[abell1198]

There are eight teams still in the hunt in the 1980's divisions, five in the American League and three in the National League. The American League is led by the 1988 Oakland A's at 66-45. The A's are holding onto a two game lead, which is one more game than at the end of June. The A's are tied for 9th in the AL in home runs (120), 9th in runs allowed (397), 10th in starter ERA (3.35), 11th in bullpen ERA (3.20), 11th in overall ERA (3.32) and 10th in defense. RF Jose Canseco (.304, 38 HR, 93 RBI) is leading the team and continues to have a monster year. SP Dave Stewart (12-8, 2.61 ERA), SP Storm Davis (12-4, 2.98 ERA), SP Steve Ontiveros (13-5, 3.51 ERA) and CL Dennis Eckersley (5-2, 1.80 ERA, 21 Saves) continue to pitch well for the club.

In second place are the 1989 Oakland A's at 64-47, 2 GB. The '89 A's are tied for 10th in the AL in runs against (401), 3rd in bullpen ERA (2.78), 14th in overall ERA (3.51) and 5th in defense. The A's have no .300 hitters. 1B Mark McGwire (.279, 23 HR, 94 RBI) leads the team in hitting. SP Dave Stewart (13-7, 2.64 ERA) and SP Mike Moore (12-6, 2.89 ERA) lead the team on the mound. Stewart made headlines on July 17th after a 3-0 win over the 1908 Detroit Tigers (47-51). Stewart allowed four hits, struck out eight and walked two in the game.

The 1984 Detroit Tigers are in third place at 59-52, 7 GB. The Tigers are 9th in the AL in defense. Detroit has no .300 hitters and is 92nd in the AL with a team average of .252. CL Willie Hernandez (6-5, 2.89 ERA, 28 Saves) is having a good year in the bullpen.

In fourth place are the 1981 New York Yankees at 58-53, 8 GB. LF Dave Winfield (.321, 18 HR, 77 RBI) leads the team at the plate. Winfield made news for the club on July 23rd after a 13-2 win against the 1964 New York Yankees (44-59). Winfield was 5 for 5 in the game, with three singles, a double, a home run and three runs batted in. SP Rick Reuschel (11-11, 2.94 ERA) is the team's best starter, while CL Rich "Goose" Gossage (2-1, 2.27 ERA, 25 Saves) is performing well from the pen.

The 1986 Boston Red Sox are in fifth place and fading fast at 57-54, 9 GB. The Red Sox were 10-19 in July after being in contention for the division. They're going to have to turn things around if they want to see the post season. Boston is tied for 19th in the AL in runs scored with 558. 3B Wade Boggs leads the team and the American League with his .372 batting average. The starting pitching is below average, but CL Calvin Schiraldi (2-4, 2.85 ERA, 28 Saves) is doing well.

In the National League, the 1986 New York Mets have the lead at 68-43. The Mets lost a game on their lead this month, but are still up by six games. The Mets are 15th in the NL in runs allowed (394), 13th in starter ERA (3.05) and 12th in overall ERA (3.27). SS Kevin Mitchell (.321, 23 HR, 81 RBI) leads the team at the dish. SP Dwight Gooden (10-6, 2.83 ERA), SP Ron Darling (10-8, 2.52 ERA) and SP Bobby Ojeda (6-6, 2.66 ERA) are the club's best pitchers.

The 1985 St. Louis Cardinals are in second place at 62-49, 6 GB. The Cardinals are 4th in the NL in stolen bases with 165. CF Willie McGee (.351, 6 HR, 57 RBI) leads the team in average and leads the majors with 16 triples. SP John Tudor (13-7, 2.44 ERA) and SP Danny Cox (12-7, 3.03 ERA) lead the Cardinals on the mound. CL Ken Dayley (3-1, 1.60 ERA, 26 Saves) has been great at closing the door on the opposition.

In third place and on the edge of not being in contention are the 1980 Philadelphia Phillies at 58-53, 10 GB. 2B Manny Trillo (.299, 2 HR, 43 RBI), 1B Pete Rose (.294, 2 HR, 37 RBI) and LF Lonnie Smith (.290, 6 HR, 41 RBI) lead the team in hitting. SP Steve Carlton (9-10, 2.53 ERA) and SP Dick Ruthven (10-7, 3.60 ERA) are the best starters, while CL Tug McGraw (4-1, 2.96 ERA, 26 Saves) is slamming the door when he has the chance.