The Braves continue to have the best record in Major League Baseball and keep finding new ways to win. On Wednesday night they authored a late comeback against the Detroit Tigers and notched their 22nd victory of the year on the strength of a Matt Olson walk-off homer. This has allowed them to build a rather expansive 7 1/2-game lead over everyone else in the National League East. Much has been made about the intense struggles and hard pivots taking place with the Phillies and Mets but it's also worth pointing out that the Marlins (15-16) and Nationals (14-17) aren't exactly tearing things up either. So Atlanta could not have asked for a better opening month-plus of the year. For some context, only one other division leader has an edge of more than a single game (Yankees are up 1 1/2 games on the Rays in the American East.)
It's not exactly an anomaly so early in the year but what's allowed these super tight opening races to happen is some pretty clear dichotomy between the leagues. Just to put it as bluntly as possible: Most of the National League teams are doing quite well while most of the American League sides are desperately trying to play .500 ball. In fact, only the Yankees, Rays and Athletics are above that mark currently compared to a shocking nine teams above breakeven in the National League.
That's pretty significant inequity. The good news for every team that's struggling and chasing a first-place team is that outside of the Braves, everyone else is within easy reach. The bad news for those first-place clubs outside of the Braves is that they've been missing golden opportunities to put some distance between themselves and the field.
Yesterday's MLB scores
Guardians 3, Rays 1
White Sox 3, Angels 2
Mariners 5, Twins 3
Rangers 3, Yankees 0
Braves 4, Tigers 3
Blue Jays 8, Red Sox 1
Marlins 3, Dodgers 2
Cubs 5, Padres 4
Rockies 13, Reds 2
Cardinals 5, Pirates 4
Nationals 14, Mets 2
Diamondbacks 6, Brewers 2
Athletics 5, Royals 2
Giants vs. Phillies, postponed
Astros vs. Orioles, postponed
Current MLB standings
American League East
| Team | Record | Games Behind |
|---|---|---|
| Yankees | 20-11 | -- |
| Rays | 18-12 | 1.5 |
| Orioles | 14-15 | 5.0 |
| Blue Jays | 14-16 | 5.5 |
| Red Sox | 12-19 | 8.0 |
American League Central
| Team | Record | Games Behind |
|---|---|---|
| Guardians | 16-16 | -- |
| Tigers | 15-16 | 0.5 |
| White Sox | 14-17 | 1.5 |
| Twins | 13-18 | 2.5 |
| Royals | 12-18 | 3.0 |
American League West
| Team | Record | Games Behind |
|---|---|---|
| Athletics | 16-14 | -- |
| Mariners | 16-16 | 1.0 |
| Rangers | 15-16 | 1.5 |
| Angels | 12-20 | 5.0 |
| Astros | 11-19 | 5.0 |
National League East
| Team | Record | Games Behind |
|---|---|---|
| Braves | 22-9 | -- |
| Marlins | 15-16 | 7.0 |
| Nationals | 14-17 | 8.0 |
| Phillies | 10-19 | 11.0 |
| Mets | 10-20 | 11.5 |
National League Central
| Team | Record | Games Behind |
|---|---|---|
| Reds | 19-11 | -- |
| Cubs | 19-12 | 0.5 |
| Cardinals | 17-13 | 2.0 |
| Brewers | 15-14 | 3.5 |
| Pirates | 16-15 | 3.5 |
National League West
| Team | Record | Games Behind |
|---|---|---|
| Dodgers | 20-11 | -- |
| Padres | 19-12 | 0.5 |
| Diamondbacks | 16-13 | 3.0 |
| Rockies | 14-17 | 6.0 |
| Giants | 13-16 | 6.0 |
Today's MLB schedule
All times ET
Tigers vs. Braves, 12:15 p.m.
Cardinals vs. Pirates, 12:35 p.m.
Astros vs. Orioles, 12:35 p.m. (doubleheader)
Giants vs. Philies, 12:35 p.m. (doubleheader)
Rockies vs. Reds, 12:40 p.m.
Nationals vs. Mets, 1:10 p.m.
Diamondbacks vs. Brewers, 1:40 p.m.
Royals vs. Athletics, 3:05 p.m.
Blue Jays vs. Twins, 7:40 p.m.
More MLB from Sports Illustrated
- Ildemaro Vargas Is the Hottest Hitter in Baseball No One Saw Coming
- Marlins Win Series vs. Dodgers Thanks to a Really Bad Shohei Ohtani Baserunning Blunder
- The Five Best (and Worst) Starts for MLB Players on New Teams
- Checking In on MLB’s Award Races After One Month: Cy Shohei?
This article was originally published on www.si.com as MLB Standings Reveal American and National Leagues Are Two Different Worlds Right Now.
