Every division in MLB baseball is already in the bag of a team, which only means that there are a few other teams that are furiously battling it out for a wild card spot.
But, before we get to which teams are still in the running to make it to the postseason, let’s take a quick look at which teams topped their divisions. The Chicago Cubs not only own the National League’s best record, they also own the NL Central. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals own the NL West and East, respectively. And, in the American League, the Texas Rangers topped the AL West, the Cleveland Indians won the AL Central and the Boston Red Sox won the AL East.
Onward; this upcoming weekend there’s a storm of competition that will decide which teams seal their ticket to the postseason. Here’s how it stands…
NL Wild Card Race
Entering Thursday, there’s a close race between the Mets and the Giants, with the Cardinals still in the running only one game behind the Giants for the second wild card spot.
The Mets will be pitted against the Philadelphia Phillies for a three-game series; though New York seems to have an advantage, being 10-6 over Philly, their starting lineup is hampered by injuries. The good news is that they’ve lined up Noah Syndegaard and Bartolo Colon to start.
Meanwhile, the Giants have one more game to go against the Rockies, followed by a three-game series at home against Los Angeles. LA has already clinched the division, but they’re fighting for the home-field advantage so don’t expect them to just give things up easily. The Giants have lined up Madison Bumgarner and Johnny Cueto to start on two of the remaining four games.
As for the Cardinals, their road ahead isn’t too harrowing, having to play a game against the last-place Cincinnati Reds and three more against the Pirates. Nevertheless, something to consider is that Arizona has also lost two of the three games they’ve played against the Reds and carry a 4.36 ERA.
Wild Card Prediction: Look to the Mets to grab the No. 1 spot and the Giants to bag themselves the second spot.
AL Wild Card Race
The Blue Jays are holding on to the top spot and are followed closely by the Orioles, Tigers and Seattle Mariners.
The Blue Jays have one more game at home against the Orioles before heading to Boston for a three-game series against the Red Sox. Marcus Stroman gets the nod in Thursday’s game and has a good shot at going the distance to get the job done. Meanwhile, Baltimore will start with Ubaldo Jimenez who’s won two of his last three decisions. Now, if the Jays win on Thursday, they face a Red Sox team that might be content in holding back.
As for the Orioles, they’ll be heading to New York for a three-game series against the feisty Yankees and they’re pretty evenly matched. The Tigers play against the Indians on Thursday and then head to Atlanta to face the Braves for a three-game series which favors them as the Braves are at the bottom of the NL East.
And, the Mariners play four games at home against Oakland A’s, that the Mariners already have beaten in five of their last seven games and is 10-5 this season. However, it’s still too early to believe they’ll get a spot in such a short timeframe.
Wild Card Prediction: The Blue Jays bag the No. 1 spot and the Tigers grab the second.