Updated MLB Playoffs Picture and Wild Card Race

With just under seven weeks to play in the 2021 MLB regular season, the playoff race continues to heat up. A full eight teams in both the American League and the National League are still very much alive in the race to keep playing in the MLB postseason.

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There is still a lot of baseball left to play. There are a number of key series that will go a long way in determining which teams get in and which teams are left looking toward 2022. Here’s a look at the updated MLB playoff picture.

Definitely Going to Make the 2021 MLB Playoffs

At the beginning of the season, no one would have thought the Giants would have the best record in baseball midway through the month of August. San Francisco has been the best team in baseball all season and, barring complete disaster, will make the postseason. The Giants are the frontrunner for the No. 1 seed in the NL.

Milwaukee, with its outstanding pitching staff and resurgent hitting, will win the NL Central. The rest of the NL playoff field will come down to a battle between the Braves, Phillies, and Mets in the NL East and the wild card race. Currently, the Dodgers and Padres have the NL wild card slots.

In the AL, Tampa Bay has the best record and owns a five-game lead over the Yankees and Red Sox. The White Sox will win the NL Central and Houston is atop the NL West. Oakland is just 2.5 games behind the Astros and is in the thick of the wild card race.

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The Rivalry

The Red Sox-Yankees rivalry is one of the most recognized in all of sports. As of Aug. 18, the two teams were both five games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East race. The Yankees just swept a doubleheader over Boston and have four games remaining with the Red Sox.

New York may have the easier remaining schedule with six games against last-place Baltimore and three against AL West last-place Texas. Boston has seven games against Tampa Bay and another three-game series against the White Sox. Boston already owns the season series with ten wins to New York’s five.

The NL East Race

The Phillies started August with eight straight wins to take over control of the NL East. Then, they promptly lost five of their next seven games to surrender that lead to Atlanta. The Braves have been on a recent tear. Since losing 2-1 to Milwaukee on Aug. 1, the Braves are 12-2.

Dansby Swanson is hitting .390 with seven homers and 25 RBIs in 19 games since July 27. Atlanta also got starting pitcher Huascar Ynoa back in the lineup after he fractured a hand three months ago. Ynoa is 4-2 with a 3.02 ERA in nine games in 2021.

The Mets are currently a game under .500 and haven’t been on their game recently. They have just four wins since Aug. 1 and three are over Washington (51-68).

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NL West Dominance

Other than Milwaukee, the best teams in the National League are in the West. The Giants, of course, have the best record in baseball. Last year’s World Series champion the Dodgers are primed for a postseason run and the San Diego Padres just got MVP candidate Fernando Tatis Jr. back in the lineup.

If there is a team that could weasel its way into the wild card race, it would be Cincinnati. The Reds are 9-5 in their last 14 games and have one of the best hitting lineups in baseball led by Jesse Winker and Nick Castellanos. The problem is that they just don’t have the pitching.

The Favorites

Despite not leading their division, the Dodgers remain a +275 favorite to repeat as World Series champion. Houston follows at +650. Surprisingly, you have to go deeper down the board to find the Giants who are given +1300 odds to win it all.

Milwaukee (+800), again on the strength of its pitching staff, and the Chicago White Sox (+650) are the only other MLB clubs listed at better than +1000 odds.

Read our MLB team totals betting guide and MLB 1st 5 innings betting guide.