Major League Baseball - Get ready for '08!

[MToolen]

Will Manny be Manny in another city?

Probably.

I'm glad Mather has been stepping up for the Cards. From what I've seen, heard, and experienced, part of the resiliency and staying power of Cardinal Nation is an almost brotherly bond, at least more than being just teammates would indicate. The training partnership of Pujols and Molina is a clear example.

[Pokemaster Ash]

All seems to be rather quiet on the trade front, except for Ken Griffey Jr. heading to the Chicago White Sox. Even as a Cubs fan, I'm impressed (though admittedly I'm a neutral Cubs fan, I like the Sox too). This should make an already interesting situation better, especially considering he's going from an almost-last place NL Central team to a first place AL Central team (this also makes him less of an annoyance to the Cubs, except maybe in Interleague or (Heaven forbid) a Cubs/White Sox World Series).

[mr_pikachu]

So, Manny's a Dodger now. Let's see how he likes playing for a club straddling .500. And Griffey's back to the AL, huh? Interesting. Kind of unexpected, considering the historic mark he just crossed, but maybe the throat-slash sign he made a few days ago went a little too far. Or maybe the Reds are just desperate.

You make a good point about the Cards, MToolen, and that's why I didn't expect St. Louis to make any huge moves near the deadline. There's a lot to be said for the bonds that form between players; I commend the staff as a whole for fostering that sort of environment. When the Cardinals ship off talent, it's usually because they really feel like it's a good deal. (Scott Rolen, anyone?)

[mr_pikachu]

As the insane Cardinals fan I am, I've done a little statistical analysis comparing St. Louis and Milwaukee (virtually even by record; St. Louis has one extra win and loss). This simple analysis calculated the combined winning percentages of all remaining opponents for both teams (factoring in the number of games remaining with each opponent, of course) to give a degree-of-difficulty estimate.

St. Louis' remaining opponents: .513
Milwaukee's remaining opponents: .476

This looked rather terrifying. But then I noticed something. The next few opponents for each team were on the extremes of each end of the scale. Specifically, the Cardinals are in the midst of a series with Philadelphia (2 games remaining) and will then play the Dodgers (3 games), Cubs (3 games), and Marlins (4 games). Milwaukee, on the other hand, is currently bashing Atlanta (2 games remaining) before taking on Cincinnati (3 games), Washington (4 games), and San Diego (3 games). Oddly, each of these stretches ends on August 14. So, averaging the opponents after that point in the year, I obtained the following:

St. Louis' opponents after August 14: .505
Milwaukee's opponents after August 14: .496

Conclusion? St. Louis can maximize their chances to overtake the Brewers by keeping the pace over the next two weeks. If they fall behind significantly, it's over. If they pressure Milwaukee, we can look forward to a wild finish.

[MToolen]

Hooray for Cardinals fans taking this post over. I just want to say that this club should play softball after they retire. Since they'd only play seven innings, they'd win every game.

[mr_pikachu]

Maddux goes to the Dodgers as extra support against Arizona; Padres fans wonder how they fell to last in such a horrid division.

St. Louis is slowly running out of daylight, especially since the Brewers have a fairly easy schedule for the rest of the month. The Cubs, on the other hand, are pulling away; their cross-town rivals hold a much smaller lead.

Seattle's on the verge of being eliminated from contention for the AL West. They could very well be out by the end of this week, as they're now 30.5 games down with 38 left to play.

The Rays have extended their lead to 4.5, while the Yanks continue to fall further down the standings. The Mets, on the other hand, currently lead their three-way dogfight in the NL.

Some races are becoming much clearer. Others are only getting much more interesting. With under 40 games left, it's a frantic race to the finish....

[mr_pikachu]

Huge baseball news!

Umpires, MLB sign agreement on instant replay

It's now inevitable. While no timetable has yet been set - I hope they at least wait until after the playoffs - the sport as a whole seems ready to embrace a new system.


EDIT: Waiting until after the playoffs? What dream world was I living in?

