COLUMBUS – The Reds and Indians return for the second half of the Major League Baseball season in the thick of two division races.
The 2019 campaign resumes in earnest Friday with a full slate of games in both the American and National League as teams return from their All-Star Break with five of six divisions featuring deficits of at least 5½ games.
One exception at the moment is the NL Central, providing a needed dose of pennant fever, as the Chicago Cubs have only a 4½-game advantage over last-place Cincinnati.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon says the division is tight because all five teams are trying to win. That includes the upstart Reds and resilient Pittsburgh, which are in the thick of the race with the Cubs, Milwaukee and St. Louis.
The Reds begin the second half of their season at Colorado.
The Indians are in the Twin Cities for a weekend series against the Twins, who hold a 5 1/2-game lead over Cleveland atop the AL Central,
Life is pretty good for two iconic franchises, with Cody Bellinger and the Los Angeles Dodgers in control of the NL West again and Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees looking down on the rest of the AL East despite a rash of injuries.