current standings hold<\/a>, we\u2019ll see these two teams square off in Seattle to start October.<\/p>\nBoston Red Sox<\/p>\n
Record: 82-68
Playoff odds: 90.4 percent
Strength of schedule: .509<\/p>\n
Remaining schedule<\/p>\n
OpponentDatesGamesLocationWin%<\/p>\n
Sept. 16-18<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Home<\/p>\n
.463<\/p>\n
Sept. 19-21<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Road<\/p>\n
.493<\/p>\n
Sept. 23-25<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Road<\/p>\n
.581<\/p>\n
Sept. 26-28<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Home<\/p>\n
.564<\/p>\n
Key series: Sept. 23-25 at Blue Jays<\/p>\n
The Red Sox are extreme long shots for the division, but they\u2019re technically not out of the hunt, and those three games against the Blue Jays present an opportunity to make up a lot of ground in a hurry \u2014 or to fall hopelessly behind. At this point, the Red Sox will likely make the playoffs, and the bigger questions are whether they can take home-field advantage in the wild-card round (they currently project to play the Yankees on the road) or maybe win the division and get a bye. The answer to both questions could hinge on those three games in Toronto.<\/p>\n
Houston Astros<\/p>\n
Record: 81-69
Playoff odds: 72.6 percent
Strength of schedule: .491<\/p>\n
Remaining schedule<\/p>\n
OpponentDatesGamesLocationWin%<\/p>\n
Sept. 15-17<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Home<\/p>\n
.530<\/p>\n
Sept. 19-21<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Home<\/p>\n
.544<\/p>\n
Sept. 23-25<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Road<\/p>\n
.463<\/p>\n
Sept. 26-28<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Road<\/p>\n
.463<\/p>\n
Key series: Sept. 15-21 vs. Rangers and Mariners<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a key homestand, not a key series. The Astros have stumbled lately, losing their AL West lead altogether, and for the next week, they play at home against the two teams challenging them in the division. The Rangers are the late-season contenders and statistical long shots, but they\u2019re also the team with the best run differential of the bunch (by quite a bit), and they have a winning record against the Astros this season (6-4). The Mariners have been in the hunt all year and have a .500 head-to-head record against the Astros. It\u2019s high noon in Texas with the AL West on the line.<\/p>\n
Texas Rangers<\/p>\n
Record: 79-71
Playoff odds: 30 percent
Strength of schedule: .480<\/p>\n
Remaining schedule<\/p>\n
OpponentDatesGamesLocationWin%<\/p>\n
Sept. 15-17<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Road<\/p>\n
.544<\/p>\n
Sept. 19-21<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Home<\/p>\n
.470<\/p>\n
Sept. 23-25<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Home<\/p>\n
.439<\/p>\n
Sept. 26-28<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Road<\/p>\n
.520<\/p>\n
Key series: Sept. 15-17 at Astros<\/p>\n
For the shorthanded Rangers to complete this late-season surge and make the playoffs, they\u2019re going to need a lot of things to go right in the last four series. But a one in three chance ain\u2019t bad. It all starts with a head-to-head matchup with one of the teams the Rangers are trying to pass for a playoff berth. The Astros enter the series two games up on Texas. To secure a spot, the Rangers are going to have to jump ahead of someone \u2014 they\u2019re currently the first team out in the AL \u2014 and they might as well start closing those gaps by beating their in-state rivals.<\/p>\n
Cleveland Guardians<\/p>\n
Record: 78-71
Playoff odds: 11.3 percent
Strength of schedule: .504<\/p>\n
Remaining schedule<\/p>\n
OpponentDatesGamesLocationWin%<\/p>\n
Sept. 16-18<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Road<\/p>\n
.581<\/p>\n
Sept. 19-21<\/p>\n
4<\/p>\n
Road<\/p>\n
.439<\/p>\n
Sept. 23-25<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Home<\/p>\n
.581<\/p>\n
Sept. 26-28<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Home<\/p>\n
.530<\/p>\n
Key series: Sept. 26-28 vs. Rangers<\/p>\n
