MLB Playoff Race Hits Fever Pitch: Cardinals, Dodgers and Yankees Situations
Grant White
Host · Writer
If you thought the MLB playoff race was already crazy, wait until you see what this week has in store.
Schedule-makers bequeathed fans with what will surely be one of the most heated weeks of the season, pitting several playoff-hopeful teams against each other.
The current situation has left sportsbooks baffled, with only a handful of odds ‘To Make the Playoffs’ up on the futures boards. But as the week unfolds, more should become available for wagering.
Let’s see what the week of August 12 has in store!
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Crucial AL Central Matchup
As it stands, the Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins are comfortably in wild card spots, but that could change in a hurry after their three-game set starting on Monday.
The Royals represent the final postseason berth, sitting 2.5 games clear of the Seattle Mariners. Minnesota doesn’t have much more breathing room with an additional half-game advantage, 3.0 up on the M’s. While a sweep for either team only solidifies their grip on a wild card spot, it could propel the opposing squad out of the top seven.
Brady Singer leads the Royals into the series-opener, with the Twins countering with Pablo Lopez. Given Lopez’s lackluster effort last time out, it’s surprising to see Minnesota installed as a chalky -156 favorite.
No Clarity in the East
The New York Yankees remain locked in a bitter showdown with the Baltimore Orioles for top spot in the AL East. Both teams have unobstructed paths to start the week, with New York facing off against the historically bad Chicago White Sox and the O’s battling the down-and-out Washington Nationals.
These teams only have one series left at the end of September, meaning this division race could simmer for a while before it boils over.
Wild, Wild AL West
A similar situation is unfolding in the AL West. After leading the division for virtually the entire season, the Seattle Mariners have conceded ground to the perennial powerhouse Houston Astros. With both teams tied, how they handle business over the next few weeks will go a long way in determining who emerges from the wreckage.
The M’s are in tough against the Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers to open the week, while the Astros travel to Central Florida for a date with the scrappy Tampa Bay Rays.
Impact on the AL Wild Card Race
Inevitably, how those series play out will profoundly impact the playoff races.
The Rays are at the edge of contention, needing to make up 5.5 games and leapfrog three teams to usurp the Royals for the final playoff spot. With help from the Tigers and Twins, an unexpected series sweep of the Astros could turn the AL playoff picture on its head by mid-week.
National League Nonsense
While the division races are less contested, a logjam of National League teams are still vying for a postseason berth. We’ll see the madness unfold before our eyes with several high-stakes matchups to open the week.
Gray’s Revenge
Most prominently, the St. Louis Cardinals tangle with the Cincinnati Reds for ground in the NL playoff race. Cincinnati is 4.5 games back, with the Cardinals a meager 1.5 behind the faltering Atlanta Braves. St. Louis sends three-time All-Star Sonny Gray to the bump as -130 chalk for Monday’s tilt.
Obviously, bettors are eating up the revenge angle as Gray takes to the mound at Great American Ballpark for the first time since being traded in March 2022. A win on Monday sets the table for the rest of the series and could move the Cardinals to within a half-game of a wild card spot.
West Coast Night Caps
However, most dust is being kicked up with three crucial West Coast battles.
The San Diego Padres have whittled away at the Los Angeles Dodgers lead in the NL West to 3.5 games. They can continue their ascent, simultaneously pushing the Pittsburgh Pirates out of contention, with their three-game set in Southern California.
Likewise, the Arizona Diamondbacks can keep their NL West title hopes alive versus the intra-divisional rival Colorado Rockies. Arizona is tied with the Padres for second in the division, leading the wild card pack.
LA embarks on a seven-game road trip, starting with four against the Milwaukee Brewers and then three versus the Cardinals.
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The Beaten Braves
Lastly, the struggling Atlanta Braves have earned the distinction as one of the worst teams in baseball, dropping seven of their last eight. Their freefall was punctuated by a shockingly bad loss to the Rockies on Sunday, giving up seven runs in the bottom of the eighth to relinquish a six-run lead.
Things don’t get any easier as they head to the Bay Area for a crucial test versus the San Francisco Giants. The Braves are clinging to the final wild-card berth but are only 1.5 games clear of San Fran. We could see Atlanta hit a new low by mid-week, depending on how things go.
The betting market has invested in the Braves, installing them as -118 favorites on Monday night. But that trust might be misplaced, as the Giants send a scorching Blake Snell to the mound for the series opener.
Final Thoughts
The MLB futures market will be on the move this week. While offerings are scant now, expect more clarity and options as the week progresses.
For now, pick your spots and watch the situation evolve, if not turn into an utter train wreck, by the middle of the week.
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