Believe it or not, we are on the cusp of September, and that means postseason races are heating up with just one month remaining in the regular season.
Naturally, this is a good time to take stock of where the contenders stand. So here’s a look at the playoff picture as it stands now, including which teams are in position to be playing in October and which teams are within striking distance:
DIVISION RACES
Wild, Wild West
In the AL West, the Astros have proven that their dynastic run over the past eight years isn’t over despite losing Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker last offseason.
Houston is clinging to a two-game lead over the Mariners thanks to five wins in seven games since being swept in Detroit. Seattle, meanwhile, has been streaky of late, losing five straight before winning four of the next six. The clubs, who have at times had some chippy moments, will meet for what could be a huge series in Houston from Sept. 19-21.
Over in the NL West, the Dodgers briefly lost their grip on first place over the Padres earlier this month, but Los Angeles regained its footing and has won four straight games. That winning streak coincided with the Padres losing three of four. The result is a two-game lead for the Dodgers, who control their own destiny since they have already won the season series against San Diego.
Intrigue in the East, cushion in the Central
The AL East has undergone a sea change over the past couple of months, with the Blue Jays surging to the top of the division while the Yankees slid into third place behind Boston. The Red Sox are red hot, coming off a four-game sweep of the Orioles and wins in seven of their last eight games to climb significantly in the standings -- they’re just 3 1/2 games behind Toronto.
The current leaders in the three remaining divisions are perched comfortably atop the standings -- the Tigers lead the AL Central by 8 1/2 games despite being swept by the A’s, the Brewers lead the NL Central by 6 1/2 over the Cubs and the Phillies have a five-game lead over the Mets in the NL East.
Despite being swept by the Mets earlier this week, the Phillies rebounded with a blowout win over the Braves while the Mets lost to the Marlins. The rivals will meet for the final time this season for four games at Citizens Bank Park from Sept. 8-11.
WILD CARD RACES
Historic rivals neck-and-neck in AL
The Red Sox currently lead the AL Wild Card race by the slimmest of margins over the Yankees, with just a half-game separating the archrivals thanks in large part to Boston’s three wins in a four-game set in the Bronx last week. The Mariners currently occupy the third Wild Card spot, two games behind New York.
The Mariners don’t have any head-to-head matchups remaining against either the Red Sox or the Yankees. And Seattle currently does not own the tiebreaker against either club -- the Mariners split the season series with Boston but Boston has a better intradivision record; and Seattle lost the season series to New York after going 1-5 against the Yanks.
The Yankees and Red Sox, however, have one more head-to-head series remaining, from Sept. 12-14, at Fenway Park.
There are three clubs within five games of an AL Wild Card spot -- the Royals (3 games back), Rangers (4 1/2) and Guardians (5).
NL race tightens at the top while Reds try to keep close
In the NL, there’s just one club within five games of the third Wild Card position -- the Reds are four games back of the Mets. The Cubs' lead over the Padres for the top Wild Card spot has been cut to one after Chicago was swept in San Francisco. And the Mets are three behind San Diego.
The Cubs and Mets will meet in the penultimate series of the regular season, from Sept. 23-25 at Wrigley Field. Chicago and San Diego split their six-game season series and each has the same intradivision record, but the Padres hold the next tiebreaker, which is interdivision record.
And the Mets were swept by the Padres in three games at Petco Park last month, but they’ll meet for another three-game series at Citi Field from Sept. 16-18.
TOP OVERALL SEED
With the Tigers dropping four straight and the Blue Jays continuing to surge, Toronto (78-56) has leap-frogged Detroit for the best record in the AL and the league’s No. 1 overall seed. The Jays are just a half-game ahead of the Tigers for that distinction as Toronto opens a big series against the team with baseball’s best record, the Brewers, on Friday.
The top seed in the NL is currently held by those Brewers, who are 5 1/2 games clear of the Dodgers and Phillies, each of whom have identical records at 77-57. If Milwaukee can maintain MLB’s best record through the season’s final month, it will have home field advantage throughout the postseason, including the World Series.
FIRST ROUND BYE
Only four games separate the top seed in the AL (Blue Jays) and the No. 3 seed (Astros), with the top two seeds at the end of the regular season qualifying for byes in the first round of the playoffs. Currently, Toronto and Detroit are in position for first-round byes, though Houston is well within striking distance with one month to go.
On the NL side, the Brewers have a comfortable cushion in their quest for a first round bye, but the Dodgers and Phillies are in a dead heat for the second Wild Card spot to clinch a bye in the first round. Los Angeles and Philadelphia will face off for the final time this season from Sept. 15-17 at Dodger Stadium.
HOME FIELD IN WILD CARD ROUND
Why is it important to win a division title and at least secure a No. 3 seed in each league? Because while the No. 3 seed doesn’t get a bye in the first round, it does get to host the best-of-three Wild Card Series against the No. 6 seed.
Right now, the No. 3 seeds belong to the Astros in the AL and the Phillies in the NL (while the Phils have the same record as the Dodgers, Los Angeles currently holds the intradivision record tiebreaker).
If the season was to end today, Houston would host the Mariners in the Wild Card round and Philadelphia would host the rival Mets.