MLB Playoff Push: Head-to-Head Games Will Decide Division, Wild Card Races
By Mike Cardillo
The 2015 baseball postseason is set to begin Oct. 6, which seems like a long time from now. The fact is, outside of Kansas City running away with the American League Central most series from here on out will have some sort of playoff ramifications. Half the AL is still, technically, alive for the Wild Card jumbling everything up, but thanks to the unbalanced schedule most races are still going to be impacted by head-to-head games. Let’s take a look. All numbers as of Wednesday morning.
American League East
Yankees 0.5+ on Blue Jays
Head-to-head games remaining: 10
Outlook: Toronto swept into New York and extended its winning streak to nine Tuesday night against the Athletics. The Yankees are only 2-7 vs. the Jays in 2015 and head to Rogers Centre this weekend. The four-game set in the Bronx starting Sept. 10 likely decides which of these two is positioned for the division and which slides back to the Wild Card. Then again, Toronto’s picked up 5.5 games in the standings during its post-Tulowitzki/Price winning streak. New York better watch out.
American League West
Astros 1.0+ on Angels
Head-to-head games remaining: six
Outlook: Houston and Los Angeles don’t meet again until September. As of today, Texas is 55-55 and 4.5 games back, so the Rangers will have some say in this since they play both teams seven times, including a four-game set vs. the Halos to close out the year in October.
National League East
Mets 2.5+ on Nationals
Head-to-head games remaining: six.
Outlook: Despite losing 2 out of 3 in Tampa over the weekend, the Mets still lead the Division thanks to two straight wins over the Rockies. New York’s September/October schedule is accommodating. The six games with the Nats and a three-game series with the Yankees are the only games for the Mets against opponents currently over .500. Washington comes to Citi Field in the final series of the regular season and as of today, it’s difficult to think those three games won’t have playoff implications.
National League Central
Cardinals 6.0+ on Pirates
Head-to-head games remaining: eight
Outlook: The Cards can make this division race a moot point over the next two days. St. Louis won the first game of a three-game set Tuesday night to move six ahead of Pittsburgh. The two NL Central clubs are second and third in wins this year in all of baseball, trailing only the Royals. One gets a trip to the NLDS, the other the one-game Wild Card. If the Pirates want to avoid that crapshoot again, they’ll have to make headway directly against the Cardinals.
National League West
Dodgers 2.5+ on Giants
Head-to-head games remaining: seven
Outlook: San Francisco, even in an odd-numbered year, is hanging around. The Dodgers travel to AT&T Park on Sept. 28 for a four-game set, which could be a mere formality, filled with champagne celebrations or four games that swing the season.
National League Wild Card
Pirates 2.5+ on Cubs (first wild card)
Head-to-head games remaining: six
Outlook: As of today both teams are in the playoffs with the two Wild Cards, but the six games against each other will impact both the NL Central and whether or not the Giants or Nationals/Mets have a shot at the playoffs if they need to go the wildcard route. If nothing else these are probably as important of six games between the Cubs and Pirates this late into the season since MLB went to a three-division system.
[Photos via USA Today Sports Images]