MLB Standings 2021: Dodgers, Red Sox, Brewers Are Baseball’s Hottest Teams At Halfway Point

With one week left until the 2021 MLB All-Star Game, three teams are playing better than anyone else. The Los Angeles Dodgers (53-31), Boston Red Sox (53-32) and Milwaukee Brewers (51-34) have each won nine of their last 10 games, putting them near the top of the overall standings.

Los Angeles has the second-best record in baseball, but they still haven’t taken over first place in their division. Boston has the AL’s best record and sits atop arguably MLB’s best division. Milwaukee owns the largest lead of any first-place team.

The San Francisco Giants (53-30) still have MLB’s best record, though that might not last for much longer. The Dodgers trail the Giants by a half-game in the NL West, which Los Angeles has won in eight straight years. The defending champions have improved as they’ve gotten healthier, and they appear primed to take over first place at some point in the near future.

L.A.’s nine-game winning streak includes two victories over San Francisco. After completing a four-game sweep of the Washington Nationals (40-42), the Dodgers rank first in the NL in both runs scored and ERA.

The Dodgers are still favored to repeat as World Series champions. Los Angeles is 4.5 games ahead of the third-place San Diego Padres (50-36).

Milwaukee is seven games ahead of the second-place Cincinnati Reds (43-40). The Brewers had an 11-game winning streak snapped by the Pittsburgh Pirates (30-53) Sunday.

Dominant starting pitching has allowed Milwaukee to take full control of the NL Central. Brandon Woodruff, Freddy Peralta and Corbin Burnes have combined for a 2.15 ERA and 368 strikeouts in 276 innings. Closer Josh Hader and his 0.55 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 32.2 innings will join Burnes and Woodruff in the All-Star Game.

Three of the five NL Central teams don’t have a winning record.

Boston has five All-Star selections, led by starters Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers. Only the Houston Astros (52-33) have scored more runs than the Red Sox, who have three players with an OPS of .920 or higher.

The Red Sox are 4.5 games ahead of the second-place Tampa Bay Rays (48-36) and starting to create some distance between themselves and the rest of the AL East. Boston is 8.5 games ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays (43-39) and 10 games in front of the New York Yankees (42-41).

Boston has won all six of its matchups with New York. The Red Sox have the MLB’s best divisional record at 21-10.