The second half of the MLB season got going Friday and one of the intriguing storylines is the race for the NL East title. The Nationals and Braves were tied for the division lead when the league got to the All-Star break last week. This weekend, Atlanta beat Philadelphia two out of three games and Washington didn't blink, doing the same with Milwaukee. Monday, the Braves lost to the Marlins and the Nationals downed the Rockies, so they now have a one-game lead. If the past couple weeks give any indication, Washington will lose Tuesday and Atlanta will win, making the teams tied again. The head-to-head series this year has the Braves in the lead so far, 7-3. I went to the June 19 game in the nation's capital and the Braves won on dominant pitching, 3-0. The squads face each other nine more times this season, six times in Atlanta and three times in D.C. The race will be exciting to watch as we get closer to the stretch run of the season.
On a related note, the overall race in the National League is tight, very tight right now. There are eight teams within four games of each other. The AL can only boast two teams like that. Milwaukee leads the Central with St. Louis a half game back, the Pirates 2.5 games back, and Cincinnati 3.5 games back. In the West, San Francisco and Los Angeles are tied. Like last year, there are two wild card spots, so more teams will be in it until the very end. It should make for an exciting August and September in the National League.
On a related note, the overall race in the National League is tight, very tight right now. There are eight teams within four games of each other. The AL can only boast two teams like that. Milwaukee leads the Central with St. Louis a half game back, the Pirates 2.5 games back, and Cincinnati 3.5 games back. In the West, San Francisco and Los Angeles are tied. Like last year, there are two wild card spots, so more teams will be in it until the very end. It should make for an exciting August and September in the National League.
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