The National League playoff race is tight. The NL Central has three teams separated by two games. The division leaders in the National League are separated by three games. The regular season ends in nine days, and the playoff races will all be close. To keep track of that, we’ll have a nightly recap with the scores, standings, and any tiebreaking information for relevant scenarios. Here are the results from tonight, and how they impacted each race that is important for the Pirates.
NL Central
Cardinals 7, Brewers 6
Reds 6, Pirates 5
The win by the Reds moved them into a tie for second in the NL Central. The Cardinals also won, and now have a two game lead in the NL Central.
Wild Card
Reds 6, Pirates 5
Nationals 8, Marlins 0
The Reds and Pirates are now tied for the top Wild Card spot. The Nationals won, so they remain five games back. All three teams have eight games remaining. The odds of the Nationals making up five games in eight games against either team is extremely slim.
If the Reds and Pirates tie for the Wild Card, there wouldn’t be a tiebreaker game. Instead, home field advantage would be determined using the following methods:
1. Head-to-head winning percentage during the 2013 regular season.
2. Higher winning percentage in intradivision games.
3. Higher winning percentage in the last half of intraleague games.
4. Higher winning percentage in the last half plus one intraleague game, provided that such additional game was not between the two tied clubs. Continue to go back one intraleague game at a time until the tie has been broken.
Right now the season series is tied 7-7, although there are five games left between the two teams, so it won’t get past the first tiebreaker if there is a tie.
Playoff Seeding
Braves 9, Cubs 5
Cardinals 7, Brewers 6
Padres 2, Dodgers 0
The Braves won, and retain the top seed. The Cardinals win keeps them as the number two seed. The Dodgers are now two back as the number three seed. If the season ended today, the order would be:
1. Atlanta
2. St. Louis
3. Los Angeles
4. Cincinnati/Pittsburgh
