Editor's Note: Keep an eye on the sidebar at right for updates, magic numbers, and division and/or wild card clinches as the major leagues head toward the playoffs.
In the American League, Houston continued its charge to the top of the West, the Yankees and Baltimore continued in their duel to the death in the East, and both Kansas City and Minnesota closed the gap on Cleveland in the Central.
AL East
Despite playing just about .500 ball the Orioles and Yankees managed to separate themselves a safe distance from the main contender, Boston. The Red Sox managed only a 13-16 record for August, while the Orioles went 13-15, dropped their 1/2 game lead at the end of July and found themselves trailing the Yankees - who appear to be on track as a major threat to reach the World Series - by 1 1/2 games a month later.
New York went 14-12 for the month, which, as every other team was struggling to find consistency, was good enough for first place in the Eastern division.
Tampa Bay did itself no favors, losing ground by going 12-15, while the Blue Jays had the best record of the division for August, going 17-12. For Toronto, there's always next season.
For a brief moment nearing the end of August, Kansas City actually found itself tied with the Guardians for first place, a condition the Royals had not experienced for the better part of this century. KC was 15-9 before losing their last four and dropping into the second wild card slot, three games behind the Orioles and a game up on Minnesota.
The Twins just hung in with a 14-14 mark for the month, their position jeopardized by Boston, Seattle, and Detroit, 3 1/2, 4 1/2, and 5 games back, respectively.
Playing the best ball in the division in August was Detroit. Their 17-11 mark for the month got them over .500 and into contention for a wild card, though they'll have to be special to get by three other clubs vying for that final spot. As the calendar turned to September, the AL Central boasted four teams above .500, the only division to stake that claim.
Of course, Cleveland saw its lead shrink from 6 games down to 2 1/2, as they slumped to a 12-17 record in August. Are they folding?
So, how bad are the White Sox? We thought you'd never ask. There's a special section devoted to this topic down below.
Houston, which was tied with Seattle on July 31, got busy in August, winning 18 games while losing just 10, not only taking over first place, but expanding their lead to five games over the Mariners, which, by contrast, posted a record of just 12-14. Now, the Mariners must try to pull it together and get to a wild card, which is not impossible, but, considering how they've fared of late, is unlikely.
Texas never quite managed to get it all together. The reigning world champs fell right off the map, winning just 12 times in August while dropping 15. The magic that earned the Rangers their first World Series championship seems to have disappeared.
Los Angeles and Oakland continued in the basement, though the A's, despite the lowest attendance in the majors, got out of last place with a 14-12 record for the month while the Angles were simply pitiful, with a 9-19 mark.
As the updated standings show, the Arizona Cardinals and San Diego Padres made significant progress in the NL West, chasing the Dodgers for the division while overtaking St. Louis, the Mets and Atlanta to grab the top two wild card slots.
NL East
There was little movement in the division from the end of July through August. On July 31, the Phillies had a 6 1/2 game edge over Atlanta, with the Mets another 1 1/2 games back. As of August 31, their lead is six and the Mets are eight out.
Philly maintained its edge with a 15-13 record, while Atlanta went 16-13, and Mets, 15-13. This appears to be the Phillies' division to lose, but they've been on top all season and do not appear to be slowing down. They, along with the Dodgers and Diamondbacks look like the main contenders for the league title, though Milwaukee and San Diego may have something to say about that.
Washington and Miami are irrelevant at this stage of the season.
Everybody's been chasing the Brewers all season in the Central, and they upped their lead in August from 5 games over the Cardinals to 10 games over the Cubs, the largest lead in the majors, by going on a 19-9 tear during August's dog days. They should be locking up the division by mid-September and may make a run at the best record in the league, currently tied with the Phillies and only two behind the Dodgers' 82-54 mark.
The remaining four teams in the division look to be hopelessly out of contention, even for a wild card. Chicago is 4 down, St. Louis 6, for the final spot, but they have the Mets ahead of them (2 games back) and the Braves, Padres and D-Backs don't appear to be weakening.
