MLB Playoff Picture: Can The Rangers Hang Onto The AL West?

The Rangers, Astros & Mariners Are Fighting for The AL West in Final Week

September 26, 2023 150 4 minutes readMLB Picks & Parlays

MLB Playoff Picture: Can The Rangers Hang Onto The AL West? — Mitchell Layton/Getty Images/AFP

NL Central
NL Wild Card Race
MLB NL Playoff Picture Odds
AL Wild Card Race
MLB AL Playoff Picture Odds

The MLB regular season will conclude on Sunday. By Tuesday next week, we’ll be watching postseason baseball.

However, we don’t know who those teams will be in the Wild Card spots. Many AL and NL Wild Card spots and a couple of divisions are still up for grabs.

In the NL East, the Atlanta Braves have 100 wins and have already won that division. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers have already been crowned the NL West champions. In the American League, the Minnesota Twins clinched the AL Central. That division was the weakest in baseball this season. However, no other team has clinched their division heading into the year’s final week.

We’ll break down the MLB standings by division below.

Check out the MLB playoff picture to see which teams are contenders and which are pretenders.

NL Central

The Milwaukee Brewers have a high probability of clinching the NL Central today. The Brewers need to win one more game, and the Cubs need to lose one more game.

Once that happens, the Brewers will earn the NL Central and become the third-best team in the National League regarding seeding.

NL Wild Card Race

As stated above, the Braves and Dodgers have already clinched their respective divisions. If not today, Milwaukee will likely earn their division in the next few days.

In the NL Wild Card, the Phillies lead the group with an 87-69 record. They’re five games above the Arizona Diamondbacks, 82-74. Philadelphia is only a few days away from clinching the top spot in the NL Wild Card.

Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks and Cubs are currently tied for the second and third spots in the NL Wild Card.

The Cubs have the Braves for a week-day series, while the Diamondbacks will face the White Sox. Arizona has the favorable matchup to remain second in the NL Wild Card.

Behind those two, looking to earn a playoff spot, are the Miami Marlins and Cincinnati Reds.

The Marlins are only one game away from the Diamondbacks and Cubs. They’re facing a Mets team that is no longer in contention for the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Reds will meet a Guardians team over the week, with just 74 wins heading into Tuesday.

The Cubs have the least favorable MLB matchup of the four. But the Braves could take it easy on the Cubs because they’ve already clinched the NL East.

Still, Atlanta will want to ensure first place in the National League for seeding purposes. With the Dodgers just a few games away from the Braves, Atlanta will still try.

Finally, the Padres and Giants are not mathematically eliminated yet. The Padres and Giants could be eliminated with losses over the next two days, and the teams above earning wins.

MLB NL Playoff Picture Odds

These MLB betting lines are interesting right now. The Cubs are sitting at -130 to make the playoffs, while the Marlins are at -145. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks are currently at -550, and the Reds are at +1000 to make the playoffs.

But only two of those three teams will make the playoffs. However, three of those four teams have a higher probability beyond 50%. At this time, we’d take the Marlins over the Cubs to earn that final NL Wild Card spot. The MLB playoff picture is still unclear in the National League.

AL East

The Baltimore Orioles are 2.5 games ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays for the AL East. The Orioles were never projected to be in first place when the season began. But they’ve got a ton of young talent that has produced at a high level to get to the top of the AL East.

Meanwhile, the Rays, Yankees, and Red Sox are all eliminated for a chance at winning the division.

AL West

Finally, the division that most people are paying attention to is the AL West.

The Rangers, Astros, and Mariners are all within striking distance in the season’s final week. The Rangers currently have the division by more than two games. If the Rangers continue to win, they’ll earn the division, although Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer cannot pitch for them down the stretch.

Meanwhile, the Astros defeated the Mariners in Monday’s first game of a three-game series on the road. The Astros struggled over the last couple of weeks but got their mojo back against the Mariners in Game 1 of a critical series that could decide the AL West champions.

The Rangers enjoy that one AL West team has to lose. However, they’d rather no team sweep in that three-game series.

AL Wild Card Race

The Tampa Bay Rays will win first place in the AL Wild Card if they’re unable to win the AL East.

Between the Rays and Orioles, whoever doesn’t win the AL East will get that No. 1 seed. Right now, that would be the Rays.

However, for the final two spots in the AL Wild Card, there are three teams deserving.

The Blue Jays, Astros, and Mariners fight for those two spots. Right now, the Blue Jays have a little bit of breathing room. Toronto will face the Yankees to start the week. If they can continue to win, they’ll win the second spot in the AL Wild Card.

Again, the Astros and Mariners are facing each other in a three-game series. If the Astros can continue to earn wins against the Mariners, they’ll likely be the favorites to land that final spot of the AL Wild Card if they don’t win the division against the Rangers.

MLB AL Playoff Picture Odds

The Astros haven’t been great when looking at the MLB stats 2023. The Astros won the World Series last year. This year, they haven’t even clinched a spot in the playoffs. Still, after last night’s win, they are only -260 to make the playoffs this year. The Mariners are sitting at +160 after last night’s game.

Meanwhile, the Blue Jays and Rangers are expected to earn a playoff spot heading into the season’s final week.

After watching last night’s game, we’re confident that the Astros can win the final spot in the AL Wild Card and be a contributor in the MLB playoff picture.

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