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MLB Wild Card Standings: Cubs make a move

By Nicholas Ian Allen

Jun 4, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs right fielder Jason Heyward (22) catches a ball hit by St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Matt Carpenter (13) in the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 4, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs right fielder Jason Heyward (22) catches a ball hit by St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Matt Carpenter (13) in the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports /
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The overall MLB Wild Card standings haven’t changed much, but the Chicago Cubs are in striking distance after a weekend sweep of the Cardinals.

The first two months of the 2017 season are officially in the books, and the MLB Wild Card standings have remained largely the same all season. The Red Sox overtook the lead recently, but the Orioles and Indians have held on to a spot in the top three in the ultra-competitive American League race. Locked in a close three-team race in the AL West, the Dodgers and Diamondbacks have controlled both NL Wild Card spots nearly all year. However, despite several starts and stalls, the Chicago Cubs appear primed to make a move.

The defending World Series champs have spent 22 days in first place in the NL Central this season, but unlike last year, have yet to establish a dominant position through the first two months of the season. On the morning of June 5, 2016, the Cubs sat 9.5 games ahead in the division with a 39-15 record. On that date this year, Chicago is one game behind the Brewers in the Central and 5.5 games out in the Wild Card with a 28-27 record.

Nevertheless, the Cubs are riding the momentum of a three-game sweep over the hated division rival Cardinals, which the team capped with a 7-6 win following a pinch-hit RBI single from former Card Jon Jay in the eighth inning Sunday night.

Coming off the heels of a 0-6 road trip to Los Angels and (of all places) San Diego, the weekend sweep is a huge step in the right direction. It might even be the turning point in what has been an up-and-down season.

American League Division Leaders

AL East

New York Yankees (32-22, .593)

The Yankees were far from dominant last week, but maintained a two-game lead in the division with a 3-4 road trip through Baltimore and Toronto.

Aaron Judge is still hitting like a MVP candidate. The rookie slugger hit .346/.469/.692 with two home runs, seven runs scored and seven RBI. However, Judge was outperformed by Aaron Hicks, who had 12 hits and posted a .444/.448/.667 slash with 10 RBI, and Brett Gardner and Matt Holliday, who each hit three homers.

AL Central

Minnesota Twins (29-24, .547)

It’s still hard to believe the Twins rebounded from the worst record in baseball last year to lead the AL Central through the first two months this season. Minnesota has been outscored overall (the club has a minus-19 run differential this season, which is the worst among all major league first place teams) thanks in large part to being blown out three times by the Astros last week. But the Twins picked up a series win over the Angels to stay atop the standings.

AL West

Houston Astros (41-16, .719)

The Astros flexed their muscles with road sweeps over the Twins and Rangers last week, and have improved to an MLB best 21-6 on the road. Houston increased its current winning streak to 10, pushed its division lead to a commanding 13.5 games, and now leads the majors with a plus-102 run differential. With a .719 winning percentage to date, the Astros are currently on pace for 116 wins.

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