Are they for 'real'?

[J.R.]

Take a look at the Major League Baseball standings (http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/standings/index.jsp).

You will quickly notice some atypical teams at the top of their respective divisions. It's something that perhaps could occur in mid April, but we're now two and half months through the baseball season. When July rolls around, we usually have a good idea as to who are the contenders and who aren't.

Are the following teams the real deal?

Baltimore Orioles - Very consitant all season leading the best AL division.
Chicago White Sox - Winning with pitching and small ball; the best team in baseball.
San Diego Padres - The no-name team has quietly snuck out to a 4.5 game lead in the West.
Texas Rangers - Surprisingly second in the AL West and contending for a Wild Card spot.
Washington Nationals - Currently on a very hot streak which has bolted them to the top of the NL East.

Among those teams and others, who will be around into October? Who do you think will collapse after the All Star break? Which team is the biggest surprise, good or bad?

[MadDevil]

I haven't followed baseball the way I usually do this year, but I'd have to say the biggest surprise to me is the Orioles leading the AL East. With the enormous payrolls of the Yankees and Red Sox, I figured they'd both be battling for the lead in that division. Although, I can't wait to see the Yankees come up short in the playoffs again, which I think they will.

I've been hoping the White Sox would fall off, because I'm a Twins fan, but they've continued to play well. It might eventually catch up with them the second half of the season, but you never know. It is nice to see some teams that aren't normally being talked about having good seasons, and I hope it continues.

[Iced Tea]

I'm surprised that the Milwaukee Brewers have remained in contention for so long this season. Usually by the end of June, the Brewers have been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. :D

[Leafs_Fa_Life]

Baltimore Orioles - Definitely a good team. We all knew the offense would be one of the best in the AL, and the pitching has held up so far. Especially BJ Ryan, who has established himself as one of the best closers in the AL. I think the BoSox will eventually win the AL East, but the O's should be in it till the end of September.

Chicago White Sox - They have a good team. Garland is having a career year, and Mark Buerhle is as good as any pitcher in the league. Right now they look like they have the Central locked up, but the Tribe is surging and I'm gonna stick with my preseason pick to win the Central.

San Diego Padres - They'll hold on to win the NL West. I liked them to win the NL wildcard last year, so their performance this year hasn't surprised me. The got some good hitting, and Mark Loretta coming back later this year will definitely help. The pitching staff is led by one of the best young pitchers in baseball, Jake Peavy, who has just been filthy this year.

Texas Rangers - Just a deadly offense. After Rogers and Young the starting pitching isn't great, but Chan Ho Park's 7-1 record shows how good the Texas bats are. Don't think they'll make the playoffs, but should hang around.

Washington Nationals - Probably the weakest team out of the five. Have had a strong season so far, but the NL East is a very strong division and I don't think they'll be able to hold on.

As for the Brewers, the two Canadian boys, Melvin and Ash, have done a good job running the show. Sheets, Davis, Santos, and Capuano give them a solid rotation. On offense Clark has done a nice job filling Podsednik's shoes, and Overbay, Lee, and Jenkins give them a good middle of the order.