MLB Standings: NL Wild Card still a jumbled mess

There is just over a monty left in MLB’s regular season and there are still a number of teams in the race for one of the final playoff spots. Most of the division races appear to over with the exception of the NL Central, but the Wild Card races look like they might go down to the final day.

The Atlanta Braves saw their five-game winning streak come to an end Sunday, but they maintained their 13.5 game lead in the NL East standings. The Los Angeles Dodgers have won two straight and nine of 10 overall to open up an 11.5 game advantage over the Giants in the NL West. One significant race that the Braves have left is for home field advantage throughout the postseason. Atlanta currently holds the best record in the majors with an 80-43 mark. That is four games better than the Dodgers who are 75-47 entering play Monday.

The Milwaukee Brewers currently hold a 3.0 game advantage over the Cubs in the NL Central with the Red still lurking 4.0 games back.

Before we look at the Wild Card race, a quick reminder on the playoff format. If the season ended today, the Braves would be the No. 1 seed and would host the winner of the No. 4 and No. 5 matchup from the Wild Card round. The Dodgers would host the Brewers or the final Wild Card team.

Things are very unsettled for the Wild Card. The Phillies currently hold a 2.5 game advantage over everyone for the top spot, but are 19-16 since the All-Star break and have series losses to the Pirates, Guardians and Nationals on the road. They still look like the most capable team among this group, but simply haven’t pulled away from the pack.

The Giants are two games back of the Phillies and just dropped two of three in Atlanta. They have lost seven of 10 and will begin a three-game series in Philadelphia on Monday.

Behind the Giants are the Cubs who are just a half game back at 64-59. Chicago has won two-straight and six of 10. They lead the Diamondbacks, Reds and Marlins, who are all 64-61, by 1.0 game. The Padres, despite being 59-66 are still technically alive, but are 6.0 games back and on life support. The curious thing about San Diego is that their +57 run differential is better than the Brewers, Phillies, Diamondbacks, Reds and Marlins.