Both the Diamondbacks and Padres made a run at the Dodgers, but, Dodger Blue turned them both back, going 19-8 over the month. Both are tied for second place in the division and are the top two wild card as September begins.
Arizona went 18-9, the Padres, 18-10. Clearly, the West is the National League's strongest division. Even the Giants were a respectable 14-13 in August, while the Rockies though hopelessly out of contention managed to win 12 and lose 16.
With a combined record of 55-27 over the month, the top three teams in the West separated themselves as the cream of the crop.
How bad are the White Sox?
The 2024 Chicago White Sox may be the worst professional baseball team since 1901.
The worst record for a 162-game season is owned by the 1962 New York Mets, who won 40 and lost 120. Apparently there were two rainouts that didn't need to be played, so they weren't.
For a complete 162-game season, it wasn't that long ago, 2003 to be precise, that the Detroit Tigers finished with a record of 43-119.
Believe it or not, the current Chicago White Sox have actually gotten worse as the season has progressed. They were 27-71 at the all-star break, but only at the beginning of an AL record-tying 21-game losing streak. They lost four heading into the break and started off the second half with 17 straight losses. They ended August at 31-106, and, update, they lost on September 1 to the Mets, 2-0, extending their current losing streak to 10, dropping their record to 31-107. They've won just four times since the All-Star break, a 4-36 mark. That's right, a winning percentage of .100, or, for those of the pessimistic persuasion, a losing percentage of .900. For every game they've won since the break, they've lost nine.
The White Sox are on pace to possibly win as many as six or maybe seven more games of the 24 they have left to play. Even if they win 10, a next-to-impossible feat, their record would end up 41-121, breaking the Mets' 1962 record of 120 losses.
Of their remaining 24 games, 15 are on the road, where they are exceptionally inept, with a 13-53 record. The Sox visit Baltimore, Boston, the LA Angels, San Diego, and Detroit, in that order. Interspersed are just nine home games. Three with Cleveland, followed by three with the A's. They host the Angels for three games before closing out the regular season in Detroit. We can't wait.
Here are some notes on just how bad this season has been for the White Sox and their long-suffering fans.
In what must have been one of the worst July's in the majors, they won three games and lost 22. August wasn't much better, the Sox posting a record of 4-22.
However, they've been bad all along, from the 3-22 start to the 14-game losing streak that lasted from May 22 to June 6 to the 21-game debacle through the All-Star break and into August.
Statistically, it's almost sad to report these numbers though September 1. Paul DeJong, their leader in home runs (18), was traded late in July. Andrew Vaughn and Andrew Benintendi might catch him. Each has 15. There's something wrong when your two best power hitters are named Andrew. Vaughn is batting a robust .235; Benintendi, .219. The team leader is Gavins Sheets, at .241.
As a team they've socked 109 homers and driven in 401 runs, scored 420, all major league lows.
The pitching stats are worse. Team leader in wins, is (was) Erick Fedde, with a 7-4 record. He was traded at the July 31 trade deadline. Of remaining hurlers, Garrett Crochet is closest, with a 6-10 record. After him, no pitcher has more than two wins except for Drew Thorpe, who has admirably put up a 3-3 record in just nine starts. There's hope for the future.
Incredibly, the White Sox do not have the lowest team batting average in the majors, not even in the league. That dubious honor belongs to the Seattle Mariners, batting a crisp .216 team-wide. The White Sox are just ahead, at .220, followed by the Angels, .231.
Chicago has hit 109 home runs, lowest total in the majors. Their 401 RBI are also a major league low, and not by a little. The next closest is Tampa Bay, with 490 RBI.
As a team, the White Sox have only 1,544 hits, well below Seattle's next-worst 1,618.
The team ERA is surprisingly not the worst in the majors, but it is the worst in the American League. At 4.87, the White Sox are better than Colorado's 5.52, but there's a reason for that. At a mile-high altitude, balls leave Coors field on a regular schedule. Next worst in the AL are the Angels, 4.54. By the way, Seattle's ERA is tops in the majors, 3.52. That's how they don't hit well but still win games, lots of them low-scoring ones.
