All six MLB divisions are settled.
That doesn’t diminish the chaos in store for the season’s final four days, though.
Every division is wrapped up, but all four wild-card spots have yet to be determined. Don’t be surprised if bonus baseball is needed to settle a tiebreaker on Monday.
Excluding the Chicago Cubs, who have clinched home-field advantage throughout the National League stage, the other division champions can all alter their positions to secure more home cooking.
As examined below, a grueling season has left some teams hobbling into October. They might not have anything left in the tank when it matters most.
Playoff Brackets
World Series Odds
Injury Bug Spreading
The Washington Nationals finally lived up to their promise this season. A year after the World Series favorites missed the playoffs, they stormed past the New York Mets to reclaim the NL East. Their 92 wins and plus-148 run differential both trail only the Cubs in the NL.
There’s one problem, though: They suddenly have a lack of healthy players.
Daniel Murphy, who has followed last postseason’s power barrage with an NL-best .596 slugging percentage, hasn’t started since Sept. 17 because of a mild buttocks sprain. Bryce Harper has missed the last three games with an injured thumb after reportedly playing through a shoulder injury, according to Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated.
Per MLB.com’s Jamal Collier, general manager Mike Rizzo said ace Stephen Strasburg (elbow) is unlikely to pitch in the National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“I think it would be kind of pushing it,” Rizzo said. “I think that’s fair to say. Again, I haven’t seen him after he did his throwing program today, but just the calendar, it’s unlikely that he’d contribute in that first series.”
The most serious of them all, though, is catcher Wilson Ramos, whose season is over because of a torn ACL. He was hitting .307/.354/.396 with the highest weighted runs created plus (124) of any catcher with at least 300 plate appearances, per FanGraphs.
ESPN.com’s Buster Olney emphasized that Ramos’ absence will particularly hurt during the NLDS:
The Dodgers won’t take pity on their upcoming opponents. They have overcome their share of bad luck during a season in which they tied an MLB record by placing 27 players on the disabled list. Yet with Clayton Kershaw and Rich Hill healthy, they’re closing the season strong.
Washington’s divisional foe can relate to its woes. A year after riding a stacked rotation to the World Series, the Mets are fighting for a wild-card bid without Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz. If they need to use Bartolo Colon and Noah Syndergaard over the weekend, Robert Gsellman or Seth Lugo would have to start the Wild Card Game.
Per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, the Mets may rearrange their rotation to avoid such a scenario:
Tying the San Francisco Giants or St. Louis Cardinals for the second spot would negate those efforts. Nevertheless, they have capitalized on a favorable schedule by scoring 64 runs in their last seven games against the Philadelphia Phillies and Miami Marlins. They’ll close the season with a three-game series at Philadelphia.
Like the Mets, starting pitching was supposed to mark the Cleveland Indians’ strength. The superb trio of Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar led them to their first American League Central title since 2007, but the team might not have any of them for the postseason.
Having last pitched Sept. 9, Salazar is attempting to return in time for the playoffs. But the 26-year-old right-hander would have to shake off considerable rust after accruing a 7.44 second-half ERA.
“His health is the first priority,” manager Terry Francona said, per Cleveland.com’s Zack Meisel. “He’s not rushing into anything. This is not a speed-up program.”
Carrasco is done for the year because of a broken hand. After he left his last start early, Kluber‘s status is also in question. The Associated Press’ Tom Withers presented a timetable, which could rule the ace out for the American League Division Series’ first two games.
The Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers and whichever team survives the wild-card ruckus are all stacked offensively. Countering with Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin will diminish Cleveland’s chances of winning its first World Series since 1948.
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