MLB Wild Card Race Continues

As the MLB playoffs come near, the race for wild card spots thickens in both the American and National League.

American League

At the top of the AL wild card standings sits the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles lead by three games, but they must face the AL leader, the New York Yankees, in a three-game series next week.

Right behind the Orioles are the Kansas City Royals, who lead by two games. Their next opponents include the Giants, Nationals and Braves.

Fighting for the last wild card spot are the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins. Both teams are tied two games behind the Royals. The Twins are looking to win their upcoming series against the Red Sox, Marlins and Orioles. The Tigers must win as many games as possible against the Orioles, Rays and White Sox to secure a spot in the playoffs.

As both the Tigers and Twins have to play the Orioles, who lead them by 5, the wild card standings could shift either way. All of these top four wild card teams have a chance of making it to the playoffs. As the Tigers look to make it to the playoffs, they also look to break their 10-year playoff drought.

The last time the @Tigers made the Postseason was 10 years ago, capping a stretch of 4 straight division crowns led by Justin Verlander. 😤 pic.twitter.com/vvW6FMZmxn

— MLB (@MLB) September 20, 2024

National League

Sitting on top of the NL wild card standings is the San Diego Padres. The Padres lead by two games. Up next they will take on the White Sox, Dodgers and Diamondbacks. The Dodgers sit tied for 1st on the NL and will be a tough opponent to beat.

Tied for second in the standings are the Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Mets. The Mets have to face the Phillies, Braves and Brewers to close out the regular season. Both the Phillies and Brewers sit in the top three spots of the NL rankings — Phillies lead by six games and Brewers by three. The Diamondbacks will take on the Brewers, Padres and Giants to end the season. With this, the Diamondbacks have a chance to knock down the Padres.

Sitting in seat four is the Braves who only trail the tied teams by two games. The Braves must take on the Marlins, Mets and Royals. Looking at the upcoming games if the Braves sweep the Mets they could earn a spot in the playoffs. However, the Mets are on a hot streak, winning 16 out of their last 20 games.

The @Mets are 16-4 over their last 20 games!!!! pic.twitter.com/OtGtPpy0UP

— MLB (@MLB) September 20, 2024