Every series matters for the Guardians at this point. They\u2019ve played their way into the conversation, but just barely, and now they need to stay hot to keep their hopes alive. Two remaining series against the Tigers are big, but if the Guardians are going to stay in this thing, their fate will come down to the very end. If one of the wild-card teams slips and leaves the door open, the last AL playoff spot could be decided in that end-of-season series between the Guardians and Rangers.<\/p>\n
NATIONAL LEAGUEMilwaukee Brewers<\/p>\n
Record: 91-59
Playoff odds: 100 percent
Strength of schedule: .483<\/p>\n
Remaining schedule<\/p>\n
OpponentDatesGamesLocationWin%<\/p>\n
Sept. 16-18<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Home<\/p>\n
.463<\/p>\n
Sept. 19-21<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Road<\/p>\n
.483<\/p>\n
Sept. 22-24<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Road<\/p>\n
.544<\/p>\n
Sept. 26-28<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Home<\/p>\n
.500<\/p>\n
Key series: Sept. 22-24 at Padres<\/p>\n
The best team in baseball has one of the easiest end-of-season schedules. The Padres are the only projected playoff team remaining on the Brewers\u2019 road to locking down a wild-card bye and the NL\u2019s best record. Only once that is sewn up will Milwaukee be in playoff prep mode. San Diego is a team that still has much to play for, and has won their previous meeting against the Brewers this season, a tightly contested series back in June. They also went 5-2 against Milwaukee last year.<\/p>\n
Philadelphia Phillies<\/p>\n
Record: 89-61
Playoff odds: 100 percent
Strength of schedule: .501<\/p>\n
Remaining schedule<\/p>\n
OpponentDatesGamesLocationWin%<\/p>\n
Sept. 15-17<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Road<\/p>\n
.561<\/p>\n
Sept. 19-21<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Road<\/p>\n
.497<\/p>\n
Sept. 23-25<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Home<\/p>\n
.470<\/p>\n
Sept. 26-28<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Home<\/p>\n
.439<\/p>\n
Key series: Sept. 15-17 at Dodgers<\/p>\n
Despite a rash of recent injuries, Philadelphia maintains the inside track for the second wild-card bye in the NL and still has a shot to overtake the Brewers as the top seed. Taking another series from the Dodgers \u2014 like the Phillies did at home in April \u2014 would be a big step. Even if the Dodgers series goes sideways, the Phillies have a chance to regain ground with a relatively soft late schedule. The Phillies are a combined 9-4 against the Diamondbacks and Marlins this season. They have not yet faced the Twins, but will soon come to understand it\u2019s a very different Twins team these days.<\/p>\n
Los Angeles Dodgers<\/p>\n
Record: 84-65
Playoff odds: 100 percent
Strength of schedule: .523<\/p>\n
Remaining schedule<\/p>\n
OpponentDatesGamesLocationWin%<\/p>\n
Sept. 15-17<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Home<\/p>\n
.597<\/p>\n
Sept. 18-21<\/p>\n
4<\/p>\n
Home<\/p>\n
.507<\/p>\n
Sept. 23-25<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Road<\/p>\n
.497<\/p>\n
Sept. 26-28<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Road<\/p>\n
.544<\/p>\n
Key series: Sept. 15-17 vs. Phillies<\/p>\n
When we released our first edition of this breakdown last month, the Dodgers had the second-easiest remaining schedule of any contender. They followed that by sweeping two good teams (Padres and Reds), splitting against the Rockies and losing series to the Angels, Padres, Diamondbacks, Pirates and Orioles. Not great. But the Dodgers got back on track last week, going 5-1 against the Rockies and Giants, and not a moment too soon. The remaining schedule doesn\u2019t look so easy anymore. First, there\u2019s a playoff-preview showdown with the Phillies, with a bye potentially on the line and some elite starters on tap. Then come two opponents whose playoff hopes are still technically alive before ending the season against the postseason-bound Mariners.<\/p>\n
Chicago Cubs<\/p>\n
Record: 85-64
Playoff odds: 100 percent
Strength of schedule: .504<\/p>\n
Remaining schedule<\/p>\n
OpponentDatesGamesLocationWin%<\/p>\n
Sept. 15-17<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Road<\/p>\n
.436<\/p>\n
Sept. 18-21<\/p>\n
4<\/p>\n
Road<\/p>\n
.500<\/p>\n
Sept. 23-25<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Home<\/p>\n
