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Zinno's 6-4-3: MLB Round-Up

New York Yankees (18-12)
(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

How clumsy of me? I am a day late! It must be all the excitement around the league ad baseball starting their post-season push. Still impressed at how many teams are making a run at it. Here we go!

Top 6 –
1. Braves – the game's best record and the pitching is as good as the line-up. And by far the largest lead of any division leader. See you in October.
2. Red Sox – you can't not love the way they are playing, but you should have concerns about their pitching. I do.
3. Pirates – you think fans in Pittsburgh are counting down the 11 more wins they need to break the streak of 21 consecutive losing seasons? Yeah … they are!
4. Tigers – They won 12 in a row. Miguel Cabrera got the better of Mariano Rivera – twice! – and well, they look nearly unbeatable.
5. Dodgers – this is a spot I'd thought they'd be in all year. They are back here after the majors best record since the All-Star break. Puig, Ramirez, Kershaw, Ryu … they are all pretty good!
6. Rangers – they have won eight in a row and have taken back first place over the Athletics. It will be down to the wire … again.

4 Stats –
1. Mariano Rivera blew three consecutive games for the first time in his career. Miguel Cabrera was responsible for two of them, homering off him in consecutive at-bats – which is a first in Rivera's career.
2. Speaking of Miguel Cabrera … he's leading the AL in EVERY statistical offensive category except home runs. Should Chris Davis go cold, Cabrera will win his second consecutive Triple Crown.
3. The Kansas City Royals are 19-5 since the All-Star break. Including seven straight series, the most since 1991 when they won nine straight. They are also just four games out of the final Wild Card spot.
4. Wil Myers, who the Rays acquires from the aforementioned Royals, is in contention for Rookie of the Year. His streak of reaching base in 22 straight ended over the weekend and he is second to only Yasiel Puig in hits since coming to the bigs on June 18.

Bottom 4 –
1. Astros – first team to 80 losses in the majors. Their scouting department is busy looking at next year's draft.
2. Marlins – Have you been to their ballpark lately? Neither has anyone else.
3. White Sox – they swept the Yankees and that's always something to be happy about.

Follow me on Twitter @MarkZinno

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