Coming down the stretch, we had 4 series to determine playoff spots. Here's what happened:
NEW ORLEANS at AUSTIN
New Orleans took 2 out of 3 from Austin, taking a 2 game lead in the process. But their work is not done yet. They'll need a combination of 2 wins over Houston and losses by Austin over San Juan to take the last wild card spot. If they end up tied, Austin would go to its first ever postseason.
ST. LOUIS at MILWAUKEE
St. Louis took 2 out of 3 to all but wrap up the division and keep Milwaukee out of the playoffs for the first time. The only thing that can save Milwaukee now is a sweep of Buffalo coupled with a Syracuse sweep of St. Louis.
LOUISVILLE at NEW YORK
Louisville needed only one win going into the series to mathematically clinch their 7th straight AL East title and got it in the first game of the series. They ended up taking two out of 3 to end the relevant portion of New York's season.
OKLAHOMA CITY at MONTERREY
The hometown Sultans took 2 out of 3 to grab a tenuous lead in the race for the #5 spot. OKC holds the tiebreaker, so there's no cushion for Monterrey. During their 3 game set, Helena lost 3 straight to assure both teams of a wild card spot.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Playoff races enhanced by head-to-head matchups
There are 5 playoff races that will be decided in large part by head-to-head matchups that are upcoming in the last 2 series of the season. This makes for great baseball, as we'll decide important races on the field. Here's what to look for:
Next-to-last series:
NEW ORLEANS at AUSTIN (3 games)
What's on the line: New Orleans and Austin are battling for the last wild card spot in the NL. The Voodoo have used a 4 game winning streak to move past the City Limits, but the City Limits will get to host this series.
Importance: 5/5. The winner of this race gets into the playoffs. The loser can start planning for next season.
Who needs to do what: If the City Limits trail coming into this series, they will need to win 2 out of 3. If it's tied, they'll be in good shape even if they can win one. One win for Austin nets them the tiebreaker and New Orleans has to play Houston to close the season, while Austin can get wins off division doormat San Juan.
ST. LOUIS at MILWAUKEE (3 games)
What's at stake: The AL North crown. As in the above series, the loser is going to sit out the postseason.
Importance: 4.5/5. Only reason it's not 5/5 is because even if Milwaukee sweeps it may not be enough. Milwaukee's string of 6 straight division titles and 4 straight AL championships being in jeopardy does add a little extra to it.
Who needs to do what: Milwaukee needs at least 2 out of 3, likely a sweep. Either one of those would give Milwaukee the tiebreaker. If they trail, the Manic Maulers would need help from Syracuse to be able to catch St. Louis.
LOUISVILLE at NEW YORK (3 games)
What's at stake: The AL East crown. Loser is definitely out.
Importance: 1/5. It's likely not going to matter.
Who needs to do what: New York needs a sweep- nothing less will do. Even then it might not be enough. They're too far back to be able to catch Louisville taking 2 out of 3.
OKLAHOMA CITY at MONTERREY (3 games)
What's at stake: Likely only the 5 slot versus the 6 slot.
Importance: 2/5. The loser may be better off, as there doesn't seem to be much difference between St. Louis and Louisville this season, and the team in the 6 slot would avoid a 2nd round date with Seattle should they win.
Who needs what: Assuming they want the 5 seed, Monterrey would likely need 2 out of 3. Even so, one OKC win would give the Obese Supermodels the tiebreaker. 2 OKC wins would almost assure them the 5 slot.
Final series
ATLANTA at TRENTON
What's at stake: The NL East division crown. The loser will be in the playoffs as the 5 seed.
Importance: 2/5. These two teams are almost guaranteed to play each other in the first round no matter which way this goes. This is more likely a tune-up, although a division title is always nice.
Who needs what: Will clearly be dictated by the standings coming into the games, as it's the last series. You'd have to think that 2 out of 3 for Atlanta (which would give them the tiebreaker) should be enough by that point, but it remains to be seen.
Next-to-last series:
NEW ORLEANS at AUSTIN (3 games)
What's on the line: New Orleans and Austin are battling for the last wild card spot in the NL. The Voodoo have used a 4 game winning streak to move past the City Limits, but the City Limits will get to host this series.
Importance: 5/5. The winner of this race gets into the playoffs. The loser can start planning for next season.
Who needs to do what: If the City Limits trail coming into this series, they will need to win 2 out of 3. If it's tied, they'll be in good shape even if they can win one. One win for Austin nets them the tiebreaker and New Orleans has to play Houston to close the season, while Austin can get wins off division doormat San Juan.
ST. LOUIS at MILWAUKEE (3 games)
What's at stake: The AL North crown. As in the above series, the loser is going to sit out the postseason.
