With roughly a month of Major League Baseball regular season action to go, plenty of division and wild card races have yet to be decided. With some incredibly close battles heading into September, this year could see some divisions decided on the last day of the season.
In the American League East, four out of the five teams in the division remain in the hunt for a playoff spot. The Tampa Bay Rays sit in last place while the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Orioles and Yankees are all within striking distance of a postseason berth.
After a slow start to the season, the Blue Jays sit atop the division at 77-60. Boston, led by a league-best offense but hampered by a shaky bullpen, trails the Blue Jays by only one game. Baltimore lags behind the division lead by a mere two games despite a starting rotation that has logged a 4.85 ERA, the sixth-worst mark in the entire major league.
After trading away their best hitter and two of their best relievers in July, the Yankees somewhat shockingly remain only 5.5 games out of the AL East lead and 3.5 games behind Baltimore for the second wildcard spot. New York has received significant contributions from young players. Catcher Gary Sanchez hit .389 with 11 homers last month en route to winning the American League Player of the month for August.
Expect at least two teams, if not three, from the AL East to clinch playoff berths this year.
The American League Central looks to be more of a two-horse race. The Cleveland Indians hold the division lead by 4.5 games over Detroit. The defending champions Kansas City Royals have stumbled to a 71-66 record, putting them four games out of the coveted second wildcard spot.
The West division is markedly less competitive. The Texas Rangers currently sport the best record in the American League with the Houston Astros trailing them by 8.5 games. The Rangers own a 30-9 record in one-run games this season, which is on pace to be the best mark in MLB history, besting the 2012 Orioles’ record of 29-9 in one-run affairs.
While the Rangers have serious concerns regarding their bullpen, which has scuffled to the fourth-worst ERA in the major league at 4.83, they look to be serious World Series contenders come October.
In the National League, the Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals both hold substantial leads in their respective divisions. The NL West is a tighter race, with the Dodgers holding a four game advantage over the Giants. The Cubs, who haven’t won a World Series since 1908, are a whopping 16.5 games ahead of the Cardinals for the division lead in the NL Central.
The Nationals, despite a lack of MVP-caliber production from Bryce Harper, sit atop the NL East, 8.5 games ahead of the Mets. Barring a complete September meltdown, Washington should take the division with ease. The real question is how the team will fare in the playoffs, as their past two postseason appearances have ended with a first round exit.
The Cubs have run away with the NL Central lead and own the best record in all of baseball this year. At 89-48, a playoff berth is nearly certain. MVP candidate and third baseman Kris Bryant has led the way for the Cubs this year, slashing .302/.398/.575 to go along with 36 home runs. First baseman Anthony Rizzo is in the midst of another stellar year at the plate as well. The Cardinals trail Chicago by 16.5 games but are in the hunt for one of the two wildcard spots.
In the NL West, the Dodgers have a record-setting amount of players on the disabled list but still lead the division at 77-60. The Giants held the best record heading into the All-Star break, but have the worst record in the MLB since, going 16-31 over that span of time and now trail Los Angeles by four games.
The Cardinals, Mets and Giants are the frontrunners for the two wildcard berths currently, with the Pirates and Marlins also in the hunt.
The playoffs are usually more or less of a crapshoot. Whichever team gets hot at the right time can win the World Series, but it would be tough to bet against the Cubs going all the way this year and securing their first championship in over 100 years.
