Has this season flown by for anyone else? It may be hard to believe, but there are just over two weeks left in the regular season. That means it’s crunch time in some cases, with much of the focus landing on two National League divisions.
Were it not for the Nationals’ season-long mediocrity and the Phillies’ recent stumbles, the NL East might still be in play. But with a 7.5 game cushion, only a total calamity will keep the Braves from the crown now.
Things are much tighter in the other two groupings. Six teams are still heavily involved in both the divisional and Wild Card races.
True, the Diamondbacks are at risk of falling all the way out of reasonable contention. And the Cardinals are increasingly in a tough spot in the NL Central, though they are in much better shape in the Wild Card picture. But those teams are still not out of things entirely in the divisions, so we’ll include them in our pair of polls.
Which team do you expect to win the NL Central? (Link for app users; response order randomized.)
Which team do you expect to win the NL West? (Link for app users; response order randomized.)
“access denied. you must be logged in to see that page”
same here with no way to log in
Me, too. “Access denied.” Must exclude the most knowledgeable fans. lol
Why can’t I vote for the Giants????
You got some serious hope kid.
You can one vote
Just like the giants
Score one runs a game
Front office expect to win
One to nothing
And front office believe one players like Barry bond away from contention
Hahahaha
I am one laugh away from passing out
It’s ok! Giants still have 3 Rings compared to every other team in NL West with 1 since 2000!
I’m a Giants fan and I’m sick of hearing about 3 rings from the early part of the decade. That’s the same attitude that got them in this predicament to begin with.
Bottom line is dude, they do have three rings, bad luck for this team this year. Giants will be back in contention reeaal soon.
Giants are roughly 3 years from contending so don’t bank on them being back sooner….they screwed the pooch….they added bad contracts and failed to start a rebuild….every team in the NLW is better than them except the Padres who have a better farm system so they at least know when to rebuild….the Giants thought they could compete this season….I knew differently…..
who cares how many rings they have? You don’t just say, “why don’t we sit back while we are ahead.” That’s perhaps the worst sports philosophy I’ve ever heard.
Bad luck, or bad roster? I think a little of both.
I don’t understand where people think a top financial club (Giants) just like the Dodgers, and Yankees won’t ever fully go into a rebuild. They have way to much money and a ballpark that is paid for. I believe they will be back in the playoffs next year. Not one team in the West ran off with the division this year. Giants played .500 ball without there crew together once this season. Giants in fact smacked the Dodgers and D-Backs around this year.
No doubt a Giants hater, you have to remember that every year they won the World Series no one had them being there in the first place, all with the same mind frame as you! Can’t predict who wins EVER! So knock it off!
I base my results off history. With all due respect to other clubs—putting up one hell of a fight— Dodgers and Cubs usually do their thing, and win their division. So, I voted, Cubs and Dodgers.
I based my votes purely off the last 2 years. That was the tie-breaker for me. This is the tightest WC I’ve ever seen
That WC race has fizzled—Phillies done, Dbacks done. It is Cards vs whoever doesn’t win the west. The odds of a multiple team tie is gone. This currently series against the Dodgers is pivotal for the Cardinals…..much more so than those last series against the Brewers and Cubs at this point.
So the brewers/Cubs just aren’t going to keep ahead of both?
I think you’re forgetting the Brewers Mike
So if the wild card winner has a better record than the Rockies who plays who? Say the cubs have the best record in the national league and the Braves have the second.
Cubs vs wild card
Braves vs NL West
1 seed always vs wild card
Tough crowd. But thanks for clearing that up.
Tough crowd indeed. Down voting a playoff question? Sometimes I think we are posting with a bunch of petulant children because you see this all the time. Because of that the up and down voting system is meaningless. I wish MLBTR would just get rid of it.
I like the people who downvote comments applauding a recently deceased or retired player. How low can you be? What possesses you to do this?
Nobody would miss it except the downvote cowards. Where would they get their sad jollies? Who knows, they might even be reduced to ordinary trolling.
I got Brewers and Colorado
Why do White Sox fans always gotta be like this?
I’m a Cub fan guy.
If you say so
I am a Cub fan. Just cause I’m not picking them doesn’t make me not. They have a 1 and a half game lead just lost their temporary closer and hitting like a little league team. I’m being realistic. Brewers have momentum
A realistic Cubs fan? No such thing.
My picks as well
I don’t like the wc winner playing the team they have already played 18 times throughout the season in the NLDS. I would rather see them play in the NLCS when it’s winner goes to the World Series. Just mho
That used to be the rule. And it was one of the most nonsensical rules in all of sports.