.510<\/p>\n
Sept. 26-28<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Home<\/p>\n
.483<\/p>\n
Key series: Sept. 26-28 vs. Cardinals<\/p>\n
Truth is, the Cubs are virtually guaranteed a playoff spot (100 percent) and have virtually no shot of a bye (1.4 percent), so the focus of the last stretch of the season should be staying ahead of the Padres and getting healthy. That stretch starts with facing Paul Skenes and the Pirates in Pittsburgh \u2014 a tough assignment, even if he\u2019s on a pitch count \u2014 and ends at home against St. Louis on the last weekend of the regular season. The Cubs and rival Cardinals have split their 10 games so far this season. There may not be any playoff implications at stake for their season-ending series, but by then, perhaps the Cubs will have addressed a few of the question marks looming over the current roster.<\/p>\n
San Diego Padres<\/p>\n
Record: 82-68
Playoff odds: 99.8 percent
Strength of schedule: .499<\/p>\n
Remaining schedule<\/p>\n
OpponentDatesGamesLocationWin%<\/p>\n
Sept. 16-18<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Road<\/p>\n
.510<\/p>\n
Sept. 19-21<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Road<\/p>\n
.383<\/p>\n
Sept. 22-24<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Home<\/p>\n
.611<\/p>\n
Sept. 26-28<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Home<\/p>\n
.497<\/p>\n
Key series: Sept. 16-18 at Mets<\/p>\n
The Padres closed in on the Dodgers over the past month when both teams had comparatively soft schedules, but neither has an easy final two weeks of the regular season. The Friars must handle business on the road against the lowly White Sox, though we\u2019re not bold enough to label that the key series. Instead, we\u2019ve circled the upcoming road series against the floundering Mets. Not only could the Padres deliver a big blow to the Mets\u2019 playoff odds, but they can also add cushion in the wild-card race. In the unlikely event the Padres lost out to the Mets in these final weeks and slipped to the third wild-card slot, they probably would wind up at Dodger Stadium for the three-game wild-card round. The Padres won their last series against the Dodgers, but are 4-9 against them this season.<\/p>\n
New York Mets<\/p>\n
Record: 77-73
Playoff odds: 80.1 percent
Strength of schedule: .477<\/p>\n
Remaining schedule<\/p>\n
OpponentDatesGamesLocationWin%<\/p>\n
Sept. 16-18<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Home<\/p>\n
.544<\/p>\n
Sept. 19-21<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Home<\/p>\n
.412<\/p>\n
Sept. 23-25<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Road<\/p>\n
.568<\/p>\n
Sept. 26-28<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Road<\/p>\n
.470<\/p>\n
Key series: Sept. 16-18 vs. Padres<\/p>\n
Over the last week, this Padres series transformed from a prime chance for the Mets to improve their playoff positioning to a great worry. The Mets are in free fall, losing eight in a row before winning Sunday, and have given new life to the Giants, Reds and Diamondbacks\u2019 playoff aspirations. The Cubs hold the NL\u2019s top wild-card slot. The Padres own the second one. In the next two weeks, the Mets face both teams. The Nationals and Marlins aren\u2019t pushovers, either. Stay cold, and the Mets could be out of the dance altogether.<\/p>\n
San Francisco Giants<\/p>\n
Record: 75-74
Playoff odds: 9.7 percent
Strength of schedule: .501<\/p>\n
Remaining schedule<\/p>\n
OpponentDatesGamesLocationWin%<\/p>\n
Sept. 15-17<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Road<\/p>\n
.497<\/p>\n
Sept. 18-21<\/p>\n
4<\/p>\n
Road<\/p>\n
.561<\/p>\n
Sept. 22-24<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Home<\/p>\n
.483<\/p>\n
Sept. 26-28<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Home<\/p>\n
.275<\/p>\n
Key series: Sept. 18-21 at Dodgers<\/p>\n
One must still describe the Giants\u2019 playoff hopes as \u201cremote,\u201d even though those odds were below 1 percent as recently as Aug. 30. After losing two of three to the Dodgers this past weekend, the Giants will head to Los Angeles to complete the home-and-home with a four-game series that could seal their fate \u2014 or add fuel to their postseason push. The Giants are 3-6 against the Dodgers so far this season. Win that series, and an eminently winnable season-ending homestand awaits. The Giants end the season against the Rockies, whom they swept earlier this month.<\/p>\n
