The National League has some talented teams looking to make noise in the postseason, but who holds playoff spots?
Stay ahead of the game and elevate your sports betting experience with SportsGrid and our daily MLB game picks.
Here’s what the National League playoff picture would look like if the postseason started today.
National League| No. 1 – Atlanta Braves (53-27) | First-Round Bye |
| No. 2 – Arizona Diamondbacks (48-34) | First-Round Bye |
| No. 3 – Cincinnati Reds (43-38) | No. 5 – Los Angeles Dodgers (45-35) |
| No. 4 – Miami Marlins (48-34) | No. 6 – San Francisco Giants (45-36) |
The National League has been off to an exciting start in 2023. The Atlanta Braves and New York Mets were expected to be World Series contenders, but only the Braves have performed to that standard. The phrase “it’s early” only applies for so long, and the league’s better teams have started establishing themselves in this race while the pretenders have naturally fallen back.
If you’re looking for the most complete team in the big leagues, the Atlanta Braves have a strong case. The Braves have a deep offense, pitching staff, and bullpen, helping lead them to five straight victories and nine wins over their last ten games. However, Atlanta isn’t the only team streaking in the National League, with their division foes in the Miami Marlins on a tear, too. The Marlins have won five in a row and seven of their last ten, which has them occupying the top wild-card position in the National League.
The Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers are all square on top of the NL Central with identical 43-38 records. The Reds have won two in a row and seven of their last ten, while the Brewers have also won a pair in a row and six of their last ten.
Rounding out the wild-card teams in the National League are two NL West rivals, the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers. LA has leapfrogged the Giants over the last week and now occupies the fifth seed in the NL. The Dodgers and Giants share identical 6-4 records over their previous ten, but LA has a half-game lead over San Francisco in the standings.
