MLB Playoff Picture Update 9/15: The Dodgers win another huge game

American League East

For the first time in a while, it was an all-around bad day for the Red Sox on Friday. They went out and got blown out by the Mets as their pitching looked predictably bad and their offense couldn’t make up the ground against Noah Syndergaard. Meanwhile, in the Bronx, the Yankees went out and absolutely crushed the Blue Jays right from the get-go and went home with a convincing victory. As a result, they picked up a game in the standings and moved to within 9.5 games of Boston, while the Red Sox watched their magic number stay at six for the night.

American League Central

With the Twins losing to Kansas City on Friday, the Indians had a chance to officially clinch the division with a win at home over the Tigers. They did get Josh Donaldson’s first homer with Cleveland as well as a late comeback effort, but ultimately dropped the game by one-run. So, their magic number sits at one and they’ll be able to break out the champagne with either one more Twins loss or one more win of their own.

American League West

The best division race in the American League got a little more intriguing on Friday. The Astros looked poised to build on their lead as they were welcoming in the reeling Diamondbacks while Oakland had to take on the red-hot Rays over the weekend. Things didn’t play out that way. Houston gave up a big two-run triple to Jon Jay that led to an Arizona victory in Texas, while Khris Davis hit a go-ahead solo homer in the tenth to eventually win Friday’s game for Oakland. As a result, the A’s closed the gap in the division to just 2.5 games, and Houston’s magic number is 13.

American League Wildcard

Oakland’s victory pretty much put to rest any outside chance Tampa Bay had at making a miraculous loss to a postseason slot, and the magic number there is now seven. The race for home field looks poised to go on all year, however, and on Friday both the Yankees and Athletics got wins. So, for now, the Yankees still lead that race by 1.5 games.

Current AL Playoff Picture

E: Red Sox (1)

C: Indians (3)

W: Astros (2)

WC1: Yankees (4)

WC2: Athletics (5)

Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images

National League East

In the blink of an eye, the Braves have started to run away with this division, and if there was any chance of a miraculous comeback in this division it would likely come from the Nationals after a big weekend in Atlanta. Instead, the Braves got a big night against Max Scherzer and cruised to a win. To their credit, the Phillies did pick up an easy win against Miami, but the Braves winning knocked their magic number down to nine.

National League Central

For most of Friday night, it looked like it was going to be a rough one for the Cubs as they look to hold on to their division lead in the NL Central. They’ve been put through the ringer holding off a tough Brewers team along with playing a brutal schedule over the last month of the year. They spent most of Friday being shutout by the Reds, but were fortunate that Cole Hamels held Cincinnati to just two runs. That paid off when Ian Happ launched a three-run shot in the eighth, and the Cubs got a huge win. It became even more important when Milwaukee slugged their way to a win over the Pirates, keeping the Cubs’ lead in the division at 1.5 games. Their magic number is 14. The Cardinals, meanwhile, got dominated by Walker Buehler and dropped their second straight to the Dodgers. That loss had huge wildcard ramifications, but it also dropped them to 5.5 out of the Central lead.

National League West

The Rockies were coming off a red-hot homestand in which they established their place at the top of the division, but they hit the road this weekend on a trip to San Francisco. The offense hit a snag in California and Colorado dropped the first game of that series. Meanwhile, both the Dodgers and the Diamondbacks beat potential playoff teams to pick up a game in the division. Los Angeles is now only a half-game back while Arizona moves to within 3.5. The Rockies magic number is 15.

National League Wildcard

The Brewers continue to sit relatively comfortably atop the wildcard standings, but the battle for the second spot is becoming interesting. By defeating St. Louis for the second straight night, the Dodgers have now pulled even for that second wildcard spot. The two teams have two more games remaining in this series. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks are three games out while the Phillies are five games behind.

Current NL Playoff Picture

E: Braves (2)

C: Cubs (1)

W: Rockies (3)

WC1: Brewers (4)

WC2: Dodgers/Cardinals (5)