As April comes to an end, the Indians have separated themselves from the rest of the American League Central, taking a 4 1/2 game lead over Kansas City and Detroit. The margin is tied with Colorado's for the largest in the majors.
But it is early, the Tribe have the Tigers coming to town with a chance to draw closer -- and here is your latest look at the standings in the American League specifically, and the majors in general.
American League Central -
Cleveland Indians 16-8 .667 0 Games Behind -- The Indians, with their sweep of the Royals over the last three games, found themselves also picking up three games on Detroit. The Tigers come to Cleveland for the weekend for three games. Another Tribe sweep would seriously damage Detroit, but one feels that there will be a roar of Tigers sometime in the next three days.
Detroit Tigers 12-13 .480 4.5 Games Behind -- Detroit was looking good at the beginning of the week, having just swept Chicago, but the Mariners came to Detroit and swept the Tigers in three straight, and now Detroit goes to Cleveland needing to win at least two-of-three to stay within shouting distance of the Indians.
Kansas City Royals 12-13 .480 4.5 Games Behind -- The Royals have nose-dived, and only the struggles of the White Sox and the Twins keep Kansas City as high in the standings as they are. After being swept in consecutive series by the Rangers and the Indians, the Royals entertain Minnesota for three games this weekend.
Chicago White Sox 10-16 .385 7 Games Behind -- The White Sox won the first two games of four in New York, but dropped the final two games for an overall split with the Yankees. Now Chicago welcomes the Orioles for four games on the South Side, stretching through Monday.
Minnesota Twins 9-15 .375 7 Games Behind -- The Twins come off of being swept at home in three games by the Tampa Bay Rays -- including a doubleheader loss on Thursday. Minnesota now goes to Kansas City for three games with the Royals, in a series matching a six-game (Royals) and a three-game losing streak.
American League East -
New York Yankees 14-8 .636 0 Games Behind -- The Yankees dropped the first two games against Chicago, but rebounded to win on Wednesday and Thursday, and now face the Toronto Blue Jays for a four-game series extending through Monday in the Bronx.
Tampa Bay Rays 14-11 .560 1.5 Games Behind -- The Rays have come storming back from a 1-8 start, and are riding a five-game winning streak, after beating the Twins in three straight in Minnesota. Now the Angels come to Tampa for a three-game series.
Toronto Blue Jays 12-13 .480 3.5 Games Behind -- Toronto went into Texas and acquitted themselves well, winning three-of-four against the Rangers, and now enter the second of a set of daunting road series, taking on New York for four games in a series which runs through Monday.
Boston Red Sox 11-13 .458 4 Games Behind -- The Sox stumbled a bit this week, losing two-of-three in Baltimore after rising to within a game of .500, but still, Boston has gone 9-3 in their last twelve games. The Red Sox now entertain Seattle for three games.
Baltimore Orioles 10-13 .435 4.5 Games Behind -- The Orioles took two-of-three from Boston to stop their downward slide, yet find themselves last in the East. Now Baltimore heads for Chicago for four games with the White Sox in a series which carries over to Monday.
American League West -
Texas Rangers 15-10 .600 0 Games Behind -- The Rangers have cooled off after their red-hot start, and are coming off losing three out of four to Toronto at home. Texas now goes to Oakland for a four-game wraparound series that lasts through Monday, against the Athletics.
Los Angeles Angels 14-11 .560 1 Game Behind -- The Angels took two-of-three from Oakland to start their week, creeping closer to the Rangers in the process. Now Los Angeles heads to Tampa to take on the Rays for three this weekend.
Oakland Athletics 12-13 .480 3 Games Behind -- The Athletics managed to salvage the last of three games in Anaheim and now must go to Texas to take on the Rangers in a four-game series that will continue through Monday, with a chance to draw closer in the divisional race, and also in danger of falling much further behind.
Seattle Mariners 11-15 .423 4.5 Games Behind -- The Mariners, who seemed to be...well...sunk at the beginning of the week, have righted their ship with a three-game sweep in Detroit. Now Seattle moves on to Boston for three games against the Red Sox.
In the National League...
The Philadelphia Phillies (16-8) have reclaimed first place in the East over the Florida Marlins (15-8) in a division which has see-sawed a bit at the top. Then there is a drop off to the Atlanta Braves (13-13), who trail by four. The Washington Nationals (11-13) and the New York Mets (11-14) round out the East.
The St.Louis Cardinals (14-11) have opened up a one-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds (13-12) in the hotly-contested Central Division. Right behind the Reds are the Milwaukee Brewers (12-12), with the Pittsburgh Pirates (11-14) and the Chicago Cubs (10-14) next in line. Trailing the pack in the Central are the Houston Astros (9-16), who trail the Cardinals by five full games.
In the West is found the team which -- currently -- owns the best record in the major leagues. The Colorado Rockies (16-7) have a lead which matches the Indians' 4 1/2 games as the largest leads in the majors. The Los Angeles Dodgers (13-13) and the San Francisco Giants (12-12) are tied for second, with the Arizona Diamondbacks (11-13) alone in fourth. The San Diego Padres (9-16) share the worst mark in the bigs with the Padres, and are already eight games behind the Rockies.