MLB Playoff Picture 2023: Are The Mariners Doomed?
The Mariners Series Loss To The Astros Did Them No Favors
Last night’s outcomes changed the outlooks of a few teams in the MLB Playoff picture 2023.
The Diamondbacks earned a 3-0 win against the White Sox. However, the Reds have minimal chance of making the MLB Playoffs after a 4-3 loss to the Guardians.
Meanwhile, the Cubs lost another nail-biter for the Braves, giving the Marlins the chance to get into the final Wild Card spot in the National League.
The Miami Marlins had a doubleheader against the Mets and won one of the two, putting them in front of the Cubs in the NL Wild Card’s final spot.
Finally, the Padres haven’t been eliminated yet. They defeated the Giants 5-2. But a lot needs to happen for San Diego to make the playoffs.
On the American League side, the Orioles earned a win over the Nationals to stay in front of the AL East. Meanwhile, the Rays are still within reach after a 5-0 win over the Red Sox.
Both of those teams will make the postseason. However, the Blue Jays are losing some ground for that second AL Wild Card spot after another loss to the Yankees.
In the AL West, the Texas Rangers defeated the Los Angeles Angels to stay above in the division. Lastly, the Astros escaped the Mariners on the road with an 8-3 victory. Houston defeated Seattle on the road in a three-game series.
Below, we’ll talk about the National League Wild Card 2023 and how the American League 2023 MLB Playoff picture is shaping up.
NL Wild Card Race
The three NL divisions are already locked up by the Braves, Brewers, and Dodgers. Meanwhile, the Phillies already earned a Wild Card spot, leaving only two more Wild Card spots for National League teams.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are sitting at 84-74 after going 8-2 in their last ten games. The Diamondbacks have a healthy lead of two games in the second Wild Card spot.
Therefore, the Cubs, Marlins, Reds, and Padres are fighting for one final spot in the NL Wild Card.
The Cubs and Marlins are tied in the final spot heading into Thursday. However, the Marlins would win the tiebreaker and be the last team in the playoffs.
On the other hand, the Reds are 81-78 and 1.5 games back of that final spot. The Padres are also 3.5 games out, with a 79-80 record.
MLB NL Playoff Picture Odds
The MLB betting lines have the Diamondbacks at -8000 to make the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Marlins have now jumped to -270 after sitting at +150 just a few days ago.
The Cubs are now +250 to make the playoffs, with the Reds having the lowest probability at +1700.
The Diamondbacks will take on the White Sox one last time today. The Marlins will also take on the Mets in one final game before the weekend.
However, the Cubs still have another game against the Braves tonight, and the Reds won’t play until Friday.
Miami will close out the season against Pittsburgh over the weekend, giving them a high probability of stealing that final NL Wild Card spot.
On the other hand, the Cubs will take on a Brewers team that already clinched the NL Central. Finally, the Diamondbacks still have a difficult series against the Astros.
At this point, Miami looks to have the best chance at making the postseason.
AL East
The AL East has been an intriguing division all year long. If you look at the MLB standings by division, the AL East has easily been the most competitive from top to bottom.
Right now, the Orioles and Rays are competing for the top spot in the AL East. After last night’s win, the Orioles remain 2.5 games ahead of the Rays. Baltimore’s chances of winning the division are getting higher and higher the more they win to close out the season.
However, the Rays don’t need to worry too much. If they don’t win the division, they’ll still be in the top spot in the AL Wild Card.
AL West
The Texas Rangers earned a much-needed win against the Angels last night. They’re now 2.5 games ahead of the Astros and four games ahead of the Mariners in the AL West standings.
With the regular season ending on Sunday, the Rangers are in a great position to win the division.
If they win the division, the Astros and Mariners will fight with the Toronto Blue Jays for the final two spots in the AL Wild Card.
AL Wild Card Race
Between the Orioles and Rays, one team will win the AL East, and the other will get the top spot in the AL Wild Card. The Rays might not win the AL East despite potentially earning 100+ wins.
With that top spot in the AL East already occupied, the Blue Jays, Astros, and Mariners are fighting for two spots in the AL Wild Card.
The Blue Jays last to the Yankees last night, pushing them to just .5 games ahead of the Astros for the second spot in Wild Card.
The Astros earned a big win against the Mariners on the road last night to defeat the Mariners in a three-game series.
Tonight, the Blue Jays will take on the Yankees again. Meanwhile, the Rangers will take on the Mariners in another crucial AL West series. The Rangers and Mariners will play a four-game series to close the season.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jays will have to face a Rays team over the weekend that is still competing for the AL East.
Finally, the Astros will take on the Diamondbacks, which is no guarantee, with Arizona needing to win to keep their playoff hopes intact. Our MLB score predictions believe that both teams will at least get one win in that series.
MLB AL Playoff Picture Odds
With all that said, the Blue Jays are still sitting at -1100 to make the playoffs, while the Astros are at -450 to make the playoffs.
The Mariners have fallen off, sitting at +200. They’re now 1.5 games back of the final AL Wild Card spot in the MLB Playoff Picture 2023.
If The Playoffs Started Today
As of now, the postseason picture would look like this:
6. Marlins  vs. 3. Brewers | 5. Diamondbacks vs. 4. Phillies |
Winner vs. 2 Dodgers | Winner vs. 1. Braves |
2 or 3 or 6 vs. 1 or 4 or 5 |
NL Champion |
6. Astros vs. 3. Twins | 5. Blue Jays vs. 4. Rays |
Winner vs. 2 Rangers | Winner vs. 1. Orioles |
2 or 3 or 6 vs. 1 or 4 or 5 |
AL Champion |
AL Champion vs. NL Champion |
For MLB schedule, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
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