The Major League Baseball regular season concludes today with two postseason spots undecided. The playoffs begin Sept. 29.
This year marks a first for MLB, guaranteeing a division winner with a non-winning record. The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers both enter the final day with identical 80-81 records, facing the Athletics and Twins respectively.
The National League wild-card race features a tight battle for the remaining spots. The San Diego Padres, with a 90-71 record, secured the No. 4 seed Saturday night by defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks. This victory snapped Arizona's six-game winning streak.
San Diego will host the wild-card series, a significant advantage given its 50-30 home record compared to 40-41 on the road. Clinching early allows the Padres to rest their top relievers for a couple of days before the playoffs begin Tuesday.
The Chicago Cubs, holding an 88-73 record, own the tiebreaker over the Philadelphia Phillies. Their final game against the Boston Red Sox, rescheduled for Tampa due to a storm, is now meaningless for the Cubs.
The Philadelphia Phillies, at 87-74, are fighting to avoid a late-season collapse. They suffered a 12-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays Saturday, their fourth consecutive defeat. Over these four games, the Phillies have scored just three runs.
September has been challenging for Philadelphia, posting a 9-14 record. Their hitting statistics for the month are.220/.299/.341, marking the worst on-base plus slugging percentage in the majors. Despite these struggles, the Phillies still control their own destiny.
The need to clinch means starting Zack Wheeler Sunday. This decision makes him unavailable for the wild-card series, unless he pitches Game 3 on short rest. Cristopher Sanchez, who started Friday, is presumably ready for Game 2.
Aaron Nola, who started Saturday and pitched one inning while allowing three runs, is the likely Game 1 starter among the Phillies' healthy options. Manager Don Mattingly said Jesus Luzardo, who has not pitched since Sept. 7, could be used Sunday, making him available for the wild-card series if he is not deployed.
The Arizona Diamondbacks, with an 86-75 record, need to beat the Padres and have the Phillies lose to advance. The Diamondbacks hold the tiebreaker over the Phillies due to a better intradivision record, finishing 32-19 against the NL West compared to Philadelphia's 28-24 against the NL East.
Arizona's Saturday game against the Padres was marked by sloppy play, including outfielders losing two balls in the lights. Michael Soroka is scheduled to pitch for the Diamondbacks Sunday against Randy Vasquez of the Padres.
Diamondbacks ace Eduardo Rodriguez, who started Thursday, is lined up to pitch Game 1 of the wild-card series if Arizona secures a playoff berth. The World Series is scheduled to begin Friday, Oct. 23.