*grumbles*

[Number1ChanseyFan]

The Indians are finally playing good baseball after all of this time and are actually kinda entertaining to watch!! All it took was trading our best players or putting them on the DL!! It's been a lost season, but it has been fun watching Cliff Lee put together that 18-2 record this year, I never expected that!! Actually, knowing the way that Cleveland's luck tends to go, I am really surprised that the Indians didn't trade him this offseason when there were so many rumors going around saying that he would be traded.

And now, I am posting my pride and joy, the Indians Hit-By-Pitch counter. I have no idea what the major league record for a team getting hit by pitches in a single season is, but I know that this year the Indians are definitely the best at getting in the way of the baseball as it leaves the pitcher's hand and travels towards the catcher's mitt. I am so proud of them!! With 2 players getting hit last night, they are up to 84 HBP on the year!! I am so hoping that they make it to 100 this year!!

[mr_pikachu]

Today, the Chicago White Sox fell to 14-11.

As the home team. In Baltimore.

Oh, and by winning their next game, they improved to 75-56 with a two-game winning streak.

If any part of that made any sense to you, please explain Baseball Statistics 101 to me again. I need help.

[Number1ChanseyFan]

Yay!! The Indians have now extended their winning streak to 9 games as Cliff Lee improved to 19-2!! Maybe the Indians are this years version of the 2007 Colorado Rockies!! j/k It was quite an eventful night... Jamey Carroll hit his first home run, and both Asdrubal Cabrera and Franklin Gutierrez were hit by a pitch for the Indians 85th and 86th HBP of the year!! BTW, I found out during the game tonight... the major league record for a team getting hit by pitches in a single season is 100, by the 1997 Houston Astros.

EDIT: Yay!! 10 game winning streak!! The last time the Indians played in Detroit in July, Detroit won both games and sent the Indians to a 10 game losing streak... Also, both Ryan Garko and David Dellucci were hit by pitches, bringing the season total up to 88!! ^_^

EDIT 8/29: Meh, the winning streak is over... but Dellucci got hit by a pitch again!! HBP #89!!

[mr_pikachu]

Ugh. As much as I hate to say it, the door's shutting fast on my Cards... when you can't win against the Houston Astros with Looper going against Moehler and a three-run cushion before your defense hits the field, you've got problems. Ankiel hits a 3-run shot in the first, and you give up 6 in the bottom half... ugh. Way to spoil a 4-for-4 night by Pujols, too.

They're 5.5 behind Milwaukee and tied with the Phillies. St. Louis needs to get moving, and they need to do it now.


EDIT: Brewers want call overturned, no-hitter for CC

Wow. This might be the first time I've ever seen anything like this... a team arguing not with the umpires, but with the official scorer. What the crap?

And players say they don't care about stats. Jeez. I give credit to Sabathia for being the only Brewer not to argue this point. To the rest of them, grow up! If you say he could have thrown out LaRoche - an argument disputed by many - then it's his own fault for dropping the ball. Don't leave it up to a judgment call by the scorer; make the damn play or stop whining. At least C.C. understands that much.


In another story of baseball woe, check out the $300 million migraine.


EDIT2: Philadelphia lost... Milwaukee lost... even the Cubs lost... and the Cardinals failed to pick up a game on everyone. >_<


EDIT3: With Boston's win tonight, the Seattle Mariners are officially the first team eliminated from postseason contention!


EDIT4 (somebody else please post here): You want proof that Floridians don't appreciate baseball? How about Wednesday's game between the contending Marlins and the visiting Braves, which was watched by a whopping 600 fans?


(Note: The "initial text" of this post actually came from my previous post, which I am now deleting in order to avoid triple posting.) >_>

[mr_pikachu]

Whoops! Angels' Sean Rodriguez strikes out after 4-2 count

All the instant replay cameras in the world can't save us now.

