MLB Playoff Picture Update: The Dodgers win a big one over the Rockies

American League East

The Red Sox and Yankees both had Monday off ahead of the start of their series Tuesday afternoon in New York. Boston needs to win just one of these next three to clinch the division in enemy territory.

American League Central

The Indians have clinched the division.

American League West

For most of the night, it appeared Houston was poised to go home with a tight victory despite an extreme lack of offense. The Astros had just one run, but held a lead up until the eighth inning when Hector Rondon got into some trouble. Dan Vogelbach came up with the bases loaded and smashed a grand slam, eventually sending Seattle home with the 4-1 win. Meanwhile, Oakland had the day off so they are now four games back in the division and the Astros have a magic number of four to clinch things.

American League Wildcard

Both the Yankees and Athletics had the day off, so New York still holds their 1.5-game lead for home field in the Wildcard Game. For whatever it may be worth, Tampa Bay and Seattle both won, and their elimination numbers are seven and six, respectively.

Current AL Playoff Picture

E: Red Sox (1)

C: Indians (3)

W: Astros (2)

WC1: Yankees (4)

WC2: Athletics (5)

Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images

National League East

The Braves started a potential October preview against another team fighting for the postseason in the Cardinals on Monday. St. Louis got off to the better start in this series, beating up on Atlant’s pitching staff to the tune of four homers. Combine that with a solid start from Miles Mikolas, and you have an easy Cardinals win. Fortunately for the Braves, the Phillies just can’t take advantage of any breaks right now. They dropped a game to the Mets after a big night from Michael Conforto, and so they stay 6.5 games back. The Braves magic number is still seven.

National League Central

The Cubs headed out to the desert as they look to hold their tight lead over Milwaukee, and they did well in the first game. Kyle Hendricks had a great night on the mound and a couple of Chicago’s stars contributed big offense en route to a four-run victory over Arizona. Meanwhile, the Brewers were able to keep pace as Christian Yelich continues to potentially race to the top of the crowded NL MVP race. The outfielder got his second cycle in less than a month, with both coming against the Reds, to lead the Brewers to a blowout victory. Add in the Cardinals win over the Braves, and all the Central teams got wins on Monday. So, the Cubs stay 2.5 games up on Milwaukee while St. Louis still trails by 5.5.

National League West

Monday was the start of an absolutely massive series out west, with the Dodgers hosting the Rockies. Colorado started the day with a half-game lead over Los Angeles, but it wouldn’t last long. Joc Pederson led the Dodgers with a pair of homers along with a double, and his team went home with an easy 8-2 win to get this series off on the wrong foot. The Diamondbacks, as mentioned above, continued to struggle and are falling out of the race. The Dodgers now lead the division by a half-game over the Rockies and five games over Arizona.

National League Wildcard

The two Central teams, Milwaukee and St. Louis, got wins and held on to the top two spots in that Wildcard race. The Brewers hold a comfortable three-game lead over the Cardinals for home field, too. With their loss, Colorado not only fell out of the division lead but also fell out of the playoffs, now sitting a half-game behind the Cardinals. The Diamondbacks and Phillies are now five and six games back, respectively, with both having an elimination number of seven.

Current NL Playoff Picture

E: Braves (2)

C: Cubs (1)

W: Dodgers (3)

WC1: Brewers (4)

WC2: Cardinals (5)