Literally: “You can’t play someone from your own DIVISION in… the DIVISIONAL round of the playoffs.”
In all honesty, I see a tie breaker game between the Cubs and Brewers to decide the central. It would be brutal for whoever loses that game to then have to play a winner takes all wild card game. Anybody know what the timeline would be in that situation? ie how many days of rest between a tie breaker game, WC game and NLDS game 1?
If the cubs and brewers tied for the division, they would play one game in Wrigley, since the cubs have already won the season series, on Monday October 1st. The loser would then likely host the wildcard on Tuesday October 2nd, and the winner would likely host the winner of the wildcard game on Thursday October 4th. I use the term likely because seeding could change, i.e. the braves pass the central leader for best record in the national league, although the timeline would stay the same.
Sounds like a confusing yet disgusting southern family relationship.
The Brewers have been on such a role the last 15-20 games, but I see them fizzling out just short of the Cubs, maybe a game or two back.
I took the Rockies as I trust their relief corps (who would have ever thought they would say that!) more than I trust the Dodgers.
The Rock is gonna lay the smack down jabroni. Know your “role” and shut your mouth.
Well the Dodgers bullpen has been pretty lame all season long, so that wasn’t such a tough call, but Colorado’s has been even worse, and the Dodgers have a clear edge in starting pitching. The question for the division is whether the Dodgers can reverse an entire season of underperformance in only two weeks.
Cubs and Dodgers.
Rockies and Brewers get the Wild cards
At the beginning of the year I had
ALE Red Sox
ALC Indians
ALW Astros
NLE Nationals
NLC Cubs
NLW Dodgers
Wild card I had
AL Yankees and Angels
NL Dbacks and Phillies
Pretty damn close but the Nats really underperformed and the Angels took hard losses to their rotation as well as the A’s playing far beyond expectations….but other than the Angels/A’s swap in the standings and playoff picture I was dead on in the AL….the NL is a bit more unpredictable with the Phillies struggles and Nats playing far below expectations….and the Rockies and Brewers playing good enough to make the playoffs….but in all honesty I don’t see the Brewers….A’s….or the Braves going far in playoffs….it will be between the Astros…Yankees….Red Sox or Indians representing the AL obviously as I already knew before the season started….the NL is a bit cloudy as they have no power house teams except maybe the Dodgers with their new acquisitions….but even then it’s a crapshoot….either way with no clear cut favorite in the NL I think the AL wins the WS….
You’re probably right with a team from the AL winning the WS, and don’t worry most of the media chose the Nats to win the NL east, like every year. Cool username by the way…
Another poster forgetting The Brewers. At this point, it would take a bigger collapse than last year for them not to make the playoffs. I think they get the top WC spot and I think ARI misses the playoffs.
Either way your Cubs have nothing to worry about from the Brewers…
Are you serious? The Brewers are doing everything right right now. A dude hunted for a double. When that happens you know things are going their way
Have you noticed how weak the AL Central is? The Indians are practically the Braves of the AL. It’s really tough to believe they are as good as their AL counterparts because the division is so bad. And, just like the Braves, they have played poorely outside their own division. The Indians have about much chance as the Brewers, A’s and Braves. Same tier team.
I disagree as the Indians have a stacked rotation and added Donaldson to an already good lineup making them more of a threat than the A’s…Brewers and Braves….pitching wins and the Indians have 3 really good starters and Bieber isn’t bad either….he would be the ace on the A’s and Brewers….lol
I disagree as the Indians have a stacked rotation and just added Donaldson to an already good lineup….they have 3 really good pitchers (Kluber…Carrasco and Clevinger) and a 4th pitcher (Bieber) who would be the ace of the Brewers and the A’s….so I disagree that they are in the same tier….yes they are in a weak division but Bauer has been out forever and Miller has had injuries….all that said I think the Indians have better shot at advancing than the A’s and Brewers and even the Braves….
All bets are off in the playoffs. Almost anything can happen and has in the past. I’ve seen good pitching turn bad and bad pitching turn good. On paper it can seem to be a mismatch but once the game starts anything goes. Ah, baseball.
Because baseball isn’t played on paper, it’s played on grass and dirt.
Al Weis
Mets fan first since ’65.
I can see these late season Mets taking 2 out of 3 from the Sox starting tonight. Wouldn’t a sweep be killer! Sure would put a dent in their chase of #110.
I signed in and the poll still isn’t working.
NL Central – Cubs
NL West – Dodgers (original thought Diamondbacks but they are blowing it)
NL Wild Card – Brewers, St Louis