[Pokemaster Ash]

And after that agonizing 6 game losing streak, the Cubs are finally looking like themselves again, beating the Cincinatti Reds 14-9 with three homers by Soriano, and two other homers by Mark DeRosa and pitcher Jason Marquis. Can't say much for the efforts of the bullpen, however, but hopefully the Cubs can put those games behind 'em and focus on making their way to the finish line in one piece.

And also YAY, the Diamondbacks got knocked out of first place in the NL West. I don't really want to see them again in the playoffs...

[Number1ChanseyFan]

The Indians really know how to celebrate a 10 game winning streak. Last weekend, coming off 10 consecutive wins, and going into a home series against one of the worst teams around, the Seattle Mariners, the Indians promptly dropped all 3 games. XD Cliff Lee did win his 20th game though, (20-2 record, that is just so awesome looking!!) and it came against the White Sox, which was extra nice considering my err... distaste for the White Sox. The Indians won the first 2 games of the White Sox series, but lost the last one... they really needed a sweep in that series to keep their longest of longshots at making a run at 1st place alive... But c'mon Minnesota, stop blowing all of these games late, and overtake the Sox already!! We took 2 out of 3 from the Sox for you guys, did you really have to get owned by Toronto?!

Oh, and I am getting concerned, the Indians have been stuck on 91 hit batters for a couple of games... they gotta start picking up the pace a little bit if we are going to get the record!!

[mr_pikachu]

Congratulations to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for winning the AL West and becoming the first team in baseball to secure a spot in the '08 playoffs!

[Number1ChanseyFan]

Last night, as the Indians continues their journey back to .500, Franklin Gutierrez was hit by a pitch in the 4th inning, giving the Indians their 92nd HBP of the year, tying the American League record set by the Blue Jays in 1996, and leaving them 8 behind Houston's all time record.

[mr_pikachu]

Damn it all! The Cubs "beat" the Cardinals in a game full of complete crap. From a no-call on an obvious balk that would have tied the game later in the 8th to an idiotic slide past third base by Brendan Ryan in the ninth... ugh. Losing to the Cubs sucks enough, but when it's as idiotic as this game was....

[mr_pikachu]

Angels’ K-Rod gets record 58th save

Congratulations to Francisco Rodriguez, one of the biggest reasons for the Angels' overwhelming postseason push. With 14 games left, how far will he extend his total?

[Pokemaster Ash]

As the Cubs beat the Astros 5-0 and take a 7½ game lead in the NL Central, Carlos Zambrano makes history as he pitches a no-hitter!

.....I am just completely speechless

[mr_pikachu]

News alert!

The Milwaukee Brewers, tied with Philadelphia for the wild card lead with just 12 games to go, have fired manager Ned Yost. The slumping Brewers have left the door wide open for their National League rivals by losing 11 of their last 14 games, and Milwaukee management responded with one of the most untimely baseball firings in history.

[mr_pikachu]

UNBE-FREAKING-LIEVABLE!

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth and a 6-2 lead, Ryan Braun misplayed a line drive to left, giving Amaris Ramirez a double. Edmonds knocked him in with a single to center, DeRosa moved him over with a shot in the right-center gap, and Soto crushed the first pitch he saw over the left field wall. One out away, yet this one's going to extra frames... one of the most absurd comebacks I think I've ever seen.


EDIT: And the Cubs win it in 12. I don't even know who the goat in this game is. Maybe the closer who allowed four runs in the ninth?

[Pokemaster Ash]

I don't know, I was VERY impressed that they came back. The Magic Number is 2!

You're probably just ticked cause the Cubs will be breaking out the champagne and NL Central champs memorabilia while the Cardinals are in the Wrigley Field visitor's clubhouse feeling useless.

[Number1ChanseyFan]

Things are looking up!! All that has to happen for the Indians to make the playoffs is this...

They have to win every game the rest of the way.

Chicago and Minnesota has to lose every game the rest of the way, except for the 3 games that they play against each other in Minnesota. Minnesota must win 2 of those games.

