O's and Nats both in first place

Lost in the excitement of the football season is the fact that both the O's and Nats are in first place in their respective divisions.

The Nats came into the season considered an improved team but no one thought they would be arguably the best team in baseball.  They hold a large lead in their division and seem a lock to make the playoffs.  Strasburg has one more start in him before they shut him down.  I don't particularly agree with the move but then again, the Nats brass got them to this point so who am I to argue.  Assuming they make the playoffs, the Nats will be tough to beat as they have a tremendous rotation and we all know that pitching will beat hitting especially in the playoffs. 

On the other side, the O's have been playing great ball all season particularly as of late having taken two of three from the Yankees over the weekend and now the first two against Toronto.  They now find themselves sharing the AL East lead with the aforementioned Yankees with the Rays nipping at their heels.  The O's have been irrelevant for the last 15 years so it's good to see them in the thick of things again.  Like the Nats, they have a good, young core with quality guys in their system so there is some excitement with this team. 

I don't think the O's are quite the complete team the Nats are but I'm hoping they can keep it up and get a spot in the playoffs.

Again, it's interesting because despite the success of both these teams, they still seem to take a back seat to the Skins and the upcoming football season. 

Suddenly the Caps have some competition in town.