Hard as it is to believe, we’re about to reach the final month of the 2023 regular season — a 162-game marathon turned into a four-week sprint. It’s now or never, and the playoff picture seemingly shifts every hour: The Mariners are looking like world-beaters after finally catching the Rangers atop the AL West, while the Brewers are hell-bent on crashing the the party at the top of the National League ahead of a crucial series against the Cubs this week. The Rays have righted the ship after some serious August tumult, the Phillies are starting to look like the reigning NL champs at just the right time and both Wild Card races could break in any number of directions.
So: Where does your favorite team stand? Let’s take a look at the bracket as of August 28 and see what the potential MLB playoff matchups could look like.
MLB playoff bracket: Matchups on August 28
American League
No. 3 Minnesota Twins (68-63; AL Central leader) vs. No. 6 Houston Astros (74-58; third Wild Card)
No. 4 Tampa Bay Rays (80-52; first WC) vs. No. 5 Texas Rangers (73-57; second WC*)
The winner of the 3-6 matchup would face the No. 2 Mariners (74-56; AL West leader) in the Divisional round. The winner of the 4-5 matchup would face the top-seeded Baltimore Orioles (81-49; AL East leader) in the next round.
National League
No. 3 Milwaukee Brewers (73-57; NL Central leader) vs. No. 6 Arizona Diamondbacks (69-62; third WC)
No. 4 Philadelphia Phillies (72-58; first WC) vs. No. 5 Chicago Cubs (69-61; second WC)
The NL Wild Card picture continues to shift; with eight wins in their last 10, the D-backs have moved into the third and final spot, while the Reds and Giants are on the outside looking in at 1.5 games back. The winner of the 3-6 matchup would go on to face the No. 2 Los Angeles Dodgers (80-49; NL West leader) in the Divisional round. The winner of the 4-5 matchup would face the No. 1 Atlanta Braves (84-45; NL East leader) in the next round.