Then, there will be a 3 way tie for first place at the end of the season!! Actually I wonder how that would work. It would be interesting, that's for sure!!

Meh, all of the sudden the opposing pitchers have stopped hitting our players for some reason, that is very disappointing!!

EDIT: Yay!! Finally the Indians got 2 HBP tonight!! The total is up to 94, giving the Indians the American League single season HBP record!! There was also an entertaining fight between the Tigers and the Indians too, and combined with a relatively full stadium that was energetic, it was a pretty fun game with a come from behind win. By winning, the Indians technically held off elimination for another day, but the White Sox beating the Royals has basically eliminated the Indians, since they can only finish with 85 wins, and with Chicago now @ 85, and Minnesota @ 83, and Chicago having 3 games with Minnesota, one of them has to get at least 86 wins. Oh well, I guess it's time to officially announce Cleveland's official motto...

"Maybe next year!!"

So, here's to 7 more hit batters, finishing over .500, and hoping the Twins find a way to overtake the White Sox!! ^_^

[mr_pikachu]

The Angels and Rangers are currently in the midst of a 13-12 battle... after five innings. Yay, defense!

Oh, and Christen, I'm afraid that the White Sox are just one inning away from eliminating your Indians... sorry.

In other news, the Cubs' magic number is one despite taking a 12-6 tumble to the Cardinals, who are looking to trade Adam Kennedy (FINALLY!). The Reds throttled Milwaukee 11-2, while Florida yanked Philadelphia 14-8 and Houston shut down the Pirates, 5-1.

Noteworthy games in the AL included Boston's homerless 4-3 victory over Toronto, taking away any chance for the Jays or Yanks to win the AL East outright, and a devastating 11-1 win by Tampa Bay over the Twins. New York barely held on to its AL East hopes by taking down Baltimore 3-2, but they could be eliminated from postseason contention before the weekend is done.

[Pokemaster Ash]

Oh well, I guess it's time to officially announce Cleveland's official motto...

"Maybe next year!!"

You know you're gonna get sued by Cubs fans.

I'm glad to hear the Brewers got destroyed today. Makes me feel better about what happened earlier today. At least the Cubs managed to make it 12-6 instead of getting plowed 12-2. The magic number is 1, odds are very good on a clinch tomorrow.

And yay, the White Sox remain alive. It would be nice to see them in the playoffs alongside the Cubs for once. Maybe they can play spoiler in the AL playoffs and set the Cubs up for an easy shot in the World Series?</waytoohopeful>

[Number1ChanseyFan]

You know you're gonna get sued by Cubs fans.

Nah I don't think so, I mean we are practically the American League version of the Cubs, us Indian fans have a lot in common with you guys. Besides, you guys can't keep everything to yourselves. I mean, if you sue us for "maybe next year", then where is it going to stop? Are you going to sue us in 2048 when we play up the "100 years since winning our last World Series?"

Wow I'll be old in 2048... what am I saying? I'm already getting old now!!

BTW, don't get too confident about the White Sox setting you up for an easy World Series win... afterall, they had a crappy team go all the way in 2005.

[Pokemaster Ash]

Perhaps, but the Cubs can usually beat the White Sox up pretty good no matter what. They're pretty much .500 all-time against each other, so it could go either way, but the Cubs have the better team of the two of them.

[Number1ChanseyFan]

Perhaps, but the Cubs can usually beat the White Sox up pretty good no matter what. They're pretty much .500 all-time against each other, so it could go either way, but the Cubs have the better team of the two of them.

Well, good luck to your Cubs anyways, they definitely have my support to win it all. Then the Indians will have the longest streak in the majors without winning a World Series. And after your Cubs win it all this year, you will still have 40 years to celebrate being the only team to go 100 years between World Series victories, because believe me, the Indians WILL break your streak, they will make it well beyond 100 years. We had one "unbreakable" streak broken this year when the Red Sox passed our 455 consecutive regular season sellout streak, but we will not lose this record, I promise.

