The Wild Card, the dissonant & the NL playoff shuffle
4 days left in the season, and 2 divisions plus a Wild Card spot still undecided
There are four days remaining in the 2018 MLB regular season, and the National League isn’t anywhere close to settled. Two divisions are up for grabs, and a Wild Card spot is still there for the taking. There is a chance we could have multiple tiebreaker games for one or two days after Sunday, with the remaining contenders bunched up.
Here’s how it will all get settled.
Already in
The Atlanta Braves accelerated their rebuild and ran away from the field in the National League East, clinching the division on Sept. 22 with more than a week to go in the season.
The Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs each have 92 wins, in a fierce battle atop the National League Central. Both clinched playoff spots on Wednesday with Milwaukee’s win over the St. Louis Cardinals.
The races
Besides the NL East, the other two divisions in the National League could end up in a tie, that’s how close they are.
What’s left
- Cubs vs. Pirates on Thursday, then Cubs vs. Cardinals at Wrigley Field this weekend
- Brewers vs. Tigers for three games in Milwaukee
If the Cubs and Brewers finish with the same record, a one-game tiebreaker would be held on Monday at Wrigley Field, by virtue of Chicago winning 11 of 19 games against Milwaukee.
Colorado has won seven straight games heading into the final weekend, seeking the first division title in franchise history.
What’s left
If the Dodgers and Rockies finish tied atop the division, a one-game tiebreaker would be held on Monday at Dodger Stadium, thanks to Los Angeles’s 12 wins in 19 games against Colorado this season.
One of the Cubs or Brewers will host the Wild Card Game. The battle here is just for the second Wild Card spot, with Dodgers, Cardinals and division-leading Rockies separated by just two games in the loss column.
If the Rockies or Dodgers individually tie the Cardinals, a tiebreaker game would be held on Monday in St. Louis.
Should all three of the Dodgers, Rockies and Cardinals tie, that would require multiple tiebreakers for both the NL West and the second Wild Card spot:
- Monday: Rockies at Dodgers for the NL West
- Tuesday: Rockies/Dodgers loser at St. Louis for the second Wild Card spot
That would also necessitate moving the NL Wild Card Game from Tuesday to Wednesday, in Milwaukee or Chicago.