The halfway mark of the MLB season is closing in, and teams in both leagues are ramping up their play. There are many National League teams that are playing great ball right now as well as a few that are struggling to keep things steady. Although there are plenty of games after the All-Star break, it is what teams do now that will propel them down the home stretch.

The New York Mets started out strong in the NL East, but have only won 2 of their last 10 games. As you can imagine, their first place lead has shrunk quite a bit. The second place Atlanta Braves are now only 1.5 games back. This is one race that is going to be nip and tuck the rest of the way.

The NL Central is one of the least competitive divisions in MLB this year. In fact, the Milwaukee Brewers are the only team in the division with a winning record. They are sitting at 41-31 with a 7.5 game lead over the second place St. Louis Cardinals.

The NL West is much more competitive with four of five teams over .500. The San Diego Padres lead, but the Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Colorado Rockies are all within 4.5 games. The San Francisco Giants are the only team in the division without a winning record.

Although the NL often times takes a backseat to the AL, there are many playoff races that are just beginning to heat up. It will be interesting to see how things progress both immediately before and after the All-Star break. This is when the men will separate from the boys!

Source: celebopedia.com