Astros still the front runner in the AL

American League's dogfight


The Houston Astros (72-45) are still the front runners in the American League.

After all, the Astros currently own a 12-game lead over their nearest rival in the AL West, the LA Angels. The team from Anaheim isn't exactly breathing down the neck of the Astros. The Angels own a 61-58 record, but have won seven of their last 10 games. Boston (67-50) and the New York Yankees (61-55) are in a dogfight in the AL East, while Cleveland (63-52) enjoys a 4 1/2 game lead in the AL Central over Minnesota ( 59-57) and five games over third-place Kansas City (59-58).

The Astros are no surprise, but the teams reaching the Wild-Card games may very well be.