not the toughest) divisions in baseball with three stud teams in the Rays, Yankees, and Red Sox. The Rays and Yankees have the best two records in the AL right now, but the Red Sox dug themselves into a little hole to start the season and are only now slowly inching their way into contention. Not much room for error though boys. Even Toronto, while fading, is not an easy out. With the way the Rays are playing right now, I'd worry a little bit if I was a fan of the Yankees or Red Sox. Of course, if you're a Yankees fan, I'd worry about you anyways.

AL Central: The Central divisions always seem to be two of the worst divisions in baseball, and I think this year is really no different. The Royals and Indians have stunk it up for the past two years, and this year should be no different. When one of the other three teams isn't playing well, as is the current case for the White Sox, this division becomes a two team race. Like last year, the Twins and Tigers are duking it out. They are both well-rounded ball clubs, but the Twins always seem to play better down the stretch. There's usually not enough firepower out of this division though to make a deep October run.

AL West: For the past three years, the AL West might as well have been called the AL Los Angeles Angels. But slowly, teams such as the Texas Rangers and once-mighty Oakland Athletics have been able to develop the young talent needed to knock the Angels off their perk. This division might not have the top-level talent of the AL East, but all four teams can't be counted out on any given night (except the Mariners for some reason are making that statement false right now despite having the second best pitching staff in the AL). Right now, the Angels are sputtering a little bit with inconsistent play, but you know they will be right near the top come September. Their pitching staff is just too talented for them to continue struggling.

Now, to the National League...


NL East: Another historically tough division, with even the Washington Nationals providing some competition this year. The Phillies have started to separate from the pack the past three years, but never by much. The Braves have some outstanding young talent in Jason Heyward and Tommy Hanson, while the Marlins have the lazy but immensely talented Hanley Ramirez. I don't see the Nationals keeping up this year, and I just can't picture the Mets actually ever putting all their talent out on the field at the same time.

NL Central: Right now, probably the worst division in baseball. I mean, the Reds are leading the division! No disrespect to their fine start, but the Cubs and Brewers need to get it going. The Cardinals are right there with the Reds, and they need to be considered the favorite in the division with the two-headed pitching monster of Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter (not to mention Jaime Garcia and his 1.28 ERA). But the bottom of the division is a mess right now, with the Astros and the Pirates two of the worst teams in the league.

NL West: Staying true to form, this division is and will be a dogfight until the end. The Padres are presently at the top due to their surprisingly strong pitching, and the Dodgers are one of the more talented teams in the league. Add in the one-two punch of Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain for the Giants, and Ubaldo Jimenez and his sub-1 ERA for the Rockies, and almost nothing is guaranteed in this division. One thing that can be guaranteed is that if the Diamondbacks don't improve their pitching, they won't be competing for the division title anytime soon.