When we last left off, the American League Playoff Races left something to be desired. The AL West and AL Central were, for all intents and purposes, runaways. Not a whole lot has changed since last weekend, but as we are now a full week into September, opportunities for contending teams to take advantage are getting slimmer.
If the season were to end today, the AL Playoff Picture would look something like this:
- AL East Champion – New York Yankees (1.5 Game Lead)
- AL Central Champion – Minnesota Twins (4.5 Game Lead)
- AL West Champion – Texas Rangers (7 Game Lead)
- AL Wildcard – Tampa Bay Rays (7 Game Lead)
While there may be a little bit of shuffling going on between the Yankees and the Rays for the AL East title, I am extremely comfortable in saying that these are the four teams that will represent the American League in the 2010 MLB Playoffs. This perfectly matches up with my original AL Playoff Prediction.
The National League is trying their best to make a fool of me. The Padres have all but laid down and died these past two weeks, converting a seemingly insurmountable cushion into a slim 1 game lead over the Giants. The NL West is still up for grabs when two weeks ago, it looked to belong solely to the Padres. The Reds have just extended their lead over the Cardinals, who are all but officially buried in the NL Wildcard chase as well. And over in the East – don’t get me started. The Braves, my prediction to win the East, have now relinquished their lead to the suddenly resurgent Phillies.
If the season were to end today, the NL Playoff Picture would look something like this:
- NL East Champion – Philadelphia Phillies (0.5 Game Lead)
- NL Central Champion – Cincinnati Reds (6 Game Lead)
- NL West Champion – San Diego Padres (1 Game Lead)
- NL Wildcard – Atlanta Braves (1 Game Lead)
The 2010 National League Playoff Race is way too close to call, especially since any of these teams, with the exception of the Reds, could embark on a losing streak, never to be heard from again. My original NL Playoff Predictions are here, but I would prefer if you didn’t look at them since I put a little too much faith in the Braves and Cardinals. Still, 3 out of 4 ain’t bad.