MLB Postseason Race

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Developing Stories 📰

Let's analyze the current situation of the wild-card contenders, categorizing them into three tiers and providing some insights into the potential outcomes. The AL East race sees the Rays still pursuing the top spot against the Orioles, with a crucial four-game series scheduled in Baltimore in mid-September. However, the Rays are facing concerns in their rotation, and their challenging schedule in the final month adds to the uncertainty. On the other side, the Orioles' rotation isn't particularly confidence-inspiring either, although it remains healthier. It's anticipated that the Rays will secure the second wild card, a position that isn't particularly favorable. This entails a wild-card series on the road followed by a matchup against the top seed, as opposed to the third wild card, which gets to face the AL Central winner.

The Astros have one of the best records since the trade deadline but the Texas Rangers have taken the lead in the Astros' division. They've made notable additions before the trade deadline and entered August with a remarkable eight-game winning streak, winning 10 out of 11 games. However, the Astros are putting up a strong fight, highlighted by Kyle Tucker's dramatic grand slam against Orioles closer Felix Bautista last week. Notably, the Astros are leading the season series 6-4, which means the Rangers would need to sweep the final series to secure the tiebreaker. Despite the Rangers' consistent performance, they are missing key players Josh Jung and Jonah Heim. Ultimately, the Astros and Rangers end up tied for the division title, but the Astros clinch the tiebreaker, earning the top seed in the AL. The Astros boast a solid hitting lineup with depth, an effective bullpen, and a rotation that needs to be adequate rather than exceptional.

Looking to the NL Central, the Cubs are expected to head into the final series against the Brewers with the NL Central title still up for grabs. The Cubs manage to secure the title, pushing the Brewers into a wild-card spot.

In Tier 2, the Phillies are on an upward trajectory. While they might not surpass the Braves, they are positioned to secure the top wild-card spot. This sets the stage for a potential Phillies-Braves showdown in the NLDS. The Blue Jays, while not underperforming, haven't managed to progress beyond the wild-card series stage in recent years. Despite their strength, including a 91-win season in 2021, they struggle against certain divisional rivals. Unfortunately, they fall short of making the playoffs due to a challenging divisional schedule.

The Mariners have surged ahead by sweeping the Angels, overtaking not only the Angels but also the Yankees and Red Sox in the wild-card standings. Their offense has improved, although strikeouts remain an issue. The Mariners maintain this momentum and secure the third wild card, although their dreams of an AL West victory might be ambitious. The Giants, once having some breathing room, are now facing a tough schedule with numerous games against winning teams. The challenge of their two-man rotation leaves doubts about their postseason prospects, leading to them missing the playoffs. The Reds started August strong in the NL Central but faced setbacks against the Cubs and Nationals. Although the schedule favors them, concerns about their rotation and recent offensive performance suggest they might miss the playoffs.

In Tier 3, the Red Sox have fought to stay in contention, particularly with Chris Sale's return strengthening their rotation. However, their upcoming road trip and subsequent homestand against tough opponents will be critical. While they are likely to perform well in the next few weeks, it's anticipated that they will fall short in the end.

The Padres, despite holding a closed-door meeting following a loss to Seattle, seem to lack consistency and struggle in extra-inning games. Despite initial expectations for a strong finish, it's becoming less likely that they will surge up the standings. Consequently, the Padres miss the postseason, leading to an intriguing offseason.

The Diamondbacks started strong but have since faced a decline, likely ending their season around the .500 mark and missing out on the playoffs. Similar to the Reds, they have potential for the future, but it won't translate into a playoff appearance this year.

Headlines 🚨

On This Day in Sport History: 1981 Phillies Mike Schmidt hits his 300^th career home-run off NY Met Mike Scott.

1982 Pete Rose sets record for at bats with 12,365 passing Hank Aaron.

Disgruntled 76ers star James Harden calls Darly Morey a liar and he will never be apart of an organization that Morey is part of.

Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Pau Gasol and Dwayne Wade enshrined into the Hall of Fame.

All-pro running back, Jonathan Taylor is expected to return to training camp this week.

Saints’ running back, Kendre Miller injures knee in preseason opener, dealing another blow to the teams thinning depth.

Eagles Linebacker Shaun Bradley will miss the remainder of the season after tearing his achilles in Saturday’s preseason opener.

Packers’ tight end, Tyler Davis tears ACL in preseason opener.

Lucas Glover beats Patrick Cantlay in Fed Ex playoff for back-to-back wins taking in $3.6 million.

Peyton Manning returning to Tennessee as a professor.

Trends 📈📉 via Oddsshark

⚾️ Astros at Marlins

• The total has gone OVER in 6 of Miami's last 7 games when playing at home against Houston

⚾️ Pirates at Mets

• The total has gone OVER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games

⚾️ Yankees at Braves

• The total has gone UNDER in 5 of NY Yankees's last 6 games when playing Atlanta

⚾️ Athletics at Cardinals

• Oakland is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing St. Louis

• Oakland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing St. Louis

• The total has gone UNDER in 7 of St. Louis's last 9 games at home

• The total has gone UNDER in 5 of St. Louis's last 7 games

⚾️ Angles at Texans

• The total has gone OVER in 12 of LA Angels's last 16 games when playing on the road against Texas

⚾️ Diamondbacks at Rockies

• Arizona is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing Colorado

• Colorado is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games at home

⚾️ Orioles at Padres

• The total has gone OVER in 5 of Baltimore's last 5 games when playing on the road against San Diego

• The total has gone OVER in 5 of Baltimore's last 6 games when playing San Diego 

Public Money 🤑 via VSiN at 9AMCT

⚾️ MLB

40% of bets and 83% of money is on UNDER 9 NYY at ATL

60% of bets and 83% of money is on UNDER 8.5 LAA at TEX

60% of bets and 70% of money is on UNDER 8.5 SEA at KC

25% of bets and 43% of money is on SD -1.5 (+150)

30% of bets and 55% of money is on SF +115

Future Odds 🔮 via Bovada Sportsbook

Injury Report 🏥 via ESPN

COL (LF) Jurickson Profar | Day-to-Day

HOU (RP) Phil Maton | 15 Day IL - Elbow, extra testing yesterday showed no structural damage

LAA (1B) CJ Cron | Day-to-Day 

NYY (3B) DJ LeMahieu | Day-to-Day 

SEA (SP) Marco Gonzalez | 60 Day IL - will undergo season ending surgery on his left forearm

SEA (SS) JP Crawford | 7 Day IL - Concussion

STL (CF) Dylan Carlson | 10 Day IL - Oblique

TB (SS) Wander Franco | Out

Picks 🔒

Yankees +175 | The Yankee offensive resurgence. New York has a .786 OPS over its last 11 games and it is a plus for New York when facing port-siders, while Fried is less-than-full strength to make that Braves return a tad short.

Mariners -145 | OF Julio Rodriguez has come alive since the All-Star break with a .274 average, 6 homers and 18 RBIs. The combination of him and Gilbert should be enough to secure this victory, and the Mariners aren’t priced out of range.