I don't agree. I think that the head to head play within the division has been more competitive than others, contributing to the leaders having poorer W-L records than the other divisions.
Not really. The Tigers have been owned by the Royals and Twins. The Royals have also owned Cleveland. The Royals would be a .500 team if they were in the east or west. The Twins would be a .500 team if they didn't play the Tigers. The Sox are the only one of the top 3 who haven't feasted on the bad teams in this division, instead they have beaten up on the good teams in the Central.