Welcome again to Prime of the Order, the place each Tuesday and Friday I’ll be beginning your baseball day with some information, notes, and ideas in regards to the sport we love.
Video games 163 won’t ever occur so long as this present playoff format exists. Tiebreakers will probably be determined by head-to-head after which intraleague information, regardless of how a lot Michael Baumann doesn’t need them to be. Group Entropy is lifeless. And so, we’ll know by the tip of the weekend who’s going to be within the playoffs, and with what seeding — within the American League, anyway. We’ll get to the scheduling debacle within the Nationwide League in a second.
Right here’s what’s nonetheless left to be determined coming into the ultimate weekend of the common season:
NL Dwelling-Area Benefit
We all know that the Dodgers and Phillies can have first-round byes and home-field benefit for the NLDS; what we don’t but know is who can have home-field benefit if the 2 groups meet within the NLCS. Los Angeles might want to end with one of the best document within the NL to safe home-field benefit as a result of Philadelphia received 5 of its six video games in opposition to the Dodgers this season.
NL Wild Playing cards 2 and three
The 1st step’s simple: Wild Card 1 belongs to the Padres, they usually’ll host the highest finisher among the many three groups preventing for the ultimate two spots: the Braves, Mets, and Diamondbacks.
That is the place issues get difficult. Due to Hurricane Helene’s impending landfall, the Mets and Braves postponed their essential video games on Wednesday and Thursday in Atlanta, as an alternative rescheduling for a doubleheader — if mandatory — on Monday. The one approach the collection could be rendered pointless is that if the Diamondbacks fall out of the playoff race completely, handing the Mets and Braves the final two wild card spots.
The Diamondbacks play the Padres for his or her closing three video games, with the Braves set to play the Royals in Atlanta (if Kansas Metropolis could make it into city) and the Mets heading to Milwaukee to face the Brewers.
The one approach not less than one sport of the doubleheader isn’t performed is that if the entire following occur:
- The Mets win not less than two video games in opposition to the Brewers.
- The Braves win not less than two video games in opposition to the Royals.
- The Diamondbacks lose not less than two video games in opposition to the Padres.
At that time, the Commissioner’s Workplace might elect to cancel the doubleheader and as an alternative seed the playoffs primarily based on the 160 video games the groups have performed. It’s additionally potential only one sport of the doubleheader is required; this could be the case if the Diamondbacks had been to clinch over the weekend and the winner of the primary sport Monday pulls forward by two video games within the standings.
The Braves at the moment maintain the season-series benefit over the Mets, 6-5, so in the event that they find yourself not taking part in the doubleheader, Atlanta would earn the higher seed and head to San Diego for the primary spherical of the playoffs. The Mets, in the meantime, would keep in Milwaukee and play the Brewers once more, this time within the best-of-three Wild Card spherical.
AL Dwelling-Area Benefit
One in all two groups will earn home-field benefit all through the AL playoffs: The Yankees or the Guardians. New York holds the tiebreaker over Cleveland.
AL Wild Card
The primary AL Wild Card spot will virtually definitely go to the Orioles, who enter play Friday with a three-game cushion over the Tigers and Royals. Until the Orioles are swept by the Twins and the Tigers sweep the White Sox, they’ll be internet hosting the Wild Card collection in opposition to the no. 5 seed.
And, fortuitously for anybody whose head remains to be spinning from the NL Wild Card part, the opposite two AL Wild Card races are extra comprehensible and much much less convoluted.
The Tigers management their very own future right here; they misplaced the season collection to each the Royals and Twins, so they should earn a playoff spot outright and be forward of not less than one of many two groups. Happily for them, they end issues off in opposition to the lowly (albeit instantly surging!) White Sox. No wins are assured — simply ask the Angels how they really feel proper now — however Detroit is definitely within the driver’s seat there, to say the least.
Minnesota holds the tiebreaker over the opposite two AL Central golf equipment competing for the ultimate two Wild Card spots, however this group is hanging on by an absolute thread. The Twins, who at the moment are three video games again, want to brush the Orioles and have both the Tigers get swept by the White Sox or the Royals get swept by the Braves to make the playoffs.
As for the Royals, issues get just a little bushy. As talked about within the NL part, the Royals are presupposed to be heading to Atlanta to face the Braves, nevertheless it’s unclear in the event that they’ll even be capable to get there on Friday, contemplating Helene is at the moment anticipated to have an effect on the Atlanta metro area till Friday night. If MLB doesn’t pivot to a impartial website collection — which feels unlikely for the reason that league didn’t relocate for the Mets-Braves video games and it’s unclear if the Braves would even be capable to get out of Atlanta — there might be a doubleheader on Saturday. The Braves and Royals may each be taking part in for his or her season in probably the most unideal of circumstances, and the Braves might need to do it another time on Monday!
Buckle up, everybody.