So... the Indians have made it back to .500, it was a long, hard fight to get back to being average. The Indians will get to see Paul Byrd pitching for Boston next week. For some reason, it seems especially weird to play against somebody that was playing for your team earlier in the same year, especially since it is for Boston, against who he pitched so well against in the ALCS last year. Oh well, it is something to look forward to anyways, even though he has always owned Cleveland when pitching against them.

And most importantly, Jamey Carroll became the 95th Cleveland batter to be battered by an opposing pitcher when he was hit by a pitch in the first inning!! ^_^

[Pokemaster Ash]

And today, the Cubs clinch the NL Central for the second year in a row. This is the first time they've one back-to-back titles of ANY kind since....well, since 1907 & 1908. Do the history buffs in the audience think that sounds familiar? (Well, they got the pennant in 1906 as well, but lost to the White Sox in the World Series)

While not set in stone, looking like the playoff assortment is going to be Angels, Cubs, Rays, Mets, White Sox, Dodgers, Red Sox, and Phillies. Of course, the Brewers, Diamondbacks, and Twins could still sneak in, but the odds decrease day by day.

[mr_pikachu]

Goodbye, Yankee Stadium.

[Number1ChanseyFan]

Goodbye, Yankee Stadium.

I still can't help but be a little surprised that Yankee Stadium is being closed. I mean, the Yankees had such great luck in there, it makes you wonder why they would want to change anything. lol But yeah, the Indians have a part in their history, such as playing the final playoff game at Yankee Stadium last year... Also, the Indians get to play the Yankees next year on Opening Day at their new $1.3 billion stadium, which is pretty awesome IMO. I would love to have tickets to that game, even though Yankee Stadium is probably over 7 hours away from me.

So, the Indians played their final home game of the year and got above .500. Now, we finish the season with a rematch of last year's ALCS (although Beckett vs. Jackson doesn't look like a favorable matchup tonight XD) and a chance to ruin the White Sox's season, but if we are going to mess up the White Sox, Minnesota has got to do their part too against the White Sox this week.

BTW, Grady Sizemore earned our 96th HBP of the year yesterday!!

EDIT: Meh, I must admit that I am a little surprised that the Indians won this game... I mean, they were owned by Josh Beckett in the playoffs last year, and I certainly didn't think that Zach Jackson would be the guy to beat him, but I guess that is why you play the games. If only we could turn back time, and tonight was Game 7 of the ALCS... oh well, better late than never, right?!

But the best part of tonight was in the second inning, when Ryan Garko and Kelly Shoppach combined for back to back.... hit by pitches!! But the Indians weren't finished there... in the 5th inning, Ben Francisco was hit by a pitch too!! That was 3 in 1 game!! I don't know if it makes up for what Boston did to the Tribe last October, but I still appreciate the effort!!

So, the total is now up to 99 HBP. The next Cleveland hitter to be hit will tie the record, and the one after that will break it!! 6 games remaining, and only 2 more hit batters to go!! This is definitely getting exciting now!! ^_^

EDIT 2: Wow, Cleveland loses at Fenway and a huge celebration breaks out on the field... looks so similar to how last season ended... but this time it doesn't matter, we had nothing to lose, and Kelly Shoppach made history tonight when he was hit by a pitch to bring the total of Indians hit by pitches this year up to a major league record tying 100!! One more battered batter and the record is ours!!

Oh, and the Twins are killing the White Sox!! Yay!!

[mr_pikachu]

The Yankees decided to tear down the House That Ruth Built, and now they've been eliminated from postseason contention. Please, oh please let this be the new curse of the Bambino....

[mr_pikachu]

Hey, you remember that guy? You know, the one who hit 73 home runs in 2001? The guy who broke McGwire's record after inflating like a blow-up doll?

Yeah, you'd forgotten him. Happily, too, I'm sure. Sorry for reminding you. But according to the government, he already tested positive for 'roids.

