It's the final weekend of the season and... oh wow.
The AL is decided - it's going to be the Yankees and the Indians, the Red Sox and the Angels.
But the NL... oh my.
In the East, the Mets are fighting off the surging Phillies. They've only got one game on them. The Mets just got swept by Washington; they have a rain delay makeup today against St. Louis at home, then finish the season against the Marlins. Conventional wisdom says they can go 4-0 here and head to October, if not excited, at least relieved.
The Phillies aren't going to give them any room, though - they finish a three games series against Atlanta and then play three against the Nationals at home. If they finish the season by sweeping the team that just swept the Mets, watch out for them in the postseason. That's classic Git'er Dun. There's no room for them to drop a game though; if the Mets stumble, they've got to be right there to make it count.
What to watch: Every game matters. But the one to watch will probably be Phillies vs. Nationals on Saturday afternoon: The Mets start a few hours earlier than the Phillies, so if they fall behind, the Phils will see an open door. And if the Mets jump ahead, they'll see a must-win. Either way, the game's sure to play games with their heads.
The Phillies are also 1 game back in the Wild Card chase, and looking at their rivals' schedules, they've got a better shot at that.
The West is where things really get interesting. Arizona's still the team on top...but barely. The Padres are right behind them, and the Rockies are two games behind them. Two games might seem like enough with only four games to play, but three of those games are against the Rockies... who are sizzling hot, having won their last 10. The Rockies could conceivably knock off the DBacks and win the division. And if they do that, man, look out for the guys in purple in October.
And the Rockies need to stay hot to fend off the Phillies. They are tied right behind the Padres in the Wild Card chase, and while the Padres are playing a tough team, so the door might open, the Phillies aren't. So the Rocks have got to keep winning, against a tough team, to be around in October.
Then there are the Padres - after losing Bradley to Umpire-baiting on Sunday, it's tempting to count them out. But apparently they don't see it that way. They're still on top of the Wild Card race, and they've won two heading into Milwaukee starting tonight.
And won't that be an interesting series! Milwaukee's two behind Chicago in the Central with four to play, and has no shot at the wild card. So it's do or die time for both of these teams. If the Brewers can sweep the Padres - no simple task - and Chicago stumbles against unpredictable Cincinnati, it would put the Brewers atop the AL Central and knock the Padres out of the playoffs altogether - Opening the door for the Rockies - or the Phillies. Or the Dbacks, if the Rockies play well in Arizona.
So many teams still in it! The Mets, the Phillies, the Cubs, the Brewers, the Dbacks, the Padres, the Rockies. 7 teams competing for 4 spots with 4 games to go.
Games to watch: That first game of both the Rockies/Diamondbacks and the Brewers/Padres series. See who sets the tone. These are the series we wait 155 games to get to.
The Schedule:
Tonight - Game 1 of Padres at Brewers, 6:05 my time. But I'll be at work.
Tomorrow - Game 1 of Rockies at Diamondbacks, 6:05 my time. But I'll be hosting a dinner. And I'll be blacked out of it, living in Colorado. Maybe I can catch the end of it on the radio.
Saturday - Game 2 of Marlins at Mets, 11:10 am
Game 2 of Nationals at Phillies, 1:55 pm.
Game 3 of Padres at Brewers, 1:55 pm.
Game 2 of Rockies at Dbacks, 6:05 pm. On the radio for me.
Planning to watch a lot of baseball on Saturday. We'll see what the wife thinks. ;)
Sunday - the last day of the season, so we'll see which games still really matter. It's exciting that so many of them really could.
Sadly, I've got to work all day.
Monday - any one game playoffs to decide October entries? We'll see.
and then... on to October!
Blogged with Flock
But the NL... oh my.
In the East, the Mets are fighting off the surging Phillies. They've only got one game on them. The Mets just got swept by Washington; they have a rain delay makeup today against St. Louis at home, then finish the season against the Marlins. Conventional wisdom says they can go 4-0 here and head to October, if not excited, at least relieved.
The Phillies aren't going to give them any room, though - they finish a three games series against Atlanta and then play three against the Nationals at home. If they finish the season by sweeping the team that just swept the Mets, watch out for them in the postseason. That's classic Git'er Dun. There's no room for them to drop a game though; if the Mets stumble, they've got to be right there to make it count.
What to watch: Every game matters. But the one to watch will probably be Phillies vs. Nationals on Saturday afternoon: The Mets start a few hours earlier than the Phillies, so if they fall behind, the Phils will see an open door. And if the Mets jump ahead, they'll see a must-win. Either way, the game's sure to play games with their heads.
The Phillies are also 1 game back in the Wild Card chase, and looking at their rivals' schedules, they've got a better shot at that.
The West is where things really get interesting. Arizona's still the team on top...but barely. The Padres are right behind them, and the Rockies are two games behind them. Two games might seem like enough with only four games to play, but three of those games are against the Rockies... who are sizzling hot, having won their last 10. The Rockies could conceivably knock off the DBacks and win the division. And if they do that, man, look out for the guys in purple in October.
And the Rockies need to stay hot to fend off the Phillies. They are tied right behind the Padres in the Wild Card chase, and while the Padres are playing a tough team, so the door might open, the Phillies aren't. So the Rocks have got to keep winning, against a tough team, to be around in October.
Then there are the Padres - after losing Bradley to Umpire-baiting on Sunday, it's tempting to count them out. But apparently they don't see it that way. They're still on top of the Wild Card race, and they've won two heading into Milwaukee starting tonight.
And won't that be an interesting series! Milwaukee's two behind Chicago in the Central with four to play, and has no shot at the wild card. So it's do or die time for both of these teams. If the Brewers can sweep the Padres - no simple task - and Chicago stumbles against unpredictable Cincinnati, it would put the Brewers atop the AL Central and knock the Padres out of the playoffs altogether - Opening the door for the Rockies - or the Phillies. Or the Dbacks, if the Rockies play well in Arizona.
So many teams still in it! The Mets, the Phillies, the Cubs, the Brewers, the Dbacks, the Padres, the Rockies. 7 teams competing for 4 spots with 4 games to go.
Games to watch: That first game of both the Rockies/Diamondbacks and the Brewers/Padres series. See who sets the tone. These are the series we wait 155 games to get to.
The Schedule:
Tonight - Game 1 of Padres at Brewers, 6:05 my time. But I'll be at work.
Tomorrow - Game 1 of Rockies at Diamondbacks, 6:05 my time. But I'll be hosting a dinner. And I'll be blacked out of it, living in Colorado. Maybe I can catch the end of it on the radio.
Saturday - Game 2 of Marlins at Mets, 11:10 am
Game 2 of Nationals at Phillies, 1:55 pm.
Game 3 of Padres at Brewers, 1:55 pm.
Game 2 of Rockies at Dbacks, 6:05 pm. On the radio for me.
Planning to watch a lot of baseball on Saturday. We'll see what the wife thinks. ;)
Sunday - the last day of the season, so we'll see which games still really matter. It's exciting that so many of them really could.
Sadly, I've got to work all day.
Monday - any one game playoffs to decide October entries? We'll see.
and then... on to October!
Blogged with Flock