MLB Playoff Picture Update 9/13: The Rockies walk-off with a win

American League East

The Red Sox picked up their 100th win on Wednesday, and that wasn’t the only reason for celebration in Boston. With the one-run victory on the back of David Price, the Red Sox saw their magic number drop to eight. Then, things kept getting better. The Yankees failed to pick up a hit until the seventh inning, and even after avoiding the no-hitter they lost their second straight game in Minnesota, this time by a 3-1 score. The Red Sox are now up 10 games in the division and have a magic number of seven. It’s possible, though extremely unlikely, that the division could be clinched by the end of this weekend.

American League Central

The Indians dropped the second of three to the Rays, who are beating everyone of late. That will delay Cleveland’s celebration to clinch the Central, as their lead over Minnesota dropped to 14.5 and the Indians’ magic number stayed at three.

American League West

The AL West is home to a couple of the hottest teams getting set for the postseason, and both contenders went home with another victory on Wednesday. Houston used a four-run fifth inning to propel them to a victory in Detroit, though they almost blew it later in the contest. Meanwhile, in Baltimore, the A’s exploded for ten runs — including nine before recording an out — in the third, and that was enough for a blowout win over the Orioles. With both teams winning, the Astros maintain their three-game lead in the division and their magic number stays at 14.

American League Wildcard

The Yankees struggles of late are looking more and more likely to cost them home field in the Wildcard Game, which seemed impossible just a few weeks ago. With their loss in Minnesota and Oaklans’ blowout victory in Baltimore, the A’s are now within just one game of New York for the top seed in the wildcard race. Meanwhile, there isn’t much of a race behind those two but with Tampa Bay winning and Seattle losing again, the Rays have jumped into the third spot in these standings. They still trail Oakland by 8.5 games and have an elimination number of nine.

Current AL Playoff Picture

E: Red Sox (1)

C: Indians (3)

W: Astros (2)

WC1: Yankees (4)

WC2: Athletics (5)

Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images

National League East

A nightmare five-week stretch continued for Philadelphia on Wednesday, and they seem to be all but done in their quest for a playoff spot. They lost yet again to the Nationals, giving them five straight losses. Meanwhile, out west, the Braves got another big win thanks to a go-ahead single from Tyler Flowers in the ninth. Atlanta suddenly has a huge 7.5-game lead in the East over the Phillies, and the Nationals are only eight games back. The Braves have a magic number of 10 to clinch the division.

National League Central

Wednesday was the final game of the big three-game set between the Cubs and Brewers, and Milwaukee came away with a huge victory. Their offense gets all the headlines, and for good reason because it’s a constant barrage of very fun hitters to watch, but it was the pitching holding Chicago’s lineup to just one run on Wednesday that led to the victory. Curtis Granderson eventually hit a bit insurance homer in the ninth and that was all they needed. The Brewers now trail the Cubs by just one game in the Central race. Meanwhile, in St. Louis, the Cardinals made a late push against the Pirates but came up just short and missed a chance to pick up a game in the standings. They remain 3.5 games out of first place.

National League West

The Rockies spent the last six days playing a couple of big series against their competitors for the division title, and after dropping two of three to the Dodgers they were looking for better results against the Diamondbacks. They came through on Wednesday, and this time in dramatic fashion. The Rockies entered the bottom of the ninth trailing by a run, but D.J. LeMahieu hit a walkoff, two-run homer and Colorado went home with the huge victory. In Ohio, the Dodgers recovered from a rough loss on Tuesday for a blowout victory over the Reds. The Rockies still lead the division with a 1.5-game lead over Los Angeles and 3.5 games over Arizona.

National League Wildcard

The NL Central continues to dominate the Wildcard race, with the Brewers and Cardinals holding the top two spots. With the former winning and the latter dropping their game on Wednesday, Milwaukee has a 2.5-game cushion for home field in a potential Wildcard Game. Meanwhile, the Dodgers won to pick up a game and move to within two games of a playoff spot while Arizona stayed at four games back. The Phillies are 6.5 games out with Washington trailing by seven games. The Dodgers and Cardinals start a big series in St. Louis on Thursday.

Current NL Playoff Picture

E: Braves (2)

C: Cubs (1)

W: Rockies (3)

WC1: Brewers (4)

WC2: Cardinals (5)