There are still seven teams alive in the wild-card races and remarkably, nobody had clinched a spot as action began on Saturday. Only the Mets came in having clinched at least a tie.
Which means the playoffs have kind of actually started and there was still hope for a four-way tie in the American League and a three-way tie in the National League as action got underway Saturday. None of the teams are playing each other, which means there are seven games that you, as a serious baseball fan, need to pay attention to today. Here are your standings, here are your playoff odds and here's your guide below.
1:05 p.m. ET: Mets at Phillies, Bartolo Colon versus Phil Klein
What's at stake: The Mets have clinched at least a tie for a wild-card spot, but need a win (or Cardinals loss) to secure a berth. The Mets hold the tiebreaker over the Giants, so a win Saturday also ensures the wild-card game would be played at Citi Field. It also would mean they won't have to pitch Noah Syndergaard on Sunday, which they obviously want to avoid. Klein has a 5.75 career ERA in 51 2/3 innings, mostly in relief, with nine home runs. The Mets, by the way, were 60-62 on Aug. 19, but have the best record in baseball since then at 26-12. Colon got hammered in the Marlins' emotional win Monday, but has otherwise pitched well of late.
Outcome: The Mets clinched their wild-card spot with a 5-3 win over the Phillies.
1:05 p.m. ET: Pirates at Cardinals, Chad Kuhl versus Jaime Garcia
What's at stake: The Cardinals are a game behind the Giants for the second wild card, so they need to win and get some help to get in or force a Monday tiebreaker. Garcia was very good in April and May but has been plagued by the long ball since and has allowed six home runs in 18 1/3 innings in September. Mike Matheny will have to have a quick hook in this one. Garcia has started just once against the Pirates, allowing four runs in five innings back in July.
Outcome: The Cardinals kept the pressure on the Giants by coming back to beat the Pirates 4-3.
4:05 p.m. ET: Orioles at Yankees, Wade Miley versus Luis Severino
What's at stake: With six wins in seven games, the Orioles suddenly have passed the Blue Jays for the top wild card. Their magic number is down to two, so a win clinches at least a tie for a spot. If they finish in a tie with the Blue Jays, the game would be in Toronto. If they finish tied with the Tigers, the Orioles would host. And if the Orioles go 0-2, the Blue Jays 1-1, the Tigers 2-1 and the Mariners 2-0, we get a four-way tie. Miley has been mostly awful for the Orioles but is coming of a gem against the Diamondbacks when he pitched 8 2/3 innings with a season-high 11 K's.
Outcome: The Yankees scored four runs in the eighth inning to beat the Orioles 7-3 and open the door for chaos in the AL wild-card race.
4:05 p.m. ET: Dodgers at Giants, Clayton Kershaw versus Ty Blach
What's at stake: Before the Mets clinched and the Cardinals won, the Giants were a game behind the Mets and a game up on the Cardinals, and Madison Bumgarner and Johnny Cueto don't start again in the regular season. In four starts since coming off the DL, Kershaw has allowed three runs in 21 innings with 23 strikeouts and one walk, so he's been in top form. He threw 91 pitches in his last outing as he ramps back up, and since the first game of the division series isn't until Friday, there's no need to limit his pitch count. Dave Roberts, however, still may have a quicker hook just to limit his workload as much as possible before the playoffs. The Giants, meanwhile, have made a late switch from Albert Suarez to the lefty Blach, since the Dodgers have struggled against southpaws. Blach has just one career start and nine career innings.
Outcome: The Giants stay one game ahead of the Cardinals for the final NL wild card after beating the Dodgers 3-0.
7:10 p.m. ET: Blue Jays at Red Sox, J.A. Happ versus Eduardo Rodriguez
What's at stake: Oh, just the heart rate of an entire nation, and I don't mean Red Sox Nation. The Jays had a comfortable three-game bulge for at least the second wild card at the start of the week, but they've blown two ninth-inning leads this week and one in the seventh as the bullpen has imploded. That lead is now down to a half-game on the Tigers and one game over the Mariners. Happ (20-4) has allowed three runs or fewer in his past six starts and is 10-1 with a 2.63 ERA in his past 15 outings. The Red Sox, however, are hitting .323/.388/.541 versus lefties at Fenway.
Outcome: The Blue Jays beat the Red Sox and now control their own fate going into their final game -- win and they host the wild-card game.
7:10 p.m. ET: Tigers at Braves, Jordan Zimmermann versus Aaron Blair
What's at stake: The Tigers could pass the Blue Jays with a win and a Toronto loss, and there's a good chance for a win as Blair is 1-7 in 14 starts with an 8.02 ERA. Ouch. Zimmermann, however, is making his first start since Sept. 10, when he allowed six runs while recording just three outs. Keep an eye on the red-hot Miguel Cabrera, who has four home runs and 11 RBIs the past three games.
Outcome: The Tigers fall 1.5 games behind the Orioles and Blue Jays after losing to the Braves, so they will need help to make the postseason.
9:05 p.m. ET: A's at Mariners, Jharel Cotton versus Hisashi Iwakuma
What's at stake: The Mariners have known for a few days that they basically needed to win out to have even a slim chance, and they've won three in a row, five of six and seven of nine. They'll need to sweep the A's in this four-game series and hope the Jays and Tigers lose at least once to force, at minimum, a tiebreaker game (which would be played Tuesday since the Tigers would first play a makeup game against the Indians on Monday). The Mariners have the majors' second-best record in September and the pitching has been the reason why. Since Sept. 7, the team has gone 16-6 and allowed more than three runs just four times in those 22 games.
Outcome: The Mariners lost to the Athletics in 10 innings and were eliminated from the playoff race.