MLB Playoff Race Tight as Five Teams Await Thursday Outcomes
Five Major League Baseball clubs remain on the playoff bubble, with Thursday's games set to determine which teams clinch postseason spots and wild-card berths.
Five teams are still vying for postseason berths as the regular season draws to a close. In the American League West, the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros are tied, with Houston holding the tiebreaker advantage. The AL Central sees the Cleveland Guardians a single game ahead of the Chicago White Sox.
On Thursday, the Guardians could clinch with a win over Boston, a Texas loss to the Mets, or a Houston loss to Oakland. The White Sox would advance with a victory over Kansas City or a Texas loss to the Mets. Boston aims to secure the second wild-card spot by beating Cleveland or by seeing Chicago lose to Kansas City.
In the National League, the Milwaukee Brewers can lock the No. 1 seed by defeating Philadelphia while the Los Angeles Dodgers need either a win over San Diego or a Braves loss to the Reds to guarantee at least the No. 2 seed. The Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies each have paths to the playoffs that depend on an Arizona Diamondbacks loss to Colorado; if Arizona wins, Chicago must beat Miami, San Diego must beat Los Angeles, and Philadelphia must defeat Milwaukee to clinch.