I love how it's a tale of two leagues right now. In the AL, everything's been decided, all the playoff spots have been settled and finalized, and in the NL...the Braves are in! That's pretty much it, though.
Okay, I lie...there are a few teams that are nominally IN the playoffs, like the Cubs and Brewers. They're both in the playoffs. We just don't know who they'll be playing yet. Same with the Dodgers and Rockies...and also the Cardinals if you still want to include them in the race. We have...teams, essentially, for the NL leg of the playoffs. We just don't have seeds...which is pretty important, if you wanna run playoffs.
I'll say that the NL Central one is a bit more carved out than the West. The Cubs are a game and a half ahead of the Brewers, have had the division since mid-year, and look to finish with the best record in the NL, and they're probably ending with the division. As fantastic as the Brewers have been this year, they look to be the Yankees of the NL, a team that's really good but blocked by a better team at 1st.
The NL West is where things get tricky. As I write this, the Rockies are ahead by one game, and are in position to end the year in first, setting themselves up for a series in Atlanta. The Dodgers are definitely still in it, and are in the position where they could easily jump right back into first if they wanted to. Both teams are playing middling squads- the Rox are playing Washington, while the Dodgers are playing San Francisco. They could definitely squeeze some wins out of this team, but it's just a matter of who'll lose when, and who'll end up on top. And again, either team could win, and either team could make it a tough playoff game for Milwaukee.
The fact that things are so up in the air with 2 games left is exciting as hell, and will make an intriguing end of the season. Plus, either way, fun teams will be getting playoff time...especially if the Cardinals are kept out of the proceedings.
Coming Tomorrow- My usual 'best of the rest' list.
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