Arizona Diamondbacks<\/p>\n
Record: 75-75
Playoff odds: 5.1 percent
Strength of schedule: .547<\/p>\n
Remaining schedule<\/p>\n
OpponentDatesGamesLocationWin%<\/p>\n
Sept. 15-17<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Home<\/p>\n
.507<\/p>\n
Sept. 19-21<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Home<\/p>\n
.597<\/p>\n
Sept. 23-25<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Home<\/p>\n
.561<\/p>\n
Sept. 26-28<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Road<\/p>\n
.544<\/p>\n
Key series: Sept. 15-17 vs. Giants<\/p>\n
Even Diamondbacks fans might not expect to find their team included in this list, but the Snakes reached .500 and eclipsed our 5 percent playoff odds cutoff on Sunday. A theoretical D-Backs playoff run would require speed-running through the hardest remaining schedule of all 30 MLB teams. But because writing that their key series is \u201call of them\u201d would rightly annoy readers, let\u2019s go with the first one. There\u2019s no way the Diamondbacks reach the playoffs without passing the Giants in the standings. They\u2019ll have the starting pitching edge in that series, with Zac Gallen leading off on Monday. They lost Corbin Burnes. They sold. They\u2019re here anyway. Do you believe in miracles?<\/p>\n
Cincinnati Reds<\/p>\n
Record: 74-75
Playoff odds: 4.8 percent
Strength of schedule: .508<\/p>\n
Remaining schedule<\/p>\n
OpponentDatesGamesLocationWin%<\/p>\n
Sept. 15-17<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Road<\/p>\n
.483<\/p>\n
Sept. 18-21<\/p>\n
4<\/p>\n
Home<\/p>\n
.568<\/p>\n
Sept. 23-25<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Home<\/p>\n
.436<\/p>\n
Sept. 26-28<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Road<\/p>\n
.611<\/p>\n
Key series: Sept. 18-21 vs. Cubs<\/p>\n
Sure, we\u2019ll round up the Reds\u2019 playoff odds and let \u2019em in, even after a bad weekend. A week ago, even after taking a series from the Mets, the Reds\u2019 playoff odds were 2.6 percent. They rejoined the mix as the Mets nosedived, and now sit 2 1\/2 games out of the final wild-card spot. The Reds\u2019 remaining schedule includes two make-or-break series against the teams atop the NL Central. The first is a four-gamer in Cincinnati against the Cubs, who are hobbled. That\u2019s a series the Reds can\u2019t afford to lose. Cincinnati ends the season in Milwaukee, and if the Reds are still in the playoff hunt, perhaps they\u2019ll benefit from the Brewers easing off their regulars for extra rest ahead of their wild-card bye.<\/p>\n
(Photo of Otto Kemp and Bryce Harper: Mitchell Leff \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For months, smart people have downplayed concerns about the Los Angeles Dodgers by saying something like, \u201cAll that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":145173,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[558],"tags":[592,64,63,5156,5158,5257,5258,5260,5163,1187,5159,591,1830,2704,2365,1189,5157,5162,85,2367,5161],"class_list":["post-145172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-arizona-diamondbacks","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-boston-red-sox","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-cincinnati-reds","tag-cleveland-guardians","tag-detroit-tigers","tag-houston-astros","tag-los-angeles-dodgers","tag-milwaukee-brewers","tag-mlb","tag-new-york-mets","tag-new-york-yankees","tag-philadelphia-phillies","tag-san-diego-padres","tag-san-francisco-giants","tag-seattle-mariners","tag-sports","tag-texas-rangers","tag-toronto-blue-jays"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145172","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=145172"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145172\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/145173"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=145172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=145172"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=145172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}