The NL Wild Card race is a tight one, with six teams within 5.5 games of earning a playoff berth at the moment. If the season ended today, the Milwaukee Brewers would clinch the NL Central. As it stands, they need just one win or one Cubs loss to grab the division. The Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers have already clinched the East and West, respectively, and hold the top two seeds by a significant margin — though L.A. can still track down Atlanta for the No. 1 spot with a hot final week. With just days remaining, here’s where things stand in the NL Wild Card picture on Monday, September 25.
NL Wild Card standings: Monday, September 25
1st Wild Card: Philadelphia Phillies — 87-69, +5.0
2nd Wild Card: Arizona Diamondbacks — 82-73, +0.5
3rd Wild Card: Chicago Cubs — 82-74, —
Miami Marlins — 81-75, 1.0 GB
Cincinnati Reds — 80-77, 2.5 GB
San Diego Padres — 77-79, 5.0 GB
San Francisco Giants — 77-79, 5.0 GB
The Marlins took two of three from Milwaukee over the weekend to stay just one game behind the Cubs, while the slumping Reds salvaged the final game of their series against the Pirates on Sunday and sit 2.5 back. With just one week remaining in the regular season, this will be a massive week for every team on the bubble.
The Cubs will face the Milwaukee Brewers at the end of the week, who by that time will have already likely clinched the division. First, though, they have to play the Braves this week, who still have something to play for as they hold a 3.5-game lead over the Dodgers for the NL’s top seed. The Marlins, face the Pirates and the Mets this week, two teams with virtually no chance at reaching the playoffs. The Reds take on the Guardians and the Cardinals this week, while the Padres and Giants kick off their three-game set with what is essentially an elimination game in San Francisco tonight.