[Number1ChanseyFan]

The Indians are now proud owners of the all time Major League record for being hit by pitches in a season, breaking the 1997 Houston Astros record of 100. Grady Sizemore became the 101st Indian to be hit this year... we may as well throw in a couple more over the weekend to make sure the record stays out of reach!!

Twins are down 6-3 in the 5th Come on guys, the Indians are gonna help you out over the weekend!! ^_^ Then we can make the choke sign that Ozzie Guillen made to us back in the final series of 2005 when the Indians err... choked lol

[Pokemaster Ash]

Okay, whoever the umpire was that was in charge of the grounds crew tonight in the Cubs/Mets game should be fired, or at least demoted to minor league games. It was raining torrentially throughout most of the damn game and there wasn't a single rain delay! It should have ended in the 7th, with the rain coming down like crazy (and incidentally, the Cubs with a 6-3 lead). Instead they play on, the wet ground actually causing a player to slip and fall and a run to score in the process. I thought at that point it was automatically time to bring out the tarp when players can't keep their footing? Seems to be that way every other time I see players falling over on wet ground.

Instead of the Cubs winning 6-3 in a rain-shortened game (any intelligent umpire would have called it instead of letting it keep going like that, even if the game was crucial to playoff standings), the Mets win 7-6 and ruin the Cubs' chances for a 100-win season. What the f***!? Someone should really take a look at that game and see if it should have been put into rain delay at some point so the infield could dry out a little, or at least something put on the infield to maintain traction much sooner than the bottom of the 8th inning.

[mr_pikachu]

Oh, you're just mad that the backup catcher blew the game by falling over like a one-legged stool. ^_^

Incidentally, what do you have to be mad about? The Cubs are in the playoffs with the NL's best record. Greed is a sure route to disaster, you know... just ask Bill Belichick.

[Pokemaster Ash]

It's not so much I'm angry the Cubs didn't win. I'm angry that tonight's umpires apparently have no concern at all for the safety of the players. I remember in one game that was completely called off (prior to the 5th inning, so nothing counted) at Wrigley a couple of years back in which a player got seriously injured due to the conditions. That pretty much was the end of the game right there. What if a Cubs or Mets player got injured in tonight's game as a result of the sloppy terrain? That's careless, really.

[mr_pikachu]

It's about time we talked playoff scenarios!

At present, five of the eight playoff spots have been claimed:


AL East Champion: Tampa Bay
AL West Champion: LA Angels
AL Wild Card: Boston
NL Central Champion: Chicago Cubs
NL West Champion: LA Dodgers


The Cubs have clinched home field advantage until the World Series, but the Angels have yet to do so. The only way they will lose that right, though, is if they lose their last three games and the Devil Rays win their last three. Based on the head-to-head tiebreaker, Tampa Bay would have home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

With three games left, Tampa Bay leads Boston by two. If they wind up tied, Boston will be the AL East champion thanks to the head-to-head tiebreak, and Tampa will enter as the wild card.

Should Minnesota and the White Sox tie, on the other hand, they will have a one-game playoff to decide who moves on and who goes home - any ties that would eliminate a team must be decided by playoff games. Home field advantage for that playoff would be determined by a coin flip.

If the LA Angels are the AL's top-ranked team, they will play the wild card winner (either Boston or Tampa), leaving the division champion to face Minnesota or the Chicago Sox. Ironically, that scenario holds even if Tampa pulls out a comeback on the Angels in these last three games - they can't play the wild card if it's from their own division.

To the NL! If Milwaukee wins the wild card, the Cubs will face the Dodgers and the Brewers will play the NL East winner (Philadelphia/NY Mets). Should either the Phillies or the Mets win the wild card, Chicago would play that team and the Dodgers would square off against the NL East winner.

If the Phillies and Mets end their season in a tie, and both of them have better records than Milwaukee, the Mets will win the division based on the head-to-head tiebreak.

If the Phils, Mets, and Brewers are in a three-way tie at the end of the season, the former two teams will play first to determine the division champion. The loser will then play the Brewers to decide the wild card.