Importance: 4.5/5. Only reason it's not 5/5 is because even if Milwaukee sweeps it may not be enough. Milwaukee's string of 6 straight division titles and 4 straight AL championships being in jeopardy does add a little extra to it.
Who needs to do what: Milwaukee needs at least 2 out of 3, likely a sweep. Either one of those would give Milwaukee the tiebreaker. If they trail, the Manic Maulers would need help from Syracuse to be able to catch St. Louis.
LOUISVILLE at NEW YORK (3 games)
What's at stake: The AL East crown. Loser is definitely out.
Importance: 1/5. It's likely not going to matter.
Who needs to do what: New York needs a sweep- nothing less will do. Even then it might not be enough. They're too far back to be able to catch Louisville taking 2 out of 3.
OKLAHOMA CITY at MONTERREY (3 games)
What's at stake: Likely only the 5 slot versus the 6 slot.
Importance: 2/5. The loser may be better off, as there doesn't seem to be much difference between St. Louis and Louisville this season, and the team in the 6 slot would avoid a 2nd round date with Seattle should they win.
Who needs what: Assuming they want the 5 seed, Monterrey would likely need 2 out of 3. Even so, one OKC win would give the Obese Supermodels the tiebreaker. 2 OKC wins would almost assure them the 5 slot.
Final series
ATLANTA at TRENTON
What's at stake: The NL East division crown. The loser will be in the playoffs as the 5 seed.
Importance: 2/5. These two teams are almost guaranteed to play each other in the first round no matter which way this goes. This is more likely a tune-up, although a division title is always nice.
Who needs what: Will clearly be dictated by the standings coming into the games, as it's the last series. You'd have to think that 2 out of 3 for Atlanta (which would give them the tiebreaker) should be enough by that point, but it remains to be seen.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Ten games to play...
Here's the playoff picture with ten games left to play. If the winner of a tiebreaker has already been determined it has been factored into the magic number calculation.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Salt Lake City:
Clinched NL West
Magic number for bye: 4
Magic number for top seed: 9
Fargo:
Clinched NL North
Magic number for 2nd seed: 6
Houston:
Clinched NL South
Magic number for 3rd seed: 8
Atlanta:
Magic number to clinch NL East: 7
Trenton:
Magic number to clinch 5th seed: 5
Magic number to clinch playoff spot: 3
Austin:
Magic number to clinch playoff spot: 9
Also alive: New Orleans (5,6), Cheyenne (6), Washington (6)
Eliminated from contention: Salem, Vancouver, Toronto, Chicago, Norfolk, Philadelphia, San Juan.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Seattle:
Clinched AL West
Clinched 1st round bye
Magic number to clinch #1 seed: 1
Jackson:
Clinched playoff spot
Magic number to clinch AL South and #2 seed: 5
St. Louis:
Magic number to clinch AL North: 7
Louisville:
Magic number to clinch AL East: 7
Oklahoma City:
Magic number to clinch #5 spot: 9
Magic number to clinch playoff spot: 4
Monterrey:
Magic number to clinch playoff spot: 5
Also alive: Helena (5, 6), Milwaukee (3, 4, 5, 6), New York (3, 4), Anaheim (6)
Eliminated from contention: Boise, Buffalo, Scranton, Boston, Syracuse, Charlotte
Note: Although Anaheim and Boise have the same record, Anaheim holds the tiebreaker over 6th place Monterrey, whereas Boise does not. Therefore, Anaheim remains alive (one loss or one Monterrey wins eliminates them), while Boise is already out.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Salt Lake City:
Clinched NL West
Magic number for bye: 4
Magic number for top seed: 9
Fargo:
Clinched NL North
Magic number for 2nd seed: 6
Houston:
Clinched NL South
Magic number for 3rd seed: 8
Atlanta:
Magic number to clinch NL East: 7
Trenton:
Magic number to clinch 5th seed: 5
Magic number to clinch playoff spot: 3
Austin:
Magic number to clinch playoff spot: 9
Also alive: New Orleans (5,6), Cheyenne (6), Washington (6)
Eliminated from contention: Salem, Vancouver, Toronto, Chicago, Norfolk, Philadelphia, San Juan.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Seattle:
Clinched AL West
Clinched 1st round bye
Magic number to clinch #1 seed: 1
Jackson:
Clinched playoff spot
Magic number to clinch AL South and #2 seed: 5
St. Louis:
Magic number to clinch AL North: 7
Louisville:
Magic number to clinch AL East: 7
Oklahoma City:
Magic number to clinch #5 spot: 9
Magic number to clinch playoff spot: 4
Monterrey:
Magic number to clinch playoff spot: 5
Also alive: Helena (5, 6), Milwaukee (3, 4, 5, 6), New York (3, 4), Anaheim (6)
Eliminated from contention: Boise, Buffalo, Scranton, Boston, Syracuse, Charlotte
Note: Although Anaheim and Boise have the same record, Anaheim holds the tiebreaker over 6th place Monterrey, whereas Boise does not. Therefore, Anaheim remains alive (one loss or one Monterrey wins eliminates them), while Boise is already out.
