There is less than a month to go now. The average team has less than 30 games left. The races get intense, and it gets worse for the few teams on the sidelines.
The Boston Red Sox are now 4-and-a-half games away from the last wildcard spot — if they fall any further, it will only be the Toronto Blue Jays, who are currently one-half game away from the playoffs, as the only MLS team that can get back into the race. realistically. There are more teams vying for fewer spots in the NL Wild Card race – the Cincinnati Reds, Miami Marlins and San Francisco Giants are all game out of the playoffs or closer in what has become an exciting, tight race.
But what if the MLB playoffs start on Tuesday?
If that happens, the Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners will earn a first-round bye in the AL, with the Minnesota Twins beating Central and Tampa Bay Rays, and the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers grabbing wild card spots. In the NL, the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers will move to the Division Series, the Milwaukee Brewers will claim the center field spot, and the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks will land Wild Card berths.
The third-ranked Twins will play the Rangers (#6) and the Rays (#4) will play the Astros (#5) in MLS wild card games. Wild card games in the National League will pit the Brewers (No. 3) against the Diamondbacks (No. 6) and the Phillies (No. 4) against the Cubs (No. 5).
Which teams will have the advantage in these scenarios and who should you watch this week? the athlete Have you covered as the picture for the 2023 MLB playoffs begins to take shape. Potential matchups will be updated each week.
Wild Card Showdowns: Who Has The Edge?
Rangers in the Twins
After a week that started well for the Rangers, with two straight wins over the Mets backed by good pitching, the Rangers continued their struggling ways, losing four of their next five, including a stinking 13-6 against the Astros on Monday. This was not a good way to start an important series of divisions.
On the other hand, the twins seem to be righting the ship. They went 4-3 on the week and scored 54 points in their last seven games. They had the sixth-best OPS in the past month, and only the Phillies and Braves have managed more players in those 30 days. The Twins’ offense is the backbone of this potential series, given that the Rangers have scored three-quarters more runs per game in the season as a whole, and the two pitching crews are separated by only about two-tenths of a run per game.
Go deep
How the once-struggling lineup of twins became aggressive and started mashing up meatballs
If the Twins offense still looks, they can turn it into a series, but using the season as a whole as a guide, the Rangers have the advantage.
Astros in Rays
This will be a great series. The two teams have played each other to a 6-6 draw in the playoffs over the past few years, with both losing World Series titles in the years they have faced each other. Zooming in last week, the Astros appeared to have hit their stride before the Yankees swept them in an odd twist of fate. The Rays went . 500 for the week and had the fourth best record in baseball in August after losing their top hitter and pitcher. Using numbers throughout the year, the Rays score a quarter more runs per game than the Astros and allow a third less, but rosters are significantly different now than they have been all year.
In the past month, no one has scored more points than the Astros, but the Rays’ staff is still better. This is heading in the direction of the Astros.
Go deep
The Astros enjoy the beleaguered Rangers in the pivotal opener of the Silver Shoe Series
Diamondbacks at Brewers
After a disastrous stretch from July 8-16 and a mediocre stretch from August 12-15, the Diamondbacks need to find something. That thing is likely to be their position, because – even with the acquisition of Paul Seewald – they’ve had a pen in the bottom 10 over the past 30 days by most metrics.
The big flaw with The Brewers is the offense. It has improved somewhat (over . 700 OPS in the past month) but since offense peaked in August, Milwaukee’s place in the rankings has jumped to 19th. What’s left for homebrewers to try to scrape some runs? Tyler Black, the 23-year-old, has had a stellar season, but since his promotion to Triple A he hasn’t quite shown the same strength that would separate him from Andrew Monasterio.
The odds will favor the Brewers, but teams with below-average offense don’t fare well in the postseason.
Cubs in the Phillies
It may come as a surprise to some to find that, over the course of the year, the Cubs offense scored more points than the Phillies offense, and that the Phillies staff allowed fewer runs than the Cubs team, but those are the facts. Over the past 30 days, things feel more normal: only the Braves have scored more runs than this Phillies O’ rookie. By the number of runs allowed in the past month, the two teams are separated by a paltry inning.
Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, and Kyle Schwarber are all on fire right now, and if that’s the case, it looks like the Cubs’ potential advantages are drying up.
Go deep
Schwarber, MLB’s most unconventional hitter, is heading into his extreme season
American League Standings
AL department leaders
| a team | w | to | Department leadership | GB number 1 | this week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
86 |
51 |
3.5 |
– |
to LAA, to BOS |
|
|
77 |
60 |
0 |
9 |
In CIN, in TB |
|
|
72 |
66 |
6 |
14.5 |
At CLE, opposite NYM |
Wild card race
| a team | w | to | GB DIV | GB wc | this week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
83 |
55 |
3.5 |
up to 6.5 |
BOS vs. SEA vs |
|
|
78 |
61 |
0 |
top 1 |
In TEX, vs. SD |
|
|
76 |
61 |
1 |
– |
HOU vs. OAK vs |
|
|
76 |
62 |
10.5 |
0.5 |
In OAK, vs. KC |
|
|
72 |
66 |
14.5 |
4.5 |
In tuberculosis, vs. BAL |
National league standings
NL Division Leaders
| a team | w | to | Department leadership | GB number 1 | this week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
90 |
46 |
14.5 |
– |
vs. STL, vs. PIT |
|
|
84 |
52 |
14 |
6 |
In MIA, in WAS |
|
|
76 |
61 |
2.5 |
14.5 |
and PIT, and NYY |
NL wild card racing
| a team | w | to | GB DIV | GB wc | this week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
76 |
61 |
14.5 |
up to 5.5 |
In SD, vs. MIA |
|
|
74 |
64 |
2.5 |
top 3 |
SF vs. ARI vs |
|
|
71 |
67 |
14 |
– |
COL’s vs. CHC’s |
|
|
72 |
68 |
5.5 |
0 |
Opposite SEA Opposite the Special Tribunal for Lebanon |
|
|
70 |
67 |
20.5 |
0.5 |
vs. LAD, in PHI |
|
|
70 |
68 |
15 |
1 |
In CHC, vs. COL |
Most interesting race this week: NL Wild Card
The last wild card spot in the National League could end up being an intense battle late this month, and there’s a couple of big series this week that could quickly change the tone of that battle. Early in the week the Giants get the Cubs, then later in the week the Diamondbacks come to Wrigley, and while that’s happening the Reds get the Mariners and Cardinals at home. If the Reds can pick up the pace, they can take advantage of some of the teams around them beating each other — but if the Cubs have a great week, they can put some distance between themselves and their rivals, while also pushing the Brewers into the division.
Biggest Drive: Chicago Cubs
Achieving 4-3 a week may not sound like much, but when it comes to your competition in the division, it can be a powerful way to push things forward quickly. This Cubbie raise, given that it came at the right time against the right opponents, increased their chances of reaching the playoffs by nearly 20 percentage points in just seven days. Now it looks like they can push for a division, which is a bit surprising since so many pundits made the Cubs a sellout at the deadline. I think they’re glad they kept Cody Bellinger.
Go deep
Justin Steele explains why he’s a Cubs star and Cy Young competitor
AL Series to Watch: Houston TX
With a sweep, Houston could quickly push the division out of reach of the Rangers because the schedule doesn’t favor starters. Texas doesn’t have another chance at the Astros this season, and Houston’s last 30 games include nine against the Royals and Athletics while the Rangers get 13 against the Mariners, Red Sox and Blue Jays. Yes, Rangers need to win some games here at home against their rivals in the First Division.
NL Series to Watch: Arizona at Chicago
The Cubs can continue their turn and field the two closest enemies from the West in a streak – twice in a row, and we may not have much of an NL wild card race to report next week. The D-Backs and Giants still have a chance to play spoiler, and all three of those teams are in that good-but-not-great group that can produce all kinds of different results on any given week.
required reading
(Photo: Tommy Gilligan/USA Today)
(tags for translation)Arizona Diamondbacks(R)Atlanta Braves(R)Baltimore Orioles(R)Boston Red Sox(R)Chicago Cubs(R)Cincinnati Reds(R)Houston Astros(R)Los Angeles Dodgers(R)Miami Marlins(R) Milwaukee Brewers