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The final two weeks of the regular season are upon us and the playoff picture for the National League is still unsettled. Things have tightened even further since our last look. Despite their weekend hangover in Miami, the Atlanta Braves still have the best record in the National League and would be the top seed throughout the postseason if they playoffs started today. The race though isn’t over yet. The Dodgers clinched the NL West over the weekend and are just four games behind the Braves in the loss column.
The Brewers have widened their lead in the Central to 6.5 games and their magic number to clinch the division is down to seven.
NL Division Leaders
| Division Leaders | W | L | PCT | WCGB | L10 | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division Leaders | W | L | PCT | WCGB | L10 | STRK |
| Atlanta Braves* | 103 | 57 | .644 | - | 7-3 | L1 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers* | 99 | 61 | .619 | - | 6-4 | W1 |
| Milwaukee Brewers* | 91 | 69 | .569 | - | 7-3 | W3 |
Before we look at the Wild Card race, a quick reminder on the playoff format. If the season ended today, the Braves would face the winner of the Phillies and Diamondbacks in the Division Series. The Dodgers would face the Brewers or the final wild card team, which right now is still up for grabs.
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Despite going 4-6 over their last 10 games, the Phillies still have a tight grasp on the top wild card spot. Philadelphia will begin a three-game series in Atlanta on Monday. The Diamondbacks were eliminated from the NL West race, but a three-game sweep of the Cubs has vaulted them into the second wild card spot. They will wrap up their homestand with a two-game series against the Giants starting Tuesday.
The Cubs are still just a half game back of Arizona, but are reeling after a disastrous 1-5 road trip. In addition to the three-game sweep against the Diamondbacks, they dropped two of three in Colorado. They will begin their final homestand of the regular season with a three game series against the Pirates Tuesday.
The Marlins’ big weekend against the Braves vaulted them into a tie with the Cubs for the final spot. Miami got Jorge Soler back Sunday, but are still without Sandy Alcantara. They will begin a three-game series against the Mets Monday.
NL Wild Card Standings
| Wild Card Teams | W | L | PCT | WCGB | L10 | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card Teams | W | L | PCT | WCGB | L10 | STRK |
| Philadelphia Phillies* | 89 | 72 | .553 | 5.0+ | 7-3 | L3 |
| Miami Marlins | 84 | 76 | .525 | 0.5+ | 6-4 | W3 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 84 | 77 | .522 | -- | 5-5 | L3 |
The Reds took two of three from the Mets over the weekend in New York and are just a half game back of the Cubs and the Marlins. They will begin their final homestand Monday with a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins.
The Giants remain alive at two games back, but are reeling after dropping two of three to the Rockies at Coors Field. They will head to Arizona for a brief two-game series before finishing up their road trip with a four-game set in Los Angeles against the Dodgers.
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