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.
World Series Winners Market: What Team Should You Be After?
National League
| No. 1 – Atlanta Braves | First-Round Bye |
| No. 2 – Los Angeles Dodgers | First-Round Bye |
| No. 3 – Cincinnati Reds | No. 6 – San Francisco Giants |
| No. 4 – Miami Marlins | No. 5 – Arizona Diamondbacks |
On Friday, we kick off the unofficial second half of the MLB season. In the week leading up to the All-Star break, the Atlanta Braves overtook the Tampa Bay Rays for the best record in baseball. With an 8.5 lead atop the National League, they appear well on their way to securing home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.Â
Parity across the NL West is part of the reason why the Braves are comfortable in their position. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks continue to flip-flop for the top spot in the division. The Dodgers moved ahead of the D-Backs last weekend and start the second half with the lead on the strength of a tiebreaker. For now, LA is clinging to a first-round bye.Â
Moreover, the San Francisco Giants have included themselves in the NL West race. San Fran took three of its last four to usurp the Philadelphia Phillies for the final wild-card spot. Whichever team claims the sixth seed has the benefit of taking on the NL Central winner. The Cincinnati Reds are fending off the Milwaukee Brewers with a 1.0 game advantage; however, the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates are within striking distance.Â
Lastly, the Miami Marlins have been one of the steadiest teams in the league. The Fish have spent most of the past few months in the first wild card spot, solidifying themselves as a playoff threat. They could host their first playoff series since they won it all in 2003. As it stands, they would welcome the Diamondbacks to Marlins Park for a showdown between surprising squads.Â
American League
| No. 1 – Tampa Bay Rays | First-Round Bye |
| No. 2 – Texas Rangers | First-Round Bye |
| No. 3 – Cleveland Guardians | No. 6 – Toronto Blue Jays |
| No. 4 – Baltimore Orioles | No. 5 – Houston Astros |
What happens in the American League over the latter part of the campaign is anyone’s guess. The once-seemingly unstoppable Rays stumbled into the break, dropping 13 of their previous 20 and watching their lead evaporate atop the AL East. They are just 2.0 games up on the Baltimore Orioles, and 9.0 games separate them from the last-place Boston Red Sox. That’s without considering the Texas Rangers, who continue to push the Rays for the first seed.Â
The O’s unsuspecting start to the season couldn’t have ended on a better note. Baltimore starts the second half on a five-game winning streak, albeit with a tough road ahead. Six of their next seven series come against playoff-caliber teams, including one against a team they could match up with in the opening round of the playoffs. The Houston Astros haven’t been able to keep pace with the Rangers in the NL West, relegating the defending champs to a wild card berth. Experience would be a massive advantage for the Astros, but they would have to take two of three from the Orioles at Camden Yards.Â
Apparently, 81 wins is all it will take for a team to win the AL Central. The Cleveland Guardians begrudgingly knocked the Minnesota Twins off their division lead, climbing to .500 on the season. Neither team has looked exceptional this year, but one will have home-field advantage in the wild-card round. The upstart Toronto Blue Jays won all but one of their past six games, moving past the New York Yankees for the final playoff spot. But those are just two of the six teams within 5.0 games of the sixth seed. Indeed, these races will only intensify as the season progresses.
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