The MLB season is a marathon. Teams compete over a 162-game schedule, needing to rank among the top six squads in their respective leagues to make the playoffs. Wins are just as valuable in April, May, and June as they are in the latter part of the season, and franchises can’t afford to lose ground to the teams ahead of them.
Here’s what the playoff brackets would look like if the postseason started today.
National League
| No. 1 – Atlanta Braves | First-Round Bye |
| No. 2 – Arizona Diamondbacks | First-Round Bye |
| No. 3 – Pittsburgh Pirates | No. 6 – San Francisco Giants |
| No. 4 – Los Angeles Dodgers | No. 5 – Miami Marlins |
Earlier in the week, the Arizona Diamondbacks were putting a lot of pressure on the Atlanta Braves for the first seed in the National League. Since then, fortune has favored the Braves. Atlanta pumped the brakes on their modest two-game losing streak, coinciding with the D-Backs dropping two straight. Consequently, the Braves are heading into the weekend with a 1.0-game advantage for the top spot and home-field advantage throughout the NL side of the bracket. Nevertheless, we’ve seen a resilient Diamondbacks squad remain intent on dethroning the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL West crown.
Surprisingly, the Pittsburgh Pirates have re-emerged as the NL Central leaders. Pittsburgh burst onto the scene, spending the first month of the campaign as one of the best teams in the league. A 1-11 stretch at the start of May knocked them from their crow’s nest, but the Pirates have rebounded nicely by going 8-5 over the past couple of weeks. Of course, Pittsburgh usurped the Milwaukee Brewers, who have dropped six straight and seven of their last nine, falling to .500 on the campaign. Inevitably, the NL Central winner will play the sixth seed, a spot currently occupied by the San Francisco Giants. San Fran is on a four-game winning streak, leaving them 2.0 games ahead of the next closest competitor.
The NL West is also represented in the other potential wild card matchup. The Dodgers have a modest 0.5-game lead over the Miami Marlins for the fourth seed. The Fish have seemingly come out of nowhere and show no signs of slowing down as we approach the season’s halfway point. Injuries have impacted LA’s on-field performances recently, and they are at risk of relinquishing home-field advantage to the Marlins. Dave Roberts could be walking on thin ice if the Dodgers don’t turn things around.
American League
| No. 1 – Tampa Bay Rays | First-Round Bye |
| No. 2 – Texas Rangers | First-Round Bye |
| No. 3 – Minnesota Twins | No. 6 – New York Yankees |
| No. 4 – Baltimore Orioles | No. 5 – Houston Astros |
The American League playoff landscape has remained unchanged for the past few weeks. Besides dropping two games to the suddenly scorching Oakland Athletics, the Tampa Bay Rays remain virtually unstoppable. The Rays lead MLB with 49 wins, leaving them a healthy 5.0-game cushion over the Texas Rangers. The Rangers’ bats have gone cold this week, but their staff has fallen further. Texas pitchers have combined for a 5.73 ERA this week, dropping four of their six outings.
Thankfully, the Houston Astros have also stumbled, allowing the Rangers to maintain their lead in the AL West. Still, the reigning World Series champs are within striking distance and have plenty of runway left to catch the division frontrunners. As it stands, Houston is locked into the fifth seed, setting up a potential inter-divisional clash with the Baltimore Orioles. The O’s refuse to taper and have sustained their early-season success longer than anticipated. Playing in the toughest division in baseball hasn’t prevented Baltimore from clutching to their playoff berth.
From the most challenging division to the weakest, the Minnesota Twins continue to reign atop the AL Central. Granted, it’s looking more and more like a consolation prize, as the other four squads are below .500. Currently sitting two games above the break-even point, Minnesota is fully entrenched as the division leaders. Whichever team lands the sixth seed could have a significant advantage entering the postseason, as they will almost certainly have a better record than the Twins. Halfway through June, the New York Yankees are hanging onto the final playoff berth but have a superior 39-30 record. But the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels are breathing heavily down their necks.
