With three weeks left in regular season, exciting storylines developing around MLB

With three weeks left in the season, the Mets, Dodgers, Blue Jays and Royals have wrapped up division championships even though official the clinch is yet to come.

Still, there are good storylines:

- The Yankees beat the Blue Jays 5-0 to avoid a sweep Sunday, but they are still in a free-fall in the American League East, considering they had a seven-game lead on July 28. A title looks remote, and it could be that the wild card lead they have is shaky as well. Texas and Houston, leaders in the AL West, are likely to make the postseason, so that leaves the Yankees to battle the Twins and Angels for the second wild card. The Yankees have been shaky with injury and age all season, and now their first baseman, Mark Teixeira, is out with a broken leg. Their bullpen is showing signs of cracking, and their next three road series - in Tampa Bay, at the New York Mets and in Toronto - aren't easy.

- Imagine how Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki feels. He goes from one of the worst teams to one of the best this season in a trade, but now he's out at least two weeks with a cracked shoulder blade. Even though he was hitting .232 since the Blue Jays acquired him in a trade from Colorado, he was a force in an unstoppable lineup. Tulowitzki has been to two postseasons with the Rockies, including the 2007 World Series, but in the last five seasons, the Rockies have finished anywhere from 18 to 30 games out in the National League West.

- After the Orioles pounded Royals ace Johnny Cueto on Sunday night, it is reasonable to question who manager Ned Yost will pick to be the No. 1 pitcher in the postseason. Cueto's slump since coming from the Reds is a mystery. Yordano Ventura had a bad first half and was sent to the minors, although it seems he's back on track with an improved slider. Edinson Volquez is steady, and Danny Duffy pitches to a 4.50 ERA. Jeremy Guthrie has been awful. The Royals' defense and speed are outstanding. Their offense is better than the credit they get. When it comes to pitching, their blueprint for winning is to get at least five innings from the starter and then turn it over to one of the best bullpens in baseball. And, the bullpen is stronger this year with Ryan Madson and Luke Hochevar supporting Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland.

- Like the Cubs, the Twins - who go into Monday night trailing the Rangers by one game for the second wild card spot - are proving that a team can rebuild and contend at the same time. Note that four of the Twins' top five OPS stats since the All-Star break belong to their building-block players: Miguel Sano (.917), Eduardo Escobar (.850), Aaron Hicks (.736) and Eddie Rosario (.721). Trevor Plouffe is at .730. The Twins survived a tough trip to Kansas City, Houston and Chicago by beating the White Sox's Chris Sale 7-0 on Sunday. Now, the Twins get a 10-game homestand against the Tigers, Angels and Indians. The Twins are one of six teams that have at least 40 wins at home.

- The Cardinals, who have led the NL Central all season, are going through their worst stretch and in danger or being overtaken by the hard-charging Pirates. The Cardinals are 3-8 in their last 11 games, but won 9-2 on Sunday to avoid a sweep in Cincinnati. Michael Wacha pitched well in the Cardinals' win over the Reds, but there is concern about him and youthful Carlos Martinez at the back of the rotation. Has the struggling offense rebounded? The only two reliable hitters in their lineup are Jason Heyward and rookie Stephen Piscotty. The Cardinals won their last two division titles with dominating Septembers, getting 17 wins in 2013 and 19 wins in 2014.

- One team that has been falling a part all season, but not out of first place, is the Dodgers, leaders in the NL West. Has a team ever had so many questions and still won a title? Adrian Gonzalez is the only consistent hitter. Second baseman Howie Kendrick and shortstop Jimmy Rollins have been hurt and third base has been a merry-go-round. Catcher Yasmani Grandal has a .189 average since the break. In the outfield, Andre Ethier is hot and cold, Yasiel Puig is hurt and Carl Crawford is coming back from the disabled list, although he's day-to-day with a hamstring injury. Rookie Joc Pederson had a powerful first half, but slowed in the second. The setup crew in the bullpen is weak and the back of the rotation behind Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw is a question even though Brett Anderson has been steady. Alex Wood is getting better since moving over in a trade from the Braves.

- Speaking of the Dodgers, Greinke - with a 1.61 ERA after eight shutout innings Sunday in a 4-3 win in Arizona, is the favorite to win the NL Cy Young Award - but Kershaw has had an unbelievable second half (1.04 ERA) and could steal BBWAA votes from his teammate. If that happens, would the Cubs' Jake Arrieta have a chance to win? With Jon Lester inconsistent, Arrieta, the former Oriole, is the only constant in the Cubs' rotation. Greinke has a 1.61 ERA and leads the NL with a 0.85 WHIP. Kershaw is at 2.15 and leads the league with 215 strikeouts and innings. Arrieta has a 1.99 ERA with a 0.92 WHIP, but leads the NL with 19 victories.

- Who would have thought this? As the season winds down, the top three run-producing teams in the NL since the All-Star break are the Mets, Cubs and Pirates. The Mets fixed their offense by acquiring Yoenis Cespedes, Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe. The Cubs were a question because they were relying on unproven prospects, such as Kris Bryant and Addison Russell. And, after a couple of seasons with lean lineups, the Pirates finally have support for their NL MVP candidate, Andrew McCutchen.