Remember when everyone criticized the addition of another Wild Card to each league? It seems like Bud Selig and the MLB braintrust knew what they were doing. With just over a week left in the regular season, only three teams — Nationals, Reds and Giants — have officially wrapped up berths into October baseball
As of Sunday night, 18 teams still have an opportunity to reach the playoffs via wildcard or division title. In the AL, no team has wrapped up their division as we approach single-digit games remaining, and even more surprising, no team has wrapped up a wild card spot either
With Washington, Cincinnati and San Francisco booking their stadiums for some fall ball, there remains just two more spots left in the senior circuit. Teams are starting to pull away, but as Red Sox fans saw last year, nothing is settled until out 27 is recorded in game 162.
Closest to home and where most eyes are in this area of the country, the AL East is about as wide open as a convertible top on a hot summer day. The Bronx Bombers are hanging on to the division lead with the slimmest of margins over the O's, but that all could change on Monday. Baltimore starts a four-game series against Toronto with a doubleheader. In playing those games, the one-game advantage New York has can be wiped out in a heartbeat. And don't sleep on those Rays either, they're still hanging around.
The Central is going down to the wire yet again, as the White Sox and Tigers do battle. There's much more on the line for these two than any other AL team. With the way the wild card is shaping up, the loser of the division race will be watching TV like the rest of us come Oct. 4. Triple Crown and MVP candidate Miguel Cabrera is tearing the cover off the ball in September, and any team with Justin Verlander certainly isn't out of anything. The White Sox may not have the star power, but their overall team play and timely hitting has them holding a one-game lead headed into Monday.
Detroit faces Minnesota and Kansas City to round out the regular season, while Chicago takes on the Rays and finishes with Cleveland. By sheer lack of schedule strength, the Tigers should win the division by a game.
Out west, Texas has all but wrapped things up, but Oakland and the Angels just won't go away. With the recent health concerns of Josh Hamilton keeping him out of the lineup, the Rangers offense isn't quite as dangerous as it was in July. The A's are hanging around and hold a 2 1/2 game lead over the Angels in the wild card, making them look to be in the driver's seat for the final stretch run.
The NL East belongs to America's new favorite team, the Washington Nationals. While we'll have to wait and see what the after-effects of shutting down Stephen Strasburg mean for the Nats, with a pitching rotation with the likes of NL Cy Young candidate Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmerman, this young team is still built for a long postseason run. While they haven't officially wrapped up the division, it seems like DC has been ready to pop that champagne since August. However, Atlanta is all but officially in with the first wild card spot.
The Central is one of two locked up races in all of Major League Baseball. The Reds blew past the Pirates and Cardinals to secure their second title in three years. The Pirates have fallen off, and St. Louis and the surprising Brewers are sticking around for the second wild card berth. The Cards, with the return of Chris Carpenter, look like they could be ready for another wild run, but they'll need to round out the year against the Nats and Reds. Things aren't quite over yet in the midwest.
Didn't everyone think the Dodgers were going to win the NL West after their mammoth trade with the Sox? Instead, the Giants have won the division for the second time since 2010, and with Tim Lincecum finally starting to come around, San Francisco can be a very dangerous team with a 1-2-3 rotation of Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Madison Bumgarner; any series gets a lot harder.
As for what's left to come, it's almost too hard to say in the AL. The Yankees should win the AL East — but barely. Baltimore will not go away, and they will be rewarded by making the playoffs for the first time since Bill Clinton was in office. The Tigers will win the Central and the Rangers will reign supreme out west. As for the last wild card spot, it's going to be the Athletics. Moneyball part two brings playoff baseball back to Oakland.
In the NL, the two open spots left will go to the teams that currently lead them. Atlanta is an underrated team that nobody wants to face in a series, or the one-game playoff. Milwaukee's furious rally will come up just short, and their division rivals St. Louis will squeak in once again.
With these predictions, the playoff scenario would look as follows:
Wild Card play-ins:
AL: Oakland at Baltimore
NL: St. Louis at Atlanta
The winner of those games would then host the highest seed in their respective leagues. For the Division Series, it remains a best-of-five, but in a new two-three format. Pitching and tired players may hurt the play-in game winners, but having the first two games at home is an underrated value. The other two division winners will take on each-other and the rest of the playoff bracket will look the same as in years past.
While the NFL season consumes your Sunday plans, tune in to MLB games during the week. There is a lot left to play for, and if last year was any preview of 2012, the most exciting games of the season are still yet to come.
