AL good, NL bad
In case you didn't know, the Seattle Mariners currently hold the Wild Card slot for the AL postseason. They're only a half game ahead of the Yankees, though, and 3.5 games ahead of the Tigers. The Red Sox, Indians, and Angels all hold their respective division leads, but the Mariners, Yankees, and Tigers are all close. The Twins have an outside chance of taking the Central, since they're only six games back. None of the other seven AL teams have any shot for the postseason, if you ask me.
In the NL, the Mets, Cubs, and Diamondbacks hold the division leads, with the Padres holding the Wild Card slot. The Phillies, Braves, Dodgers, Rockies, Brewers, and Cardinals are all within six games of the Padres. Of those, the Dodgers and Rockies are the only teams out of the running for their own divisions. The other six NL teams aren't worth mentioning.
In summary, seven out of the fourteen AL teams still have hopes, while ten out of the sixteen NL teams still have hopes. Why does the NL always seem to be mushier like this than the AL?
I like to divide MLB teams into "good," "average," and "bad" groupings based on winning percentage, with dividing lines of .450 and .550. The NL's only two good teams are the Mets and the Diamondbacks. They have five unmentionable bad teams. The AL's good teams are the Red Sox, Angels, Mariners, Yankees, and Indians. The AL only has four bad teams.
So the NL is -3 on average, while the AL is +1 on average. What's wrong with the NL this year?
9 comments:
I'm now writing off the Twins. Too far back.
The Mets have cinched their division, leaving the Phillies' and Braves' only hopes being the Wild Card.
Similar for the Yankees. The Mariners can't shake them but the Red Sox did.
The Cardinals are in the other boat, however. They're no longer in the running for the Wild Card, but still in the thick of the Central Division (NL).
The Brewers are out of the Wild Card race. The Rockies are holding on by a thread.
Okay, that's it. The Mariners don't have a chance to catch the Angels. Maybe, just maybe, they'll be able to retake the Yankees for the Wild Card, though. Maybe.
The Indians have wrapped up the Central Division. The Tigers' only hope now is the Wild Card.
The Braves have fallen out of the NL Wild Card hunt. Rather quickly, too. See you next year, Atlanta!
M's gone. Boo!!!
The Tigers just aren't catching the Yankees. The AL postseason lineup has been finalized: Red Sox, Indians, and Angels, with the Yankees as the Wild Card.
Over in the NL, the Cardinals are out, as are the Dodgers and Rockies. 3.5 games back just doesn't cut it anymore. Only two and a half weeks to play!
The Padres can't catch the Diamondback any longer. But at least they still own the Wild Card slot!
The Phillies are gone, slipping too far back from the Padres in the Wild Card race.
This means the only race left is the NL Central, with the Cubs and Brewers. I'm sure a few other teams will tell you they're still in the hunt for the postseason, but I wouldn't believe them.
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