There is only a week left of MLB's regular season, yet 11 National League teams are still in the hunt for a postseason berth. There is even currently a tie for the final Wild Card spot. So with postseason baseball starting on Sept. 30, how does the NL playoff picture stack up?
National League divisional leaders
Milwaukee Brewers, National League Central, 95-61
Philadelphia Phillies, National League East, 92-64
Los Angeles Dodgers, National League West, 88-68
The Milwaukee Brewers have the best record in baseball, and they've already clinched the NL Central. Likewise, the Philadelphia Phillies have the NL East locked up. The Los Angeles Dodgers have secured a postseason berth, but it isn't a guarantee that they will win the NL West.
All three of those teams are 6-4 over their last 10 games. There hasn't been nearly as much drastic change in the NL standings recently as there has been in the American League playoff race. The biggest recent news among the NL divisional leaders is that there is seemingly some clubhouse drama in Philadelphia. Nick Castellanos called out Rob Thomson's communication after a recent benching. The Phillies are still without Trea Turner, too.
The Brewers avoided a major scare when X-ray results came up negative on Williams Contreras. The catcher almost never sits, so losing him would have been devastating.
National League Wild Card
Chicago Cubs, 88-68
San Diego Padres, 85-71
Cincinnati Reds, 80-76
New York Mets, 80-76
There are only three Wild Card spots available, but there is currently a tie for the sixth and final postseason spot. That tie is between the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Mets. These teams are trending in opposite directions. The Reds are on fire, evidenced by their five-game winning streak. The Mets, meanwhile, have been fading late. To make matters worse for the Mets, they'd lose the tiebreaker to the Reds if both teams ended the regular season with identical records.
While the Chicago Cubs can't win their division, they have already clinched a postseason berth. The Cubs are currently without Kyle Tucker, who is dealing with a calf injury. The Cubs have actually lost four straight games.
The San Diego Padres are still in the running to win the NL West, too, although a Wild Card spot is much more likely. The Padres were big trade deadline winners as Ramon Laureano, Ryan O'Hearn, Mason Miller, Nestor Cortes, Freddy Fermin, and J.P. Sears have all given the team a big boost.
NL teams in the hunt
Arizona Diamondbacks, 79-77
San Francisco Giants, 77-79
Miami Marlins, 76-80
St. Louis Cardinals, 76-80
There are four teams not quite out of the running for a playoff spot. The Miami Marlins have made a surprising push late with six straight wins, but it might be too little too late. They have a 76-80 record, the same as the St. Louis Cardinals. The Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants are the two teams most likely to push the Reds and Mets for the final playoff spot. Arizona is only one game back from the aforementioned teams despite the fact that they were trade deadline sellers.
NL teams eliminated from playoff contention
Atlanta Braves, 73-83
Pittsburgh Pirates, 67-89
Washington Nationals, 64-92
Colorado Rockies, 43-113
The Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Nationals, and Colorado Rockies have all already been eliminated from postseason contention. The Rockies avoided breaking the Chicago White Sox record for most losses in the modern era, but they still certainly had one of the worst seasons in MLB history.