White Sox pitchers have walked 537 batters, by far the most in the majors. Only the Mets are anywhere close, 510. Saves, 18, lowest in the majors. Hey, when you've only won 31 games, how many can you expect? Oakland and Texas are the two next closest in the AL, with 30 each, which explains why the Rangers aren't going to th playoffs this season.
Thankfully, the White Sox are not the worst fielding team in the league. Their .983 percentage has them tied with the Mets and Yankees for 24th in the majors. Imagine that. The Nationals, Marlins, Reds, and Red Sox are all worse, with Boston last at .980.
They're a pretty bad team, possibly the worst anyone in this generation will ever see. We can only hope. They may finish with a record of 37-125, which would be awful, but at least it would be over and done and everybody in Chicago can think about how much better they'll be next year.
AL Central
AL West
NL Central
NL West
Way, way down there at the bottom of the AL Central standings, some 43 games back, are the Chicago White Sox, who won just four games and lost 22 in August, setting themselves up for the record books in the worst manner imaginable. The Sox have an excellent chance to post the worst modern era (1901-present) record in major league baseball history.
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MLB Update, 9/23/24
Sunday, 9/22, was witness to a couple of interesting events. First, the Chicago White Sox tied the 1962 Mets for the most losses in a season in the modern era (1900-present), losing their 120th game of the season, a 4-2 loss at San Diego.
The Sox have six games left on their schedule, starting Tuesday with three games at home against the Angels and then three at Detroit to close out the season. The White Sox have a 1-2 record against the Angels, and are 1-9 vs. Detroit this season, so, by all appearances, they'll break the record, the only question being how many games they'll lose from here on out. Considering that they're 9-49 since the All-Star break, losing at least four of these games would be a good estimate.
The second major event was Cleveland wrapping up the AL Central division over the weekend. The Guardians are likely to get a first round bye, having the second-best record league-wide, 90-67. They trail only the Yankees, 92-64.
Magic numbers:
MLB Update, 9/19/24
Through games of September 18, the Brewers became the first team in the majors to capture a division, the NL Central, which they've led since the start of the season.
In the AL, the Yankees and Guardians each clinched a playoff spot. No big deal there. They both are on track to win their divisions.
The White Sox surprised everybody, especially Oakland, from whom they took the final two games of their series in Chicago. Then, these audacious lads went out to LA and took the series opener from the Angels.
Break up the White Sox! was something nobody uttered.
Chicago has dropped their last two, putting their losses at 117, their wins at 36, with nine more games to play, three in San Diego, three at home with the Angels, and three in Detroit to close out the season.
Speaking of the Tigers, they've tied the Twins for the last wild card, winning four straight and 8 of their last 10. They are only two games behind KC for the second wild card.
First round byes belong to the Yankees and Guardians in the AL unless one of them, or both, tanks.
In the NL, the Phillies are one game better than the Dodgers and have a there-game edge over Milwaukee, so the byes are still up in the air.
Magic numbers are as follows:
As stated earlier, Milwaukee has already captured the NL Central.
More updates to follow.
Update, September 14, 2024:
As of Friday, the 13th, the New York Yankees have won three straight and improved their lead over the struggling Baltimore Orioles to three games with the AL East title and the league's best record in sight with only 14 games left on their schedule.
Cleveland holds the same three-game lead over the Royals, the biggest surprise of the 2024 season. The Indians, 84-64, are looking at a first round playoff bye and maybe the top record in the league with 11 of their 14 remaining games at home, the toughest being four games with Minnesota (9/16-19) and the regular season closeout, a three game series with the Astros.
Detroit is still hopeful of making the wild card, but they're 3 1/2 being Minnesota for the last spot. The Tigers have been one of the best teams in the second half, 29-22 since the break and winners of five of their last six.
Houston is well on its way to another AL West title, holding a four-game lead over Seattle, which will miss the playoffs narrowly, again.