Friday, October 9, 2009
With Lucky 13 To Go
With 13 games to go the playoff teams are starting to take shape.
NL North
Fargo secured the division long ago and will be either the #1 or #2 seed. The rest of the North failed to show up this season. This will be Fargo's sixth straight crown.
NL East
Atlanta and Trenton are fighting over the division and may go down to the wire before the champ is crowned. Either way both have seemingly secured a playoff spot. Could this be Atlanta's 4th straight crown and 5th overall or will Trenton claim its second or its fifth straight second place finish?
NL South
Houston has secured the division crown once again and probably the #3 seed as runnerups Austin and New Orleans are duking it out to determine second place and the #6 seed. This is Houston's seventh straight crown.
NL West
Salt Lake City has laid claim to the division this season and will either be the #1 or #2 seed as their once mighty compatriots have fallen on rough times this year. Cheyenne was hoping to claim the #6 seed but after losing 10 in a row chances look pretty dim. This is the second crown for Salt Lake City.
The AL is something to behold this year as only one team has captured a seed for the playoffs and the wild cards will probably have better records than than two of the top four seeds.
AL North
St. Louis leads an unusually dismal pack with Milwaukee being 5 games back, a winner has yet to be declared. It could be St. Louis' first crown as Milwaukee has won the previous six.
AL East
Louisville has won 7 in a row and can claim the lead by 2 games in this usually quiet division. Let's not count New York out quite yet as things could turn quickly. Can Louisville claim its seventh straight title?
AL South
Jackson holds the lead here but Oklahoma City and Monterrey are still biting at their heels and all three are playoff bound. Can Jackson claim its first crown?
Al West
Seattle secured the division and #1 seed long ago. Congrats to Seattle on it first ever title and second straight playoff appearance.
NL North
Fargo secured the division long ago and will be either the #1 or #2 seed. The rest of the North failed to show up this season. This will be Fargo's sixth straight crown.
NL East
Atlanta and Trenton are fighting over the division and may go down to the wire before the champ is crowned. Either way both have seemingly secured a playoff spot. Could this be Atlanta's 4th straight crown and 5th overall or will Trenton claim its second or its fifth straight second place finish?
NL South
Houston has secured the division crown once again and probably the #3 seed as runnerups Austin and New Orleans are duking it out to determine second place and the #6 seed. This is Houston's seventh straight crown.
NL West
Salt Lake City has laid claim to the division this season and will either be the #1 or #2 seed as their once mighty compatriots have fallen on rough times this year. Cheyenne was hoping to claim the #6 seed but after losing 10 in a row chances look pretty dim. This is the second crown for Salt Lake City.
The AL is something to behold this year as only one team has captured a seed for the playoffs and the wild cards will probably have better records than than two of the top four seeds.
AL North
St. Louis leads an unusually dismal pack with Milwaukee being 5 games back, a winner has yet to be declared. It could be St. Louis' first crown as Milwaukee has won the previous six.
AL East
Louisville has won 7 in a row and can claim the lead by 2 games in this usually quiet division. Let's not count New York out quite yet as things could turn quickly. Can Louisville claim its seventh straight title?
AL South
Jackson holds the lead here but Oklahoma City and Monterrey are still biting at their heels and all three are playoff bound. Can Jackson claim its first crown?
Al West
Seattle secured the division and #1 seed long ago. Congrats to Seattle on it first ever title and second straight playoff appearance.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
30 games to go in the chase for the playoffs
We're coming down to the end of the season, with 30 games to go. Some races seem to be comfortably in hand, while some things are yet to be decided.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
What we know (barring epic collapse):
-5 of the 6 playoff teams. The leaders in the NL North (Fargo), South (Houston), and West (Salt Lake City) all lead by at least 15 games. Fargo's magic number is 6, which is mind-blowing with a full 30 games to play. Atlanta and Trenton both appear to be playoff bound out of the east, as 2nd place Trenton is 10 games up on all other wild-card contenders.
What we don't know:
- The last team into the playoffs. New Orleans, Austin, and Cheyenne are all tied at 66-66, while Washington is 3 games back at 63-69 and Salem is just 4 back at 62-70.
- The NL East champs. World Champion Atlanta and Trenton have been playing musical chairs with the division lead for a week or two now. The division could end up coming down to games 160 through 162, a three game set between these two in Trenton.
