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MLB Standings Update: St. Louis Cardinals Trail Cincinnati Reds In NL Central Race

The St. Louis Cardinals are four games back of the Cincinnati Reds in the early days of the 2011 NL Central race, showing the volatility of early-season MLB standings. The Houston Astros, meanwhile, join the Seattle Mariners and the Boston Red Sox as the only teams in Major League Baseball to trail their division leaders (the Baltimore Orioles and the 9-2 Texas Rangers, respectively) by five full games. 

The Red Sox and the 3-8 Tampa Bay Rays are the most nationally surprising disappointments so far, but there's considerably more hinkiness there for the taking if you look through the first two weeks of baseball standings. The Orioles' 6-3 start is nearly as surprising as the Rays' 3-8 start, for instance; the Cleveland Indians have topped the AL Central race at 8-3, where the Kansas City Royals are themselves two games over .500.

It's tough to learn much, that is, when teams have played 11 games. I wouldn't start worrying about baseball standings until—well, until it becomes kosher to worry about Albert Pujols not hitting.