In the National League, the Mets have a one-game edge on Atlanta for the final wild card spot after whipping Philly Friday, 11-3. The Phillies' magic number is 9 to clinch the division.
In the Central, the Brewers have their magic number down to six, with 15 games left. The Cubs and Cardinals won't catch them. Milwaukee should lock up the division by the middle of next week.
The Dodgers look good to win the West, 4 1/2 ahead of the Padres and five up on Arizona. The race for the league's top record is still tight, with Philly up one game on the Dodgers and Milwaukee just three back.
Speaking of numbers, those lovable losers, the Chicago White Sox, need only six more losses to set the low (or high, depending on your perspective) mark for losses in a season, passing the 1962 Mets record of 120. Through Friday, the White Sox are 33-115.
The Sox are probably going to make breaking this record look easy, as they have 14 games left on the schedule. All they have to do is do worse than 8-6 the rest of the way. They'll be lucky to win four. No problem!
MLB UPDATE, 9/7/24:
The first week of September delivered a few interesting developments.
The most impactful is the eight-game winning streak by the Mets, which has put them into a tie for the final wild card spot, with Atlanta.
The Braves had been chasing the Phillies all season and held the top wild card position until the All-Star break, when both Arizona and San Diego got red-hot and passed them by. Now, they're in danger of missing the playoffs altogether.
Primary causes of the Braves' demise is the nearly season-long absence of Ronald Acuna Jr. (out since June 9) and ace Spencer Strider, who went on the IL June 15 and is gone for the season.
Just 24-22 since the All-Star break, the Braves have discovered that playing just over .500 ball might not get them into the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Mets are 28-18 since the break, and in position to get past the Braves with just 21 games left.
The challenge for the Mets really begins next weekend, when they travel to Philly for a three-game series. After that, they are home for three with the Nationals, then four with the Phillies, and end the season with three games in Atlanta and three in Milwaukee.
If the Mets do make the playoffs, they'll certainly have earned it.
In the AL East, Baltimore has retaken first place from the Yankees, but only by 1/2 game. The O's have won four of their last five and have a favorable schedule the rest of the way, vs. Tampa Bay, Boston, Detroit (twice) and San Francisco. They close out with three games at Yankee Stadium (9/24-26) and three at Minnesota (9/27-29).
Since August 27, the Yankees are just 3-6, including Friday's 3-0 win over the Cubs. With 21 games left, their schedule looks pretty easy, including two more at Wrigley, then home for three with KC and four with Boston. They head to the West coast after that, at Seattle and Oakland for a pair of three-game series, then Baltimore and Pittsburgh at home to close out the regular season.
Both the Yanks and O's are shoo-ins for the playoffs. Which wins the division will have obvious implications, especially if the winner gets a first round bye, which appears is going to be the case.
Finally, the bad news, or, at least, some relief in Chicago, as the White Sox only have 20 more games to play. The Sox ended a 12-game losing streak with an 8-1 win over Baltimore on Wednesday (9/4), but remain on track to set the all-time mark for worst record in the modern era (1901-present), held by the 1962 Mets of 40-120.
Chicago's 3-1 loss at Fenway Friday set their record at 32-100. They're 5-39 since the All-Star break. After two more games in Boston, they return home for three with Cleveland and three with the A's, then travel to LA to meet the Angels, then three in San Diego. They finish their home schedule 9/24-26 with the Angels again, and close out with three games in Detroit.
For most teams, that schedule would be considered pretty fair, but the White Sox are capable of losing probably 15 of their last 20 games, which actually would be an improvement (.250) over their current winning percentage (.225). So, setting the standard for mediocrity seems well within their reach.
It's a little early for magic numbers, but the Brewers are at 13, the Phillies, 14. As of September 6, the best records are held by the Orioles (82-60) in the AL and the Phillies (85-56) in the NL.
Yankees: 1
Astors: 2
Phillies: 2
Dodgers: 4
Yankees: 6
Guardians: 3
Astros: 6
Phillies: 4
Dodgers: 7