The Astros are still in it, too. If they get into a three-way tie with the Brewers and Mets, the three will be designated teams "A," "B," and "C." The Astros will have the right to choose their designation first, since they have the highest winning percentage between the three teams. (Earlier tiebreaks are omitted since Milwaukee was better in head-to-head matchups against Houston, Houston was better than the Mets, and New York was better than the Brewers.) The Brewers will choose second, and the Mets third. Team "A" will then host team "B," and the winner will play at home against team "C."



Don't like reading so much text? Let me summarize it in statistical form.

(I'll omit the obvious ones... all ties that would eliminate a team have to be decided with a playoff game, and teams can't play the division series against a divisional rival.)

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCENARIOS

Minnesota > Chicago Sox
#1 LA Angels vs. #4 Boston
#2 Tampa Bay vs. #3 Minnesota

Chicago Sox > Minnesota
#1 LA Angels vs. #4 Boston
#2 Tampa Bay vs. #3 Chicago Sox



NATIONAL LEAGUE SCENARIOS

Philadelphia = NY Mets, Philadelphia & NY Mets > Milwaukee
#1 Chicago Cubs vs. #4 Philadelphia
#2 NY Mets vs. #3 LA Dodgers

Philadelphia = NY Mets = Milwaukee
Playoff #1 (NL East Champion): Philadelphia vs. NY Mets
Playoff #2 (NL Wild Card): Playoff #1 Loser vs. Milwaukee

Philadelphia > NY Mets, NY Mets > Milwaukee
#1 Chicago Cubs vs. #4 NY Mets
#2 Philadelphia vs. #3 LA Dodgers

NY Mets > Philadelphia, Philadelphia > Milwaukee
#1 Chicago Cubs vs. #4 Philadelphia
#2 NY Mets vs. #3 LA Dodgers

Philadelphia > NY Mets, Milwaukee > NY Mets
#1 Chicago Cubs vs. #4 LA Dodgers
#2 Philadelphia vs. #3 Milwaukee

NY Mets > Philadelphia, Milwaukee > NY Mets
#1 Chicago Cubs vs. #4 LA Dodgers
#2 NY Mets vs. #3 Milwaukee



If the regular season ended today...

AMERICAN LEAGUE

#1 LA Angels vs. #4 Boston
#2 Tampa Bay vs. #3 Minnesota



NATIONAL LEAGUE

#1 Chicago Cubs vs. #4 LA Dodgers
#2 Philadelphia vs. #3 Milwaukee

...Any questions?

(Thanks to Baseball-Reference.com.)


EDIT: Whoops, I forgot that the Astros were still mathematically alive.


EDIT2: Scenarios edited to reflect the most recent results.

[Number1ChanseyFan]

Yay!! 11-8 win over the White Sox last night!! Ryan Garko had his first ever multi-home run game and first ever grand slam, and the Indians even threw in 2 more hit by pitches to strengthen our record, now at 103.

Unfortunately the Twins also lost... Come on guys, we are trying to help you out!!

EDIT: Meh, if only there was another week or two in the season the Indians may have ended up winning this division lol. Oh well, more fun at the White Sox expense, which is the best kind of fun. But really Minnesota, we can't win this thing for you, you are going to have to win a game eventually... help us help you!!

[mr_pikachu]

Well, 'sota won today, but so did the Sox. Now, if Chicago can win their makeup game tomorrow against Detroit, they'll host the Twins in a one-game playoff for the division, with the winner facing the Rays.

In other news, the Mets collapsed at the end again hanging Milwaukee the wild card and a generous matchup against Philadelphia, who held a meager two-game advantage over the Brewers in the regular season. That leaves the Cubs to face the Dodgers and Boston with a duel against the AL's Los Angeles.

In conclusion...

Los Angeles Angels vs. Boston Red Sox
Tampa Bay Devil Rays vs. Minnesota Twins OR Chicago White Sox

Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Milwaukee Brewers