More photos » by Michael Dwyer - AP

Clay Buchholz and the Red Sox are watching their chances at the AL East title slip away. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

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The dog days of summer are upon us, at least here on the East Coast.  And no teams have been more affected than the Red Sox and the Rays.  Their recent poor performance (along with the Yankees winning streak) has both teams thinking about the Rangers and Wild Card more than the division.

Speaking of the Rangers, they continue to hang around in the AL West, but the Angels just aren't giving them the opportunity to gain any ground.  If the Rangers do make the playoffs, Neftali Feliz has the opportunity to replicate Francisco Rodriguez's magical rookie postseason.  Seattle had a nice rebuilding season, but they're likely still a year or two away.

Staying out west, the Dodgers must be making their fans nervous.  Their once insurmountable lead has dropped to something much more manageable.  To be fair, the Dodgers are still playing well, but the Rockies have turned up their game.

Just when it looks like Philadelphia is going to run away with the division, Atlanta and Florida climb back into the picture.  The Nationals are going on a little bit of a run, which may actually move them out of the number one slot in next years draft.  Kansas City is the latest contender to challenge Washington for the crown.

The Cardinals look to have fought off a charge from the Cubs over the past month to remain solidly in first place in the NL Central.  It looks like it's a two team race, as the division falls nicely into three distinct strata.

Finally, the AL Central is giving us what might be the closest race of the season.  The White Sox and Tigers remained knotted atop the division, although neither would be projected to finish higher than third in any other division besides the NL Central (and only tied for second there).  It will be interesting to see if one of the two pulls away - especially after Chicago's big acquisitions.

On a personal note, the Poor Man's Projected Season Standings will be taking a break for at least a week and perhaps more as my wife and I are expecting twins next Tuesday.

Full standings after the jump...

Disclaimer: These projected standings are based on Justin's Power Rankings.. They do not accurately predict how the remainder of the season will actually unfold.  Things like injuries, timely hitting, teams playing each other, and just plain old chance can cause major fluctuations in these results.

AL East

AL Central

AL West

NL East

NL Central

NL West