With just under two months remaining in Major League Baseball’s regular season, the playoff picture in the National League remains up for grabs. The Atlanta Braves have pulled drawn back within striking distance of the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East, but missed an opportunity over the weekend to add even more pressure. Below, we are going to take a look at where things stand currently entering play on Monday, August 5.
Division Races
Not pictured are the NL Central and West divisions. The Brewers, who will begin a three-game series at Truist Park Tuesday, currently hold a 5.5 game advantage over the Cardinals in the central despite going 4-6 over their last 10 games. The Dodgers have won two straight and have a 4.5 game lead over the Padres for the NL West lead.
The Phillies have dominated the NL East for most of the season and had a 10 game lead over the Braves on July 5. Philadelphia however is just 11-16 since July 1 and the Braves are currently 6.0 games back. The two teams still have seven head-to-head matchups left so while Atlanta still has work to do, they aren’t dead yet. The Braves are 14-15 since July 1 which makes their two losses to the Marlins this past weekend feel even worse. We will talk more about the Mets below but they are just eight games back of the Phillies and just two games behind Atlanta in the division race.
NL East
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
| Phillies | 66 | 45 | .595 | — |
| Braves | 60 | 51 | .541 | 6.0 |
| Mets | 58 | 53 | .523 | 8.0 |
| Nationals | 51 | 61 | .455 | 15.5 |
| Marlins | 42 | 70 | .375 | 24.5 |
Upcoming Schedules
Braves: Home vs. Brewers (3), at Rockies (3), at Giants (4)
Phillies: At Dodgers (3), at Diamondbacks (4), Home vs. Marlins (2)
While everyone has their eye on the Phillies, the Braves are in the midst of a battle in the Wild Card race. There are enough teams within striking distance in the National League that every time Atlanta loses, someone is making up ground. The Braves are currently percentage points ahead of the Padres for the top Wild Card spot and just a half game ahead of the Diamondbacks for the third spot.
The Mets, Cardinals, Pirates and Giants are all within 4.5 games.
NL Wild Card
| Team | W | L | PCT | WCGB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | WCGB |
| Braves | 60 | 51 | .541 | — |
| Padres | 61 | 52 | .540 | — |
| Diamondbacks | 60 | 52 | .536 | 0.5 |
| Mets | 58 | 53 | .523 | 1.5 |
| Cardinals | 57 | 55 | .509 | 3.0 |
| Pirates | 56 | 55 | .505 | 3.5 |
| Giants | 56 | 57 | .496 | 4.5 |
Upcoming Schedules:
Padres: At Pirates (3), at Marlins (3), Home vs. Pirates (3)
Diamondbacks: At Guardians (3), Home vs. Phillies (4), Home vs. Rockies (3)
Mets: At Cardinals (1), At Rockies (3), At Mariners (3)
Cardinals: Home vs. Mets (1), Home vs. Rays (3), At Royals (2)
Pirates: Home vs. Padres (3), At Dodgers (3), At Padres (3)
Giants: At Nationals (4), Home vs. Tigers (3), Home vs. Braves (4)
