- AL chaos: only five American League teams have winning records and just three a positive run differential — the defending champion Blue Jays aren’t one of them, and the Red Sox sit at the bottom while the Mariners are the lone AL West club over .500.
- The Dodgers feel inevitable: despite injuries and slumps from several stars, they still have the best record in baseball — imagine them at full strength.
- Plenty of second‑half optimism: key returns (Skubal, Buxton, Hader, Alvarez), hot rookies/prospects (McGonigle, Eldridge, Jung Hoo Lee) and potential deadline moves could flip many races.
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