MLB standings: NL and AL races up for grabs ahead of massive weekend series

We're barreling toward Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial check-in point for MLB teams trying not to overreact to a fast or slow start. And yet, looking around the league landscape, things still feel hopelessly muddled.

Granted, that's not the case in the NL East, where the Braves have already found a way to run away and hide (though the suddenly surging Phillies might have something to say about that before all is said and done). Every other division, though, is within three games at the top. Everything is still in front of any team that wants to make a push.

And there's no better time than the present, with a ton of would-be contenders in both the AL and NL heading into show-me showdowns this weekend. Which will rise to the challenge, and which will falter? Here's how the MLB standings shape up ahead of what should be a wild few days.

AL East

Make that six wins in a row and 12 in the last 13 for the Tampa Bay Rays, who polished off a sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday afternoon. And yet, for all that, they still haven't been able to get over the hump in this division, because the New York Yankees have been pretty much just as hot.

Right now, it sure seems like this is shaping up to be a two-horse race, with the Orioles and Red Sox stuck in neutral and the Jays dealing with a laundry list of injuries. Will it stay that way? This weekend could go a long way toward answering that question: The Yankees — who, it should be said, haven't exactly played a Murderer's Row lately — travel to Milwaukee for a tricky series with the Brewers, while Tampa plays four games at Fenway. Toronto, meanwhile, gets the Angels at home; if they can't make up some ground this weekend, it might just not happen for a talented yet awfully snake-bit team.

AL Central

We've done it, friends: We've reached Peak AL Central. Every single team in this division will enter play on Thursday at or below .500, which feels awfully fitting for what has been the wildest (and yet also the middest) in the sport for years now. And with the Tigers down Tarik Skubal, it's even less clear whether any of these teams will be able to make a postseason push.

We do have some good news, though: Four of these five teams will spend the weekend playing each other! Detroit and Kansas City square off at Kauffman Stadium, while the Twins and Guardians play three in Cleveland. Will that finally result in some separation here? Who knows; knowing this division, everyone will somehow find a way to split a three-game set.

AL West

Wait, are there two AL Centrals? Has the Midwest broken contain? The Angels and Astros seem to be well and truly out of this race at this point, and the Rangers are in a bit of a free fall right now themselves — something that a weekend series with the Cubs probably won't help.

That leaves the A's and Mariners duking it out atop the standings (well, OK, "duking" is probably a bit strong in this context). And this weekend could be a sneakily important one. The Athletics have a road series with the flailing Orioles on tap, while Seattle faces the lowly White Sox. Whichever team can best take advantage of a respite in the schedule could give themselves some much-needed breathing room in this division.

NL East

Look, I won't sugarcoat it: The NL East is not very fun right now. The Phillies have flirted with firing just about everyone involved with the organization of late, and yet they're still somehow in second place amid a recent hot streak.

But you know what is fun right now? The Atlanta Braves, who just keep on trucking with the best record in baseball. And now we get to see just how good this team can be, as they continue their West Coast swing with a huge showdown at Dodger Stadium starting on Friday night. Will Atlanta's makeshift pitching staff pass its stiffest test yet? The answer should tell us a whole lot about the shape of the NL pennant race moving forward.

NL Central

The Central remains the envy of the sport, with all five teams still above .500. But, despite a laundry list of injuries that somehow got even longer after Matthew Boyd injured his knee while playing with his kids at home (no, seriously), it increasingly looks like the Cubs are the team to beat, with a resurgent offense and some truly spectacular close-game luck.

We should find out which of these winning teams is a paper tiger and which is for real this weekend. The Cardinals have a four-game set against the second-place Padres in San Diego and the Brewers have a date with the Yankees, while the Reds and Pirates face off against the Astros and Giants, respectively. Can St. Louis and Milwaukee stay afloat against two likely playoff teams? Is Cincy's pitching good enough to keep Yordan Alvarez at bay in one of the most hitter-friendly parks around? Can Pittsburgh turn things around amid its first real rough stretch of the year?

NL West

Los Angeles has been sort of treading water of late, and now the Braves come to town to try and stake their claim as the true favorites in the NL. The Padres have been defying gravity despite a shaky pitching staff and next to nothing from Fernando Tatis Jr. The D-backs, for what feels like the third straight year now since that magical World Series run, are mired in mediocrity, with too much talent to tank but not enough to contend.

Which is all to say: How good is this division, really? There were high hopes at the start of the season, but I'm having my doubts at the moment, and I'd love for them to make a statement this weekend.

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