- The #1, 2, and 3 seeds. This becomes important when it comes to potential playoff matchups, home-field advantage, and having to play (or not having to play) in the 1st round. Right now, Fargo leads the way with 84 wins, but Salt Lake City is right behind at 83 and Houston currently has 81 wins, so all three spots are up for grabs. Atlanta or Trenton (77 and 76 wins, respectively) would have to get very hot in order to grab one of the top spots.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
What we know (barring epic collapse):
- The AL West champions. Seattle has a 19 game lead on Helena, giving them a magic number of 12 to wrap up the division. They have a 7 game lead on Jackson for the #1 overall seed in the AL, so it looks like the Killer Whales won't have to play a game 7 on the road until the World Series (if even that).
- Jackson will be in the playoffs for the 3rd straight season. They're number 2 in the AL right now at 79- 53, leading the AL South by 5 games over Oklahoma City. Even if for some reason they can't close the deal, they're 12 games ahead of the group tied for the last wild card spot, so they should be in the playoffs in some capacity.
- The AL East is only sending one team to the playoffs. The division leader is 2 games above .500. Enough said.
What seems likely:
-Oklahoma City's 2nd ever playoff appearance, coupled with their best season ever. If they were in the AL East, they'd have a healthy 7 game lead- unfortunately, they play in the same division as Jackson. As it is, they hold the #5 spot- all other teams that don't have a division lead are at least 7 games back, so they're fairly comfortable right now.
What we don't know:
- The AL East and AL North champions. New York leads the East with an underwhelming 67-65 record, leaving everyone else in the race. Boston and Louisville are 5 back, and Scranton trails by 11. The North appears to be a 2-team race, with St. Louis having a leg up at 71-61, and 4-time AL champion Milwaukee 4 back.
- The last playoff entry. This looks alot like the NL, with 3 teams tied for the #6 seed with mediocre records (this time 67-65), with two more teams lurking, one being 3 games back and one being four games back. This time, the three teams tied for the 6 seed are some brand names- Monterrey, Helena, and Milwaukee. Anaheim sits 3 back and Boise is the team that is 4 back.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
What we know (barring epic collapse):
-5 of the 6 playoff teams. The leaders in the NL North (Fargo), South (Houston), and West (Salt Lake City) all lead by at least 15 games. Fargo's magic number is 6, which is mind-blowing with a full 30 games to play. Atlanta and Trenton both appear to be playoff bound out of the east, as 2nd place Trenton is 10 games up on all other wild-card contenders.
What we don't know:
- The last team into the playoffs. New Orleans, Austin, and Cheyenne are all tied at 66-66, while Washington is 3 games back at 63-69 and Salem is just 4 back at 62-70.
- The NL East champs. World Champion Atlanta and Trenton have been playing musical chairs with the division lead for a week or two now. The division could end up coming down to games 160 through 162, a three game set between these two in Trenton.
- The #1, 2, and 3 seeds. This becomes important when it comes to potential playoff matchups, home-field advantage, and having to play (or not having to play) in the 1st round. Right now, Fargo leads the way with 84 wins, but Salt Lake City is right behind at 83 and Houston currently has 81 wins, so all three spots are up for grabs. Atlanta or Trenton (77 and 76 wins, respectively) would have to get very hot in order to grab one of the top spots.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
What we know (barring epic collapse):
- The AL West champions. Seattle has a 19 game lead on Helena, giving them a magic number of 12 to wrap up the division. They have a 7 game lead on Jackson for the #1 overall seed in the AL, so it looks like the Killer Whales won't have to play a game 7 on the road until the World Series (if even that).
- Jackson will be in the playoffs for the 3rd straight season. They're number 2 in the AL right now at 79- 53, leading the AL South by 5 games over Oklahoma City. Even if for some reason they can't close the deal, they're 12 games ahead of the group tied for the last wild card spot, so they should be in the playoffs in some capacity.
- The AL East is only sending one team to the playoffs. The division leader is 2 games above .500. Enough said.
What seems likely:
-Oklahoma City's 2nd ever playoff appearance, coupled with their best season ever. If they were in the AL East, they'd have a healthy 7 game lead- unfortunately, they play in the same division as Jackson. As it is, they hold the #5 spot- all other teams that don't have a division lead are at least 7 games back, so they're fairly comfortable right now.
What we don't know:
- The AL East and AL North champions. New York leads the East with an underwhelming 67-65 record, leaving everyone else in the race. Boston and Louisville are 5 back, and Scranton trails by 11. The North appears to be a 2-team race, with St. Louis having a leg up at 71-61, and 4-time AL champion Milwaukee 4 back.
- The last playoff entry. This looks alot like the NL, with 3 teams tied for the #6 seed with mediocre records (this time 67-65), with two more teams lurking, one being 3 games back and one being four games back. This time, the three teams tied for the 6 seed are some brand names- Monterrey, Helena, and Milwaukee. Anaheim sits 3 back and Boise is the team that is 4 back.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)