MLB Playoff Picture Update: The AL Wildcard race holds steady

American League East

The Yankees just continue to dominate this division and they took yet another series on Wednesday with a win over the Rangers. The Yankees offense is rolling in the power department right now, and used the long ball to push themselves to another win. Meanwhile, the Rays were off so New York picked up a half-game to take an even ten-game lead.

American League Central

This was not a great night for the Central leaders. We know what happened on the Twins side of things, with the Red Sox riding the coattails of Mookie Betts and Eduardo Rodriguez en route to a four-run victory. Meanwhile, in Cleveland, the Indians took advantage of an absurd game-saving catch from Oscar Mercado and held on for a two-run win over the White Sox. That gave the Indians a full-game in the standings, closing the gap to 5.5 games between them and the Twins.

American League West

The Astros were off on Wednesday — there were a weird number of off-days for a Wednesday — but the Athletics did take care of business on their end. Behind a strong outing from Tanner Roark the A’s shutout the Angels for the victory Wednesday night. They sit nine games behind Houston in the division.

American League Wildcard

Everyone in the wildcard race took care of business for themselves on Wednesday, making Tuesday’s loss for the Red Sox all the more frustrating. Tampa Bay did not play, but the A’s and Indians both won along with the Red Sox. So, the Rays sit a half-game up on Oakland and Cleveland, who are tied for the second wildcard spot. The Red Sox are still 5.5 out.

National League East

The Braves did not play on Wednesday, but they still picked up some ground in the division. The Nationals couldn’t make it two miracle comebacks in a row, this time falling to the Mets 8-4 in a huge bounce-back win for New York. The Braves now lead the East by seven games.

National League Central

Of the three teams battling for the Central crown, the division-leading Cardinals were the only team in action on Wednesday. They dropped a close one to the Giants, too, with Kevin Pillar hitting a game-winning moonshot in the eighth. The loss closes the gap between St. Louis and Chicago to 2.5 games while Milwaukee sits 6.5 back.

National League West

The Dodgers are absurd. They won yet again on Wednesday, this time thanks to Joc Pederson. The Diamondbacks were off, so Los Angeles pushed their lead to 18 and their magic number down to just four.

National League Wildcard

So, the wildcard-leading Nationals dropped their game against the Mets while the Cubs, in the second wildcard spot, had the day off. This would typically be a day for the rest of the race to pick up games, but only the Mets did so. The Diamondbacks and Brewers were off as well, while the Phillies dropped a three-run game to the Reds. So, the Cubs are three games behind the Nationals for the top spot and they hold a three-game lead over both the Phillies and the Diamondbacks. The Brewers, who start a series against the Cubs on Thursday, are four games out while the Mets cut their deficit down to 4.5 games.