Binge Sports: MLB-One Month To Go
It’s been a busy week here at Binge Sports. College football has returned, and you can check out that preview HERE. To complement that, Garrett and I gave you an amazing commentary of The Program, which you can check out HERE. But college football, even with its glorious return, is in the early stages of the season. Major League Baseball, on the other hand, is in the home stretch. We’ve got exactly one month left in the season, and it’s time to take a look at the updated standings, the updated fan poll results. Even with a few teams starting to create separation, there are still some division races that could go down to the final week. The wildcard race in the National League, while still technically up for grabs, isn’t near as exciting as the race in the American League. So for the first time this season, we’ll take a closer look at those races as well. Voting in all races is still open until October 4th, so let’s take a look at every single thing happening in the show. The playoffs are right around the corner, so let’s see where we’re at.
AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST
W L PCT. GB
Toronto 76 57 .571 —-
New York 74 58 .561 1.5
In a division that was once very close from top to bottom, there are only two contenders remaining for the AL East crown, and they will be seeing each other two more times before the regular season ends. A big four-game set begins on September 10th at Yankee Stadium and they’ll meet again in Toronto from September 21st through the 23rd.
There’s a very good chance that this division will come down to the last weekend of the season. If I had to pick right now, I’d say that the Blue Jays will come out on top, especially with Mark Teixiera just hitting the DL, but I’ve been wrong before. The Yankees are still the Yankees and they’ve got plenty of experience in that dugout, including manager Joe Girardi. Toronto currently leads the fan vote at 42.4%, while the Yankees are at 27.3%. It’s a safe bet that both of these teams will make the playoffs, as the Yankees currently hold a four-game lead to host the wild card game. But they’ll certainly be looking to avoid a one-game playoff. Who’s it going to be in the AL East?
[yop_poll id=”205″ tr_id=””” show_results=”-1″]
AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL
W L PCT. GB
Kansas City 82 51 .617 —-
This race is over and has been for quite some time. As much as I’d like to put some crucial games that the Royals have left, there are none. They’re leading the AL Central by 13 games, and will easily be the first team to clinch their division. Yet, the Royals still only have 68.8% of the fan vote. I’m sure if I’d have reset the poll sometime in June, that number would be a little higher.
[yop_poll id=”206″ tr_id=””” show_results=”-1″]
AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST
W L PCT. GB
Houston 73 61 .545 —-
Texas 70 62 .530 2.0
Los Angeles 67 66 .504 5.5
This is going to be a fun race. The Astros continue to play solid baseball, but the Rangers have been very hot over the past month, while the Angels have faded a bit. But the beauty of baseball in September is that there are a ton of division games, and these teams will see a lot of each other.
The Astros have seven games left with the Rangers, with a four-game set from September 14th-17th in Arlington, and a three-game series in Houston from September 25th-27th. They’ve also got six games left with the Angels. A weekend series in Anaheim starts a week from tonight, and the Angels’ last chance to gain some ground will be in Houston from September 21st-23rd.
The Rangers and Angels start a three-game series tonight in Anaheim and will close out the regular season with a big four-game set in Texas starting on October 1st.
This race is going to be quite entertaining and is another that could possibly come down to that final weekend. I’m betting that Houston will be looking for the Rangers and Angels to split that final series, just so neither team gains any ground. Houston has held on this long. Can they keep it up? You seem to think so for the moment. They lead the fan poll with 44.1% of the vote, with the Angels in second at 38.2%. But after zero votes the first few months of the season, the Rangers are finally getting some love with 5.9%. Will that number go up? Only you can decide.
[yop_poll id=”207″ tr_id=””” show_results=”-1″]
WILD CARD
W L PCT. WCGB
New York 74 58 .561 +4.0
Texas 70 62 .530 ——–
Minnesota 69 64 .519 1.5
Los Angeles 67 66 .504 3.5
Tampa Bay 66 67 .496 4.5
Cleveland 64 68 .485 6.0
Baltimore 64 69 .481 6.5
The great thing about this second wild card spot is that it keeps the dream alive for more teams. Just look at this. Even at five games under .500, the Orioles could go on a tear and sneak in. Granted, they’ll have to jump over four teams to do it, but this is baseball. Any team can win on any given day. A five-game winning streak could be immediately followed by a five-game losing streak. That’s just how baseball works. The Rangers are playing well, but they’ll have to hold off teams like the Twins and Angels just to get into the one-game playoff. But who’s to say they couldn’t jump into that top spot? This race should be very interesting.
IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY
As it currently stands, the Binge Sports voters have four of the five teams picked correctly. The only one missing is the Rangers. Here’s how the voting breaks down.
Kansas City-90%
Houston-86%
Toronto-76%
New York-76%
Los Angeles-67%
The Angels are only 3.5 back of the wild-card spot. But with a sweep of the Rangers this weekend, that number could change dramatically. Pick your five.
