Last month, we made predictions for what we might see this upcoming October.
A lot can change in one month, and a lot has changed in some of the pennant races. Teams we thought were dead in the water have pulled it together and are playing much better baseball.
On the other hand, some teams that we thought may have been a lock for the postseason are seeing their playoff hopes take some hits. In this piece, we will re-examine our picks from last month and see how they’re holding up now that we’re in September.
We’ll look first at the American League. Here were our predictions from last month.
AL Seed 1: Rays
AL Seed 2: White Sox
AL Seed 3: A’s
AL Wild Card 1: Astros
AL Wild Card 2: Yankees
So far, our predictions for who wins the AL East and the AL Central have held up. The Rays and White Sox still hold the top two records in the Junior Circuit.
We were also right that the Astros would still be a threat down the stretch, but we were wrong about where they’d be. We initially picked them to be a Wild Card while Oakland took the division for a second straight year. But the A’s are slipping, and while still in contention, some other teams have gotten hot.
The Yankees are still very much alive in the playoff chase, but a 2-8 mark over their last 10 games now has them on the outside looking in. The Blue Jays are on an absolute tear, and now hold the top Wild Card spot following their 8 game winning streak and sweep of the Yankees.
The Red Sox hit a tough stretch in August, but have seemingly found their footing again. They hold the second spot in the Wild Card race. They sit a game above their arch rivals and look poised to end their two year postseason drought.
Now let’s look at the NL. We seem to be on a better track there than with the AL. Here are our picks from last month.
NL Seed 1: Giants
NL Seed 2: Brewers
NL Seed 3: Braves
NL Wild Card 1: Dodgers
NL Wild Card 2: Padres
As of now, all of these have held up. But it may not stay that way for long. The Giants and Dodgers are still locked in a hot race for the NL West, and whoever finishes second has the top Wild Card spot secured.
The Brewers pretty much have the Central locked up. They lead by 14 games over the Reds and 15 over the Cardinals. The East is less certain. The Phillies had started to play better baseball and had come a little closer to the Braves, but it still looks its Atlanta’s division for the taking.
The Padres are now tied with the Reds for the second Wild Card, and there are several teams behind them that are knocking on the door. The Cardinals pulled to within a game of both Cincinnati and San Diego. They were way out of the race when we made our picks. Philadelphia, while not having a clear path to the NL East crown, does have a better chance at the Wild Card. The Mets also pulled their heads out of the gutter and started playing better. They sit three back of the final spot and open up a huge series this week with St. Louis.
We’ll see how these hold up as we go deeper into September. But as Yogi Berra said, “It ain’t over ‘till it’s over.”
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