[yop_poll id=”246″ tr_id=””” show_results=”-1″]
NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST
W L PCT. GB
New York 74 59 .556 —-
Washington 68 65 .511 6.0
Look at those Mets. Who would have thought this was possible? Not too long ago, many were wondering if they could keep up with the Nationals and maybe fight for a wild card spot, and they currently lead the NL East by six games. For the first time this year, they’re also leading the fan vote with 50% of the tally. Washington sits at 46.4%.
But this race isn’t quite over yet. I predict that the Mets will hang on to win this division, but with a six-game deficit, the Nationals have six more chances to beat New York, their first chance coming on Monday as they welcome the Mets to D.C. If the Nationals can somehow manage to keep this race close, they’ll have one final chance to take the title when they visit New York to close out the regular season with a three-game series starting October 2nd.
[yop_poll id=”208″ tr_id=””” show_results=”-1″]
NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL
W L PCT. GB
St. Louis 86 47 .647 —-
Pittsburgh 79 53 .598 6.5
Chicago 75 57 .568 10.5
The Cardinals are good. That’s just all there is to it. They are the best team in baseball, and they lead the best division in baseball by a very comfortable 6.5 games. But as I said before, there’s a lot of games within the division coming up, and a big series starts tonight at Busch Stadium as the Cardinals welcome the Pirates for the weekend. Pittsburgh will have this weekend to gain some ground, but they’ll also get three more chances in Pittsburgh from September 28th-30th. The Cardinals also have six games remaining with the rival Chicago Cubs. As soon as Pittsburgh leaves, the Cubs come to St. Louis for a three-game series on Monday, and the Cardinals make their last visit to Wrigley Field for the year from September 18th-20th. Well, for the regular season anyway.
The third-place Cubs, who own the fifth-best record in baseball, have had an interesting few weeks. They went on a tear for a while, but struggled on their trip out west, minus the no-hitter from Jake Arrieta, but they’re still looking good in the playoff hunt, as they lead the race for that second wild card spot by seven games. But I’m sure they’re looking for a home game. The only way to do that is to catch the Pirates, who are playing great baseball in their own right, owning the top spot in the wild card race by four games. But as luck would have it, the Cubs and Pirates have seven games remaining against one another. A big four-game set begins in Pittsburgh with a day-night doubleheader on September 15th and runs through the 17th. Only a week later, the Pirates will be in Chicago for a three-game weekend series from September 25th-27th. Can the Cubs gain any ground in the Central? Or are the Cardinals just too good to catch? That’s the consensus at the moment as St. Louis leads the fan vote with 65.5%. The Cubs are in second with 24.1% and the Pirates round it out with 10.4%. All three teams will likely be in the playoffs.
[yop_poll id=”209″ tr_id=””” show_results=”-1″]
NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST
W L PCT. GB
Los Angeles 75 58 .564 —-
San Francisco 69 65 .515 6.5
Win this division or go on home for the year. That’s pretty much what it comes down to in the NL West. With the Giants trailing the Cubs by seven games for the second wild card spot, their only hope may be to somehow catch the Dodgers, but that has been proving quite difficult for them. They were just swept by the Dodgers earlier this week, and that puts them 6.5 games out of first. If the defending champs are going to make a move, they’ll need to do it soon. And they’ll need to get it within a few more games, because the only series they have left with LA is a four-game set beginning September 28th. Can they get within striking distance? You’re on the fence about it right now. LA currently leads the fan vote at 54.3% with San Francisco trying to keep up at 42.9%. In either instance, the Giants will have to do more than just keep up.
[yop_poll id=”210″ tr_id=””” show_results=”-1″]
WILD CARD
W L PCT. WCGB
Pittsburgh 79 53 .598 +4.0
Chicago 75 57 .568 ——–
San Francisco 69 65 .515 7.0
Washington 68 65 .511 7.5
As I’m sure you’ve gathered already, I’m thinking this race may already be decided. The Pirates and Cubs are two of the top five teams in baseball, and I predict that they’re both in. The question is where that one-game playoff will be played.
IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY
Five out of five this time. Great job, Binge Sports voters.
St. Louis-91%
Chicago-78%
Los Angeles-78%
Pittsburgh-70%
New York-57%
[yop_poll id=”247″ tr_id=””” show_results=”-1″]
And there you have it. With one month to go, everybody will by vying for position and home-field advantage. There’s a ton of games between the top contenders, which should make for some great baseball as we inch closer to the playoffs. How do you think it all plays out? Comment below or follow me on Twitter and tweet @BingeSports and/or @THElukenorris to give me your thoughts. Stay tuned for an all-new Binge SportsCast coming your way next week. Have a great weekend.